Battle Of Cologne Street
Chapter One: Red Dawn
Arcadia, Virginia:
Mike flew out the front doors of Arcadia High School on that muggy Friday afternoon. At last, the whole weekend lay in front of him. And it was absolutely his to do whatever he wanted with, play video games, go shoot with his best friends at the range...the possibilities.
"Yo Mikey!" His best friend Ryan appeared out of nowhere at his shoulder. The tall, black haired kid pulled the tie off his JROTC uniform shirt with a sigh of relief. "Finally, take this stupid thing off! Congrats, by the way, Cadet Sergeant looks good on you."
Mike touched the shiny brass sergeant's insignia on his shoulder. It had come as a complete surprise that he was even up for promotion. Now he was leading third platoon of the school's JROTC battalion. He had joined the cadet corp as a freshman and loved every minute of it, the uniform, the drill and especially being on the rifle team. Whether it was BB guns or his deer rifle, Mike loved to shoot.
"Thanks, bro, where's Jacob?" Mike said.
"Right here!" Both boys jumped as their friend materialized right in front of them. How does he do that? A year younger and a head shorter than his friends, Jacob made up for it by being probably the sneakiest kid Mike ever met, showing up right when he was needed the most or simply vanishing from sight right in front of them. Mike and Ryan had given up trying to explain it. The three boys walked towards Mike's car, he being the only one who had a driver's license. And a car. It had been Mike's sister's car but she was away at college in Colorado so Mike inherited it. He didn't care, a car was a car.
"Hey, you're dad still doing that paintball thing on Sunday?" Ryan asked.
"Yep, half the class is going," Mike replied.
"Cool!" Ryan said as they piled into the car. "I'll get you guys this time."
"Yeah right," Jacob laughed. "You guys always lose. Twice now I've beat you two at you're own game."
"We'll see about that!" Mike said, "I got a new tactic we're gonna try out."
Mike started the car and pulled out onto the street when a fighter jet roared over head. The jet was so low it's passing made the car rock. He slapped his hands over his ears to shut out the deafening roar of it's engines. The fighter was there and gone in a few seconds. The friends all looked at each other.
"Holy shit!" Jacob said, "that guy was really low!"
" Too low!" Mike said, "what did he think he was doing?"
Suddenly, a terrific explosion shook the very ground. Mike slammed on the brakes. A tremendous fireball rose into the sky from the west. Then another. And another. Heart racing and ears ringing, he climbed out of the car. People were screaming. Two cars slammed into each other. More bomb explosions knocked him to the ground. Ryan and Jacob were hollering at him but he could barely hear over the ringing in his own ears.
"Oh my God!" Ryan screamed, "look!" A lumbering transport plane cruised overhead. Mike picked himself up as hundreds of tiny parachutes poured out of the huge aircraft. They descended towards the ground like falling leaves. Some were going to land right on top of the school. As they fell lower, Mike suddenly realized they were each heavily armed soldiers.
"Get in the car!" Mike shouted. A squad of the strange soldiers hit the ground and immediately began firing at people. Screaming filled the air. They wore red, black and gray uniforms and helmets. A red Russian star patch decorated their shoulders. No, it can't be! What are Russians doing here? One of the soldiers looked straight at him and began shouting in Russian, aiming his machine gun in their direction. Bullets cracked through the air, striking his car. The rear window shattered. Mike pounded the gas.
"What's happening?" Jacob said, "who are those guys!"
"They're Russians," Mike replied. He kept one eye on the road and another on the sky. Russians jets streaked every which way, and paratroopers descended by the hundreds. We're actually being invaded!
"Like in Red Dawn?" Ryan said, "but-but that's not possible. You can't invade the USA."
"Yeah, yeah, how'd they get past our radars and stuff?" Jacob demanded.
"I...I don't know. Let's just get home." He whipped around a corner and onto a side street. A pair of Russian soldiers stepped onto the road, weapons aimed at the car. They opened fire, screaming at them to stop. Mike floored the accelerator. He struck one of the men and the soldier flipped over the back of his car, hitting the pavement hard. Holy crap! I think I killed him.
The car raced down Cologne street. Mike's breathing slowed. Almost home. It was always better at home. He pulled into his driveway and leaped out of the car. His Mom came rushing out of the house and Mike nearly fell into her arms. Jacob and Ryan ran down the street to their houses.
"They're Russians, Mom!" Mike shouted, "they're shooting and killing everyone!"
"It's okay, Mike, it's okay, you're home now," Mom whispered, rubbing his back slowly. For just a moment, he believed her. He always felt a lot better when his Mom hugged him. But it wasn't going to be okay for much longer. The Russians were coming. Dad burst outside, a rifle in his hand and two more slung over his broad shoulders. He shoved a rifle into Mike's hands with a box of ammunition.
"Dad, why's this happening?" Mike said. Dad glanced up and down the street, loading his own rifle.
"The news says, it's all up and down the east coast," Dad said in a rush, "all because of that airport shooting in Moscow. I guess they want revenge."
Mike swallowed hard, feeling the blood draining from his face. He remembered now. The airport that was attacked by terrorists. The Russian president saying they used American weapons and were led by an American soldier. The pictures of the bullet-riddled terminal and the dead bodies had horrified him. Now they were. They're gonna kill us all!
"Our folks aren't home yet," Ryan said as he and Jacob crossed the street into Mike's front yard. "We left notes. Now what do we do?" They were both back in street clothes now, reminding Mike that he needed to change. He did not want the Russians to catch him in uniform.
"I'm going to fight them, son," Dad said, lifting his rifle.
"Frank-!" Mom began but Dad cut her off.
"They're want us all dead, whether we fight or not," Dad said, "we have to hold them off until the Army arrives. I'll fight with anyone willing to join me."
Mike fumbled as he loaded his rifle, a bolt-action .308. His hands were shaking so hard he nearly dropped the ammo box. The sounds of gunfire and explosions were coming closer. We're dead either way, if he fight or not. I'm an ROTC cadet. Guess now I'm officially a soldier too. He looked up to see the whole neighborhood standing in their front yard. Everybody carrying rifles, shotguns and pistols. Ryan and Jacob accepted rifles from one of the neighbors.
"C'mon, Mikey, we're with you. Cadets don't abandon each other," Jacob said. Ryan nodded quickly, jumping at the sound of an explosion that sent a fireball high into the sky. A loud barking sound drew Mike's attention to the front door as a floppy-eared cocker spaniel rushed out the open door. Benny stood in the yard, barking an angry bark.
"Take Benny and get in the basement, lock that damn door and don't open it for nobody!" Dad shouted at Mom. He handed her a revolver. "Shoot anyone who comes through without knocking."
Mom opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it again. She grabbed Benny's leash and disappeared inside. Mike, Ryan and Jacob hurried into Mike's two-story house and headed to the upstairs bedrooms. Forcing himself to breathe, Mike quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt and hunkered down. The rifle felt a lot heavier than usual. Can I really shoot someone? This ain't a video game. If I don't, a Russian will kill me, or my friends.
"Here they come," a voice crackled over the walkie Dad had given him. Mike glanced at Ryan sitting next to him. His friend nodded. He was ready.
"Hold fire, go live on me," Dad replied. Mike eased his rifle out the window. A platoon of Russian soldiers advanced down the street, rifles up and aiming at the windows of the houses. Two of them suddenly veered off and made for the Wilson's house. They kicked in the front door. A rifle shot rang out. A soldier twisted and fell. Blood ran out of his side. Firing erupted all over the street.