City of Ash

A soldier finds himself on the run after his squad is ambushed amidst a ruined city. He must flee and find refuge. He stumbles in to a conspiracy that threatens his entire world.

The gun shots still rung in his ear, his heart pounded with adrenaline, every fibre in his body was edge. What had he just seen? One minute he was on patrol. Next minute his squad was under fire… The screams of his friends and the distinctive bark of auto guns echoed in his ear. Vaegar slowed his run, he doubled over before quickly wretching .

Vaegar stumbled slowly through the desolate wasteland that was Merun hive; the skies were choked with black ashen clouds that seemed to blot out the sun. The wind howled kicking up dust and the blanket of ash that covered the ground causing Vaegar to drop to the group coughing violently. His lungs gasped for clean air amongst that pollution and ash that hung over the city. Once the coughing fit had subsided, Vaegar made to stand up but stopped as his right leg brushed against something in the dirt. He crouched down and brushed off a layer of ash of the hidden object. He slowly pulled it form the ground, it was a human skull! The bone was scorched black and all the flesh from its previous owner had been burnt away. He clenched his fists angrily, those b******s, they had fire bombed the whole city. It had been years since anyone had set foot in the wasteland that was Merun hive.The bombs had turned it  in to a city of ash and reducing the civilians and any military personnel to mere ash and dust in their vicious campaign to eradicate the last hope of any kind of free civilized civilization.

Vaegar stumbled back as he was hit by a moment of realization, the ash that choked his lungs and clung to every exposed surface were the remains of the people he’d sworn to protect. The very city he joined the military to protect had been turned to nothing but another victim of the enemies’ cruelty. He could almost hear the souls of the dead screaming in pain as their the very oxygen around them was tore from their lungs by the  vacuum that was created by the ravenous hunger of the fire bombs that fell upon the unsuspecting city in the initial invasion of the hive all those years ago.

Vaegar collected himself before readying his auto rifle and continued staggering through the desolate remains of the city .After a short walk he  spotted a small bunker up ahead, the hardened concrete seemed to have survived fairly well against most of the bombing with only it’s outer shell having being moderately damaged . Vaegar’s hand gripped his rifle tightly. His eyes scanning his surrounding instinctively, darting to the numerous windows of the handful of building that still stood around him.  He moved quickly to the heavily fortified bunker, stacking up against the left side of the door. He took a steadying breath to calm his nerves. He had done this in training countless times but now he was doing it for real.  He counted down from three before kicking the door in, the heavy iron door slammed open, the loud bang echoed around the  tight confines of the room within.

Vaegar burst in, immediately checking for assailants, the room was desolate, Vaegar entered the bunker, gun raised, he spotted a staircase on the right hand side of the room and immediately began to head down the stairs. He could feel the loud thud of his heart beat ring in his ears as ventured further below ground. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he found himself in a tight cramped room. He turned on the flashlight attachment to his rifle and ventured in to the dim darkness that awaited him.

The light of his flashlight barely penetrated the darkness that seemed to envelope him as he made his way down the staircase and in to the room beyond. There was quiet rustling behind him, Vaegar made to turn but quickly felt the unmistakable cold metal of a knife against his throat. He could feel the assailant’s hot breath against the back of his neck. “Easy now” said a gruff man’s voice from behind him. The man reached round with one hand and ripped the rifle out of Vaegar’s hand.  “What unit are you from” said the man, the knifes edge still pressed against his skin? Vaegar felt a bead of blood run down his neck, “31^st Trachorian guard, light infantry regiment”. Vaegar felt the blade being pulled away from his neck, Vaegar spun round ready for a fight but quickly felt a large pain in his abdomen as the butt of his gun was driven in to his stomach.

He let out a grunt and fell to the ground. The bright flashlight was shone in to his face causing him to squint against the bright light.  “ Get up” commanded the voice , Vaegar did as the man said and got to his feet, ignoring the burning pain in his stomach. “Who are you “ asked Vaegar through laboured breaths. The man didn’t reply, he studied Vaegar closely, his eyes inspecting every inch of him for a trace of a lie. “ The name’s Rolin,  I’m of the 51^st Praetorian  assault regiment”.   Vaegar let out a gasp, “I thought I was the only one left,  everyone’s dead”. Rolin let out a grunt, “ you almost were with the amount of racket you were making coming down here. If I’d been trigger happy like you young ‘uns often are you would’ve been a bloody mess as soon as you set foot on that staircase”. Rolin turned and flicked on a switch, a loud hum filled the room as the bunker’s generators went to work and the lights slowly came to life.

Vaegar finally saw the man that mere moments ago could’ve cut his life short, his face was worn, his skin hard and leathery. His brown eyes settles on Vaegar’s own. . They shone with an intensity that hid a lifetime of violence and hardship.   Vaegar couldn’t help but look at the angry red scars that made up the majority of Rolin’s face , each one  a memento of previous battles fought . “Why didn’t you kill me when you had the chance”  asked Vaegar tentatively? Rolin smirked, he handed the rifle in his hands back to Vaegar who held it tight against his body.  He relaxed a little at the thought of protection that the gun brought“ Do you really think you’d be alive if you were one of the enemy” said Rolin with a smirk . Rolin sheathed his knife back in its holster.

“ But how could you see me, it was pitch black down here”, Rolin tapped the side of his temple with a finger, “ when you grow up in the darkness of the lower levels of a hive city the lack of light no longer hinders you. Some of us prefer it, the sunlight is merely a façade much like the people that live amongst it.  Only in the depths of hell in darkness do you see the true nature of human kind”…

Rolin sat down on the ground and reached in to one of the many pouches on his back pack and pulled out a ration kit. “What are you doing, we have to get out here and find friendly forces” asked Vaegar puzzingly. “ Rolin shook his head and motioned Vaegar to sit down, Vaegar complied. “ This city has gone to s**t. I guess they didn’t tell yout hat there’s still high levels of radiation left from the bombings. It’s toxic if you spend too long up there. I don’t know about you but I don’t fancy dying because of some f*****g bullshit radiation poisoning today. Eat something, by the looks of it you haven’t eaten anything in a couple of hours and we’re going to be down here for a while”.  As if on cue Vaegar’s stomach rumbled loudly, he’d been so focused on finding shelter that he’d forgotten to eat. He pulled out a packet of dry biscuits and began to shovel them in to his mouth.

“ Where are you from” asked Rolin as Vaegar finished eating the last of his biscuits? Vaegar washed the remainder of the food down with a swig form his canteen.“I grew up in this city,my family and I grew up in section 23  in a block of high rise flats. Rolin nodded, “ so you’re a pretty boy then”, Vaegar frowned, his brow furrowing a small seed of anger beginning to grow within his breast . “I’m a what” he asked sternly?

“ You grew up with money then , it’s a name all of us sewer runners give to those of you who were fortunate enough o come from nice families and have a warm meal every night”. Vaegar was taken aback, he curled his fists angrily, Rolin raised an eyebrow as he saw this, “relax it’s not an insult, just a name for those of you who didn’t grow up in the a*****e of a hive city”. Vaegar looked away slightly embarrassed ,

He looked down at his rifle and began to clean it. His hands moved instinctively as he took the components of the weapon apart and began to clean off the dirt and grime that had built up.  “I guess you could say that then”, I had a family before the bombings.  They were the reason why I enlisted”.  Said Rolin as he worked on cleaning the barrel of the gun .Rolin nodded his head before taking a sip a few large gulps form his own canteen .“So what’s your story “asked Vaegar, Rolin looked up and took a moment to consider his reply. “ As you probably would’ve guessed I grew up in the underbelly of hive city much like this one. I don’t have a family to speak of in the traditional sense. I’m pretty sure both my parents were murdered when I was born but I don’t know for sure”.

Vaegar leaned in, his interest piqued, “ but then how did you survive? I’ve never ventured beyond the surface level, of the city, I’m gonna assume you grew up underground”. Rolin nodded; he let out a sigh and stared at the floor as memories resurfaced within his mind which he long thought forgotten . “I was taken in by a gang, small petty criminals , I can  remember we used to rough up some of the business owners if they didn’t pay their tithe . I killed my first man at 12 years old”. Vaegar stared at Rolin shocked, he’d heard stories of the gangs that lived in the underhive but he never actually thought he’d meet one . “One of the men we tried to rob decided to put up a fight and pulled out a shotgun , he decapitated a friend of mine in a single shot said Rolin his voice  wavering just for a moment”…

Vaegar was left speechless .He’d heard stories of the people living in the lower levels of hive cites but he’d never actually met one. He never actually believed them, the idea of a place so immoral and without authority was a completely alien to him. “I killed him with this very knife” Rolin pulled out the knife he had sheathed earlier and held it up to the light, “ I couldn’t even begin to count how much blood this has spilt over the years”.

Rolin sheathed the blade again before settling in to silence, his mind a blaze with painful memories of a time long past .After a few minutes Vaegar awkwardly approached the question that had been plaguing him. “ But then how did you end up here in the army, I thought criminals weren’t allowed to enlist, especially one with, if you don’t mind me saying, a violent background”?

Rolin fell silent for a moment... Vaegar gulped nervously, Rolin stood up, his fists clenched tightly as he began to pace the room. “They took us” he growled as  he slammed his fist in to the wall. “What’d you mean, who took you” asked Vaegar ?  An unsettling tension filled the room. “The military police came in to our homes and tore people away from their families, they beat me down and dragged me off the street” shouted Rolin as he punched the wall in his anger! “What you’re claiming is heresy” retorted Vaegar angrily, Rolin spun around, fury in his eyes. “Boy, do not tell me you believe their lies! Our so called council of elders have betrayed us all, they claim they fight for freedom but they’ve made slaves of us all you fool”. Vaegar pulled out a knife and brandished it at Rolin.

Rolin looked down at the knife and let out a small laugh, “we both know you won’t kill me” said Rolin, the intensity of his gaze causing Vaegar to back away slightly.  Vaegar sheathed the knife back in his boot. He looked down at his partially assembled gun. He cursed himself for letting his guard down. “How can you say that about the elders, their the reason the enemy haven’ overrun the last of our remaining cities. We spent the last ten years trying an atrocity like the one that happened in this from happening again. Rolin let out a pained sigh and shook his head solemnly. He felt the anger drain from his body as he gained back his composure. He stared in to Vaegar’s eyes. “The enemy we fight are men just like us, they have killed and destroyed everything in front of them just like we have. We have raped and pillaged just like they have”. Vaegar shook his head fervently, how could men such as  the elders, good men, men off virtue and fortitude be anything like the enemy. They’re the ones that engulfed this world in fire and blood.  “ Vaegar”. Vaegar looked up to see Rolin crouching down in front of him. “The elders gave the order for the military police to come in to the lower levels of my hive city and abduct people from their homes and force them in to conscription . Maybe I deserved my fate but there were innocent people their too, men stripped from their wives and families. Forced to fight in this pointless war. And now their broken maimed bodies lie forgotten on a thousand battlefields” said Rolin, sorrow evident in his voice.

Vaegar shook his head in disbelief, “but why” he exclaimed? Rolin leaned in before whispering “because people like me don’t matter, to the elders we only exist to nothing more than human cattle to be ground up in their endless war machine . When the bombs fell on this city all those years ago they claimed the bombs killed a lot of regiments which is true. But those regiments were forced conscription regiments. We weren’t protected by the blast shields like most of our forces here on the other side of the city.  We were expendable so they allowed us to be the fodder whilst the main army stayed behind .My people burned in those fires! You were just unfortunate that your unit was on a patrol when this city to hell”…

“Look Rolin there’s something I need to say” said Vagaer abruptly interrupting Rolin. “ I saw something out there above ground, something horrible, with everything you’re saying I can’t not say something. While I was on patrol with my unit we came under heavy fire”. Rolin shrugged his shoulders, “So, this is still a warzone and there are plenty of scavengers willing to kill a lone squad for their gear”. Vaegar shook his head fervently, he felt a cold shiver creep up his spine as his mind recalled the vents that had occurred only hours before. “The men that attacked us were military police, they had arrested an officer and executed him right in front of us. The military police saw us and turned their guns on us. As you can probably tell I’m the only one who made it away, Vaegar tailed off in to silence as the cold claws of fear enveloped him in its embrace.

“ After a few minutes Vaegar continued, “ I think they were traitors”! Rolin shook his head in disappointment. “After everything I just told you do you really think traitors would do that. Vaegar, there are no traitors in the military police! I’ve spoke to enough of them to know that they’ve been conditioned their entire lives. That execution was planned by the very men that run our state. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time my friend”.

Vaegar held a hand to his face. Rolin’s words felt like daggers in his heart, the feeling of shame washed over him as he tried to comprehend what he’d just been told . “But the academies told us”… Vaegar trailed off, unable to speak the mantras that he’d been told as a child by his tutors at the military academy.  He hadn’t wanted to believe what he saw and had tried to come up with numerous scenarios that would explain what he saw. But nothing added up. The elders didn’t forcefully conscript people and they definitely didn’t kill their own. “They’re all lies shouted Rolin. The elders bred you to believe in their system, their way of thinking whilst hiding you from the true nature of the world” said Rolin.

Vaegar wiped away tears of frustration. “If what you say is true, everything I ever known is a lie”! Rolin nodded, he frowned suddenly his body stiffening as there was a loud bang from upstairs. Rolin grabbed Vaegar by the arms suddenly and looked in to his eyes, they were almost nose to nose. “You’re a good kid and I hope you get through this, but our time is up. I’m guessing the military police have come for me”. Vaegar looked alarmed ,his eyes darting around the room nervously. “ How did they find us and why would they come for you?  Rolin looked towards the stairs, he turned back to Vaegar. “There is a reason why people don’t know about the forced conscription. Every time any of our regiments take mass casualties or we go missing the military police find us and come to clean up the mess. There is a locator chip embedded in my skull. When they come down those stairs, state your regiment and tell them nothing. If they realise that you know about me and the conscription they’ll execute you on the spot. And whatever you do don’t mention what you saw earlier, none of these b******s can be trusted”!

As if on cue the sounds of boots on the ground echoed down in to the room, Vaegar nodded suddenly afraid. “They’ll  find us any second now , just do me a favour and remember my story”.  Rolin held out his hand , Vaegar took the handshake before turning to look at the stairs. “ Nice knowing you” whispered Vaegar.  Five men rushed down the stairs, their rifles raised, they fanned out to surround both Vaegar and Rolin.  Vaegar recognised the dark blue armour that the men wore identifying them as military police but that as where the similarities ended. Each mans’ face was hidden by a mask. He could feel their beady eyes boring in to the back of his head.  A few seconds later a lone man walked down the stairs , each step deliberately slow and purposeful. He rounded in to the room before stopping before Vaegar and Rolin.  He stood a foot or two taller than both Vaegar and Rolin, his armour was the same as his men except he wore a long jacket. Vaegar noted the officers ca tucked beneath his arm, “ Rolin” said the officer beneath his mask, his voice had a thick accent that Vaegar had never heard before. “ Just do it you f*****g b*****d” spat Rolin defiantly .  Before Vaegar could say anything the officer had pulled out his pistol. The shot echoed round the chamber causing Vaegar to wince .

Rolin’s dead body slumped to the floor, a bullet sized hole in his forehead. Vaegar looked down in horror, his heart raced as he found himself staring up at the military officer .  “ What regiment are you from”  Vaegar gulped nervously before replying to the officer. “Trachorian guard, light infantry regiment”. The officer nodded before motioning for one of his men to come near. “Take this man to the mind wipe”, I’m not taking any chances”. The soldier walked over to Vaegar, all he felt was the large thud of the butt of a gun against his face before his world turned to black.

 

 

Reviews

[John Ciarmello]

Hi there, Magellan, I have to tell you I love the body storyline of this piece! However, in the first paragraph and then throughout you tell more here then you show. You have a lot of great action in this story that falls a bit short because of it. It also makes the read a bit dense in the narrative. The more dialogue the lighter the page and easier the read. The impactful parts of a story are always dialogue and action. Its only my recommendation to revise the parts you can show rather then tell. Great story though. Best wishes!