Legends ➸ Ben Parish

05

     AS SOON AS THE helicopter touched the ground we were all jumping out. This is a combat zone. Most of the buildings were on fire, cars were overturned, and pieces of concrete were scattered across the pavement.
I looked around, but couldn't find Nugget. Ben must've left him.
I put the headset on as well as these weird glasses. We were told that it would show us the 'teds'. Apparently anyone that was an alien would glow a bright green. Those were our targets.
"Come on space cadet." Ringer ordered. I realized I was staring into the flames.
We approached the first building when people started shooting at us. My eyes darted to the right where three teds were aiming their guns at us. I turned my body to start shooting. As always, I missed each one, but Ringer quickly took them down.
     "We need cover!" I shouted over the gunfire.
"The bus." Ben mumbled.
I stood up and started running to the bus. The rest of the squad followed me. I ducked down once inside.
"If we get to the roof we'll have a better advantage." I told them.
"The teds are everywhere. How're we gonna get there." Ringer contested.
Ben motioned for me to follow him, "Cover me."
I ran outside of the bus after him with my gun raised. I don't know how obvious it was that I had no idea what the hell I was doing.
I saw him pull the pin from a grenade and drop it into where you'd put the gas pump.
I ran back around to the door, "Come on, now!"
As we ran, the bus exploded, and sent shrapnel flying all around us. Oompa groaned and stumbled behind us. He fell to the ground.
     He was bleeding from his upper thigh. A piece of metal stuck out. There was no doubt in my mind that it had hit an artery.
     "Leave me." he stated, "Go."
    Ringer listened and kept running, but the rest of us tried to help him.
     Ben picked him up, "Come on, you'll be okay."
     I could tell Oompa bled out in his arms, but I didn't say anything in fear of slowing down the mission even more.
     Soon enough we had reached the door to the building and quickly went inside. Surprisingly, no one was there to greet us with rifles pointed at us. I raced up the stairs and stopped at the door to the roof.
     Ben pushed past me to open it. A lone sniper stood with her hands up in surrender. Ben shot her. As she collapsed the helmet that was concealing her face slipped off, revealing Reznik's infamous red lipstick.
     Reznik held a tablet in one hand and her gun in the other.
     "What the hell." I picked up the tablet.
     There were red buttons on the screen. Each one was accompanied by a picture of a member from Squad 53. I remembered the tracker in the back of my neck, "I think it might be a kill switch."
     "Bullshit." Flintstone grabbed it from my hands and pressed the button next to his picture. "It's probably just some beacon."
     He shook a little before falling forward. It was definitely a kill switch.
     "We weren't killing the others." Ben took out his knife, "We've been killing survivors for the others."
     "The kill switch connects to our trackers. If we go rogue they could kill us in seconds." Ringer explained.
     "Not if the trackers aren't in our bodies." I grabbed Ben's knife and slit the back of my neck. I then took out the little pill shaped tracker and threw it onto the ground.
     Eventually everyone took out theirs too.
     "Shit." Ben looked over the edge of the roof.
     "What is it?" I asked.
     "Nugget's still at the camp." he responded, "Where can I get shot in the torso and not die?" he asked Dumbo.
     "What?" Dumbo's eyes widened.
     "You heard me." Ben stared down at the 12 year old.
     "Here. Anywhere else and you'll bleed out." Dumbo pointed at his side.
     "I'm going back to get Nugget. I'll tell them you all got killed." Ben told us before trying to leave.
     "I'm coming with you." I shouted after him.
     "No you're not." he stopped me.
     "I wasn't asking." I smirked and ran ahead.
     The chopper was waiting for us where it dropped us off. I helped Ben limp into it as he explained that the teds killed the rest of the squad.

EDITED

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