The vehicle rumbles forward and I look out the window. The trees move by at a moderate pace, and I can hear the two other SHERPs behind us. Tyler sharpens my machete, the scraping sound echoing through the interior. Vex and hunter talk in the background, while Chris nudges me.
"Do you know why this is taking 3 hours?" Chris asks me.
"I think this thing is just slow..." I remark.
Caleb takes his rocket launcher off his back and puts it in his lap. Tyler looks at him but says nothing. Hunter starts to whistle, sharpening his all-black K-BAR knife.
"Justin switched his primary gun out for an AUG A-3." Chris says, attempting to make small talk.
"What did he have before?" I question.
"Some shitty smg..." He states.
"Hey, Tyler?" I say.
"Yeah?" Tyler moves on to my hatchet.
"Is Noah gonna be there?" I inquire.
"Of course..." He looks up.
I hear James and Caleb talking.
"I don't know why, but I'm getting the urge to just... open that hatch and ride on top." James says looking at the middle hatch on the roof.
"Better view." Caleb states.
"I swear if they do that..." I whisper.
"They don't have the balls." Chris reassures me.
"Man, this shit is gonna be boring." I state.
"Hopefully we can-" Chris is cut off my Caleb swiftly standing up and punching open the middle exit hatch. Hunter tries to grab him but he climbs out and crawls onto the roof.
"Jesus Christ!" I yelp. James laughs hysterically.
"Get his ass down from there!" I order.
Vex jumps and climbs out with Caleb. A couple stomps and bangs later Caleb falls through the open hatch onto the floor. He stands up and looks at Vex, as he is standing above the hatch on the roof.
"Thanks for ruining the fun!" Caleb shouts.
"Get back in your seat!" Tyler yells.
Caleb sits down and I try to buckle my seat belt, but the vehicle hits a pothole or something and I go flying 2 feet in the air. Vex falls down inside, and a couple others fall into the middle. I quickly buckle myself and flip Caleb off. Caleb gives a quick scoff and everyone is back to sitting down. James makes fun of Caleb a bit.
"You fucking told me to!" Caleb exclaims.
"Um. I don't remember that..." James says mockingly.
I lean back and look out the window. I zone out and Chris goes back to sleep.
Jason POV
The sky starts to light up, the sun peeking over the horizon. I look out the window of the SHERP, watching the sun slowly rise above the sprawling hills and fields. Some cows start to wake up by the fenced off field we drive past. Inside the vehicle a couple dogs bark, their owner asleep in his seat. James Briar is sitting in his seat snoozing in the back, I try to avoid the gaze of the person I'm sitting vertically to.
"I've been meaning to ask you something." Thatcher's voice rings out, calm, but slightly muffled due to the cigarette in his mouth.
"What...?" I say, trying to hide me being uncomfortable.
"When I spoke to you in the cafeteria last night, I asked you an important question. You remember it don't you?" He stares into my eyes.
"Yes." I respond.
"You denied it, you said you didn't enjoy the killing. But I could tell you were lying, Commander." He remarks. "You play innocent, you hide it well... But I know, underneath that mask of yours, you revel in your brutality... Don't you?" He questions, saying it like he already knows the answer.
An awkward moment of silence passes. "I... don't..." I try to form a sentence.
"Oh, come on now... I can see right through your bullshit, Commander." He speaks aggressively. "You can't fool me with your self righteous act... I know the real you..." He says quietly.
I look at the floor. He lets out a dry laugh.
"You forget how to speak, Commander?" He questions with a smirk. I unbuckle myself and I try to stand up, but he leans forward and puts his gloved hand on my leg. "Sit back down please..." He says politely.
One of the dogs from the back sniffs the floor and passes through the aisle. It walks forwards and sniffs his boot. He looks at the dog surprised.
"Damn mutt..." He says, his voice dripping with annoyance. With a swift movement, he kicks the dog away. It tumbles down the aisle with a yelp. It runs back to the back whimpering in pain, holding up a broken paw. He looks back at me, calming. "Where were we...?" He asks himself. He takes his hand off and leans back.
He studies me. "I can read you like an open book... You're not who you think you are." He states while adjusting the leather sling attached to his hunting rifle. "You can deny it all you want, but I see right through you." He taps my forehead. "The truth is there, hidden beneath, begging to be let out." He shakes his head. "Killing isn't bad. It's society that frowns upon it." He speaks.
"That's... it's wrong." I respond shakily.
He ignores me. "You think that killing is something bad... Something evil... That it's wrong." He leans back slightly, his expression turning more serious. "But deep down, you know that it's something natural. And it's definitely natural to you. I can see who you really are, Commander." His eyes narrow.
Landon Miller POV
Chris wakes up when the tires hit a bump. Tyler grunts when my hatcher smacks him in the mask. I keep scrolling on my phone. "You heard about those missing soldiers?" Chris asks bored.
"Yeah. Sure did. Wyatt and Me were talking about it yesterday." I respond.
"I think it was some Altus soldiers that somehow came into our territory." He states.
"Nah, that don't make no sense... I think it was... you know. It." I say quietly.
"And what exactly is this 'it'?" He questions.
"The thing. It." I state.
He sighs. "You gotta be more specific then that." He remarks.
"Damnit. I'm talking about the Entity." I say, trying to keep my voice down. Tyler looks at us when I say it's name.
"Oh. That makes more sense." Chris says with a nod of the helmet.
"What the hell are you guys talking about?" He asks curiously.
"The missing soldiers at Elk Forest." I repeat.
"Wait what?" He tilts his head.
"Some soldiers went missing." Chris explains. "You can see it on the news." Chris speaks.
Tyler pulls his phone out and I lean back in my seat. The sky is pink now, instead of pitch black.
"You ain't supposed to say that out loud." Hunter says annoyed.
"What, you superstitious or something?" Chris questions.
Hunter shakes his head. "It hears it's name. You say it enough, it looks back."
I smirk under my helmet. "You sound like Ezra."
Hunter shakes his head. "Well, Ezra ain't wrong." He says grimly. "Don't say it again."
"I am your superior. You do not decide what I can and can't say." I snarl.
Hunter sighs and looks at the floor. Tyler looks at Hunter and keeps sharpening.
"Do you really think it can hear us?" Chris whispers.
"I doubt it." I mutter, pulling out a cross from my satchel. I drop it back in and I zip it. "Ezra told me to keep one of these with me." I explain.
"Why?" Chris inquires.
"I guess it just makes a little bit more safe." I state
James raises his UZI, pretending to inspect it, but it's clear he is just trying to get attention and look cool. Tyler looks at him and sighs with a shake of the head.
2 hours later
A voice rings out from the speakers on the ceiling. "It seems that we have some extra time, so if you would like we could stop at a restaurant that is right beside us. Just say the word." Everyone starts yelling. "Okay then." The voice says.
"Where we going boys?" Caleb asks.
"Shut the fuck up." James says grumpily.
"Damn." I mutter.
"You too." He repeats.
I shake my head flip him off. "Actually, where we going?" Caleb questions.
"Probably just the closest restaurant." Tyler responds.
I look out the window and we pull into a parking lot for a very large restaurant, and it has the name 'O-Charley's' at the top of the brick building. 2 other SHERPs follow us and they all park. Vex runs down the aisle and kicks open the backdoor and jumps out. I hastily unbuckle myself and follow him. After we're all out the people from the other SHERPs crowd around the entrance. A guy in camo pants and a camo hoodie with boots and a camo boonie walks up to me.
"Sup. Who are you?" I ask.
"Thatcher Morris. I believe we've met." He responds. He offers his hand.
I shake his hand. "Oh yeah. At the Taiga trails?" I inquire.
"Mmhmm. I must ask, do you know anyone by the name of Jason?" He questions.
"Yeah." I state.
"And he's one of your friends?" He asks.
"Yep." I respond.
Thatcher looks at me surprised. "Okay. I need to talk to you soon though. Will you be free anytime soon?" says.
"I was actually gonna head to the Compound and have a meeting with Liam and James together." I remark.
He smirks. "So I can finally talk with all three Co-Leaders, huh?" He asks himself. I nod.
He walks away and people in the front of the group already start to enter the building. Chris walks next to me then Wyatt walks behind me.
"Bumpy ride..." Wyatt mutters.
"We should get the whole squad together. And sit at a table." Chris states, I nod.
"Where's Jason?" Wyatt inquires.
"No idea..." I respond.
We walk inside and the person at the front desk gets a waiter to seat us. She leads us to a table in the back, with about 8 seats. I sit at the part next to the wall and Chris sits vertical to me. Wyatt sits next to me and Caleb, Tyler, Vex, and James sit at the table. James sits at my right. The waiter brings out a bunch of rolls and butter and asks what we'd like to drink. We all order our drinks.
Jason walks over and sits down looking tired.
"The fuck happened to you?" I ask concerned.
"Dude. That that Thatcher guy is fucking weird." He almost yells. Caleb nods.
"I've had some not-so-great experiences too." Caleb states. I tilt my head. I take my helmet off and I take off the cloth mask underneath it.
"I heard he got sent to collect a debt from some guy, and he got the money and everything but he still fucking killed him!" Caleb exclaims.
Tyler looks at him confused. "And not only did he kill him, he fucking skinned him alive for no reason. That's some Psychopath shit." He states.
"Let's not gossip." Tyler shuts him down.
My gaze lingers on Caleb for a bit before I look down to my rolls. I grab one out of the basket and I dip it in butter. I bite into it and the sweet bread hits my mouth and the butter makes it almost slip into my throat before I can chew. I sip on my dr pepper.
"Asher's gonna be there." John Woods says.
"Oh god." I mutter.
Chris chuckles and the waitress comes back and asks if we're ready to order. Chris orders a Plain Cheeseburger and I do too. A couple minutes later our food arrives and we all dig in. Jake runs by our table, in his yellow and black protective chainsaw gear and his yellow mask and helmet.
His chainsaw on his back rattles and shakes. Tyler looks at him as he turns out of view. "You beat RDR2?" Chris asks me.
"Nah, haven't found the time." I remark.
After 10 or so minutes we finish our food, we all stand up and walk out after paying. We jump back in the SHERP we were driving in and I sit down next to Chris again. "Wanna see who can kill more Hiwassee's?" Chris asks.
"How would we measure that?" I question.
"True..." Chris states.
The SHERP starts to move again. We drive out of the parking lot and into a road leading to a highway. Chris looks at a bag in my hands. "What's in that?" Chris inquires.
"Rolls." I open the bag and there's 20 rolls stuffed in the bag.
"What the heck..." Chris mutters.
"Want one?" I ask, taking a roll out.
Chris looks around before taking it and eating it under his helmet.
"Where'd you get that roll?" Tyler interrogates.
"Yeah, where the fuck did you get that roll?" I say with my arms crossed.
Chris stares at me under his visor. "It was just in my pocket." He tells Tyler.
Tyler says oh and I shake my head. "Naughty, Naughty." I remark.
"Kill yourself." Chris says.
The SHERP comes to a stop. I look out the window and we are in a massive field with a wooden castle in the middle of it.
The backdoor opens, and the two other SHERPs stop behind us. "We're here." Tyler asserts.
Vex jumps out and I follow him. Chris jumps out and James jumps behind him.
"Hiwassee's have already started to come here. We have around 5 minutes to prepare." Tyler says.
We run in and I walk up a flight of stairs and I sit in a seat with a machine gun in front of it, facing a window that looks at the front entrance. Chris sits to my left on his machine gun, and Wyatt sits to my right, on his own.
Caleb walks next to me with his rocket launcher out.
"What're you gonna do with that?" I ask.
"Destroy some tanks, of course. Duh..." He says.
Andrew, in light blue and black dirt bike gear walks next to Chris. He is holding a light blue machine gun with a box magazine, with a tripod. He mounts the gun on the window Chris is gonna shoot out of. "Damn, got an ACOG scope on that?" I question.
"Just put it on." He states.
Tyler walks in, with his M16 on his back and machete out, his 5 bear traps in his backpack and one in his hand rattling around. "Guys, when you move out of here make sure to watch your step." He warns as he puts a bear trap in the entrance to the room. "Jump over this." He says. We all hear engines rumble from a distance and Andrew turns his safety off. Tyler runs out.
"This is gonna be fun." I chuckle.
Andrew laughs manically and rubs his hands together. A UTV drives out of the forest, driving down the trail at a rapid pace. We all open fire, and in a couple seconds the vehicle explodes. Someone runs out of the burning vehicle on fire and screaming, but Andrew fires a couple shots at them and they go quiet.
"They probably got a helicopter somewhere." I warn.
Just as I say that, a helicopter appears over the treeline. "Too far away." Andrew says. An armored SUV drives to the trail and we all shoot at it, but it deflects all the bullets. Caleb lines his iron sight with the vehicle and pulls the trigger. A rocket shoots out of the launcher and explodes the vehicle. Around 100 soldiers run out of the trees, some shooting at the fort and other rushing. Andrew immediately focuses on the ones shooting at the fort, killing them first. Wyatt shoots everything, laying down suppressive fire.
I aim the machine gun and I shoot the front lines, a few of the soldiers behind them try to run away, but get caught by Chris. A couple penetrate the fort and enter inside. I mow as much of them down as I can before going to reload. I hastily try to reload the gun, and a bullet whizzes past Caleb. Caleb puts his rocket launcher on his back, and starts chucking grenades at the soldiers. I wipe out almost all of them, and Andrew finishes them off.
"That was the first wave." Andrew says.
The smell of blood hits my nostrils, and I look at the field, the once green grass now stained with blood and splattered with gore. A couple gunshots ring out from inside the fort, probably dealing with the soldiers that got in. Andrew reloads and Chris does the same. I pull a roll out of my satchel, I put it in there when I got out of the SHERP. I munch on it while Wyatt watches. "No fair..." He grumbles.
"You think they're dead?" Caleb asks.
"Nah, they're just being dramatic." I state.
"You guys good?" Noah asks.
"Yep." Chris says.
"Haven't seen ya in a while." Noah says to me.
"Me neither." I respond.
He puts the shield in front of him and Ethan Caddel, in his camo dirt bike gear, fires his camo machine gun at the enemy. He uses Aaron as cover and they both run to a pine tree in front of the fort and Ethan quickly puts a trail camera on the tree. Ethan runs inside and Aaron follows. "What the hell..." I mutter as I keep shooting.
"Reloading!" Andrew yells over the gunfire.
I keep shooting, but even with all of us, it seems as if we're barely making a dent in their numbers. Caleb does a baseball throw towards a group of soldiers with a grenade. The soldiers see the grenade flying towards them and it looks like they try to run away but they get blown into pieces before they can make any distance. Someone runs in the room with a rifle that looks like it went through hell and back and tries to shoot at us. The gun jams and he tries to run in the room, intending to stab someone with his bayonet but he sees the bear trap last second and manages to jump over it. He falls face first on the ground and I quickly dismount the machine gun and pull out my Glock and I shoot him on the shoulder.
The rifle falls from his hands and he screams, I shoot him on the back and I kick the gun away. He groans and pain and looks up at me. I grab him by the neck and I drag him to the bear trap.
"Stop!" He yells and thrashes in my grip, before I let go and his head falls into the bear trap with a sickening crunch. He goes still and I jog towards my machine gun and open fire again.
"Nice work." Caleb says, now shooting his G36 carbine at the Hiwassee's.
Blood sprays across the field, and soldiers keep rushing us and more and more get inside the fort. Vex, Tyler, James, and Ethan come in and they say they'll take it from here. I stand up, alongside Wyatt, Chris, Andrew and Caleb and We all walk out.
"Let's split up." I command.
They all nod and walk different directions in different hallways. I pull out my rifle and I pull the charging handle. I run through the hallways, until I hear footsteps. I start to walk slowly and I raise my rifle to face further down the hallway. 2 Hiwassee soldiers, in camo military gear and a little yellow badge that says Hiwassee on it walks into the hallway, rifles raised. I quickly pull the trigger down and I switch to full auto while they turn their safeties off. I mow them down, blood splattering on the walls and I put my rifle on my back again.
I take my shotgun out and I keep walking. I hear footsteps again and gunshots. I see a Sylvatus soldier run by the hallway I'm in and get shot. He screams and tries to crawl away but he gets finished off. I stand still and I aim my shotgun at the hallway.
"Hall Clear!" A voice rings out. A Hiwassee soldier walks by, smirking and looking at the body of the solider he just killed. I adjust my shotgun to aim at his head and I fire. The 12 gauge buckshot rips through his head, his jaw blows off and his face gets split into 5 parts.
"Shit! Contact!" A voice yells from behind him. I snatch a flashbang from my belt and I toss it on the wall, bouncing it into the hallway where the voice came from. The flashbang goes off and a bright light shines through the hall for a split second. I run into the hallway, shotgun raised, and I see a soldier with his eyes closed and aiming a handgun at a wall. I put the shotgun on my back and I walk towards him.
"Who's there!" He yells.
I unsheathe my machete and I impale him. He gags a little before starting to go still. I pull the blade out of him, and I wipe it off on my red and black dirt bike pant leg. I sheathe it again and I put the shotgun on my back. I notice a bear trap further into hallway. I walk the other way and I go into a large room. I walk through the door and I'm in a large storage room with a concrete floor, and some crates are blocking my vision of the room. I hear voices and I see a bear trap in-between the pile of crates I'm behind and another pile of crates. I peek over the crates and I see about 5 soldiers. I aim my rifle and I shoot one's head, and he crumbles to the ground. I aim at another one's chest and they shoot at me, but the barrels stop the bullets. I pull the trigger and I take cover again.
I peek again from the top of a different crate, and I see the one I shot is still standing. I shoot him 3 times and I kill another one, leaving two of them left. One of them screams and rushes towards my location, but his foot gets snagged onto the bear trap and he gasps. He drops his gun and tugs on his leg. I shoot the one that didn't rush and he drops his gun and falls to the ground.
"Please... No..." The person in the bear trap pleads.
I take my hatchet out and I do an overhead swing right on his skull. He falls down, his knee bent upwards from the bear trap. I step over him and I walk to the door in front of the crates until I hear a voice.
"I surrender..." The soldier on the ground that I shot says. I contemplate it. Where would we even keep surrenders right now?
"Sorry buddy. We don't spare Hiwassee's." I state.
He immediately starts sobbing. "Please!-" His voice is cut off by a bullet to the head. I reload my rifle and I walk out of the door and back into the hallway.
Tyler POV
I finish setting my third bear trap. I only have 3 left. I walk out of the room, holding my M16 and I scan the hallway for hostiles. I should probably set up a trap in the garden. I walk through a bunch of halls, before seeing a Hiwassee. Before I can aim he shoots at me, it hits my chest. Pain fires through my body, the plates stopped most of the impact but it defiantly still penetrated. I grab the radio device on my belt and I turn it on.
"Medical attention. Hallway 2B. Gunshot wound." I grunt out.
I set a bear trap where I'm taking cover, so the Hiwassee can't push me. A set of hurried footsteps comes into the hallway I was shot at, and a couple gunshots later Noah passes the corner seeing me, as he holds his P90.
"Let's get ya patched up." He says, taking a syringe out of his belt. He takes off my plate carried.
"Just some shrapnel." He states. He stabs the needle into my chest, and my whole body starts to relax.
"That's better." I happily tell him. He helps me up and I thank him, and he runs off.
I collect the bear trap I set and I make my way through the halls once more. I push open a heavy wooden door and I walk into the garden. The fort walls surround the large trees and bushes. I walk onto the cobblestone path and I see a splatter of blood. I hear a stick crack and I swiftly turn my rifle to the sound just in time to see someone aiming a wooden shotgun straight at me.
I fire at him twice, the high caliber bullets easily penetrating his gear. I set a bear trap on the cobblestone path and I cover it up with leaves. I hear some voices and I hide behind a tree. I peek behind the tree and I see a Hiwassee soldier with a ballistic shield and two other soldiers next to him. I throw a grenade at them they jump. The grenade goes off, killing the other two soldiers and the one with the shield is critically injured.
I aim my rifle at him and I shoot his head, ending his suffering. I go back on the cobblestone path, and I don't see anyone. I take out another bear trap and I set it on the path. I cover it with some dirt and leaves and I look around. I hear a scream, sounding like it's coming from the bear trap I set earlier. I run towards it and after a minute I see someone stuck in it.
They see me and they grab their handgun and aim at me. I quickly pounce towards him and I unsheathe my machete. I tackle him, his foot ripping off and he fires the gun, but it misses me and gets thrown to the side. I pin him down swiftly and I stab him repeatedly in the face. When he stops struggling I stand up, and I kick him to make sure he's dead.
I hear barking, I turn around and I see a German Shepard running towards me. I aim my rifle, but I can't bring myself to shoot a dog, so I run back inside. I see Landon pass by, shotgun out. I walk the opposite direction and I don't see anyone. I hear machine gun firing, and I run towards it. I climb up some stairs and I see a room that has 2 soldiers in it, with 3 windows, a machine gun mounted on each of them. The two soldiers look behind them and they salute me, before going back to manning the machine gun and shooting. I use my last bear trap at the top of the steps, and I jump in the left unoccupied machine gun seat. I open fire, watching the Hiwassee's get riddled with bullets.
"Fuckers!" I yell over the gunfire.
The barrel overheats and I'm forced to use my rifle. Before I can shoot, someone in pink and black dirt bike gear runs in. He has a plate carrier on with a bunch of fireworks. He has a handgun on his belt and some spare mags, with more fireworks. He has a compact rifle on his back and is holding a grenade launcher but modified to shoot fireworks. "What's up!" He yells.
"Asher! We are fighting!" I yell at him.
"I can see. Wanna watch a light show." Before I can say anything he aims the launcher at the sky and shoots.
"Sky sparrow out." He says, watching the glowing blue light shine through the sky.
The light explodes into a bunch of blue sparks, falling onto the ground and exploding. Some vehicles catch on fire and a bunch of soldiers run around in a frenzy, burning alive. He then grabs a pink firework with a fuse at the top. He grabs a lighter from his pocket and lights the fuse. He chucks it into the soldiers, some of them burning, others shooting the fort and trying to enter. The firework hits the ground and some smoke shoots out, a bunch of explosions ring out form the smoke.
The smoke clears and the soldiers caught by the blast are now on the ground, probably dead.
"What the fuck was that...?" I ask.
"Crackle cluster. Gotta get goin'." He runs off to somewhere. I go back to lighting up the front lines, making sure very little soldiers make it inside.
I put the rifle on my back again and I reload the machine gun. Right in the middle of the reload, a person comes in with a shotgun and shoots the soldier in the middle. He falls back on the floor and looks at the ceiling, blood soaking his chest. I pull out my 1911 handgun and I shoot the person who came in 12 times. I reload and the soldier looks at the soldier on the ground and then to me. "He's dead. Keep shooting," I order.
Thatcher POV
I finish sniping some people out of the window of a room. I open the door leading to the hallway, looking to my right and I see a Hiwassee walking with a rifle. I take the cigarette out of my mouth and I hold it in my left hand, and I shoot the man down the hall with my right hand holding a desert eagle. I put the cigarette back in my mouth and I hold my pistol with both hands, killing another Hiwassee that tries to run down the hall. He groans in pain not fully dead, I walk out of the doorway and I walk right next to him. I stomp his head as hard as I can, listening to the satisfying crunch under my boot. I try to hear anyone coming but all I can hear is blood dripping onto the floor.
I walk further down the hall, my left arm swinging and my right hand holding my desert eagle. I hear yelling and some flashes from gunfire from the room next to me. I open the door and I surprise a Hiwassee that was right in front of the door and reached for the door handle, but I quickly pistol whip him. Three other soldiers fire at me, and I quickly take the wall as cover. I look around and I stand next to the doorframe, tapping my foot. A soldier runs out and I shoot him before he can shoot me. "About time you came out." I chuckle.
I peek behind the doorframe and I place a shot right on one of the two soldier's head. His head explodes, and a fountain of blood comes out of his neck, before he falls to the ground.
"Surrender and I'll let you live." I state.
"Okay!" A voice yells.
A soldier comes out of the room with his hands up, unarmed. I nod and I smile. I take my knife out and I quickly slash his throat. He stumbles before tripping and falling on the ground. I kneel beside him and I shove my gloved finger into his neck, the skin around the throat pulsing around my finger. I pull it out and I drag my finger below my right eye, making a blood mark under it. The man gurgles on the floor and looks at me in pain, his eyes widen when I light a match and shove it into his pocket. I smile and I wave at him before I stand up, leaving him to die in pain.
I almost walk away, but I quickly remember I forgot about the man I pistol whipped. I walk back to the door and I see him laying on the ground, pretending to be dead. I try not to laugh, and I take my knife out again and I slice his cheek. He gasps and his back arches and I stare at him.
"Get up." I order.
He looks like he wants to say no, but he obeys and shakily stands up. He uses the wall as support and holds his right hand up. "Come on man... I got a family, just let me leave! I'll h-" I cut him off.
"I'm sure you do." I say, my face softening, and I pat him on the shoulder.
He smiles and goes to hug me, but I put both hands on his throat and I push as hard as I can. I squeeze his windpipe as hard as I can, his eyes bulge out and he tries to pry me off. I keep pushing until his larynx collapses. He wheezes and I let go, and he gets on his knees, gasping for air. I put him in a chokehold and I take a deep breath before breaking his neck with a grunt. I toss his body to the ground, and my body fills with satisfaction seeing his body on the floor. I step back into the hall, and I see a group of five Hiwassee's walking in the hallway, with a dog by their side. I smile.
I reload my desert eagle and I holster it. I pull out my camo hunting rifle.
I aim it at the Hiwassee in the back, and I shoot his head. I watch his brain splatter everywhere, creating a beautiful mess on the walls. The soldiers looks around, aiming their guns where the shot came from. I put my rifle on my back and I take my desert eagle back out.
"What was that?!" I yell.
"Who are you!" A soldier yells.
"I'm with Hiwassee! I swear if you're one of those Sylvatus bastards don't come closer!" I order.
"We're Hiwassee too." The voice softens.
"Really?" I ask.
"Yeah." He confirms.
"Well let me see!" I yell, jumping out of the doorframe and opening fire. I kill all of the soldiers besides one, who's gun I shot out of his hands. "Get him!" He screams to the dog. The dog runs towards.
"Bad dog..." I mutter, raising my desert eagle before putting the mutt down.
The soldier shakes his head and stumbles backwards, and I shoot him in the chest. I reload with a sigh and a shake of the head. "Hiwassee's were harder to kill. In my day," I say half-disappointed, but I hear a person sneak behind me.
I turn around, pointing the gun in front of me. A person in all black tackles me and pushes me to the ground. He raises his arm to stab me, but I grab his hand. I break his nose and I snap his wrist, and I grab his knife from him. He yelps and tries to punch me with his other hand, but I bite his palm, drawing blood and dripping it into my mouth. I plunge the knife deep into his chest. I kick his arm away and he crawls away from me. I shove the blade into his mouth, tearing the roof of his mouth up, and cutting his tongue off. He chokes on his tongue before I drop the knife.
The metallic taste of blood swirls in my mouth. I contemplate swallowing it, but the stomach ache that will probably ensue stops me. I spit it out into his face and I stand back up. I pick my desert eagle back up and I look behind me, no one is there. "Have fun." I tell the person drowning in his blood squirming on the ground.
I walk further down the hall, whistling a tune. I walk by a door that has the words: "Breaker Room," I almost walk past it but I hear a metal clang coming from it. I unholster my handgun and I slowly open the door. I hear some people talking, but I can't figure out what they're saying. The room has a concrete floor and has a bunch of giant generators that almost reach the ceiling. I hide behind a generator right in front of the door, and I see a Hiwassee soldier walk past me.
My boots tiptoe behind him. I put him in a choke hold and I snap his neck, using all my strength. His body slumps to the ground, and I peek from behind the generator. There are 3 people surrounding the breaker with a pickaxe in all of their hands.
"Hey." I say, walking out from the generator.
Their eyes widen and they all rush me. I slice one's arm and I push him to the floor. Another slams his pick right into my chest but my ballistic plates behind my clothes block the impact. I aim for his neck and I slash at it, but he punches me in the face, causing me to stumble back. The man gets off the floor and holds his arm. The person who punched me charges at me. He overhead swings the pick right at me skull but I kick him right between the legs. I grab the pickaxe from him and I slam it into his left eye socket, killing him instantly. The Hiwassee that hasn't done anything tries to swing at me, but it's apparent he's not as strong or as fast as the other two. I sock him in the face, breaking his nose with a crack.
I walk towards the person holding his arm. I stab him in the back of the neck and I drop him on the ground. I turn to the person with a broken nose. I sheathe my knife and I grab my rifle from off my back. My hand grips the barrel of the gun, and I swing the stock directly at his right knee, shattering it on impact. He howls, I give a satisfied nod. He shakes and I pull out a rusted .308 bullet, He looks at it.
"I want to play a little game..." I state.
"...No..." He whispers.
"You think you have a choice?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "My grandpa, he was into guns. He gave me this as a birthday gift." I explain.
"What does that have to do with-" I cut him off.
"Now... I'm gonna spin this on the floor. If it lands on me, I'll kill you quickly, no pain." I state with a smirk. "And if it just so happens to land on you... I guess you're just unlucky." I say, putting the bullet on the floor.
He starts crying and I flick the tip of the bullet. The bullet spins rapidly, before slowing down a little. It comes to a complete stop before it points to him. He has his eyes closed so he can't see it. I stare at him, smirk gone. "Looks like we're gonna have some fun." He screams. I put some rope in his mouth.
Jason POV
I shoot down the last Hiwassee left in the hallway with my rifle. I reload and I keep moving forwards. I spot a squad of Hiwassee's with shields. I quickly hide and let them pass me. Their voices fade away as they turn a corner, I make my way to a large glass door. I open it and I'm greeted by the sight of a lush forest, parted by a cobblestone path, the trees contained inside the fort walls.
Stepping out of the doorway, I walk on the cobblestone path. I admire the lush bushes and green leaves until I hear a voice. A Hiwassee comes out of a dirt trail and I immediately shoot him 3 times. He crumbles to the ground and I walk towards him. Nudging him with the flash hider of my gun, I make sure he's dead before moving on. I turn a corner and I see 3 Hiwassee's. One of them is split into two, the other doesn't have any limbs, and the one in the middle with a shield doesn't have a left leg and looks like he was shot it the head. I almost gag looking at them.
I hear a stick break to right of me behind a bush. I point my rifle to the noise just in time to see someone aiming a shotgun at me. I shoot his shoulder, and he fires a shot off but misses from his shoulder jerking back. I shoot him in the head twice until he stops moving.
"Warning. OPFOR has fell back. No more hostile reinforcements. I repeat, no hostile reinforcements. Eliminate all hostiles inside." A voice says in my earpiece.
I see an enemy combatant further down the trail, and I pull out my pistol with a suppressor attached to it. I shoot him in the neck, and then I empty my magazine on him. I reload the handgun and I holster it again. I grab my rifle again and I keep walking. I walk for a couple minutes before reaching the end of the path. At the end of the path, I see a Hiwassee soldier kneeling beside a dead soldier, with a glass door behind him. The soldier he is kneeling beside has a severed foot inside a bear trap, and his face is ripped apart.
The Hiwassee soldier spots me and quickly stands up.
"I surrender! I'm unarmed!" He yells.
"You surrender?!" I demand.
"Yes!" He confirms.
"Can we take surrenders?" I ask into my earpiece.
"No. We don't take Hiwassee's." A voice snarls.
"Affirmative." I say.
"I'm gonna let you go!" I yell.
"Thank you!" He jumps from relief.
I motion for him to get out of here but when I turn my head I see him pull out a handgun in my peripheral vision. I turn around and I shoot him seven times. "Shit..." I whisper to myself as look at his body. I take a deep breath and I grip the rifle tightly. I walk to the glass door, which is now shattered from the bullets hitting it. I almost get caught in a bear trap, but I jump over it. I hear whistling behind me and I look back into the garden. I see a light blue light in the sky and then it explodes into a huge firework.
I stare at it before walking away. I come across another Hiwassee, and I run towards him and I put him in a chokehold. I make sure he passes out and then I let go. Weird noises start to come from the ceiling. Looking up I don't see anything, but then the overhead lights flicker. I mutter a curse before they completely turn off, my hand reaches for my night vision goggles attached to my helmet. My hand flicks the goggles down and I twist a know on them, making my vision turn green, but at least I can see now.
"Power is down. OPFOR has disabled the breaker." The voice in my earpiece states.
I mutter a curse before I continue walking down the hall. My boots shuffle across the blood stained floor, making an occasional squeak. I keep my rifle pointed in front of me, but I hear something. It sounds like a set of footsteps and I can see a flashlight shining onto the left wall. I look into my EOTECH sight but I see Landon step into the hall, shotgun raised with a flashlight on it. I sneak behind him and I grasp his shoulders.
Landon POV
I feel two hands on my shoulders and I elbow the person behind me. I see it was just Jason and I punched his mouthguard. "The fuck is wrong with you!" I yell.
"Keep it down..." He whispers.
"I'm going to the power room." I remark.
"Same. Come with me." He says.
We both walk through the hall, guns raised. A Hiwassee steps into my flashlight and I shoot a hole in him. Jason sees another one beside him outside of my light, and he fires a couple shots before the threat is gone. We walk some more until we see Thatcher in the hallway, walking to the same location.
"Thatcher." I whisper.
He turns around and aims his gun straight at my helmet, but he sees it's me.
"Come on. Follow me." I command, he nods.
Jason gives him a weird look and we reach the power room. We push open the door and we hear banging. I see a dead Hiwassee soldier laying face first in a pool of blood, with a knife wound to the back of the neck. We walk deeper into the room and we see another dead soldier on the ground, and one is next to the breaker slamming a pickaxe into it. I almost shoot him but he gets electrocuted before I can.
"Turn a generator on." I order.
Jason grabs a lever on the wall and slams it downward. Light floods the room and I see the amount of blood on the floor. My gaze settles on a body on the ground. The body has his legs skinned, his chest ripped apart, and his left arm gone. His face is missing an eye and he is missing his scalp, and his chest has no skin on it and I can see his intestines strewn across the floor. The body has a rope in his mouth and I close my eyes, trying not to gag.
"You good bro?" Jason asks before following my gaze.
Jason gags and looks away. Thatcher looks at the body coldly.
"Who the fuck did that..." I say to myself.
"It wasn't one of our soldiers. It was probably a traitor of their's." Thatcher explains.
"You sure?" Jason asks, looking at the ground.
"Probably." Thatcher confirms.
"Let's get out of here." I say, creeped out my the body.
Jason nods and we all walk out. I aim my rifle around, making sure no hostiles can jump us. When I know we're safe, I keep walking and they follow me. "Let's go to the middle garden." I say. They confirm my order and walk with me. We come across a Hiwassee and swiftly deal with him, before reaching an area that leaves the fort and into the forest. We walk on the dirt trail until we come into contact with 3 UTVs. Jason unloads his mag into the middle one, and Thatcher quickly shoots the driver of the middle one. Jason runs behind a tree to reload, and everyone that was in the middle and left UTV exit it and aim their guns at me and Thatcher. Three Soldiers unboard the right UTV but then it swerves to the left and accelerates.
I jump away, but I'm not fast enough and I get slammed into the front bumper, getting thrown back 20 feet before I crash into the ground. Jason shoots at the Hiwassee's and the Hiwassee that ran me over gets out and walks over to me, pistol in hand. He flicks the safety off but his a bullet pierces his skull, coming through his lower jaw and exiting through the back of his head. He falls over, eyes wide but not moving, and his eyes start to gloss over.
I luckily didn't break anything, because I have my dirt bike gear. My hand reaches for my rifle, and I aim the scope at a soldier and I knock his head off his shoulders. Jason is pushed back so I can't see him anymore, and Thatcher is forced to retreat leaving me by myself. I kill as many of them as I can, but one is still left. I run out of ammo and I stand up. Before I can switch to my Glock I get shot at my plate carrier, and then at my shoulder. I stumble backwards, until another shot pushes me back to the ground.
I grunt in pain, blood seeping out of my shoulder. The Hiwassee soldier walks over to me.
"Can't believe I'm gonna kill a Co-Leader. Boss is gonna be happy with me!" He exclaims.
I reach for my Glock but he steps on my arm to keep it still.
"You're fucking pathetic." He states.
"Go to hell..." I mutter.
A black cord attaches to a branch of a pine tree above us, and I look to what the cord shot from, and I see John woods holding his bow. He grabs the zip line he shot through his arrow and ties it to a tree. He grabs a triangle looking device and attaches it to the zip line.
The Hiwassee punches my helmet, and I kick his chest with all my might. He falls to the ground and then gets up again. "Oh you little shit..." He whispers, drawing a knife and raising it. John rides the Zip lines, while putting a broadhead arrow in his bow. The soldier swings at me but is interrupted when John drops from the zip line, and shoots him in the throat mid-air.
The soldier gurgles and falls down, kicking at the ground and grasping leaves. John walks over to me and sits me up.
"Can't have a Co-Leader dying..." He says jokingly.
"Talk about a fucking entrance..." I mutter.
"Gotta be memorable," He jokes, going to punch me in the shoulder but stopping halfway.
"Medical attention, required in middle garden." He speaks into his radio.
After a couple minutes, Noah runs up, in his red and black ski gear. He looms over me and grabs a syringe.
"How'd this happen?" Noah asks.
"Some asshole ran me over then shot me." I say grumpily.
"Bad day then..." He mutters.
A Hiwassee walks to the top of the hill and spots us, and Noah guns him down with his P90. He injects me with the syringe, the light blue liquid entering into my veins. My shoulder immediately starts to feel better. He grabs a gauze and wraps it around my shoulder.
"Don't think you should be fighting for a couple days." Noah concludes.
"Ah gee, really?" I respond sarcastically.
"Ugh... You shot anywhere else?" He questions.
"I got shot in the chest, but it didn't penetrate." I respond.
"Alright then, I hope you'll go to physical therapy tomorrow?" He asks.
I bite my lip under my helmet. "Can't really promise... I mean, I could be busy." I state.
"Uh-huh..." He mutters.
I shakily stand up. "I hate to leave Thatcher and Jason behind..." I say.
John pats my back. "They'll be fine, they're probably done fighting too. I think we done killed all of 'em." John remarks.
"You're right..." I nod my helmet. "I'll call in a helicopter, not riding a SHERP to the compound." I state.
"And where's the compound?" He inquires.
"You don't know where the compound is?" I ask incredulously.
"A man forgets, ya know." He voices.
"In Tennessee, smoky mountains." I mention.
"You're going to Tennessee? Cuz you're the only ten I see." He says, making a finger gun at me.
"Oh hell no!" I yell.
"Oh Jesus..." Noah mutters.
"It doesn't even work like that! You said it wrong." I remark.
"It wasn't even that bad!" He attempts to defend himself.
"Get out of here you little twinkie." Noah playfully pushes him.
"Gay!" I yell out.
"I'm not gay!" He retorts.
"My ass..." I whisper.
While Noah and John argue about if what he said we gay, I call in a helicopter. Chris runs up to us, his blue and black dirt bike gear shaking.
"Guys! What are you doing!?" He exlclaims.
"We're done here. No more Hiwassee's." I explain.
"Oh... Where you going Landon?" Chris asks.
"To the Compound." I say.
"Can I come with?" Chris walks over to me.
"Sure... I'm probably gonna stay there for a couple days though." I state.
"That's fine with me." Chris remarks.
"A helicopter should be here any second now." I tap my boot.
John shoots a zip line arrow and the arrow hits the fort wall, and a zip line attaches all the way to his bow string. He severs the string and ties it to a tree, and puts the triangle device he used earlier on the zip line. He holds it with both hands and kicks his feet off the ground, disappearing from our sight.
"I'm gonna head to Ezra's church after my stay, wanna come with me?" I ask.
He nods. We hear helicopter blades over the trees, and it lands in the field next to us. We both jog towards it and jump in. I take my helmet off, my brown hair whooshing in the wind and hitting my eyes. Chris takes his off and his tan skin shows behind his cloth mask. He takes it off and his brown hair blows in the wind, hitting his bushy eyebrows.
"Where we heading today?" The pilot inquires.
"The Compound." I state.
The pilot gives a brisk nod before taking off, turning south west.
"WAIT!!!" Someone screams on the ground. I unbuckle myself and I grab a handrail, and lean out of the helicopter looking down. I see Jake jumping up and down, with his chainsaw in his right hand.
"Ignore that guy. Just go." I tell the pilot.
He nods and starts to fly, I flip Jake off with both hands and I stick my tongue out. I quickly get in my seat again and buckle myself, Chris looks at me. "You got the rolls?" Chris questions.
I pull out a bag that I stuffed in my shirt.
"Why did you hide it?" Chris asks, taking a roll.
"What if someone takes them?" I inquire.
He shakes his head and bites into the roll. I unzip my satchel and I reach for a dr pepper, before realizing I don't have one.
"You got one of your pepsi's?" I ask.
"No, I drank it." Chris states.
I groan. I look out the helicopter, we are over a vast forest, with a huge lake in the mountains below us.
"How long will this take?" Chris says.
"About an hour." The pilot responds.
"Can I get another one?" Chris asks.
"This," I point to a roll I take out of the bag. "This is your last roll." I put it in his gloved hand. He munches on it.
"Why'd the power go out?" Chris inquries.
"Some Hiwassee hit the breaker..." I mutter.
We accelerate and wind hits my face, making it slightly harder to breath. "Yo, I'm boutta fucking put on my helmet." I grumble.
"Me and Winston were talking yesterday. He told me he was gonna head to Ryegrass Ranch in a week." Chris says.
"Really?" I ask.
He nods. "I'm gonna chill with him for a bit, if you wanna come just tell me." Chris voices.
"I'll think about it..." I reply.
I grab a roll out of my bag.
2 hours later
I go on my phone getting an idea, I tap on a contact named Liam Taylor. His profile picture is him in white ski gear, with a white ski helmet and a visor over his eyes, and a white cloth mask covering the rest of his face. I call him, and he picks up.
"Yes, Landon?" A voice says through my phone.
"I'm heading to the compound with Chris in a helicopter. We're about 10 minutes away." I state.
"Oh. I'm in my office right now, but I'll try to get to you." He responds. "Which pad are you landing at?" He asks.
"The middle one." I reply.
"Alright... I'll be there when you land." Liam says and hangs up.
"Liam gonna be there?" Chris asks.
"Yep." I confirm.
Chris taps the stock of his MP5. A couple minutes pass and we fly over a bunch of forest and fields, and we start to lower, a hole in the forest canopy is in the middle of the forest. The helicopter lowers itself towards the hole, and it hovers under the canopy. A huge network of tree houses, and tree mansions comes into view. They are connected to each other with bridges, and it looks as if there's around 200 tree houses interconnected to each other, even though this is just half of the compound. The helicopter touches down on a wooden helipad, with wooden guard rails with metal netting inside of the half walls. The helipad has 8 bridges where anyone can access the helipad to leave and enter as they please.