Thirty-nine – 02

[This post is from Thom’s point of view.]

“How do we look?” J.T. asked as he came out to meet Thom partway between the gate and where he’d been standing. Thom exhaled, shaking his head slightly as his friend fell into step with him, heading back.

“Nothing we can do until this is over,” he said. “We’ll need to reinforce from the inside in a couple of spots and make sure we’ve got ranged up in the tower and on the walls with pretty heavy cover. I really don’t want whoever or whatever this is getting too close.”

“Do you really think we’re going to have a choice in that regard?” J.T. asked, his expression as grim as his tone.

“Probably not,” Thom murmured. “But when do we ever, Jay?”

“Well, never,” J.T. said, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. “But something’s got to give sometime?”

Yeah, like us. Thom shook his head with a grimace. “Don’t think that sometime is today, Jay—but we can hope.”

Not like we’ve got any other choices, right?

His lips thinned.

 

“There’s too many!”

                It was Matt’s voice yelling and the sound shot shivers down Thom’s spine. His ribs ached and his leg was worse, but he kept moving, limping toward the wall. He tried to shout but the words died in his throat, swallowed up by pain, by it being too damned hard to breathe.

                “Just give me a few more seconds!” Phelan shouted back. “That’s all I need, just a few more seconds!”

                “We might not have that kind of time.”

                Thom could see the Hunt on the wall, could see Paul up in the watch tower, sniping with his rifle. He didn’t see Marin, but somehow he knew she was there somewhere—though what she was doing was a mystery to him.

                “Whatever you’re going to do, Phelan, you need to do it now or we’re all dead!” Matt yelled.

                He could see his brother-in-law now, clinging to the wall near the gate. Blood streamed down his face from a gash at his hairline, glittering in the sun.

                Thom fought down the bile that rose in his throat.

                Light flared in the distance followed by a sonic boom.

                His world went dark.

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3 Responses to Thirty-nine – 02

  1. shadocat says:

    Nuke?

    Well, at least we know it isn’t going to be this encounter and we know that Matt will be back sometime.

  2. shadocat says:

    Bomb Number 1 get back in your bay….

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