Water's Edge

Chapter 5

     I look out the window and sure enough, there are at least twenty Barrens. They wear the typical Barren military clothing, white short sleeve shirts and sandy colored pants. I back away from the window and grab the rifle. The others follow my lead.
     The Barrens are now out of the trees and are creeping up to my house. Arroyo signals for us to take a window. We all crouch down and point our weapons at the intruders, waiting for the right moment to shoot. Lisa is shaking. I put a arm on her shoulder and give her a reassuring look. We will get through this.
     I turn back to the window and put my sights on the nearest Barren. I look at Arroyo. He catches my gaze, nods, and I fire. I hear a scream as the shot hits the Barren's shooting arm. I feel sick. I have hit cans, not humans.
The soldier I hit falls to the ground, holding his wound while the rest of the Barrens run for cover. They run to a group of rocks that is diagonal to my house, but further toward the water. If they stay there long the water will wipe them away.
"We just have to hold them there until high tide," I tell my friends and brother. They nod at me and I put my eyes back on the rocks. I see a quick flash of light and hear the boom of a gunshot as one of the Barrens sticks out his gun and shoots a blind shot. The bullet is way off, not even hitting the house.
Nothing happens as the smoke from the shot drifts away. When I think that the Barrens have somehow left undetected, I see Val twitch his gun and fire. I am astonished when I see a figure in tan and white fall in between two rocks.
"Nice shot," I say, very much impressed. For not having fired a gun, that was good. I look to my right at Lisa. She has a determined look on her face and a steely glint in her eye. What did I miss?
While I'm lost in thought about Lisa a bullet whizzes by my head. I immediately drop down flat on the floor. I look over and the bullet left a hole in the wall across from the window. I breathe a sigh of relief. The wall got hit but we didn't. Yet, my mind adds.
     I turn back to the window and locate the Barrens again. They're still behind the rocks and the water is quickly rising. The ocean is calm, but right now the tide is rising and the Barrens are in the way.
     I am calm as bullets whizz by my head. I feel like a new me. Like Darya 2.0.
My brother continues shooting the Colts while Lisa and Val fire their revolvers. After awhile we manage to take down ill of the Barrens. My beach is now covered in blood and silent where there had been shouts.
      I stand up and walk to the door. I turn back to where I was kneeling and suddenly feel bone tired. I walk out on the beach and survey the area. All the Barrens are either dead or dying so I go back to the house. The
     "Should we bury them?" Arroyo asks in a tired, strained voice. I nod and walk across the beach to where the sand is in between wet and dry. I start to dig and I hear footprints approaching.
     We dig a whole and push all of the Barrens inside. Even though they were Barrens, they still deserve a burial.
     Val and Arroyo search for drift wood while Lisa and I bring chairs out onto the beach.
      A little while later Val and Arroyo return and the four of us build up a small lean-too since none of us felt safe in a house full of bullet holes.
     By the time we are finished the moon is well up so we all go to bed.
     I just sit because I can't fall asleep. Looking back at it now, I realized that I wasn't too upset about killing those Barrens. The problem is that I'm not like that. Well, at least I thought I wasn't. Now though, I'm not so sure.
     I lay back and star up at the clear sky. The moon is bright against the darkness of space.
     What happened to the town? Why did they come? How did they find us? Are we safe now? All questions that should have been asked earlier. I sigh and stand up. I can't wait until later to find answers, I think as I stalk off into the night, leaving my friends -no, family-behind in the darkness.