Day 24
I distributed the ammunition and told them that the plastic magazines could be thrown away. I also slowly got heart palpitations because I was worried about Amelie.
We stepped out of the bunker and everything went well. I had Amelie take over the top so I could keep an eye on her. I had equipped my G3 with a Red Dot target device. It was a good way to aim quickly.
Amelie had the hunting gun and held it in her hand. We reached the base house at the lower end of the sports field, then I spied the place. The collection point was about 200 m in front of us, I could see the barracks well. We sneaked in behind the hedge. There were six runners on the field. Too far away for the shotgun. But the Meusser and my G3 could snipe them away before they came too close to us.
I told Amelie that if the runners get too close, she should switch to the gun. I felt like she understood me. I could see that it was the green-painted robots. They were more armored.
I said to Amelie, “I’ll take the far left, shoot the armor away from him, then you’ll smash his tank, in that time I’ll take over the right of it. When I shoot, that’s the fire command for you, ok?”
Thort was our second line of defense and covered us from behind with the pumpgun. I gave the hand signal for attack. A hand that makes a gripping motion. I targeted the first robot and shot. The armor flew away, and the robot sent out sparks. I switched to the second, while Amelie shot and destroyed the first. The other robots quickly got closer. I was about to shoot the third one, so Amelie had to reload. She did it quickly and shot the second robot. I destroyed the third, which had come worryingly close.
Thort shouted "Attention" from behind!"
One of the robots came from the side, he must have sneaked around us. I shot with the G3 and hit him before the G3 was empty. Thort also scored because the robots on the football field had come worryingly closer.
"The gun Amelie, take the gun."
I loaded my G3 again in flying haste, the shot robot took us under fire. Amelie had hung the Meussers and pulled her pistol but did not shoot. I fired at the two robots that invaded us and screamed at Amelie
"back, BACK !!"
She crawled backwards and I kept shooting at the robots. I was able to destroy the one that I shot then appeared a third robot and a seeker, who circled over us and took out our view with his shock wave.
"Shoot damn," I screamed at Amelie and had to reload my G3.
“I can’t!” she cried
"Safety lever," I called back.
While I was loading the G3, one of the dog robots came running at a fast pace and jumped on Amelie. I had shot at him but couldn’t destroy him. I heard a sound like a whiplash and Amelie fell to the ground and was left twitching. I suddenly had to fight three runners who were dangerously close. Thort couldn’t shoot because I stood in his way. I heard still the pumpgun roaring obviously he took the robots on the football field under fire. Luckily, he had shot the seeker before he could give a muck.
The robot that had Amelie downed turned around and apparently wanted to shoot at Amelie lying on the ground. I gave him a strong kick because I had to keep the other robots at bay. I fired a quick shot at this robot and destroyed it. Then my G3 was empty and there was no time to reload, because the other three robots took us under fire.
I shouldered the G3, pulled Amelie’s Klaucke out of her trembling hand and wanted to fire. I put the safety lever over and cocked the hammer. Then I fired at the robots. I was able to damage them, but they slowly shot at both of us, because the dirt splashed up close to Amelie and me. I ripped out my own Klaucke and shot both hands. One robot exploded, the other two were severely damaged and simply stopped. This gave me time to grab Amelie by the collar and pull her out of the firing line. I called to Thort, who kept firing. He recognized the opportunity and destroyed the robot that took me and Amelie under fire. Then I was at Thort.
"We have to go back to the house," I screamed. Take Amelie I give you fire protection."
I reloaded both pistols and fired again as we retreated. Thort grabbed the twitching Amelie by the collar and pulled her away behind me.
I covered the two while Thort threw Amelie over his shoulder and retreated towards the house. I kept firing, there were still four runners trying to encircle me. I fired and damaged them. Then Thort and I were close enough to the house. Thort turned around and ran into the house. I fired backwards at the robots and could destroy another one, then I was in the house too.
"All right Thort, are you hurt?"
"No, but Amelie got it bad"
She was still lying trembling on the floor, her eyes staring wide open and staring rigidly at the ceiling. We lay on the floor in the living room of the house while the ricochets whistled over us. I examined Amelie turning her on the stomach and back again. Then I found a fine wire, thin as a hair. He was stuck in a small probe equipped with barbs. I wanted to pull it out of her uniform and got a violent electric shock myself. I ripped open her uniform jacket and the tremor stopped abruptly.
She fainted. I held her in my arms and told Thort what I had discovered. We took off her jacket. I listened to her chest and heard her heart beating quickly. I also felt her pulse on her neck. Thort helped me with the jacket suddenly she reared up herself up with an outcry. We had touched her again with the jacket. Then she sank back together. Thort examined her jacket and found four of those fine wires in it. The electrodes had drilled through the jacket and contacted Amelie’s body, putting her out of action. I gave Thort my scarf so he could pull out the electrodes. He shrugged before said but only
"You fucking dirty bags"
"What’s about her?" asked Thort.
Her pulse no longer chased like this and her eyes fluttered. The MG fire had subsided to some extent when she opened her eyes.
"Ahhhh, Auaaaa, Ahhhhh," she moaned, and her face was covered.
"Where am I?" she asked, tormented.
"In the house at the sports field," I told her. "You where jumped on by a runner and were put out of action. It must have been a kind of Taser."
“What’s a Taser?” asked Thort.
"A weapon that deals electric shocks, paralyzes the enemy. We have just seen that. It was a shaking paralysis," I told Thort.
Amelie moaned quietly in my arm.
"Are you in pain," I asked her, "can you move?"
She tried her hand, then pulled a leg. She straightened up and moaned quietly. Her face was pain distorted.
“It’s slowly going again. I’m in pain everywhere, like sore muscles.”
"These are the cramped muscles caused by the electric shock," I told her.
“I’m cold,” she said. I gave her her back her uniform jacket and helped her in.
Thort peered at the front door.
"If Amelie can do it again, we could go back to the bunker."
“How does It look Amelie? If you go back, you think you can run."
“Yes,” she said, “It’s going to happen.” She moaned softly.
"OK give me the Meusser." I wanted to lose as much weight as possible. She gave me her gun
"Do you have the pumpgun ready to shoot?" I asked Thort
"Full to the edge of the collar," he replied.
"OK," I said, loading my G3 and load through it.
"If everyone is ready, we can dare to break out. Thort, you first, then Amelie, then me."
“I’m ready,” Thort said
I turned to Amelie. She looked at me and nodded. Thort ran off to the next cover, then waved.
"Run Amelie," I said, patting her on the shoulder.
She ran off and made it to Thort. Then I told Thort that he should go to the next station. He ran off. I looked around and couldn’t see a runner, so I ran off.
I saw Thort waving.
"Run off!" I said softly to Amelie and she ran off.
Then we had a bigger stretch of road to walk long. The only cover was two trucks parked at the side of the road. Thort ran ahead. I ran after Amelie. Then I heard the predator scream of a Hunter coming out of a junction on the right. His sensors glowed in ominous red, he had recognized us and was in kill mode.
"Down" I screamed when we were at the height of the truck, but Amelie kept running
"DOWN" I roared and ran faster "DOWN DAMNED!!"
I knocked her over from behind and almost fell on her. We both clapped into a big puddle of water. The Hunter’s bullets whistled over us. Thort took him under fire and distracted him from us. He gave me time to crawl under the truck. I robbed under the truck and next to Amelie grabbed her by the collar and pants by just grabbing under the waistband and pulling her under the truck. Here the water puddle was even deeper. The water was damned cold.
Amelie wept quietly "Auaaaahhh, Auuuaaaaah, Auuuuhhhh"
I told her to stay still. I could see that Thort had hid among the other trucks. I only saw the legs of the Hunter chasing an MG salvo into the truck. I fished for the ammunition bag and pulled it out. I still had a gas cartridge. I fished for her and fished her out of my pocket. Then I pulled the G3 under me away. She was wet.
"Hopefully, it still works," I thought to myself.
I crawled foreward without leaving the Hunter out of sight then I pushed the gas cartridge onto the road, the Hunter between the legs. I saw him spinning back and forth nervously and sparks jumping away from him. Thort had probably damaged him. The Hunter was reflected in the pool of water, so I could observe it. I aimed under the truck at as far as i could the gas cartridge with the G3. The shot slammed and the ensuing explosion tore the Hunter apart.
"Go!" I roared out under the truck.
I saw a runner running down the street. I gave a salvo to him and destroyed him, then I helped Amelie, who meanwhile crawled out under the truck. She moaned softly.
"Run, run!" I told her and she ran off.
A seeker flew through between the houses. I immediately took him under fire and took him from heaven.
"Run to the bunker!" i roared we still had about 200m.
Thort ran off and was the first to reach the site I was just behind Amelie and kept looking around. When Amelie crossed the road to the bunker, the fire of a runner crashed again.
"KEEP RUNNING!"
I roared behind Amelie, and I saw three runners running down the street.
I fired at them with the G3 and pulled back towards the bunker. I had to reload, Thort fired with the shotgun and destroyed one of the attackers. Then they were on the yard in front of the bunker I could fire again and covered the two. The robots invaded me I heard Thort firing and
Roaring "OHHHH SHIT!".
I continued to fire at the robots and ran quickly over to Thort, who was still standing but had a pain-distorted face.
"Where is Amelie?" I asked
"Inside" returned Thort "Then get in with you."
I fired with the G3 and was able to destroy one of the runners, then the G3 was empty and I switched to the gun. Before I was at the bunker door myself, I was able to damage the third one. Then I was inside. I leaned heavily on the wall. Was wet to the bones.
"What is Thort, are you hurt." "Yes, on the leg down, it must have been a ricochet. Off to the infirmary, you also Amelie.”
She stood there crying and with her arms hanging. "Go off with you"
Both trotted to the hospital ward. I could see a hole at Thort’s pants. I sat down and lifted Thort’s leg to my knees. I pushed up his pants and saw the nasty ratchet. The flesh on the leg was ripped open at the length of the finger. Amelie assisted me, brought iodine, bandage material and gauze pads to dab. I quickly took care of Thort’s wound.
"Now you Amelie best you pull the pants out you hump. Thort, please get the college shoes for Amelie!"
Thort ran off. I pulled her boots off her feet. She had opened both knees. The uniform pants had prevented the worst, but she had open space wounds.
"Are you bent over," I asked her.
She said “no” while I am investigated her ankles.
Then I cleaned and cared for her wounds. I had her hands shown to me, but there were only a few small abrasions, probably from the fall when I knocked her over. I brushed her ointment on it. Then I took off the helmet she still had on her head. I also took off her drip-wet uniform jacket. She was just like me wet to the bones. I examined her head in detail to see if she had gotten anything. But I couldn’t find anything. I asked her to pull up her shirt a little bit.
"You can cover yourself with your arm I just want to see up to your upper belly."
She agreed and carefully pulled up her shirt.
I saw two red spots on her upper abdomen. I examined them with a magnifying glass to see if there were any splinters left in it. I brushed a little sore ointment on it and stuck a small patch over it.
"If you turn around, I take off my shirt completely, you can look over it," she said.
I turned around so she could bare herself. She held an arm with the T-shirt in front of her chest. I could see two more of these spots at the breast. I looked her with the magnifying glass and found no shards or other residues. Then I also gave in these places’ wound patches with healing ointment on it.
"You can dress again."
"Can I get in?" asked Thort.
"Please, for a moment, Amelie is just getting on."
"You can now," she said as she dressed again.
Thort put down her shoes on. "Do you still have something dry, otherwise take a T-shirt from me.
"Thank you," she beeped quietly slipped into the college shoes and walked.
"Is everything okay with you?" asked Thort.
“I’m just Wet to the bones.”
"Then everything went well again," Thort said.
“How to take it,” I said, “I don’t want to talk about it today.”
“It’s good Hell," he said.
I went to the bedroom. Amelie sat on her bed and looked sadly in front of her. I took fresh underwear and training pants wordlessly. Then I took off my boots and went to the bathroom. It didn’t take me long because I wanted to get out of the wet clothes. Amelie met me in the hallway and kept her gaze lowered. I felt better than in the wet clothes. I just wanted a beer and a few cigarettes.
I had lost my appetite, too much was going on in my head. While I was getting dressed, Amelie came back. She had also just made herself a little fresh and changed her wet underwear. She sat back on her bed and looked sadly in front of her.
"You should put yourself to bed today Amelie," I told her.
"We guys can make ourselves something to eat. We can also do something to you, do you have a wish?"
“No, I don’t have an appetite,” she said. She looked at me with anxious eyes
"I did mess it up?"
“Amelie, I don’t want to talk about it today, ok tomorrow. Put yourself in bed now you’ve been through a lot. I’ll bring you something if you want.”
Without reluctance, she slipped under the duvet.
"And what are you doing?"
"I still drink beer smoking a few cigarettes."
I took her Klaucke because I wanted to clean the weapons. Thort sat in the canteen and had a beer can in front of him. He was busy cleaning "Old Bethan".
"Is a good girl," he said, caressing the gun
"Yes, it is," I said with a smile. I took a big sip and set about dismantling the G3.
"This rifle is a real beast"
"Yes, she is, she can do something." "By the way, you were very good today, reacted well, respect," I said.
He laughed, "Yes Hell, you mean"
"Yes, I said I picked up my beer can and shouted "Skal (swed. Cheers)" We toasted, even though there was actually nothing to toast, we had once again escaped with our lives.
"Where is Amelie?" asked Thort.
"I put her to bed," I said.
"Everything messed up today," Thort said.
“I don’t want to talk about it now.’
Thort noticed that the subject was over for me and said nothing more. He said goodbye and went to bed. I got another can of beer and smoked another cigarette.
Damn have had luck, that no more happened. That Amelie had failed again in the shooting did not go out of my mind. When I went to bed, Thort was already asleep. In the semi-darkness I could see that Amelie was still awake. I lay down in bed. I was still awake and couldn’t sleep. Then I heard Amelie sobs quietly. I sat down and saw that she had pulled the duvet over her head. I let her. In half-sleep, I heard her sniffling quietly.