1st armoured chronicles (Chapter 5)

Day 1,368, 06:45 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Henry Hank Moody

Dakota was already down, three bullets had ripped through her chest rupturing her lung and exploding from her back in a violent burst and blood and flesh. The poles had launched themselves on the 1st armoured column down the narrow cobbled streets of Old Paris. Blood now flowed between those cobbles as the few remaining 1st armoured warriors fought to protect their dying leader.

The mighty crack of bullets and stone shattering force of explosions rippled over Dakota as the final two medics fought a futile fight to stem her loss of blood and keep her in the land of the mortal living.

“Clamp down harder Private. Keep that artery in those clamps,” growled the Sergeant Medic as he moved his hands around inside the grizzly red wound that was all that remained of Dakota chest. Blood spurted up to cover the Sergeants face in a glistening red sheen but he seemed not to notice as he desperately tried to save his commanders life.

Corporal Horice Fossel was desperately firing, covering, firing, covering, reloading and firing once again. His training had taken control of his arms and his legs. He barely noticed the enemy that he fired upon. He just looked, pulled the trigger and ducked back down as the enemies bullets ripped into his cover. As if in slow motion Horice watched as the green Private to his left went down missing half his face and the one on his left was blown backwards with the repercussive explosion of a Polish grenade. Looking around he saw just ten soldiers remaining to protect the medics and their precious patient.

“1st armoured!” Screamed Horice as he rose to his feet gun blazing and eyes searching for any available targets. He watched with an odd sense of calm as his bullets ripped one Polish soldier apart but as soon as one fell there seemed two more to take his place. Even now Horice could see the Poles moving slowly through the burning wreckage of tanks and Humvees towards the small knot of brave 1st armoured soldiers. He fired his final bullets watching two more Poles collapse bleeding to the already red cobbles.

“What’s the status Doc?” He shouted over to the working Medics.

“She has another 20 minutes at most Corporal. If you have anyway of getting us out of here you need to act now otherwise Dakota will die."

The crack of bullets and roar of grenade and RPG explosion reached the small resistance force and Horice looked up just to see the Poles ambushed from behind.