The Patrol

I woke up to a loud ringing nose which was my alarm clock going off. I lay there a minute, my mind fogged, taking comfort in the presence my bed made, it was so good. I got up and turned it off, I started to undress and put my old clothes on, strap on my sidearm, equip my dagger and put my sword on my side.

After this I added my trench coat and put on my combat boots, they were getting old I figured I should ask for replacements at some point. From there I exited my dorm and went down the stairs to proceed to the mess hall. I leave the dorm through the door and hastily make my way to the mess hall. I could smell food in the air, it smelled like oatmeal and some kind of meat. My stomach grumbled as I made my way over there. On the way inside I ran into Daniels. 

“Hey after you’re done head over to the armoury to get geared up!”

“Alright I will.” I responded.

I went inside and took a look. The mess hall was huge. There were about fifty tables which looked to seat thirty to forty people, the serving table was at the back with cooks dishing out food. Behind them was a door, presumably the kitchen. Inside the smell was even stronger and my stomach grumbled again.

There were only five people in line so I got in line at a distance as the sixth, I really didn’t want to make small talk right now I just woke up. The line progressed and I grabbed a tray and headed up to the first cook. She was wearing a hairnet with an apron and was short but cute. She had blue eyes with blonde hair. She dumped some oatmeal onto my tray and gave me two spoons. The next was a male who looked to be in his thirties. He had a hairnet over red hair with a shaven face. He was slim and stood around 5’6, my area of height. He filled a bowl with what looked like stew and put it on my tray. 

“What type of meat is this?” I asked curiously.

“It’s venison.” He replied gruffly.

I took my tray and went to an uncrowded table and sat down at the end. Beginning my meal I looked around, there were perhaps sixty people in the mess hall. I assumed there would be more early on which is why I set my alarm clock to seven AM. I didn’t want to talk to anyone in the morning, especially this early in the morning. I finished and looked at the clock on the wall, it was 07:45 AM. I better get to the armoury, I thought to myself and took my leave after dropping the try off, I left out the door and proceeded to the armoury. Walking over I saw Daniels waiting at the entrance. He was waiting with his backpack and a radio in both hands, he handed one to me.

“Hey, what's up?” He asked cheerfully.      

“Just finished eating, not a fan of early mornings.” I grumbled to him.

“I wasn’t either at first but you get used to it.” He seemed cheerful, I resented that.

“Anyways let's proceed inside and get you geared up.” He swiped a card on the locked gate’s scanner and the gate popped open. We enter the armoury and I look around. There were weapon caches all around the walls on the left and right and shelves stocked with ammunition in between. In front of me there were crates stacked along the wall. There were two doors, one in the left and one in the right corner.

“The crates have kevlar and helmets in them and the caches on the left have pistols with pistol ammo and magazines. Big guns and ammo on the right start with the kevlar and helmets, then help yourself to the ammo.” He said this firmly.

“I’m like a kid in a candy shop right now.” I said with a smile.

Daniels chuckled. I moved to the left and grabbed four Beretta M9 magazines and started to load them. I filled the magazines and went to the kevlar crates. I put a vest on under my trench coat and a helmet on my head, from there I added the magazines to my pouches. Daniels did the same only he grabbed a rifle and a sidearm, loaded magazines for the rifle and he grabbed magazines for the pistol. He dropped the magazines in his kevlar vest. He equipped his radio as  I equipped my own.

“Oh I almost forgot my pistol has some rounds missing.” I went back to the pistol ammunition, took my sidearm out of it’s holster and unloaded it. I chamber 5 rounds in the magazine to make fifteen. I load my sidearm and holster it again. 

“Well we have some time, it’s only 09:00. Want to hit the shooting range? It’s only down the hall on the door to the right.” Daniels informed me.

I thought about it for ten seconds and said, “Sure, why not let me chamber four more magazines.” I went over to the ammunition and chambered four more magazines then proceeded to follow Daniels down a hallway into a shooting range which was large. There were ten booths to shoot from and fresh targets at the end of all of them and shells were littered around the booths. Ear muffs were on all the booths. Daniels and I took a booth and a target next to each other.

“Let's see how well you can group your shots.”

We put the ear muffs at the booths and we both withdrew our pistols and started shooting at the targets. We emptied our clips, took our ear muffs off and went to check the targets. My groupings were all near the center and fairly close together while Daniels’ were a bit off the center and to the left and right on the target.

“Damn son! You beat me! I gotta practice more!” He exclaimed.

“Yea I guess so, i’ve had a lot of practice surviving on my own I guess. Hitting squirrels and other small game isn’t easy.” I told him.

“Round two?” He asked.

“Sure thing, let's do it.”

We head back to the booths and load another magazine, we empty our clips again slower this time. And go to check the targets again. Daniels’ groupings were a little more centered and mine were closer to the center this time. We do this two more times and Daniels’ checks his watch.

“Shit it’s 09:45 we gotta get to the Humvee for our patrol. Let’s go.” He said quickly. We exit the shooting range and return our magazines on the way out of the armoury and hurry to our Humvee. We walked up to the Humvees to see the six soldiers from the day before standing around waiting for us, Richards was there as well. He was about 6 feet tall, a big burly man packed with muscle. He had red shaved hair and a burly looking face, toned kind of like Daniel;s but not quite. I knew this was him because the corporal insignia is on his uniform and he is the only corporal here.

The rest were Privates. Two of the privates look quite similar, so I assume they are brothers. They both had hazel eyes with sandy brown hair. They were slim but toned in their muscles. They both stood about 5’9.  The other two were different. One had red shaven hair with a skinny build, with brown eyes. He wasn’t particularly muscular but had enough muscle to hold his own. And lastly the fourth private was a short italian man about 5’5 with blonde hair. He had green eyes and a handsome face with impressively toned muscles. They were geared up with a vest, helmets at their sides, radio and a rifle.    

“So Corporal Richards you know, The two over there are brothers, Carl and David Jackson. The shortie is Anderson and the ginger is Williams.” As Daniels introduced them, the brothers nodded, Anderson looked annoyed and Williams seemed offended. “Zane here is joining us on patrol today, we are sweeping the western part of town today, any questions ladies?”

“Yeah, why is newbie here joining us? He has no training at all, I mean he’s a civilian.” Richards spoke out. 

“Well surviving eight years on his own proves he has skill and higher ups deemed it okay last night, is that a problem Corporal? Because it shouldn’t be.” Daniels asserted his authority over him.

Richards looked angry, frustrated maybe and replied “No sir.” 

“Good, now let’s get on with our duties ladies. Richards you’re in Humvee two driving, with the Jacksons, Anderson and Williams in my Humvee. Zane, you ride shotgun with me. Let’s go.” Daniels commanded. 

Richards walked over to the Humvee left to ours and hopped in the driver’s seat. The Jackson brothers hopped in the backseats one on each side. Daniels hopped in the Driver’s seat of the one to our right and I hopped in the passenger's seat. Anderson and WIlliams did the same as the Jacksons. 

“Oh Baby.” Daniels murmured as he pulled the keys out from behind the visor and slipped them into the ignition. The vehicle roared to life and he reached for his radio to contact headquarters; “HQ this is Sergeant Daniels, we are beginning our sweep of the western part of the city, be back in a few hours.”

“Roger that Sergeant.” The radio cackled back.

With that Daniels reversed, then he put the Humvee in drive and started to steer towards the gates. We drove past the checkpoint, the gate and onto the open road with the second Humvee further behind us. We moved at a steady slow pace, around thirty miles an hour. The vehicles that would clutter the streets like in the other city I went through were all neatly pushed to the sides.

It formed neat and tidy paths as we drove up streets into neighbourhoods and into commercial areas. It had been two hours before we came upon an abandoned mall, it was large and had parking lots along the road around it. There were vehicles littered inside of the parking lots. We were navigating around the mall when a loud BANG rang out and then a CRACK was heard against my window!

“CONTACT!” Daniels yelled into his radio. He started to pull into the lot nearest to us to get behind a large decaying truck, the other Humvee drove a little further in and got behind a transport. We all exited our Humvee, Anderson took cover behind the Humvee with Daniels, while Williams and I moved to the truck. A second bang was heard and then a volley of gunshots rang out. I withdrew my sidearm and crouched behind the truck wheel near the trunk. Williams moved to the wheel near the hood.

“Anyone got eyes?” Daniels asked over the radio. Just then another volley of gunshots rang onto the transport.

“Five shooters on the second floor, ten o’clock, nine o’clock and one o’clock.” Richards responded over the radio.

“Alright everyone besides Zane and Williams provide covering fire while those two enter the mall. On the count of three.” Daniels commanded over the radio. I got myself ready to dart to the entrance, oh boy I thought.   

“One. Two .Three!” Everyone turned their cover and started firing, the cracks of gunshots were deafening. Williams and I bolted from our cover but the people on the second floor started shooting again bullets whistled by me. Then Williams went down with a cry. “BASTARDS!” I heard Daniels shout out. I looked at Williams as he cried out. He was shot in the neck and torso by the looks of it.

I continued running and reached the doors. I burst through the doors and took cover in a nearby store behind it’s counter. As I reached it I looked around, the stairs were about fifty feet away  with a platform before cascading up more and between them was a fountain. I heard a voice call “One got in!” The gunfire from their side stopped for a moment and I assumed they were talking about what to do. Our side still let out steady bursts. 

“I’m in.” I called on the radio. The gunfire stopped completely.

“Alright try to pincer them Zane. Once we resume our fire try to reach the stairs.” Daniels' voice responded on the radio.

“Alright.” I replied back. The gunfire started up again and I looked over the counter, I heard a bang! I ducked back under the counter and just barely missed a bullet. Then a flurry of gunshots rang out. After this I heard clicking sounds, this was my chance! I stood up and looked around, on the platform were two men in vests and trench coats. I took aim and shot two rounds.

The guy on the left who was reloading crumpled to the ground. The other guy finished and I ducked behind the counter again. BANG, BANG, BANG! Three shots rang out then stopped. I figured this guy was gonna be smarter this time so I looked around the counter shelves and after shuffling through things I found a makeup mirror. Bingo. I opened it and used it to look over the counter. The other guy was starting to approach the fountain, his rifle raised. I moved to my right more, stood up and shot. Two rounds one hit his vest, he cried out and the other missed. Shit, I thought and ducked back down. Three more shots rang out. They barely missed me, one grazed my cheek.

I used the mirror again, only I held it out to the left this time. He hadn’t moved much at all; he was holding his ground. I stood up again and his rifle was pointing to the left this time. I fired three more rounds, one hit his vest another his neck and the last one went through his left temple. He crumpled to the ground, dead. 

“Daniels, two are down.” I communicated this through my radio. Suddenly the gunfire stops from the second floor and from outside too.

“Good work. We got the shooters on the second floor. Come back outside.” 

“Roger that.”