Chapter 2

“Those towers have to come down.” Steven said, the thrill showing in his eyes. I’ve never seen this side of him before. “Cover me, I’m going to move up the right. Aim for the third gunner to the left, then move a sweeping spray across the gunners openings.” My body nodded without thought, I had to forget all the fears and troubles this would bring. This is why we are here. Steven ran down the field, miniature explosions instantly following him and picking up on his trail. They looked around the side of the barrier and fired the sweeping spray. No one was hit, but it was enough to cause the gunners to duck for a moment or two. After he had reached the sandy hill, a man came up beside me. He spoke to me with a thick polish accent, there’s no way I could tell what he was saying. He pointed downward near my feet, where a man, no, a boy no older than 19 lay. He pushed me aside and spoke words and held a cross. After his prayer was down, he placed a hand on my shoulder, and began to speak. But then it was over just like that. A new coat of blood was on me. The holy man fell to the ground, blood leaving the open wound on his forehead.

“John!” Steven yelled from across the open field. “Get your a*s over here, I’m low on ammo!” I sprinted across the field, the image of the fallen preacher in my head. My mind was made; there could be no god. There’s no fear of death now. This is what we are here for. My body slammed against the sand hill. After handing Steven a new magazine, two more men joined our side. One held a bolt chamber rifle, the other a full assault rifle. I’ve never been good with guns, but I was told in basic training I would be soon. 

“You.” Steven demanded, “ Your gun is more accurate. Take out some goddamned gunners like you should’ve before you took the run over here. How many men do you want to die?” The man fearfully nodded and looked over momentarily as the gunners aimed toward other advancing men. The sound of the arm deafened us, but not enough to stop us from hearing a scream and a little less gunfire. Two more shots banged and the gunners stopped all together. Time to move.