We Are Broken ➳ Falling Skies

≼ Chapter 5 ≽

It was nightfall when our group had finally reached a warehouse that used to be a grocery storage unit. Karen, Jimmy, Click, Anthony and I stood outside one of the open warehouse doors waiting to push the truck in to load the food and take it back to camp.

We saw the flashlight signal from Tom meaning it was all clear, and Click, Anthony, Karen and I pushed the truck into the warehouse a bit. Tom jogged over to us to give directions.

"All right. Anthony, you and Jimmy guard this entrance, load the food as it comes in. You guys come with me, Karen grab that cart," Tom said eyeing Karen and I. Karen turned around grabbing the cart. "Okay, Come on. We can do this, we'll be alright," Tom reassured us. I took a deep breath trying to calm my nerves.

Even for past couple moths doing this, every mission I was on made my heart race. All the possibilities of things that could happen, I mean what if some outsider was camped out in here? I shook my head trying to clear the thoughts and tried to focus on the task.

I followed Karen and Tom inside and we started grabbing necessary food off shelves. Karen was quickly loading bags into the cart. I came over to her, loading some food into the cart. I brought the cart back over to the truck quickly and started handing boxes and small crates to Anthony, Who put in the truck bed. When I was done with that, I started moving the cart back to Karen. I heard loud thuds and I turned to the sound, seeing Hal on a ladder dropping boxes.

"Hal, keep it down! If there is somethin here you're gonna wake it," I whisper-yelled up to him.

I looked back to my shelf until I heard a screech and a thud. I looked to the ladder where Hal had been, seeing a Skitter on top of the tall shelf. My heart picked up speed and I could feel my body beginning to sweat from the anxiety of the situation. I ran over there seeing Hal on the ground.

I looked up seeing the Skitter at the top, peering down. I could hear it chitter and growl as it slowly made movements to either jump on top of us or climb down. I slowly made my way over to Hal, checking him quick, and then trying to help him get up.

"We got a Skitter!" I shouted. Tom rushed over, and I heard the click of his gun before he started shooting up at the Skitter.

"Hal, Anna! Get out of there!" Tom yelled to us. The Skitter let out an ear piecing screech and it jumped across to the other shelf trying to avoid Tom's bullets.

I helped Hal fully stand up, and I grabbed his gun handing it to him and we ran around one of the shelves. He stumbled a bit but I helped him gain balance. We heard the mechanical groans and clicks from a Mech approaching. We heard it start to open fire. Then It was silent for a second. We sat down on the ground pressing ourselves against the back of a shelf trying and hoping to stay out of view. I winced feeling my wounds pulse with pain.

"What the hell. Did they just put a Skitter and Mech into every single warehouse like watchdogs?" I muttered. "If my stitches get ripped out, it's on you."

"Noted." He swiftly replied.

I waited for a couple seconds before peering out into the aisle. The Mech made a slight turn and my breath hitched as I quickly pulled my head back out of sight from the Mech. It felt as if my heart had fallen into my stomach, I was never usually this close to any enemy and the thought of myself getting caught and potentially harnessed scared the living hell out of me. I took a deep breath regaining my composure.

"Okay, Hal load your gun." He nodded, doing as I said. "Okay, on my count... We move out, shoot at the Mech." I peered around the corner again, spotting the Mech. "It's halfway down the aisle," I whispered. I held my hand up telling him hold fire. "Alright, now!" I said.