CHAPTER-III
Twenty-five people walked in a tight formation, led by Ali, Kyle, and Dianne. Every eye scanned in all directions, observing the surroundings to stay alert for the danger of the Symbiotes. The path they took was the same one Kyle and Dianne had traveled toward the Sinai Peninsula. Slowly but surely, their steps approached the target bit by bit. As long as no enemies approached, even if they were visible and unaware of the group's movement, there was to be no attack at all. A Symbiote can call the pack if its life is threatened. The Crawler group is the most common to find in any condition, given their highly adaptive and resilient physical nature.
Heavy footsteps stalked the group from behind, running stealthily like a predator on a hunt, moving from rock to rock to evade sight. With a sudden burst of speed, a giant Crawler Symbiote leaped from the left, breaking Kyle's group apart. The Symbiote swung its arms, armed with razor-sharp claws, while emitting a terrifying, high-pitched shriek. Its saliva flew along with the blood of one of their members. A shield was shattered, an arm severed, and a body torn—claiming a life instantly. Kyle jumped into the gap between the Symbiote's arms and fired several shots, successfully causing it pain, but it wasn't enough. Other hot plasma beams landed all over the monster's body, finally bringing it down after a few moments. Kyle wanted to bury the victim's remains, but unfortunately, several screams were heard in the distance; the pack was approaching. With a heavy heart, Ali ordered everyone to run and save themselves, as their journey could not end here. The nearest city was already in sight: Tel Aviv.
A city on the coast of the Arabian land. A controversial capital always associated with conflict between two nations. Once a cause of division, now only a memory. The city lay abandoned, leaving behind all its former grandeur.
Kyle immediately led everyone toward a military base while picking up scrap pipes that seemed usable. Upon arriving in front of the military headquarters, less than a kilometer away, Kyle thought of a new plan. He gathered the whole group to discuss it: if there were still usable weapons there, they might not need to travel as far as Russia. After all, slam-fire shotguns were actually quite dangerous—not just for the target but also for the user—even if they weren't as deadly as expired authentic rifles.
From a distance, the building looked like wreckage. Holes were everywhere, and dust swirled around it. The shape of the military base was hard to recognize. In this reality, it was clear there was nothing they could obtain. Ali asked Kyle to pull them all back and retreat, considering it would be dangerous to force their way into the area; even from this distance, many Crawler Symbiotes were visible, and even Terrorist Symbiotes were there. A small number facing such a large and savage force would be ridiculous and foolish. However, Kyle didn't want to go home empty-handed. From his observations, he was certain there was once a bunker to store Israeli weaponry; it should be there. Kyle devised a plan to break through the Symbiotes. "There is no end before trying; there is no success without failure," Kyle said.
Dianne slowly crawled through the ruins of the building, avoiding the Symbiotes' observation. She tried to find a discarded tire and, thankfully, she found one—because if she hadn't, Kyle would have allowed her to act as bait. Dianne fired a hot plasma shot that immediately ignited the tire, causing a large fire with billowing black smoke and a very pungent smell. This abnormal heat and odor attracted the Symbiotes' attention. Dianne threw the tire very far away. The thunder of footsteps roared in the sand-covered city. Screams, moans, and roars filled the silence that previously only held the wind carrying dust. Under the scorching sun, the Symbiotes chased the object that seemed like food to them—an alien smell and hot temperature. Actually, this was an experiment, as Kyle wasn't entirely sure it would work; but seeing what happened, they indirectly discovered something new that would be very beneficial for the survivors in the village. There would be no more need to carry capybaras everywhere, given the difficulty of breeding them regularly with limited resources.
Everyone ran toward the military base, quickly searching every area hoping to find at least a reserve of bullets to take the gunpowder so their weapons could function. But suddenly, something emerged from underground, sending concrete and sand flying in all directions. A powerful creature had arrived. A Mother Crawler. But unlike the previous ones, this creature was not only large and hard but also disgusting, appearing as a fusion of many Symbiotes into one new individual. Its height reached five meters. Flesh twitched with heavy breathing from every crevice. Its eyes bulged sharply, and its teeth were clearly visible as its large maw opened wide just to shriek. Its incredibly long and large arms, resembling scythes, swung through the air. Its immense strength pushed clouds of dust and several rocks.
"Everyone, scatter!" Ali's voice broke the crowd. One by one, they searched for the best position to attack with their weapons. The spear-bearers, without fear of death, moved to the front and plunged their weapons into the fleshy body. Once again, the monster screamed—not to intimidate, but out of pain. After dodging swing after swing aimed at them, the spears were pulled out very quickly. Blood splattered in various directions. If they were ordinary humans, they surely would have been infected by it.
One of the warriors carrying a shield crouched and shielded the sky, providing a perfect stepping stone. Ali leaped from the shield straight toward the giant Symbiote's face. Ali drew the sword that had been sheathed from the start. In one slash, the head of the nature-defying creature was severed, with blood gushing out profusely. Ali stood atop the pile of rotting flesh; unknowingly, the scythe-arm was still moving. Right before it could hit him, Kyle jumped and shot right into its joint, ending the history of the terrifying monster.
They searched again, but there was no sign of any secret bunker; everyone was disappointed. Kyle, who still refused to give up, remained certain he could deliver results and not disappoint anyone. He kept digging the sand until a deep hole was created, until finally, his hand could no longer dig—not because of exhaustion, but because he was stopped by something very hard. It wasn't clear what it was, but when the object was tapped, it sounded like the clink of thick metal. Prayers of thanks escaped every mouth; everyone was happy again seeing Kyle laughing freely because he had managed to find the intended bunker, even if this was purely due to their luck.
Dianne ran and jumped, directly hugging Kyle out of overwhelming joy. For a moment, she was happy, then suddenly she remembered and immediately climbed down from Kyle's body. Dianne just laughed awkwardly while stroking her arm. Realizing this, Kyle immediately hugged Dianne back, and both laughed together. However, before they could finish laughing, the threat returned: the screams of the Symbiotes, angry because they felt fooled, came from that direction. The thundering wave of their footsteps was heard again—not moving away, but approaching. Panicked, Dianne clenched her fist and immediately struck the steel wall hard; every blow dented it. After hitting it repeatedly, the bunker finally broke open; it turned out to be made of layered steel 10 cm thick. Dianne exerted her strength and tore the hole she made so it could be entered. Two of them went inside to take out everything felt necessary. The bullets might be expired, but the gunpowder was still usable.
Kyle cheered to speed up the movement. Surprisingly, one of the Symbiotes threw rocks at them, as if they were truly annoyed. Kyle and the others kept shooting at the rocks thrown at them, but unknowingly, an old gas cylinder that was buried was blown by the sand, mistaken for a rock by the Symbiote, and thrown. A panicked Kyle also thought it was a rock, and right above the hole, he shot the gas cylinder. Instantly, a massive explosion occurred. Those outside—Kyle, Dianne, and Ali—were thrown backward. The heat and fire from the explosion ignited the gunpowder and began to burn into the bunker. Without time to understand anything, the two people inside exploded along with a massive blast that destroyed the entire contents of the bunker. The explosion managed to ward off all the Symbiotes, who immediately ran helter-skelter. The fire continued to blaze relentlessly, accompanied by the rumble of explosions inside the bunker. Smoke billowed high while Kyle, with a weak face, stared at it all.
"I messed it up..." Kyle said.
"Never mind, it seems it wasn't meant for us," Ali tried to calm him.
Dianne sadly hugged Kyle.
"Three people are dead and we brought nothing, and it's because of my stupidity..." Kyle murmured.
Ali bowed his head and shook it, while combing his hair back with his hand.
Now only twenty-two of them remained. Everyone stood silently in the ruins of the building. Some faced the sky, mourning their fallen friends. Ali prostrated for a very long time, asking forgiveness from the one in the sky who rules everything. Some clenched their hands in prayer, and others leaned their faces against the wall.
They all went home, bringing only a few scrap pipes. The news of the tragedy was like a heavy rainstorm with thunder for the village that night. Several people mourned their lost family members. Many people blamed Kyle, considering him a bringer of bad luck. People thought of him as a manifestation of the devil sent to finish them all off. However, Ali immediately protected his friend. He reminded them again that no one should believe in superstitions at a time like this; manifestations of the devil, evil spirits, and all that were just nonsense that would only divide them later. Ali then gathered two other village leaders to participate in an emergency meeting with Kyle and Dianne. This meeting aimed to discuss the continuation of their relationship with Kyle and Dianne. Trying to be objective and looking at the community's response, the two leaders expressed distrust and rejection toward Kyle and Dianne. Kyle, aware of his position and out of guilt, decided he would leave their equipment box in the village; meanwhile, Kyle and Dianne would leave the village with only a pair of rifles, knives, and communication tools. Dianne actually wanted to protest, but Kyle did not allow her. Ali, having no choice, had to accept the decision, remembering that he was trusted not to protect his friend, but to lead and keep this village safe.
Before leaving, Kyle spoke privately with Ali.
"So, you're really leaving here?" Ali asked.
"I won't take back my words. I was wrong and I must admit it," Kyle answered.
"Then where will you go?"
"Where? Huh, I don't know yet, but Dianne seems to long for the Great Pyramid of Giza."
"You are so close to her, that meta-human."
"Haha, I know."
"I hope you and Dianne stay happy. Take good care of yourselves."
"I know. But, do you think I can restore the Earth to how it used to be?" Kyle asked.
"This is part of the apocalypse; we have no choice until that day arrives," Ali replied.
"Hah, you... just watch, I can definitely finish everything."
"Please try. I won't disturb you."
Kyle extinguished the campfire with sand, then got up to leave. He left Ali after patting him on the shoulder.
Kyle walked toward Dianne; they walked side by side toward the full moon, slowly disappearing into the soothing moonlight. Meanwhile, behind them, Ali watched in silence, smiling and turning around to go back to the village, hoping that Kyle and Dianne would not encounter danger.
Kyle and Dianne were alone again; no one was with them anymore. They lay behind a rock illuminated by moonlight. Vanishing into the shadow of the rock, they began to talk.
"Should we go to Giza now?" Kyle asked.
"We should finish everything first, Captain. After that, then we—"
"Go on a date?" Kyle interrupted.
Dianne immediately flushed; her cheeks were as red as roses. Kyle laughed heartily because Dianne's shy face was so cute. Dianne lay face down and buried her face in the ground while pounding the earth with her hands.
"We will find the way, we will save the world, and we will spend the rest of our lives happily," Kyle said while looking at the stars.
"W... What do you mean? Captain?" Dianne asked nervously while slowly turning her head.
"I want to marry you, later after the world is saved. Until then, our relationship will remain Captain and subordinate, okay?" Kyle answered while holding out his pinky finger.
"Okay..." slowly Dianne brought her pinky finger closer. A smile accompanied by tears adorned their pinky promise. That night was very quiet and cool, as if the universe blessed their story.
They got up and sat side by side on the rock, imagining their beautiful dreams in a bright future world. A world without sadness. Imagining their story full of joys and sorrows later as parents. Imagining how they would grow old together and meet again in heaven.
Until the radio in Kyle's pocket finally chirped; the typical chaotic static disappeared and revealed the voice of a man.
"Hey, hey, hello, Kyle, are you still alive?"