Containment in Skyscrapers - Chapter 6

[tankicola 111]

 

Chapter six 

225 hours  into containment 

 

The code red procedure.

 

People who refuse to cooperate, break curfew, or disobey any other rule imposed shall be detained and, depending on the degree of their crime or/and violation, subsequently punished or sentenced to death.

 

Curfew times and exceptions.

You may leave your allocated place of refuge only between 5AM-5PM. 

You may leave for vital trips.

You may leave to train, only if you are accompanied by a high ranking military person. (definition for this purpose: above captain rank.)

 

If you are a high ranking official, then you may leave at any time for any period. Do not make loud noises.

 

Redman led Rose, Cherry, Bill, Leo, Liam and fifteen other recruits from different sectors to meet up with Captain Serena, General John, and General Molly. 

Redman looked satisfied that he was still the highest ranking official in the group. Grinning, he said; “Right, recruits. Due to the current situation, your training will take place underground. Captain Rose and Serena will take you to your training sector. Molly and John, follow me.”    

Molly and John looked rather grumpy at being addressed by their names rather than their ranks. Redman clapped his hands together, and led Molly and John into the garage. 

 

Later, Redman emerged into the Skyscrapers Underground Military Training Ground, carrying large metal weights and blueprints. Molly and John were seen racing along in his wake, carrying more blueprints and sheets. “The time has come for you to choose a tank that will suit you best in the battlefield,” said Redman. He rolled out the blueprints on the floor. 

“Whichever one looks nicest to you, pick it. I do not advise you to look at the actual blueprint designs as a reference; the factors in the designs are too advanced for you yet,” said Redman, examining a heavily annotated diagram of a turret. Rose was also inspecting a blueprint. 

Cherry, Bill and Leo saw Liam looking at a very intricate diagram of a smoothly mechanical turret. Cherry pushed Bill into Leo, who toppled sideways into a table, and snatched the blueprint from Liam. Liam turned around, and saw Cherry being chastised by an indignant Rose, and Bill and Liam being helped to their feet by Redman. 

 

Twelve minutes later, no one had made a choice. Molly was discussing something with John, who was nodding. As Bill walked past him, Leo stuck out his foot. Bill fell straight onto the wooden table with all the blueprints on them. There was a loud crash, and Redman looked up, looking livid. The other recruits were huddled together, talking. As Cherry walked passed, smirking, one of the group walked up to her. “Have you chosen a turret yet?”he asked.

“No, but that one looks nice,” replied Cherry, pointing at a smooth and grey drawing. 

But as she turned around, the boy drew a blade from his pocket. It was long and silver, and it gleamed in the semi-darkness. Cherry let out a yell, then all of the group drew blades. Redman whirled round, and he was almost decapitated by a blade that had buried itself in the wall. Rose, Molly and John looked around. A blade whizzed past Molly’s arms, but stuck John in the leg. He fell to the floor, just as three silvery blades struck Bill: one in the right leg, one in the left arm, and one in the chest. He fell with an agonising crash, into a table. Redman fired at one of the group. The boy hit the wall. Small vestiges of broken wall paper fell on top of Rose, whose gunfire was instantly muffled. John threw a grenade into the middle of the huddle of people, who scattered. Five of them collapsed onto the floor, but around ten of them escaped, running out of the doors. Redman followed one of them, a boy, and fired. Rose did not see if the shots had hit. She saw Molly wrestling with a woman, but before she could properly register what she had seen, a silver blade whizzed past her face. 

John shot a man down, and then Rose saw that Molly had managed to subdue her opponent. Rose fired at a man fleeing through the fire-doors, and he collapsed. Molly and John ran to join Redman, but Rose ran back. She helped Leo, Liam and Cherry lift Bill onto one of the blueprint tables. Blood spattered onto the blueprints, refleecting purple against the navy blueness. “Stay with me!” yelled Rose, scrambling around for a first-aid kit. 

 

As Redman advanced down the alleyway, there were odd scrapings and dripping noises as he went closer to the end. An eerie yellow light made the walls look brown, and the puddles looked like ink. There was a loud clang and a spray of water hit Redman;  he exclaimed and a shadow dropped from the pipes. Redman staggered as a blow to the head set in. Then he fired randomly through the water-fall like cascade. The bullet perforated the sluicing water and Redman heard a loud thump. He stepped through the water tentatively, his trepidation exacerbating. 

The body of a boy was revealed, sprawled in front of the water leaking from the cut pipe. Redman’s hands found a wet, cold and hard something. It was metal and it had come out of the boy’s skull, exactly where the bullet had landed. 

[Person_Random 4,991]

Approved.

Whee my WiFi is working! All celebrations aside, great story. The plot thickens yet again and I am excited to see what will happen in the next few chapters!

Edits: punctuation