The Winter Tyrant-Chapter 42: Decisive Victory
Phalanx-Alpha had just approached Dean’s location when he heard the news over the wire. Gunshots echoed in the distance while he pulled Daniel aside and gave him a stern glare.
"Todd’s been shot, he’s bleeding out as we speak. I need you to go grab his ass, and extract him to the Acropolis to get some help."
Daniel felt like he had just been hit by a freight train with this information. Katherine had told him to get Dean to her if he stumbled or fell in the field. But now one of their Fireteam leads was already down for the count.
He bit his lip in hesitation, internally debating whether or not he should warn Dean. But Dean didn’t give him the chance, he racked his charging handle, ensuring a round was chambered before shouting to the boys nearby.
"I’m assuming direct command, all men follow my lead. Let’s go kill those fuckers!"
The boys didn’t hesitate, they glided through the snow like phantoms, while Dean led them towards the location of the gunfire. Daniel had one singular focus on his mind, get Todd and extract him to Dean’s home.
---
Todd lay in the snow, a natural berm, he held his own leg, applying additional pressure to the where the tourniquet did its best to cut off the bleeding.
His breath was haggard and sharp. His skin was paling quickly. All the while the boys near his side were actively engaging the hostiles in the distance.
He could hear the howling and hooting coming from the raiders who had smelled the scent of blood.
"We got a bleeder! They’re one down! What are you waiting for!"
The man who said this instantly had a hole blown through his chest by one of the boys near Todd’s side, the simply chug of his RPK tearing through the flesh and bone, and dropping the enemy limp in the snow.
Afterward, he checked on Todd verbally, not physically, he was still actively pinning down the Raiders so they couldn’t advance.
"Todd, how are you doing? You stay with us you little prick!"
Todd sat there lying in the snow, gazing at his life draining into the snow, his voice was soft and almost delirious.
"I’m not doing so good, man...."
Just then the thicket nearby cracked and snapped. Forcing one of the boys providing covering fire to switch his rifle over frantically. Only to see one of his own appear before him. He lowered his rifle and sighed in relief, condemning whoever was behind the balaclava for his recklessness.
"God dammit, you scared the shit out of me, man! Todd is fucked up... We need to get him to that damn doctor!"
Daniel spoke, and when he did, the boys instantly realized who he was. He looked over at taught, looked over the berm to see the raiders advancing, and there he saw the ghosts in the woods behind them.
"Pop a smoke and keep your heads down. I’m getting Todd out of here. Our fearless leader will take care of the rest. Try not to shoot into the smoke, you might kill him by mistake in the crossfire"
Daniel didn’t wait for confirmation, he pulled Todd over his shoulders and waited for the smoke to cover his exit.
Two smoke grenades fell into the snow just beyond the berm, lobbed by Phalanx-Beta, and when the cloud hit its peak, he ran towards the Keep. Carrying Todd on his back without concern for anything else around him, or even his own life.
---
Dean led the boys through the woods, avoiding the traps they had prepared in advance, while sneaking up on the enemy whose entire attention was focused on the smoke that appeared before them.
Firing wildly through the smoke hoping to hit something, they wasted what little ammunition they still possessed desperately trying to stop what they thought was an advance.
One man in particular fell back behind his tree, trying to load the rounds into his hunting rifle one by one behind the cover its thick trunk provided. And then he saw him, standing over him, a man dressed in full winterized tactical gear holding a knife in his hand.
The man fumbled for his sidearm, but it was too late, Dean had severed his spinal cord from the neck with one clean sweep of his blade. The boys had already moved into position, while Dean used some paracord to tie a grenade to the severed head in his hands.
He then tossed it into the enemy ranks from behind.
He didn’t throw it for shock. He threw it because men hesitate when horror replaces instinct.
And it worked like a charm, the soft thud forced their attention and they stared in horror at the gruesome scene just long enough to be caught in its blast radius.
Once the frag had gone off, Dean pushed forward, his rifle in hand like an extension of his own body he dropped the Raiders who had been caught off guard by his attack with precise and swift movements.
One, two, three, four, five, he racked up as many kills as seconds passed. Swapping to his sidearm in between reloads as he precisely aimed two shots to the chest and one to the head of each target while laterally moving between covered positions.
The boys behind him stared in awe, as if they were looking at a war god’s wrath incarnate. Only remembering to provide support once half the of the enemy’s ranks had been completely thinned out by Dean’s frontal advanced.
They didn’t realize that Dean’s timing was slightly off between his engagements and his reloads, because they had never seen him at his peak.
But Dean noticed, especially as a man managed to raise the muzzle of his rifle at him in between reloads.
Dean barely managed to swat the barrel away and kick the man into the snow before it went off. Narrowly avoiding a direct show to the plate. He then got his own weapon online and fired a short burst into the man’s skull.
By the time the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of the main raider force. Only those in positions of command who had waited further back and watched assault unfold had remained unscathed.
