John Ringo - Islands of Rage and Hope

The Navy gunners had been careful to keep the “bait” away from the cargo pier which was the center of the landing operation. The Zodiacs drove their bows ashore and the Marines clambered over to…silence. The tropical wind was blowing, there was a bit of a smell of carrion, there were some long burnt out buildings and, that was it. That and the wrack and ruin.

“Force Ops,” Faith called, looking around. “Marine Team is calling this zone clear for off-load.”

“Roger, Marine Team. Stand by.”

“Already there,” Faith muttered. She was slightly back from the line of Marines, standing a bit over ankle deep in green tropical water and watching a coconut palm waving in the trade winds. “Why is it that we keep ending up in such great looking places and never seem to get any shore leave?”

She didn’t seem to notice that there was a skull right by her left foot.

“Aren’t there remaining infected on the island, ma’am?” Lance Corporal Saul asked.

“Oh, yeah, that,” Faith said, shrugging. “One of these days, Lance Corporal, we are going to clear something thoroughly enough we can have some damned shore leave. I may even be forced to drink something with an umbrella in it.”

She leaned down and picked up the skull.

“But maybe we’ll do a police call first, mon,” she said, holding the skull up to her mouth and using a bad Caribbean accent. “Otherwise it might be… grim.”

“Marine Team, clear perimeter buildings and establish security perimeter at base of dock, over.”

“Roger, Ops,” Faith said. “Staff Sergeant Barnard, you hear the order?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Barnard said. She was standing more or less at the same position as Faith a bit farther down the beach.

“You establish the perimeter at the pier with Squad One,” Faith said. “I’ll accompany Squad Two on sweeping the buildings. Ensure that your squad’s weapons are on safe. I don’t want any friendly fire ’cause there are human shapes moving around the buildings. Oorah?”

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Barnard said.

“Hooch!” Faith yelled. “Move out.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Sergeant Hocieniec replied.

“You know,” Faith said. “A little paint, some curtains…”

The Bayside Bar and Grill had obviously been a pretty popular island beach bar. Now it was a fire-scorched shell. They only knew the name by figuring it out from the half burned sign. There was a burned skeleton behind the bar along with shattered bottles and glassware. It was apparent whoever it was had been dead before the fire. There were scraps of clothing so it probably wasn’t an infected.

“Possibly a roof, ma’am,” Sergeant Hocieniec said, pointing up. There was a partial roof but through most of it you could see the sky and palm trees.

“Fiddly bits, Sergeant,” Faith said. “That is what NCOs are for.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hocieniec said, smiling.

“Leave alpha team here,” Faith said. “Oriented thataway,” she continued, knife-handing southeast. “Staff Sergeant Barnard,” she said, keying her radio.

“Here, ma’am,” Barnard said.

“Leaving one team in the building as a security team,” Faith said. “Preparing to sweep west. Check fire, check fire, check fire.”

“Check fire, aye,” Barnard said.

Hocieniec started to step out the door and Faith held out her arm blocking him.

“Let the word spread,” Faith said. After a moment she keyed her radio. “Check fire check, Staff Sergeant.”

“Check fire, aye, ma’am,” Barnard replied.

“Now we go,” Faith said.

The westerly buildings were support buildings for the pier. There was an abandoned storage container, a medium sized warehouse and support building, two large above ground fuel tanks and a parking area. There was the usual scatter of abandoned cars in the parking area as well as a large boat or cargo container forklift. It could be either one; they looked pretty much the same.

The main doors to the warehouse were open—any infected inside should have been drawn out—but they approached cautiously nonetheless.

The interior was mostly filled with boat support material including a small machine shop. There were some small outboards up on racks.

“Check and clear the office,” Faith said.

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Hooch replied. “Bravo team.”

“Aye, aye,” Hoag replied.

The door to the offices had been forced and there was another long-dead skeleton in it. Other than that it was clear.

“Clear,” Sergeant Hoag said, before walking back into the equipment building.

“Can’t really use this as a security position,” Faith said. “Sergeant Hocieniec, get the team up on top of the storage container. That will give us a better look around.”

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Hocieniec said.

Sergeant Hoag waved for her team to leave the warehouse. As Faith started to open her mouth, Lance Corporal Robert “Bubba” Freeman cleared the entrance and immediately took fire.

“Back!” Faith shouted as rounds began to zing through the equipment shed. It sounded like half the beach group was firing at their position. She dove behind a drill press. “God-damnit, check fire! Check fire!”

Faith’s call was being stepped on by calls of “Movement!” But after a minute or so, and waaaay too many rounds, the firing stopped as did the radio calls.

“Anybody hit?” Faith asked.

“I caught a graze, Shewolf,” Hooch said.

“Bad graze?” Faith asked.

“No, ma’am. Think it was a chunk of concrete or something.”

“Staff Sergeant?” Faith called after a moment.

“Here, ma’am,” Barnard said.

“We’re about to exit this equipment building and do some stuff in the parking lot,” Faith said. “Could you clarify that fact with whoever just tried to kill Lance Corporal Freeman and, by the way, missed . And could you once again ensure that all of your Marines’ weapons are unloaded and on safe ? Because that shot was too fast for the weapon to not have been locked, loaded and off safe? Pretty please with honey and fucking sugar on top ?”

“Marine Team, Force Ops.”

“Marine Team,” Faith replied laconically.

“Any casualties?”

“One graze,” Faith said. “Fortunately or unfortunately, the marksmanship quality was poor. Continuing the mission. Staff Sergeant?”

“Here.”

“Check fire, check fire, check fire.”

“Check fire, aye,” Barnard replied.

“You can get mugged on a walk in the fucking park,” Faith said, standing up. “Freeman, this time, remove your helmet, stick it on the end of your rifle and wave it out the door before exiting…”

“Time to regroup,” Faith said as she reached the pier. The Navy personnel were starting to unload onto the cargo pier and the Grace Tan was carefully backing up to the end, being tended by two tug boats. “Organization will be as follows. Send one of your teams into the bar to take over from alpha second. Other team between the bar and the road to the left. Alpha second to take the right side of the road in contact with alpha first which will remain on the top of the container. That leaves the beach itself open. I’ll get with Navy security and make sure they have that covered. Understood?”

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” Staff Sergeant Barnard said.

“With one exception. Who was it opened fire first ?”