Free Insurgency by Alex Shaw

far more experienced soldier. “But what drew them away?”
    Hakim said humourlessly. “Perhaps they have found some more American beef to feed upon?”
     
    Black ducked the blade that swung violently at his neck and at the same time stepped into his attacker. Black grabbed the wrist with his right hand and with his left hand he used an open palm strike to the elbow to shatter the joint. The Talib screamed and before he could react further Black grabbed the knife and slit the man’s throat. As the Talib fell to the ground the second Talib dived for his comrade’s neck, not in an attempt to save him but to feed from him. The steps were now blocked but it would be only a matter of seconds before more Talibs swarmed his way. Like lemmings headed towards the edge of a cliff they would not be deterred. He moved towards the .50 cal and saw that it was now no more than a heap of twisted metal, fused together by the heat of the RPG round. He stood up straight and willed a round to enter his flesh but the base was now in an unnerving silence. To his right he saw movement, two figures crouching behind a hastily arranged pile of sandbags and to his left he saw a solitary US soldier with his standard issue M4 carbine. Black slapped his cheeks and snapped himself out of his immobility. He was now more determined than ever. The American would survive, and so would he. Black dropped to his haunches and then springing forward like a sprinter, launched himself off of the wall and towards the compound floor ten feet below. He landed with a thud but somehow managed to keep moving, keep running. Behind him the Talibs were taken by surprise and momentarily did not follow. Black kept his head down and like a linebacker barrelled two Talibs out of the way who were making for the American. He could now see the eyes of his countryman, wide with fear as he neared him. The American raised his rifle and fired, the round just missing Black’s left ear, a second round swiftly followed. A Talib appeared between them. The American had missed and now he was out of ammo. He swung the rifle wildly as the Talib grabbed his arms, and then Black was on him. The Talib was forced into the dirt, Black reached down grabbed the head twisted it and tore it away from the body. Arterial spray bathed his face.
    “Y…your SIX!” The American yelled.
    Black spun as an AK round hit him in the left shoulder. The full focus of the remaining Talibs was now on them. Black swore. They couldn’t win, they wouldn’t live. Another round hit him and he staggered. The American next to him fell, screaming, dying. A third round caused Black to drop to his knees. This wasn’t how he was going to die; again he stood without knowing how and stared directly at an ugly, red-eyed knife wielding Talib no more than a meter away. The Talib bared his teeth then suddenly jerked left as a round entered the side of his skull. Controlled bursts from an AK felled three more Talibs in quick succession. Black picked up the knife and attacked a further fighter. Around him the Talibs scattered as more and more of them were taken out by AK rounds. As they retreated Black looked up and saw the Ukrainian, Krasnov standing on the blast wall with an AK 47.
    “Come with me and you will live!” Krasnov bellowed.
    Then Black saw it, another RPG aimed his way. His periphery vision became blurred, he moved quickly as the grenade spun towards him. Black looked down from the blast-wall, the grenade landed where his feet had been a moment before. He had no idea how he managed to mount the wall.
    “Follow me!” Krasnov yelled as he stood next to a Toyota pick-up on the ground outside the base.
    Black jumped down, rolling as he landed. “How?”
    “Just get in; we need to escape the sun!”
    Krasnov pulled away, tyres throwing loose stones and dirt into the air. High above there was a whining noise and milliseconds later a Hellfire missile exploded on the other side of the base. The unblinking eye of