Enshroud- An Avery Carter Novel

Chapter 5

 Chapter 5

“They are pushing forward Avery!”  Yelled a soldier over the radio.

            “Fall back!  Don’t risk your lives if you don’t have to.”

            Affirmative resounded throughout the radio from the others.  “They are searching the houses for Quraishi.  Two are coming up to yours right now get out of there now!”

            Carter had his M16 held in his one hand aimed at the door while he used the other to undo the bonds on Quraishi’s feet.  “Get up!”  He yelled at him.  The door was battered open by the butts of the hostiles’ assault rifles.  John pulled the trigger twice and unleashed six deadly rounds.

            “They are in here!”  One insurgent shouted from outside the door.  Carter grabbed one of his packs of C4 and planted it on the wall of the house right next to the door.  He grabbed Quraishi and got behind a wooden counter.

            “John get over here!”

John cleared the counter in one jump and rolled into a prone position on the other side.  Multiple insurgents surged inside as after they threw the chipped door off its rusted hinges.  Carter blew the explosive.  The blast knocked the walls out and incinerated the hostiles in the doorway.  He made a mistake in judging the structural integrity of the building and they had to rush to get out of the house before it collapsed on top of them.

“That was too close for comfort Avery.”  John gasped.

“Don’t get winded now John.”  Carter grabbed Asad and yelled at him to move.  They couldn’t lose Asad.

“Avery we are falling back to the southern edge of the hamlet.”

“We’ll meet you there.”

John was on the radio again.  “Where’s our support Zeus?”

“Our arrival is going to be delayed on account of a sandstorm”

“Sandstorm!”  John exclaimed in horror.

Carter pulled his goggles over his eyes.  “Put your goggles!   A sandstorm is coming.”

Curses followed the arrival of this news over the air.  Rifle shots spat at them as they darted into the alley with a bound and disoriented Asad.  He threw Asad down a short flight of stairs and he turned to take aim on a small cluster of enemies pursuing them.  Bullets from both Carter’s and John’s rifles dropped them before they had a chance to stop and aim.  John wheeled around and started leading Quraishi down the alley while Carter kept his rifle aimed at the end of the hall.  To his right he heard a war like cry.  He pivoted to his right and saw a man wielding a machete and charging him.  Carter sidestepped and did a sweeping kick that knocked the hostile off his feet and onto his chest.  He riddled him with bullets until blood seeping through his shirt announced his death.

“Come on Avery!”  John urged.

A deafening roar of winds overwhelmed his ears and then was hit by dense wall of air laden with sand.  Nearly losing his footing to the sandstorm, Carter  stumbled down the alley after John who was spared from the wall of sand inside a café.  As he got in the café spooked hostiles rushed inside to escape the storm.  John acted first and neutralized all three of them.

“Is everyone alright!”  Carter inquired via radio.

“We’re fine Avery, keep moving towards our position.”

“How long do you think the storm will last Avery?”

“Up to four hours is how long they usually last.”