Hostile Grounds: An EMP Survival Story (EMP Crash Book 5) by Kip Nelson

Author:Kip Nelson [Nelson, Kip]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2017-03-07T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

In the cold light of morning the carnage was there for all to see. Huge craters resulting from the grenades were ugly marks on the streets. The once beautiful park was littered with dead bodies from both sides. Everyone was exhausted, physically and mentally, and most were bloodied. Shell casings were scattered across the ground, and in everyone's eyes Mack could see the same thing; cynicism. They all had passed through to another side the previous night. They had been through a war. It was a look Mack knew well from his time in the army, but these people hadn't signed up for that. They just had been defending themselves, defending their community, from an enemy that seemed relentless. The opposing force only had retreated once Mack had started using grenades. Although the war had cost Will his life he was glad they had stolen the guns. Without them the outcome would have been very different. Mack’s clothes were torn and dirty, his face was haggard and worn, but he still was standing. They all were.

The morning sun still was warm as they moved into the twilight of the summer, but its golden glow wasn't the least bit comforting. It all seemed worthless. There were so many dead, so many eyes that never would spark with life again. And it wasn't just people he knew either. Enemies were lying next to his own people, no longer separated, no longer fighting, just lying there, still. The bodies of the enemies outnumbered those of his own people, but that only reminded him of what he was told at the end of the battle, that there were still more to come. He didn't think it was possible. They already had fought off hundreds. How could there have been more? When he had been in their camp he hadn't had a chance to get a headcount, but the mall was certainly big enough to house them all, and some of them could have been elsewhere, raiding another unfortunate group of people. There was a leader, too, someone guiding their actions. A vile person they must have been to cause such wanton destruction without any end result.

People still were picking themselves up from the ground and dusting themselves off. As Mack moved through the settlement he helped people up. Many of them dared not look him in the eye, still haunted by what they had done through the night. Others were too preoccupied with those they had lost, seeing their friends and loved ones around them, or people who they always had intended to acquaint themselves with, and now never would get the chance. So many candles had been snuffed out, and although it was a bright morning, a dark cloud of sorrow hung over the settlement.

Everyone was subdued. Few words were spoken, but there were many sobs as the emotions caught up with everyone. Mack encouraged everyone to open up and let them out. Although he had tried to prepare people for this as best he could, they weren't trained for this situation.

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