“Shoot through the hooches!” Chaz said. “Through the walls!”
Dwayne and Jimbo fired rockets through the walls of the nearest structures. The hoots and catcalls turned to wails of fear and howls of agony. The storm of projectiles died away.
Chaz pulled Renzi to his feet. “You okay, bro?” Chaz said.
“I can hack it!” Renzi said. He pulled his arm from Chaz’s grip. He yanked a satchel charge from his shoulder and pulled the fuse ring.
“Fire in the hole!” Renzi flung the satchel underhand into one of the larger huts in their path. All four men dove for the sand and covered their ears. They held their mouths open wide to lessen the pressure effects on their skulls.
The flimsy structure instantly turned into a storm of flying splinters and bone shards. Villagers using the hut for cover were shredded to strings of meat. Others fell concussed all around The rest scattered as if a hurricane wind had blown them away.
“This is insane!” Renzi shouted as he rose. He had a hand to the back of his head. Blood gleamed black in the firelight on his fingers. A thin stream ran from his left ear and down his neck.
“Caroline Tauber’s in that cave,” Dwayne said. “We can make it there while they’re still shook up by the blast.”
“Man, these skinnies don’t scare so easy,” Jimbo said. “They’ll be back and more pissed off than before.”
“All the more reason to hurry our asses then,” Chaz said. He trotted after Dwayne, who was making his way toward the cave mouth visible beyond another row of huts. Villagers were already gathering again. Knots of them could be seen closing together in rough ranks in the flickering light. Chaz looked behind them and saw nothing but the burning huts and all around them the bodies of adults and children caught in the explosion or knocked down by rocket rounds. Some were alive but not for long. They shrieked and clawed at the scorched sand.
On their flanks, skinnies ran from cover to cover. They were moving alongside the four armed men, keeping pace. Everyone, villager and invader, was moving toward the cave mouth. They heard the bleat of horns resounding off the rocks above them. The skinnies were calling the whole neighborhood in on this. There was no way for the Rangers to know how large a force they could potentially be facing.
The four Rangers moved forward with fresh magazines. Each held his weapon firm to his shoulder and swept the area ahead. Villagers were gathering in a dense mob on the gradual slope of sand leading to the slit in the rock wall of the cliff. They stood swaying and muttering softly. Less than fifty yards to go to the cave opening.
Dwayne and Chaz picked off the closest spear carriers who dared to rush out from the crowd. Single shots on semi-auto. They were low on ammo and would need every round to get back to the mesa top and the field area of the Tube.
“Every one of these bastards and his cousin is here,” Renzi said.
“No way through that,” Jimbo said. “We’re low on rounds and charges.”
“We make a way,” Dwayne said. “Everyone gives up when they’ve suffered enough. Even these sons of bitches.”
“Renzi! Jimbo! Toss charges into them!” Dwayne planted his feet and sent a long burst into the massed villagers.
Renzi and Jimbo pulled the rings on the fuses and swung the satchels by the handles for the long toss. As if by a signal, a steady rain of rocks began pelting them from above. Above the cave mouth there were dozens of figures on ledges and outcrops, and all of them were lobbing stones at the four armed men. The figures called and jabbered and pried chunks of rock free to fling below. Their elongated shadows climbed the wall of the cliff face projected in stark contrast by the spreading flames of the burning village. The mass of hostiles before the cave mouth raised up a scream of defiance and started forward at a run.
No words were needed. It was time to withdraw. The four men began backing away toward the burning huts. Renzi and Jimbo threw their last charges as they backpedaled. They could feel the super-heated wind at their backs as they turned to run for the cover of the smoke drifting from the inferno.
The two satchel charges went off within seconds of each other, throwing skinnies in steaming bits into the air. Others were hammered to the ground. The twin blasts sent a concussive wave up the face of the rocks and dislodged a few rock throwers who fell screaming from their perches.
Back in the maze of huts, they began a more orderly withdrawal, two men covering the rear as two more re-loaded their weapons. Nothing slowed the pursuit of the skinnies. More spears were making it through the suppression fire. Villagers were running along either flank as well, flitting between huts soundlessly. The Rangers would be cut off from retreat if they couldn’t get clear.
“Move it!” Dwayne shouted. “Bug the fuck out!”
All four men broke into an open run. They stayed in sight of one another, and all followed Dwayne, who fired wildly to either side of him while sprinting ahead. The crazy-quilt pattern of huts made them change direction several times, and only the growing howls of the mob closing in behind them kept them oriented. The village was larger than it looked when they first arrived. The dark beyond the bonfire hid the true expanse of it. It was a damned skinny metropolis.
They broke from the last ring of huts to find themselves on a long expanse of dark sand
