Pandora

Pandora1

The soles of my canvas shoes had fallen apart a long time ago, so my feet were sore from wandering across the rubble covered streets of what used to be my town, long ago destroyed by the unstoppable war machine as it had rolled through. I’d been there a while, creating hiding spots in-case patrols returned to flush out anyone who had survived. Though I’d probably run if they returned, the demon soldiers.2

I’d got stores of canned food and small explosives all over the town. It was one of those explosives I held in my hand as I dashed for my ‘home’ on the outskirts of the town, behind me, following, were the bandits. Men who had become crazed by the war and now were nothing more than wild animals. 3

The lighter was awkward to open and the flint even harder to turn while running. It took almost a half-mile to get it to light, though not long by the speed I fled. When it finally did light I applied it to the rag protruding from the top of the bottle in my hand and allowed it to burst into orange flame.4

Whoops and cries coming from the throats of men rose up behind me, echoing and spreading down the streets through which I fled. The sounds came from all around but I knew they were behind me all the time, trying to confuse and disorientate me.5

A narrow alley off to my right allowed me the escape I needed from my pursuers and I ducked into it. The bottle dropped from my singed fingers where the flame had caught them as I entered the small space – I had forgotten about my weapon as I ran.. The tongues of orange fire covered the entire entrance when I glanced back over my shoulder. There was nothing else but to keep running.6

The muscles in my legs burnt with pain and I had a stitch in my side, niggling like a dagger embedded in my entrails. My fingers were blackened from holding onto the Molotov too long and I still had more work to do if I wanted to survive past the afternoon.7

I burst out into another wide street, this time a residential area familiar to me. Stones suddenly rained down from the sky as I ran from the enemy. They were using slings and catapults to launch chunks of stone and earth, some the size of full bricks flew past, their obligation to brain me.8

I was lucky not to get hit by any of them, and I was soon out of range. A squat semi-detached house loomed at the end of the cul-de-sac. My heart soared, glad of my knowledge of what it contained. 9

My destination; the door was ajar as always and I hit it with my shoulder, jarring it badly but ramming it wide open as I entered. The door slammed shut behind me after rebounding off the wall and I ascended the stairs swiftly, taking them three at a time with the aid of the banister.10

The room I entered was once a bedroom at the front of the house and inside it I had stockpiled my best finds; mainly guns and ammunition. There weren’t many but they were all working at least. I snatched up an old hunting rifle, a single shot weapon with a sliding bolt. I’d only fired it once before, and it had more kick than a Welsh stallion.11

There were surprisingly few of them. I had expected more. Only six or so were coming up the street. Some climbing over the piles of rubble which had once been other houses – that made nine in total. I was scared more by the fact that I couldn’t hit them all in time to stop them reaching the house than by the fact that they would reach the house. Like falling in a nest of Hornets with a fly swatter.12

Taking aim; slow any carefully I planted the ‘u’ notch over a scorched bush near three of the men. Buried there was a pair of glass containers filled with metal filings and fuel, a bomb I had created specifically for this purpose. 13

I yanked back on the trigger and the gun let out a tremendous roar which knocked me flat on my back. I heard an explosion outside. Even from the floor, through slit eyes I saw the massive flash of hellfire and smoke.14

The bullet had struck its mark and catapulted both dirt and tarmac alike up into the air. The bush had been shattered into a million splinters and the man nearest was nowhere to be seen. The two beside him had been violently dashed with fragments of the road surface and metal filings riding on the force of the blast, their skin shredded away from their bones and their bones ground to mush by the explosion I had brought upon them.15

They were still alive however and about to experience unforeseen consequences of my weapon. The sewers beneath the street collapsed and the broken ground beneath their feet gave way, collapsing into a narrow tunnel half-filled with excretion and water. If they screamed I didn’t hear it.16

My shoulder hurt badly from the knock it received from the recoil on the now discarded rifle but I pushed myself up and peeked out of the window, another man was on fire; laid near a small crater where the bush had been moments before. I felt oddly happy to watch his brief plight.17

The others broke into a run towards my spot, some flinging stones from makeshift slings at the rear.18

I stuffed a pair of Colt .45 pistols into my side pockets and grabbed one of the Police tattooed MP5 sub-machineguns from the dresser beside the table. I jammed four of the spare clips into my pockets and belt before I heard the door downstairs bang open.19

I’d anticipated something like this would happen but still my heart skipped a beat. My finger caught the rigged light-switch as I headed back to the stairway. Before I’d even got out of the door flames were licking up the walls after the electric current had ignited the flammables hidden all over the lower floor.20

One man was on the stairs, his feet in the flames and his jaw hanging open, drooling like a starved beast at a banquet. 21

The MP5 chattered briefly and skipped lightly in my hands as thick blotches of red stained the mans shirt across his chest. He fell backwards into the inferno, screaming and clawing at the ashen walls. I kicked open a door to the rear bedroom, though no longer there it was merely a pile of rubble thanks to the tanks which had rolled through here with the nightmare soldiers.22

I jumped from the hole and skidded down the pile of bricks and wood provided by the destroyed back wall. Like slipping into an open grave and falling to pain, suffering and flames. Hell rose up to meet me and suck me between its fanged maw and forked tongue.23

I was the un-dead today. Like a Phoenix I rose from the ashes and as the same creature I discarded the now bent MP5, crushed on a rock in the descent. My wings spread apart, silver gleaming talons on the end of each.24

The bandits had circled the destroyed building. They came around the side en force. Five of them; tearing over the pocked earth of the yard to reach me. Barely capable of standing upright, the pain coming from my battered and crooked spine made me feel ill.25

Bang! One of the Colts exclaimed, and in response one mans throat exploded in a spray of bright red blood, his feet caught and he stumbled, fallen and dead where the bullet had mushroomed and shattered his spine at the base of his skull.26

The others didn’t notice their comrade, or if they did they didn’t care. Their feet trampled him as they kept coming, almost upon me now. I tugged the trigger of the other pistol but nothing, the slide came back and jammed, the bullet stuck in the chamber. Dropped away.27

Bang! Again I fired upon them with the working pistol. I missed the second and third times. Only metres away from me now I fired again and a second of the five fell on the remains of his bloodied face, skull crushed by a bullet which had hit the bridge of his nose and caused the back of his head to erupt like a Melon.28

The gun fired a full three times more. One miss. One hit; a shot to the chest which would most likely have punctured a lung – the man fell, perhaps dead from shock. Another hit struck the second to last man in the abdomen. He doubled over as though struck by a cannonball and fell to his knees where he then slumped forwards to spread his thick black blood over the razed earth.29

The final monster still rushed forth, a burst of speed like a bat fleeing light he was upon me. I yanked the trigger again and naught, the slide slipped back and remained, empty. Still a weapon I used it to smack the man across the face when he lunged.30

The pistol sprung from my grip and left me free to be tackled by the bulky man. Rotten yellow teeth bared he tore at my nose, his fingers like needles dug into my shoulders. In the confusion I kicked at his back and his balance was thrown – he rolled forwards and I was able to squeeze out underneath him.31

Grabbing a gun was my instinct. I went for the Colt which had jammed earlier. Feet away from my saviour my legs were swept out from under me and I was swept upwards, backwards and away. The man had come after me and was now carrying me upside down atop his shoulders.32

I saw his goal, a jagged metal pole which had once served to hold up a wire for hanging clothes on. I bucked frantically an broke his grip, fell to the ground and rolled away. The pistol beckoned back the way we had come and I ran.33

He was soon behind me and I was forced to throw myself into a dive. Sharp corners of stones jabbed at my stomach and arms as I rolled. Metal under my fingers and they snatched it up as though they had waited my entire life to do such a thing.34

A rock ahead, unseen before now loomed and I cracked my head before being able to roll away. Flat on my stomach I could only roll, blood trickling down my forehead and into my eyes, stinging and causing my vision to blur uncontrollably. I was on my back at last, the pistol coming across from the right to level with the human silhouette.35

It seemed as though silence had descended over everything for when I pulled the trigger this time the gun fired without sound. I was shocked, in a state of concussion too. The shadow fell over me, covering me in the colour of space and the smell of a pigsty.36

My senses told me it was evil, an evil smell. To kill it, to survive. I jabbed the end of the pistol into its side, fired six times. Each gradually louder than the last until everything was stained with blood and thunder cracks would heed my call no more.37

It was finally over. They were finally dead. More would come but for now;38

I could finally close my eyes and rest.39