Alarm

a story
2021-08-03 13:46:25
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Kieko burst through the door, barely able to contain his gasping breath as he ran straight to the back wall. The Bobbie on tour was already distributing rifles to the two men who had beat Kieko there.


Kieko came to a stop, bracing for the bump he would get from his brothers behind him. The Bobbie turned and tossed him a box that rattled. Kieko frowned.


"Rounds?"


A rifle was handed to his brother and another box was handed to his other brother.


"Not enough to go around," said the Bobbie, "One man gets a gun, the next ammunition. That's the best we can do!"


Kieko was going to protest, but his big brother Anika pushed him back towards the door. He had received a lever action rifle.


Before Kieko's fear could truly turn to horror at this turn of events he was already being rushed through the town. Men ran towards the Chanka farm, revolvers, rifles, and swords in hand.


Old Captain Jannet waved down Kieko and his other brother, Lin. She held two old Airmen swords in one hand and her Officer's saber in the other.


"Arm yourselves, boys," she ordered, "Go, go!"


"Ammo, Kieko!" yelled Anika, who hadn't slowed down.


Kieko grabbed the swords, passing one to his brother. He wrenched it loose from the sheath and tossed it to his feet. Without a second thought he ran to follow the other men.


A gunshot rang out. Kieko almost dropped the box of ammo. He managed to salvage it and follow the others towards the farm.


Mr. Harrison was still at his farm. bales of hay, strips of scrap metal, and as much barrels and wood as they could find had been pressed against his fencing. A few men already kneeled behind the barricade. A screech could be heard over the hills.


Kieko followed his brother to kneel behind the barricade. He looked out across the small pen and over the other fence out towards the hills beyond. A body lay, crumpled, in the dirt. Anika checked the rifle and found it already loaded. 


The Goblins broke the hill like the foam on a beer. Mr. Harrison let out a yell. The Bobbie had arrived and he began taking charge.


"What's going to happen?" asked Kieko.


Anika ignored him as he took aim. The Bobbie began the countdown, but a pistol went off anyway. A plume of sand flew up by one of them. A train of screams erupted on the hillside and the Goblins poured down the hills. 


Rifles erupted. Pistols barked. Goblins jerked and crumbled under the fire, but more and more kept coming. They reached the bottom of the hill and began to rush towards the pen.


Soon, people started to reload. The time in between shots increased, and soon the Goblins were crawling over the fences. The Bobbie started shouting orders again, however a few men having trouble with reloading began to run. Anika reached for ammunition and Kieko tried his hardest to hand him shells quickly. Several ended up falling into the dirt.


Anika gave up reloading and chambered a round in time for a Goblin to reach the barricade. He had enough time to put the rifle barrel into the Goblin's screaming face and pulled the trigger. After that Goblin fell, Anika began rapidly firing to attempt to push back the sea of Goblins.


A war cry erupted from behind them, and Kieko turned to see the source. A large row of Bobbies in dark uniforms, rifles, custodial helmets and respirator masks stood in a firing line. As if on cue, the line erupted in fire together. A whole line of  Goblins fell, but before they could be reinforced the bobbies expertly chambered another round and fired again, taking down new targets.


A flare shot into the air, the red light bursting in the sky. A loud train whistle could be heard, shattering through the town. Before the whistle could end, a rumble of thunder erupted, and dark streaks filled the skies. The hill erupted as shells and cannonballs slammed into it. Goblins disappeared in the sand, dirt, and rocks that exploded into clouds. 


Anika slapped Kieko, demanding bullets. Kieko gave him more, and he began reloading quickly.


"We cannot stop. We're far from done," yelled his brother.


Even as he spoke Lin was force to swing his sword at a Goblin, slicing its belly as it fell backward. Kieko remembered the sword and he pulled his from the scabbard.  


"Fall back," yelled a Bobbie, who appeared at Kieko's side, "We won't be able to hold them forever. We need to go!"


The Bobbie had reloaded, and he began to fire off his rifle in rapid succession. Anika was already pushing Kieko back towards the town. Kieko had dropped the box of ammunition, and the small amount of shells left fell and scattered in the dirt. 


As they ran back into town, A Bobbie wearing a full faced helmet shaped to look vaguely like a Bobbie's custodial helmet was seen wheeling behind him an entire cart with a tiny boilers and a tank of oil. The Bobbie was directing people into the town.


"To the train station!" yelled the Bobbie, "To the Inquisition!"


The Bobbie didn't even wait for all the people to run past. He wielded a long, rifle like object attached to the cart and began to pump it. Oil erupted through it, and caught a small flame at the end of the tube. The flames were launched towards the farm house, and the Goblins who were beginning to make it past the artillery barrage and they began to overrun the farm. The flames poured into their ranks, giving rise to frantic, high pitched screams.


Kieko could feel the heat on his face and back, before he he forced back, and they began running through the down. Bobbies had arrived and with them, a few uniformed soldiers. Rifle fire continued behind them. The screams of the Goblins didn't face as they continued to run through the town that was now empty. The only sounds increasing were the thunderous sounds of cannon fire and the whistling and swooshing of the shells as they soared overhead.


Kieko followed his older brother, and ran, never forgetting the sounds of the screeching Goblins as they ran.


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