here. Maybe about a half hour more if we can find some more dirt, Sergeant.” he said and turned to face the backstop. The man studied the pile of dirt as if he were examining a piece of modern art statuary in a museum. “Do you want some fighting positions dug? We can knock that out in a couple minutes with the loader if you do.”
Frays stood with her hands on her balled fists on her hips as she considered the question. “Nah…I don’t think so.” she said quietly and scratched an itch on the side of her nose. The woman cracked a small grin at the Engineer. “Don’t want to spoil them, do we?”
Sandoval chuckled. “Nah, I guess not.” he said and started off towards the loader. The man paused and came back. “We’re gonna get a load of dirt and bring it back over here in a few minutes.”
Frays nodded and a few moments later the Bobcat was trundling off like some kind of mechanical beetle behind Sandoval. She watched them go and then wandered over to the backstop. After a moment’s debate she sat down and leaned back against the dark moist earth. The coolness of the soil felt good on her aching back. She almost started to doze off when the flat hard crack of a rifle bullet breaking the sound barrier made her leap to her feet.
She could see the two men in the nearest watchtower leaning forward looking out over the wall, one scanning the field on the other side with a pair of binoculars. The man pointed at something and shouted followed by the sentry on the rifle raising his weapon and firing again. There was a shot again then he worked the bolt of his rifle and fired again. And again. And again.
Frays threw a glance over her shoulder then hurried over to the watchtower. The man shot two more time and then there was a break in the action. “There’s more coming!” shouted one of the sentries. The panic in the man’s voice was plain to her at the bottom of the ladder leading up to the nest.
Frays scrambled up the ladder as fast as her son would let her, huffing and puffing heavily by the time she had managed to reach the top of the twenty foot ladder. “SITREP!” Frays demanded breathily as she elbowed her way past the spotter. Her heart fell through the floor of the nest into the dirt and finally settled somewhere around China. The woman crossed herself and muttered “God save us.”
There was easily a couple hundred or more infected stumbling purposefully towards the FOB’s perimeter wall. Frays turned to the squid that had been spotting for the rifleman. “Get on the horn and have them send QRF over here TIME: NOW.” Frays ordered as she slapped the magnification module into place on her M4 and took a knee next to the rifleman. He was busy dropping every other round as he tried to reload his M24. “Tell them we’ve got a massive contact. The wall’s holding but I want backup here if they pile up.”
Frays started providing cover fire for the rifleman as he reloaded. “Leave the closer ones to me for right now.” Frays told him as she dropped three that had their faces pressed right against the wall. The man’s face was a pale mask of panic. Frays grabbed the man’s arm and shook him hard enough to make him look at her instead of the groaning dead slowly but surely closing on their position. “You take the ones that are farther out since you’ve got the M24. Just relax, man. Take your time and aim. They can’t get over the wall.”
Now the walkie talkie clipped to the wall of the nest was coming alive with sentries reporting contacts on their side of the FOB. The towers on either side were firing and it took everything Frays had to maintain her focus on her sector of fire. There had to be almost two hundred now just in her little part of the perimeter. Her carbine ran dry for the third time and she dropped the empty magazine, slapped a fresh one in and smacked the bolt release with the palm of her hand. “I’m down to three mags. Tell ‘em we need a resupply!” Frays shouted and
Frays stood with her hands on her balled fists on her hips as she considered the question. “Nah…I don’t think so.” she said quietly and scratched an itch on the side of her nose. The woman cracked a small grin at the Engineer. “Don’t want to spoil them, do we?”
Sandoval chuckled. “Nah, I guess not.” he said and started off towards the loader. The man paused and came back. “We’re gonna get a load of dirt and bring it back over here in a few minutes.”
Frays nodded and a few moments later the Bobcat was trundling off like some kind of mechanical beetle behind Sandoval. She watched them go and then wandered over to the backstop. After a moment’s debate she sat down and leaned back against the dark moist earth. The coolness of the soil felt good on her aching back. She almost started to doze off when the flat hard crack of a rifle bullet breaking the sound barrier made her leap to her feet.
She could see the two men in the nearest watchtower leaning forward looking out over the wall, one scanning the field on the other side with a pair of binoculars. The man pointed at something and shouted followed by the sentry on the rifle raising his weapon and firing again. There was a shot again then he worked the bolt of his rifle and fired again. And again. And again.
Frays threw a glance over her shoulder then hurried over to the watchtower. The man shot two more time and then there was a break in the action. “There’s more coming!” shouted one of the sentries. The panic in the man’s voice was plain to her at the bottom of the ladder leading up to the nest.
Frays scrambled up the ladder as fast as her son would let her, huffing and puffing heavily by the time she had managed to reach the top of the twenty foot ladder. “SITREP!” Frays demanded breathily as she elbowed her way past the spotter. Her heart fell through the floor of the nest into the dirt and finally settled somewhere around China. The woman crossed herself and muttered “God save us.”
There was easily a couple hundred or more infected stumbling purposefully towards the FOB’s perimeter wall. Frays turned to the squid that had been spotting for the rifleman. “Get on the horn and have them send QRF over here TIME: NOW.” Frays ordered as she slapped the magnification module into place on her M4 and took a knee next to the rifleman. He was busy dropping every other round as he tried to reload his M24. “Tell them we’ve got a massive contact. The wall’s holding but I want backup here if they pile up.”
Frays started providing cover fire for the rifleman as he reloaded. “Leave the closer ones to me for right now.” Frays told him as she dropped three that had their faces pressed right against the wall. The man’s face was a pale mask of panic. Frays grabbed the man’s arm and shook him hard enough to make him look at her instead of the groaning dead slowly but surely closing on their position. “You take the ones that are farther out since you’ve got the M24. Just relax, man. Take your time and aim. They can’t get over the wall.”
Now the walkie talkie clipped to the wall of the nest was coming alive with sentries reporting contacts on their side of the FOB. The towers on either side were firing and it took everything Frays had to maintain her focus on her sector of fire. There had to be almost two hundred now just in her little part of the perimeter. Her carbine ran dry for the third time and she dropped the empty magazine, slapped a fresh one in and smacked the bolt release with the palm of her hand. “I’m down to three mags. Tell ‘em we need a resupply!” Frays shouted and
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