We creep into a shanty butted up against the barrier in order to avoid the cameras. A metal bowl sits on the table with some kind of mush left inside. Steam rises off it, so the owner hasn’t been gone long.
So far, too good. The lack of surveillance has me unnerved. Wouldn’t the guards have noticed by now? The silence screams the obvious, for nothing is ever quiet around here. The hair rises on the back of my neck and I finger the trigger of my Glock, feeling jumpy inside. What is that old saying? If something can go wrong, it probably will.
Just then, I feel a deep rumble and hear the metallic clanking of a tank slowly ambling down the street outside. My eyes lock onto Keegan’s, fearing the worst. All of us immediately duck below the window while waiting for it to pass. My blood curdles and adrenaline pumps through my limbs. I hold my breath as it passes.
Sheldon waits a moment and then motions us forward using hand signals. He disappears into the darkness, then Keegan, and then I follow with Zeus. I step out of the door, crouch down, and look for Keegan’s signal to head for the stairwell that leads to the top of the wall. My eyes strain as I focus on his silent movements. Clenching my jaw, I sprint to him.
Just as Isaac is about to follow suit, shots split the air, tinging off the metal roofing of the shacks. So much for surprise. He dives for cover near the wall, grimacing under the weight of his load-bearing harness. He cringes at the volume of the guns while crawling to us. My insides jump with each shot, but I reach out and pull him into the mouth of the stairwell, knowing the worst is yet to come.
Keegan motions frantically for the rest of the group. After watching Isaac cross and seeing the amount of tracers zipping through the darkness, they hesitate. I can see the whites of their eyes widen as if the Grim Reaper himself beckons them to hell. In their moment of indecision, an explosion rocks us, and confusion abounds.
When I look again, all that’s left of them are bits and pieces of flesh, combined with the pungent smell of smoke. My helmet disappears in the concussion and searing pain hits me like a jackhammer. It feels like my head is on fire, and I grasp at an object stuck in my hair. Some sort of flaming ember burns my fingertips as I rip it out of my hair and toss it.
Our cover has been blown.
I turn left and see Keegan shouting at me, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. My left ear rings from the damage and my eyes water from the smoke. The blam, blam, blamming of the guards’ guns opening up on the wall makes my head throb. A few citizens of the Hole spring from their houses with terrified expressions. I scream at them to take cover, but not before the guards mow them down with a serenade of bullets.
Keegan yanks me forward into a dark entrance hidden in the wall before I can even think about what I’ve just seen. He runs back outside, directing traffic in chaos while bullets rain down.
Sheldon waits for as many people to file in the small entrance as possible. I see his eyes tallying up bodies. I know at least one man’s down, but from the constant gunfire, and from the concern on his face, there could be many more. Or all.
Zeus’s lips pull back over his teeth and he barks with aggression. The hair on his back stands up straight. I put a steady hand on his collar to keep him close to me. I don’t want him running off on a mission alone.
The guards begin shooting down the narrow staircase, but there’s nowhere else to go. Someone comes in screaming to warn us and I can barely make out the words over the melee.
“Tank! Tank!”
As the words register, fear envelops me like a black hole. I’ve heard of the horrific power their tanks possess. One shot alone would blow us all away. Sweat seeps through my layers. The wall of gunfire from up top becomes so intense that I feel like I’m living an out-of-body experience. There’s nowhere to hide as the unionized force of the guards rain down bullets that disfigure the walls around us and cut people down.
In desperation, Isaac pulls a grenade from his harness and lobs it up the steps, blowing them into silence and buying us a few more precious seconds.
Once Keegan gives the signal, Sheldon starts up the steps, gun ready and begins rapid firing at the guards waiting at the top. Keegan follows him with all that’s left of us trailing behind. Sweat burns my eyes and I can barely focus as I fire off a slew of rounds. I stumble for a moment and realize I’ve stepped on Zeus, who faithfully followed me into the fray. I push his head behind me to block him. I don’t want him shot.
The narrow staircase opens into a wide path on top of the wall edged by barbed wire and manned by more guards.