Cacophony [ONC 2023]

16

Henna had thought the noise of the Screamers came like a wave, but they, themselves, arrived in a flood, careening through the building, colliding against walls, against each other, tearing strips of skin from those around them, ripping clothing in a desperate, savage attempt to reach those in front of that thick door. Shots rang out, Cas and the sergeant dropping Screamer after Screamer with deadly accurate bullets.

For her part, Henna took the advice of the sergeant, not attempting to hit targets as small as a head, but something more substantial, something that could give them fractions of more time without knowingly killing any of these Screamers that were once people. She raked fire around the knees of the Screamers, sending some collapsing to the floor, tripping others, blocking the way, even if only momentarily.

They had no time left. No matter how accurate Cas and the Sergeant were, they could never hope to cope with the sheer number of raging, tearing Screamers that had now come so close. Henna changed mags and continued firing. She could feel the heat rising from the overworked barrel and knew she couldn't maintain the barrage for much longer.

"Got it!" The shout from behind almost became drowned out by the screams, even over the radios. Davies had completed his task. "Taking covering fire! Withdraw!"

First Cas peeled away, dropping the mag from her rifle, inserting a new one and grabbing Henna in one smooth movement. Davies took her place, tapping the sergeant's shoulder and the sergeant fired one more set of double-tap bullets toward the oncoming Screamers. Now Davies took on the duties of taking out the enemy. Cas had dragged Henna onto the room beyond the door and took up position at the frame, waiting for the sergeant to pass by before beginning to fire again.

The sergeant popped his mag, switching in a fresh one and turned toward the door, ready to cover for Davies to make his way inside, but Henna saw a new expression on the sergeant's face. Wide-eyed terror. He dropped his rifle to dangle on his chest and began to push the door closed. Cas, shock twisting her features, began to help and Henna didn't know why. Why they were closing the door before Davies had made his way through.

The screams that came over the radio told her everything she needed to know. Not the screams of the Screamers, but screams of pain. The door slammed shut, the sergeant spinning a wheel to seal it closed. Henna moved without thinking, looking out of the porthole in the door. A slab of glass at least six inches thick and, through that window, she saw blood spurt into the air, body parts, torn from the soldier that had helped save her life, tossed between the frenzied, clutching fingers of Screamers.

A hand rose to her mouth as a Screamer smashed their head against the glass, breaking its jaw and leaving it dangling, distended, yet still it fought to get through the door. Cas caught her, holding her shoulder and turned her around, away from the door, the window and the remains of Davies beyond. Not that she could have seen those remains. All she saw through that window was layer upon layer of Screamers.

"Try not to think about it." Cas embraced Henna, but there was nothing sexual about it, only warmth, comfort, sympathy. "He died doing his duty. He couldn't hope for much better."

"The hell he couldn't! He could have hoped to have died of old age, sat on a porch with a dozen grandkids yelling in his ear. Hell! That's what I want. But don't never get what we want." The sergeant hooked a thumb over his shoulder. "Found an egghead, but I don't think she's gonna be much help. You folks see if this shit ain't completely fubar while I try to cover this door. Right now its lookin' mighty flimsy."

Henna watched the sergeant stride past and couldn't help but think all that bluster was pretty much all act. It had to be. For her benefit, or Cas', or his own. He had to keep that stoical sergeant attitude going. Had to, no matter how many of his soldiers died. She hadn't even thought to ask where the rest of his company were. Were they the dead soldiers in the compound outside? Just how many had the sergeant lost today? Yet still he blustered on. She wouldn't put it past him to hold back the Screamer horde by the sheer force of his iron will.