The Rift
Screaming in the buildings. Screaming in the streets. The storm still raged, and the sirens stilled blared. Now the screaming had begun again.
Calvin had a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach. People had been running crazy once the bullets had started, but after Mike had deactivated the robots things had calmed down... at least a little. Most people should've been hiding in the comfort of their homes or favorite hang-outs by now. So why the screams?
The obvious answer was the turret shooting the Quel-Mart to hell from across the street. But that didn't really make sense. A couple Quelnine soldiers had temporarily abandoned their posts to run over there, but that was it. Certainly the turret wasn't responsible for the cries in the far distance.
They all knew it.
Calvin pushed the send button on the radio.
"Tom, are you heading back yet?"
No answer. He waited thirty more seconds, and tried again.
Still, no answer.
"Shit."
"Calvin," it was Angela. "Calvin, we need to do this now. Almost all of the guards are gone."
"Yeah," he said. "And by now they're probably heading back, after realizing that the fucking army that's been sieging them for the past ten minutes consists of two men who barely know how to fire their guns!"
His face was red. He felt like crying.
"John can take of himself. And besides, there's no way they've reached the humanoids yet."
"It doesn't matter," said Calvin. "If they've found Tom and John, then they know what we're up to."
"Angela's right, Calvin," Richie said, stepping forward. "Look, I don't want want to die in this shitty city, but we might as well do what we came to do, right?"
Calvin shook his head.
"Something's wrong."
Angela put her soft arm on his back.
"We know."
"I don't want any of you to die."
"We won't."
"That's a promise you can't always keep," Calvin steadied himself and briefly looked at them. "Why don't you all just go back to the checkpoint? I can plant the explosives myself. There's only a few guards in there."
Ferdinanad finally spoke up.
"What makes you think only you have the right to do this?"
"Because you're all still too fucking green!" Calvin nearly cried out. "Look, I know you all think you've lost a lot after The War, and maybe you have, but you've still got your lives!"
Richie walked closer to him.
"Calvin, my man. None of us are exactly green. Besides, didn't you say something a few hours ago about us being ready to die for you? Well, here we are."
Calvin had never expected Richie to sound anything even remotely like what he did, now. It was shocking.
"You aren't ready to die," said Calvin. "I said that in my speech because you should be, but you aren't. Nobody is."
Richie stared back firmly.
"We are."
"You aren't."
"The soldiers will be back anytime now."
"You fucker."
He turned and looked toward the warehouse. A vent shaft cover in the lower middle.
"Fine," he said turning back to them. "If you idiots are that stubborn, fine! Richie, Jonas, and Ferdinand... You guys are going to stay out here, and keep watch. Just like we planned. We're turning off all our radios, so if you see anyone, you're to shoot them on sight. Got it?"
They nodded.
"And then us other three will do the work inside," he turned to Angela and Charlie. "But stay behind me! You don't do everything I say, and I'm sending you back to the checkpoint."
And a few seconds later, through the darkness and with Calvin in the lead, the trio finally came to the warehouse. As they entered the vent shaft, screams from far off followed them in like pesky haunts.
None of them saw the things that Richie, Ferdinand, and Jonas would soon see. The breaking widnows in the buildings above them; the parade of people who began to jump to their deaths; the strange, mummified things chasing after eagerly, with their dead eyes indifferent.
Calvin had a dark feeling in the pit of his stomach. People had been running crazy once the bullets had started, but after Mike had deactivated the robots things had calmed down... at least a little. Most people should've been hiding in the comfort of their homes or favorite hang-outs by now. So why the screams?
The obvious answer was the turret shooting the Quel-Mart to hell from across the street. But that didn't really make sense. A couple Quelnine soldiers had temporarily abandoned their posts to run over there, but that was it. Certainly the turret wasn't responsible for the cries in the far distance.
They all knew it.
Calvin pushed the send button on the radio.
"Tom, are you heading back yet?"
No answer. He waited thirty more seconds, and tried again.
Still, no answer.
"Shit."
"Calvin," it was Angela. "Calvin, we need to do this now. Almost all of the guards are gone."
"Yeah," he said. "And by now they're probably heading back, after realizing that the fucking army that's been sieging them for the past ten minutes consists of two men who barely know how to fire their guns!"
His face was red. He felt like crying.
"John can take of himself. And besides, there's no way they've reached the humanoids yet."
"It doesn't matter," said Calvin. "If they've found Tom and John, then they know what we're up to."
"Angela's right, Calvin," Richie said, stepping forward. "Look, I don't want want to die in this shitty city, but we might as well do what we came to do, right?"
Calvin shook his head.
"Something's wrong."
Angela put her soft arm on his back.
"We know."
"I don't want any of you to die."
"We won't."
"That's a promise you can't always keep," Calvin steadied himself and briefly looked at them. "Why don't you all just go back to the checkpoint? I can plant the explosives myself. There's only a few guards in there."
Ferdinanad finally spoke up.
"What makes you think only you have the right to do this?"
"Because you're all still too fucking green!" Calvin nearly cried out. "Look, I know you all think you've lost a lot after The War, and maybe you have, but you've still got your lives!"
Richie walked closer to him.
"Calvin, my man. None of us are exactly green. Besides, didn't you say something a few hours ago about us being ready to die for you? Well, here we are."
Calvin had never expected Richie to sound anything even remotely like what he did, now. It was shocking.
"You aren't ready to die," said Calvin. "I said that in my speech because you should be, but you aren't. Nobody is."
Richie stared back firmly.
"We are."
"You aren't."
"The soldiers will be back anytime now."
"You fucker."
He turned and looked toward the warehouse. A vent shaft cover in the lower middle.
"Fine," he said turning back to them. "If you idiots are that stubborn, fine! Richie, Jonas, and Ferdinand... You guys are going to stay out here, and keep watch. Just like we planned. We're turning off all our radios, so if you see anyone, you're to shoot them on sight. Got it?"
They nodded.
"And then us other three will do the work inside," he turned to Angela and Charlie. "But stay behind me! You don't do everything I say, and I'm sending you back to the checkpoint."
And a few seconds later, through the darkness and with Calvin in the lead, the trio finally came to the warehouse. As they entered the vent shaft, screams from far off followed them in like pesky haunts.
None of them saw the things that Richie, Ferdinand, and Jonas would soon see. The breaking widnows in the buildings above them; the parade of people who began to jump to their deaths; the strange, mummified things chasing after eagerly, with their dead eyes indifferent.