Containment in Skyscrapers chapter 16

[tankicola 111]

Chapter 16

The ringing silence that followed the deafening gunshots seemed to last for hours. The air was suddenly ice-cold, and the presence of a murderer behind the rustic door that they had closed seemed to slowly melt into the room. Leo opened his mouth, then closed it. 

“What are we going to do?”

“Stay calm. Figure out a way to tell the others. Then we get out of here, and quickly.”

 

A young brown-haired man burst into the room. 

“What is the meaning of this?” bellowed Arthur. “You are interrup-”

“The gates are open, sir! They are allowing atra’s forces to arrive! Come, quickly!”

Arthur shot a glance at Redman, who nodded. 

“Very well. Everyone, follow Redman whilst I prepare the tanks.”

 

It was ear-splittingly loud near the gates. 

Different aircraft and helicopters circled around the now wide open gates. Some descended whilst others waited, watching the surrounding areas, where, unbeknown to them, hundreds of people, as well as dozens of tanks which had been painted over, watched intently. There were many shouts and siren-like noises as dozens of people climbed out of a large aircraft. Immediately, shadows moved on top of the gates, pointing guns below. 

“Not to worry,” came a deep voice. “It’s just a precaution.”

One of the men standing closest to the man who had just spoken eyed the soldiers guarding the wall haughtily. “I wasn’t expecting such a warm welcome. I thought you trusted us."

"We do. But in these times, it's hard to trust anyone. Anyway-"

He broke off, staring at something.

The man next to him, who was looking around cautiously, had not noticed the seemingly innocent red dot that danced above his forehead. 

 

Cherry opened the door tentatively, looking around the dark room. “I think that they are all asleep,” she said. 

Leo crept into the room with her. “So what now?” he asked quietly. 

Cherry carefully nudged everyone except Rose and Redman. A hard feat, considering that there were around a dozen of them now.

Cherry led all of them into the room, closed the door behind her, and said: “Watch this.”

 

There was an outbreak of shouting. Everyone around the man backed away, as a resounding gunshot rent the air. “Now!” shouted Arthur.

It was chaos.

Everywhere people were scrambling away; a crowd was forming near the entrance gate and people were pushing and trampling each other to get inside. 

A series of loud gunshots followed the first.

Then there were retaliatory bangs as the guards on the wall fired back. Immediately a gargantuan wave of people advanced, all with their guns drawn and firing.

The bangs of explosive projectiles joined the din made by those firing with guns, as the tanks followed, making up the rear of the crowd. There was an outbreak of screaming and shouting as the gates started to close. There were gigantic explosions which threw plumes of hot, thick dust into the air and caused stones to rain down upon all of them. Gunfire was the only thing louder than the yells and screams that riddled the night. 

“Go!” urged Arthur.

Redman and Rose put on masks and advanced further through the crowd. 

“Someone stop the gates!” came a cry.

There was another loud explosion, and a large portion of the gate was blown apart. Fire spread across the top, causing the guards to flee. Redman aimed his gun and shot down five of the running guards. Rose fired more bullets which rebounded on the hard metal surface of the gates and hit a few people behind her. Soon, half of the wall had collapsed.

Arthur joined Redman and Rose and together they fought their way through the crowd, finally reaching the gates, where they could hear the rumbling of tanks. “This way!” Arthur yelled, pointing at a gap. They all sprinted towards the gap, firing at some guards as they did. 

Arthur pointed his gun at one of the tanks and fired. Confused, the turret turned and fired back. Arthur dived for cover. The projectile which had been shot hit another tank, which was blasted backward and into another part of the wall. As Rose and Redman ran, Arthur close behind, they could feel the ground shake as more explosions destroyed the ground behind them. “Head for Ray’s tower!” yelled Arthur, as he climbed onto a tank and fired repeatedly at others from the elevation which the tank provided. 

 

Cherry and the others crept back inside the room. All of them had agreed that once they were safely outside of Skyscrapers they would all report their concerns. To do anything now would be foolish. But Leo thought that he had seen something strange in Cherry’s face as she agreed. An emotion which he could not make out distinctly enough. They all lay down on the hard and slightly damp floor and pretended to sleep. Daytime came, and with it, the awakening of Rose and Redman. “Right, so the plan is to escape Skyscrapers,” said Redman, later that morning.

“And we can do so by making a diversion. But that will mean someone will have to stay here, so we can broadcast their voice through Skyscrapers.”

He looked around slightly sadly at everyone.

“I’ll do it.”

Redman looked surprised as he looked at Cherry, who felt more than eager to put some space between them. “Okay then. Well that makes things a lot simpler. After Cherry makes the diversion, we will all head into the SMG’s garage. There should be a selection of planes and tanks there. We can use the tanks in case of an emergency, as a second diversion. If we can get one of the planes working, then we can fly back here and get out of Skyscrapers. Does anybody have some objections?”

“Yes,” said Cherry. “You will come and collect me, right?”

“Of course!” said Redman, looking incredulous. “What else would I do, leave you here?” 

As Redman and Rose laughed, Cherry felt a sudden chill. 

“Okay, let’s do this.”

 

 

[Person_Random 4,991]

Approved.

It's back! Really enjoyed this chapter as usual, especially with its strong and suspenseful plot and character development through dialogue. With the current turn of events, I see a climax coming up soon and really can't wait to see what's next. Keep us updated with tons more of that action and skilled storywriting; I am excited to see this series return.

Edits: very minor grammar/spelling fixes.

[Lose 881]

I'm glad to see this series return, great work as always!