This chapter was hard to write, hence the long gap between updates. I'm very upset now. (And we're pretty close to the end of the story...)
I've also gone back through old chapters and have update things, not a lot of changes but I chose a diffferent route for the Clive and Flora plot so I've just made some of their interactions slightly different.
Chapter 17: The Final Attack
Randall watched as Chelmey halted his men. They stopped, staring at the boy who seemed even smaller in death. He put a hand to his chest before speaking to them. Calmer than he'd been before.
"You at the Barricades listen. We didn't want to go this far, but you leave us no choice. Give up your weapons or we'll be prepared to kill." Chelmey took a step forwards. "Do you really want to throw your lives away?" The Barricade was quiet, all eyes towards the enemy lines.
"We have to beat them." Whispered Randall. He felt tears prickling his eyes as he saw Hershel running forwards, collecting Luke into his arms. Why did he bring someone so young here? He knew the chances and he'd still risked them.
"We don't stand a chance against them." Says Arianna, refusing to look anywhere near Luke.
"I know we don't stand a chance. They're going to kill us no matter what we do. But I'm not going down without a fight." He picked his gun off of the floor, ignoring how little ammunition was left. There was no choice but a taking another risk "Who's with me?"
"We all are, Randall." Dalston said; fury in his voice. ""We'll make them pay." Crow wiped his face with his hand.
"Get revenge for everyone they've hurt." Several others rose up, vowing to fight here till death in the name of those who couldn't. Randall looked round at all the people who'd stayed with him, through his stupid ideas. He spoke to them all a final time, not paying attention to the hoarseness of his voice.
"And this won't be us dying in vain. We'll let them all know that they can't take down our revolution." He grabbed the red flag from atop the barricade, clutching it in his hand, he fired another shot. The others followed his lead, taking down several of the front line.
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Hershel quickly moved inside, trying to avoid the fight that was starting to break out. He hugged Luke against his chest, but it was obvious that he was already gone. He ascended the steps, it was difficult, but this was the least he could do for the boy. He laid him on the floor, his shoulders leaning against Emmy's. There they laid in a peaceful silence, the boy in blue and the woman in yellow. Just above them Hershel knelt, staring at both of their faces, feeling something he didn't quite understand. He brushed a hand over each of their faces before moving away, hiding himself behind one of the wooden posts. He wished he could go out and fight, but there was a promise he needed to keep.
After a few minutes the shots of the barricade dwindled, it was clear how low their ammunition was running. The soldiers seemed to notice this, as they began making their way towards the barricade.
"If you won't give up, we have to stop you. You're a menace to this city." The first hit was towards Amelia. Randall reached to pull her away, but the bullet was just too fast. She tumbled from the side of the barricade, dead before she hit the floor. Randall cried out, there wasn't even a moment to mourn her. Randall found the soldier who'd hit her and aimed in his direction. Barely a second later, one had lodged itself into Clive's arm. He was alright, but ended up tripping backwards from shock. That time, Randall managed to grab hold of him before anything could happen. Clive made his way to the floor, clutching his arm. Feeling weak, he laid back against the barricade, assuming that he'd be dead in a few minutes anyway.
Over the other side of the fighting, Katia slammed her gun against the wall. She'd completely run out of bullets and was defenceless. She noticed several soldiers attempting to climb the barricade; she took the gun and hit it against the one that was furthest up, disorienting him for a couple of seconds. She noticed one of the other students still battling.
"JANICE!" the other girl turned round and fired as soon as she realised what was happening.
"What's wrong with your gun?" she asked, as the soldier fell. Katia turned with open palms.
"Empty. And there's none-" Her eyes widened as something hit her side. She fell forwards towards Janice. Janice hooked her under the arms, keeping her elevated. She noticed a woman watching through the window crack of the house beside them.
"Ma'am! Ma'am please!" as she called, her woman looked startled and pulled the window shut. She called Aurora over to her, so that she could help to carry her. Katia groaned as the two moved her to the door of the house. Janice knocked incessantly on the door as Aurora yelled. "Please, you have to help us! She needs shelter."
"I don't want to be here, I want to leave." Aurora repeated to herself. They stood at the door praying somebody would answer. As they pleaded, a high ranked soldier approached them, raising his gun against Aurora's chest. Aurora's eyes widened as she recognised the man, and the mask covered the sorrow in Descole's eyes as he fired the shot. In Katia and Janice's last moments, they were both thinking of their loved ones. They just hoped that Sophia and Melina wouldn't be heartbroken.
Randall looked over at the people fighting, feeling his chest tighten when he could only see a fraction of his friends. Seeing that the other side still had a vast army left, he regretted his wish to die at their hands. He gripped the flag tighter as he ran into the clock shop, making sure everyone else was following. It was only Arianna, Dalston and Crow with him.
"Where are we going?" asked Crow as they ran up the stairs, Randall began kicking things in their path behind them in an attempt to block the opposition off.
"There should be a way out if we can get to the back staircase." With the barricade unguarded, the soldiers were quick to storm the shop, following them up the stairs. Randall froze as he heard footsteps. He checked over the railing but couldn't see anyone coming up. Dalston looked over as well, gun poised to shoot.
"I heard 'em, but there doesn't seem to be-" a gun shot went off and Randall jumped aside as Dalston hit the ground.
"They're shooting up through the floor". Crow and Arianna looked panicked and gripped each other's hands. Two one more shots and they both fell. Randall looked around, he was completely alone. The large clock face of the shop front ticked loudly behind him, deafening. The soldier began to make their way up the steps when they realised that there was no way of hitting him from below. He back against the glass wall, hands shaking but still gripping on the red fabric of the flag.
"According to my men, you're the one behind all of this." Stated Chelmey as he walked towards him, gun raised. Randall looked round, seeing the faces of his friend that lay beneath the soldier's feet. He'd caused all this. Randall waited; about to raise his hands in defeat.
"He is, and I believe he's done a very good job." There was another voice in the room when Henry walked out from the shadows. Randall looked shocked, having forgotten he was still in here, they hadn't spoken since their argument. Henry faced him. "I didn't believe in him at first, but I've been thinking about it and here he is; standing tall in the face of danger." Chelmey looked desperately at the two of them, finding himself unable to hit either one. Randall raised an eyebrow.
"Henry, you said you wanted no part in the revolution. What changed your mind?"
"You did. And I'd like to take part in it now, even if just for the last few moments." He smiled as he moved to stand beside Randall. "If you'll permit it?" Randall grabbed Henry's hand and squeezed it tightly, fondly remembering his life. The times with him and Angela, the student meetings and his beloved second in command that stood with him till the end.
"I'm so glad you're here." He raised the flag high above his head and screamed "LONG LIVE LONDON."
"FIRE" The gunshot hit him directly between his ribs, knocking him backwards. Randall crashed back into the window as Henry's hand slipped from his grasp, he fell towards the streets below, held up only by the fabric end snagging on the clock hands and falling behind, a blood red back drop against the shop as he hung there by his foot, swinging. Looking so at peace with himself that he seemed like a painting on the wall, a mural of a fallen hero rising above the chaos of the barricade.
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From the anarchy happening inside with the soldiers moving around trying to find anyone who remained, Hershel Layton crawled out of the door unseen. He moved around, scanning for faces in the crowd, wishing he'd never had to look. When he caught sight of the boy he was looking for slumped against the wood, he ran over. After realising there was a chance he could be saved, he began to look around the rubble. When he saw the sewer entrance by the side of the road, he knew what he'd have to do to make it out alive. Lifting Clive onto his shoulder, he made his way over, unknowingly closing this chapter of both his and Clive's lifetime.