All sorts of things from big sheets of metal to brick walls were strewn about, creating pathways that crisscrossed the combat zone.
Ahead of us the other units in our team were ready for the battle, already lined up and waiting to go. In the distance, far across the battlefield I could just make out the opposing units lining up too.
"I'm patrolling the east side." Laurie pointed over to our left. "If you can try to stay over there I can try and keep an eye on you," she whispered.
"Thanks," I whispered as she took off, swinging a rifle over her shoulder. Her hip holsters now held two pistols and the taser was gone. All of the Wardens looked more intimidating than usual.
The people in front of us were moving forwards and being armed with knives and guns which they slid into their belts and holsters.
I picked my weapons with care, fixing four throwing knifes along my belt, a pistol in a holster on my left hip and a pump action shotgun which I slung over my back. I topped it off with as many replacement bullets as I could fit into my pockets and moved aside.
I spied Grey lined up in the ranks in front of us and ducked my head. My injuries were mainly healed though my head still felt bruised and tender. I was lucky he hadn't shattered my cheek bone and I had no inclination to repeat the incident. Taylor and Evan followed me through the crowd to the ranks on the lefthand side of the unit.
We waited while the last convicts were armed and took their positions within the ranks. I could feel my pulse quickening and my palms growing slick. My mouth felt dry and I licked my lips, trying to regain some moisture.
Taylor placed his hand lightly on my back and I smiled up at him, he was trembling nearly as much as me. It was quiet. The air was alive with tension and the seconds dragged by endlessly as we waited for the command to begin.
I tried to slow my breathing but my pulse was thrumming uncontrollably. I didn't want to think about what might happen when we entered those trenches. I wanted to run, to get away from SubWar, the city and everyone in it.
I glanced at the forest again wondering why no one ever took the chance. An image of the contaminated humans entered my thoughts. Overlong arms and mutated claws that could rip a person apart in a moment. Hungry eyes that had haunted my dreams as a child. The staring, gaunt expression of a monster that was all too human. And even if there weren't any left out there, it was what I would become if I was exposed. Death would be better than that.
"Forward!" a cry went up and the crowd around us roared as it surged towards the battlefield.
I blinked away my overactive imagination as Taylor pulled me along with him, his fingers digging into my arm as he fought not to lose me in the crowd. The crush of bodies was claustrophobic, made worse by how short I was. People shoved and jostled as they made their way onto the battlefield and I had no choice but to go with them.
Taylor tugged me aside as we let the rest take the lead. I jumped down into a trench, quickly followed by Taylor and Evan. Everyone was disappearing into the labyrinth ahead of us.
"Maybe it won't be so hard to survive this after all." I smiled at the two of them as we tucked ourselves into
a crevice to let the fighters surge on by.
Once the last of them passed, we followed.
The walls of the trench got higher and higher as we moved along which made it gloomy. We were effectively herded onwards behind the rest as the winding path continued.
It was eerily quiet as we slowly made our way further in. I was so focused on the path ahead that I jumped at the sound of my own footsteps as the ground gave way to a huge puddle and I splashed into it. The rest of the soldiers had disappeared while we were hidden and I started to doubt whether it had been a good idea to get left behind.
The trenches were wet, cold and dim. The lack of sound was the opposite of reassuring. I wanted to believe that we were alone but my skin prickled as if eyes were following my every move.
It didn't take long for us to hear the gun shots start up ahead. I peered around a corner to see several of our fighters, dressed in our black camouflage outfits. They were pinned down behind a brick wall by about twenty opposition who were wearing dark green camouflage.
"Send for back-up!" one of our guys shouted as he saw me lurking by the trench entrance.
We turned back the way we had come, looking for anyone else from our unit. We took a left at a fork in the trench and found six of our guys readying themselves to move forward.
"Back down the trench. Our men pinned down by a brick wall. Around twenty opposition," Taylor said as they spotted us.
They nodded their assent, turned our way and surged in the direction I pointed.
We took the first left and found ourselves at the entrance to a huge tunnel made of corrugated metal. It opened up before us and revealed a damp passageway that turned left again sharply, cutting off the view of what lay ahead.
I glanced at the other two before heading on down. Taylor caught my arm and stepped ahead of me. I frowned at him but let him take the lead.
Once we turned the corner it was pitch black inside. Every move we made echoed around us, making me shy to the side and hug the metal wall. A few shadowy shapes were just visible around us but I couldn't make out anything properly.
A loud splash made me yell out and jump backwards into the tunnel wall which echoed dully with a metallic thunk. I scrambled to grab my pistol from its holster.
"Sorry! It was me. There's water here, I didn't see it." Taylor's voice came through the darkness.