Part 20 (2/2)

Knowing this, many of the punks ran from the relentless advance. Ben Raines's philosophy of war was simple. We will give you one chance to surrender.

If you do not take it at the time it is offered, you will die. There will be no second chances. It was a hard philosophy, enforced by hard men and women, in a hard and harsh time on earth.

The Rebels brought up flamethrowers, torching as they advanced, the flame-t.o.s.s.e.rs adding a new element of fear among the punks.

Ben stepped into a doorway and came face to face with a street punk dressed all in white, from his funky tennis shoes to the white headband.

He screamed obscenities at Ben.

Ben lifted the muzzle of his M-14 and added a touch of red to the natty outfit.

Automatic-rifle fire knocked out splinters of wood from the old building, the splinters b.l.o.o.d.ying Ben's face. He wiped the blood away and ran into the building. He cut to one side and hit the floor rolling just as a woman dressed in a bright yellow s.h.i.+rt cut loose with an AK-47.

”b.a.s.t.a.r.d!” she screamed at him, the AK bucking and jumping in her hands.

Jersey appeared in the doorway and st.i.tched the woman with a burst from her M-16, then jumped and rolled inside just as Ben was getting to his knees, his Thunder Lizard howling, the muzzle pointed at a knot of men and women all jammed up in a doorway leading to the outside.

Ben slapped in a fresh clip and cleared the logjam, the .308 slugs knocking several of the group outside and the rest of them spinning to the floor, their blood staining the dirty floor and the walls.

Beth and Cooper ran into the house, followed by Corrie and Linda.

”Hail, hail, the gang's all here,” Ben called cheerfully, his voice m.u.f.fled through the gas mask. He winked at Linda.”The man has a sense of humor,” Linda said, just as a burst of lead sent them all belly-down on the floor. She crawled to a window, Corrie right behind her, and between the two of them filled the smoky air with lead and double-ought buckshot and some very unladylike cussing.

”Tsk, tsk,” Ben said.

Linda and Corrie turned to look at him and he shut up.

A grenade came sailing through a shattered window and bounced along the floor, sending everybody jumping for whatever cover they could find.

In Ben's case, no cover. He was squatting in the center of the big room.

Jersey threw herself on the grenade, covering it with her body. ”Get down, General!” she screamed.

Chapter Fourteen.

Ben froze, watching as Jersey closed her eyes and move her lips in silent prayer.

Five seconds took ten minutes to tick by.

”It's a dud, Jersey,” Ben called. ”Throw yourself away from it as far as you can.”

”I'm too scared to move, General.”

”Do it, Jersey. Now!”

She hurled herself from the grenade, rolling on the floor, and Cooper grabbed her, pulling her away.

”Leave it alone, General!” Dan's voice came sharp from the doorway. ”Just stay right where you are.” He walked to the grenade, picked it up, and threw it out a window. It bounced off a building, hit the alleyway, and blew. ”Sometimes they do that,” the Englishman said. ”Unpredictable little b.u.g.g.e.rs.”

Ben got up and walked over to Jersey, putting his arms around her, holding her close. She was still trembling. ”What can I say, Jersey?”

She pulled back and grinned up at him. ”Well, sir, you could give me a raise.”

And amid the sounds of the battle raging outside, laughter rolled from the ground floor.

From Ike's position on the west side of west Los Angeles, to the mercenary's position on the east side of the combat area, the Rebels no longer felt they were trapped, even though they were, in a manner of speaking.

The street punks and the creepies had not only been thrown back, they had suffered terrible casualties during the failed a.s.sault. The dead were scooped up and placed in buildings, then the buildings set on fire.

The Rebels resumed their slow, block-by-block taking of the last major bastion of lawlessness and cannibalism and slavery in the lower forty-eight.

Ike and his people were clearing and burning the west side of West Los Angeles, pus.h.i.+ng up to the San Diego Freeway and driving hard and relentlessly toward L.a. proper.

Therm, Ben, and Cecil began slowly pus.h.i.+ng the punks and the creepies who fought with them south, while Georgi and West linked up and began their slowadvance toward the sea. The Rebels who had been on Santa Catalina Island were now, at Ben's orders, linked up with West.

Four long and b.l.o.o.d.y days after the failed a.s.sault by the street punks, Ben told his people to stand down for twenty-four hours and catch their breaths.

While to the uninitiated it might seem premature, Ben knew his Rebels now had the upper hand and were going to win this fight. The street punks had thrown everything they had at the Rebels, and the Rebels had held and were now once more advancing. The fight was a long way from being over.

Weeks of b.l.o.o.d.y work still lay ahead of the Rebels. But the street punks were going to lose.

Ben suspected that even they knew it.

Ben had relaxed the rules concerning prisoners, and had allowed his people to take alive those punks who had come staggering and weeping out of the burning and smoking rubble of war. They were transported north, into the forests and canyons north of the city, and were guarded by the Woods Children. As slaves and prisoners were liberated by the Rebels, trials were held. Any punk who was identified as having killed in cold blood, raped, or tortured was put to death.

Ben had heard horror stories coming out of what was called the zone, and wanted a meeting of his commanders.

He had some news for them.

Ike jumped straight out of his chair, yelling.

”You're gonna do what? G.o.dd.a.m.nit, Ben, that's the dumbest d.a.m.n thing I ever heard you propose.”

Ben sat calmly. He had antic.i.p.ated the uproar and was ready for it.

”I absolutely forbid it,” Cecil said, shaking his head. ”No. No. Under no circ.u.mstances, no!

Reckless on your part and just too dangerous.”

The mercenary, West, said, ”General, I believe that would be very irresponsible on your part. I'm against it.”

Therm said nothing because nothing Ben Raines ever did surprised him.

”Stupid!” Doctor Chase said. ”Just plain stupid.

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