Free The Resistance: Book 5 of the After The Event Series by T.A. Williams

sat back in his chair. “You know those Americans wouldn’t have had to do that if we hadn’t been under attack. Instead of sending the army to maintain order we have been fighting on both coasts for years. Your family’s death is on them.”             
                  “My family’s death is on the people who pulled the trigger, no one else. I didn’t start robbing and killing people and neither did you.”
                  “Do you hate them?” Reaper asked. “The people who killed your family?”
                  Ben didn’t know what to say. The closest thing to hate he had ever felt were for the people who took his father and Joseph away, but did he hate them?”
                  The explosion rocked their entire building, knocking Ben out of his chair and sending a wave of heat throughout their entire room. Ben jumped to his feet and watched as Reaper’s eyes grew wide.
                  “We’re under attack, everyone get the fuc-”
                  Another explosion hit; this one felt like it hit farther up on the building but was still strong enough to nearly knock Ben off his feet again. Reaper had intentionally put them on the first floor so it would be easier to retreat. They had been much higher up on another building when the Chinese took the city and had barely survived that. Ben ran into the main room and all of the soldiers were busy gathering their supplies. He grabbed his bag and gun and by the time he was at the door both Ty and Ohio were flanking him.
                  “Let’s bolt, B,” Ty shouted.
                  They ran out of the building and just before they got outside there was a third explosion and this one sounded like it was a direct hit. A wave of dirt and debris rolled over them and for a moment it felt like he was blind. The sound of shouting and pain came from behind them.
                  “Shit,” Ben found himself saying. “Ty, Ohio, take up positions on the far sides of the building. You see someone coming, you lay down covering fire and make a run for it. Maybe we can lead them away.”
                  “The fuck are you doing?” Ty asked.
                  “Going up to help,” Ben didn’t wait for confirmation; he was already on his way up the stairs.
                  The dust had already begun to clear as Ben got to the door. Ghost came stumbling up, his lungs desperately trying to cough up the dust that had entered them. Ben grabbed him by the shoulder. “You all right?”
                  “I’m good; we gotta get out of here.”
                  As the last of the dust cleared he saw the rest of the soldiers starting to get on their feet and he also saw a large hole in the side of the wall, and behind that were two Humvees. Before he could say anything they opened fire. Ben dove to the ground as the walls behind him began to chip away from the relentless stream of gunfire. The sound filled the room and soon all he could hear was a distinct ringing but he could see and feel the force from the impacts. The soldiers began to crawl out past him and before Ben could turn to follow them he saw Reaper on the far side of the room holding his right leg, and his hand was covered in blood.
                  Ben grabbed the leg of one of the soldiers crawling past. Crimson turned to him and Ben tapped the top of his own head several times. Mason had taught him long ago that was the signal asking for covering fire. Crimson hesitated for just a moment, then she caught sight of Reaper on the far side of the room. She nodded, turned around and began to return fire. After a few seconds she was joined by another soldier and then another. Ben crawled through the debris toward Reaper who, despite the injury to his leg, was still firing blindly with a handgun. As Ben got within a few feet of