The Sprawling Siege
Part Three: The Flame
Riots broke out after the shootings. It became a regular occurrence for guards going out on patrol to have stones thrown at them, or even shot. Soon, someone in charge had enough of this. We'll never truly know who it was, but the choice they made that day resonated through history.
"Send in the Stingers."The Stingers were twenty-five guards trained specifically for crowd control. Their mission, I quote, was to
"Disperse these fools, they're getting in the way of progress."And, so, one week later, the guards arrived at the Junk Market in the Sprawl, a place full of makeshift shops, made out of shipping containers. Surprisingly, it was silent.
"This doesn't feel right..."Ten guards crept into the market, shotguns at the ready, while the rest covered them. The leader was about to give the all clear, when an arrow landed inches from his head. It had a scrap of paper attached.
"You are surrounded. Surrender now, or we will fire."John had gotten word a few days earlier, and had been silently preparing. He had a small force of about thirty men surrounding the market, sitting on top of shipping containers, hiding in alleyways, the like. Now was the moment that decided everything.
"No."Instantly, everything went to hell. John's men opened fire with everything they had, rifles, shotguns, pistols, even a few bows. Instantly, three guards dropped, one with a bullet under the helmet, and the other two with crippled legs. The guards still standing sprint for cover.
"Start shooting you idiots! It's us or them!"The remaining guards scan the containers, and open fire on a group of three riflemen. They've run out of ammo, and are currently lying face down to avoid getting shot.
"Need some help guys!"As the man says this, his friend takes a shell in the head. More of the rebels stand up to aim, and the guard captain realizes how many there are.
"Back to the gate! Fall back to the gate, there's too many of them!"The guards beat a hasty retreat, but they aren't out of the fire yet. They still have two klicks of hostile territory to the gate, and everywhere they look, the people are taking up arms.
"Keep moving!"Every twenty meters or so, someone would get shot in the leg, or grabbed by the crowd. Every time, the captain said the same thing.
"Keep moving! We can't carry him!"Finally, after losing over twenty men, and almost all their gear, three guards run through the gates. The captain marches to HQ.
"Sir... we lost.""What do you mean you lost?""The rioters defeated us. We lost twenty-two men out there."The room is quiet, so quiet that a pin dropping would be like breaking a brick wall.
"You're telling me that twenty-five of the best trained, best equipped men in the state were defeated by a group of rubble rabble?""Essentially, yes.""I'm disappointed in you, Captain. I'm assigning you to Gate 5 and stripping you of your rank.""Yes, sir..."The fire grows, and the rioters are empowered by this new victory. The climax approaches. When the wall falls, few will survive. None will escape unscathed.
So, wow. Writer's block, plus laziness, plus this being so long, equals 10 day wait between updates. Good to see people like this, though.