Battle of Harlett

Chapter 12:

November 8th, 9:38am. Day of Invasion.

  The group had broken into one of the houses to take temporary shelter. The alien dropships seemed to be making patrols now, searching for any remaining humans. Castro took the water bottles out of the fridge. They won't be needing this anymore. Thought Castro. Eric nudged him on the shoulder.

"Careful now, someone is gonna come home to find all their water missing" Said Eric.

"And their slider door shattered" Scoffed Reese.

  Eric found the situation slightly humorous. Even in what seems to be the apocalypse, humor can still prevail. Eric began walking to Reese when a low rumbling could be heard. The whir of a dropship grew close to the house they are hiding in.

"Get behind the counter!" Castro whispered.

  Reese and Eric quickly joined Castro behind the kitchen counter. They hid until the sound of the dropship grew distant. Castro let out a sound of relief. It seemed that the patrols were beginning to become more frequent. Castro still felt a feeling of disbelief that all of this was happening. He never saw this coming. No one did.

"Come on, we need to keep going." Said Reese.

  The group went out the way they came in; through the broken sliding glass door. The fragmented glass crunched underneath the shoes of the group. Castro wearily looked at the sky for any signs of dropships. The sound of gunfire grew quieter and more distant. The battle was moving away from them. That was a relief for the group.

  Reese was struggling to lead her dog. He seemed almost frantic to run away. Luckily he wasn't very large, so if needed, Reese could practically carry him. But it was obvious he was slowing the group down. Good thing for the group, they were entering the more industrial area of town, where mostly shops filled the blocks. The group would be able to hide in alleyways and even use them as shortcuts or to remain mostly out of site. The group entered an alleyway, and immediately began noticing the devastation that was cast upon the town.

  Clearly, many residents had been caught by complete surprise. Castro had to keep his eyes unfocused and on the back of Eric. He didn't want to see what happened to the poor civilians. The group quickly rushed to cross the street to yet another alleyway. The group were nearly half way to the evac site. Suddenly, a dropship was within audible range of the group. They had just taken cover into another alleyway. Soon, they would run out of more discreet routes. This time, the dropship was making sure to check every nook and cranny of the area.

  Reese noticed that on the side of each dropship, there was a gunner that armed what seemed to be a plasma turret. It was just the right size to be mounted on the sides of the dropships. The gunner for the dropship currently circling the area seemed to be a large, strong and humanoid appearing gorilla. Its body was mostly covered in short fur. It had large nostrils and was very brute-ish in its overall appearance. Ironically, Reese vaguely remembered these alien species to be called Brutes, aka the Jiralhanae. These beasts were merciless. Much less honorary, unlike the Sangheili, who killed with more moral principles and honor.

  The dropship seemed to be getting closer. Reese ducked back behind the wall of the building they were behind.

"They are getting closer." Said Reese.

"Oh no." Said Castro.

"Should we move, or wait them out?" Asked Eric.

"If possible, we should try to sneak into one of the shops and hide there until they move on." Replied Reese.

"But we would need to go to the front, where we could be spotted?" Asked Castro.

"Who said we were going in through the front?" Replied Reese.

"Well the back door is closed-" Castro watched as Reese pulled out an electromagnetic lock picking device, and connected it to the doors lock. Seconds later, the doors lock clicked, and then opened.

  The group walked in from the rear of the shop. Whoever was in the building, left in time. The shop was filled with clothes. The rows of racks made easy cover to hide behind. Faint footsteps could be heard coming from the left of the street. The group hid behind the racks, but peeked out from the top. The footsteps grew closer.

  The footsteps were being emitted from the steps of a small patrol of alien infantry. One Brute led two smaller, squatish looking aliens, called grunts. Their looks varied, but their height and methane masks made them most distinguishable from any other of the Covenant forces. They slowed down as they passed the front of the store. The Brute peered in through the display glass, looking for any humans. The group stayed hidden and silent. Revealing themselves would lead to fatal repercussions.

  The Brute squinted its eyes and thought it saw movement. It didn't truly know what the building was, but guessed it was a place where the humans could get new attire. The Brute let out a low growl. It decided to enter the building, as instructed to ensure the complete destruction of any humans. It easily and swiftly knocked down the door with what appeared to be a large hammer, and walked over the remains of the door. It noted the several rows of human cloth filling the entirety of the building.

  Castro froze in fear. The Brute entered the store. He knew it must have seen him ducking to avoid being seen. The Brute then sniffed the air. Brutes have olfactory glands that allow them to hunt and track prey in even the most foreign of planets. The Brute smelled chemicals. The humans often wore strange chemicals to make them smell different. The Brute walked further into the store. It continued to scan for humans, or whatever it thought it might have seen.

  The Brute sniffed the air again. It detected a faint, human scent from the chemical scent. The Brute began tracking the scent deeper into the building. It signaled for the grunts following it to guard the door. The sound of a small dog whimpering filled the air. The Brute snapped towards the direction of the noise, though it was quickly silenced. It was also the direction of the human scent. The Brute growled. It followed the scent. The scent grew stronger as the Brute walked to a clothing rack. The Brute picked up the rack and threw it aside. No human was hiding in it. The only item there was a human glove.

  A human scent was still detectable. The Brute snorted in frustration. It looked towards the end of the store, and noticed the rear exit door was slightly ajar. A hunt would begin.

  The group didn't look back as they escaped the confines of the store. Reese checked the map again and took up the route to the evac site once more.