The Pathless on Paths---------Chapter VII part 3(16)

He emerged onto the roof, a dusty and old platform of cement, set with long smoking chimneys behind him, and scattered with now disused duct outlets, expecting to find perhaps a moment of respite, but instead, he found what he had dreaded a moment before.
He was not alone. Another gray uniformed man stood behind what appears to be a chest-high wall built of sand bags, fumbling with something before him that was hidden from Karrson’s view. He saw he him perform a familiar pulling motion, and heard that sharp metallic chink of something locking into place. Just as he did this, the gates in front of them began to slide open, The man lowered his head a little.

“No...” Karrson cried and took aim at the man with his gun, and let fly a burst of lead. A moment too late he was, for before the man fell he had already fired a long burst. The man fell forward, leaning on the sandbag-built cover, his gray uniforms growing black-red, stained by his blood. Besides him was mounted a smoking machine gun, now pointing at the sky, displaces as the gunner fell.
Karrson ran forward as fast as him pained body allowed him, and came to the machine gun nest. He looked over the short wall, at the yard littered with carts of scrap metal.