Part 46

Two days. That is all it took for Solomon's soldiers to comply with the drill times that Commander Broom had set. Ten minutes. Solomon had stood tall, his chest swelling with pride when Broom had lowered his watch, smiled with a nod and dismissed the company. Today was Wednesday. Solomon's feelings of achievement had quickly vanished when he returned to his room to collect some paper he had prepared for today's event and his blue figure hugging plate armour, lined with a golden trim, with a crimson T shape on the Breast Place, his helmet was golden and glistened in the dazzling sun. with a sigh, he made his way with his company outside the mud walls at the south entrance gate, spotting Lucius leaning against the sand bags, Lucius giving him a curt nod of respect and understanding the duty Solomon must take up, he returned to watch duty with a grave but vacant expression. The First Company made their way, shuffling their feet to a guarded spot of land with a single rectangular hole excavated surrounded by nearly one hundred recently filled graves, not too far away sat a blue and red truck, covered with white roses. Solomon and his squad sergeants broke away from the company and made their way to the truck. They knew the role they must play. No words had to be spoken. Solomon and the sergeants fixed their helmets and opened the rear of the truck, revealing a dark wooden coffin. With a single movement the men carefully heaved the wooden mass out of the flowered vehicle. Delicately they placed the coffin upon their armoured shoulders and slowly walked towards the excavated hole. The company had assembled equally on either side in three lines, all looking towards the black figure who had placed a wooden stand at the head of the hole. The man in black clothing had aged not too well, his wrinkled face resembled more of a tortoise than a human, very little hair dressed his balding head. The black clothing hid his frail frame very well. As Solomon and his sergeants halted at the foot of the hole and they looked gloomily up at the wrinkled man. He was used to this gesture and it no longer effected him, it was his job to bury the fallen.

"Pre-sent!" shouted the man in black, with a surprisingly explosive voice. And the company raised their weapons into the air and fired a single shot.

"Pre-sent!" shouted the man again louder.

Another shot.

"Pre-sent!" he came again, his voice was beginning to sound as frail as he looked.

The final shot echoed through the plains, long past the trees, and seeping into the next village which lay as deadly silent as the funeral gathering.

Solomon and his sergeants held the coffin over the hole, slowly lowered the dark wooden container into the ground. The man in black walked over to Solomon quieter than death, "Here, this is for you." whispered the man in deep but soft voice as he handed Solomon a square object wrapped in a black cloth. Solomon perched himself on the wooden stand and revealed the object. The image of Darren showed him at his happiest. At his promotion party to Corporal. Brandishing his newly earned stripes in a muscle man pose, bearing the largest smile Solomon had ever seen on him.

"We are here today, to mourn a lost brother. Losing family is never easy. As soldiers we expect the loss of one here and there. We expect the raised glass, a mourning salute and the occasional empty chair. We can prepare to lose some, but we are never ready to lose all. Darren was my friend. Even though he shot at me with a rocket the last time I saw him, he went out like a true soldier. Making sure the job was done before allowing himself the honour of dying in battle..." Solomon sniffed, holding back the tears. "Darren has gone on the journey, we all one day will make, I just hope by the time we all get there, he remembered our favourite drinks and has a cold one waiting for us." the company let out a soft saddened laugh. "But now, we have to say goodbye" Solomon's voice was drowned out by a fearsome roar that emanated from the trees. The roar was so loud, it carried to Lucius's ears, who had jumped to his feet the second he heard it. Calling his soldiers to the walls.

The crimson beasts known as Mares had gathered behind the tree line in interest from the funeral. A swarm of crimson flooded from the green swaying trees, crimson skin and bone white barred teeth.

"To arms!" cried Solomon before he could feel the cold skeletal hand of fear, tickle each and every individual hair on the back of his neck. The old preacher fled in his truck, leaving the soldiers to fight. Two platoons formed a firing line whilst the rest retreated to form other firing lines every one hundred yards all the way back to the wall. Solomon's blood was carrying more adrenaline than oxygen now. He felt light headed. Looking down the line to keep his concentration and focus, he saw the young face of Private Decius, who was nervously checking that his weapon had loaded correctly, then checking it again. Sandra stood behind the first line, photographing the advancing creatures, Lyra had also noticed Decius and quickly jumped to his side with a small word to calm his senses.

The creatures are now three hundred yards away.

"Fire at will!" called Solomon through his line, and the brutal and relentless barrage of lead opened up fresh oozing wounds in the flesh of the Mares. Dozens upon dozens fell within the first few seconds. Roars and high pitched squeals echoed through the air, followed by the ever familiar klaxon coming from The Red Sector. Solomon raised his own weapon and added his own hatred to the firing line. Darren was killed by these things, and they have the audacity to ruin his funeral!

Two hundred yards away.

"Line Retreat! Fall back to the walls!" Shouted Solomon as he released his empty clip into the dirty air and turned on his heels. "Second line, prepare to fire! First line, split to each flank and clear up the kill zone!" without a thought, the first firing line split into two teams, one retreat to the left and the second ran to the right, both circled and joined up behind the second firing line, before making their way to the defence walls. Solomon stayed with the second firing line and added to their fire power and hatred.

Another clip empty, in the dust.

Dozens more Mares felled.

"Retreat!" cried Solomon.

"Wall! Cover fire! Show the First Company how to Kill!" boomed Lucius from atop his filthy dust wall, Solomon had to hand it to him, he knew how to deal death. Death was Lucius' subordinate. Captain Deeph was the most sufficient self sustaining killing machine in all of humanity.

The Fire power that Lucius' men rained down upon the Mares was truly something to admire, but Solomon could not allow his legs to cease, because he knew, if he stopped, he would die. The Mares had taken enough ground, they were now only fifty yards from the gate. Solomon always made himself the last to depart in any situation. This was no different, slowing his pace to allow his soldiers to pour through the gates first. Slamming his back against the dirt wall as it curved into the metal of the gate. Counting his men to the last, as he fired his weapon into the crowding mass of Mares. Decius came running, red in the face to the gate, the last man. Solomon will get him into shape. Three laps around the complex in ninety minutes with punishing chores for non-compliance. A Mare snapped at Solomon, he replied with a fully automatic volley from his rifle, expending his final bullet into the creatures brutish brain under his boot.

Throwing his rifle around his back on its sling, and pulling out his rarely used pistol, firing another two rounds at an advancing Mare, killing it. Decius was through the gate. Solomon fired another bullet into another advancing Mare as he retreated through the gate, but missed. The Mare charged through the threshold before the gate fell in to place and re-electrified. Solomon picked himself up and through the dust cloud, he could see the red eyes of the Mare, leering at him. Lyra called out to Solomon and cast a freshly loaded rifle at him from atop the dirt wall. The Mare growled and snarled, unaffected by the dust, Solomon's eyes watered and reddened as he focused on the killer eyes of the Mare. And a fight to the death ensued.

Sandra leaned back on the only chair in her room, rubbing her eyes with a yawn as she cleared up the images she took of the advancing Mares. Their teeth shone brightly through the particles of dust cloud that she had just finished editing out for a clearer image. Two days since Darren's funeral, Decius still could not manage to complete his punishment of the complex within his time limit. Decius sat in the corner of her room, panting and sweating. "did you get any decent ones of me?" he asked hopefully with a weary smile. Sandra raised an eyebrow, Ever since she had started on The Evergreen, she had taken pictures of everything and everyone, everyone except Decius, she had avoided it deliberately as an excuse not to try and capture an image of him. She forced away a smile when she remembered she even had a selfie with Eve's central intelligence unit. "Here" she said delicately as she sat herself next to Decius, his sweaty odour met her nostrils with distaste, she forced herself through the smell and closed the gap between them, touching cheeks, his skin was sticky with sweat, hot with exercise, but it brought something completely unexpected. A breath of fresh air. Sandra's heart swelled in her chest and began beating faster and faster, Decius was suddenly intoxicating! Sandra had never really paid much attention to him before now, he usually irritated her. Why was she suddenly feeling this? "Daddy wouldn't approve..." she said softly scoffing to herself. "What?" he asked puzzlingly.

"oh, nothing..." said Sandra with a smile as she lifted her camera and took her first picture of Decius, which was also their first selfie together. It was a happy picture. Little did they know, that the picture would end up on Solomon's lost family wall one day.