Chapter 113

Hills was knocked to the ground as it jumped again, colliding with her. She had her shield when it hit her and was now trapped under it.

“I need support!” I yelled as I attacked.

It was some form of a mutated sabertooth tiger. I recognised it from a museum I once visited, which had a lifelike model and a skeleton next to each other. It was grey and black in some form of urban camouflage pattern and had spikes running down its back as the other cats had fought, but this one had two giant tentacles protruding from just above its shoulders.

“Help me! Someone help!” She screamed out. Hills was its focus and it was mauling her shield. This allows me to charge into it. I could hear cries of surprise and fear from behind me, but I knew that Patterson would get them organised.

I needed to get its attention off Hills when I got close enough to swing out with my aim for its backside. It had other ideas, as one of the tentacles lashes out like a whip. It collided with my left-hand side as I approached mid-swing. The force was far more intense than expected and I was knocked to the side. Pain flared up my arm and where I’d been hit by it, my armour was still intact.

I quickly reoriented myself and went at it again.

This time I was ready for the tentacles. The same one lashed out again as I approached. This time encountered my shield and instead of going for an upper arm swing, I went in with an underarm. I would not get the same force into the blow, but I needed to do something.

However, before I made contact, it lept to the side; this thing was fast!

He quickly turned and faced me and I couldn’t take the time to check out how Hills was as I was now the sole recipient of its attention.

The tentacles shot forward, striking me. Again, my shield was there and I blocked both of them. The impacts were brutal and vicious and I could feel the kinetic energy from the stripes passing through the shield into my arm. I gritted my teeth and held my position even though they were trying to force me back.

Quickly glancing over my shield, I realised it was preparing to pounce. I could let it collide with me; I had to time it just right.

It suddenly pounced and I dropped.

I wasn’t fast enough; it clipped my shield and knocked me onto my back. I ignored the pain from the impact, staying focused on the moment. Its momentum had caused it to sail past me, but it landed and quickly turned. I was able to scramble back to my feet in that limited time.

My shield, however, wasn’t in position and one of the tentacles smashed into my faceplate, knocking me back.

Pain flared and I tasted blood.

I got my shield up and felt several more impacts. As soon as I was able, I glanced over my shield again. This time I was far too slow and it collided with me.

Being hit with several hundred pounds of muscle and bone travelling at speed hurts!

I collided with the ground hard and was winded from the impact this time. I also banged my head off the road surface. This disoriented me for a few seconds.

The tiger began savaging my shield as it was between me and it, as Hills had hers. My shield was getting ripped to shreds and bits flew everywhere as the Tiger pulled its claws across the surface. My right arm was pinned under the shield and I could not move it. I was getting a lot of pain signals from it, but I don’t think it’s broken.

The tiger was breathing hard and I could smell rotten meat on its breath.

I could hear voices around me, but I was too focused on staying alive to understand what they were saying.

The Tiger suddenly turned its head and we were both blinded by the sudden impact of the flare. It roared in pain and lept back off me as I felt the pressure suddenly disappear. Apart from this, I was completely unsure of what was happening and saw it again. I was desperately trying to blink my eyes to get them working again.

I can hear the sounds of war fighting around me. I was unsure of what was happening. I heard Davids shouting commands and that Hills was being pulled back.

I was struggling to get up from the floor as my vision returned.

My eyes were still watering but getting to the point I had a good idea of what was happening.

The other operatives were engaged with the tiger with its back to me. The others were holding it but nothing more—time to get back into it.

My body protested, but I ignored it as I launched myself forward.

The tiger did not sense me until it was too late. My axe tore into its pelvis area. Black blood-spattered and oozed from the wound.

It almost sounded like a scream. The pain and rage were evident. It turned quickly, ripping the axe head from it and almost my hand.

My shield was impacted by one of its claws and I was sent sprawling to my left as I overbalanced and met the ground again.

The tiger could not follow up and finish me off as the others kept the pressure on it. I heard another cry of pain from it.

I was quickly on my feet again and looked for an opportunity.

Davids and his team had wounded it again. Another wound was leaking black blood near a shoulder. It was far more defensive, using the tentacles to keep back everyone. It was slowly being pushed back to the wrecks it had jumped from. Several support team members had moved up to help and formed a skirmish line with us operatives.

This was not over. We found this out quickly as it attacked again. The tiger tensed and tensed and then pounced on a support team member that was too close.

The man was knocked down and savagely mauled by the tiger. The tentacles were lashing out in different directions, keeping most back.

The screaming spurred me to action again. I was to its side, turning as it jumped and attacked when it landed.

The tentacle to my side lashed out at me. I was quickly able to block it with my shield.

The impact was hard, but I have endured worse and pressed ahead.

The tiger turned to look at me as I advanced its face, covered in the blood of the team member that he had just savaged. I use this opportunity again to introduce it to the business end of my axe. It dodged out of the way as I swung in, but not enough and I clipped it across the muzzle. It was only a shallow cut but it forced it back.

I ignored the cries and shouts around me as I continued to press. I knew the rest of the support team would handle the wounded soldier. I had to stay focused on what was in front of me.

The Tiger lashed out with one of its large paws. My shield was again in position to block it and I had braced myself for the impact. However, I felt this as the kinetic energy shot through my shield into my arm. I saw more chips from my shield fly away as claws raked across the surface.

I, in return, swung the axe back out, scoring only another minor glancing hit against it.

I drop my axe and quickly through my Gladius as I keep pushing forward; this will look like close in work now. My goal was to back it up and pin it against the wrecks and it seemed to be working as it was almost there now.

The others were tightening the noose giving it fewer avenues to manoeuvre. My left and right now, only now operatives of the support team had pulled back not to get in our way.

The Tiger was not stupid and realised that it was in. It a response had only one option and took it leaping at me.

As it jumped, I thrust my Gladius forward and impaled itself onto the blade. His momentum and physical mass continued to push forward, knocking my arm back and colliding with me, knocking me to the ground.

I hit my head again and stars covered my vision.

It only took a few seconds, but I was still disoriented and then realised that the thing was still on top of me. The rotten smell of meat was extremely overpowering this close and it took everything I had not the gag and throw up.

It was not attacking, but I was pinned under its mass. I tried to move, but it was a waste of time. This thing was a lot heavier than it looked.

The others quickly realised that the thing was dead after impaling their weapons and to it a few times to make sure. They promptly pulled off me when they were happy I was not dead. It took them a minute to do this, with a lot of grunting and swearing.

“Jesus! This thing smells.” Holden said as she started gagging.

“Harrington, you still alive?” Patel asked me.

“Yeah, think so.” I replied, looking down to make sure.

From my proposition, I lifted my head. My upper torso was covered in black blood, but the armour seemed intact. Looking over at the tiger’s body, I saw my blade handle protruding from his neck.

“Looks like a sword severed the spine when it impacted you.” Davids said, following my line of sight.

“How are Hills and the other guy.” I asked, remembering the others injured in the fight.

“The medics are working on them now. Hills is injured but seems to be able to move. The other guy doesn’t look good.” As Davids said that, he was looking away from me. I got up onto my elbows and looked around.

He was right. We had to backfill medics with us, one in the support team and one in the sealing team. One was working on the mauled soldier and the other was with Hills.

Hills was sitting and they were putting an arm sling on her. I was pretty sure the other was dead due to the injuries. I could see his throat and the amount of blood no longer within his body. Patterson came over and knelt next to the medic and whispered something in his ear. The medic paused and was reluctant to but had to admit that it was a lost cause.

I got back to my feet and retrieved both my blade and axe. The play took some time but eventually was pried free from the body. Patterson had spoken to the medic treating yours during this time and has come up to me.

“Give me the breakdown.” I knew why he had come up to me. Davids was hanging around to hear it as well.

“Private Henderson is dead. Operative Hills shield arm is broken.”

“Shit.” It was not as bad as I feared.

“What are we going do with Private Henderson’s body?” Patterson asked. And that was the question.

“We can’t transport him. We will bag him here following standard procedure.” I knew it was cold and hard, but we would have to do it. Patterson looked unhappy but relented, knowing that was the only logical conclusion.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t rise again.” I said, to Patterson, looking directly in the eye. He paused for a few seconds but then not understanding what I was saying. He then turned and began giving orders to the team to get everything organised.

“We should take him with us.” Came from Davids.

“We can’t.” I was looking over at the body of the soldier who died.

“His family will….”

“No!” I said to Davids forcefully but not loudly. “We cannot transport him. Even if we did it, the body is too much of an encumbrance on this mission. He stays here.”

I turned to face Davids; he looked like he was about to say something else, but the look on my face seemed to convince him not to. I did not want to have this really shitty part of command.

The group quickly got organised. The dead soldier's body was placed into a body bag and partly zipped up, leaving his upper chest and head exposed. Hills was assigned to walk next to the sealing device. She was only to fight in extreme emergencies as I’d been told that the break to her arm was bad and had been splintered. The team moved around the wrecks and was soon on the other side, ready to proceed, but I had one last job.

Looking down at the dead soldier, I knew what needed to be done but was still reluctant to do it. I wasn’t going to use my axe here; instead, I would use my trench knife. Kneeling next to the body, I saw the damage that had killed him. People speak about nobility and honour in sacrificing oneself for society. But looking at it close-up, it was just savage and brutal.

I drove the knife into his skull and twisted it to destroy as much of the brain as possible. It had become a standard procedure that anybody left in the zone would have this done to prevent it from rising again and being used against the living.

I pulled the blade out and then zipped up the remaining exposed area.

“Time to end this.” I said to myself as I rejoined the group to get reorganised and moving again.