Aftermath

CHAPTER 6: Aftermath

Before R can react, the brute launches a single punch into R’s chest, pushing him backward. He crashes towards the second kitchen, skidding across the floor. SHAID’s voice rings in his head.

"Damn! We almost died from Biggie’s punch!"

R wipes his mouth, blood trickling from his lips. The heavy blow rattled him, but he grits his teeth, pushing himself up.

"I can’t just die from a fuckin' pun—"

Before he can finish, Biggie charges. His spiked baton swings with terrifying force, aiming straight for R’s head. R doesn’t hesitate as he surges forward, closing the gap instead of backing away. The baton comes from the side, a brutal horizontal strike meant to shatter his skull. R ducks just in time, barely dodging the deadly swing. Mid-air, the brute shifts the weapon’s momentum, changing the angle downward in an instant. The spike-covered baton now descends toward R’s head.

R rolls. He dives between Biggie’s legs, narrowly escaping the attack, and lands behind the monster. But Biggie doesn’t stop. He whips around, swinging wildly. The spikes cut through the air with a sharp hiss.

R scrambles backward, keeping just out of range. But Biggie refuses to give him space.

"It seems Biggie wants your skull," SHAID remarks dryly.

R rolls his eyes, dodging another swing. "I can clearly see that!"

Another attack. Another dodge. The cycle repeats, R keeps evading, Biggie pressing forward, relentless. R grits his teeth, frustration building.

"SHAID! What’s Reaper’s situation?"

"About to turn gold, but it needs more blood."

"Fuck."

R barely avoids another crushing strike. He can’t keep this up. Then an idea forms making him smile deviously.

"If Reaper wants blood…" R’s expression shifts as lets out a battle cry, “Then blood he shall get” charging straight at Biggie.

SHAID’s voice spikes. "R, are you fuckin' crazy?!"

R smirks. "With you in my head? I’m fuckin' crazy."

Biggie roars and charges as well, raising the baton high, ready to break R’s spine in half. But R is faster. At the last second, he leaps onto Biggie’s broad shoulders, using the brute’s own momentum against him. Flipping to the other side, he brings Reaper down, slashing wildly.

The blade carves deep.

Biggie screams. Blood pours from the massive wound, splattering across the floor. The thick, metallic scent fills the air. Reaper hums, the womp sound intensifying, shifting, growing faster. Then, the glow changes gold.

But Biggie isn’t dead, he’s furious as steam erupts from his body letting out a deep, guttural growl. The monster trembles, rage boiling over.

R seizing this opportunity doesn’t hesitate as he steps back, making sure he has distance now.

SHAID giggles. "RPG-7 coming up."

R kneels as Reaper shifts in his hands, morphing. Metal plates slide, mechanisms lock into place. A rocket launcher forms, he holds the launcher with both hands, one on the trigger grip and the other supporting the barrel.

He grins. "Yo, Biggie. Can you fly?"

The brute’s eyes widen. He knows what’s coming. He roars, charging forward in desperation. But he is too late as R immediately fires towards biggie. The explosion shakes the bar. The force blasts Biggie backward, hurling him through the air. He crashes through the bar doors, his body torn apart into bloody chunks. Reaper now transforms back into its normal form. When it turns gold, it has absorbed enough blood—usually from 30 to 50 kills. In this state, it transforms into a rocket launcher. If it absorbs between 30 to 49 kills, the blast is powerful, but not strong enough to obliterate an entire building. However, if it absorbs 50 or more kills, the blast is far stronger, capable of leveling structures.

This transformation is a one-time use. Once Reaper fires, it reverts back to its standard pistol form, emitting its usual womp sound, satisfied for now.

SHAID snickers. "So the big man could actually fly like a bird."

R exhales, catching his breath. He steps forward, running toward the door, eager to escape this shitshow. As he re-enters the bar, the aftermath is a gruesome sight. Scavengers lie dead, some mangled beyond recognition, others injured and barely clinging to life. The blown door is filled with pieces of the deceased, including Biggie, scattered across the floor in the wake of the destruction caused by Reaper.

Then, the sound of heavy boots stomping against the blood-soaked floor.

Armed soldiers in black metallic masks pour into the bar, weapons raised.

SHAID’s voice turns sharp. "What the fuck are they doing here?"

R’s eyes narrow. He’s surrounded. Western Region armed forces, forces that does not have control over him before because of his prestige and honor, now hunt him like a fugitive.

One of them steps forward, the captain of troops, his voice cold and authoritative. "Hands in the air, Commander R. There is nowhere to run."

R kneels slowly, raising his hands. A red glow flickers at his waist—his nanotech pistol humming, still active. The nanotech around his neck shifts, folding over his chest like armor, wrapping around his shoulders like a harness.

His black clothes are drenched in blood, droplets falling to the floor. Most of it isn’t his.

His burned red eye stares at the soldiers. He smirks.

"Who said I was fuckin running?"

"Just stay fuckin' put, Commander," the captain's voice commands, cold and clipped. R listens, his ears pricking up. That voice... it sounds familiar.

SHAID speaks, her tone sharp. "Hmm... that voice sounds familiar. Oh, is that—no... fuckin way?"

“Trevor” R smirks, his cheeky grin widening. "Trevor? I never knew you had the balls to become a captain. I'm proud of you, boy."

The captain's face flushes beneath his helmet. "How the fuck did you know it’s me?"

R laughs, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Even though you're covered with that fuckin helmet, I can still hear the fear in your voice ‘son.’"

The soldiers around them are stunned. One of them stammers, "Cap, you know the Commander?"

R interrupts, still grinning. "Yeah, I know Trevor. I was his personal trainer before my mission to the Cold Axis. Your cap was always tweaking merchant every time he saw me ah gone are those days"

The captain, now visibly annoyed, barks, "Shut the fuck up. He’s no longer our commander. He's a criminal now."

R’s grin fades, replaced by a look of betrayal and disappointment. He responds, his voice dripping with venom, "So, you believe I’m a criminal? You believe the bullshit that I want to destroy the fuckin world? You’re believing me, the word of a fuckin’ alien?"

The captain snaps back, his anger boiling over. " Yes, I believe the fuckin alien that took care of us for the past hundred years, the same alien that made your existence and mine, we are made from tubes not from a woman therefore we are not human have you fuckin forgot?

R’s eyes narrow, frustration creeping into his tone. "Yeah, you are not a human you’re a fuckin’ soldier and a fuckin’ soldier knows what’s right.

“I’m sick and tired of your bullshit the captain’s finger tightens on the trigger of his weapon. "drop your weapon and put your fuckin' hands behind your back or I’ll shoot your fuckin brains out."

SHAID’s voice cuts through R’s mind. "R, should I disarm him?"

R’s voice is steady. "Fuck no."

The captain’s eyes flare with anger. "What the fuck did you say?" he demands, his weapon emitting a low hum as it prepares to fire. The tension in the air is thick. R watches the captain closely, waiting for the perfect moment.

SHAID's voice rises in panic. "R, fuck no. Don’t do it! Don’t you fuckin’ do it!"

But R ignores her warning, his gaze locked onto the captain’s eyes. The captain steps closer, his weapon raised. R’s voice is low but cutting. "Trevor, I said ‘fuck no.’"

The captain’s fury reaches its peak, and he pulls the trigger. But to his surprise, the weapon doesn’t fire. He tries again, and nothing happens. The soldiers look at each other, confused.

Then, suddenly, the lights flicker and the building goes dark. A moment of silence, followed by an explosion that shakes the foundation of the bar. The entire structure collapses, dust and debris filling the air. The troops are wiped out in an instant, their bodies torn apart by the blast. R, though not close to the epicenter, is still rocked by the force as his vision blurs as he stumbles, his head pounding.

"What the fuck did you do, SHAID?" R grits through his teeth, struggling to stay conscious.

"I didn’t do shit, R. Let’s get the fuck outta here," SHAID replies.

R grabs Reaper from the ground and before he can move, the captain though unconscious, still manages to grab R’s feet, clinging to him as if he might capture him, even in this state.

R looks down at the captain, his face filled with a mix of sadness and understanding. "I know you hate me. I don’t blame you. I would’ve done the same when I was your age."

He pulls himself free and rushes towards the exit, the sounds of chaos and destruction fading behind him. The sky above is shifting, the first light of dawn creeping into the horizon as the sun begins to push through the dark remnants of the night, casting an eerie orange glow over the ruins. The moon, barely hanging on, starts to fade. As R runs, pain courses through his body, blood pouring from his injuries gushing from his head to his feet. Gunshots and lasers fire around him, but he keeps moving, relentless.

"SHAID!" he screams.

"On it," she replies immediately.

A jeep appears out of nowhere, its engine roaring. It races toward him, and R leaps into the backseat, the car taking off at full speed. But the pursuit doesn’t stop. The sound of engines revving, soldiers chasing them, pushing their vehicles to the limit. R smirks, his voice steady.

"Give me fuckin control."

"Aye, aye, Captain," SHAID replies.

The control shifts, and R takes the wheel, steering the jeep with precision. He drives it faster, slamming into the cars trying to cut them off. Gunfire and lasers rip through the air, but R keeps dodging, his eyes focused on the path ahead then machine guns pops out of the jeep’s rear as it opens fire, blasting the pursuers off the road.

SHAID laughs, a wicked edge to her voice. "You think I wouldn’t pick a fuckin’ lethal car?"

“You crazy bitch” R replies as he nods his head in approval

The jeeps pursuing them are now in flames, but the chase isn’t over. Two more vehicles catch up, trying to box R in. The gate of the mercenaries’ base is ahead, but it’s closing. The chance to escape is slim.

R pushes the jeep harder, faster, the gates coming closer. The two cars slam into his vehicle from the sides, trying to stop him, but R accelerates through the narrow gap just in time. The two vehicles crash into the gates, blowing up in a fiery explosion. R bursts through the opening, leaving the western region behind.

The pursuit stops. They’re at least a hundred miles outside the western region now. The cars are no longer chasing them. The jeep slows to a stop, and SHAID’s voice crackles through R’s earpiece.

"R, wake the fuck up. You’re bleeding out, you idiot. Get the fuck up."

But R’s body, pushed to its limit, succumbs to the blood loss. His vision fades, and he slumps back in the seat.

Back in the bar, the landlord surveys the wreckage. The place is destroyed, his business shattered. He’s the only survivor, but he’s not safe. As he discusses with the troops and answers their questions, he tries to piece together the night’s chaos. He looks at the tunnel, a grim look crossing his face.

"This place needs a new reconstruction," he mutters, but his eyes narrow as he sees the bodies on the ground. "This commander... is a fuckin’ monster. He ruined my bar, destroyed my business, botched my fuckin men, in one fuckin’ night."

Tightening his fists, he vows to get payback. "One day."

He enters his office, only to freeze, a cold shiver running down his spine. Two figures stand before him, their forms impossibly elusive, vibrating as if they were nothing more than shadows. Their physical presence is nonexistent, not a single feature visible—just shifting silhouettes, swirling like phantoms dwelling in the darkest corners of reality. They don't even reflect in the walls, as if they exist outside the bounds of this world, mere wraiths from the abyss. And then, sitting calmly in his chair, is a female figure. She radiates an oppressive darkness, like the embodiment of darkness itself, her gaze piercing through him with a soul-stealing intensity. The weight of her stare feels like it’s crushing him, suffocating him with an energy so thick, it almost feels tangible. The air grows heavy, oppressive, and the landlord is paralyzed, unable to move an inch, as if the very essence of fear itself has locked his body in place. “Only one person can be as scary as commander R… fuck no this is like looking at fear itself” as sweats drops from his body rapidly

The female figure speaks, her voice cold and commanding. "Welcome, landlord. We have a lot to discuss."

As the vibration in the room fades and her face becomes clearer, the landlord is left with one chilling thought: The Shadow of Death.