I hate the beach. Always have, and always will. Ever since I first visited the hot sands when I was five, I never wanted to go back. The sand was so hot it burnt my feet, the water got in my mouth, and it took forever to get clean afterwards.
Of course, all these problems came floating back as I neared death.
We were trapped. Even if we could defeat the Covenant ground forces closing in, they could still gun us down with their Ghosts. I hated just lying there, thinking about my death.
Al crouched near the opening. He held two SMGs at the ready. I never thought a normal soldier could dual-wield the fierce gun, but hey, I wasn't about to point this out. He peeked out and then stuck his head back in to avoid plasma fire. "On three, we go."
I nodded. My right leg throbbed, a consequence of not moving it for so long. Cough sat behind me. I looked back at him. "You ready?"
He nodded and slapped a fresh clip into his rifle. I turned back to Al. "Let's go."
"Party time." He motioned to the door. "One…" I started to pray silently. "Two…" The plasma fire stopped. "Three!"
We jumped out. I fired a burst from my BR55 Rifle straight into a Grunt's neck. Al filled the air with bullets. Plasma whizzed by my head, causing the air to heat. I kept pressing the trigger, firing off shots until my magazine emptied.
It was all over within a few seconds.
One dead Elite, three dead Grunts, and an unfortunate Jackal who had made the mistake of charging us. I wiped my brow and was about to ask Al for ammo when more plasma slammed into the ground next to us.
A couple of Ghosts zoomed towards us. I jumped back to the Pelican as they came whizzing by. Al dropped his guns and dove back into the dropship's hull. "Keep them busy!"
Sure, give us the easy job.
There were three Ghosts. They swooped in and out of each other, like some choreographed dance team. Me and Cough avoided the crisscrossing streams of plasma. I jumped onto one of the Pelican's sunken wings and climbed higher to avoid the enemies.
Al finally emerged from the hole. He chunked something at one of the Ghosts. The object exploded, sending the alien vehicle and its driver tumbling end over end. I watched as the other two Ghosts backed away. Thank God for frag grenades.
Cough climbed up with me. We stared at Al, who was quickly running out of grenades. Cough took aim with his battle rifle and fired.
A three-round burst hit one of the Ghost pilots, an Elite. It just dissipated on his energy shield, but it got him distracted for a few seconds.
All the time Al needed.
A second Ghosts spun around, its driver incapacitated. The third Ghost charged, nearly splattering Al into nothing. I pressed down the trigger of my rifle, but just got a click. Dang!
Al dodged the Ghost's second rush. I jumped down from my position and, like a total idiot, starting waving my arms. "Hey, chicken, afraid of us!"
The Ghost fired its guns, vaporizing the sand near my feet. I stumbled back and fell. The bandage on my leg slipped off.
Three bullets, perfectly aimed, hit the Ghost in a small, circular part near its driver. It exploded, sending the Elite flying forward. Cough doused the Elite in bursts until it too fell.
I tried to rise, but my leg still hurt. "Thank God we got those guys."
"Don't get giddy yet, Job." Al knelt down next to me. "Wow, déjà vu. Let's get back up to the cliff. Maybe those buildings we found earlier can give us some cover."
Cough bent over, hacking louder than his rifle. I smiled. "Man, this is has got to be the greatest troika in history. Don't you agree, Al?"
He returned my grin. "Of course."
After being patched up again, I headed with the others up the steep slope. I almost collapsed a couple times, but was able to stay standing.
It took us a good fifteen minutes to get back up. The ever-familiar forest greeted us as we started the long journey back to the structures.
I stopped. "Hey, Al. Do you think that's the only set of structures? I mean, could whatever built those have built some more ones?"
He turned around. "You're right. Maybe we'll stumble on something going the other way."
We traveled in the opposite direction. Strange birds glided over my head, sending calls radiating through the air. I flinched as pain ran up my leg. The wound was getting worse; it was so stiff I could barely walk. I kept up with the others, though.
We journeyed in silence. Trees extended farther than I could see, blocking out the sun's rays. Shadows grew longer as we made our way along the steep cliff. Al shook his head.
"This isn't right." He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. I halted as well and followed his eyes. Nothing. "Something isn't right. Why would the Covenant send an advance team and then abandon this place completely?"
I shrugged. "Maybe it was a scout force."
"But we ran into a lot of them back there. Something just isn't right."
I nodded. "That, and the fact that the ground dried up quicker than it should."
"Maybe this ring thing has dry cleaners." He chuckled at his own joke. "Yeah, that was a bad one. But I really don't care about that right now. Let's just move."
So we did. Another ten minutes later, and the landscape hadn't changed at all. I sighed. "You know, a change of scenery would be nice. If you walk for a few miles on Earth, will you see the same land?"
"Maybe on the highways." Al seated himself next to a tree. "I'm beat. Let's rest for a sec."
"Alright." I kneeled down next to him. "Did you get any water from the Pelican?"
"Yeah, I filled up my canteen." He took the water carrier from his belt and handed it to me. "There wasn't much in there. Try not to gulp it all down."
I sipped the water, suddenly remembering how parched I was. It felt warm in my mouth and left a salty aftertaste. In other words, the best water ever.
We started up again. Cough headed our group. He suddenly came to a halt and put up a hand. I hefted my battle rifle and waited.
Something rustled in the brush. Cough crouch-walked forward. I copied him and headed towards the bushes.
An Elite burst from the plant life. I fired, missing him by about a mile. Cough slowly backed up, taking shots at the Elite every couple seconds. The alien charged, its plasma rifle glowing. Al doused him with SMG fire, sending purple gore splattering onto the ground.
I cried out as my leg gave way, sending me tumbling towards the cliff. Something stopped me right at the edge.
I looked back. Al and Cough were holding on to me, struggling to pull me back. I mustered every bit of energy left in my body and rolled away from the thousand-foot drop.
Al slung me over his shoulder. I tried to get off, but he grabbed me tight. I listened to his terse breathing. "I'm not gonna let you die, Josh. I'm not."
Pain reverberated through my leg. "I'm…okay." Alright, I lied to him. But I didn't know anything else to say.
"No. I'm carrying you, okay?"
Al jogged along the cliffside, jostling me up and down. I found myself clinging to him just to hang on.
Finally, the trees ended up ahead. I silently thanked God for the break in landscape. And then I realized that Al had come to a halt as well.
He set me down. I stared at his sweaty face. "What happened?"
His breath came in gasps. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees. "The cliff…it ended. We're at a dead end."
I tried to stand but my right leg protested. I lay down on the grass. "Can we go into the forest?"
"Maybe." He took a deep breath and stopped panting. "Listen, your leg's bad and I'm out of any biofoam. Everything else I have is some pain medicine."
The bandage on my leg was soaked with red. I ripped it off to see that the bleeding had died down a bit. "Al, I think I need a new one of these."
He glanced down at the blood-soaked cloth. "Crap!" His foot kicked the dirt. "Looks like we don't have many choices. Let's get you standing, and then we can head out."
My mind wandered as Al patched up the wound. Were we destined to a life of running around, trying to find nonexistent hope? And why was I always asking myself really stupid questions?
God, please turn this around. I stared at the new bandage on my leg. "Thanks, Al."
"Hey, it's not a problem." He held out a hand. I took it and used it to hoist myself up. He shrugged. "Tell me if you're leg gets really bad, okay?"
My stomach grumbled. I sighed. Just another reminder of the mess we were in. "Do you have any rations?"
"This." He held out a standard UNSC nutrition pack. "It's not much. We're going to have to find some stuff, and quick."
"So basically it's hopeless, huh?"
"No, it was already hopeless. Now it's just desperate." He patted me on the back. "But hey, we'll get through this. You are the positive one, after all."
A thin smile crossed my lips. "Then I guess I better start playing my part."
"Agreed. Come on, let's get moving."
We moved forward, guns ready. I traveled behind Al, with Cough on my right side. My stomach growled again. I shrugged it off. We'll get some food soon.
I just hoped I was right.
A sudden gunshot made me drop to my knees. I peeked up to see Al and Cough, tense and still as statues. Al glanced at me. "Stay down."
I didn't feel like arguing with him.
The two crept forward. Al kept his rifle trained on the bushes, while Cough swiveled this way and that, surveying the entire area. I slowly rose to a standing position, careful not to make too much noise. Then another gunshot tore through the air, causing me to flinch. Another one followed. And another. And another.
Al stared at Cough, who nodded. Al took a deep breath and then put two fingers to his mouth.
He let out a sharp whistle.
Something moved in the brush. I raised my gun and wrapped my finger around the trigger.
A person burst through the trees. His normal green uniform was coated with blue and purple blood, along with his face. But the shotgun in his hands and the cap gave it away.
Al relaxed. "Well, howdy, Sarge. How you doin'?"
"The same as you, I suppose." Sarge loaded a fresh bullet into his shotgun. "Listen, I doubt those sons of guns were alone. Have you faced any Covenant?"
"Plenty, sir. Same for you?"
"Of course." His characteristic white smile cut through the grime on his face. "I think the fun's just beginning, boys."
I nodded. "We're ready, sir."
And we were.
(This chapter was shorter than the others, and took me a little while longer to write because I was working on other projects. The next chapter will either be about the fight on New Mombassa, or a continuation of the present story. Until then, see you next time.)
