The Soul Conflict

Chapter 8: Snakebite

As soon as I heard the submachine gun go off I threw myself to the ground instinctively. I quickly put my hands over my head as I faced the dirt. What the hell is happening out here!? Does Senar have a gun? Marshall and Peter both sought cover behind one of the houses, dragging Angela along with them.

I looked up to see four people standing at the edge of the forest armed with submachine guns and rifles. All four of them were clad in gray armor with a blue tint not too unlike the Sunai combat skins, although perhaps a bit squarer. All of them wore helmets with wide tinted visors that obscured their faces. Flashlights attached to their guns turned on with a bright flash.

Those are the same men from my dream. I am sure of it. The faceless soldiers armed with strange rifles. Most concerning of all, however, was the symbol that was branded on the left side of their helmets. It was the symbol of the double layered star.

"Oh god..." I yelped when the realization had hit me. These were The Serpent's soldiers. Why have they come here?

"Nathan! Outta here, now!" Peter yelled at me and then dragged me off the ground. He threw me behind one of the houses just seconds before the loud prattling of a rifle sounded. I heard glass shattering as the bullets terrorized the occupants of the home, followed by the screams of men and women. I briefly saw Nigel drag Ibis behind a different house. This is really really bad, we are in no shape for an attack on this scale!

"This is bad. We have no ammo or armor." Marshall said with an expression of worry on his face.

"What are we going to do?" Angela said with a frightened face.

"You and Ibis both know magic and are the only ones at the moment who are capable of dealing damage. I need to you to fight back." Marshall said hastily. She nodded reluctantly.

"What do I do? I have nothing." I said fearfully. Am I dead meat? I've never been in the middle of a shootout...oh god I am going to die! I shouldn't have come here. This is too much for me, I am not tough enough to do something like this. Senar is one thing, but facing down god knows how many rival soldiers...it is too much!

"Stay here and try not to get killed." Marshall ordered. As much as that statement made me feel helpless, it was a fairly sound idea. There was nothing I could do. I heard fast footsteps approaching the house, coupled with the sound of shuffling armor. Marshall made a quick glance to Peter. "Cover me. Angela, take the left." He said while he shuffled to the right side of the house. Angela promptly shuffled to the left side.

"Will do, you nut job." Peter said with a smile. Marshall dug out a sheathed hunting knife from his back pants pocket and then quickly unsheathed it. I watched as one of the soldiers came marching past the corner while Marshall hid behind the wall.

With a swift, calculated motion Marshall grabbed the man by the helmet and threw him against the wall. He wailed in a mixture of surprise and pain, which turned into agony when Marshall slammed the knife down into his hand. Blood spurted out from the wound and made me a little sick. The soldier let go of his rifle, allowing Marshall to snatch it from him without much of a fuss. Marshall held the black scope of the rifle close to his eye and then shot the man in the face a few times without a moment's hesitation.

Shock erupted through me as well as pain as my eardrums exploded from the sound of that rifle. I can't hear a thing! I have never seen such a brutal takedown on a man...my eyes were drawn to the dark red blood splatter on the wall. The soldier hung limp with his head against the wall, lifeless as an empty home. That was...horrifying. No arrest process, no justice, just...death. I clutched my ears in pain but could not take my eyes off of the body. There has been too much death today.