Chapter 1: Ashes to Ashes
The heat was intolerable for his skin, the air was filled with sharp and charred bits of trash. Air came in, but something within was making it hard to breath out.
The streets he once knew since his childhood had been perverted to a shamble of their former selves. The inhabitants, all ran for their lives to refugee camps outside of the city. He remembered the laughs of children, the small talks between neighbors and friends, the sound of engineered chariots advancing as steam came out of their pipes to raise to the blue sky.
Washington had never been in this state and neither were his men and women.
A terrorist attack, that's all it took for their whole world to turn upside-down. The city was now a battlefield and no one knew how it would end. There were no visible victors or losers, both parties were even. Even if the military had the weapons and training, the enemies had the number which overwhelmed the army.
In the mist of all this ordeal, Sergeant Henry Flemming was now alone.
His steam boiler, a backpack seize boiler connected to his rifle as a ammunition' dispenser, was damaged by countless bullets and had to throw it away. Not to mention his multiple injuries he took so far made it impossible to hold on the heavy boiler. Worst was his chest, Henry isn't a man of physiology, but he knew something was wrong. He felt as if his breath were meaningless to keep him focus. The sensation was similar to a merciless grip around his own heart. He doesn't know how long he has left before he dies. A part of him hoped it would come to this.
He had been on the run for two days now, never manage to get a moment to rest properly. Eating and drinking were bare, anything he would swallow was a torture.
He had to hide from the rebels, in enemy territory he can't let his guard down. As fatigue and hunger settled in, his body began to perform sluggishly. He tripped more then he would admit, it was as if his body was trying to force him to sleep on the cold ground. Thankfully, every time he got up quickly by a sadistic miracle.
He was situated close-by the east market, the area was strangely deserted. He let out a groan from his chipped lips and rubbed his tired eyes. When he opened them, there was people, smiling and shopping across the market.
Dear men and women of Washington now around reconstructed shops selling steam machine parts, food, clothes, anything and nothing. It was as if the war never came to this little place.
The soldier knew it wasn't real, faces aren't blank and covered by shadows. He walked through the corridor of ghosts of the past, none looked at him or took notice of the dying man right at their side. Henry fought his best against the intent to touch the fake people, he needed help even from the hallucinations. He needed to be told he'll be fine, reinforcements were coming to save him and his team, even if those comforting words were lies. He wanted to awake from a waking nightmare.
He passed through the manifested illusions and never looked back, wishing to not break the only moment of serenity since those couple of days.
Henry kept walking, hearing the sounds of gunshots and yells.
From two different sides.
If he wasn't so tired and in pain, he would yell in joy and run to the battle. Instead, he dragged himself to the nearby sounds. Finally, he was no longer alone and could get back to his army.
When he arrived, he was at the end of a hallway directly headed to the middle of the fight. On one side, the rebels, on the other, the good men of his country. All he needs is to get to his side and get back to base. They wouldn't let one of their own die like this, even if he was a murderer, right?
The moment he got out of hiding, Henry was immediately targeted and fired by enemy infantries. Although weaken, he managed to get behind cover, but not unscathed. A bullet stuck itself in his shoulder, his cry let out his presence to his comrades before collapsing on the ground. In his mind, he knew he wasn't going to make it.
He vaguely heard someone saying to go get him out, to which someone did went through the danger of getting shot down. He knew because, even if he was on the ground he could hear the sound of clicking metal getting closer to him.
''Henry! Man, don't tell me you are dead!'' He recognized that voice. He can identify that tone from a million voices, but what was he doing here? Shouldn't he be in the back rows, making more steamed engines?
He turned his head and saw a man towering over him. He was already tall as it stands, but he looked a titan from his point of view.
''J-John?'' He croaked and closed his eyes, everything hurts even his voice was a pain.
''Don't worry Henry! Once we got those guys out, we'll fix you right up! Just stay with me!'' Ordered the black man with the grenade launcher.
In a moment of delirium, Henry thought how he never understand why someone would bring a grenade launcher to a battle as his primary weapon. Steam amount is high to fire a single shot and the given boiler is too heavy for a man like himself to carry around. However, John is a strong man by nature. Just like Jonathan.
He must have passed out for a moment, since now he was lying on his back and was surrounded by three men, one who was John, a doctor and a colonel.
''He's coming back!'' John called out to the two other men.
''He's lucky.'' Simply explained the doctor. ''With those wounds, he should be dead by now.''
''Hey! He's not called Guardian Angel for no reasons!'' Protested John to the medic.
The colonel left as he gathered his men to move out soon. The men wearing the red cross, called out some men to help him to transport the wounded in a vehicle. John stood by Henry's side.
''Can't believe you're alive Henry boy!'' Laughed John in relief. ''We thought those chickens got ya!''
Henry weakly nodded, lying down just made him sleepier by the second.
''...Hey, Henry?'' John's face looked away for a moment. ''Where are the others?''
Henry didn't answer right away. He looked away from John's stare and managed to shock his head pitifully. John just kept quiet, he didn't dare to say more as he felt Henry's tense up by the sudden realization that he indeed came alone.
It's only now he suddenly fell asleep, the days took their toll on him as he hoped he wasn't going to be left behind.