Parchman, стр. 35
‘Chuck,’ said Logan, putting his hand on his friends’ shoulder. ‘ThankGodyou’re ok. Yes, he’s alive but he won’t be for much longer. We needto get him back to the prison now.’
‘Scott’s leg is pretty badly shot up too. Got about twenty others injuredout here that we know off. They’ve just got too many men Logan. We’vedone amazing to get this far, but it’s over,’ said Chuck.Logan looked toMcGregor. ‘What do you think?’
‘Me?’ said McGregor. ‘I think you had a good run lad, but that run hasnow come to an end.’
‘You think we should give up?’ replied Logan.
‘Give up?’ said McGregor looking perplexed. ‘I never said that now didI? Ididn’t take you for a quitter.’
Logan smiled and stood up from where his father was laid. ‘No guts noglory,’ he whispered to his father. ‘We retreat, we die. We surrender, wedie. We fight, we die,’ he shouted to the men and women around him. ‘Ican’t make this decision for you. This one is down to you.’
Everyone looked at each other not knowing what to say or do. McGregorlooked at Logan. ‘We fight,’ he shook Logan’s hand.
Logan turned to Chuck. ‘You and Seth get the casualties and my fatherback to the prison. We will hold them off as long as we can. Get them ontoany vehicles you can and get out of here. You’ve got a head start at least.’
‘Sorry Bud, but I can’t do that. We started this together and we will end ittogether,’ said Chuck.
Logan smiled, andembraced his friend. ‘Thank you,’ he said. He calledJose over from the group of remaining inmates. ‘How you doing?’ he said,looking at the huge Mexican with bite marks from the Savages coveringhis body leaving probably more blood on the outside than left on theinside. ‘Ok, silly question,’ they both smiled at each other. ‘How do youfancy saving the President today?’
‘I got it,’ Jose replied and lifted Nathaniel onto his shoulder and started towalk back to the prison with the others that were also badly injured.
Seth turned to his brother. ‘I love you man.’
‘I love you too,’ said Scott. They embraced and Scott turned back towardsthe prison as Seth picked up a nearby machete from the ground.
Logan and everyone else turned and spread out in a line facing theCommander General’s army. ‘Let’s do this,’ Logan shouted, but his voicewas drowned out by the sound of gun fire raining down on the ground.
Everyone ducked down expecting a volley of bullets coming their way butwhen it didn’t they looked around at each other wondering what had justhappened.‘Look,’ said Tallulah, pointing to the army. ‘The soldiers. Theyarefalling down.’
Logan looked over to where the soldiers were in turmoil, looking at eachother and watching their comrades dropping down dead. Who wasshooting at them?
‘Up there,’ shouted Jackal. ‘It’s a plane.’
As they all looked up to the sky the sound of a fighter plane filled the airand then there was gunfire again as it targeted in on the CommanderGeneral’s army.
An arm hung out over the side of the airplane and just in view a Vikinghelmet poked over the top of the cockpit. It was Hod.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Xander’s story.
Back in the courtyard Xander had watched the Savages pull mercilessly atMax’s body as he tried to hold them off. Max’s eyes were still open to theend and pleading to Xander to do something to save him, but it was toolate. Max’s body fell over the side of the prison staircase and he could nolonger see him. Xander’s eyes filled with hate and tears, but he washelpless to help the man who only minutes ago had saved his life.
He backed up the stairs with the others to where Logan and Brittle werestood. ‘Logan,’ he yelled. ‘They’ve breached the courtyard and headed upthe battlements. They’ve killed Max.’
Xander walked past the men hyperventilating although nobody noticed.He walked the whole length of the wall and then back down into the insideof the prison. It was quiet considering the fighting was still going on in theyard. He walked the top floor of the prison trying to catch his breath againand talking to himself over and over and over. ‘It’s not real, it’s not real.’But he knew it was only too real.
He thought about his father who was back out in the desert and wished hewas there too. To think he had wanted more adventure in his life backwhen they were trapped on the base. Now he had all the adventure he couldhandle, and he had had enough. He lent on the metal gantry and vomitedover the side watching it fall four stories below.
Wiping his sleeve across his mouth he went and sat down in one of thecells. It no longer resembled a prison cell. The bars had been removedfrom the windows and the cell door was also missing, replaced by hangingbeads for privacy.
Xander lay down on the bed and stretched out his legs and closed his eyes.He took another deep breath which filled his nostrils with air.
Then he jumped with a start as he heard something metal clash outside theroom. He got to his feet and grabbed a nearby vase to use as a weapon. Walking out the room and back to the gantry he looked down to the groundfloor. A Savage had come inside the prison and to Xander’s astonishmentNathaniel Mathers was there stalking it, followed closely by Chuck.‘Where had Mr. Mathers come from?’ he thought to himself. ‘Were therest of the community here? Was his father here?’
He watched quietly as Nathaniel and Chuck disposed of the Savagebetween them and moved onwards along on the ground