Picking up from where we left off last week, things become rather explosive in Locke’s Town.

The drone is set to stealth mode, they can’t see it and can’t hear it either. Walter and I are watching as it passes over Locke’s Town, revealing heat signatures inside the buildings. We have no way to know who’s a townsperson and who’s a Core solider but making a quick headcount, I guess there’s 20 or so attackers. And two of us.

We have all of the guns we could ever need in the bunker but not enough people to use them.

“I know what you’re thinking, go back to the caves and get some boys, but they’ve never handled anything beyond hunting rifles. I don’t want my son to kill a man. That’s something that never leaves a person.”

If sometimes happens to me, who’ll look after Aaron I want to ask, “but it’s alright for me?”

“You’ve killed before,” he replies, it’s not a question.

Yeah, I have, but that doesn’t mean I want to do it again. Walker’s right. It is something stays with you and yet, at the same time, it doesn’t. I remember that I’ve ended someone’s life but I can’t envision what they looked like or the sound of their screams. Sometimes I don’t even remember what job it was. I may as well have killed Carl.

Our drone had a weapon’s system once but rust has made it useless. Now it’s a pair of eyes and nothing else, but it still has a power core.

“I have a plan, but you’re going to lose your drone.”

“Old rustbucket deserved a rest anyway,” Walker answers after a moment and we head for our speeders. I tell him what I’m thinking, he doesn’t like it, but it’s best plan we have. My armour’s strange, like a new pair of shoes I haven’t quite gotten used to yet but it will do what I need it to, I need it to save my life.

Walker heads back to the caves but I head up to the rise overlooking Locke’s Town. Setting bombs isn’t my speciality but when I call in the drone I manage to tinker with it. Old tech, easy to use, and easy to destroy too.

I don’t have to wait long before I hear the vektas, they’re rampaging and heading right for Locke’s Town. With their thick hides bullets bounce off but that doesn’t stop the soldiers rushing out to see what the commotion is. I briefly wonder what they’re after, it’s a question that’s only come to me now amidst all the commotion, before one is tossed into air and crashes to the ground, he doesn’t move again. Another is trampled by the herd, I can hear his screams as I maneuver the drone into place.

The vektas are gone and the soldiers who were smart enough to wait come out of the buildings. Six of them head for their speeders, I had hoped it’d be more but this is the best chance I’m going to get. I set the trigger as they mount up and the bomb goes off. It’s bigger than I thought it would be, and I have to shield my ears from the far side of town. Those closer to the blast are left stunned.

That’s when Walker and his men, who entered town during the confusion of the stampede start firing, everything is going the way I thought it would but the face of that soldier on the speeder is stuck in my mind. Not much older than myself but I remind myself that he’s from the Core and we didn’t invite them here.

But I don’t have time to think, a blast singes my helmet and I whip around faster than I knew I could and shoot the guy right between the eyes. There aren’t many of them left but as I rush forward I hear a scream I’d know anywhere. Shawn’s scream. A soldier has him on the ground punching him time and again, I forget my gun and dive into him, slamming Shawn’s attacker into a wall.

Before I know it I’m on top of him, my hands around his neck. He tries to struggle but then goes limp, it’s a moment before I realise he’s been shot. Shot by Shawn.

Image: Zano