“No!” Ryssa shouted, holding her hands up. She stood, waving over her head, screaming, begging for her life. Red light replaced the dull, white from the rifle shots. The scent of cooked meat made her gag. She dropped to her knees, retching until her nose burned and her muscles felt like jelly.
A fire burned nearby, giving off just enough light to see by. Ryssa opened her eyes, turning to the left. She stared into the dead eyes of Mallen… his severed head lying at an unnatural angle. Pieces of the others littered the area, melted off in the assault by the invaders. She turned to look up at the nearest as he approached.
“Please…” Ryssa muttered. “Please, I don’t want to die! You don’t have to do this! Please!” She clasped her hands together, trembling violently. “I… I’ll do… whatever you want… please just… don’t…”
Two of the other invaders came to stand before her in a semi-circle. The three of them lifted their weapons, taking aim. Ryssa closed her eyes, screaming with every ounce of terror that consumed her soul. She cowered, holding her hands up as if to ward them off… to show them total submission.
A high-pitched hum broke through her cries, a sound that pierced her ears straight through to her brain. She didn’t open her eyes, didn’t stop trembling… not even when the heat pierced her arms, burst her chest, opened her body wide. Pain didn’t register in her brain. Attempts to breathe convinced her of the stark reality… she was done.
Death followed her as she collapsed to the ground. She peripherally recognized her left arm was no longer attached. A gurgling cough signified the end. The last thing Ryssa saw as she faded into darkness was the dead eyes of Mallen, staring through her. Footsteps walked away, but those sounds no longer mattered.
She was gone.
***
Gunny glanced back at the sound of a blast. An explosion rocked the building, powerful enough to make a window burst outward. That surprised him. Those were supposed to be made of transparent steel, but he figured he merely witnessed yet another attempt to save money.
I guess it wouldn’t have mattered if they spent it. This place didn’t stand a chance.
His HUD showed no sign of life in the immediate area. Not in the farms and not anywhere nearby. Those people back in the complex also winked out. The explosion may have done them in but Gunny doubted it. The more likely situation involved the invaders going in and tearing them up; murdering them all.
And that stupid, scared girl ensured none of them had a chance.
At least they had Alon with them. One person who saw the enemy might be able to shed some light on their tactics. Providing they all made it back to the ship alive. He had his doubts about their chances considering what he’d seen and heard thus far.
“I think we’ve got some company,” Hans said. “Scans are picking up a large group on our tail.”
Gunny glanced back at the building. They managed a reasonable head start, putting them at a good three hundred yards away. Still, depending on the weapons of their opponents that might not be far enough. He motioned for his people to get low. Once they crouched, he waved at them to go even lower.
“Use the grass,” Gunny said, “when the shuttle’s closer, we can make a break for it.” He turned to Alon. “You saw our weapons shoot these things. What happened?”
“The armor,” Alon replied, “our bullets bounced right off. Only grenades seemed to do anything, and even then, it didn’t seem like the guy got particularly hurt.”
“We need turrets,” Hans muttered.
“That might be.” Gunny hummed. He directed them to move, but to keep it slow. “If you hurry you’ll make the grass shake. The last thing you want to do is give away your position. Take it slow. We just have to buy ourselves time while the shuttle comes back around.” He checked the ETA from Andrews.
Two minutes. Gunny sighed. That’s a hell of a long time to be down here with the enemy advancing on us. Especially if this Alon guy is right about our gear. Yes, their weapons were technically more powerful but not dramatically so. They still discharged bullets, and if those couldn’t pierce the armor, engaging them would be suicide.
Deens screamed. Gunny’s eyes flicked to the life signs of his men on the HUD. The man was gone. Dead in an instant. He glanced back in time to see red beams cutting through the grass, tearing at their heels. A couple choices bounced around in his head… none of them pleasant, all of them dangerous.
Staying put wasn’t an option. Chances were good the enemy had scans as well which allowed them to see through the foliage. Running also seemed like a bad idea. They’d have to take evasive maneuvers to remain moving targets and to survive like that for another ninety seconds felt… well, completely insane.
But I don’t see another option. “Up, men!” Gunny shouted. “Zag your asses off until Andrews gets here!” He led the way, bellowing as he rushed off at a sharp angle then cut back the opposite direction. Every five paces he picked a direction on a whim just so long as it kept him ahead of his opponents. We can do this!
“Andrews!” Gunny grunted the name as he ran. Blasts cut the grass behind him, catching it on fire. He huffed, turning again. “You need to hurry the hell up! We are under heavy fire!”
Some of his other men returned fire, blasting away at their pursuers. Gunny wanted to see the results, to witness whether or not their weapons truly made no impact
