Read Online The Light: The Invasion Trilogy Book 3 by W.J. Lundy - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: W.J. Lundy
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the steep slope.
“Pull back! Get to the woods,” Masterson shouted over the fighting.
Jacob lunged ahead, moving past Clem. The older man had dropped to his knees, howling “Don’t stop. Keep moving” as he bled off a full magazine from his rifle.
Earth exploded near Jacob’s face as blue vapor mixed with searing hot mud, the heat flashing against his exposed skin. Jacob looked away and clawed at the grass, following the report of the platoon’s rifles toward friendly lines. He crested the hill just as another blast of blue caught a trooper square in the chest. The man flipped backward, a dark smoldering impression burning into the man’s uniform. Jacob reached for him then pulled back in horror, seeing the damage the weapon caused—the blue plasma sticking and burning through flesh as it dripped from the soldier’s ribs, consuming his organs.
“Oh God,” he gasped.
Jacob forced himself away, following the others as they crawled for the concealment of the thick woods. Blue bolts arced over their heads, impacting with the treetops and showering them with burning debris. Jacob struggled on, the shouting and screams of agony mixing with the voomps of the enemy weapons. The now downward slope of the hill increasing his momentum, he followed the others crashing into the heavy brush. The men of the hilltop were now in a full retreat. Friendly gunfire ceased, the noise quickly replaced with the scent of spent rounds and a strange, charred, electrical stench.
Vegetation wrapped him like a thick blanket, giving a false sense of security as he fought his way forward. Lungs burning with every step, he sprinted down the hill to the next road. He could hear men crying out in pain ahead of him. He burst into an opening in the thicket, nearly falling on medics fighting to restrain a large soldier. Jacob recognized the wounded man as one of the unit’s machine gunners.
The man’s left arm was covered in the blue smoldering plasma. It sizzled and ate at his flesh, the skin and muscle appearing to melt and mix with it. The man’s arm flailed as medics wrestled him while others worked to cover the plasma with dirt and pouring the contents of their canteens on the wound in feeble attempts to smother and neutralize the strange blue flame.
Clem rushed into the space from behind and stole a quick glance at the wound. He drew a long knife from his belt and passed it to a medic. “Get that arm off him… now.”
The husky soldier struggled and attempted to right himself, pleading with them not to take his arm. “I’ll be okay, just wrap it up,” he gasped.
Clem dropped to the ground and pressed his face close to the injured man. “You need to suck it up,” he snarled through gritted teeth. “You’re giving away our fuckin position, now bite down.” Clem stuffed a handful of folded cloth in the man’s teeth. The soldier’s eyes clenched tight, sweat building on his forehead, tears breaking from the corners of his eyes. He chomped down and growled.
A young medic who’d already applied a field tourniquet above the wound, rested on his knees. Holding the blade in his shaking hand, he looked up at Clem with a deep worried expression and said, “I don’t have anything for his pain.”
“Then do it quick,” Clem said in a matter-of-fact tone before leaving the clearing, pushing Jacob and the others ahead of him.
Jacob picked up on Duke’s panicked bark and the echoes of snapping branches. He moved to the sound in a hurry. At the bottom of the decline, he lost his footing and tumbled through the thick vines and thorny bushes. Falling face first, he broke from the trees and plummeted into a low ditch at the side of the road. Water from the melting snow splashed his face and snapped him back. He rolled to his back and scooted up to the roadside, once again facing the doomed civilian convoy. A soldier already on his feet hooked an arm under his shoulder and pulled Jacob up from the ground. “Sergeant, we need to
“Pull back! Get to the woods,” Masterson shouted over the fighting.
Jacob lunged ahead, moving past Clem. The older man had dropped to his knees, howling “Don’t stop. Keep moving” as he bled off a full magazine from his rifle.
Earth exploded near Jacob’s face as blue vapor mixed with searing hot mud, the heat flashing against his exposed skin. Jacob looked away and clawed at the grass, following the report of the platoon’s rifles toward friendly lines. He crested the hill just as another blast of blue caught a trooper square in the chest. The man flipped backward, a dark smoldering impression burning into the man’s uniform. Jacob reached for him then pulled back in horror, seeing the damage the weapon caused—the blue plasma sticking and burning through flesh as it dripped from the soldier’s ribs, consuming his organs.
“Oh God,” he gasped.
Jacob forced himself away, following the others as they crawled for the concealment of the thick woods. Blue bolts arced over their heads, impacting with the treetops and showering them with burning debris. Jacob struggled on, the shouting and screams of agony mixing with the voomps of the enemy weapons. The now downward slope of the hill increasing his momentum, he followed the others crashing into the heavy brush. The men of the hilltop were now in a full retreat. Friendly gunfire ceased, the noise quickly replaced with the scent of spent rounds and a strange, charred, electrical stench.
Vegetation wrapped him like a thick blanket, giving a false sense of security as he fought his way forward. Lungs burning with every step, he sprinted down the hill to the next road. He could hear men crying out in pain ahead of him. He burst into an opening in the thicket, nearly falling on medics fighting to restrain a large soldier. Jacob recognized the wounded man as one of the unit’s machine gunners.
The man’s left arm was covered in the blue smoldering plasma. It sizzled and ate at his flesh, the skin and muscle appearing to melt and mix with it. The man’s arm flailed as medics wrestled him while others worked to cover the plasma with dirt and pouring the contents of their canteens on the wound in feeble attempts to smother and neutralize the strange blue flame.
Clem rushed into the space from behind and stole a quick glance at the wound. He drew a long knife from his belt and passed it to a medic. “Get that arm off him… now.”
The husky soldier struggled and attempted to right himself, pleading with them not to take his arm. “I’ll be okay, just wrap it up,” he gasped.
Clem dropped to the ground and pressed his face close to the injured man. “You need to suck it up,” he snarled through gritted teeth. “You’re giving away our fuckin position, now bite down.” Clem stuffed a handful of folded cloth in the man’s teeth. The soldier’s eyes clenched tight, sweat building on his forehead, tears breaking from the corners of his eyes. He chomped down and growled.
A young medic who’d already applied a field tourniquet above the wound, rested on his knees. Holding the blade in his shaking hand, he looked up at Clem with a deep worried expression and said, “I don’t have anything for his pain.”
“Then do it quick,” Clem said in a matter-of-fact tone before leaving the clearing, pushing Jacob and the others ahead of him.
Jacob picked up on Duke’s panicked bark and the echoes of snapping branches. He moved to the sound in a hurry. At the bottom of the decline, he lost his footing and tumbled through the thick vines and thorny bushes. Falling face first, he broke from the trees and plummeted into a low ditch at the side of the road. Water from the melting snow splashed his face and snapped him back. He rolled to his back and scooted up to the roadside, once again facing the doomed civilian convoy. A soldier already on his feet hooked an arm under his shoulder and pulled Jacob up from the ground. “Sergeant, we need to
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