Chapter 35- Left or Right

Chapter 35

Left or Right

Villa Cyranno, Venezuela

“We’ve got a small problem here,” said Jubal Storm, resting against the wall, a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth.

“What’s that?” asked Oscar, his face still wracked with pain.

“If we don’t make contact on the radio, then Sat-Com are going to bomb this village clean off the map, along with all of us,”

“Exactly.  So help me get to the radio,” replied Oscar.

“Trouble with that, we’ve been separated and now we don’t know who is who.  We don’t know how many of those things are still here, how many died and how many got away,”

Oscar spat to one side of himself again.

“So we’ve got a small problem, “ repeated Storm.

“We’ve got a way to figure all of that out.  But if we don’t do something fast, we’ll not get a chance to do anything about it at all,” said Oscar as forcefully as he could manage.

“Chung’s dead Oscar.  As far as I can see, it’s just you and me who are still moving here.  I know I’m human,” said Jubal in a commiserating tone.

Oscar looked at him, one hand on his cigarette and the other cradling his P-90 sub machinegun.  Oscar began to come to the conclusion that he was about to die.

“What’s on your mind Oscar?” asked Storm, dropping the cigarette to the floor and standing on it.

“How do I know you are human?” asked Oscar.

“You don’t.  Equally I don’t know you’re human either.  There’s only one way to be really sure.  Sorry about that,” said Storm with some sincerity in his voice. He pulled the safety on his machine gun and stood up.

There was a click and a metallic sound.  Storm span around and pointed the gun at Sergeant Wooderson who aimed a pistol back at him.  Behind Wooderson was Lt McPherson.

“Wood, you’re still alive are you?” asked Storm.

“You can see that.  No one is shooting anyone here,” stated the Sergeant.

“I think you’re wrong there Sarge.  We’ve got no way to prove who is human anymore.  I know I am,”

“So am I,” retorted Wooderson.

“Yeah well one of you things would say that wouldn’t you?”

“You are not judge, jury and executioner,” growled Wooderson.

“No I’m not.  But the way I see it, I got the biggest gun here,” replied Storm.

“Put the gun down,” repeated Wooderson.

“No way in hell,” replied Storm

Near Villa Cyranno

Two huddled figures took shelter under the scattered trees between Villa Cyranno and where the next village was.  One of them looked up into a night sky crawling with stars.

One waved a hand and the other nodded and moved forward, a steady jog.  The other one watched his companion move across the open countryside.

The first had almost reached a small wooden hut when there was a flash of light and he was thrown into the air.  An explosion had hurled him like a rag doll.  The other one dropped low and watched.

Two dark figures emerged from the hut.  They were wearing some kind of breathing apparatus and one of them hefted a flamethrower.  They approached the figure crawling across the ground.

There was a sudden flare of light and the figure who had just moments before hand been crawling for his life was engulfed in flames and burned.

The other figure, watching from the trees, began to crawl silently away, taking an easterly route.  He continued to crawl when there was another sound nearby.

He spun to look but in the darkness, there was nothing to see except the shining light of distant stars and the flicker of not so distant flames.

There was a crack and a flash of light and a bullet slammed into the prone figure where he lay.  He moaned a low terrible moan and tried to crawl, blood pouring through his fingers.

“Over here, there’s another one over here,” called a masked figure.  He threw a small red flare into the undergrowth which lit a crawling man, probably no older than twenty two.  He lay on his side breathing quickly, blood pouring from a head wound.

There was a rush and then flames covered him and the trees that had not hidden him.

“This is Two-Five, area secure,” said a voice into a radio.

“Copy that,” came the reply.