Arc 2 - Chapter 22: Taking Back The Military Complex II

“Where are we heading sir?!”

“The Statue of Claudrick; right in the center of the museum.”

Six men ran through the debris-ridden field. Grass and stone littered with ash and dust, they glanced at the destruction surrounding the open field museum. Groups of soldiers, all spread out amongst the many statues and monuments, opened fire on the many zompires that charged at them.

Fred felt his liver stabbing the right side of his stomach, leaving his chest to heave up and down. Grounding his teeth together, he placed his hand onto his right side, followed by Gary and Diego who did the same. Meanwhile, the Sergeant and his two men continued sprinting, with the Sergeant turning his head back to yell at them.

“You’re soldiers right!? Just keep pushing!”

“For the last time … pants … we’re reserves…” Said Gary.

“Yeah … gasps … what he said …” Said Diego.

Taking a break wasn’t an option, as smoke dwindled within their pink lungs. Continuing to bulge their calves, they did this running motion for several minutes, until they noticed a large statue. Barely able to see, the statue looked like a man holding a torch with his right hand, while looking up at the heavens.

Being in the dead center of the field, the Sergeant widened his eyes once he heard the sound of gunshots. Coming from the statue, the rippling of air began to strengthen louder.

“Men! Get ready to fire!”

The six of them gripped the helms of their guns, as the blaring of gunshots riddled far in front of them. Focusing their eyes forward, they saw a pair of agents taking the group by themselves, leaving them to quiver their thighs once they counted the number.

And yet, they didn’t wield, while their feet blistered the more they pushed onward. The gunshots were getting closer.

All of them steadying their aim, they trailed the agents who wore black collared suits and slacks. Along with wearing high end shoes, it was a far contrast to their regular military uniforms. As they steadied their aims at the pouncer group, they felt their sights wobble as they ran.

And all it took, to get their attention, was by the single gunshot of the man in the center.

The horde turning its attention on the six of them, their fangs opened wide and charged at them with malicious intent. Seeing the imaginary crosshairs dawning their eyes, they slowed their breaths amidst the desperate situation.

“Steady…”

Their fingers caressed the hilt of their triggers, all the while the background noise replaced the main noise. Hearing their breaths, hearing the trickle of sweat dripping onto the grass below, it was like the world went to white.

“Aim…”

Breathing in the smoke filled air, it darkened their lungs bit by bit, until they pushed it all out. Aiming with empty lungs, it allowed their hands to finally … settle still.

“Fire!”

They released a round of bullets, their aim precise as most of the lead struck their targets. Rippling into the zompire’s hearts, it ripped apart some of the zompires white pigment.

Soon crumbling into ash, before it went through the glitching phase of death, they writhed and screamed for the last time. Seeing the remaining ash lift upward toward the air, it left them to glance at the main ash that stalled above the grass.

“Let’s meet those agents.”

The six of them walked toward two agents dressed in black, as tar was splattered alongst their sleeves. One of the figures was a tall man with silver hair, like Fred, while the other agent was a short woman with oval glasses.

‘Didn’t the comms say we didn’t have any agents backing us up?’ thought the Sergeant.

Placing his hand underneath his chin, the Sergeant tilted his head down while ruminazing the field of glass. Glancing at the agents from time to time, the five others stood behind him, as he tapped his finger against his jawline. Being in front of the two agents, all of them except for the Sergeant felt their hands clammed.

“I wish we could introduce each other formally, but there’s something I need to ask. May you let one of my men climb on top of the statue?”

“Why is this important?”

The Sergeant turned around to face the three young men. Patting Fred’s upper back, he did it twice as he unveiled a warm smile.

“These young men, especially this one, have a plan. Your agent Eren correct? Can you lend us your ear?”

The agent named Eren trickled his nose with the tips of his pointer and middle fingers. Turning his small button nose red, he closed his eyes as a wallowed breath drew out from his mouth.

“sighs … alright.”

Leaning his lips toward the agent’s right ear, the Sergeant began to speak away from the plan that Fred came up with. Leaving Fred and many of the others unable to hear the conversation.

Tilting their heads upward, agent Eren and along with the female agent furrowed their faces.

“I don’t think this is safe…”

The two agents folded their arms, and sharpened their eyes toward Fred.

Fred averted his eyes toward the grass, especially from the woman agent with oval glasses. Tapping her heel against the ground, her face contorted the more she squinted at the young man.

“Are you ok?”

“I’m fine, it’s just that I want this plan to work—”

“You don’t look ok.”

The woman with black hair walked toward Fred, and sharpened her eyes even more. Placing his left hand on his right forearm, he began rubbing it with his gentle fingertips. Meanwhile, Gary and Diego beamed their eyes at the female agent, but not with a glare but with worriness.

“Look Ada. If he could pull this off, then we have a strong chance to push them back.”

“I’ve seen that look in his eyes, a certain someone that I work under…”

Ada’s hands started to tremble, as she wrapped her fingers deep into her palms. Continuing to look into Fred’s avoiding eyes, she placed herself right in front of him, and had her fists down to her thighs.

“You’re way too young to pull that off … so stop being some hero and think of another—”

“Emergency! Emergency! Unidentified variant!”

Everyone stopped their fighting, and tilted their heads upward to hear the broadcast.

They all felt their feet remain unsteady, as if their grip completely loosened with the grass. Their faces paled to the bone, Fred was the only one who squinted thoroughly, and noticed an unfamiliar creature crawling from out of the main gate.

“Do you guys see that?”

The creature looked to be two stories high, clastined in all black as it stood on all fours. Tar drooling from the tips of its fangs, it looked more like a large dog than a humanoid creature. Their eyes all darted on the ungodly figure, their legs quivered the more they stared at the main gate.

Fred’s breathing began to break rapidly, leaving his heart to convulse again and again like a spinning hamster wheel.

“I think it’s time you do that trick…”

“But, he’s still a kid.”

“I could do it.”

He took out his backpack and placed it in front of him, and allowed the many metallic objects to be showcased to the others. Jabbing his right hand into his backpack, he took out the same glass bottle, even though glass cracks were littering the surface of it. Showcasing it to everyone again, especially toward the two agents, he carried the bottle with both of his sweaty hands.

“It’ll only be a one-time use, and yes … I may need quite a long time to prepare … but …”

And along with the glass bottle, he took out an abundance of high-beamed flashlights and small mirrors. Looking to be used for his experiment, he let out a small frown, a frown that placed all of them to seal their lips.

“Don’t doubt my ability to invent. I will help push them all back; I promise.”

________________________________________________________________________

‘So what the hell is that thing anyway?’

His left eye closed, Eren placed his right eye into the scope of his M21 sniper rifle. Focusing on the ungodly creature, he took note of its sturdy legs, and all black skin that lavished from tar, head to toe.

As if it was in a feral state, it glanced around its directions like a dog in a blindfold. Having no eyes or ears present upon its face, the only thing it relied on was its muzzling nuzzle.

‘It looks blind, as if it relies on smell or hearing.’

Caressing the tilt of metal upon his rifle, he had the butt of it pressed down onto his shoulder, and pulsated his chest with steady breaths. As if time had slowed down, he only heard the faint sound of breathing, his breathing to be exact.

‘Hope that crazy guy actually pulls through with this.’

Pulling the trigger, a single bullet ricocheted out of the barrel, allowing the area to reverberate the ripping of air. Traveling through the desolate field of dead grass, it founded itself onto the maleficent creature, but not exactly toward it.

Striking near its paws, the creature instantly turned toward the direction of the sudden strike. Lifting its head up like a wolf tracking its prey, it rose up its nostrils twice.

‘And now we’ll wait—’

It stood on its hind legs, and puffed out its chest and stomach to showcase its burly body. Its fangs popping out like a saber tooth tiger, it took the whiff of gunsmoke. Allowing its nostrils to do the work, it sent Eren to take a step back, while pushing out a nervous chuckle.

“Uh … guys?”

Then came the low-pitched roar, which reached the darkest corners of the military complex. The stone walls, the copper and gold statues, and the field of grass; all swayed from the windful roar. Pushing out the last of its peripheral warcry, the sky darkened tenfold, and ash began to descend down to the field.

Everyone turned toward Eren, while Ada placed her hands onto her waist, and glared her coldfilled eyes at him.

“Oh you just had to…”

“I’m just following the plan ok?!”

With all of the gunfighting crawled to a halt earlier, they all had kept their eyes on the ungodly creature. The roar smoothening itself to the many soldiers still glued to the floor, it left the zompires to…

“What the hell are those zompires doing?”

The zompires already done fighting, they also turned their heads toward the creature standing like a tyrant. Their eyes glued at the creature, dressed in all black tar, their lips were already accustomed to the upside down U on their faces.

Until it slowly raised to a high U. All synchronized at the same time, they all smiled devilishly, leaving their eyes to trace no empty thoughts.

“Are you kidding me…”

And slowly again, the zompires turned their direct attention onto the silver-haired agent. Their souls engraved at Eren, they all…

““““““““““Save! … Save!””””””””””

Everyone took a step back from the sudden change of facial appearances. Having their guns gripped amongst their palms, they cracked the metal with their fingers, as they held their breaths into their pinkish lungs.

Along with every other soldier present, they kept their chests full, and steadied their aim.

““““““““““AAAAAAHHH!!””””””””””

They tore their vocals, because they used their right hands—

Their fingers were littered with white pigment.

Tar, skin, pieces of dead pigment dropped to the ground while uttering a banshee cry. Filling the wind with agony, the high-piercing shrieks pushed the soldiers to close their ears, by placing the butt of their palms onto their earlobes. But out of everyone, only Ada and Eren were not affected by the torturous sound, as they only wrinkled their faces and clenched their eyes. Followed by Fred, Gary, and Diego, they hunched their necks in like turtles, while grinding their teeth together.

And the shrieking stopped.

Opening their eyes, and dropping their hands from their ears, many of them moved them to cover their mouths. Widening their eyes, all of them witnessed the barbarity in front of them.

All the zompires had steam spewing out of them, followed by their muscles gleaming under the orange smoke.

“Oh no…” Uttered Fred.

“Are they steamers now?!” Exclaimed Gary.

“That big macho zompire … looks like it communicated with them.” Said Diego.

““““““““““Help Us!””””””””””

They all charged forth toward Eren, with every steamer stampeding through the grass and stone.

Hundreds of them touring through the field, it thundered the planet of Terra only for that small area. The creature pounded the pavement with its two fists, as it soared with an utmost of colossal rage. All the while it deadpanned its eyes toward Eren’s sniper rifle.

“I think I screwed up…”

“You think!?”

They felt the floor rumble, allowing a couple of rocks to jiggle repeatedly against their boots. Everyone turned their attention toward Eren, and sharpened their eyes at the silver-haired agent.

Looking down at the rifle he wielded, he darkened his face to allow a shadow to seal his eyes. Fortunately for him, he felt a hand grip his shoulder.

“Sighs … I don’t think they’re following you son…”

The Sergeant had already walked behind the agent, his face unable to be seen. Turning the agent’s body around, Eren couldn’t describe the face the Sergeant had, because he tilted his head downward.

“There’s no time. Give me that gun.”

Pushing the rifle into the Sergeant’s hands, he felt the sweat clog the metal into his palms. Averting his eyes from the soldier, he fingers shook as they twitched below his waist.

But on top of the statue, a man with silver-hair pushed his vocals, while gripping the metal with his very life.

“Sir, there’s a big possibility that you won’t make it!”

His eyes were brimmed of the swelling of tears, leaving his scleras to reddened at the unholy sight. The Sergeant, who had tilted his head up, began walking toward the front of the ungodly sight.

“Don’t worry son, I’ll be fine. Just do your job as a soldier and I’ll do mine.”

He had his eyes glistened on the metallic gun, while ignoring the sound of steamers from the distance. Wielding the sniper rifle with his left hand, he raised his right to give a salute.

The agents, his two men, and the trio on top of the statue, trembled their hands at his pose of pride. Fred, being the only one to shed a tear, felt his knees go numb from the pressure he inflicted on the metal.

—‘For revenge, it always leads to death… isn’t that right Ramirez?’—

He pushed his feet into motion, leaving the rest of his men and agents to gawk at his sudden run.

Feeling the grass rustle his boots, his lungs collapsing onto themselves, his heels relentlessly pinned by the pins and needles of the ground. His breathing going rampant, the Sergeant faced forward as he ran.

And with the plan forward in motion, the steamer horde charged forth. Unable to give the others their attention, Fred showcased the bottle above, and allowed a high piercing light to shackle inside. Gary held the high-beamed flashlight, while Diego held a small mirror, angled at the directed approach to the bottle. And with this mirror, it doubled to tripled the amount of energy, leaving the high-beams to be swallowed up by the black cubes.

And as he did this, Fred kept the bottle still. Glancing down, he saw the absolute horde of zompires stampeding through the grass, burning the green into black. Turning his eyes toward the running Sergeant, he continued to run right in front of the horde, leaving his fingers to stain the bottle with sweat.

‘I have one chance to pull this off … please don’t fail me, me.’

Continuing to do his experiment, his body began to coat with relentless waves of sweat.

Agents Ada and Eren had one job, and that is to defend and protect the three of them. But unfortunately there was not a single holster seen on Ada’s hips, and Eren lost the only weapon that he was subpar with.

‘Even if he doesn’t use the device, it’s fine by me…’

Once he glanced back at the others, the Sergeant turned his head forward to see the many steamers. Their bodies on the verge of exploding, and their arms extended outward, he felt his body.

Seeing the black cubes sparking up the copper wire, it connected to the EMP device situated near the mirror. Tinges of plasma glittering the inside of the glass, a droplet of sweat swept down his right temple.

‘Almost there … just a bit more—’

“Oh shit!”

Except for Fred, all of them turned toward Eren, who pointed his finger at the ungodly creature.

It began to gallop like a donkey, as it used its arms and legs to trample the concrete beneath its feet and palms. Hearing the hallowing sounds of Terra’s cries, they all felt the vibration from each gallop it took.

Everyone’s legs locked tight to their bodies, allowing their feet to super glue to the grass.

““Fred! Hurry!””

“I can’t rush this!”

‘Oh no…’

The Sergeant noticed the creature’s galloping, which cracked the pavement bit by bit. Clenching his fingers deep into the rifle, which spewed out blood from his fingers, he had no choice but to turn his body right. Juking them at the last minute, he felt the steamers’ heat grazing the ends of his back.

‘I’m not letting them die … not yet.’

Angling his run so that he faced the creature head on, the man pushed his feet to the very limits of exhaustion. His heels blistering and burning with every step, he felt like his heart might explode by how fast his heart was beating.

All the while everyone saw the brave soldier running toward his death, leaving Eren to slam his knees into the knuckle hard grass.

“Damn it …”

“Is he going to do it?”

Their fingertips scraping the edge of his back, he felt the horde reaching closer and closer. The steamers surrounding him left and right, he was hundreds of meters away from the ungodly creature.

But unknowing to them, he placed himself between the creature and them. Opening his eyes wide, the galloping creature looked eerily familiar, which caused the Sergeant to—

Stop his sprint.

‘That creature … looks a lot like Ramirez…’

—A steamer tackled the Sergeant, its hands wrapping around the man’s waist.—

The Sergeant saw the world at half the speed, once his head was pressed onto the hardened grass. Landing on his left cheek, his right eye caught a glimpse of the steamer that tackled him. Seeing the facial features of the white pigmented face, it was another eerily familiar face, one with no no eyes and a devilish smile.

‘Oh, Timber…’

Keeping the Sergeant tackled, the zompified soldier Timber started to melt his superior’s clothes with his body heat. Along with burning the skin of the man, like vanilla ice cream on a hot summer day; in the blink of an eye…

““FRED!!””

“Got it! It finished sucking up the energy, so what is it that—”

It was too late.

Once he turned his head to the commotion at last, the last sight Fred saw was the burning light of the hundred steamers; all piled into one blob. Unable to get down from the statue, Fred’s world slowed down as every steamer…

—Created a Herculean eruption.—

While the shockwave…

—Created a cataclysm of serrated winds.—