In Death's Grip

In Death's Grip: Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"The day is ours! The battle is over! We have won!" Hank roars from atop the wall. The fighting is done. At least for now it is.

The heavy rain that was falling throughout most of the battle is now but a mere drizzle. My clothes are soaked all the way through and are sticking to my body. A mixture of sweat and rainwater covers my skin from top to bottom.

Hank starts yelling out orders. "With the battle over now, we need to repair the damage. Felix, get a count of all the dead and wounded. Who's our head doctor again?"

"Amy, sir. She's right here," Felix says, gesturing toward Taylor's mother who is standing amongst the crowd of people. Amy makes her way to the front of the crowd so that Hank may address her easier.

"Amy, go with Felix and tend to the wounded."

"Yes, Hank," she says as Felix leads her toward the many injured people that are waiting to be fixed.

Hank turns to speak to his other leaders. "Amelia, go to the armory and make sure all the weapons are safe."

"Yes sir," she says obediently and sprints off to fulfill her orders.

"Daniel, Ford, I want the two of you to go and check on the crops and livestock. I want you to count and recount how many we have left if Nikolai's forces damaged them."

The two men nod in understanding and leave to carry out their duties.

"Tony, come with me. We have a lot to talk about. The rest of you, go back to your homes! This mess will be sorted out and all of you will remain safe," Hank explains to the worried frenzy of survivors.

Reluctantly, we all disperse and head back to our houses. Nathan and Haven appear out of nowhere beside me. They begin to walk with the rest of us.

"What happened out there?" Nathan asks me.

"Nikolai was playing us the whole time. It was all a ruse to lure out and attack the city. His plan failed though. I thought you could hear everything on the radio?"

Haven answers my question, "All we could hear was a bunch of shouting and then I saw Nikolai attack you guys. I got a few rounds off but none of them hit where I wanted. I also saw what Hank did to Nikolai."

"What did he do?" I ask, curious.

"When Nikolai was beaten, Hank still didn't let up. He chopped some of his fingers off and then sent him running with his tail between his legs. It was horrible to watch," Nathan says.

"That man took our home. Are you saying that he deserved mercy?" I ask, confused about Nathan's meaning.

"No, I believe he deserved every bit of what he got," Nathan explains hastily, "I just don't think Hank should've been as brutal as he was. I mean, how does he expect people to trust him if he's acting like a merciless killer?"

"You're asking why we can't trust the man that threatened our lives not too long ago? I don't think I can think of a single reason not to trust him," I answer sarcastically.

"We need to get home," Haven says, "And we need to get some things sorted out."

"Agreed," Nathan and I answer together.