Pain

Chapter 10 - Backlash

Chapter 10
Backlash

From the ledge we were waiting on, we were high enough up to see not only the campsite in front of us but a small portion of Brookshire behind us. The boys had been right, the soldiers had completely taken over the dozen or so farmhouses we could see. Every house in view was lit with artificial lights from electricity within. They'd restored everything, just so they had somewhere to live. I wasn't so sure that there was any point in fighting anymore. Our fate seemed sealed. We'd never get our homes back.

"I know what you're thinking, Esther," Koby muttered, settling himself down next to me and grimacing in pain. Today had really brought him to his limits.

"They're in our homes Koby," I said. "To get rid of soldiers is one thing, but to kill women and children to try and get our homes back is just unthinkable. I don't even know why we're trying."

"They look settled," he reasoned. "But one sniff of danger and they'll be out the door with their readymade bags. They're only in our homes until their army chooses to withdraw. We don't touch them, we do what we've always done and attack their army. Tonight, we're reminding them that this is our land and we know how to use it. We're reminding them that we're still here."

I opened my mouth to reply, when I was silenced by a harsh shush from Jen. I looked over to her, somewhat annoyed and saw her with her finger to her lips and her eyes staring out into the bush. That was when I realised that the boys successfully created the diversion and from the looks on their faces as they ran towards us, it was on a much bigger scale than they'd anticipated.

"Get ready," Nigel instructed, crouching beside Jen but staring in the direction he'd come from. "It's moving a lot faster than we first thought, stay alert."

It felt like there were only seconds between his words and a sudden yell from the direction of the enemy base. We looked eagerly over at the soldiers and saw a large majority of them looking in the direction the boys had come from. Smoke was starting to billow through the bush and glowing embers were visible from the distance.

The soldiers began yelling at each other in their own language, clearly debating something. Without knowing their specific origin, I was unsure whether they would have dealt with a fire as deadly as the one we'd just created. We knew how to handle it, while they seemed to have no idea what to do.

"Come on," Jacoby whispered, sweat beading on his brow.

His anxiety was completely necessary. The longer the soldiers stood their debating on what to do, the closer the fire got to the enemy base and to us. Not only were we facing the prospect of not being able to get the prisoners out, but also being burnt alive.

Finally, the shouting stopped. The soldiers seemed to have come to a decision. Two of them left the group and ran in the direction of the fire, apparently deciding to investigate before they made any further decisions. They streaked past us, the slower soldier struggling to keep up with the other as he appeared to be weighed down by a large belt full of heavy metal keys. We ducked into the undergrowth as they passed, eager for this plan to go off without a hitch.

"The keys," Candice whispered. "Did anybody else see them?"

"I did," Brigid breathed.

"Come on guys, we need to stick to the plan," Nigel argued. "We can't go ruining it now. If you attack one soldier, the other one will know and we'll be dead before the fire even gets here."

"How the hell do you plan on getting those people out then, Nigel?" I asked, my heart racing. "Those keys could be our only chance."

"We're not changing the plan now," Nigel growled.