- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Part 1. Hail of Fire
I apologize for the lengthiness
Zach sprinted to his neighbor's house and frantically knocked on the door. A chunk of the wood above his head blew off, sending splinters everywhere. "Tobias it's me! Zach!" A large man opened the door. His shoulders were broad, and he had the build of a boxer. The man held a shotgun in his hands.Tobias looked at Zach, "I was expecting something taller."
Zach had a puzzled look on his face, " Wh-wha." He leaned on his legs to catch his breath from the run, "Tobias, I need your help."
"Where's your wife and kid?"
"In the house! We need weapons and a car now!"
Tobias scowled, contorting a long scar that ran from his forehead down to his chin. He wasn't the kind of guy who liked to be told what to do, "Follow my lead." The Marine shoved a battle rifle into Zach's hands.
Tobias walked out of his doorway, lugging a SPNKR rocket launcher on his shoulder. Banshees flew through the air over their heads, Plasma splashing the houses nearby. The burning wheat's fire was getting closer.
A Phantom hovered over Zach's front lawn, slowly descending. Tobias leveled his launcher and fired. The missile spiraled through the air, leaving a trail of smoke behind it. Zach was way ahead of the Marine, running as fast as he could to his house, "Zach stop!" The drop ship was struck by a rocket. It was knocked sideways, and wobbled. A hole was punched in one of the carrier bays, and it was burning.
Tobias fired another rocket. Before it got halfway to its target a searing hot streak of purple sliced through the air. The missile was incinerated. "Ohdamn." More purple streaks became airborne, but these were meant for Tobias.
Tobias sprinted to the right, heading towards the back of his house. Dirt was kicked up behind him, and here could feel the heat of the purple flame. It felt like someone had pressed a clothing iron on his entire back. He let out a short grunt, but continued to run.
When Tobias jumped behind the corner of his home, he saw Zach zigzagging through the grass, narrowly avoiding hot bolts of death. Damn, these things got two turrets? Tobias moved back behind the corner, and took a deep breath. He didn't get much rest, because at that moment a whole was blown through his cover.
The Marine got up, and ran for Zach. If he didn't get that kid out of the open soon, he was meat. There was no hope of getting to his house. Zach's family was doomed.
Yet another screech pierced the air. A smaller craft flew overhead, dropping yet another ball of fire, it's target, the place where he slept, ate, loved his daughter, and held his wife in strong arms.
Zach's jaw dropped as his house burst into flames, "No, I won't let them die." His words came out as a whisper. He used every last bit of breath he could muster to say them. The man became dizzy, but kept moving. He heard two large explosions, and a massive crash. The purple drop ship lay on the ground, crumpled with two gashed and a large hole on its side.
Zach reached his front door. The house was in flames. His wife and child were most likely dead, but that didn't faze him. He broke through the door. The kitchen was burning, the heat tormenting his skin. The interior of the place was lit with flames, the walls glowing red with intense light. Zach ran towards his basement, the flames on the wooden floors licked at his heals.
When he reached the stairs to the cellar, he jumped down as far as he could, tumbling down the rest of the steps. His wife and daughter were huddled in the corner of the room. The man wasn't going to waste any time, "Give me pen and hold my hand!" His wife complied. The rising steps were beginning to crumble. They weren't going to hold much longer.
The family began to climb them. With a large crack, Lilly's hand slipped out of Zach's grasp. A hole in the stairs had opened, and she had fallen through. Zach and Penelope were half way up. Every step up to then was gone. "Lilly, grab my hand!"
"No Zach! Go!"
"I'm not leaving you!" their daughter was sobbing, squeezing herself against her father's neck.
This was a moment she would never forget.
"You have to Zach."
"I can get y-!"
"No...you can't! Please, go. For pen" Lilly's eyes began to tear, but she wouldn't cry, not now.
Zach breathed heavily through an open mouth, "I love you." Lilly smiled at him as she clutched her side. The fall had broken three of her ribs, but she wouldn't waste any of the time she had left wincing. With great reluctance, Zach turned and ran for the door. The house was collapsing behind him.
Zach shielded Penelope as much as he could as he ran through the flames. A solid wall of fire blocked the exit. There was only one thing he could do. With all the energy Zach had left, he charged the barrier, and pulled Penelope under his chest.
Zach broke through the deadly wall. When he stepped into the open, he was covered in ash. The hum of a warthog engine gave him a burst of energy. Then came the staccato of chain gun fire.
Tobias stood atop the turret of a warthog, sending walls of lead at anything that came his way. Two banshees lay in the dirt, peppered with 60-calibur rounds. He jumped off of the gun into the driver's seat, "Get in!" Zach dashed for the passenger seat, and jumped into the armored vehicle. He buckled himself and his daughter into the seat. She was curled up on his chest, her head tucked under Zach's arm. He held her close, not wanting to lose anyone else.
The warthog's engine revved and its wheels began to spin. It kicked up a wall of dirt before it started moving. The wheat field's fire had reached the town, and was setting any house that already wasn't on fire aflame.
Zach squeezed his eyes shut, and rested his head on Penelope's back. Tobias had his combat boots tightly pressed against the floor. One braced him, and the other shoving the gas pedal to the ground.
They sped down an empty highway, heading towards a close by forest. A banshee dove towards the ground, heading for the warthog. Tobias bared his teeth as he swerved left and right, avoiding a rain of plasma, "Zach! Get on the gun!" Zach stayed put. "God damn it Zach man the 60-CAL!" Still, no response came. Zach wasn't planning on letting go of his daughter any time soon.
There was an explosion of green fire directly ahead of them. Cement burst into the air. The Warthog's windshield caught a hail of debris, cracking the windshield, "Shi-!" The side of the car was skimmed, melting off a layer of grade-A titanium, "Zach! Get on the gun! Get on the g-!"
[Edited on 09.09.2009 6:23 PM PDT]