Alley Dwellers

I sighed again. "okay but I don't want anything getting out. If I hear anything from anyone except you I'm coming after you or Zakuro." He only nodded. I sighed once more and slipped off into a secluded part of the back alleys.

I went off to see what the other alley dwellers were doing.

The next few weeks went by without a hitch. Everyone mourned for Unjam and then we went on with our lives. It was not until Rondo returned did I get worried. Parlat and I met with him once more outside of the city.
"Raiders from the North are coming through here. They are set on killing all gypsies. We must get the colonies out and soon." He said. Since we are considered gypsies in our town we would have to leave as soon as possible, but I had this icky feeling in my gut that we couldn't just leave our home. Years and years of history were gathered in our tunnels and alley ways.
"No." I said quietly, looking down, " We will fight them and we WILL win. We can't just sit by while our home is torn to shreds. I won't let them win. And we also need to protect all of the other gypsies like us in other cities, if there are any. I won't let them die because of our cowardly acts." I looked back up at Rondo then Parlat. Parlat seemed to have an idea hatching in his brain already but Rondo just looked at me worriedly.
"Mari, being one of the Alley Dwellers myself I know how hard it is to face the fact that we can't win every fight but the Great Members have spoken, you must come with me. Dead or alive, but you will come." He said. Just then I had a flash back of my father.
((FLASHBACK))
I sat down on my father's knee down one of our favorite alleys. "Now Mari, I want to tell you about the Great Members." He tried to go on but I cut him off.
"They are just a legend, daddy, everyone knows that!" I said giggling. He just smiled.
"Yes but I want to tell you that no matter what they say, they can be wrong, they are only humans and sometimes we can know better than them."
((END FLASHBACK))
"I know better than you AND the Great Members, Rondo." I said and I slipped away across the roof tops above.

I met mari on the roof tops. she looked worried about something. "is something wrong?" I said.

"Raiders from the North are coming." I said simply. "We need to get ready for battle."

I nodded and dashed off to find ther other alley dwellers.

We got all of the alley dwellers up on top of the roofs with special camouflage to help blend into the rooftops. We all had guns on out person and we sat in wait for the raiders. They showed up right after the alarms started. In our city we have raider sirens that go off when raiders are 10 miles away from our city so people can lock up their houses. We were ready. I don't know where the sewer runners were but I knew they had to be somewhere lurking in the shadows.

I had my had on a handgun, ready to pull it out at a moments notice. I also wore many other weopons.

The whole city was quiet except for the clacking of horse hooves. Raiders wore all black and covered everything except their eyes. Most people called them the four legged demons. Raiders never took prisoners. Only one person I know of has lived a Raider's attack and that was my father. I crept up a roof and looked over the top to get a better look. The leader had a sword about 3 feet long. He probably had many other weapons but it was best to get him first. I put a muffler on the barrel of my gun so that they didn't know what hit them. I took aim and shot silently. It hit him square in the chest and he died instantly.

I did not move, I would not untill the raiders were closer, or untill my leader told me to.

I signaled to all of the Alley dwellers to be silent and put mufflers on their guns. Once that was done I signaled to shoot. Raiders dropped like flies but soon they realized what was happening and started to shoot back. I watched as several of my people fell off the roof tops right into the street. "Jintar pliva!" One of the raiders shouted. I knew that phrase all too well. When we played on the rooftops when we were little our parents would yell to each other that phrase. "They are on the houses!" Right then I saw Parlat signal to his forces to attack.

I shot down several raiders, they they began to fire back so I had to duck behind a wall. one bullet hit my arm, but the one with my gun had not been hit. so I kept shooting.

I started throwing grenades everywhere. "BOOM!!!!!!!!!" i shouted as they exploded

"shut up" I mutterd.

I just kept shooting. ((I got nothing))

(9and that gives me no ideas))

((Let me help.))

I rushed in at Parlat's command. The horses' legs were unprotected. So some of us ran underneath and slashed the legs while the Alley Dwellers shot from above. I felt a grenade explode nearby and yelled to those who had followed me out. "Get back! Boomers! Get back!!" I ran toward the closest alley and several followed while the rest ran back to the main group.

I jumped from a rooftop nimbly and started shooting from the ground. I shot down several horses and their riders. Soon more raiders arrived. More than we could handle but we would have to push through. We could make it...I hope...

I made my way to mari. clutching my wounded arm. "there are a lot more comeing from the back. they must have gone around"

I kept on shooting. Once i killed one i started shooting another. This was fun! Or at least till i got hit. I fell from the building i stood on. I was the only one on it. I looked at my wound. Strait in the heart. I would die if no one came to rescue me soon. I could die! I probobally would die.

I watched as Sarain got hit. His chest started to heave. I ran over to him quickly. He was wounded badly. I called for one of the few medics we had. "help him. I can't talk for too long." She nodded and started to work right there. I got up and made myself a shield between us and the Raiders, shooting down anything that came at me from the other side.

I wasent sure how much time passed. I just kept shooting.

((That wasn't much help my friend.))

I made it to where my leader was. "There are a lot more comeing in from the other side" I told her. "They have flooded us over there "

"Get Parlat to send some people through the sewers to get them from the ground. I know they have bombs down there. Make the rats use them." Kilev nodded and ran off to carry out his orders.