Heal These Battle Scars | MxM

Chapter Twenty-Three - Attack On The Base

In the late evening hours, even so much as a pin dropping could be heard echoing throughout the base. However, it all came crashing down when a loud, deafening explosion hammered across the military base's front office door, rattling the rooftops.

When the sirens went off, roaring in all directions, Xiao Fang jolted awake from his slumber; his breathing erratic, and his eyes raced across his prison confines. He hadn't enough time to register what was happening, but the following explosion that came, rattled the prison cell, causing all its sides to shake like a maddening quake. Chunks of concrete slabs were hurling from the edges, forcing Xiao Fang to huddle in on himself in the corner. He clamped his hands tightly over his ears, trying to stifle out the sudden earsplitting aftershocks from bursting his eardrums.

It did not take long before he heard the heavy flow of boots, slapping the ground from outside, rushing past the prison cell; no one stopped or entered inside to check on him.

Despite his thundering heart, Xiao Fang gritted his teeth and dashed off the floor, clinging to the cell bars; he needed to get out of there, or he might die if the cell.

"Bolin! Get me out of here!" he shouted in a desperate plea, hoping the soldier guarding outside hadn't left his post already. "Bolin?!" he continued, clanking the bars. When his pleas continued falling on deaf ears, he scrambled to the door, kicking it as hard as he could in a bid to get out. "Can you hear me?!"

Several, painfully long minutes later, the Bolin came inside in a surge, wielding a rifle. "We're under attack!" he shouted, tipping over his steps. While he pulled a set of keys from his pocket to free Xiao Fang from his confines, his fingers were trembling, and his eyes swelled wide as he scanned the front door back and forth before snapping the prison door open. "Follow me!"

"What's going on?" Xiao Fang asked, hurrying behind Bolin. "Who is attacking?"

Bolin looked over his shoulder, giving Xiao Fang a brief look of disbelief. "Who do you think?"

Xiao Fang hadn't given it much thought, but surely the attack had been coming from the Kuomintang forces, trying to gain more territory; It was the only logical explanation.

"Are they the Kuomintang force?" he asked.

Bolin clicked his tongue. "Yes."

At one time, hearing the news of a raid would've brought great joy to his heart. However, if the Kuomintang forces succeeded, the communist soldiers would become prisoners of war, and Wang Yi would be subjected to countless mistreatments and inhumane humiliations. And considering he had a reputation as a ruthless, barbaric leader on the battlefield, Xiao Fang feared the Kuomintang forces wouldn't spare his lover's life if Yi's men were to stumble.

He must've been a traitor at heart because he would rather watch the downfall of his own people than want to bear witness to Yi's death.

With a lump coiling in his throat, he did not utter another word, but the minute he hurried to the door, gunshots coming from semi-automatics rang throughout the base, drowning out the sound of another explosion, less damaging than the previous ones.

"Do not come out unless necessary!" Bolin shouted through the racket before rushing outside, abandoning Xiao Fang to fend for himself.

Despite his hammering heart, he stooped down, jam the door with his feet till three or four inches were left open so he could peek at the commotion going on outside, and watched closely.

He could barely see ten feet in front of him because of the thick smoke that swept through the outsides like the opening gates of hell, bringing back bitter memories of the night Yi's Red Army had seized his battalion, and killed most of his comrades, be they young or old. Nevertheless, his mind did not wander far. Instead, it froze entirely when he heard Yi's voice coming from the southern direction, shouting out orders.