Part 27 (1/2)

Lloyd saw Wendy looking down at him. His voice was weak. ”h.e.l.lo, angel.” He struggled to smile as he let out his gasp of air. His body went slack. He was dead.

Tarina was terrified. Her heart was pounding away in her chest. She looked over at Wright. The colonel was edging across the floor towards another window. He slowly got up on one knee and peered out into the swirling mist.

Another shot was fired. The wood beside Wright's head splintered as the bullet pa.s.sed right through it. He instantly dropped down to the floor.

”Did you see who's out there?” Tarina asked Wright.

He shook his head. ”The fog is too thick. We need to get out of here. Everyone out the back,” he ordered.

Tarina crawled over to Wendy on her hands and knees. ”Come on, we have to go.”

Wendy didn't say a word. She nodded her head as she gently placed Lloyd's head down on the wooden floor.

”Ladies, let's go,” commanded Wright.

”You in the house throw out your weapons and come out with your hands on your hands,” ordered a voice from outside. ”Don't think about making a run for it. I have the place surrounded.”

Wright swore. He also hadn't expected the enemy to speak to him in English.

”Did you hear that?” said Sheridan.

”Yeah, it sounded like gunfire,” replied Cole.

”I think it came from this direction,” Roberts added, pointing off to their right in the fog.

Sheridan pulled the rifle from his back. ”Lead on, Roberts.”

”Spread out,” ordered Cole. ”If there are hostiles out here, we won't know it until we trip over them. Single shots only. No automatic gunfire.”

Tammy raised her snout and sniffed the air. A second later, she growled. Roberts looked over his shoulder and said, ”Tammy smells something she doesn't like.”

Sheridan nodded his head. ”Ok, everyone be careful.”

With their weapons tight in their shoulders, the thin line of Marines crept forward.

”I warn you to do as I say or I'll be forced to burn the house down with you in it,” threatened the voice.

Wright clenched his fists in anger. He didn't want to surrender, but he didn't have much choice either. He glanced down at his watch. The first wave of Marines wasn't due to land for another ten minutes. If they could only hold out until then.

A grenade landed by the closed front door. With a thunderous boom the flimsy, old wooden door exploded inwards. Miraculously, Wendy sitting nearby was unscathed.

The man outside yelled, ”That was your last warning. I have a thermite grenade. The next one goes inside and I don't need to tell you how horrible it would be to die roasted alive.”

”Ok, you win, we're coming out,” said Wright. He stood and walked to the doorway. Tarina and Wendy were about to join Wright when a burst of automatic gunfire cut through the air. Wright's body jerked as the bullets tore into his chest. His bloodied body tumbled backward into the farmhouse.

A switch in the back of Tarina's mind flipped the instant Wright's body hit the floor. With a snarl on her lips, she drew her pistol, darted over to the open door and opened fire. ”If you want me, come and get me, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds!” she screamed.

The blood in Sheridan's veins turned to ice. He instantly knew that it was Tarina's voice he had heard. He began to run. His comrades saw him take off and ran with him.

Emerging out of the mist like avenging wraiths, the Marines burst among the Chosen warriors. Firing their weapons at point blank range, they cut them down. No quarter was asked for and none was given. In seconds, a dozen Chosen lay in a heap on the ground.

In the fog, a man quietly crept forward and lifted up his arm until his pistol was aiming at Sheridan's head. He flipped off the safety and placed his finger on the trigger. If he was going to die, he at least was going to take Sheridan with him. He began to squeeze the trigger back. Suddenly, a dark shape appeared right next to the shooter. Before he could switch targets, the man was struck hard on the side of the head with the b.u.t.t of his a.s.sailant's weapon. He instantly blacked out and tumbled to the ground.

”Man, you're gonna regret the day you met me,” said Cole as he grabbed Andrews' pistol and tossed it aside.

Sheridan looked towards the house. ”Tarina, it's me, Michael. Are you alright?”

”Michael is that really you?” called out Tarina.

”Yes, do you need help?”

A second later, Tarina burst through the fog and threw her arms around Sheridan's neck. ”I thought I was going to die.”

”I wouldn't let that happen,” he replied, taking her in his arms and holding her tight in his arms.

Roberts ran over to check on Wright. A second later, he called out for one of his Marines to help him. Colonel Wright was badly wounded, but still alive.

From above the sound of dozens of fighter-bombers flying at treetop level filled the air. Sheridan and Tarina turned their heads and watched as a wall of flame swept over the Kurgan lines.

The ground invasion had begun.

Cole quickly established a cordon with the few people he had. He didn't want any more surprises today.

A few minutes later, a strange rumbling noise grew came out of the fog. Sheridan placed Tarina behind his body and looked out into the mist. It was slowly beginning to lift. A couple of anxious seconds pa.s.sed before a ma.s.sive shape emerged out of the fog. With a loud holler, Sheridan jumped up into the air when he recognized the tanks. They were Pers.h.i.+ng heavy tanks from the First Armored Division.

The Marines were here.

While a medic looked at Wright, Roberts and the other Marines moved Lloyd's body outside of the building and covered it with a blanket.

”What do you want to do with this sack of c.r.a.p?” Cole asked Sheridan as he looked down at Andrews, tied up at his feet.

”I'd like nothing better than to put a bullet between his eyes, but he's probably worth more to us alive than dead,” replied Sheridan. ”The counter-intelligence folks, especially the psychics, would love to see into his mind.”

Andrews turned his head and looked up at Sheridan. With a demonic gleam in his eyes, he said, ”Your friend, the old black woman, I thought you should know that she begged for her life before I strung her up.”

Sheridan let out a guttural cry and then smashed his right knee into Andrews' head, knocking him over. Before Cole could grab him, Sheridan dropped to his knees and began to pummel Andrews' face.

”No, that's what he wants you to do,” said Cole as he grabbed Sheridan by the shoulders and pulled him off Andrews.

Sheridan fought to control the fire raging through his heart. He had never hated a person so much in his entire life. So far killing Kurgans had been about survival, this was different...this was personal. He looked over at Cole and reluctantly nodded his head.

”Get the prisoner on his feet,” Cole ordered.

A young Marine ran over and hauled Andrews up off the ground. Unbeknown to anyone, he had cut his bindings using a small knife hidden in his belt. With cat-like reflexes, Andrews pulled the surprised soldier's bayonet from its scabbard, grabbed her from behind and jammed the blade under the Marine's throat. ”Everyone step back, place your weapons on the ground, or I will kill this woman,” warned Andrews.

Sheridan raised his hands and said, ”You know we can't do that. Don't be a fool, Andrews, let her go and drop the knife.”