Yield (81 page)

Feeling an iron grip on his bicep, Devin turns.

The general looks intently at the sky. One of his ears is turned upward, trying to hear above the growing choir of voices all around them.

“
Jacob?
”
Devin asks. His stomach sinks as he looks into the old man
’
s eyes.

T
he scream of jet engines
suddenly
roars overhead. The sharp sound seems to come from every direction. Echoes bounce, again and again, back from the horizons. The engines
’
cry fades away behind the clouds.

The crowd jumps when the sound waves slam into them. Slowly at first, a halfhearted cheer erupts to welcome the unseen reinforcements.

“
Thought the cavalry forgot about us,
”
Devin says, smiling back at Jacob.

The general
’
s eyes are sharpened steel.
“
That
’
s not our cavalry.
”

Explosions flash from behind them, blasting pieces of the defenseless crowds apart. Chunks of concrete are thrown into the sky. They land with crushing force down onto the packed rows of people just below.

Chris and Terra are shoved forward into the others as survivors begin pushing desperately for their lives. All around them, the crowd begins to run as one for the camp gates. The weak and infirm are thrown violently to the ground
,
their cringing bodies trampled without a second
’
s pause. The embattled trek soon becomes a stampede of the savage and terrified.

“
Stop!
”
Devin screams. But more bodies continue to force their way through.
“
Get to the side!
”
he shouts to Chris and Terra. The fireman snatches Isabel
’
s left hand, pulling her toward the side of the freeway and a small pocket of space beyond. Isabel clutches her pregnant stomach protectively with the other hand. She winces in pain as limbs slam into her over and over again.

“
Get away from her!
”
a deep voice booms from the center of the freeway.

Devin turns toward the authoritative growl, knowing it
’
s Jacob
’
s, even in the chaos. The general
’
s chiseled shoulders push and shove against the horde. He throws their bodies aside only to be replaced by dozens more. His head whips around, looking frantically for his granddaughter. The crowd quickly overtakes them just as Jacob lifts Sierra up into his arms. It swallows them both like a
swarm
of locusts.

“
Jacob!
”
Devin shouts. Bodies crash into him from every side, spinning the fireman around. Disoriented, he glances about. His eyes shoot around for the others, but only strange and terrified faces push by.
“
Chris! Terra!!
”

THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD-THUD!

50-caliber machine gun blasts echo in the waning light. Their muzzles spark at the edges of the refugee camp, trailing the skies for enemy attackers.

THUD-THUD
…
BOOM!!

More explosions rip through the scurrying mass of people, detonating new terror into the footrace.

Get her out of here,
a steadying voice rings in Devin
’
s ears. The fireman
’
s trained impulses cut through his confusion like an ax.
You can
’
t save the others
…
The words calm his mind even as his body screams out for his friends. Almost on their own the instincts engage,
driving him forward to protect the two lives still beside him. He can
’
t risk Izz and her baby. He can
’
t risk everything just to look for what already may be lost
…

They have to move. The seething mob will run them down if they don
’
t. The smell of their sweat already sours the air as more bodies shove and slam against them.

“
Come on!
”
Devin yells, pulling Isabel out into the madness moving past. Elbows and shoulders hammer into them. People are everywhere, pulling
—
c
lawing at one another for their right to exist.

The tightly-packed herd pulses across the ground. Their labored motion blurs over the bodies of those not so fortunate. A wavering oasis inches closer and closer.
We
’
re going to make it
…

The fence line sparkles in the setting sun. The camp gates are only a quarter-mile away now, and closing fast.

“
Devin!!
”
Isabel shrieks. She stumbles, going down as the clustering feet step on her own.

The eyes of those in flight are filled with selfishness and a primal savagery vacant of any restraint. Justification hardens their faces. The uncaring mass thrusts against them, forcing its way down the eastern edge of the freeway.

The stampede rips Devin
’
s and Isabel
’
s hands apart.

Survival surges forward again, moving viciously over the pregnant woman.

“
No! Isabel!!
”
the fireman screams. He pushes against the crowd, trying to fight his way back to her.
“
Damn it, move!
”
he pleads. But a new freight train of bodies smashes into him. Pushing with all of his strength, Devin
’
s shaking body is forced back. Step by step, he
’
s shoved f
a
rther away from Isabel
’
s outstretched hand.
“
Isabel!
”
he bellows, helplessness cracking in his voice.

Through the chaos, he sees Isabel curl protectively to save the baby inside her. She cringes in pain. The woman
’
s crippled body disappears again as another faceless legion swallows her.

BOOM!

A shotgun blasts into the air, finally parting humanity
’
s indifference. They scatter from the weapon like cockroaches blinded by light.

The fireman leaps toward Isabel, shooting the gun overhead again to drive back the approaching tide.
“
I
’
m here, Izz,
”
he shouts, glancing down to assess her injuries. Devin doubles over, his stomach aching as if he
’
d fired the shotgun into himself.

Isabel
’
s pupils are fully dilated, her eyelids fluttering. The pregnant woman
’
s body twitches on the ground. Devin stuffs the shotgun muzzle back into his bag and puts two shaky fingers to Isabel
’
s neck. Her weak pulse throbs slowly under the skin, her breathing irregular and ragged.
My God
…

Devin slides his hands carefully under her neck and lower back. He easily lifts Isabel up into his arms. The fireman
’
s emerald eyes dart around, searching frantically for any sign of aid.
“
Help us! Please
…
”
he yells. But the mob just continues on without concern, pushing past even while he begs.

Rage finally drives him forward. Devin cushions Isabel
’
s limp body, forcing his legs to move faster than the burning muscles will allow. He kicks and staggers toward the camp gates.
Please, no. Not her
…

Tears of failure mix with the fear in his eyes. Her paling face is almost pure white now.

*  *  *

Two soldiers, rifles at the ready, man the gate at the camp
’
s razor
-
wire fence line.
“
Slow down!
”
they shout to an oblivious horde. Their eyes are still locked on the skies, searching for traces of foreign fire.

THUD-THUD-THUD
…
THUD-THUD-THUD
…

The constant booming of anti-aircraft guns at the periphery of the camp creates a steady rhythm in the soldiers
’
ears. It drowns out their own words even as they shout them. Gratitude and terror lurch past as more and more people push into Seattle
’
s bustling refugee camp.

One of the soldiers quickly shoulders his weapon. Impulsively, he moves into the crowd, spotting an injured woman being carried toward them in the distance. His eyes go wide.

The limp body is pregnant.

He rushes to them, gently brushing the Hispanic woman
’
s hair back from her pretty face.

“
She
’
s unconscious,
”
the redhead carrying her shouts.
“
Maybe head trauma.
”

The soldier turns and screams behind him to the other guard.
“
Radio back to the aid station. I need a medic. Now!
”
There
’
s an urgency in the man
’
s voice that slices right through the chaos.

A swelling choir of fear combines with machine gun fire on both sides. It envelopes them, drowning out all voices like a sonic black hole. The spinning rotors of military helicopters roar overhead. Dirt and dust whip all around them, thundering toward the rear of the camp. The deafening noise almost pulses in the air. Every sound shoots down to the bone.

“
Medic to the north gate!
”
the other soldier barks into his handset. More bodies push him aside as refugees now run unimpeded through the entrance.
“
Critical injury. N.Y.D. Medic to the north gate. Now! Over.
”

Minutes tick by. Devin looks around, feeling Isabel
’
s body stop shaking in his arms.
“
Where the bloody hell is he?
”

“
They
’
re on the way, sir.
”

A wiry soldier wearing a white and red cross on his sleeve over the green fatigues finally arrives at the gate. The man is sweating profusely as he kneels beside Isabel. He takes her wrist and times the unsteady beats.

“
She went down and hasn
’
t regained consciousness,
”
Devin yells with a cracking voice.
“
There were people all around, just running over her. I couldn
’
t
…
”

“
Quiet!
”
the medic shouts. He jumps to his feet and leans over to check Isabel
’
s breathing. The soldier looks up in alarm when he hears none.

“
What
…
”
Devin trails off. His words are silenced by the look on the man
’
s face.

The medic spins back to the other soldier, pulling his face close.
“
She
’
s not breathing,
”
he hisses, pointing to the camp
’
s rear.
“
We have to get her back to the medical station
.
N
ow! Clear a path!
”

The wiry man turns to Devin, his arms out
for
Isabel
’
s limp body.

“
Not on your blooming life, mate,
”
the fireman growls. His eyes flicker dangerously.
“
Just lead the way.
”

The medic takes a step back from the intimidating man. Nodding, he puts his arm behind Devin and escorts him forward into the mob. The soldier sets off ahead of them, barking and pushing at the people still blocking their path.
“
Move! Out of the way!
”

The sun dips below the horizon in their eyes, illuminating the camp in a fiery haze.

The smell of death lingers in the air. Its stench fills the lungs with a sickly linger, clutching to everything and everyone. The rancid odor steams out from the jumbled piles of structures thrown all around. Human remains are trapped somewhere within, their anonymous graves never to be known or honored.