The Lines of Union by K.C. Bryce Fitzgerald

Author:K.C. Bryce Fitzgerald [Fitzgerald, K.C. Bryce]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: K.C. Bryce Fitzgerald

25.

A light hot rain fell on the stadium, making puddles on the aluminum bleachers. There was relief in everyone’s eyes as they passed beneath the big Coors Field sign, which lilted from too many close shellings. Some people cheered, but most were just happy to be there. They rolled out blankets on the wet brown grass and bleachers and slept.

It had taken a week to reach the stadium. They’d fought hard and the military had fallen back to its defensive circle downtown. The highway and river were the only thing between them. From the stadium’s top deck he could see the olive Army trucks roll in from the east. “Give me a week,” Harry had said, somewhere between Colorado Springs and Denver. They’d cut hard with five thousand good men and women but it was over a week and still there was no sign of him.

A breeze off the Rockies blew into the stadium that evening. He looked over it towards downtown from the deck, panning binoculars across the darkened skyline. It was pleasant for June. The engineers had set mines and tripwires around the stadium and they shelled downtown with captured mortars just to make the military squirm.

“There’s another one.”

John raised the binoculars. He and Jay crouched at the deck railing. Light bristled from downtown. Tracers immediately lanced out. “Must be the financial district,” said Jay.

“I wonder what they’re shooting,” said John.

“Probably just shooting.”

“Perry’s shooting at something.”

“Hope it’s the Bank of America tower,” said Jay.

“Shooting the tower won’t do anything.”

“It’ll make him feel better.”

The building flashed again. Puffs of smoke and maybe glass twinkled distantly in the crescent moonlight.

“We should have invaded Billionaire’s Island. Could’ve killed two birds with one stone that way,” John said.

“Cut off the head, another starts growing. You ever read that myth with Hercules?”

“The Hydra? Yeah.”

“I don’t think we can stop greed.”

“Why’s that?”

“We’re only human. I’m greedy. You’re greedy.”

“It’s worse when something rewards greed.”

“Capitalism?”

“That’s what Matthew Henry says,” John said.

Several quick flares popped along the skyline. There were no answering tracers. Perry was just playing.

“I think we’re all fucked,” said Jay. “You know? A little less each time but still fucked in the end. You can’t cut the snake’s head off and expect it not to grow back. We’re all snakes.”

“Hercules burned the heads. Then they never grew again.”

“I don’t think you can burn our snakes.”

He left. John stayed there till the wee hours, watching Perry decorate the financial district with mortars. It wasn’t until daylight came and sun reflected through the shattered glass that he realized it was shattered in the shape of a flag.

Harry didn’t come that day or the next, and safe as their position was, everyone got tired of waiting. Finally John decided they couldn’t wait any more, so he gathered the lieutenants and said they’d leave the stadium tomorrow morning. “You know it’s suicide out there, right?” said Abrams, the guitar-playing former Fresno football star, when he told the squad. Amber nodded. “Yeah, why can’t we wait for the General? He’s got helicopters.

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