Marshal Law by Adam D Jones

Author:Adam D Jones [Jones, Adam D]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Archgate Press
Published: 2019-11-09T22:00:00+00:00

21

“Come on, Raine.” His sister, Seana, limped along at his side, tugging his sleeve. “They hit the stragglers.”

“Let them.”

They stepped over another body and stumbled onward to join the rest of their people.

The soldiers pushed them together just outside of their burning settlement. The last thing they would see was their homes on fire and the Republic soldiers grinning as they fired and fired until every Lodi from Sirap fell dead.

He had always told himself it wouldn’t come to this. That he would fight or run if the Republic came. Something brave. Others said it too, wearing their bravado like a badge. But when the Republic showed up they had all been gathered like sheep, just like in every other Lodi town.

A few had resisted. They stood in front of their homes with their arms crossed and their faces stern. And they had been treated the worst. One of them, a man named Corwal, still lived. He had been mutilated in front of the others and still writhed in the sand next to his hands.

Others followed. But by the time Raine’s family was facing guns they had already surrendered to join the rest of the settlement in a solemn march.

A wavering voice came from nearby. “Going...going as fast as I can...”

Maddock, the old man who cut everyone’s hair, had fallen. The soldiers shouted for him to stand. To his credit, the old man was trying.

“Don’t go over there,” said Raine’s sister. “It won’t do any good.”

The soldiers were gathering, ready to kick Maddock for not standing up.

“I said don’t,” she repeated, grabbing his arm. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

Raine shook her off. “This is no time for a man to be alone.”

He made it to Maddock without any soldiers stopping him. He knelt and began to lift the old man up and onto his feet. “Come on, brother.”

Soldiers spoke in mocking tones. Raine made sure not to hear any of it. Maddock leaned on Raine and they pushed through the desert sand to the gathering place.

Raine had never expected so many soldiers. He’d heard of towns being wiped out by a sandship or two, or by a few well-armed companies, but this morning the town of Sirap had been surrounded by hundreds of men, more than twice the population of the settlement.

Raine and Maddock made it to the others and stood at the front of the crowd. Maddock patted Raine’s arm and gave him a grim nod of thanks. They would stand together in the end. That had been something Raine understood might be part of his life when he began training to be a Keeper. Training he would never complete.

Rifles were raised. A few of the Lodi gasped, but most stood ready.

The shots erupted louder than anyone expected. Gunshots were always like that.

Maddock fell. So did the man next to him.

Another round of bullets; Raine felt nothing even though he been staring down two rifles as they fired. Even saw the yellow flash in the muzzle.

Raine let his knees buckle and collapsed backward like he’d been hit.

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