47. Benedict : Extraction

Light trickled in through the darkness. Dust radiated such fantastic flashes as the distant and distorted sounds of gunfire blared getting closer. Rolling my head peering with blurred vision through the rubble the courtyard was littered with corpses and blood. Any attempt to move was met by a disgusting jumbled feedback drowning out my nerves. All I could do was focus on breathing.

Heaving my chest up and down vision began to focus as a shadow passed overhead. One of the winged fallen came crashing down nearby evoking no reaction. Above one of the helicopters strafed over the courtyard behind the buildings we attempted to reach firing relentlessly. They were ready to evacuate and leave. We had to get up. Who ever was left. We had to leave. Someone had to be left.

Head lulling over to my other side I could see Sparrow clawing her way towards salvation pausing to writhe about. A trail of blood followed her spilling from crushed legs that would never heal. Flux laid to her side deathly still in a pool of blood, his body fractured and crippled. Eyes moving sluggishly Strider could be seen struggling to his feet as Baron lifted Duke once more.

Trying to stand again brought about fading vision. No matter how much I willed it my body refused to comply. With one last attempt as the gunfire became more clear a hand clasped my shoulder pulling me up. Collette ripped us both up regardless of grievous injury from the fall while still managing to fight on firing her weapon into the dust towards the creatures barrelling towards us.

More shots came from the buildings ahead stopping the beasts dead in their tracks. Through the dust figures emerged with blue lens in their helmets dispatching any and all threats that tried to prevent our escape. Deploying a smoke screen the remaining soldiers took both Sparrow and Flux as Strider and Baron carried Duke forward. Dragging me forward I found my footing and stumbled alongside Collette.

Reaching the building everyone except Fledger and Sandworm were present. Not having the time, energy or courage to search for them we immediately made for the helicopters. Making our way into the courtyard five helicopters sat on the ground with rotors still turning ready to leave at a moment's notice. Beside Collette packing ourselves into the helicopter Sparrow and Flux were loaded into another quickly joined by Artur, Baron and Duke. Bishop and Yeti threw themselves into another and Bisso, Terra and Karte boarded a fourth leaving the fifth empty.

The soldiers fell back immediately to the helicopters distributing themselves evenly amongst them. As soon as the last man's boots clanked over the cabin floor the helicopter took off into the sky with the others. Looking up out of the window the sky darkened filled with winged fallen beginning their descent upon us. Thrown against the wall the helicopters rushed into formation to cover each other with door guns.

Soldiers lined the open doors firing whenever they had a chance. As we began to pick up speed one of the winged fallen crashed into the turbines of the helicopter filled with soldiers. Losing control almost instantly the craft plunged from the sky before crashing into the trees becoming a fireball to roll against the ground before being consumed by the creatures below. Shocked by the sight the pilot cried out orders to the squadron.

“Proceed to fixed wing altitude and velocity! We have to outrun these bastards!”

The sky lit up with tracers once more as the door gunner reloaded. The men began to panic as more creatures blitzed past the helicopter narrowly missing us. Throughout the evasive maneuvers another soldier was almost thrown from the craft to his death. Threatening his resolve he emptied his magazine to be given an excuse to step back from the open door.

A crash came from the cockpit as a fracture through the glass snaked over the windscreen as one of the winged fallen collided with us. Shunted by the force of the collision and flesh getting caught in the rotor alarms began to wail as both pilots frantically provided status reports desperately trying to keep the helicopter airborne.

The disruption ceased all fire from our helicopter creating an opening on another. One of the rabid beasts launched itself in a perfect arc into the rotors of Bishop and Yeti’s helicopter sending the counter rotating rotors out of sync. It began to descend spinning faster and faster until Bishop could be seen being thrown from the craft into the tips of the trees far from the city.

Clearing the forest the plummeting helicopter made it into a field to scrape across the ground screaming to a halt in the clear. Looking back to the pilots they were beginning to lose their nerve as one held a lever on the roof ready to rip it forward. Another lapse in the fire as the gunners reloaded only unnerved them further. Looking above the horde of winged fallen prepared for a final dive ready to finish what they started as the pilot cried out.

“Now!”

Ripping the lever forward the helicopter began to fall from the sky as the rotors locked together and a jet engine roared. Slamming the doors shut the soldiers fell back onto chairs as the helicopter now jet rapidly accelerated forward and out of the zone. Nervous laughs and cheers went throughout the cabin and over the comms of those who survived.

I sat back leaning on Collette who made sure I hadn’t broken anything from the collapsing apartment building. Looking over the horizon I saw the sun in all its glory for the first time in years. As Collette’s hands stopped checking for anything broken I gathered she must have noticed it too. Everything lit up with more life than we ever carried but it wasn’t the beauty of the sight that held us spellbound.

Memories flooded back with sun's embrace promoting such recollection of our lives. My son was the first to come to mind. I remembered him when Noah mentioned what we left behind and occasionally he drifted through as a random thought but now he was at the forefront of my mind. I hadn’t seen him for years. He’d be ten now. If I was lucky he would’ve forgotten or disregarded me as a father who ran. If not he would have stayed up late every birthday remembering my promise to tell him about all the epic tales of my adventures in the zone.

Now the veil was lifted I truly felt what I left behind though with what I had seen I knew the world was about to undergo a potentially irreversible change. My priority went from simply being able to see and be there with him to preparing him for the new world. He would have to learn young what it would take to survive. It would be a harsh life for a child but if it earnt him a place in the new world it would be justified. Joshua, you will survive, I can promise you that at the very least.