Essem hunched down over the wall as the approaching Rotars attack force drew near. He couldn’t make out any details, but it didn’t matter. The cloud of dust the force was kicking up as it approached was intimidating enough. He could feel the tension rising in his gut as he watched the rest of Shade’s Rest scramble into place. Essem saw the fear and worry on their faces as some took up their battle positions. He had to admit he was a little worried too. He’d been in plenty of scrapes, but this was shaping up to be the biggest fight he’d ever been in. Judging from the way the two men and the woman by him were shaking and sweating, it was their biggest fight as well.
The trio stared back at him. Unsure of what to do, Essem opted to simply smile. “How are you doing?” he asked weakly, even more unsure of what to say.
The two men returned his question with stares of disbelief, but the woman started to chuckle. All three looked at her, but she continued to chuckle. “Sorry,” she offered. “It’s just kind of funny that we’re all here, ready for battle and all you can say is, ‘How are you doing?’”
Essem started to chuckle himself. Now it was his turn to apologize. He shrugged. “Sorry. I don’t really know what else to say.”
“How about your name? You’re one of the new people, yes?”
He nodded. “My name’s Essem.”
The woman extended her hand. “I’m Kelly. This is Hal and Eric.”
Essem shook her hand and gave a nod to each man. Hal wiped his face clear of sweat and pushed the headband higher up to clear his blonde hair away from his face.
“Any advice? The closest we’ve ever had to a fight is just some basic combat drills and some wrestling.”
Essem wanted to pursue the illogic of never learning to really fight, but thought better of it. He looked over their weapons, then back over the wall. The Rotars were very close. He didn’t have much time.
“They’re going to hit this place hard, no matter what they do. We’ve all got firebombs. Those are your best weapons. Don’t use them unless you can hit for sure. These things will hurt, so you got to make them count.”
Eric shook nervously as he looked at his bow. “I don’t think I can shoot another person. Hunting is one thing; this is totally different.”
Essem thought back to encounter at the dead-velopment. “You’ll be surprised what you can do when you have to.” He stood and looked. The Rotars’ vehicles were in sight, a wedge of charging rattletrap cars and trucks with a monster of a van taking the point. His mind made the image to look like a massive, nightmarish beast. Smoke billowed behind the formation, mixing with dust to appear as a coat of black and brown. The roar from the muffler-less engines gave the beast a howl like a demon from hell. Spikes protruding from the sides of the cars took on the shape of claws and savage teeth, hungry for flesh. The visage ignited the spark of fear in Essem’s belly into a full, raging panic. He took several breaths to steady himself, then looked back at Eric, Hal, and Kelly. “And try not to panic.”
“Too late,” Eric muttered as he stood up next to Essem.
A small section of the wooden wall to Essem’s right exploded into tiny fragments, and several harsh hisses zipped past his ears. Essem dropped back down, and heard the sound like a fist punching rotted fruit. He looked wide-eyed at Kelly who was still huddled behind the wall. Stupid, Essem. So stupid.
Kelly started to scream. Then Hal followed.
Essem turned and saw Eric’s lifeless body crumple next to him. The left half of his face was gone, leaving only red, meaty fragments.
Hal vomited.
“I just…” Essem began, but the words got stuck in his throat.
The sounds of gunfire and its impact on the outer wall erupted all around him adding to the chaos and offensive symphony created by the roaring of the Rotars’ engines.
Essem swallowed hard. Get a grip, damn it! He forced back the panic then braved a peek over the wall just in time to see the lead van break free from the wedge, and the other cars slow slightly.
He ducked back down, grabbed Kelly with one hand and Hal with the other. “They’re going to ram the gate! Hold on!”
As Essem braced himself, his mind flashed to everyone else. Maple had left to be with Runner, who was in hiding with the other kids. And his dad. Essem’s stomach soured. His dad was near the gate.
The fireball and the shockwave seemed to hit at the same time. The ledge shook violently as flames shot high in the air. Essem fought to stay balanced, his steel grip holding fistfuls of Kelly’s and Hal’s clothing. Shrapnel and debris rained down in all directions. Essem squinted through the mess, trying to find the van. He couldn’t see it.
The adrenaline kicked in. Essem stood in a low crouch. He shouted to Hal and Kelly. “C’mon, we’ve got to help them. They busted the gate!” Essem pulled the pair along with him.
The outer wall of Shade’s Rest had been built to take best advantage of the houses it was designed to protect. Where possible, roofs were used in the walking wall that surrounded the entire settlement. This made for a rather loping trek as the three pushed toward the gate, which Essem guessed was about thirty meters away.
They heard the sounds of engines, gunfire, and shouts as they neared. Visions of James lying bloody and dead near the gate raced through Essem’s mind. Dad, you can’t be dead. Damn it Dad. Be alive! ‘I’ll be near the gate’ was the last thing James had told Essem before he went to post on the wall.
“Look out!” Kelly shouted as she came to a hard stop. Essem didn’t stop in time and knocked her over. As Hal fell on top of him, Essem looked up to see a small clay bottle, with a flaming top arc over the last house that stood before what remained of the gate’s entrance. It landed less than ten meters from where they lay, bursting into a blob of flame that covered the last run of the walkway and the roof blocking their path.
The trio struggled to their feet. Essem looked at Hal and Kelly, as he freed the pistol from his waist. “Get your bows ready. Let’s get these bastards.”