by Mjolnir Mark X
Chapter I: The Nightmare Zone
"Screw this", thought Corporal Lewik as another plasma shot nearly missed his left ear. He turned the barrel of M41 light antiaircraft gun to the source of the attack, nervously shaking his head from one side to another.''Sergeant, we're surrounded!'' he shouted over his shoulder.
"Yeah, no shitt!" a harsh voice answered.
The 3-person military all-terrain vehicle M812-RV shook heavily, while narrowly maneuvering through the mazes of narrow streets.
Bits of half melted and burning walls were scattered on the ground, which meant it was almost impossible to drive through even for a Warthog.
He, Polaski and Sergant Johnson were on the run for nearly 3 hours, and it was nothing like a joy ride.
"Step on it soldier, or we're Dog Food!" Sergant barked in Polaski ear in his side seat.
His chewed his long ago gone out cigar in his mouth, and the grip on his assault rifle was rock hard. Both men couldn't really tell from the look of his superior officer, but it almost seemed that even Johnson started to look exhausted from non-stop runaway from their restless pursuers.A long roadblock was just ahead of the warthog and Polaski started to slow down.
"Damn those sons-of-bitches", sweared Sergant Johnson, "move this junk-heap to the street on the left, NOW!"
Just as Polaski wanted something to object, Sergeant turned around in his seat and opened fire with his 55mm armor piercing rounds.
Lewik couldn't feel his arms from the constant firing, however he now saw the cannon to slowly overheat, and white vapor coming out of the 3 light-red glowing barrels.
"Sarge!" he cried out, but couldn't hear even his own voice amid the sound of explosions and plasma shots. Sergant was busy shooting those vermins while Polaski was driving hell knows where.
If driving was a term to describe the way they moved through nearly destroyed city blocks.
He fired another round from the mighty chain gun. Fire blazed from the barrels once more, and then it happened.
Time literally fell behind for Corporal Lewik as the cannon in his hands finally gave away and overheated. The constant yet so pleasant automatic roar of the weapon started to fade, leaving only the overwhelming sound of plasma shots and explosions of the war zone.
Hell, thought Lewik, watching the cannon barrels slowly spin, this war zone is MY home planet.
Ever starting with battles outside human colonies, the Flood quickly learned to use the starships of their victims to expand in the galaxy, flooding every planet, every civilization and every life form that sustains enough bio-mass, with their sheer numbers and unnatural hunger for everything alive.And now they have finally found us here, like the Covenant did before, and it was only a matter of days until the Flood totally overwhelms their planet.
Corporal face was pale, either from the dust particles or the terror that unfolded before him. The explosions drew even nearer and plasma shots made the air around him increasingly hot...
As if wonder on 4 wheels the warthog suddenly disappeared from view, with a satisfactorily jump falling on a lower level road that was a part of what once was a highway. Lewik still couldn't believe of the sudden change of events, his trembling hands still holding tight the grip of the cannon.
''Damn good work marine!'' Sergeant said easily, turning back to Polaski.
Polaski, however, didn't answer or at least none answer was heard, he was just looking straight ahead, without even blinking once.
The part of nearly collapsed highway tunnel seemed incredibly empty compared with the hell lose on the ground level, and only faint hum of Warthog engine could be heard.
''Let's get outa here, sir'' Lewik slowly said to Sergant. Johnson carefully looked around the tunnel, as if searching for new foes and then eased himself: ''Check the Nav Comm if there's a place we can stay and call for EVAC''.
He quickly took out a fresh magazine and fed it in his rifle. That was their first real stop after more than 3 hours of fighting.