Earth Under Siege: Humanity Fights Back-Chapter 24: Battle of Ashen Plain - V

That got a laugh. A real one this time, short and sharp, like a cough.

The medic from earlier crawled over, dragging a pack that looked heavier than it should’ve been.

"Anybody hit?" he asked.

Someone raised a hand halfway. "Define hit."

The medic looked at him. "If you can joke, you’re fine."

The man nodded. "Good. I was worried."

The medic moved on.

A young soldier barely more than a kid sat with his back against the wall, helmet off, staring at nothing.

His lips moved silently.

Ethan leaned closer. "You okay?"

The kid blinked, eyes focusing slowly. "Yeah. Yeah. Just... counting."

"Counting what?"

The kid smiled weakly. "How many of us are left."

Ethan followed his gaze, counting bodies that still moved.

"...You’re bad at math," Ethan said.

The kid let out a shaky laugh. "Yeah. Always was."

A crack of alien fire lit the street briefly, painting everything in harsh white.

Everyone flinched.

"False alarm," someone said. "Just probing."

"Probing my ass," another voice muttered.

"They know exactly where we are."

The bearded man leaned forward, resting his chin on the butt of his rifle. "They’re waiting."

"For what?" the kid asked.

"For us to get tired," the man replied. "Or bored. Or stupid."

A pause.

"...Or all three," he added.

Someone farther down the line started humming.

Quiet at first, barely audible.

"What the hell are you doing?" someone hissed.

The humming stopped. "Sorry. Song got stuck in my head."

"What song?"

The man thought about it. "Don’t even remember. Just... something from before."

No one asked him to keep going.

A scream cut through the dark.

Close. Too close.

"Contact left!" someone yelled.

The street exploded into motion. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Ethan fired, muzzle flashes lighting up the world in brief, terrifying snapshots.

Shadows moved fast too fast and beams tore chunks out of buildings like they were made of paper.

The kid beside him fired wildly, panic written all over his face.

"Slow down!" Ethan shouted. "Short bursts!"

The kid nodded frantically, tried to adjust and took a beam through the neck.

He dropped instantly.

No sound. No last words.

Just gone.

Ethan stared at him for half a second too long.

"MOVE!" the bearded man shouted, yanking Ethan back as a beam scorched the spot where his head had been.

They shifted positions, backing into the interior of the building as alien units advanced down the street.

The air inside was thick with smoke and the smell of burned wiring.

A woman leaned against a pillar, clutching her side. Blood seeped between her fingers.

"You hit?" Ethan asked.

She shook her head. "Nah. Just leaking."

The bearded man knelt beside her. "How bad?"

She shrugged weakly. "I’ve had worse periods."

That got a laugh. A horrible, broken laugh but a laugh.

Then the beam hit her.

The pillar vaporized.

So did she.

The bearded man sat there for a second, staring at the empty space where she’d been.

"...Well," he said quietly. "Guess she won."

"What?" Ethan asked, still half-deaf.

"She said she’d had worse," the man replied.

"Turns out she was right."

Ethan didn’t know whether to laugh or throw up.

They fell back again, deeper into the building, stepping over debris and bodies.

Somewhere upstairs, something collapsed with a sound like the world breaking in half.

They regrouped in what might’ve been an office once.

Desks overturned, walls riddled with holes.

"How many?" someone asked.

The bearded man counted. "Five."

"Five?" another voice said. "Jesus, we were ten minutes ago."

"Time flies," someone muttered.

A soldier slumped into a chair that immediately collapsed under his weight.

He stayed on the floor.

"I’m so tired," he said. "I could sleep right here."

Ethan shook his head. "Don’t."

The soldier smiled faintly. "If I do, promise you won’t wake me?"

No one answered.

The comm unit crackled weakly.

"—any units—status—"

The bearded man grabbed it. "This is—" He hesitated, then laughed. "Hell if I know. We’re still here."

Static.

"...Copy," the voice replied after a pause. "...Hold."

The bearded man stared at the device.

"Hold," he repeated softly. "That’s their answer for everything."

A young woman eyes bloodshot leaned her head back against the wall.

"I used to complain about overtime," she said.

Someone chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Thought my boss was evil."

She gestured around them. "Turns out he was just incompetent."

Another laugh rippled through the room.

Then the floor shook.

Something heavy landed outside.

Ethan’s stomach dropped. "That’s not infantry."

The bearded man grimaced. "Heavy unit."

"Do we have anything for it?" someone asked.

Silence.

Someone patted their vest, checked pockets that were already empty.

"...Nope," a voice said.

The woman snorted. "Figures."

They took positions anyway.

The heavy came through the wall like it wasn’t there, armor scorched but intact, weapon glowing with contained energy.

Its presence filled the room, oppressive and final.

Ethan fired.

Everyone fired.

The rounds sparked uselessly.

The heavy raised its weapon.

The bearded man stood.

Ethan grabbed him. "What are you doing?!"

The man looked back, eyes clear for the first time.

"Buying you time," he said. "I’m empty anyway."

He stepped forward, pulling the last grenade from his belt.

"Hey," he added, glancing back at Ethan. "If anyone asks, tell them I died doing something heroic."

Ethan’s throat tightened. "I won’t."

The man smiled. "Good."

He ran.

The heavy fired once, tearing the man’s leg off at the knee.

He didn’t slow down.

He dragged himself the rest of the way and slammed the grenade against the heavy’s armor.

The explosion shook the building.

When the smoke cleared, the heavy was on one knee, armor breached, systems flickering.

Ethan didn’t hesitate.

He and the others poured fire into the exposed joints until the thing collapsed completely.

Silence followed.

No cheers.

No celebration.

Just breathing.

Heavy, ragged breathing.

Ethan slumped against the wall, chest heaving.

He felt hollow. Lighter.

Like something essential had been scooped out of him.

The woman wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "He didn’t even tell us his name."

Ethan stared at the floor. "Doesn’t matter."

She looked at him sharply.

He met her gaze. "We’ll remember him anyway."

Outside, the fighting resumed. Distant now, but getting closer.

Always getting closer.

Someone started laughing again. Harder this time.

"What?" Ethan asked.

The soldier shook his head, tears streaming down his face. "I just realized... I never finished my degree."

Ethan stared at him.

"Four years," the man continued. "Four years of my life. And I died for... this."

"You’re not dead yet," Ethan said.

The man laughed harder. "Yeah. Give it a minute."

A shadow passed over the doorway.

Weapons came up.

Everyone braced.

The war didn’t care that they were tired.

It didn’t care that they were grieving.

It didn’t care that they were human.

It just kept coming.

And so did they.