People start scrambling when they hear the siren. Some rush into there homes and come out with a gun soon after, and making there way to the north gate. Most have pistols, a few have old hunting rifles. Some people don't come out of there houses at all, and instead start barricading themselves inside. Marcus even see's a few people jumping over the counter of market stands, fighting with the clerks, and stealing what they can before running to the south gate, opposite of the dust clouds.
Marcus turns to look at Mick.
"Mick wh-what's happening?"
"Raiders Marcus. Desperate people who kill, burn, and steal from others to survive. They are ruthless and without mercy, which is why you have to listen to me very carefully. Go to my house, Alice should be there. Find the rifle under the floorboards under my bed, and give it to Alice. Both of you should stay in the house and wait for me."
"But what are you going to do?"
"I'm a guard Marcus, I have to go and help at the wall. Wait at my place until you hear the siren stop then check outside. Alice will know what to do from there, now GO!"
With that said Mick ran off towards the wall.
Watching Mick leave Marcus was about to run to Micks place when a mortifying scene caught his eye. In the distance he can barley make out Tom's homestead, It was in flames. Circling around the house was five motorcycles with two people on them, one driving, and the other throwing what he can only imagine to be fire jars at the building. He can also see bodies littering the ground, but can not make out who they were from this distance.
Shaking his head Marcus starts running to Mick and Alice's place, which is on the west side of the main plaza. With his heart pounding in his chest, and his head feeling light, but stuffy at the same time Marcus runs faster than he ever had before, dodging frantic people, and hopping over toppled crates and debris alike. Running for what feels like an eternity, but was surely only a few minutes Marcus reaches their house. The house was prewar, but well maintained, painted blue with a white door. Marcus starts pounding on the door.
"Alice it's me Marcus, open up quick! ALICE!"
There some shuffling from inside and the the door swings open!
Standing in the doorway is a young women with dirty blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Dressed in a white shirt and old jeans and boots, with a satchel by her waist and a machete in her hand. With green eyes filled with equal parts worry and determination, Alice looked like she was ready to cleave someone in two.
"Marcus?! Hurry up and get in here, quick!"
Marcus scampers in, and just as he enters Alice closes the door, locks it, and wedges a nearby bookshelf back into place.
"Marcus, are you okay? Your not hurt are you?"
"I'm fine Alice, but we don't have much time to talk. Quick where's your bed? Mick said he hid a gun under your beds floorboards!"
"He what? Okay, bedrooms this way!"
Alice lead Marcus to a room to the left. Inside is a decently decorated room with a bed in the back-right corner. Marcus runs over to the bed, and with out hesitation, flips the bed over. A couple of the floorboards underneath look relatively loose so Marcus uses his knife and starts to pry them out. Under the floor is a roughly dug out hole with an old box inside. Pulling out the box and looking inside, Marcus saw what he could only describe as the nicest gun he had ever seen.
It was a lever action rifle a little over three feet long. The rifle was spotless for one thing, made with black wood with a glossy finish, brass fittings with an octagonal barrel, and a depiction of a wolf carved on the receiver. There was two box's of ammo, an ammo bandolier, and even a scope in its own box.
Alice gasps " It's Fang, Micks old rifle from when he was a mercenary, but why is it here? I thought he sold it to help pay for the house?"
"Does that really matter right now Alice? Do you know how to use it, or not?"
"Of course, who do you take me for?"
With that said Alice grabs the rifle, loads it and puts the rest of the ammo in the bandolier and slings it around her, finally she puts the scope in her satchel, saying there's not enough time to sight it in. By the time she's done getting ready the siren suddenly stops. Marcus feels relived, until he sees Alice's face is filled with worry. Moving the bookshelf again, and heading outside, what they find isn't anything good.
The wall's gate has been torn down, multiple places along the wall have massive holes in them. Marcus estimates around 30-50 raiders piling in through the holes. Marcus can see that two rusty trucks covered in scrap metal and spikes have attached winches to the old cars used to make up the wall and yanked them out. Raiders are pouring in through the gaps, shooting and cutting down anyone they see. Some are grabbing what they can in a frenzy, and others are just lighting the building's on fire. The bodies of guards and townsfolk alike litter the streets. As the chaos slowly makes it's way to them, Marcus turns to see Alice holding her mouth with tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Micky no-no, MICKY!"
Marcus's heart tightens, but he knows the don't have much time. He claps his hands trying to snap her out of the grief she is no doubt feeling.
"ALICE, HEY ALICE PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! We have to get outta here! Mick told me that if they can't fight off the raiders that you would know what to do."
Alice begins to breathe deeply to calm herself down, and it seems to be working.
"Your-you're right, we did have a plan to get out of Dirt Mound quickly if we had to. There is a motorcycle hidden away in a ditch covered in shrubs and debris outside the south gate. Out the gate and to the right, let's hurry!"
With that said both Alice and Marcus starts running towards the south gate. As they are running they hear the chaos behind them getting closer by the minute, then closer, and closer until it's all around them. Just as the south gate comes into view two men jump out in front of them.
One skinny man with a shotgun, and another large man with two huge cleaver's in his hands. They both are bare chested outside of some leather scraps with spikes on them. They both have mohawks, covered in piercings and with a crazed look in there eyes that make Marcus hesitate.
But Alice doesn't.
Before the raiders even get the chance to raise there weapons or rush towards them, Alice fires two shots. The one on the left suddenly has a large hole in there chest while the one on the right is missing half their head. Marcus watches as the two raiders collapse into the dirt, stunned.
"Stop standing around Marcus, and MOVE!"
"R-Right!"
With a nod of his head he falls in beside Alice. They sprint down the road until the gate is practically within reach. They can practically taste freedom when Alice's ear twitches. In one fast, fluid motion Alice twists around, and falls to one knee, raising her rifle into a firing position.
BANG!
Marcus turns just in time to see Alice fall back onto the ground.
With a large gaping hole where her chest was.