Chapter 55: Run to the River

Zane watched horrified as everything fell into utter chaos below. Adam was crushed, everyone was running everywhere, Garret ordered a retreat, and the other lieutenants were fleeing. This battle was over.

"What are we going to do?" One of his men called out over the sounds of gunshots.

"Keep targeting the militia behind the Mechs. We need to help our men escape." Zane said lifting his own rifle and took aim at a militia man. Pulling the trigger, he watched the man crumple to the parking lot.

"This is not good." Zane muttered. He looked at the three MCM3s wreaking havoc below.

The one that crushed Adam was still staying in place. The militia following it had stopped at the car wall, allowing the gangsters to escape further. For some odd reason, the Mech showed no signs of damage. So, the reason for its sudden stop was unclear to Zane, but this was the only good thing to be seen.

The center Mech was advancing right into the middle of the running gangsters, following on the heels of Garret. He was trying to escape back down the street. Diana had taken one of the forklifts and was driving it away as fast as she could make it go. She didn't even try to give anyone else a chance to hop on either. Her quick thinking soon left everyone else far behind.

The third Mech seemed like the more dangerous of the three Mechs. The street it was attacking the gangsters was smaller and had many shops along the way. From his vantage point, Zane could see gangsters were attempting to hide inside the shops. However, their attempts were futile. The aggressive Mech would stomp and crush the buildings with its bucket loader. From the wreckage it left in its wake no one could have survived.

"Screw it all!" Zane yelled to the men with him. Looking around desperately he issued out orders. "We can escape on the roof tops for a few blocks. Keep fighting every chance you get, so Garret and the others can escape. Once we get to a spot where we can't travel on the rooftops any longer head for the next street to the left. The Mech on that side seems to have stopped. Now move!"

The men quickly heeded the order and once each man finished shooting a clip from their gun they started to retreat. Moving quickly across the rooftops was difficult. The slick slopes, sharp drops between buildings, loose shingles and rotting materials slowed them down substantially. Every man had at least one or two close calls.

Zane kept glanced down below at his forces retreating in the street. Every now and then some of his men would fire from the rooftops and slow the chasing militia members. However, the center Mech kept right on advancing. Gangsters would fling themselves in every direction to avoid being stepped on or flattened by the bucket loader.

Unfortunately, many gangsters were unlucky. Many of the bodies were left in a bloody path trailing behind the Mech. The Mech left bloody footprints behind, do the sheer quantity of blood in the streets. It had been many years since the town witnessed such a scene.

Zane shuddered in fear seeing the horrible scene below. At this rate they would soon end up trapped down there in that hell hole. If they tried to stay up on the roof the Mech would simply tear down the entire block and send them spiraling to their deaths. They had to run!

…

Garret felt as if his heart was trying to pound its way out of his chest! The Mech's terrifying assault was coming ever closer. No matter how fast he ran, no matter where he hid, the Mech was aiming to kill him!

"What the h*** is going on!" He yelled out to no one.

Jumping over a fallen trash can he took a quick look over his shoulder. Just at that moment one of his men tripped and fell heavily on to the cracked pavement. He rolled over to scream just as the Mech's foot came crashing down on to him! Just before the man was squashed Garret looked away, but the juicy crunch sound was unavoidable.

Fear gripped his heart. He no longer cared for the men escaping around him. It was his life that mattered, not theirs!

"I cannot die! I cannot die!" He chanted to himself while breaking out into a sprint. He spun around and fired the last of his bullets at his attackers, then chucked the useless gun at them. Turning to keep running, every fiber of his body aches and trembled.

"Where to go now!" Garret screamed in his head.

His eyes darted around the street ahead looking for any sign of hope and escape. Ahead was an intersection where a bus had overturned in its center. To the right was a car pileup, while the left side was clear. Dashing to the left he heard another methodical banging sound coming from directly behind him.

Turning he looked down the right side of the intersection. There was a second Mech charging his way! That meant everyone that ran down the left street had to have been killed already! Immediately panicking, he nearly lost all reason and dashed blindly down the road.

…

Zane and his men had reached the end of the rooftops that they could run across. Below on the left was an intersection and behind them only a few meters away was the Mech chasing Garret. Then came a repetitive booming to their right. To their bewilderment, it was the second Mech thumping towards them.

"Get down!" Zane yelled. The men dropped flat onto the roof to avoid being seen by the Mechs pilot. However, it was too late!

The second Mech picked up speed and plowed into the side of the building they were on. Its bucket loader carved out a huge gash in the building. Zane and his men did their best not to fall off the sloping rooftop and onto the road below. Then backing up a step the Mech recharged, aiming for the buildings corner.

The second impact was even more catastrophic, and the old building couldn't take it any longer. With a series of dry cracks and moans the building swayed once before tumbling into the intersection. Everyone screamed as the building fell.

The last thing Zane could remember was the look a terror on the man’s face in front of him, just before hitting the ground. Everything went black at impact!

…

"Can you hear me Dilly?" Gillian called out on his Mechs radio frequency. "Have you already finished off everything on your side that quick?" He was peering through his Mechs armor plates at the dust plum from the building Dilly had just toppled.

"Yes." Dilly replied promptly. "It was too simple in this MCM3." The dust cleared some and the two Mech pilots could see each other. Dilly continued. "I took out the gunners on the roof just now. I'll wait here just to make sure none survived."

"Rodger that." Gillian called back over the radio. "I am going to swing left at the next road and see what's been keeping Mr. Yates held up. The last of the gangsters I was chasing went that way too."

"Ok." Dilly droned back.

Gripping the controls once again Gillian started to move the Mech on its rampage. Inside the cockpit was mostly quiet, other than the whirring of the heat exhaust fans and clashing of gears. Looking down below Gillian couldn't help but feel discussed.

"This is just awful." He spoke aloud to himself. "I can't believe this is what the Council agreed to do to these gangsters. I may have killed before, but even this makes me sick."

Turning down the intersection he spotted the last of his targets at the far end of the street. It was clear that they were exhausted and that this game of cat and mouse would soon end.

"Mr. Yates, come in Mr. Yates." Gillian called over the radio for the dozenth time. The only reply was more static. "What are you doing? You said you saw the man you wanted to kill. Now what's the matter." Gillian asked again, but no reply. Giving a sigh he pressed his Mech on to move faster.

…

The constant high pitch ringing was all Zane could hear when he came too. He was lying flat on his stomach covered in dust and debris. How he had survived was unclear. He struggled to sit up but found that there was a wooden beam across his back. He wiggled his toes and found they still worked and the pain he felt was not life threatening.

He was about to continue to escape when he heard someone yell. Looking up through the thick dust, he saw one of his men had also escaped. The man was standing up with a dazed expression and looking up behind Zane. The man had yelled out seeing the huge Mech looming over them. He turned to run away, but that sealed his fate.

With any angry sounding whir of mechanics, the Mech chased after the unfortunate man. Zane could only watch in horror as the man was hunted down by the MCM3. Yet this was his chance!

The Mech was facing the other way. Struggling again, Zane lifted himself up and out from under the beam. Looking quickly around it appeared that no one else was left alive. Dust was still everywhere, and the buildings wreckage was covering the streets. He had no clue where to go next.

That's when something shinny caught his eye. Straight ahead was the Colorado River, sparking in the sun light. Then an idea came to him.

“Mechs cannot swim!”

That was it, his last ray of hope. If he could make it to the river, he could swim away and the Mech would be completely useless to chase him. The current would then carry him back to their base and maybe then he could be safe.

Stumbling forward he skittered through the debris. Eyeing the Mech warily he moved as fast as he could. The Mech started to turn back to face the fallen building and Zane screamed inwardly for it not to see him.

He just made it out of the wreckage when the Mech had fully turned around. Zane didn't look back, not once. He looked straight ahead at the river beckoning to him offering hope. It was now two blocks away and the Mech hadn't noticed his escape.

Suddenly, the sounds of the Mech heat exhaust fans pierced the air. His heart was in his throat now. He was seen!

Without looking backwards Zane tried to run, but the beam had left both his legs numb and achy. Giving an awkward shambling run he quickened his pace best he could. Only one block to go.

"Boom!"

Came the heavy stomping sound of the MCM3 moving towards him.

"Boom! Boom!"

It sounded ever closer! Breathing heavily, he screamed out, trying to go faster.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

He was just meters away from the water!

"Whoosh, BOOM!"

The Mechs bucket scoop missed him by mere centimeters! He even felt the wind on his neck as it missed him.

Zane's foot planted on the end of the road’s curbside, just at the river’s edge. Jumping out at the river as far as he could he plummeted into the churning brown water below.

He had escaped!