Free Children of the Cull by Cavan Scott Page B

pixelated images of overgrown shrubs.
    “Isn’t that where we were attacked this morning?” Lam asked.
    Moore nodded, sitting back in the seat. “Yes. I wouldn’t have expected them to come back for more, not so soon.”
    “Could it have been an animal?” I asked. “A dog, or something?”
    “My men know the difference between a dog and a human being.”
    Still the screen showed nothing.
    “Well, if there was anyone there, they’ve gone now,” Olive added unhelpfully.
    Moore snatched the walkie-talkie from his belt and opened a channel. “Control to Team Three. Come in.”
    “ Team Three responding, chief. ”
    “I’m in Ops. There’s nothing on the camera.” He flicked along a line of buttons, scrolling through corresponding feeds. “On any of them.”
    On screen, we saw three guards cautiously approaching the wire mesh, torches mounted on their rifles. Circles of lights swept across the no-man’s land between the two fences.
    “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” I asked.
    “They know what they’re doing,” Moore insisted, before bringing the walkie-talkie back to his mouth again. “Well?”
    “ There’s nothing, sir, ” came the distorted reply, the lead guard raising his own handset on screen. “ It might have been kids, mucking about? ”
    “Remind me of the last time we saw kids?” Moore’s eyes flicked up to the top row of screen. “Outside the perimeter, I mean.”
    “ There was definitely something there, chief, but it’s gone now. ”
    The three men stood their ground, swinging their gun-lights along the perimeter.
    My stomach was in knots. This was like those old movies we used to watch before horror became an everyday occurrence, the hero creeping into an empty house, the soundtrack dropping away to nothing; no music, no dialogue, just the poor hapless bastard inching forward. You were yelling at the screen, knowing what was coming. Get the hell out of there! What are you doing? Haven’t you seen these films before? And then the monster would strike.
    My nails stabbed into the palms of my hands.
    Moore had seen enough. “Okay, pull back. There’s nothing there. Continue your patrol.”
    “ Roger that, Control. Three out. ”
    I relaxed, placing my stinging palms on my hips.
    “I’m not sure how much more of today I can take.”
    Moore swung around to me. “It was better to make sure. If there had been something out—”
    A rumble reverberated through the building.
    Above me, the lights flickered, a siren sounding in the corridor outside. “What the hell?”
    “Was that an explosion?” Olive yelped.
    On screen, Team Three whirled around to face the direction of the blast, their backs to the fence. There were flashes of light in the darkness, and the guards hit the ground hard.
    “Jesus!” Moore’s walkie-talkie was back to his lips. “Team Three, come in! Team Three!”
    They weren’t moving, shadows appearing in the bushes beyond the perimeter, men and women, guns in hand.
    “Definitely not dogs,” Lam stammered, as the would-be invaders started climbing the fence.
    Calls were coming in from all over the complex.
    “ Control, explosion at the main gates. Guards down. ”
    “ Chief, intruders scaling the north perimeter. ”
    “ Fire near Neighbourhood Three. ” The sound of breaking glass came through the tinny speaker. “ God, they’re throwing petrol bombs. ”
    On the screens, all hell was breaking loose. One of the front gates hanging askew. Liquid fire rippling out from smashed bottles, bushes and shrubs already ablaze. One of Team Three was trying to crawl away, dragging a ruined leg. Behind him a girl had made it over the first line of defence. She raised her gun and dispatched the guard with a single shot. His body jerked and lay still.
    Moore yelled into his handset. “All teams, stand your ground.” He was up out of the seat, charging towards the door.
    “Where are you going?” I called after him.
    He stopped at the doorway. “I need to get