The End

Bad Town

The road was fairly clear and we walked briskly down the road towards our destination. "Where is it we're going again?" asked Myles. Ray sighed and said for what seemed to be the 10th time "We're going to Bad Town to get the rest of my squad and stock up on supplies and ammo".

"Not a very original name is it? 'Bad town'" said Myles, Ray snorted. "Well it's a town of bandits and raiders and they aren't particularly renowned for their creativity and intellect are they?" said Ray. I chuckled and said "you got that right".

"Anyway without my squad we would never reach the gherkin" continued Ray smiling a bit as he walked. "Why not?" I asked feeling a bit apprehensive. "Well first we gotta make it through the alleys and back streets of the empty district, and then through the big tower hotel and then to our base!".

"That is a LOT of ground to cover" said Myles, surprised to say the least. "Wouldn't it be easier to go down the main road?" I asked. "It would be if it wasn't so fucking dangerous" answered Ray bitterly. I looked concernedly at Ray and he said apologetically "Sorry... It's just that I lost one of my squad down the main roads" he sighed deeply, "older guy by the name of Karl, was a real tough guy. He was a demolitions expert for my team and.... Well, we were being chased by about 100 malakists and we ran off into a alleyway and well... We were fucked basically. We were up against a door with a metal shutter on it and malakists were pouring into the end of the alley."

Me and Myles listened to Ray's story intently as he took a breath and continued. " we were basically saying our prayers and getting ready for a last stand when Karl shoved a block of C-4 and a detornator into my hands and yelled 'you have to get out of here!'. Ray paused and he seemed to have a lump in his throat.

"I yelled at him 'what are you doing!?' And tried to grab his arm but he was too quick" Ray's voice cracked and he stopped talking for a moment, breathing heavily as he walked. I caught up to him and patted him on the back "you did all you can Ray" I said kindly. "Thanks" said Ray after steadying himself "anyway" he continued steadily "I slapped the C-4 on the metal shutter and yelled at the others to get down and then I turned to look at Karl.".

Ray took a deep breath "I'll never forget what I saw... Karl was standing there holding a detonator connected to the rest of the explosives on his chest... He was smiling at us and the Malakists were almost on top of him when he...he...pulled the detonator".

I could imagine in my mind's eye the desperate situation which Ray described, the group of soldiers trapped and exhausted and the hundred relentless malakists pursuing them. "The explosion was incredible" continued Ray and I was brought back to earth, "almost 3/4 of the malakists were wiped out by it and I was blasted back off my feet and up against the end of the alleyway." I imagined a great fireball erupting in a alleyway washing over the horde of malakists, consuming them.

"The smoke cleared and most of the alleyway had collapsed, a small hole was left and a few claws were reaching through, still trying to dig their way to us." "Damn they're persistent!!" Interjected Myles. "Yeah they are" answered Ray "I pulled the detonator in my hand whilst everyone was on the ground, and the shutter was blown in half. We charged through still not quite believing what Karl had done and we made it out back to our forces".

As Ray's story came to a close there was silence, Myles whistled "Damn I'm sorry man" said Myles. "It doesn't matter" said Ray. "I just want to make sure nothing like that ever happens again..." We had been walking for quite some time now and the sun was now setting and the sky was reddening. "Guys, it's getting dark" I pointed out "we gotta get moving." "We hadn't noticed" said Myles sarcastically. Ray laughed "It's not far now" he reassured us "listen, you can hear it in the distance".

We stopped in the middle of yet another crossroads and listened, in the distance we could Definitely hear the discordant noises of shouting, laughing and the odd gunshot. "Sounds rowdy!" I said "Captain obvious strikes again!" Replied Myles dramatically, and Ray roared with laughter, even I smiled sheepishly.