April part two

There it was—the cave. The lair of the king of the forest. I had my two revolvers in hand, Valerie held her sniper rifle, and my nephews gripped the automatics I had given them.  

I led the group, stepping alone into the cave, with the sweet words of good luck from the beautiful lady behind me echoing in my ears.  

Inside, there was only darkness. I put on a thermal visor, a gift from DreamGuard. With it, I could see everything that was alive in the shadows. The cave was filled with animals—rabbits, snakes, deer, squirrels, and more. But there was no sign of the king. Was it all a trap?  

Suddenly, a sharp pain tore through my stomach, and I was sent flying into the cave wall. Behind me, a crack had formed from the impact, and I was spitting blood. I lifted my head, but there was no sign of whatever had struck me. Looking down at my wound, it was as if claws had slashed me open. Then, a growl echoed through the cave, reverberating off the walls.  

And just like that, as if by magic, the beast appeared before me. A bear—massive, towering over six meters tall. Its body was covered in scars, its fur darker than normal, and its teeth sharper than a tiger’s. But how had I not seen it before?  

Could it have an ability like Chuck’s—one that makes it invisible?  

No time to think. We had to stick to the plan. I pushed myself off the wall, limping as I raised my guns. The bear stood firm, unafraid.  

Before I could pull the trigger, a voice echoed in my mind.  

“Who… dares… challenge the king?!”  

The voice was slow, filled with anger, as if it had only recently learned to speak. I looked around, searching for the source, but there was no one else. Only the bear and its smaller creatures. None of them were moving their mouths.  

I see… So that’s what Valerie meant. I recalled our plan from the night before, when she told us the king was an Ultra who could enter our minds. I had dismissed it as a joke, but now I understood. That’s why I hadn’t seen it—it had manipulated my mind to make itself invisible. No wonder the Ultra-mutants never ventured here. Who knows what horrors he made them see before they could even step inside?  

But why had he allowed us into his forest? Did he underestimate mere humans? Sorry, but not on my watch.  

“Greetings, King of the Forest. My name is Jason Carson, a former mercenary, and I’m here because I need to leave this forest. Would you be so kind as to let my family and me pass?” I put on the kindest face I could muster and spoke with the formality befitting a true king.  

“All who wish… to pass… must enter through my mouth…” His words echoed in my mind, filled with an insatiable hunger for human flesh.  

“Sorry, but getting eaten by a bear is at the bottom of my list of ways to die,” I replied, pulling grenades from my pockets and removing their pins. “Why don’t you eat this instead?”  

I hurled them at the bear, which shielded itself with its massive arm before the explosion. I knew that wouldn’t be enough, so I raised my revolvers and aimed for my favorite target—the head. But this time, it wouldn’t be easy. Its skull looked incredibly tough. However, I noticed a small part of its brain protruding slightly from its head. Yes, you read that right. Maybe it was a mutation caused by the pill, or an old wound from battling another threat. Who knows? What mattered was that this was my target.  

Before I could fire, two wolves lunged at my arms, sinking their teeth into me and throwing off my aim.  

“Damn it. Canines are my greatest weakness. Man’s best friend…”  

I had killed hundreds of people and mutants, but I would never, ever harm a dog.  

“Good thing I have backup that doesn’t seem to mind,” I muttered, glancing toward the cave entrance, where a faint light shone.  

Two shots rang out, hitting the wolves in the legs. Tranquilizer darts—strong ones—knocking them out cold. Too bad we’d need a whole arsenal of those darts to put this bear to sleep. I had a feeling Valerie was out there somewhere, smirking and giving me a thumbs-up.  

“Sorry, pups. I promise nothing bad will happen to you,” I said, looking at the sleeping wolves, who seemed to be resting for the first time in ages.  

The bear didn’t even flinch at his fallen subjects. Instead, he swung his claws at me, aiming to tear me apart. I barely dodged in time, sliding between his legs to position myself behind him, my guns still locked on his weak spot.  

“Useless.” The deep voice rumbled in my mind, and the bear didn’t even bother turning around.  

Suddenly, the entire cave transformed into a blank white room. The bear and the animals were gone.  

I turned and saw a figure approaching from the distance. With each step, it became clearer. Those glasses, that lab coat, the red cap, the brown hair, the cigarette in his hand…  

“Brother…” I couldn’t hide my shock.  

“What the hell are you standing around for, idiot?” he said, irritated. “You’re late for your mission.”  

“What mission?” I couldn’t understand what was happening.  

“Tch. This is why you need to pay attention during meetings. Come on, we have work to do,” he said, extending his hand toward me.  

It all felt so real, just like before. So nostalgic. I couldn’t help but reach for his hand. My brother—Johan.  

“But what about your kids? I promised to take care of them. I have to bring them back to your wife, to Clara.”  

“Jason.”  

A voice called from behind me.  

I turned and saw another familiar figure from my past. That green uniform, those medals, that red beret—I would never mistake him for anyone else.  

“You are not a survivor. There’s no need to continue your old mission. Go, rest with your brother,” the raspy, aged voice said.  

“General…”  

My old squad leader. My mentor. My role model.  

I turned back to Johan. I was about to take his hand when I stopped.  

“You couldn’t be more wrong, General Plumberg. I never leave a mission unfinished.”  

I grabbed my gun and shot Johan in the head. The illusion began to fade. Behind me, I heard the general’s final words of approval.  

“Well done, son.”  

As reality returned, the king stood before me, blood dripping from his head. His mouth was wide open, ready to devour me. The bullet had gone straight through his exposed brain.  

His voice no longer echoed in my mind, but his eyes said it all. He was asking how I had done it.  

“You made one mistake—leaving alive the bravest woman I know. Without her, we wouldn’t have known your tricks, and I might have taken my brother’s hand.”  

The night before, Valerie had told us about the king’s powers and that I needed to go in alone to disable them by shooting his brain. I was the only one strong enough to pull the trigger on a loved one. And she was right.  

Even so, without his illusions, the bear was still a beast. A small wound to his brain wouldn’t stop him from fighting.  

The king swung his claws at me, but two distant shots hit his eyes. My nephews had come to the rescue, leaving him blind. The bear rose, thrashing wildly at the darkness, trying to strike me down. Somehow, he tripped—maybe over one of his own animals or a rock.  

With him on the ground, Valerie emerged, tossing grenades to all of us. We hurled them into the king’s open mouth, his mind too disoriented to understand what was happening.  

Before they detonated, his voice whispered in all our minds one last time.  

“Take care… of my kingdom.”  

And with that, the king exploded from within, blood splattering everywhere. The animals scattered, running free into the forest.  

“We did it!” Andrew cheered, jumping with excitement.

"Tch, I wish I could have done more," Rick muttered, frustration evident in his voice.  

"Relax, kid. That shot to the king's eyes was perfect. Even my old squadmates couldn't have pulled that off," I said, trying to cheer him up.  

Before I could continue, a forceful embrace crashed into me, squeezing so tightly that my old DreamGuard wounds flared up, along with the fresh ones from the bear.  

"Thank you, thank you! I knew I could count on you, my hero!" Valerie cried joyfully as she hugged me.  

Despite the pain, I forgot all about it, completely lost in the warmth of her body against mine. And the cherry on top—she kissed me on the cheek.  

"Uncle, why do you have that pervy smile on your face?" Rick interrupted my blissful moment.  

"Shut up, brat, or I'll lock you inside the cave with the bear's corpse."  

"Oh, right! Your wounds!" Valerie suddenly remembered, pulling away and wiping away her happy tears. "Come on, we still have a journey to finish."  

We spent one last night in the forest so my wounds could heal. As I admired the beautiful night for the last time, watching the fireflies emerge from the lake, I couldn't help but think about what the king had said. I wished I could stay and watch over the forest for him—he deserved at least that for protecting it all these years, despite his taste for human flesh. Funny how an animal was a better leader than Prescott ever was at DreamGuard. Who would've thought? Hopefully, a strong animal takes his place… maybe those wolves that attacked me. They sure had a hell of a bite, I thought, glancing at my wounds.  

But I’m sorry, King—I have a journey to finish. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll have a new member joining us. A valuable one. I hope she gives me her answer tomorrow when we make the delivery.  

The next day arrived, and we left the forest, entering a small, abandoned city. Valerie led us to a building with multiple apartments. After climbing to the top floor, she opened a door, leading us into a room. Inside was a small bedroom with a double bed in the center. Pictures of Valerie were scattered around—she looked just as beautiful as ever. But one photo caught my eye, shattering my illusions.  

It was a picture of Valerie kissing a man. A man more handsome than me.  

"Love, I'm home!" Valerie's voice echoed through the apartment.  

I froze, staring at the photo, her voice ringing in my ears. Andrew noticed my disappointment and placed a reassuring hand on my back. How could I have been so stupid? How did I not see it?  

Valerie entered another room, and I couldn't help but follow to see her "partner." It was an office, and there he was—the same man from the picture, but with one significant difference.  

"An ultramutant," I muttered under my breath.  

His head was enormous, saliva dripped from his mouth, and he didn’t seem conscious. He just stared blankly ahead, mumbling mathematical equations or something—I don’t know, I never finished school.  

"Look, love, I brought your medication! Oh, and let me introduce you to the people who helped me. This is—"  

"You were using me?" I interrupted, my voice cold and serious.  

"What?" She played dumb.  

"Don’t pretend. You know exactly what I mean. All that talk about traveling with us, being a family… Every night you spent talking to me, making it feel like a date."  

My words dripped with anger.  

"I think you’re misunderstanding—" she tried to defend herself delicately.  

"Don't lie to me. I won’t fall for your tricks again."  

After a brief moment of silence, she dropped the act.  

"Fine. Yes, I played the perfect woman and mother for you and your nephews for a week so you'd trust me. I lied about considering traveling with you. And yes, I flirted with you on purpose to win your affection. I was willing to do whatever it took to get here… to my boyfriend."  

"That’s not your boyfriend anymore! He’s an ultramutant!" I shouted.  

"No, he’s not! He’s still in there. That’s why I got these pills—so we could keep living together until the end of the world!"  

"You have to put him out of his misery! Can’t you see he’s suffering? And those pills are from PowerMax—the same company that turned him into this! They only delay the mutation a little, but when it happens, it’s even worse. It’s all just business for them!" I tried to make her see the truth.  

"Shut up, shut up! Just leave! Take your food and never come back!" she cried into her lover’s shoulder.  

"If I were you, I’d put him out of his misery."  

Hearing me, Rick slowly raised his gun, preparing to shoot the ultra. But I stopped him.  

"But you always say that as soon as we see one, we shoot," Rick protested.  

"This isn’t our burden to bear. It’s hers."  

We left the apartment, her sobs echoing behind us.  

Outside, we climbed onto our horses. It was raining—just like the day we met her, when she claimed to be our salvation. More like my downfall.  

I turned to my nephews and said,  

"New Carson family rule, kids: never trust a beautiful woman at the end of the world."