The Rain: The End, Marietta Standlee [year 7 reading list TXT] 📗

his body. A strange calmness overcomes me as I take his hand and wrist in one hand while applying a little pressure around the elbow with my other. Gently, but firmly I pull on his arm until I feel something slide before letting go and praying to God the bones will have aligned the right way.

Colin screams out in pain before he blessedly passes out. I take the belt out of his mouth before layering Derek's shirt around Colin's arm and cinching the belt tight to ensure the bone will stay in place. Somebody else hands me another shirt, to form a makeshift sling, finally done, I wipe the sweat off my forehead and look up.

"You okay?" Derek asks.

I nod numbly.

"Alright, let me see your shoulder then," he demands.

This time I don't protest as he cuts my shirt and splits it open to look at the deep, angry talon marks. "You'll need stitches," Derek observes.

"Wow, that looks bad." Sean chimes in, turning pale.

"Gee, thanks," I mutter.

"Sorry, but…" Sean tries to make up for his faux pas.

"Shut up!" Derek and Drew say in unison.

"I have some water," Richard announces from across the hall.

Sean pulls his shirt off and joins Derek and Drew in the new topless fashion; he hands it to Derek, who uses it to clean my shoulder as good as he can with our limited resources. Nobody thought to bring any medical equipment since this was supposed to be an easy mission. I make a mental note to make it mandatory to carry medical supplies on any mission, even if it is only for training.

"Now what?" Levi asks from the doorway.

"We still need to get past those maniacs before we can take these guys to the hospital." Derek summarizes.

"Drew and I can run and get the Humvee." Richard offers; he and his brother are our fastest runners.

"We can break into the apartments and cover you from the windows," Sean says.

"Or we can all just line up by the windows and clean out the street." Derek states.

"Do you think the other teams heard our shots and will come to our aid?" Levi asks, hopeful.

"They might," I say, doubtful. "But we can't count on it."

A moan from Colin makes me jump to his side, forcing Derek to stop dabbing on my shoulder, which hurts like hell. I kneel down beside Colin and gently kiss his forehead.

"Alright, Richard's idea sounds the best, and Sean is right, let's break open that door." I point to the one which leads to an apartment with a street view. "That way, we can cover Richard and Drew."

"What about Colin?" Derek asks.

"Break the door first, then we'll carry Colin in and put him on a bed or couch." I decide.

Before Drew and Richard take off, I pull Drew aside, "Listen, if those birds are still out there, or if you get overrun by the maniacs, don't worry about us, drive to HQ and get help. We'll be safe in here."

He hesitates only for a second, thinking everything through, before nodding. "Yes, ma'am."

I sigh; coming from him, it sounds so stupid, but I can tell he really means it. Like the others, he has accepted me as their Commander, and when we're out in the field, they give me the respect the title deserves.

Once we're back to safety, it's a different story, though, then it's a free for all. A faint smile comes over my lips at the camaraderie between us.  I never demanded respect from them; it just happened automatically. I put my hand on Drew's shoulder and look into his eyes, "You're a good soldier, Koworski."

He beams at me before grabbing his brother and taking off into the stairway. I can hear their feet stomping down the stairs; I guess we gave up on stealth and opted for speed.

In the meantime, Derek and Sean have not only kicked in the apartment door but laid Colin on a couch. As I pass by, I feel his head; to my dismay, he's hot to the touch. He's running a fever, probably from the pain. I hope he'll stay unconscious for a little while longer.

Windows are opened, and my team leans out to take shots at the maniacs roaming down below. Hesitantly I let go of Colin's hand to make my way over towards a window where I set up next to Levi.

I cock my gun and start to fire. Sean was right; it's like shooting fish in a barrel. The maniacs have no idea what's happening, but there are so many I worry we'll run out of ammo.

Not even a minute later, Drew and Richard come into view, making their way out of the entrance below, and we aim at the maniacs closest to them, creating a path towards the Humvee. Neither Drew nor Richard have their guns out; their arms pump rhythmically for maximum speed, completely trusting in us to keep the maniacs off their backs.

When Drew jumps into the driver's seat and Richard vanishes into the back, we cheer. Within seconds the Humvee parks idling by our building's front door.

Without being told what to do, Sean and Derek grab Colin's shoulders and legs, mindful to keep his arm on top of him and carry him towards the stairway.

"Levi, take the front. I'll cover the back." I order.

Colin moans in pain as the men carry him awkwardly down three flights of stairs. Before we reach the entryway, I push my way towards the front.

"Levi and I'll make sure you guys have a clear path; just get Colin into the truck."

They nod their understanding, and Levi and I push by them towards the plywood covered door. Levi and I switch to fresh magazines, just in case.

I position myself by the door while Levi kicks against the plywood until it falls out. We've decimated the number of maniacs roaming the street, but some still lurk around, mainly scratching to get into the Humvee.

Within the span of two minutes, the remaining maniacs are taken care of. Levi and I watch