Chapter 2

Day 1,352, 11:41 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Henry Hank Moody

The darkness of a moonless night was the ever present friend to Brayford as he led his small team of elite 1st armoured veterans deep into the heart of occupied Paris. Somewhere deep within the hidden winding allies of the city lay his target. General Mikolag of the Polish 5th Brigade was going to die tonight and Brayford relished the thought. Bringing down death from the shadows.

On the other side of the city Dakota, Captain of the greatest power of the Imperial British Empire sat ready with her troops. As soon as Brayford confirmed his kill it was her job to unleash the stinking flaming vengeance of Britain.

Shouldering his way through some once quaint café half a mile from his targets headquarters Brayford made his way upstairs and set about completing his orders. The rest of his men set up defences to protect their Lieutenant. Octavian took the downstairs with Sergeant Woolfie while Hank Moody stayed up top to act as Brayford’s spotter.

Hours ticked by with what seemed an eternity yet Brayford didn’t move an inch, not even when the call of nature came knocking and soon Hank’s nostrils filled with the foul putrid stench of crap yet he too could not move a muscle. Not until their target was sighted and lay dead upon the cobbled streets of Paris.

“Target sighted leaving designated building,” instructed Hank, his telescope zooming in to confirm the man was Mikolag.

“Excellent,” muttered Brayford as he moved his sniper rifle, fingered the trigger and pulled the trigger. The bullet flew straight and true exploding through the soft bone and flesh of the Generals head ripping it open and spraying the brains over the General’s surrounding entourage of Colonels and Majors.

“Dakota. Target is down commence assault.” Picking himself up from the floor Brayford ran down the stairs leaving a putrid trail behind him that meant his men hung back 100 yards behind their officer, fingers clamped over noses and a few raised eyebrows shared between them.

Far off in the distance the first shell echoed as 1st armoured began their invasion of Paris.