Chapter 32 – Siege of the ruined city (2)

There were flapping sounds of fabric coming from the sky. Joshua looked up and saw that the men from the flying ships have finally descended. He had seen airborne troops drop down on an air force show once. But seeing pyramid-like chutes fill the sky made his mouth open wide. He stood stall surrounded by corpses and rubble. Wounded, breathing heavily as he shakily moves his feet.

Standing in the middle was dangerous. Joshua took cover and watched as the men from the flying ships landed. They started to move, they took perimeter checks and secured areas as they move. Every ten men captured a street. They took cover and made use of the houses to aim at any enemies. The struggling men of the City were shot when they appeared crawling. Some started to open fire and gunfire rang out as they exchanged gunfire.

Joshua had a rifle that could fire continuously. But he was not dumb enough to reveal himself. Instead, he crawled through the city and looked for any signs of resistance that are still fighting the Cagan and Bali air army. Joshua somehow managed to avoid any confrontation. He timed his sprints when gunfire rang out. He would cross this long street when bombs explode. All of that just to reach this single bastion of hope that stood brightly like a lamp shining in the darkness. The moths were attracted to this light, both the allies and the invaders.

There was someone standing bravely in the middle of all of it. It was not Leiko; it was just some Proctor, a man in his twenties who had the courage to attract the people around him. He was injured, covered in dust and bruises, but he stood among the men of the city with his rifle’s barrel aimed at the raining men that came from the skies.

“Open fire damn it! Two volley fire! Fire, and reload! Take cover you daft bastard!” he shouted while commanding the troops around him. Joshua looked at him before turning his eyes to the cat-like person dodging the bullets. Covered in fur, this black-furred werecat leaped around like a dancer of death as she takes people’s life with claws and bolts. This cat-like person met eyes with Joshua. She spun mid-air and landed on her shoulder, taking cover from the volley of fire that almost riddled her bodies with holes.

“You are a still alive Joshua!” shouted Leiko.

“Yeah...we need you back there.” Joshua slid down on this wall for cover. “Shig’s injured and everyone’s been scattered. And the way to the entrance where Kioko and the servants hid is now blocked.”

Hearing Kioko’s name made Leiko’s cat eyes dilated. She grabbed Joshua’s shoulder and shook him. “Is she alive? Why didn’t you rescue her and came here instead?”

“I can’t! I can’t lift the rubble and blow the entrance up! I might murder them! I can’t do that! That’s why I came here looking for you instead!”

Leiko grabbed Joshua’s head. She turned it towards the direction of the men fighting the invaders. “Look at this place! Do you think we can run with all these enemies? How did you manage to come here?”

“I just did! I can get us back there!”

Leiko looked at the men fighting again. There was a choice for her to make. But the choice she chose the one that mattered to her most. The men and women who fought there were not Kioko. Thus she was able to choose immediately.

“Let’s go.”

“What about them?” Joshua asked.

“Let them fight on their own,” she bit her lip. “I pray that whoever God they follow shine their way through these tribulations!

Joshua painfully nodded. He looked at the men and women fighting and turned his back on them. He sprinted away while Leiko followed after. Gunfire, bombs, and rubbles, and even suffering men, the two ignored them all.

...

“Captain!” shouted a man who lost his eye. “She really did abandon us! Look at her run!”

“Steady your aim brother!” he shouted back at the man. “She only wanted to save her sister. She told us that herself. She fought for us and took down those hand cannon fucks rightly! How can we complain when she did what she promised?”

The man took cover. A bullet whizz past him, almost taking his head out. He grinned. “Indeed right Captain! Fuck! It would be nice having a Cattus with sensitive instincts fight for us! But by our God Luci Fera, it seemed that would be too easy eh?”

“Yes, it is soldier!” The Captain dived down to cover. “We may die here but at least we know that we fought under the hellfire of bombs! They may speak of our defeat! But to me, you are all brave men fighting with bravery! To die with you all is an honor!”

“Shut your trap Captain!” a voice of a woman called. “You aren’t going to die here! Unless I take a piece from you! So take a cover your dumbass!”

“Fierce isn’t she captain?” grinned the soldier. “She makes a fine bribe! Hey! Let me marry you if we get out of this alive!”

“Shut up! The Captain’s only for me! I’ll consider when you’re dead!” the girl opened fire. Her brunette hair shone as the smoke blew it. The Captain looked at the girl. He finished reloading and open fire again. “Damn you bastards! Thinking of all of these when we are near death!”

“It’s alright captain!” hollered another soldier. “As long as you here you’d be our guiding light!”

“Shut up!” shouted the Captain. “I am just some Proctor who got involved on this! If you cowardly fucks didn’t move we would have been fucked over by now! Stop calling me Captain! My name is Archie, of Village Garl damn it!”

“Whatever you say Captain!” shouted the soldiers. The girl with brunette hair grinned. “This Cassia shall follow you, Captain! It’s not like there are officers here than you!”

Archie looked at the men and women surrounding him. He was scared shitless, yet he bantered with these fools despite his pounding heart. To live or to die without fighting back was something he could not stomach. He only fought with his rifle and killed a few, and now these soldiers gathered around him. Taking for some beacon of light he never was. But so what? No one else wanted to take control of the situation. No one wanted to become their hearts so he had to do it. He had to fight! He had to somehow find hope in the chasm of despair he was in.