Chapter X: Guns, Ghillies and...More Guns
Pryce and I sprinted back to his gunship and yanked open the side door. Pryce lent in and retrieved a large silver container. He entered a code on the digital keypad on the top, unclipped the locks on either side and lifted the lid. Inside it was firearms of different classes and specs.
"Take whatever you want, we'll need it." Pryce said as he slung his L96 over his back and grabbed an M14.
I sifted through a pile of Subs looking for a good assault rifle. Heaven knows how heavy it would be, considering I needed to sprint with it. I found a FAMAS, a reflex sight and several thirty-round mags peppered throughout the box. I retrieved it, along with a bandolier sash at the very bottom, and filled the pockets. Just then my phone vibrated in my pocket. God knows how it didn't break when I dolphin-dived.
Looking at the screen, I noticed the name. Josh.
"Hello?" I called as I heard violent shattering in the background,
"Lucas! David thought he'd lost them when he arrived, but, somehow they managed to get here anyway!" Josh shouted above the racket, which was presumably gunfire. Sounded like fully auto weapons, through the distortion,
"Where are you?" Josh Demanded, "They're spraying the house like crap!" He shouted,
"Where's your mum and dad?" I asked, worried for their safety,
"Out! I called them when I got home and they seemed alright about us 'missing'! We need help NOW!" He replied,
"I'm on my way! Just hang tight! Get to the back of the house and STAY LOW!" I shouted,
I hung up and put the phone back into my pocket. I put the pistol into my right leg pocket and inserted a fresh magazine into the FAMAS. I slid the reflex sight onto the gun rails and locked it into position, pulling the chamber pin back. Grabbing a G11 along with two extra mags and a crossbow, with bolts, I slung them over my back.
All this metal hanging on my back, and the thought of having to run with it, makes me glad that i'm used to running with heavy loads on my back.
"Let's go. They don't have long left before the place falls down around them." I said, facing Pryce,
He simply nodded in approval, but grabbed something long from the box before me left. He let me lead the way. We left the cobra behind, in the empty, unused field in the countryside and sprinted for Joshes house. I just hope we get there before the soldiers start 'clearing the debris'.
We ran as fast as we could go, me and my arsenal laden back and Pryce with his heavy ghillie and L96A1. We kept it up until we came to the corner around from his home. Pryce crawled into a nearby bush and scoped down his rifle.
"Two tangos in sight. Automatic rifles. Side-arms. Stun grenades. The lot." He whispered, "I don't want to risk taking a shot as it'll alert any others that may be inside." He continued, pulling away and facing me.
"How're you gonna do it then?" I replied, slightly worried.
"Not me. You." He answered, as he drew something from one of his many pockets and rolled it to me, quietly.
A silencer.
"We didn't have enough time to find one for my L96, but, the box is full of assault rifle suppressors. Screw it onto the barrel and take them out." He said,
"I'm not a soldier. I didn't want any of this crap to happen. Can't you do it?" I asked, getting distraught about the increasing amount of killing I was being subject to.
"Listen. You ARE a soldier now. You need to do what has to be done, and you know it. The longer we argue the less time they've got. She's in trouble, as well as both of your friends. It's either pussy out or take action and help them. Choose what a half-decent person would do." He said in response.
I stayed crouched behind brick wall, clenching my FAMAS. I did know what had to be done, even if I didn't like it. I screwed the silencer on carefully, and tightly.
"Gimme a knife." I demanded,
Pryce quickly passed me his combat knife. I turned it in the sunlight, where it reflected off its polished surface.
"Sharp." I exclaimed, "Perfect." I continued.
"I'll keep a look out for any other late-comers. If you hear loud, single, shots from out here. Things have gone belly up and you need to extract them ASAP." Pryce said,
I nodded and he went back to scoping towards the house. The closest soldier was leaning against a tree, weapon hanging slack by his side. The second was sitting on the wall facing the bullet riddled front door, gun on his lap.
I crouch-walked round the wall, FAMAS on my back and knife gripped in my hand. I kept an eye on the guy sitting on the wall because he still had his finger around the trigger. I slowly stepped up towards the man leaning on the tree. He sounded like he was snoring. My grip tightened on the handle of the knife as I brought it backwards and plunged it into his back. As I did it I grabbed hold of his head and covered his mouth, so he wouldn't make a noise. When he stopped struggling I removed the knife and wiped it on the grass.
"This crap really has turned me into a soldier at my own misfortune." I thought,
The second soldier was too distant to hear the muffled pleas for help from his comrade. Inserting the knife into my pocket, I retrieved my gun and brought it to bear. I snuck up behind the soldier and wrapped my arm around his throat. I pulled him backwards off the wall and hit him with the butt of the rifle. Leaving him be I crept up to the porch and took a peek through one of the various holes in the door. Hallway looked clear, same for the stairs. I stood back and held my breath, trying to listen to any voices from anywhere. Silence. I took hold of my Colt and slowly opened the door, as quietly as I possibly could.
"Looks all clear so far..." I thought, looking at the various sized holes which peppered the walls. Some were frighteningly large. The holes varied from roughly a centimetre to around an inch and a half.
I gently leant against the wall by the kitchen and took out my knife. I silently shimmied along and heard quiet rustling from inside.
"Someone must be rustling around in his fridge." I thought, "Cheeky git." I continued,
I heard them unscrew the lid off a bottle and begin to drink the contents. They replaced the lid and put the bottle back in the fridge, shutting the door. I heard the footsteps grow quieter, so very slightly, as they fumbled with the blinds by the window at the other end of the kitchen.
"He must be a watchman. I need to take him out." I thought.
Going into a crouching position, I stepped into the kitchen and leant against the cupboard and took a quick look around it. He was still looking out the window. I crept behind him and silently brought my knife into the side of his neck, muffling the cries he made. I gently lowered them onto the floor behind the breakfast unit and walked back into the hallway. I looked into the living room and watched for any movement in the glass backdoor. No signs of anybody.
"They'd better be alright." I hoped, as I roadie-ran up the stairs, pistol in hand, and blood-stained knife in the other.
I kept an eye out for anyone upstairs. All the doors were shut, but, there were voices from inside Joshes room, and they sounded angry...
Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom. A toilet flush.
"Bugger!" I thought, panicking,
I was at the top of the stairs and the handle on the door was turning.
"What can I do now?" I thought, literally fearing for my life,
As the door opened, the soldier was tying up his belt. I quickly replaced my Colt and put my combat knife in my right hand. He suddenly stopped fiddling with his belt and looked straight up at me. His eyes widened, wondering why I was there, and, why the hell I had a combat knife.
He grabbed for his sidearm, as his trousers fell down. I leapt at him, knocking him to the floor, with a softened thud on the carpet. Hitting his gun out of his hand, I punched him on the nose, hard. He flailed at the sudden pain and bewilderment over what the hell was happening. He tried to protect his face from any more blows, so I brought up the knife and slashed one of his arms. I then brought it back forward as he clenched his arm in pain and slammed it down. A slight jolt and he dropped his arms. With a gentle tug, I removed the blade, now dripping with liquid, and wiped it clean onto his jumper.
"Well that was disgusting." I whispered to myself, "He didn't even wash his hands..." I smiled.
I stood back up and retrieved my assault rifle, keeping hold of the blade in my right hand palm. Joshes room became hushed. There were quiet hisses as the room fell silent, obviously aware of the 'little scuffle' outside. I quietly walked up to the door and stood up straight. I readied the FAMAS and gave the door a good kick. It broke the locking mechanism right off and slammed open. One of the men in the tiny room fell backwards as the door flew open. The other man shot his weapon at me. Ducking, as the bullets ricocheted off the wall behind me, I returned fire, striking him in the stomach. As he fell onto the end of the bed, dropping his weapon, the man on the floor aimed some kind of small submachine gun at me.
Dropping my rifle I quickly kept hold of the knife's blade and flung it towards him, where it came to rest in his chest.
"Talk about a throwing knife." I jested, noticing the two people tied up on the bed.
After untying them both and un-gagging them, revealing them to be David and Josh, I realised that Latias wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Bloody hell!" Josh said, "All we could hear were random thumps and silenced noises!" He continued,
"I guess this is a reason why video games are bad for you..." David huffed,
"Always one to make light of a situation." I smiled, reloading the rifle and removing the knife from the body,
Josh appeared to be eyeing up the gear on my back.
"What the hell's all that on your back?" he asked,
"A gift for you both." I laughed, removing the weapons with a clatter.
Giving David the crossbow and the G11 to Josh, along with the relevant ammunition, we began to walk down the stairs, cautious for any other unwanted visitors.
"Where's Latias?" I blurted,
"She turned invisible in the garden." David said,
"She got pretty frightened over all the gunfire that they poured into the house." Josh added,
"You think she'll still be there?" I asked, walking to the back door,
"Probably. She refused to move out of the living room due to fear, until one of the glass doors got shot right behind her. Then she was the first outside." David laughed.
I simply scowled at him for making her the butt of the joke. Crunching over the broken glass and stepping out onto the garden path, I looked around for any signs of disturbance caused by her invisibility. Nothing.
"I hope she hasn't flown off again. You know what happened last time." I said, turning my head slightly.
As we got to the end of the garden, we all looked around slowly, trying to pick out any kind of sound she may be making. Suddenly a bush rustled from next door.
Pointing my gun at the shrubbery I calmly stepped closer. I stepped on a twig, which broke with a loud 'snap'.
The bush stopped rustling.
"Lati-" I stopped,
There was sudden blur from out of nowhere which knocked me to the floor and stayed on top of me.
"You've really got to stop pinning me to the floor, Latias." I smiled,
I was met by a grinning face that seemed very happy to see us all, safe. Even if we were armed with deadly weaponry and had no professional training to use such things.
Suddenly there was a loud crack from the front of the house.
"Oh for God's sake! Why is this crap happening!" I shouted, getting off the ground.
Another loud crack rang the neighbourhood, meaning things had gone 'tits up'.
"Time to move out. Now!" I said, jogging back into the house, "Pryce is outside, giving covering fire from the sounds of things. More must have shown up." I continued,
"Well let's hope this isn't the day they ruin your killstreak." Josh called from behind,
Amusing, even though we were about to embark on another shootout, outside of people's houses. Again. As I opened the door to take a quick look out, another shot rang out.
"Coast is clear, form up and follow me." I said opening the door fully.
As we sprinted across the grass, past the two bodies on the floor, we caught sight of Pryce coming back around the corner, to where we were.
"Nice to see you're still breathing."Pryce jested,
I just stared, thoughtful about the situation we were in.
"What's going on around there?" I asked,
"A van showed up, full of armoured soldiers. Not even their armour can stand the L96's power though." Pryce said, patting the side of his sniper.
"About how many are there?" I continued,
"About five or- six, including the driver." He replied, "They're over by the park where they've set up by the houses." He continued,
"Hmmm... Looks like there's no other way to go. We're gonna have to fight our way out. Mix things up a little." I said, looking at Latias who looked genuinely frightened over the ordeal.
"Let's move." Pryce said, as he began to jog back around the corner,
With no choice but to move on, we headed back the way we came, knowing that we'd hit trouble up ahead.
Keeping in line with the row of parked cars, we crouched along, slowly. I caught sight of the big, black van they showed up in, through one of the windscreens. It looked similar to an armoured van, the type you see transporting money or something. The doors on the back were wide open, as were the front doors. A plan had sprung to mind, but, it as to be kept as just a thought. For the time being that is.
"They've set up shop around the corner, and they ain't ready to close just yet.' Pryce said, amusingly,
"Well, we're here to give 'em a day off." Josh replied, heartily,
"What? Where?" David asked, poking his head above the car roof,
"Jesus Christ, man!" I hissed, pulling him back down, as a bullet flicked the wall where his head would have been.
Pryce simply stared at the hole in the wall, with a rather disdained face.
"Bloody Nora, Dave! What the hell?" I said, practically soiling myself.
"I wondered where they were exactly." He replied.
If there was ever a facepalm moment, this was it.
"Let's just follow Pryce." I mumbled, head in hands.
Pryce nodded his head and pointed towards the trees to our left. The opposite direction of my plan.
"Oi, Pryce. I got an idea." I said, grabbing hold of the jute on his suit.
Pryce turned around in curiosity and crouched next to me as I whispered my plan that would either save us or end us. During the time it took or me to convey my idea, Pryce, had a face of understanding and disbelief at the same time.
"Alright. Let's put it into action, shall we?" Pryce said, clapping his hands together, and rubbing them eagerly.
"Alright, so everyone know what they need to do?" I asked,
Everyone's response was positive and in unison.
"Well then. Let's get the hell out of here." I smiled.
David and Josh backtracked and re-appeared next to the wall in front of us. Me and Pryce exchanged weapons, unscrewing the silencer off my FAMAS first, and got sat behind the very last car. Pryce gave an 'ok' sign through the window, which David and Josh did back.
"Let's go." I said, sharply.
I smashed the window in the car with the butt of the sniper and placed the barrel on the door frame. I pulled the pin backwards, then back to its starting position. Pryce reloaded the FAMAS and prepped himself for what he was about to do.
"GO, GO, GO!" He shouted as he sprang from the front of the car, towards the van, giving himself covering fire as he went. Staring into the snipers scope, I could see, heads poking up from behind peoples garden walls. Many were wearing helmets with silvery visors on, others; nothing.
"Let's see if what Pryce said about their armour is right." I hummed.
As bullets peppered the floor around Pryce, one or two closely shaving his ghillie suit, I squeezed the trigger. There was a loud 'CRACK' as the rifle recoiled into my shoulder and I continued to look down the scope. One of the helmeted soldiers jolted backwards, as his visor acquired a large crack and added a tint of red to the mix.
"Theory proved." I smiled, pulling the chamber back again.
David flinched at the noise given off by the sniper, to which Josh laughed at, reassuring him. Pryce was nearing the door, when an explosion went off six meters away. He was thrown into the air and into the wire fence behind.
"Pryce!" I shouted, firing a shot at the soldier who'd fired a rocket launcher. He dropped like a sack of lead.
The rest of the soldiers began to take cover behind the walls again. Practical running time. I slung the L96 over my shoulder and retrieved my Colt. I got up and sprinted towards the van myself, knowing the rest were hiding and doing God knows what. Hopefully not reloading their firearms.
"Must...keep...running!" I screamed mentally, whilst staring at Pryce's limp body.
I leant backwards causing myself to slide towards the front of the van, which was going to be the safest area. I dragged Pryce's body towards me, by pulling on his leg. He was still breathing, thank God. He must have been unconscious from the blast. Atleast he was alive.
"God dammit, Pryce! Wake up!" I shouted.
It appeared as though my pleas, were in vain...