Into the Dust Storm by Logan Brookfield

Author:Logan Brookfield
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Logan Brookfield

Chapter Nineteen

The sentry scanned the rocky outer reaches with his heat-sensitive binoculars. His viewpoint high up on the city wall gave him and his colleagues the best view of anything that might approach, including sandstorms that would appear almost instantaneously and disappear just as quickly.

‘There’s definitely something kicking up dust out there,’ he said, squinting while trying to focus his eyes.

Corporal Bartez stepped forward. ‘What do you see exactly? A storm or more travellers?’

The sentry wiped the sweat from his eyes and tried to look again. ‘Picking up heat, dust trails and possibly a column of people.’

The corporal checked his weapon. ‘Do you think they’ve spotted us?’

‘I see vehicles, three, with one ahead on point. They are heading this way, so if they can’t see us they’ll run into us.’

Bartez squeezed the button on the side of his walkie-talkie. ‘Boss, looks like we have more visitors. A column heading this way. Do you want us to intercept them?’

‘Negative, hold firm. Our cloaking might fool them enough for them to pass by,’ Elias crackled over the radio.

The sentry lowered the field glasses. ‘The lead is accelerating in our direction, Corp. He’s coming at speed, what shall we do?’

‘Boss, we now have a military-style vehicle fast approaching.’

‘I’m on it,’ Elias replied.

A machine gun turret spun round and targeted the vehicle. It whirred and clunked as its ammo belt was automatically primed.

‘Six hundred yards and closing fast. What we supposed to do, Corp?’ the sentry called out.

Corporal Bartez looked at the turret. He knew Elias would be using the high-powered wall-mounted telescopes to view and target the incoming threat. ‘Wait for the boss to make his move, soldier. That’s all we can do.’

The turret-mounted weapon clicked then let out a short deafening burst of gunfire. The sentry and corporal ducked as the heat from the muzzle flash engulfed them.

‘Jeez, remind me to stand further away from that damn thing,’ Bartez said.

The vehicle came to a halt in a cloud of dust as a front tyre shredded then disintegrated. Several other soldiers now trained their weapons on the truck. Through the haze a door opened and a figure got out.

‘Put your hands above your head and walk slowly to the wall,’ Bartez shouted.

The man complied and walked forward with hands on head. Behind him another figure appeared, a female holding a young child.

‘I said place your hands on your head,’ Bartez shouted.

‘Corp, she’s got a kid,’ the sentry said.

The man stopped at the foot of the wall and looked up. ‘We mean you no harm, sorry if we startled you. I don’t understand…one minute this town wasn’t there then the next it appeared. Next minute you opened fire.’

Bartez trained the steel sights of his weapon on the man. ‘We like to maintain our privacy, now I’ll ask once more…what do you want?’

The man put his arm around the woman holding the child. ‘We’ve escaped the Crystal City. There was an uprising, a lot of fighting. Many were killed and we got away as fast as we could.

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