“We’ve been tasked with going in behind the firefighters and securing the area from looters. The areas have been cordoned off. So anyone who is in your area and not in uniform can be considered a looter and arrested, or, if they resist, shot on the spot. First Squad will move North on 500 East. Second Squad on 600 East. Third on 700 East. Fourth on 800 East. There will be an MP Officer along your road to give you further orders. When someone is arrested, handcuff them and bring them back to the station,” Lieutenant Welch pointed to a pile of crates and continued, “Handcuffs are in that crate. Two per person.”

The squad moved out

“There. Looter. HALT!” The MP Lieutenant shouted, “He’s running! Shoot him!”

The MP Private responded in a shaky voice, “It’s a little kid Sir.”

The Lieutenant drew his pistol and leveled it at the Private’s head, “You will follow orders or you will die. And then I will take your rifle and shoot the scum. Your choice.”

The Rifle cracked. “You just got it’s leg. Now we’ll have to finish it off. But-”

The Private dropped their rifle, grabbed the Lieutenant’s pistol, shouted, “God Forgive Me,” put it in his mouth and fired. The Lieutenant was sprayed with bits of blood, brain, and skull while the Private’s body crumbled to the ground.

The Lieutenant saw First Squad a block away, “You there! Are you the infantry sent to assist me? Get over here!”

Evans waved the squad forward. They slowly walked until they reached the Lieutenant. Evans reported in a blank voice, “First Squad, Second Platoon, Fox Company, 202nd Infantry. Sir. No one spotted on our way here.”

“Then you were not trying hard enough. Sergeant, I want a rifle monitoring every street. Your marksman team to the roof of that building. The rest of you build barricades.”

Corporal Johnson looked up at the burnt out husk of a building, “Sir, that building’s going to collapse if we go up there.”

“Well you might spot a few looters if you go up there before it collapses.” The Lieutenant pointed at Shepard, “I’ll need her to clean my uniform. Get the stains from,” He kicked the body of his Private, “This useless thing out.  Then I’ll be using her for stress relief afterwards. It may take a while Sergeant, especially if she’s good, so I might hold onto her for a while.”

Evans stared in stunned silence.

“Are you dumb Sergeant? Speak Man.”

Evans walked up and punched the Lieutenant in the face. The Lieutenant fell to the ground. He attempted to yell out for help, but Evans put a hand over his mouth. Evans kept raining blow on the Lieutenant. After a what seemed like an eternity, the Lieutenant stopped struggling. Evans picked up a brick and started smashing with that. He stopped when he saw brain.

There was silence but for the raging fire further to the North. Standing up slowly, Evans took off the belt that held his pistol and handcuffs and held it out to Johnson, “I believe I am now under arrest Corporal. You have command.”

“I did not see anything Sergeant,” Corporal Johnson said while the rest of the squad nodded in agreement.

“Sergeant,” Callahan spoke up, “There appears to be two dead bodies. The MP’s we were supposed to meet with I believe. What are your orders Sergeant?”

Evans smiled, “Callahan and Shep, get that child to an aid station. Say they were shot by looters or something,” He put his belt back on and looked around, “I guess we hold this position. Madison, take the pistol from that poor Private’s hand and put it back in the Scums holster. Make sure the poor kid’s family get’s death benefits. Tiscornia, report to Lieutenant Welch in a somewhat panicked state that we found the bodies and the child here. Make no Speculation. We’ll fortify this position as if to prepare for a fight. Howe, I think I might have broken my hand, could you wrap it up?”

Everyone was about to start going about their tasks when they could hear screaming from the North.

Evans looked down the road. About a dozen firefighters were sprinting down the road with a wall of fire behind them. One of them shouted, “THE WIND’S SHIFTED! THE FIRE HAS TURNED! RUN!”