1375 words, this chapter

Chapter Eleven, Transfer 2: Feeling the Heat

"Let's move!" cried Becker. He turned to Abid. "You two stay here. Abid, you get to play field coordinator."

"I doubt I will do Miss Parker justice."

"Just alert us when the scorpions get close to one of us."

"Yes, Captain."

"I should help," said Sabban. Becker began to argue, but the professor cut him off. "The soldiers need to handle the creatures. I can save time by securing and warning the villagers."

"It would free us up," said Djhami.

Becker frowned. "OK, but stay with Kassim."

The professor and Kassim nodded.

"Right, let's do this! Abid, direct us."

Abid nodded. "Right now, the creatures are everywhere."

"Djhami, split the men around the village, all points covered."

"Yes, Becker."

The moment they stepped outside, they encountered five scorpions on their street. Becker pointed and shouted, and the men dispersed. Kassim broke off with Sabban, heading to the south of the town. Djhami moved to the north.

Becker and two men stood in front of the HQ firing. All three scorpions disappeared into the sand.

"Damn it!" The street was now clear. "Abid, where are they?"

"Everywhere!"

"Direct us!"

Abid swore and took a breath. "Um…Ok. Djhami and Kassim have north and south. Go east and west."

Becker nodded to the men to take the left. He went right. He ran about a quarter of a block when he heard a digging sound. He froze.

He felt a shaking and the sand beneath him gave way. He barely managed to back away when a scorpion emerged from where he just stood.

It was the size of a bus. It apparently felt him because it stood still, twitching. It began to move forward, so Becker scrambled backward. He was forced against a building. Dust and chips of the historic home flaked over him.

The scorpion scurried toward him and he opened fire. He hit it directly but it thrashed around, not going down.

Then to Becker's horror, he heard Arabic and saw movement beside him as a villager opened the door.

The scorpion twitched at the new movement.

"Back! Back!"

The woman screamed but froze. The scorpion scrambled forward but Becker pushed the woman inside with one leap of his body.

She babbled and yelled in Arabic.

"Abid!"

"I hear you Captain. The creature is still there."

"I can feel it tying to get in!" Becker yelled as he pushed against the door. The woman was now crying frantically.

"I…what shall I do, Captain?"

The door shoved against him as the scorpion tried to get in.

"I don't know," said Becker. His feet skid against the concrete floor. He grunted with the effort of keeping the scorpion out. "Uh!"

The scorpion kept pushing. It was stronger than Becker.

"Uh! Get…something heavy… get furniture," Becker grunted at the woman. She just babbled and screamed. "I…don't suppose…you speak…English?"

The woman was still hysterical, shaking her head and crying.

"Guess not."

"Give her the comm., Captain."

Becker scoffed. "I doubt (grunt) she'll take it." He took the comm out of his ear anyway and offered it to the woman. As he expected she didn't move. She just shook her head and wailed.

Becker waved it toward her, begging her to take it. "I can't take it much longer!"

The scorpion was winning.

"Help me!"

Finally the woman saw the comm or realized what he wanted. She was still raving but cautiously stepped toward Becker and took the comm.

"In your ear," Becker said, pointing to his ear.

She stuck it in. A few seconds passed. She calmed and nodded her head. She then ran to the back of the room, pushing a table with all her might. It was a large table and it took her a while to move.

But it was heavy, thought Becker. If she got it to him, it would probably keep the creature out.

If.

She grunted and cried, screamed and cursed. Becker grunted and prayed. The scorpion had the door ajar.

Finally the table was close enough for Becker to grab it. He eased up on the door and the scorpion opened it completely.

The woman screamed.

But the table was close enough and the door hit into it, barring the scorpion from entering.

"Push!"

Apparently Abid translated the order because the woman pushed as hard as she could.

They pushed the door closed, shoving the scorpion back outside. Then they collapsed against the table, which barricaded the door nicely.

Becker broke into relieved laughs. The woman joined him. They leaned there, happy to be alive. She handed the comm back to Becker with a smile.

"Abid?"

"Oh…thank God! I can't see inside."

Becker chuckled. "We're both fine. Thanks for getting her to help me."

Abid laughed. "It's all I could do."

"It was enough. You saved us both."

"I...good."

"Yeah. How are the others?"

"Um...Kassim and Sabban are doing well. They've got the streets in their end clear. The other ends, aren't' so good. There's a lot of damage to the buildings."

"There go the historians on Lester's back," Becker mused with a chuckle.

Abid kept searching the camera for their progress. "Ugh. I see bodies…uh, parts in the streets," he said, getting quiet.

"I know it's horrible, but you have to hold yourself together."

"Of course."

"Where is our scorpion now? I don't feel it pushing."

"It's moving down the street."

Becker sighed. He moved away from the table. "I need to get out." He looked at the barricade. He better leave it there, he thought. "Abid, ask her if there's another way out."

He handed the comm back to the woman. She nodded and motioned to Becker to follow her. She led him to the next level and into one of the two rooms. They crossed to a window. Becker cautiously peeked through the windows.

"It's clear," he said. He motioned to get his comm back. "Abid, can you see me?"

"Um…no. Wait. There you are, on another camera. You're looking over a street behind the house."

"Is it clear?"

"For now. A scorpion is moving toward you but it's a few houses away."

"OK. I'm jumping down. Tell the woman to keep the window shut and stay away from anything opening to the outside."

"Understood," said Abid, following his orders when the woman was back on the comm.

Then Becker took it back, after the woman kissed his cheek, and he jumped from the window. He landed in the soft sand. He immediately froze. He checked the position of the scorpion, but it was too far away to sense him.

He moved to the side of the street, toward the scorpion. He opened fire, catching it by surprise. He fired until it lay limp.

"One down, Abid."

"Actually, that makes ten."

"I love those soldiers," Becker joked.

"Indeed," said Abid. "They've saved about thirty people that I'm aware of."

"Direct me to the next closest creature."

"That's the one you and the lady escaped from. Turn around and run to your right."

"Acknowledged."

Becker ran around the woman's house, skidding to a stop. The scorpion was trying to get into another house. He heard screaming and yelling.

Then the cries of a child.

His heart stopped. He ran for the scorpion firing continuously. It twitched and scurried sidewise, trying to get away from the EMD blasts.

It couldn't. After nearly a minute, it was still.

Becker moved cautiously over it. As he did, he faced the house. He saw faces peeking at him. He motioned to shut the door and they obeyed.

"I don't suppose there's a way to talk to the villagers inside the buildings and warn them to stay away from doors and so on?"

"Sorry, Captain. We'll work on better communications later," advised Abid.

"I know someone who could help you," he teased. "Of course, I don't think she'd volunteer to come this close to the desert."

"Unless you're still here," joked Abid.

"God I hope I'm not. Ok, Abid. Now where?"

"Um…move down the street straight ahead. When you get to the end, take a right. Three of our men are facing two scorpions. Damn. Make that three, one more just popped out of the sand."

"Copy," said Becker, running to join the action.

End of Chapter Eleven