The Barricade (Part 1 or 2)

in #story6 years ago (edited)

As some of you may know, I've been elected to be the backstory writer for a famous steemian on the platform, who recently found his way to being a "boss" in the Steem Monsters digital card game. Well, I didn't realise getting back into writing shook so many damn screws loose in my brain! It's something I truly have a passion for and hence plan on continuing into the future. I've got a few unfinished projects lined up, one of which was the last book I was writing, which was nearing completion at the time. I posted up a few chapters previously, but they were unedited and very raw. However, I do like the premise and see a clear vision of where this story could go. So, I've deep cleaned each chapter and will post this snippet of my overall work in two part. Apologies if they are a little long but I do wanna get everything out there as quickly as possible. Please let me know your honest thoughts and feedback. Many thanks...


Dam.jpg

The Barricade

After a treacherous and difficult struggle which seemed to have lasted an aeon and more besides, the magnificent structure was now close to completion.

Brian peered over the precipitous edge, down into the gaping chasm beyond his feet. The deep sloping cascade allowed for the steep inclination to gradually trail off into the distance. It was a sight to behold and testament to the arduous work that went into its construction. Three lives had been lost in total, though many more would be spared if all went to plan. He shifted his gaze to the left and saw a tight formation of scaffolding hugging the side of the wall. From his advantage point, it resembled nothing but a vague smear against the beige concrete. Halfway squinting through the sweltering heat that radiated off its surface, Brian spotted several dark specks crawling along the iron beams.

”Are there people still down there?” Annie asked, tugging at the loose-fitting trouser leg of her towering father. ”Only a few, darling. Just tending to the final bits and pieces of her. Oh, yeah. She’ll be finished within a fortnight no doubt.” His deep brown eyes looked down towards the tiny figure standing beside him. It seemed like only yesterday she had laid that fragile head down upon her cradle’s pillow, unaware of the extraordinary humanitarian efforts taking place on the outside. The protective shroud of a daily peaceful slumber and blissful ignorance were all that she understood. Though time saw fit to change all that. At six and a half years old, how he wished his little princess could have remained tucked up in that same bubble of contentment. Just for a while longer, anyways. Until the danger had passed.

The sun beat down on the earth like the fires of hell itself had manifested in the skies above them. A faint disturbance from somewhere behind them, broke the calming silence in two. He craned his neck around to see Jim strutting toward him, acting in his usual edgy manner.

”Brian! We’ve run the checks.” He barked aloud. Annie watched him with round, inquisitive eyes. ”The reinforced inner steel shell is practically impenetrable. The only way up here now is through the valley.” He tipped his head whilst gesturing at the huge drop a few feet away. ”And those things are looking at a mighty long climb. More than enough time to prepare the men and open the flood gates.”

”What about the spotlights?” Brian said, using a handkerchief to wipe away a bead of sweat from his temple. ”That’s what I wanna know.” Jim cleared his throat before continuing. ”Sure thing. We’ve tested them on the hour and around the clock from last week. We made ‘em so powerful, they’ll damn near blind anything coming from two miles away.”

Brian eased up, his tensions put on hold for now. Nodding to himself, he stared out into the expansive mountain range before him. It would have made the perfect postcard snapshot had a camera been to hand. The rock faces of “Jonah” and “Patrice” ran parallel to each other, stretching out only to converge with the barren exterior of the burning dessert beyond. He knew this was the perfect spot they had chosen to stand their last defence. Brian held a palm out along his brow to shield the merciless sun out of his eyes. He trained his vision, focusing in on the lone entrance to their fortified battlement. The opening appeared as a horizontal sliver of light near the base meeting point of both mountains. Barely visible to the naked eye from where they all stood, it spanned more than a mile in width from end to end.

”That’s good.” Brian called out, not turning back around. ”Make sure you got all four men on rotation duty. One crack in the armour is all we need to land ourselves in some serious trouble. We can’t have anyone sleeping on the job. There are thousands of lives at stake here. Is that clear?”

”Absolutely.” An affirmed answer responded. ”Each lookout point is all taken care off. Even covering the South East drop, although that’s more for completions sake than anything else.” The tone in his voice indicated a certain sense of pride at his effort and unaided choices of decision making.

”Good job, Jim.” Brain answered, with a renewed upbeatness about him. ”You’ve outdone yourself. We all owe you big time when this nightmare eventually comes to an end. You’re dismissed.”

“Thank you, Brian.” Not a moment sooner, the sharp clacking of shoes faded away as Jim returned to his quarters.

”Will we make it, papa?” Annie piped up after a short pause, still in the midst of processing all she had heard in the conversation between the two men. ”I don’t want to go through that nightmare again.” He bend down and lifted her onto one of his broad, muscular shoulders. She gave a faint yelp as he did so. ”You see all this land beneath us?” He proceeded. ”This is where it’ll start over. We’ll build our main city right here and spread out far and wide as time slowly heals the hurt of the world. Things will go back to how they once were. You’ll see a place you never knew existed. And it’ll be better than you can ever imagine. I promise, as much as daddy loves you.”

Brian reached out to brush a lock of hair away from her glistening eyes. He knew she could see it too, even though her young mind had to work hard to conjure most of the idyllic scene by filling in unknown gaps. It was a reality she was yet to experience, but one of hope and anticipation.

”Don’t worry, my little darling.” He whispered up into the air. ”When they come back, this time we’ll be ready for them.”

____________________________________________________________

”Copernicus! Where you put the goddamn wrench?”

Denver had learned the meaning of patience the hard way, no thanks to his long standing workmate’s child-like incompetence but after the umpteenth time of losing the same tool, things got a little frustrating. ”Sorry, bud.” He called back, appearing from out of the shadows. ”Just went out for a leak, is all.” A gust of cold night air blew through the musty room before being cut short by a loud slam of the metallic door.

”Man, that’s three times in one night.” Denver sneered. ”Looks like your bladders got a harder time holding up than your useless brain does.” After shooting him a displeased glance, Copernicus shuffled over to the toolbox and began rifling through it’s contents.

”You know, this whole damn project is a waste of valuable time, right?” He muttered back with a drawn out sigh. A rust-filled spanner spilled from the plastic container, clattering upon the floor. “You really think Brian has thought this through? I mean, you seen what those “things” are capable of. This wall-on-steroids is just gonna buy us a little more time to await our inevitable, miserable fates.”

Denver scowled in anger, hurling a packet of cigarettes at him. It stuck the back of his head, taking Copernicus by surprise. He spun around, rubbing the area of contact whilst staring daggers in return. ”You imbecile! Brian has single-handedly saved the lives of countless men, women and children. Not including the ones yet to be in the future. And if that wasn’t enough, the man lost most of his family too, with the exception of Annie. In case you conveniently forget these small, minor details. He’s the reason your stank ass is still alive right now. And you stand there and talk shit about him like that?”Copernicus though it best not say anymore, but instead chose to watch on like some humiliated child.

”You gotta remember. Still nobody knows how to stop ‘em. Or how many more are out there. To this day, all we’ve been doing is trying to survive. So tell me. What do “you” think it best to do? Lie down and simply wait for them to come slaughter us like the others?” Denver shook his head in disappointment whilst moving over to pick up the crumpled packet off the ground. ”The way I see it, we got one shot. Nothing more, nothing less. Those… those damn… Whatever they are… Well, we gonna give them the fight of their lives, even if it means doing so at the cost of our own. Do you finally get it, numb nuts?”

Copernicus stared up at the ceiling into nothingness, contemplating Denver’s words. He shrugged his shoulders in casual agreement and curled his lip. ”I guess you’re right. But it doesn’t mean we can’t be scared though.”

”Nobody said you can’t.” Denver reasoned in return. Walking back to the other side of the makeshift cabin, wooden slates creaked beneath his feet under the pressure of each step. He swept aside the rag curtain and peered out the window into the darkness. The top of the dam was barely visible under the pale moonlight. At either side, he could just about make out two distant outposts where a couple of recruits would be on guard duty. He imagined for a fleeting moment if Copernicus’s prophetic vision came true and they were, in fact, all doomed. But a moment later, shook the depressing image out of his mind and shifted his gaze lower. From halfway down the huge vertical concrete slab, the ground below was pitch black, save for four static circular beams of light illuminating sections of earth below. Each were placed in strategic positions so as not to allow anyone or any “thing” to get passed unnoticed. Denver replaced the oily rag over the window and moved to the table in the corner where sat a bowl of potato chips. Scooping up a handful, he chomped down hard as Copernicus continued his search for the missing wrench.

”Man, I swear I put this thing back. You sure it ain’t over there with the other mess?” He beckoned toward a moderate sized pile of junk and scrap metal near the entrance way. ”Of course not, you nitwit! You don’t think I looked there already? Either you find it or I’ll have no other choice but to radio it in to the guys up top and request a pickup. They’ll be asleep right about now but believe me, I’ll make sure they know “who” was behind their unwanted disturbance. Now, look harder. The sooner we get this god forsaken project finished down here, the sooner we can get out of this shithole.”

Copernicus exhaled hard. ”You know, this is the one time some help from you would be…” A faint cry coming from outside alerted them both. Denver darted to the window and glared out at the dam above. He screwed his eyes into slits to hone in on the commotion but could not see a thing through the black of night. Copernicus remained motionless, frozen in stunned terror. His mouth hung open like a salivating dog. ”Den… Denver. Is everything… OK out there?” Through the fog of his stunted capacity for rational thought, he knew full well that if an attack took place now, they were the first ones in the firing line. The tow cables would take at least half an hour to prep before being lowered to rescue them. They were nothing but holed up sitting ducks out there.

Denver scoured the top lip of the dam, desperate for answers. Then, the shrill wail of a siren pierced the night air. His body tensed up, fear racing through his veins. He turned his attentions to the earth far below and gripped the edge of the window, expecting to pass out on the spot. The beams of light cast upon the ground were no longer motionless. They appeared to writhe in the form of a black, squirming carpet of noise. Denver rubbed at his eyes with the balls of his palms and moved in for a closer inspection. Masses of pulsating bodies rhythmically pushed forward toward the basin of the dam.

He gulped in horror, before looking back at Copernicus. His face appeared a ghostly shade of white against the dull illuminations flitting across his face from the outside. Denver whispered back, in what seemed like a stifled wheeze.

”There’s… Thousands of them.”

____________________________________________________________

It was another restless night. Brian tossed and turned, pillow soaked in sweat, lost in a sea of dreams. The usual run of familiar faces pushed their way into his subconscious. He found himself standing in his old bedroom once more. Deborah sat by the window in her velvet-cloth rocking chair, as she always had, gazing out at their two-acre garden stretch of land and decorated with rows of landscaped tulips and daffodils either side. It felt good to feel a part of something again. The old country house they used to live in. Brian scanned over the vivid details of his memories. That old wooden beam overhead, running along the entire length of the ceiling. Their prized wedding day photo, blown up and sprawled over an empty patch of wall above the goose-feathered quilt on their bed. A daily symbolic reminder of their undying love. The sights and smells couldn’t have added more authenticity to the scene presented before him. Although a far-flung part of his subconscious was still aware he was dreaming. And savoured every moment of this idyllic recreation. He attempted to move but found that his legs were grounded to the spot. Looking down, his feet had somehow melding themselves into two faded slates of the hardwood floorings. He called out to Deborah, but she didn’t turn around. Just continued staring out at the sun-drenched beauty outside. The same as she had always done in all his preceding visions of her. Glimmering rays of light streamed through the window, giving off an unearthly glow of serenity and calm. But the feeling of unease was palpable. A horrific truth hid behind a veil of secrecy. A truth he dare not contemplate for fear of being driven to the edge of madness. Then, a voice called out from some faraway place. A restless urgency of panic attached to it. It grew clearer and louder by the second.

”Sir!” The young man barked, together with a hint of apprehension at waking Brian from his lumber. ”Please, sir! We’ve got a situation!”

Brian opened his eyes, sucked back into the truth of his own reality. He strained at the dark, slender figure obstructing his vision. Eyes trying to focus back to their immediate surroundings.

”What is it? What’s going on?” He responded in a sleepy drawl.

”We’re under attack, sir! There’re at the perimeter! Jim is rounding up the other men!”

Those words dashed any tiredness left in him. The emergency of what was happening dawned on him without hesitation. He flung the covers off himself and leapt over to the crumpled heap of clothes in a darkened corner.
”Where is he now? I mean, Jim? Where is he?”

”The last I saw, he was preparing the second military unit and stationing them along the first and second quadrants, sir.”

His nerves eased a little with the knowledge that the plan they had revised over so many countless times in the past, seemed to be in action. Two men delegating duties to over six hundred soldiers was no joke, but training regimes put in place over six months ago, were sure to help no end. ”What’s your name, son?” Brian muttered, whilst buttoning up his brown cotton shirt. ”Joey, sir.” Came back the muted reply.

”Right, Joey. I want you to go inform Jim that I’ll be taking care of the third and last quadrants. Tell him to meet me at the top by the flag mast right after he’s done. You got that?”

”Yes, sir.” Joey answered. ”Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?”

”No. Get going. I’ll see you out front with the others.”

Before Brian had time to slip one trouser leg over his lean, shapely calf, the boy was gone. In the quiet gloom of his private quarters, he could make out the faint sound of hurried footsteps scurrying about on the outside. If their last encounter was anything to go by, this was going to be a brutal, relentless and calculated pushback from the enemy. Every single functioning human resource had to have their wits about them above and beyond the call of duty. This was to be their last stand of defence and the fate of humanity was placed square on his shoulders. Donning the usual attire of brown corduroy jacket, black leather gloves and lacing up a pair of thick rugged hiking boots, Brian dove out the door to assess the gravity of the situation at hand.


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Hope you enjoyed this post, please look out for more on the way... (author: @ezzy)


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You are a great writer. I read and followed each of your posts. It is very interesting to read this article. In this article, each character is beautifully presented. Especially the annie character has emerged as the real venerable character of society. The story structure of the story is very beautiful and every speech has been alive. Thank you for sharing the post.

Thanks very much, buddy. I've worked hard to flesh out the main characters, especially Annie. So your feedback is much appreciated. :)

Lovely story revealed in this post. Veey well wriiten and creative. The characters have been shown up in a way convincing to all. Very informative report too. Thanks for sharing @ezzy.

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