The Cytokine Storm Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Time stood still. Flames roared through the medical tent. Burning soldiers screamed in agony. Anna shrieked and covered her head with her arms as the support beam broke with a loud crack, the flaming canvas crashing down around her.
Look out!" Someone shouted and then shoved her out of the burning tent. Anna looked up to thank her rescuer. She was expecting an orderly or perhaps one of the doctors, not Artemis Entreri. He was scowling at her angrily. With a relieved cry she threw her arms around him.
"Well, this was unexpected." A musical voice remarked from behind her. Anna released the startled assassin and spun toward Jarlaxle, who took the puzzle box and bracelet she had been clutching and stored them in his cloak.
"You're both here?!" Anna exclaimed. She was about to ask why until she looked past the drow's shoulder; huge plumes of smoke were coming from the trenches that lay just beyond the medical tents. The entire camp was in flames. Soldiers in the trenches exchanged fire as an enemy tank slowly rumbled towards the trenches. More tanks brought up the rear as the enemy troops swarmed the trenches.
Jarlaxle was still trying to figure out what exactly had happened when he saw Anna's relieved smile disappear; an expression of absolute horror taking its place. Turning to see what had caused her distress the drow's jaw dropped. The world was on fire. Hundreds of strangely uniformed men swarmed a long ditch. Smoke poured from the ditch, accompanied by what sounded like mechanized thunder.
The drow assumed that the men must be fodder, for as they approached the ditch many were cut down by some unknown force. Behind the men was a metal beast straight from the Abyss. It slowly rumbled along the ground, crushing everything in its path.
"What in the dark recesses of the abyss is that?!" The drow shouted, pointing at the approaching tank.
"We can't stay here!" Anna yelled over the gunfire. "They're going to breach the trench!" At her words there was another explosion and the tank began to roll over the trench. It teetered on the edge for a moment and then the trench collapsed. Trapped, the gunner inside the tank rotated the turret and fired. Terror raced through Anna as the ground shook. Grabbing Jarlaxle and Artemis, she shouted, "RUN!" Flames shot from the tank's cannon. Dragging the shocked pair along with her Anna desperately tried to get out of range of the flames. Out of the corner of her eye she saw retreating French soldiers darting towards them. One of the soldiers pulled out a grenade. A bullet slammed into him, knocking the grenade out of his hand. The grenade detonated, blowing off the bottom half of the soldier to his right. She couldn't panic. If she panicked they were dead. She shouted for help from the surviving soldiers. Providing covering fire the soldiers worked their way towards her.
"Follow me, ma'am!" The closest soldier yelled.
In slow motion Anna saw an enemy soldier climb out of the trench and take aim. Artemis was in the direct line of fire. "No!" Anna shouted, diving towards the assassin. The bullet slammed into the back of her shoulder and exited out the front. She stumbled and tried to regain her footing. They couldn't stop.
Artemis turned to snarl at the girl for tripping. His expression turned to one of horrified disbelief as a small projectile exploded from her shoulder in a shower of blood. She stumbled, but to his amazement she didn't slow. Blood poured from her shoulder. The strangely dressed man defending them shouted something he couldn't understand and pointed. He followed the man's finger. Other similarly dressed men were motioning to them. Anna stumbled again and Artemis swung her into his arms and raced towards the frantically waving men. The drow was beside him in an instant, looking worriedly at the blood pouring from Anna. When they reached the men he could see a deep trench behind them. Amidst the chaos and screaming the men motioned for them to get in the trench. As they jumped into the trench the assassin glanced down to see Anna clenching her teeth against the pain. He was surprised that she was still conscious. He carefully set her down on a wooden bench one of the men motioned to. The man nearest him turned and shouted to a man a little further down the trench wearing a white arm band with a red cross on it.
Anna tried to focus. The pain was excruciating. She was vaguely aware of Artemis setting her down.
"Anna! Anna! Can you hear me?" A voice yelled over the gunfire. She looked towards the speaker. It was Jacques, one of the surgeons she had assisted in the past. "Jacques?" She croaked, gritting her teeth. Artemis and Jarlaxle stood beside her, identical worried expressions on their faces.
Jacques cut the blood soaked fabric away from her shoulder and drew in a sharp breath. He met her pain filled eyes. "We have to stop the bleeding." He told her. Anna nodded. She knew what he had to do. He held a piece of wood to her lips. "Bite on this." He instructed. She clenched the wood between her teeth.
"Can't you do something?" Artemis hissed at the drow. Jarlaxle put a hand on his arm, staying him. "This is her world, not ours. Let them treat her." The assassin looked at the drow sharply. The dark elf's face was tight.
Jacques reached for a bottle of alcohol and waited for Anna to nod before pouring it over the wound. Anna screamed. "Lift her up." The doctor instructed the soldier who had come with them. The soldier started to lift her when the assassin stepped in and pushed him out of the way. Propping her into a sitting position he sat in front of her and rested her forehead against his shoulder. Jacques cut away the back of her dress and then said, "Ready?" Anna nodded and braced herself as he poured alcohol over the back of her shoulder. Her body arched violently.
The agony in her voice tore at the assassin. She had purposefully put herself in the bullet's path. If she hadn't he would have been dead. He moved to lay her back down, but the man motioned for him to stay still.
Anna knew what was next and whimpered as Jacques picked up a red hot knife. She felt Artemis take her hand. "Squeeze my hand. Understand?" He growled. Anna nodded. Jacques rested a hand on her opposite shoulder. "Ready?" Anna nodded. Nothing could have prepared her for the white hot pain that knifed into her shoulder. A sound of pure anguish was wrung from her lips. When he pulled back the knife Anna collapsed against the assassin's shoulder, gasping for breath. She was dimly aware of being laid back down again. Jacques leaned over her. "You're almost done. One more to go." Anna whimpered and shook her head. "No more." She pleaded. Jacques wiped his brow with a shaky hand. He looked at Anna's strangely dressed companion. "Hold her."
Artemis couldn't understand the man's words, but understood what he meant. Repositioning himself so that he sat behind Anna he grasped her arms tightly. Anna stared at him wildly and shook her head. The assassin held her gaze. "Don't take your eyes off me." Her eyes were wide with fear as she stared back at him.
Jacques reheated the knife until it glowed. He swallowed hard and then seared the front of the wound closed.
Anna screamed wildly. It was an inhuman sound. Her body arched and bucked within the assassin's grasp. She was hyperventilating by the time Jacques removed the knife and bandaged the wound. The doctor stepped back, his face pale. Having to torture this sweet girl was by far the hardest thing he had done. One of the soldiers passed him a bottle of liquor, which he handed to Anna's odd friend.
Artemis took the bottle and held it to Anna's lips. "Drink." He told her. Anna gulped it down, coughed and then chugged some more.
Jacques knelt beside her. "There was no other way to stop the bleeding quickly enough. I'm sorry Anna. I didn't want to hurt you." She turned her head to look at him. "I know, Jacques. Thank you." She gasped painfully and then passed out.
Artemis looked towards Jarlaxle; the drow had been silent the entire time. The dark elf's face was a wooden mask as he walked slowly over to stand beside the assassin. "I have known many who would not have fared so well." He said quietly, touching Anna's face lightly. Her skin had turned an alarming shade of gray.
Jarlaxle reached into a pocket and pulled out an ear cuff like the one he had given to Anna when she had first arrived in Faerun and handed it to the assassin. "It will allow you to understand the language." The drow explained. Artemis took the cuff and placed it on his ear.
"You need to get out of here. This is no place for civilians." The doctor addressed them, only to be drawn up short as Jarlaxle turned to regard him. The truth of Anna's words was painfully obvious as the doctor stared open-mouthed at the dark elf. Jarlaxle smiled and swept the doctor a flamboyant bow. "Thank you for assisting our young friend." He said. The man shook himself. "I wish I could have done more!" He smiled warmly as he looked down at her. "That little girl is one brave soul; take care of her." He turned and motioned to a couple of soldiers, who hurried over. "My men will get you out of here, but from there you're on your own. You'll stand a better chance if you're not with us." He told them. Jarlaxle bowed his thanks and waited for the new arrivals to inspect him. They had the same bemused expression as the doctor, he noted in amusement.
"Stop gawking!" The doctor shouted at the men. "There is no time to lose. This trench won't hold for long!"
The men laid a stretcher down next to Anna and gently moved her onto it. "Come with us, sir." One of them said as he picked up one end of the stretcher. His companion lifted the other end and motioned for them to follow.
As they moved through the trench the soldiers guarding it glanced at them as they passed and then did a double-take, recognition registering on their faces, quickly followed by concern. The drow wondered how many lives she had touched before coming to Faerun. He hadn't given any thought to what her life had been like before, but seeing the shock and worry on the faces of the many soldiers they passed he now realized that there was much about her that he didn't know.
The soldiers carrying the stretcher stopped by a part of the trench that wasn't as deep and passed Anna to some soldiers above. Once she was out of the trench they reached down and offered a hand to Jarlaxle and Artemis. The dark elf was struck by a sense of camaraderie that seemed to be shared by the men, so unlike the world of the drow. Apparently just by being with Anna they were accepted. It was an interesting experience.
One of the soldiers was holding a couple of horses. "This is as far as we can go." He told them.
Jarlaxle tipped his hat to the man, who was little more than a boy. "I am curious; many of the men seemed to know Anna." The soldier nodded. "She has saved many lives, mine included. I'd do anything for her." The boy answered. The drow nodded. "We are to ride?" He asked. "Yes sir. I'm sorry I can't do more. The town is just ahead. Follow the road and you'll run right into it."
Jarlaxle and Artemis mounted the horses. The soldier looked up at them. "One of you will have to carry her." He said.
"I'll take her." The assassin said and leaned down to take Anna from the soldiers. He ignored the drow's curious eyes as he settled her against his chest, careful to rest her good shoulder against himself.
"Take care of her." The soldier yelled as they turned to leave. Jarlaxle flashed him a smile and tipped his hat in farewell.
Guiding his horse beside the assassin. the drow stared at his companion. His behavior was most unusual. Artemis shot him an annoyed glance. "What?"
Jarlaxle shrugged. "I was merely curious as to your sudden interest in our young friend." Artemis frowned at the unconscious girl. "The little fool almost got herself killed." Like the drow he had seen the way the soldiers had looked at Anna. He had been unprepared for the amount of respect and concern her mere presence had garnered. Why would a girl who was obviously respected by so many care about someone like him? She knew what kind of man he was, yet she had not hesitated to put herself in harm's way when his life was in jeopardy. He owed her his life. It was a disturbing thought. One the assassin didn't like.
The dark elf watched in fascination as the assassins face softened as he looked at the unconscious girl in his arms. He tilted his hat to hide his smile. He had chosen well when he decided to take her with them. The more he was around her the more interesting things became.
The deafening chaos of the battle faded into the background as they made their way down the road. The drow looked around curiously as his horse stepped over some rubble scattered across the road. Everything looked scorched. He wondered what type of weapons had caused such devastation. There were no signs of life whatsoever; even the trees had been stripped bare. He wrinkled his nose at the lingering chemical scent that hung in the air. His horse stumbled as he guided it around more debris. Their progress was painfully slow and the short distance to the town took far longer than either of them would have expected.
As the town finally came into view the companions stopped and stared at the ruins of what had once been a beautiful city. Crumbling stone structures surrounded them. Some of the buildings had been completely leveled, while the husks of others stood defiantly amidst the wreckage. The sheer amount of destruction was sobering. One particular building caught the drow's attention. His red eyes followed the lines of its arched windows and towering spires. It was a thing of beauty. Sadly, half of the graceful structure now lay in ruins. When it was whole it must have been an amazing sight. He remembered Anna talking about this beautiful, war torn land. She had used what she called a postcard to show him an extraordinary structure called the Eiffel Tower. The drow loved beauty and Jarlaxle was no exception. It saddened him to see such a magnificent building reduced to rubble.
"I believe that one will serve us well." The elf said, pointing at the building with the arched windows and spires.
The assassin nodded and pointed his horse towards the building. "Where all the people?" He wondered. It struck him as odd that they had not seen a single living soul since they had left the trenches.
Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoys reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I enlisted the aid of my favorite war nerds for this one!
General zargon: LOL, all hail my proofreader. She is the ONLY reason my story looks as good as it does!
Musingsage: Yep, I love cliff hangers. Makes you want to turn the page, right? Does that make me evil?
Amanita Virosa-Amaranthus: I am so glad you are enjoying the story! It always makes me feel good when I know that someone else is having fun with my idea too.
Sushi-San85: Bwa ha ha ha…I love being a nerd.