Straight ahead of him, a small flock of birds erupted from the vegetation, snapping him back to reality. He was on his feet within a heartbeat, rifle aimed and ready to fire.
“Activity. North-west, less than half a klick,” he said. He drew in a sharp intake of breath at what he saw next.
Dozens of them. Tonnes.Hundreds?
Too far away to say for sure if they were typeAs or Bs, but hurtling towards them at full speed, nevertheless. Together, they formed an enormous writhing beast, almost tripping each other up in their close, tumbling desperation to reach the warehouse.
“Everyone up here, now!” he shouted. He wanted them off the ground. “There’s many more coming and we need the height advantage. King, bring whatever you can carry from the bomb kit.”
“I’m still with Habib in the basement,” said Savannah. “We injected him with adrenaline, but he isn’t lucid or mobile yet. What’s going on?”
A string of explosive curses filtered through his mind as he struggled to form a plan. Should they all hurry back to the basement, and bottleneck the types as they came down the narrow staircase?But there are so many.
“Forrest?” came Vitt’s voice. “I’ve requested backup. It’s not going to be anytime soon, though.”
“Roger,” he said, eyes trained on the army of monsters charging towards them. Behind him, he heard several squad members making their way onto the roof, grunting.
As his squad surveyed the scene, the round of gasps they made alarmed him. He needed them ready and focussed.
An unadulterated scream burst through his feed, distorting his senses. Was that Savannah?
“There’s more,” Savannah said in a hoarse whisper. “In the basement. I can hear them.”
This was too much. Far too much.
“Noah!” came his name again, but this time, not through the feed. He turned to find Zeke, face distorted in panic. Zeke grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight. He locked eyes with Noah, eyes boring into him.
He turned to his flock.
“Walker, Bianco is coming down there to help you get Habib out of there. Then the three of you grab Wolf and get out of the building. There’s a clear path if you head south down the road. The noise from our firearms should attract most of them towards us. Try and find somewhere safe while we take most of these down.”
Vitt didn’t waste a second; she turned and disappeared back through the hole.
“King, I want all the ET-MPs we have ready in two minutes.”
“I couldn’t carry my whole box up here, but I’ve got enough material for something,” Splat replied, and set to work.
Noah scanned the expectant remaining soldiers and the weapons they shouldered. Six rifles, three snipers, two light machine guns.
“While we wait for the grenades, Walsh, Sanders and I will snipe as many as we can. Fleming, Bates, Shun, get ready with your rifles for when they’re close enough.”
“Can’t we just run?” stammered Zeke.
Noah shook his head. “There’s too many.”
A twinge of pride coursed through him as his flock created their formation, gliding between each other like water through fingers. The oncoming horde surged forwards, jumping over puddles, machine wreckage, and each other to get to their destination.
At least it’s stopped raining.He fought back an absurd giggle.
“Mostly typeAs with a sprinkle of Bs,” announced Luo.
“Take out the Bs first,” Noah ordered.
Squad E crouched in position, bracing. Noah lined up his shot and began to snipe. With the amount there was, he was sure to hit more than he’d miss. Indeed, a handful of types did fall to their feet, to be trampled on by others. But most carried on, now closer than ever to the warehouse.
“Alright, begin with the rifles!” Noah said, at the same time as Splat’s voice spluttered through his feed.
“Forrest! Over there! Six o’clock!”
