Chapter 174: Cornered

“S***!” Rile hissed. “Alright, change of plans. We need to stop that shield line from getting closer at all costs.”

The gunfire outside coming from on and from above the streets had grown less frequently. The Skull above hadn’t seen any movements coming from the street and only the occasional Mad Dog would appear in a window to shoot back blindly at the windows above themselves. All in all, as soon as the ambush started, they were immediately put into a standoff.

“Who are they?” The gangster asked carefully peering out into the road from the corner display window.

“That’s Steel Fist and his brute squad of thick-skinned Feet.” Rile answered with a stony expression. “I’ve dealt with him twice before and he is not someone you want to fight up close.”

Rile then made sure he wasn’t visible to the shooters in the buildings above and dropped down to one knee and took aim at the center of the metal moving line. In his three times magnification (3x) scope, Rile could see that Steel Fist’s face was visible through some kind of window mounted into the massive van-like door he was carrying. The rest of the Skull’s shield line resembled the Roman Legions forces marching in tight, interlocking formation. It was rather impressive discipline considering they were just a bunch of gangsters.

Sucking in his breath lightly to still his shot, Rile pulled off three rounds in quick succession. The shots from his rifle blasted loudly in Mad Dogs ears, no thanks to the enclosed tile floored room. All three shots found their mark and caused the entire line of the Skull’s to halt instantly and drop their shields into a defensive position.

The effects of his shooting resulted in laughter! The laughter was coming from none other than Steel Fist.

Steel Fist was beaming through the now fractured window of his new shield and Rile could see his feathered headdress flittering about from laughing. The booming sounds of his deep laugh echoed across the street and off the surrounding buildings. Also at his laughter, the Skull forces above stopped shooting entirely.

“That was some nice shooting there.” Steel Fist called. “Would you mind if I came closer to congratulate such fine shooting?”

Upon saying this he lifted his armored van door up in front of him defensively and started walking forwards. Following his lead, the rest of the Skull brutes moved likewise.

“Tch!” Rile responded clicking his tongue in frustration before murmuring to the others with him. “This is bad.” Then without letting them come closer unopposed he fired a few more rounds. All of which missed hitting anything vital. Frustrated that these shots too failed, Rile shouted at the Mad Dogs. “What are you waiting for, permission? Shoot them or we all die!”

Hastily all the nearby Mad Dogs opened fire at the marching wall of metal shields. The Mad Dogs across the road had also followed Rile’s initiative and were shooting as well with what appeared to be greater numbers. Faced with such an onslaught of bullets the Skull slowed their advancement. Sparks flew in all directions as bullet whizzed, pinged, and whistled away being blocked by the near impenetrable shields.

All was looking bad for the Mad Dogs when one lucky bullet passed under one of the shields and struck a Skull Member in the shin. Instantly he collapsed, exposing himself and the two next to him. Then like moth to a flame, every Mad Dog took aim at this gap. A second Skull shield carrier was struck by the time Steel Fist noticed.

“Reform the wall! Prepare to shoot!” Steel Fist shouted as he slammed the bottom of his armored van door into the pavement.

The Skull armored line stopped and tightened up to cover the new gaps. They had just arrived at the intersection and were only a dozen meters apart from the Mad Dogs two locations. Then to Rile’s displeasure, he saw multiple rifles and LMG (Light Machine Gun) barrels appear between the gaps of the shields.

“Get down!” Rile shouted abandoning his center room position.

Rile was in mid leap towards the walls safety when the Skull opened fire. Many of the Mad Dogs, however, were not as quick to react. Three of the foremost Mad Dogs were instantly mowed down with multiple bullets while others ducked behind cover just in time. Though Rile reacted quickly he wasn’t unscathed. A bullet had grazed the underside of his left arm and tore off a small chunk of flesh.

“Argh! Keep your heads down and wait for a pause to return fire!” Rile shouted as best he could over the sound of gunfire striking the concrete buildings walls and shattering window glass. As he clutched at the fresh wound in his arm, he looked frantically around the room. All but two windows were hastily blocked up, yet already the bullets were tearing through the flimsy metal shelves and signs. They were not going to last if they stayed here.

“Where are those two I sent for the stairs?” Rile yelled again as he dropped onto all fours and started crawling for the front display window.

“Here!” Someone called from behind.

“Get over here!” Rile waved without looking back. Rile reached the edge of the wall where a corner pillar was absorbing the bullets at an unsettling pace and protecting a huddled gangster. “Give me your backpack!” Rile shouted at the man.

Hastily the gangster ripped off the backpack and shoved it into Riles hand. Rile opened it and took out a beer bottle filled with gas and a lighter. This bottle was designed with a screwable cap, so Rile took it off and stuffed a rag into the top. Lighting the rag on fire, Rile then stood up and chucked it best he could through the open window.

The bottle fell far short of the Skull’s formation and shattered into a large fire ball. Though unharmed, the sudden appearance of flames and smoke affected the Skull’s aim and vision. Immediately Rile pulled out another bottle and the gangster with him did likewise and they both threw the bottles into the street. As they did the young blond gangster from before joined them.

“Did you find the stairs?” Rile shouted as he dropped down to grab one last gas filled bottle.

“Yes, two of them.” The blond gangster shouted back.

“What is on the floors above us?” Rile yelled as a bullet struck the pillars corner and showered them with concrete dust. Unfazed, Rile lit the bottle and chucked it into the street.

“The first two floors are shopping stores like this floor. The rest look like offices.” The blond gangster replied from under his arms that were covering his head.

“Good, go to the guys in the back and get them up to the offices on the fifth floor!” Rile shouted picking up his rifle and shouldering it. Then he elbowed the gangster with him. “Start shooting back. They can’t see us as good now!”

The gangster nodded and picked up his own rifle and leaned out to shoot a few rounds. Rile too leaned over the gangster’s head to fire his own rounds. He could now see that the flames were high and billowing thick black smoke, but this wouldn’t last long. The flames were dying fast. Two other gangsters opposite of him by the display window had started returning fire too. As Rile then loaded a fresh magazine into his rifle, he looked back to see that half of the gangsters were already filling out the back of the room and into the stairwell.

Taking a chance, Rile crossed by the window behind him and narrowly avoided a few rounds coming from the Skull sniping from above. He looked across the street to see how the others were fairing. It was hard to tell, but they looked to be in the same cornered position as he was.

“Hey! Hey, look here!” Rile shouted as he waved his hand out the window in quick bursts.

One gangster must have seen him and came to a half-blocked window to wave back once. Seeing it Rile shouted and pointed fervently upwards, “Go up! Fight there!”

The gangster across the street waved back and disappeared as a few bullets struck the window and blew out the remaining glass. Rile ducked back and hoped the gangster understood him. He then dashed back for the front display pillar and proceeded to empty another magazine into the shield wall.

“Get ready to run back for the stairs!” Rile shouted as he changed his magazine.

“Got it!” The gangster below him shouted as he leaned out to shoot a few more rounds. However, just as he did a lucky shot struck him right between the eyes and he fell back dead on the spot.

“Ah, screw this!” Rile shouted in shock. He reached down and snatched up the backpack and the dead gangster’s gun. Then motioning with his head, he yelled at the remaining gangsters still shooting. “Go now!”

Just as the Mad Dogs stopped shooting from their right, Steel Fist took notice of it. He looked around him at the defensive line. They had taken a few injuries, but no one looked dead yet. The left side of the Mad Dogs were now also shooting fewer rounds and the smoke was thinning noticeably.

“They are either escaping out the back or more likely, going up!” Steel Fist shouted. Then as if to prove his prediction the Skull above him in the buildings started shooting out the windows several floors above where the Mad Dogs originally were. “Quickly, split up and rush the bottom floors and keep your shields angled up too! We will be sitting ducks out here if they get the height advantage. Back Blade, you take the other half and go left, I’ll go right. That good shooter was on that side and I need to repay him for ruining my window so soon.”

…

Meanwhile, the scout Ernest sent to the roof top called down his account of the battle unfolding ahead. “Two blocks ahead there is a shootout going on. I see a lot of dead bodies, mostly ours, and a fire just broke out. It also seems a line of some kind is in the street, probably the Skull. They are shooting at the buildings between us and them. There are also shooters in the buildings above on third block from us!”

“Good, looks like the boat three Mad Dogs are holding out for us.” Ernest replied.

“What are we going to do?” The gangster holding the gas can Ernest had tossed to him earlier asked. “We need to get up there before they get wiped out.”

“We will be easy targets in that open street.” Ernest replied covering his eyes from the morning sun to see better. He then pointed to a few guys leaning on the wall nearby, “You guys, go into that alley and look for any rolling dumpsters. You guys look on that side.” Ernest then said turning to some others on the other side of the road. “We can use them to block overhead fire until we reach the buildings on the second block. As for the shooters in the building above, I have something special for them.”

As the Mad Dogs rummaged for any potential dumpsters, Ernest pulled out a walky-talky (a handheld two-way portable radio) and turned it on. The barges had radio transmitters that could reach five kilometers before connectivity would fail. “Come in Calvin, do you read me?”

“I read you.” Calvin replied over the walky-talky.

“Get ready to launch those mortars. Distances coming soon.” Ernest answered back.

“Affirmative.” Calvin said into the walky-talky before shouting at the gangsters lying about on the peaceful docks. “Get ready to fire you lazy good for-nothings!”

The Mad Dogs jumped up, startled by his sudden outburst. Calvin was a former soldier, specifically in the AFR’s Army Artillery division. He was kicked out for disorderly conduct and eventually found his way to this town after running out of every other choice available. Martinez promised Calvin that he would be able to use his military skills one day and that day was now!

“Get ready to change angles and open fire!” Calvin shouted as he plodded across the wooden dock. Gangsters rushed about the six mortars that were already erected on the center most dock.

“Calvin, distances measured.” Ernest’s voice called on the walky-talky again. Calvin raised it up to his ear as Ernest continued, “Distance is from your position, one thousand six hundred eighty meters. Angle width range at 10 degrees and go for a high drop angle. Fire at will.”

Calvin then relayed the directions to the mortar teams, and they adjusted accordingly. Seeing all was set Calvin ordered them to fire. The six mortars launched with heavy, hollow thuds as the shells rocketed over the city. Moments later silent plums of dust appeared above the distant buildings.

“Adjust distance thirty meters retain all others.” Ernest voice called over the walky-talky. “All targets are with in parameters. They don’t know what’s hitting them!”

Calvin smiled satisfied. “Looks like you guys can shoot after all. Adjust thirty meters distance! Load, and fire!”