Outrage

[jackl]

Outrage

Part One.

David’s eyes flickered slowly open. He lay on his back staring up at the dark sky for what felt like an eternity. He felt awful. His head pounded and he felt like vomiting, he tried to move but found that this only made his head spin and his nausea worse. He vomited. The thick bile covered his chest and neck, the smell making him feel even worse but still he just lay there. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been unconscious. Wasn’t even sure why he’d been unconscious. He was sure however that this was not how he’d imagined it to be. He’d watched the movies, seen the big tough Hero guys get flattened by an explosion or smashed across the back of the head. Seen them fall knocked out to floor. And watched as they had woken, rubbed their eyes and got to their feet as if they’d just woken from a good nights sleep. To his utter disappointment he found the reality (as always) somewhat lacking.
He tried to rise again and this time managed to actually lift his head. The effort was almost overwhelming. He felt as if his own regular head had somehow been switched with a solid lead replica. A replica filled with sloshing water and about a ton of …well a ton of something that can make you feel like crap. He gave up and lay back down. Closing his eyes he tried to think back to what was going on just before he woke up, or got knocked out whichever way you want to look at it. He remembered nothing. He knew his name, David Charles Smith. Knew his address and date of birth. All of which came as a relief. At least he wasn’t suffering from Amnesia. His eyes were starting to hurt with the effort of keeping them shut so he opened them. Only to find this was worse. I bet old STALONE never felt like this. A smile cracked his lips, literally. The dry skin tore as it moved adding one more pain to his already extensive list. A burning in his throat that could only be stopped by a cold glass of clear fresh water quickly joined this.
“I gotta move.” David thought. Readying himself he took two deep breaths. And sat up. He appeared to be sitting in what had once been a building. What sort of building he couldn’t tell. Most of it was missing. There was no roof. Only half of a wall left up right. The rest of the “building” lay scattered in broken piles all around him. Through the space left by the now missing ceiling he could see that the sky was filled with a huge black pall of smoke. It seemed to hang menacingly over him. Over the piles of broken concrete and bricks he could see other buildings. Some seemed intact; others were, like his own little space, little more than broken shells.
Suddenly an image flickered across his vision. Something from before the blast. The Blast. That was it…there had been an explosion. He and little Jimmy and Chris had been sitting playing. Hang on. Where were jimmy and Chris? David’s head was suddenly a little clearer. Leaning forward he rested on his hands and knees before rising uneasily to his feet. Noticing for the first time that his jacket was soiled with his own vomit he slipped it off and dropped it to the floor. He stood swaying like a tree in a gale for a minute or two but gradually his sense of balance returned and the sickly feeling in the pit of his stomach subside. It returned quickly.
Chris lay just feet away. His left arm and leg were gone. Replaced by torn and bloody stumps that, in turn were attached to a torn and bloody torso. His eyes were wide in their sockets and his jaw hung open at a wholly unnatural angle. David vomited again. His legs buckled and he dropped back to his knees. This time he kept on vomiting. Long after he had ejected every ounce of fluid, and what seemed like his entire digestive system his stomach continued to cramp and his throat to retch. As soon as he was able David stood again. Catching sight of his friends mutilated corpse once more he turned and bolted through the piles of rubble. All thoughts of grogginess and nausea were gone as he stumbled over bricks and broken wood and out into what had once been a quiet suburban street. Only when he reached the end of his street did David stop. His heart pounded and his hands were shaking violently. He looked about him in shock and disbelief at the scene that confronted him. The city was burning.
Across the road, not a hundred meters from him, every house was engulfed in flames. The heat was intense. The flames were leaping high into the air and as he watched the house at the end of the block collapsed in upon itself in an eruption of smoke and flames. Sparks and cinders were sent pouring into the sky and out across the wide Avenue. On the right side the houses and trees were beginning to ignite also, either from these same embers or from the pure heat of the other fires. In the opposite direction the view was similar and if anything worse. Everything in that area seemed to be burning. David knew that that way led down into the city’s huge industrial area and realised with horror that some of the nations largest petro-chemical facilities were in that part of the city. The fumes from those fires would likely be toxic. He had to go. Now.
He turned to run. The road leading south seemed pretty clear. Only three or four houses along its length were burning and that road led out into the open countryside after only two or three miles. He set off running but pulled up short after only yards. In one of the houses he could hear someone screaming. It sounded like a girl, possibly a young woman. David shook his head and set of running again. He needed to get clear of the fires if he wanted to live. The girl/woman screamed again. His sense of self-preservation fought against his sense of chivalry and duty. The latter won. Spinning on his heals he tore towards the house where the screams originated.
It was a big old house. All ornate scroll works and huge windows and at three stories it dwarfed those on either side. But it was built from wood, unlike most in this area and already it was burning. The roof and second floor balcony were engulfed. Blazing like a blowtorch. The flames were yet to penetrate deep into the house but it was plain that anyone inside was in real danger. The screams were getting louder. As David reached the front door he found it locked and bolted from the inside. Taking a few steps back he threw his full weight into the door. He achieved nothing but nearly dislocating his shoulder. The door didn’t budge. He ran round the back.
The whole rear of the house was alight, from the ground floor right up to the roof, burning timbers were raining down in to the plush vegetation in the huge garden and already the trees and shrubs were starting to burn. The screaming was now constant and David feared whoever it was would be dead with seconds. He turned and raced back to the front of the house and without thinking threw himself bodily through one of the huge windows. He landed in a heap and shower of glass in a long elaborate dinning room. The table was made of the shiniest mahogany he’d ever seen, laid out ready for dinner with golden rimmed crockery and what appeared to be solid gold cutlery and ornate candlesticks. At the far end of the room flames were licking greedily through an open door way, ready to consume the deeply coloured wall hangings and precious paintings which adorned the walls. David bolted through the opposite door and into the house’s main hall. The screams were coming from the second floor. He took the stairs two at a time. He lost his footing, stumbled but continued up. As he reached the landing the ceiling above suddenly sagged, huge cracks criss-crossed the entire length of it. Through the cracks he could see the flames which were now devouring the third floor. They would be falling in on him in minutes.
The girl had now stopped screaming and David could not pin point her location. He tried the door nearest to him but found nothing behind it but a sheet of boiling flame. Behind the second he found a closet stuffed with linen and bedding. The third was a massive bedroom, its ceiling also close to collapse. The huge four poster bed dominating the room was all that held it up, and the flames were quickly eating its supports. Panic began to rise in his throat. He wasn’t going to find her. The ceiling was now groaning and shifting. Embers poured through the widening cracks constantly. The carpet beneath his feet was smouldering and smoking, threatening to ignite and burn him from below while the ceiling attempted to crush and burn him from above. “I must be crazy.” He said out loud. One more door lay before him and crossing his fingers he pushed the door open.
The girl was about ten; she was curled into a ball in the far corner of the room. She wore a satin pink dress that was stained and scorched by the heat. Her eyes were tight shut and tears had left clean trails through the ash on her cheeks. She was now whimpering softly and rocking slowly back and forth. David scooped her up in his arms and raced for the door. Behind him the ceiling where the girl had been sitting crashed inwards obliterating her once pristine bedroom. The girl didn’t react. She stayed curled into a ball in David’s arms as he stumbled down the now burning staircase. The landing above was sheathed in flame just seconds later as the ceiling there finally gave way also. The front door of the house was still locked but the keys were in the door. Struggling with the girl in his arms David finally managed to undo the last bolt and flew across the front lawn and into the street. Behind him, with a groan like a dying dragon the whole roof of the mansion finally admitted defeat and dropped down into the inferno below. As it went it dragged the walls in with it and with one last scream of rendering timbers the whole house tumbled in on itself.
David too collapsed into a heap. Setting the girl down he lay silently for a minute before looking about him. The fires were quickly spreading towards him and the girl now. Racing house to house up the streets. They were far from safe yet. Summoning his last reserves of energy he hoisted the girl up and stumbled off up the road, away from the flames and towards the safety of the countryside.
At least he hoped the countryside would be safe.

to be continued....

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Thank God he escaped the house in time What can I say, that was fantastic writing

[vovan]

Your ability to deliver quality stuff is quite amazing, jackl. Another fine piece of writing right there.

One minor formatting request: could you put two newlines between your paragraphs

like this? It makes reading a bit easier.

Other than that, what can I say... Eagerly awaiting the next chapter.

[Philosphy]

Perfect start! I know this story will develop into something great.

[jackl]

Outrage.



Part Two.

Night had fallen and a hard frost had settled across the pavement by the time the glow from the burning city had sunk below the northern horizon. David’s arms ached with the weight of the girl, he’d carried her in silence for at least four hours. After the crazy dash from the burning house and the hurried flight from the encroaching flames the cold night air had begun to permeate his body, causing already bruised and sore limbs to stiffen and fight every movement. The girl however slept soundly in his arms. Her tiny frame was wrapped in a blanket which David had managed to obtain from one of the now hundreds of people heading Zombie-like down the road.

The first group had joined the road back in the city. There had been about ten of them. They were dirty with soot and a number were obviously nursing serious burns. One of the older men hobbled along using a broken fence post as a crutch. The broken bone in his ankle protruded through a ragged hole in his trousers. They had not spoken a word to David or each other. Their eyes were blank with shock and David could not begin to imagine the horror they had been through. As he had progressed towards the city’s outskirts more and more people crowded the path, all heading in the same direction. No one spoke and every face had that same blank expression of utter shock. The houses on either side of the road had quickly fallen to the flames but the road had widened enough to allow the people to pass by without too much danger.


David had found his mind wandering as he had walked amongst them. There were so many. Men, women and children. Young and old. All thrown together in some calamitous event the likes of which David’s mind could not even try to comprehend. The options ran through mind over and over. Each as ludicrous as the last and dismissed from thought that much more quickly. An earthquake perhaps or a volcano. Maybe nothing more than a fire in one of the oil plants got out of control. Terrorists? Maybe an Atom bomb or even Aliens. It was just too much to think about so his mind did the only thing it could. It stopped thinking. David had wandered along mindlessly with the rest of them.

Even when a building had collapsed close by, spilling burning wreckage and rubble out into the crowd, crushing and pummelling a great many of them to death, David and the rest had continued on. Their minds numbed by shock and horror, by the events that they had become caught up in that they could not stop to help or bring themselves to care. Along the route many had fallen. Collapsing from fatigue or simply sitting by the side of the road and silently succumbing to their injuries. Only a few had stayed behind to help, usually a family member, a parent or a frightened child but for the most part the crowd had just kept trudging away from the flames leaving the injured, the dying and their carers behind.


Fatigue and aching muscles in his arms and legs finally forced David to stop. He had to rest or he would drop and he knew it. Shuffling through the now thinned out and still silent throngs he reached the grass verge at the side of the road. It was bordered at the top by a thick dark hedgerow, behind which lay a huge square field of golden wheat. He stumbled up the verge and laid down the girl. She twisted from his grasp, her body shook violently for a second but she never fully woke and within seconds she was still and sleeping deeply. David lowered himself to the soft grass and lay down beside her. In the dark he could just make out a few others dotted across the verge. Most were motionless. Only the sounds of their laboured, fitful breathing giving evidence that they were asleep and not dead. A few of the shapes were totally silent. David was soon asleep.



The Cold night quickly gave way to a bright but equally cold morning, the frost that had settled over night had worsened, covering each and every blade of grass with its very own crystalised sheath, each silent body with a fine layer of dusted sugar. The sky was clear as blue glass. The moon hung folornly just above the horizon as if unwilling to abandon its vigil of the earth. The sun though bright seemed to have cooled and provided no heat to the people below. David woke with a start. His heart racing he looked quickly around, convinced he was in danger. Scattered across the verge and road were about fifty people, a few were sitting upright and chatting around a small campfire in the middle of the road, some were still asleep. It appeared that most would never wake.


Rolling over he forced his muscles to move and they screamed with pain in response. Looking back down the road towards the city he could see the huge black smudge that marred an almost perfect (if a little cold) blue sky. He shuddered involuntarily. Finally standing up he caught the eye of one of the ragged looking men at the campsite. The man nodded an acknowledgement before turning back to the fire and kneeling to warm his hands. David wanted to join them but…he looked suddenly around. Panic rising in his gut. The girl. Where was the girl? He span frantically in a circle, his eyes scanning the verge and fields opposite. She was standing by the fire. Her pink dress showing through the thick brown cloth of the blanket she had wrapped around her shoulders, a piece of bread in her hand and a smile on her face.
David’s feet crunched through the frozen, crystallised blades of grass as the walked down the embankment. When he reached the group the man who had nodded smiled up at him.

“She’s Ok Mate.” He nodded at the girl “Just hungry. Ain’t that right Tiger?” he smiled at the girl. She nodded emphatically as a lady in a huge but tattered blue ball gown handed her another piece of bread. She took it with another beaming smile.

“Precious little thing.” Cooed the lady turning to David “You must be very proud of her. What’s her name?”

David shook his head “She’s not mine.” He stammered “I …well…I sort of found her. I don’t know her name? Have you asked her?”

“Won’t say a word.” Said the woman

“Or can’t.” interrupted one of the men

“Where did you find her then?” his voice was heavy with suspicion and David was suddenly feeling a little intimidated. He pulled him self up to his full height and smiled to try and relieve a bit of tension.

“She was trapped in a burning house. I pulled her out just in time.”

“And where were here parents?” said the woman in the blue gown “Why couldn’t they help.”

“I don’t know,” admitted David. The girl was staring up at him as if transfixed. Her smile so wide as to melt hearts. The ragged man saw this too.

“Well lad. It looks like she’s happy to see you anyway.”

And with that all the tension dropped away.

“Looks like the lads a hero.” He motioned to the group to relax and the lady in the blue gown leaned forward and handed him a cup.

“No sugar I’m afraid” she smiled warmly as David sipped at the strong black coffee.

“I’m Valerie by the way. Very pleased to meet you…” she offered her hand

“David.” He took the hand

“And this David” She motioned to the big man “this is my husband, Nicholas.”

The man nodded “Nick if you please.”

David smiled and thanked them for the coffee, accepted a piece of bread and motioned the girl over. She stepped to him and he smiled happily as he asked

“You okay?”

she nodded and smiled before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him. He continued to check her over, looking for cuts or other injuries but she seemed fine. She just stood and stared at him the whole time. Her hair was dirty and messy and she was covered in grime but he was sure she was pretty under it all. About the same age as little jimmy…oh god…but he couldn’t think about that now. He turned to nick.

“Do you have any idea what happened?” he asked.

Valerie jumped in first “You mean you don’t know?” her tone was one of complete shock and her face was a picture of disbelief.

David shook his head “No. I haven’t a clue.” His eyes darted from Valerie’s shocked face to Nicks “I was in the house when there was an explosion. I guess I was knocked out. When I came to I …well… I guess I just ran. Everything was burning and I just…” his voiced cracked.

“Hey Lad.” Said nick “Come on don’t worry. You’re safe for now.”

The girl’s smile was gone. Replaced by concern and worry as she looked up at him. David shook his head.

“Safe for NOW?” he asked incredulously. “Listen nick. What the hell is going on? What happened back there. What sort of accident can burn a whole city?”

Nick shook his head “The city weren’t burned by no accident son.” He nodded up to wife and motioned to the littlegirl. Valerie took the girls hand and led her to the other side of the fire.

Nick leaned forward and stared straight into David’s Eyes. “It was the Russians. They invaded last night and their armies burned Manchester to the ground. We English are at war! With Russia!”

To be continued…

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Fabulous

[vovan]

More! More! More!

[sprudl]

Awesome. Just awesome. That's all I can say after reading this.

Oh... and give us more

[Philosphy]

Nice. I like how you waited to reveal the civilizations names and such tell the very end. It gave the chapters ending a kind of boost. Just my opinion anyway. So hurry up and make the next part.

[jackl]

OUTRAGE.


Outrage.


Part three…

“The Russians?” Gasped David as his mind reeled. “Why? How? What the fu…” he looked round at the group, at the tattered clothes and bandaged limbs, at burns that would take weeks to heal and terrorised faces that revealed deep emotional wounds that would likely never heal. And he looked at the girl, a tiny little parcel of innocence. She should now be playing with friends or parents but now they were all now likely to be dead. She should be in school, learning her maths and geography. That school was now a pile of ash. She should not be here, his mind screamed, should not be surrounded by horror and death, should not be orphaned so young and should not have had to endure the terror of the last day. But she had. As had many others. In the pit of his stomach David felt a cold hard not of fury develop. The Russians would pay for this. He turned back to Nick.

“What has the government done?” his tone was like steel. Nick shook his head.

“I only know what the radio told me.” He pointed to the now silent wireless lying just yards from his feet.

“And the batteries went dead about midnight last night.”

“It must have told you something more?” David was nearly screaming, his anger and frustration boiling over and venting at the first person he could. The group looked on, their faces showing concern. The girl was close to tears. Valerie stormed over to David’s side.

“Now you listen to me young man?” she said through clenched teeth “just get a hold of yourself and remember who you are talking to.” She pointed at nick, who stood stony faced just feet away

“That man, and the rest of us have offered you what little we can. Coffee, bread and hospitality.” She was visibly shaking, obviously unaccustomed to confrontations

“So you just remember yourself and show some manners young man?” she finished defiantly, crossing her arms over her ample chest. David looked nervously at his shoes.”

“Your right Valerie. I am sorry. Its just…well you know.” He looked at Nick, his eyes filling up “I’m Sorry…” he mouthed. Nick shook his head and threw a fatherly arm around his shoulders. A warm grin spread from ear to ear.

“Don’t worry lad. We’re all a little tired and more than a little scared.” He nodded at his wife “Don’t let her bother you either. Barks much worse than the bite.” David chuckled, as did Nick and before long the whole group was roaring. Valerie even cracked a smile. It appeared to be welcome release. All the tensions seemed to melt away. The group stayed gathered around the fire most of that morning. Talk quickly moved onto the battles that must surely be raging all across the northern borders by now.

“We’ll be pounding them to dust.” Was nick’s optimistic appraisal of the situation.

“There ain’t no army on earth can match our boys. We’ll be marching on Moscow as I speak I bet.” The others were unanimous in their agreement.

“Yeah” said one man “Poor old Catherine. She’ll be begin’ for peace before we know it.”

“Teach her to burn our house.” Chorused Valerie. David was not so optimistic.

“Where is the Army then?” he asked into a gap in the chatter. The crowd fell silent.

“They’ll be up north.” Grinned a woman “Killing Ruskies.” The group cheered and whooped.

“But we haven’t seen any of them.” Said David. “Not a single soldier. Not one.”

“Like I said,” said the woman her voice full of scorn “they’ll be up north…”

She was cut off by a man on the hillside shouting. He turned and called out

“You want the army mate.” He pointed over the crest of the hill “There’s the Army.”

As one the group rushed to the mans side, dodging the bodies of those that had died the night before as they mounted the verge. The man pointed towards the eastern horizon.


The road and fields were filled with tanks, huge grey green monsters with massive guns all pointing forward. Between them were thousands of men, all in uniform and running to keep up with the tanks. Behind them were more tanks and more men, pouring like water through a broken damn over the horizon. Over head two jet fighters roared by, their huge red cross markings glinting in the sun. The people on the verge cheered and waved.


“That’s our boys” screamed nick. The tanks were only a quarter of a mile away now; the noise from their engines was deafening. One of the leading tanks quickly re-centred its main gun and fired. The crowd screamed as one as the other tanks followed suit and swivelled their guns round also and fired. The first tank fired again and this time the crowd could see at what. On the horizon, behind the English tanks a huge column of what had to be Russian Armour appeared.

David’s legs were suddenly weak. He turned to stare at Nick, who’s mouth hung limply open in disbelief.

“There’s our vaunted Army.” Screamed David as one of the English tanks Exploded from the impact of a Russian shell.

“Retreating.” He grabbed the girl and turned to run “Right over us!”

The group broke and ran as one, shells begin to pummel the ground all around them, churning the ground to mud in an instant. The road was obliterated as a series of shells landed in a line down its centre. Huge gaping holes replaced the smooth concrete that now rained down upon them. The bodies on the verge were also caught in the onslaught and those living were soon being assaulted with churned soil and body parts.


With the road destroyed and all around them death raining from the skies the crowd broke and ran in every direction. Nick and Valerie stayed together and ran into the wheat fields to the west, rushing headlong across the path of the oncoming tanks. Valerie was screaming constantly and Nick’s heart was pounding and causing pain in his chest. He slowed as a huge English tank cut across their path. English soldiers were suddenly everywhere and Valerie grabbed hold of the closest one. He looked at her for just a split second before shrugging her off and tearing away at full speed. Valerie turned back to Nick. His face was ashen and he was clutching at his chest. A shell exploded close by and Valerie was lifted bodily into the air. She landed twenty feet away and tried to stand. She never saw the tank. She certainly never had chance to scream before the treads crushed the life from her.
Nick never saw his wife die. His heart, which had been troubling him for years finally failed him just seconds later. As they had lived, so they died. He was always running a little ways behind.

David had no idea where he was going, he was back on the road and running, letting his feet and not his head lead the way. In his arms the girl was screaming, her eyes were wide with terror as she stared at the horror over his shoulder. “Close your eyes.” He begged her breathlessly. His feet were knocked from under him as a shell hit ground just yards away. He was up and running without even thinking. Ahead of him were three of the guys from the fireside. To his left and right he suddenly noticed tanks and soldiers, lots of them. They quickly over took him, as the shellfire seemed to intensify. One of the tanks was caught a glancing blow, its tread was tore free and sent spinning off through the air. It hit a group of soldiers and cut them down like a mower through grass. David put his head down and ran harder.

Tanks and infantrymen were now all around him. In front and behind and the ground was getting more and more littered with the dead and injured. The three guys from the fireside had disappeared from his view. In the distance he could see the still smoking rubble of Manchester. And he was heading straight for it. Three more tanks exploded to his right. The turret from one clattered across the road behind him. The body of the driver landed just yards ahead of him and what felt like rain spattered his face. He dared not lift a hand to wipe it away. The girl was now whimper and with every close explosion her body tensed. His chest was warm and wet where she had lost her bladder.


Above him the two jets returned, screaming overhead before being blotted from the sky by a similar Russian jet. The wreckage adding to the general rain of heavy metal now pouring continuously on to the now utterly demoralised and devastated English Army. David’s lungs and legs burned and he felt close to collapse but still her forced himself to run. A bloodied soldier overtook him and the two men locked eyes for a brief second. It felt like a lifetime as a world of information was passed by that single glance. Information too deep for David to grasp at the time. He never saw the body lying prone ahead of him.


His feet tangled in the dead man’s open chest and he tumbled forward, the girl left his grasp and her scream was all he knew before the solid road came up to meet his face and unconsciousness took him once again.

This time he came round quickly, no feelings of groginess or dizzyness. Just an aching in his jaw and a tingling in his fingers. He was lying on the road right where he’d fell. The noise had died away and there was no one in sight. He sat up and out of nowhere a pair of green camoflage legs appeared. A rifle muzzle hovered close to his face. His eyes followed the length of the gun up to a young mans face. The soldier said something which David did not understand. He shook his head. “I don’t understand” said David as the man continued to speak.
“Do you speak English?”
“No. He doesn’t” said a voice from over David’s shoulder. David spun to see the soldier he’d made eye contact with earlier sat close by. His hands and legs were tied.
“But I speak Russian.” He nodded back at the Soldier with the rifle “And he says that you are now a prisoner of war!”


to be continued….

[ChrisiusMaximus]

Epic stuff wheres the kid ?

[vovan]

Gripping stuff^*.

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^* Gripping Stuff is a phrase © ChrisiusMaximus, along with More Power to Your Elbow. :)

[Paddy]

fantastic... thank you for sharing it with us...

bloody fantastic

[Shogun Gunner]

Okay, I'm hooked line and sinker. More please!!!

[jackl]

i haven't forgotten guys....just had the boss over my shoulder all week

As soon as he buggers off i'll get the next instalment written an' posted

[vovan]

I suppose he was out to lunch when you wrote this?

Any way, hope to see more from you.

[Flip McWho]

Yeah, bloody good stuff.

Bring on more, please.

[Paddy]

I was talking about this story at work, which lead to my having to print it off and post on our lunch board.

You have an expanding audience. We are looking forward to more.