Part 32 (2/2)
All they had was now, and all they had on their minds was killing Ben Raines.
The inside of Ben's CP was beginning to stink, the floor littered with the bodies of dead creepies. The battle was so intense they could not take the time to throw the bodies out into the rain.
The air around the besieged area was choking thick with gun smoke, the night filled with the rattle of gunfire, the booming of cannon, the thundering of Big Thumpers, and the screaming of the badly wounded.
A creepie hurled himself onto Ben's back.
Ben twisted and threw the man to the floor. Buddy smashed his head in with the b.u.t.t of his Thompson just as another Believer knocked Ben to the floor. Ben kicked the man in the groin with the toe of his boot and clawed out his .45. He shot the creep in the face and jumped to his feet.
The building was filled with Night P; they were pouring in through the shattered back door. The Rebels backed up, formed a defensive line, and leveled automatic weapons. The roaring of a dozen weapons on full rock and roll was deafening. But the attack inside the building was broken as the creeps died in stinking piles.
”They're breaking it off,” a Rebel yelled.
”No pursuit,” Ben shouted. ”Let them go.
Finish off the wounded and regroup. Plug up the holes.”
The wounded cannibals were shot in the head and dumped outside. It was suggested that bags of sand be opened and the contents poured on the slick floor, to soak up the blood.
”No good,” Ben finally said. ”We've got too many wounded to risk standing around in the blood of those creeps. All units reposition.”
One squad at a time, the Rebels left their bullet-pocked and b.l.o.o.d.y positions and ran fornew cover.
”Torch the buildings we leave,” Ben ordered.
”It'll give us a better field of fire.”
While Rebel snipers stood watch, the others s.h.i.+fted locations, into buildings with whole roofs and walls that had not been torn apart by automatic-weapons fire.
”Cecil on the horn, General!” Corrie called, once they had s.h.i.+fted locations and had set up. ”He's coming under heavy attack from creepies.”
”G.o.dd.a.m.nit!” Ben cursed, taking the headset.
”Eagle here, Cec.”
”They must have been hiding in the sewers and the subway system, Ben. Just waiting us out. They poured out about an hour ago. We've been too busy to b.u.mp you.”
”They pulled the same thing on us down here, Cec.
We're holed up at the old Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base. I think they threw everything they had at us in the first round. We held and inflicted heavy casualties on them. But we're pretty well pinned down. How's your situation?”
”Just about the same. They've got us pinned down at the airport. h.e.l.l, we thought L.a. was clear and had moved over here to clear a runway for traffic.
We're in good shape, we just can't get out-yet.”
”What can I say, Cec. I f.u.c.ked up.”
”We both f.u.c.ked up. Take it easy, Ben.”
”Take it easy, brother. See you.” He turned to his team. ”Cecil and his bunch are in the same shape we are. They're pinned down at the airport and holding.”
”We need some air support in here,” Jersey said.
”In this weather?” Ben responded. ”All we could use if the weather cleared would be the fighters. No bombs for the bombers.” He shook his head and had to chuckle. ”I'll say it again. All in all, it's a h.e.l.l of a way to run a war!”
The Rebels waited, guns at the ready, but no more attacks came at them. At midnight, Ben stepped outside and lifted his face to the skies. The rain was still coming down and from all indications, it was going to continue for some time. Days, maybe. He wasn't sure if this was the rainy season for southern California or not. If it wasn't, it was sure doing a h.e.l.l of an imitation.
”It'll rain for days,” Santo said.
Ben looked at the aging hippie, one of Therm's group. ”You have an inside track on the weather, Santo?”
”Yep. My big toe. Right foot. I broke it when I was kid. If it tingles that means it's gonna rain a little bit. If it hurts, it's gonna be a system that stays around for days. Never fails.”
”It might be a blessing or a curse if the rain continues.”
”It'll wash those stinking b.a.s.t.a.r.ds anyway.”Ben laughed. He sure couldn't argue the merits of that. ”Did you people take any hits?”
”No, sir. One of the bikers caught one in the arm.
He's out of it. One of Emil's people took one in the leg, and Dan's Scouts took some wounded, no dead, and not real serious. Those flak jackets and helmets are lifesavers, for a fact.”
The helmets they wore were of the type that would stop many of the calibers used. They would not stop a .50-caliber slug, nor many of the big-bore magnum rounds, rifle or pistol. And the Rebels who had experienced a slug impacting and stopping against their helmets all said it was not a pleasant sensation. They all reported having headaches that lasted for several days. But they were alive.
”Get back inside, General,” Dan said from the rainy darkness.
Ben didn't argue with him. He knew he had no business being so exposed. He stepped back inside the building and the Englishman followed him.
”We were lucky the first time, General. Very lucky.
They could have easily overrun us if they'd kept up the a.s.sault. Only G.o.d, or the Devil, knows why they broke it off. But they'll not make that mistake again. I have taken the liberty of repositioning many of the machine guns and the armor. I think when they come at us again, it will be all-out and no back-down on their part.”
”I think you're right, Dan. Cec is pinned down at the old L.a. airport. The creeps were probably sitting out the barrages in the sewers and subways.”
”They weren't such great friends of the punks after all, were they?”
”No. They never let on to the street punks that they had contingency plans or what those plans entailed.
The punks were the creepies' sacrificial lambs.”
”Here they come again!” Corrie informed the group.
The Rebels got into position. But the creepies did not launch an all-out offensive this rainy night. They chose instead to lay back and hara.s.s the Rebels with sniper fire and light mortars. But the Rebels had much heavier mortars, with a much larger killing-radius, and manned by much more experienced people.
As a result, as soon as the creepie mortar crews were pinpointed, they were knocked out of action.
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