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Vashin sat in the transport ship's dimly lit interior, his hands cuffed behind his back. He didn’t know where he was being taken. a sense of unease washed over him. Wherever they were going it wasn’t anything good. There was a reason Ryker was keeping him alive but what could it be?
A transport ship was like a drop ship only smaller. A drop ship could hold about one hundred people as where a transport could hold maybe eight. Two TSF guards eyed Vashin from across the ship, their faces expressionless. The cockpit door was locked, separating the pilots from the rest of the ship. Vashin strained to listen to the guards' hushed conversation.
“I hear Ryker had crickets put in the courtyard.” “Why would he need crickets? The walls covered with guards as is.” “I don’t think he’s worried about the rean.” The guard nodded toward Vashin. “Oh ok. But what about us? How will the cricket not shoot us as well?” The other guard tapped on his Talenstar emblem. “They put chips in the emblem. The cricket reads it and knows not to fire on us.” The guard looked down at his chest. “Wow. I had no idea.”
Vashin's ears perked up at the mention of crickets - small, automated turrets that could pop out of the ground and unleash a hail of bullets. He knew Ryker was desperate to maintain control, but this was a new level of paranoia. Crickets were very fast and incredibly deadly. Ryker put chips in his soldiers armor so that the cricket wouldn’t accidentally shoot them.
The ship landed with a thud, and the guards yanked Vashin to his feet. A black bag was shoved over his head, and he was dragged away. The sound of doors opening and closing echoed through the bag, disorienting him. Finally, the bag was removed, and Vashin found himself in a large cage. The door clanged shut behind him, and the guards departed.
Vashin's gaze adjusted to the dim light, revealing a lab filled with rows of computers, steel tables, and large equipment. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant and something metallic.“Hello there.” Vashin turned to see who was talking. There was a woman a few cages down from him. “Hi.” The woman said again once she got Vashin’s attention. “What’s your name?” Vashin hesitated. Was this some kind of joke? They were imprisoned and she wanted to make small talk?
“Ryder Vashin… General Ryder Vashin.” Oh, one of Alisters finest.” The woman chuckled. “I’m Aurora Blackwood.” “I’ve heard of you,” Vashin responded. “You’re on Talenstars board.” “Was on Talenstars board,” she corrected. “Where are we?” Vashin asked. “Oh this used to be a research facility. The cages we are in used to house animals for testing on. But I guess we are the animals now.” Aurora snorted but Vashin wasn’t amused. “You know this place well?” He asked. “Of course. This used to be my facility but now it’s a prison so Ryker can keep his enemies close.” Vashin pressed up against the chain links with a crash. “Ryker is here?” “Yeah most of the time.”
The bus's engine hummed monotonously as it trundled down the road, heading towards Dalmore. The grueling journey was taking its toll on the weary passengers, who trudged alongside the vehicles with dwindling energy. Dehydration and heat stroke claimed victim after victim, while others simply succumbed to despair, their bodies and spirits exhausted. Thane steeled himself against the relentless onslaught of suffering, his mind racing with the harsh reality: they couldn't save everyone. The resources were scarce, the challenges too great. He had to keep reminding himself that tough choices were necessary, no matter how cruel they seemed.
Thane took a look around the bus. The passengers' faces told the story of their struggles - sunken eyes, parched lips, and skin parched by the unforgiving sun.
Thane's eyelids drooped, his exhaustion finally overwhelming him. Despite his efforts to stay awake, he succumbed to sleep, only to be tormented by familiar nightmares. Sarah's face haunted him, her memory intertwined with the horrors of war.
In his dream, he relived the fateful mission to defend Kalvacade, a walled city named after the Kalv immigrants who once sought refuge in Alister. His team had been tasked with protecting the city at all costs, but the mission had turned into a disaster. Ambushed at a four-way intersection, they were quickly outnumbered and outgunned.
“It’s an ambush!” Someone yelled. Thanes team was quickly being picked off. “Find cover! Find cover!” Thane ordered. Just then a Kalv war machine turned the corner in front of them. The massive tank was the size of a house and was as wide as the street. The ground thundered as it drove slowly into view. Thane knew that their fate was sealed. “Look out!” Someone else yelled. The remaining team scrambled to find anything to protect them from the tank. Thane dove into a near by apartment complex. The tank fired. The explosion from the giant cannon was deafening. The intersection no longer existed. Now just a massive hole of asphalt and twisted metal.
At this point Thane was pretty sure he was the only one left. The tank fired again. The tall building shook as the side of it collapsed from the explosive round. Thane’s comm came to life. “Is anyone still alive?” His heart filled with hope. He wasn’t the only one left. “This is captain Thane. I’m pinned down in an apartment complex.” “This is Pierce. Ok hold tight I’ll get you help.” “Check inside.” Thane’s attention was broken to the sound of the Kalv soldiers entering the building. Thane went deeper into the building. He ran up the stairs and ducked into one of the apartments. Kalvacade was mostly evacuated but they were not able to get everyone out before Kalv showed up.
Thane peered out from the apartments doorway. Looking and listing for Kalv troops when he heard a faint “help me.” Thane quickly and cautiously followed the quiet pleas. He entered an apartment to find a little girl trapped under some rubble from the tanks attack. Thane moved the rocks and debris, freeing the girl. She couldn’t have been more than nine years old. She was a little banged up but mostly ok. The girl immediately turned and started trying to move more debris. “Help me,” her eyes welled up. “Please help me.”
Thane could see an outstretched hand under the fallen wall. He knew what it was. Thane quickly turned his head. He could hear Kalv soldiers taking and coming up the stairs. He grabbed the girl, placing a hand over her mouth to silence her cries. He forced the girl under a bed with him to hide.
As Thane hid under the bed with the girl, he could hear the Kalv soldiers entering the apartment, their footsteps heavy and deliberate. The girl's eyes were wide with fear, and Thane tried to comfort her with a gentle glance. He held his breath as the soldiers began to search the apartment, their voices growing louder as they moved closer to the bed.
Thane's mind raced with thoughts of what would happen if they were discovered. He knew he had to protect the girl at all costs. He could feel her trembling beneath his grip, and he tried to offer a reassuring smile.
Thane jolted awake at Flynn's sudden curse. "Shit!" Flynn stood at the front of the bus, gazing out the windshield with a mix of frustration and concern. Thane leaned to the side, following Flynn's gaze, and his heart sank. The road ahead ended abruptly in a massive crater, its depths shrouded in a eerie green-tinted fog - the unmistakable sign of a bio bomb strike.
"This screws up the plan big time," Flynn muttered, frustration etched on her face.
The driver hesitated, "We'll have to turn back and find another route."
Flynn's expression turned grim. "We don't have the fuel for a detour. We barely have enough to make it to Dalmore as it is. We'll have to circle the perimeter of the crater. It's the fastest way."
The driver's voice trailed off, "But, ma'am, that's—"
Flynn cut him off, her tone firm. "Do it."
Elijah was buried elbow-deep in the car engine, his face smeared with grease, when Liam approached him. "What's going on here?" Liam asked, eyeing the scattered tools and parts.
Elijah looked up, a hint of pride in his grin. "You didn't know I used to be a mechanic, did you?"
Liam chuckled. "A man of many talents, indeed."
"Hey, while you're here, can you help me out?" Elijah asked, his hands moving deftly beneath the hood. "When I say so, start the engine."
Liam leaned against the car, watching as Elijah worked his magic. The sound of clinking tools and muttered curses filled the air before Elijah shouted, "Start it up!"
Liam reached through the open window of the car and pushed the ignition switch. The car cranked and whined for a second before roaring to life. “Ha! It lives! It lives!” Elijah did his best mad scientist laugh before closing the hood and grabbing a rag from the tool box next to him. He began to wipe off his hands. “When we find her we will need a car to get to Dalmore.” “You’re something else. You know that?” Elijah smiled, “anyway are you ready for another round?” Liam pulled a map and pen out of his pocket. “Ready.”
The buses crept cautiously around the crater's perimeter, maintaining a safe distance from the deadly fog within. Thane's gaze was transfixed on the eerie green mist, his mind acutely aware of the rean's presence, even if he couldn't see them. Flynn's voice broke the spell, her words laced with a somber resignation.
"Nothing can eradicate it, Thane. The fog persists, indestructible. Even our firebombs, designed to kill the rean, can't dispel it. It simply lingers, waiting to infect anything that dares to enter."
Thane's response was interrupted by a sudden, violent tremor. The ground shook, and the second bus's foundation gave way, plummeting it into the dark abyss. Dozens of people who had been walking alongside the bus fell screaming into the chasm, their fate sealed in an instant. Thane's heart raced as he rushed to the back of the bus, horror etched on his face. The green fog swirled up, taunting him with its deadly presence.
Flynn's hand on his shoulder was a grim reminder of the reality they faced. "I'm sorry, Thane. Truly. We can't change what's happened. We must keep moving." Her voice was heavy with regret, but firm in its resolve.
Thane's emotions churned, a mix of sorrow, anger, and frustration. He blamed Flynn for the tragedy, her decision to circle the crater driven by a desire to save time now seeming reckless and costly. But he knew that recriminations were futile, that nothing could undo the damage. He shook off her hand, his silence a testament to his pain, and returned to his seat, lost in thought.
The bus continued on and Thane couldn't shake off the image of the people who had fallen into the chasm. He kept seeing their faces, their screams echoing in his mind. He felt a sense of guilt and helplessness, wondering if there was anything he could have done to prevent the tragedy.
Flynn's voice broke the silence, her words gentle but firm. "Thane, I know this is hard. But we can't change what's happened. We have to keep moving, for the sake of those who are still alive."
Thane nodded, but didn't speak. He couldn't bring himself to forgive Flynn, not yet. He felt a sense of resentment towards her, towards the rean, towards the whole situation.
As the bus continued on its journey, Thane's thoughts turned to the people they had lost. He wondered if they had families, if they had loved ones who would never see them again. He felt a sense of sorrow, of grief, that threatened to overwhelm him.
But then, he looked back, and saw the green fog behind them, its deadly presence a reminder of the danger they still faced. He knew that he had to keep moving, had to keep fighting, no matter what. For himself, for Flynn, for the people they had lost, and for those who were still alive.
Liam unfolded the worn map that he had found in a local gas station. The map was creased from countless folds, and the two pored over it, methodically combing every inch of the town. Days blended together in an endless search, scouring houses, alleys, and rubble. Every nook and cranny yielded nothing. They had just finished searching one house and were about to cross the street when Elijah froze, his back against the wall, eyes fixed on the doorway.
Liam followed his gaze, and Elijah silenced him with a raised finger. The Rezstahl troops, three of them, entered the house across the street, their presence sending a chill down Elijah's spine. Muffled voices and footsteps echoed from inside, followed by the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" a man's voice rang out, panic etched in every word.
The gunshots that followed were deafening, the vibrations resonating through the neighborhood. Only two Rezstahl troops emerged, their footsteps fading into the distance. Liam's panic was palpable. "What are they doing here?"
Elijah shook his head, his expression grim. "I don't know, but we need to find out."
They cautiously approached the house, the dead Rezstahl troop in the doorway a grim warning. Inside, an old man lay lifeless, a shotgun beside him, the wooden floorboards stained with blood. The comm unit on the dead Rezstahl crackled to life, the voice sending a shiver down their spines: "All units return to base. We have her, she's alive."
The bus rumbled as it drove back down the road. The silence since the loss of the other bus finally broken. "Stop here," Flynn called out to the driver, her eyes fixed on the service station ahead. A tanker truck sat idle, and Flynn's face lit up with hope. She leapt off the bus, climbed the tanker's ladder, and flung open the bulkhead. "It's full!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with relief. "Our luck's turning around. We'll make the rest of the trip, no problem."
Thane's expression remained somber, his thoughts still reeling from the loss of Bloom. He joined Flynn outside, helping to refuel and fill jerry cans. As he secured the cans to the bus, his gaze drifted upward, and his face contorted in horror. "Look," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the gruesome scene.
Two Alister soldiers hung from the service station sign. The same soldiers who had ordered them to Dalmore now hung lifeless, a chilling message scrawled on a cardboard sign dangling from one of their necks: "Chaos is our president now." Flynn's face darkened, her anger and disbelief palpable.
Flynn stormed toward the two approaching soldiers, her fury unleashed. "What's going on here? What happened to these men?" she demanded, her voice low and menacing.
The soldier's smile sent a chill down Thane's spine. "Captain Pierce happened," he replied, his tone dripping with malice. Flynn knew who Orion Pierce was. He was the second cousin to general Vashin. Forced into the military because that’s what his family expected of him. He thought being the generals cousin that he would get an easy pass but he had to work like everyone else. He loved to give orders but wouldn’t take them and he challenged Flynn every chance he got.
“Take me to him now!” “Of course commander. Right this way,” the solider gestured toward the town that was just up the road. “Thane, with me,” the commander ordered. Thane quickly rushed to her side. “Driver keep the bus here. Keep the people safe.” “You got it ma’am.” The driver picked up the rifle that lay in the floor next to him.
Flynn and Thane were escorted into Wells, the town's eerie silence broken only by the soft murmurs of the onlookers. Flynn's concern deepened - why hadn't they been evacuated? The people of Wells were supposed to be headed to Stonewall. Which means they were supposed to be going to Dalmore now, just like Bloom. She nudged Thane, discreetly pointing to a nearby building, where a cage held a snarling mass of rean. Thane's worried glance mirrored her own.
Their escorts led them to the top floor of a six-story office building, where they finally faced the enigmatic Orion Pierce. Flynn's anger boiled over. "Why haven't you evacuated yet? What's the point of disobeying direct orders?"
Pierce's calm demeanor belied the chaos outside. "What's the point, indeed? The war is lost. The president is dead. I am the king here, and those people are my servants."
Flynn's horror intensified as she took in the rean cage. "You're using the rean as a threat, a means to control?”
Pierce's smile twisted. “We fallow no orders now. We are on our own. So I thought why not make the most of it. Why not cease this moment to do more for myself. We were never going to evacuate. The town of Wells is ours now. Mine! Me and my men are all that matter now. I hung the generals goons and used them as an example for all who oppose me.”
“I order you to stop this madness at once!” “You don’t get it do you commander? I don’t take orders from you anymore. I don’t take orders from anyone anymore. You have always singled me out and gave me the short end of the stick since day one!” Pierce’s attention turned to Thane. “And then There’s you. Flynn’s lap dog. The hero of Kalvacade who didn’t do a damn thing. I was there too you know. You wouldn’t have even gotten out of the city if it wasn’t for me. I told you to stay where you were but you didn’t listen! That girl is dead because of you!”
Thane couldn’t find any words. The nightmares of the past rushing up to haunt him. “I… we were there for days. I didn’t think you were coming back.” “Shut up!” Pierce yelled. “This little shit got a metal.” He pointed at Thane. “And for what? Oh Thane you’re so brave.” Pierce began to mock. “You were trapped alone behind enemy lines. A real inspiration to us all. You became Flynn’s pet because it was traumatizing and you needed the help and support. You know what I got? I got sent to this shit hole of a town! It’s war Thane! People die! Get over it! You can’t go running and hiding every time things go wrong!”
“You have been a thorn in my side for far too long.” Flynn ended his banter. “So since you’ve gone AWOL and don’t have the general here to protect you I have no choice but to kick your ass.” Pierce unholstered his gun and let it drop to the ground. He walked toward Flynn cracking his knuckles. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Flynn too dropped her gun and Pierce lunged at her with a vicious punch. Flynn dodged, her training kicking in, and countered with a swift kick to Pierce's stomach.
Pierce grunted, stumbling back, but he recovered quickly, his face twisted in a snarl. The two clashed, their fists flying, each blow landing with a sickening thud. Flynn's training gave her an edge, but Pierce's sheer strength and desperation made him a formidable opponent. Thane wanted to help but the other two soldiers kept their guns trained on him, insuring he didn’t get involved.
The brawl raged on, the two combatants clashing in a flurry of punches and kicks, their heavy breathing and grunts of effort filling the air. Flynn's foot connected with Pierce's stomach, sending him stumbling back, but he quickly regained his footing and launched himself at her with a fierce cry.
The two crashed together, their bodies locked in a fierce embrace, their movements a blur of fists and feet as they struggled for dominance. Pierce wrapped his arms around Flynn's waist, his grip like a vice, and charged forward, driving her back with a series of powerful strides.
Flynn tried to elbow him in the back, but Pierce's hold didn't yield. With a final heave, he sent her crashing through the large window, the glass shattering into a thousand pieces as her body quickly fell down the side of the six story building.
Thane's world slowed as he processed the horror before him. He drew his gun, but it was too late. “Drop it!” The soldier escort demanded. Their guns still drawn and fixed on him.
The sound of several gun shots echoed outside before Thane could drop his own weapon. Pierce’s comm unit crackled to life. “It’s the towns people! They are uprising!” There was a loud clank and a crash outside. “They’ve opened the rean cage!” Pierce began to pace. His town was falling apart. He should have seen this coming. “Shit!” Pierce cursed. “I’ll be right there.” As soon as he turned around Thane fired a shot that landed square between his eyes. Thane quickly spun and dropped the other two soldiers with a single shot each.
As Thane emerged into the fray, the town of Wells erupted into chaos before his eyes. Rean attacked indiscriminately, their twisted bodies clawing at anyone within reach. Townspeople fought back with desperate ferocity, while soldiers struggled to maintain order, unsure whether to target the Rean or the townspeople.
Amidst the mayhem, the evacuation bus screeched into town, its tires smoking as it skidded to a halt in front of Thane. The driver yelled, his voice hoarse with urgency, "Come on, come on! We have to go, now!"
Thane hesitated, quickly scanning the town for any sign of Commander Flynn. "I have to find her!" he shouted back, but the driver was insistent. "There's no time! She fell six stories, Thane. She's gone. We have to save who we can, now!"
Thane's heart raced as he glanced around at the carnage. "What about the people of Wells?" he asked, but the driver's expression was grim. "We can't save them all. We've already lost ninety percent of Bloom's population. There's no room. We have to go, now!"
Thane boarded the bus and it took off down the other side of wells. “How did you know to come for me?” Thane asked once they were safely from Wells. The driver held up a pair of binoculars. “I’ve been watching since you two left. I might drive the bus but believe it or not I’m a soldier too.” Thane patted the drivers back. “And a damn good one at that. Thank you.” One thing Pierce said was true though. Chaos is our president now.
As the bus drove away from Wells, Thane couldn't shake off the image of the town in chaos. He thought about the people they had left behind, the ones who had fought against the soldiers and the rean. He wondered if they would survive, or if they would become another statistic in the war-torn world.
Thane continued to think back to the sign that hung around the dead soldiers neck. Chaos is our president now. Thane knew that was true, but he also knew that there was still hope. As long as there were people like the driver, like Flynn, who were willing to fight and protect others, there was a chance for a better future.
Thane looked around the bus, seeing the faces of the survivors. They were all scared, all exhausted, but they were all alive. He saw the determination in their eyes, the resilience that had gotten them this far.
"We'll make it through this," Thane said to himself, a quiet promise to the people on the bus, to Commander Flynn, and to himself. "We'll find a way to rebuild, to start again. We'll make Alister rise from the ashes."
A transport ship was like a drop ship only smaller. A drop ship could hold about one hundred people as where a transport could hold maybe eight. Two TSF guards eyed Vashin from across the ship, their faces expressionless. The cockpit door was locked, separating the pilots from the rest of the ship. Vashin strained to listen to the guards' hushed conversation.
“I hear Ryker had crickets put in the courtyard.” “Why would he need crickets? The walls covered with guards as is.” “I don’t think he’s worried about the rean.” The guard nodded toward Vashin. “Oh ok. But what about us? How will the cricket not shoot us as well?” The other guard tapped on his Talenstar emblem. “They put chips in the emblem. The cricket reads it and knows not to fire on us.” The guard looked down at his chest. “Wow. I had no idea.”
Vashin's ears perked up at the mention of crickets - small, automated turrets that could pop out of the ground and unleash a hail of bullets. He knew Ryker was desperate to maintain control, but this was a new level of paranoia. Crickets were very fast and incredibly deadly. Ryker put chips in his soldiers armor so that the cricket wouldn’t accidentally shoot them.
The ship landed with a thud, and the guards yanked Vashin to his feet. A black bag was shoved over his head, and he was dragged away. The sound of doors opening and closing echoed through the bag, disorienting him. Finally, the bag was removed, and Vashin found himself in a large cage. The door clanged shut behind him, and the guards departed.
Vashin's gaze adjusted to the dim light, revealing a lab filled with rows of computers, steel tables, and large equipment. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant and something metallic.“Hello there.” Vashin turned to see who was talking. There was a woman a few cages down from him. “Hi.” The woman said again once she got Vashin’s attention. “What’s your name?” Vashin hesitated. Was this some kind of joke? They were imprisoned and she wanted to make small talk?
“Ryder Vashin… General Ryder Vashin.” Oh, one of Alisters finest.” The woman chuckled. “I’m Aurora Blackwood.” “I’ve heard of you,” Vashin responded. “You’re on Talenstars board.” “Was on Talenstars board,” she corrected. “Where are we?” Vashin asked. “Oh this used to be a research facility. The cages we are in used to house animals for testing on. But I guess we are the animals now.” Aurora snorted but Vashin wasn’t amused. “You know this place well?” He asked. “Of course. This used to be my facility but now it’s a prison so Ryker can keep his enemies close.” Vashin pressed up against the chain links with a crash. “Ryker is here?” “Yeah most of the time.”
The bus's engine hummed monotonously as it trundled down the road, heading towards Dalmore. The grueling journey was taking its toll on the weary passengers, who trudged alongside the vehicles with dwindling energy. Dehydration and heat stroke claimed victim after victim, while others simply succumbed to despair, their bodies and spirits exhausted. Thane steeled himself against the relentless onslaught of suffering, his mind racing with the harsh reality: they couldn't save everyone. The resources were scarce, the challenges too great. He had to keep reminding himself that tough choices were necessary, no matter how cruel they seemed.
Thane took a look around the bus. The passengers' faces told the story of their struggles - sunken eyes, parched lips, and skin parched by the unforgiving sun.
Thane's eyelids drooped, his exhaustion finally overwhelming him. Despite his efforts to stay awake, he succumbed to sleep, only to be tormented by familiar nightmares. Sarah's face haunted him, her memory intertwined with the horrors of war.
In his dream, he relived the fateful mission to defend Kalvacade, a walled city named after the Kalv immigrants who once sought refuge in Alister. His team had been tasked with protecting the city at all costs, but the mission had turned into a disaster. Ambushed at a four-way intersection, they were quickly outnumbered and outgunned.
“It’s an ambush!” Someone yelled. Thanes team was quickly being picked off. “Find cover! Find cover!” Thane ordered. Just then a Kalv war machine turned the corner in front of them. The massive tank was the size of a house and was as wide as the street. The ground thundered as it drove slowly into view. Thane knew that their fate was sealed. “Look out!” Someone else yelled. The remaining team scrambled to find anything to protect them from the tank. Thane dove into a near by apartment complex. The tank fired. The explosion from the giant cannon was deafening. The intersection no longer existed. Now just a massive hole of asphalt and twisted metal.
At this point Thane was pretty sure he was the only one left. The tank fired again. The tall building shook as the side of it collapsed from the explosive round. Thane’s comm came to life. “Is anyone still alive?” His heart filled with hope. He wasn’t the only one left. “This is captain Thane. I’m pinned down in an apartment complex.” “This is Pierce. Ok hold tight I’ll get you help.” “Check inside.” Thane’s attention was broken to the sound of the Kalv soldiers entering the building. Thane went deeper into the building. He ran up the stairs and ducked into one of the apartments. Kalvacade was mostly evacuated but they were not able to get everyone out before Kalv showed up.
Thane peered out from the apartments doorway. Looking and listing for Kalv troops when he heard a faint “help me.” Thane quickly and cautiously followed the quiet pleas. He entered an apartment to find a little girl trapped under some rubble from the tanks attack. Thane moved the rocks and debris, freeing the girl. She couldn’t have been more than nine years old. She was a little banged up but mostly ok. The girl immediately turned and started trying to move more debris. “Help me,” her eyes welled up. “Please help me.”
Thane could see an outstretched hand under the fallen wall. He knew what it was. Thane quickly turned his head. He could hear Kalv soldiers taking and coming up the stairs. He grabbed the girl, placing a hand over her mouth to silence her cries. He forced the girl under a bed with him to hide.
As Thane hid under the bed with the girl, he could hear the Kalv soldiers entering the apartment, their footsteps heavy and deliberate. The girl's eyes were wide with fear, and Thane tried to comfort her with a gentle glance. He held his breath as the soldiers began to search the apartment, their voices growing louder as they moved closer to the bed.
Thane's mind raced with thoughts of what would happen if they were discovered. He knew he had to protect the girl at all costs. He could feel her trembling beneath his grip, and he tried to offer a reassuring smile.
Thane jolted awake at Flynn's sudden curse. "Shit!" Flynn stood at the front of the bus, gazing out the windshield with a mix of frustration and concern. Thane leaned to the side, following Flynn's gaze, and his heart sank. The road ahead ended abruptly in a massive crater, its depths shrouded in a eerie green-tinted fog - the unmistakable sign of a bio bomb strike.
"This screws up the plan big time," Flynn muttered, frustration etched on her face.
The driver hesitated, "We'll have to turn back and find another route."
Flynn's expression turned grim. "We don't have the fuel for a detour. We barely have enough to make it to Dalmore as it is. We'll have to circle the perimeter of the crater. It's the fastest way."
The driver's voice trailed off, "But, ma'am, that's—"
Flynn cut him off, her tone firm. "Do it."
Elijah was buried elbow-deep in the car engine, his face smeared with grease, when Liam approached him. "What's going on here?" Liam asked, eyeing the scattered tools and parts.
Elijah looked up, a hint of pride in his grin. "You didn't know I used to be a mechanic, did you?"
Liam chuckled. "A man of many talents, indeed."
"Hey, while you're here, can you help me out?" Elijah asked, his hands moving deftly beneath the hood. "When I say so, start the engine."
Liam leaned against the car, watching as Elijah worked his magic. The sound of clinking tools and muttered curses filled the air before Elijah shouted, "Start it up!"
Liam reached through the open window of the car and pushed the ignition switch. The car cranked and whined for a second before roaring to life. “Ha! It lives! It lives!” Elijah did his best mad scientist laugh before closing the hood and grabbing a rag from the tool box next to him. He began to wipe off his hands. “When we find her we will need a car to get to Dalmore.” “You’re something else. You know that?” Elijah smiled, “anyway are you ready for another round?” Liam pulled a map and pen out of his pocket. “Ready.”
The buses crept cautiously around the crater's perimeter, maintaining a safe distance from the deadly fog within. Thane's gaze was transfixed on the eerie green mist, his mind acutely aware of the rean's presence, even if he couldn't see them. Flynn's voice broke the spell, her words laced with a somber resignation.
"Nothing can eradicate it, Thane. The fog persists, indestructible. Even our firebombs, designed to kill the rean, can't dispel it. It simply lingers, waiting to infect anything that dares to enter."
Thane's response was interrupted by a sudden, violent tremor. The ground shook, and the second bus's foundation gave way, plummeting it into the dark abyss. Dozens of people who had been walking alongside the bus fell screaming into the chasm, their fate sealed in an instant. Thane's heart raced as he rushed to the back of the bus, horror etched on his face. The green fog swirled up, taunting him with its deadly presence.
Flynn's hand on his shoulder was a grim reminder of the reality they faced. "I'm sorry, Thane. Truly. We can't change what's happened. We must keep moving." Her voice was heavy with regret, but firm in its resolve.
Thane's emotions churned, a mix of sorrow, anger, and frustration. He blamed Flynn for the tragedy, her decision to circle the crater driven by a desire to save time now seeming reckless and costly. But he knew that recriminations were futile, that nothing could undo the damage. He shook off her hand, his silence a testament to his pain, and returned to his seat, lost in thought.
The bus continued on and Thane couldn't shake off the image of the people who had fallen into the chasm. He kept seeing their faces, their screams echoing in his mind. He felt a sense of guilt and helplessness, wondering if there was anything he could have done to prevent the tragedy.
Flynn's voice broke the silence, her words gentle but firm. "Thane, I know this is hard. But we can't change what's happened. We have to keep moving, for the sake of those who are still alive."
Thane nodded, but didn't speak. He couldn't bring himself to forgive Flynn, not yet. He felt a sense of resentment towards her, towards the rean, towards the whole situation.
As the bus continued on its journey, Thane's thoughts turned to the people they had lost. He wondered if they had families, if they had loved ones who would never see them again. He felt a sense of sorrow, of grief, that threatened to overwhelm him.
But then, he looked back, and saw the green fog behind them, its deadly presence a reminder of the danger they still faced. He knew that he had to keep moving, had to keep fighting, no matter what. For himself, for Flynn, for the people they had lost, and for those who were still alive.
Liam unfolded the worn map that he had found in a local gas station. The map was creased from countless folds, and the two pored over it, methodically combing every inch of the town. Days blended together in an endless search, scouring houses, alleys, and rubble. Every nook and cranny yielded nothing. They had just finished searching one house and were about to cross the street when Elijah froze, his back against the wall, eyes fixed on the doorway.
Liam followed his gaze, and Elijah silenced him with a raised finger. The Rezstahl troops, three of them, entered the house across the street, their presence sending a chill down Elijah's spine. Muffled voices and footsteps echoed from inside, followed by the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" a man's voice rang out, panic etched in every word.
The gunshots that followed were deafening, the vibrations resonating through the neighborhood. Only two Rezstahl troops emerged, their footsteps fading into the distance. Liam's panic was palpable. "What are they doing here?"
Elijah shook his head, his expression grim. "I don't know, but we need to find out."
They cautiously approached the house, the dead Rezstahl troop in the doorway a grim warning. Inside, an old man lay lifeless, a shotgun beside him, the wooden floorboards stained with blood. The comm unit on the dead Rezstahl crackled to life, the voice sending a shiver down their spines: "All units return to base. We have her, she's alive."
The bus rumbled as it drove back down the road. The silence since the loss of the other bus finally broken. "Stop here," Flynn called out to the driver, her eyes fixed on the service station ahead. A tanker truck sat idle, and Flynn's face lit up with hope. She leapt off the bus, climbed the tanker's ladder, and flung open the bulkhead. "It's full!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with relief. "Our luck's turning around. We'll make the rest of the trip, no problem."
Thane's expression remained somber, his thoughts still reeling from the loss of Bloom. He joined Flynn outside, helping to refuel and fill jerry cans. As he secured the cans to the bus, his gaze drifted upward, and his face contorted in horror. "Look," he whispered, his eyes fixed on the gruesome scene.
Two Alister soldiers hung from the service station sign. The same soldiers who had ordered them to Dalmore now hung lifeless, a chilling message scrawled on a cardboard sign dangling from one of their necks: "Chaos is our president now." Flynn's face darkened, her anger and disbelief palpable.
Flynn stormed toward the two approaching soldiers, her fury unleashed. "What's going on here? What happened to these men?" she demanded, her voice low and menacing.
The soldier's smile sent a chill down Thane's spine. "Captain Pierce happened," he replied, his tone dripping with malice. Flynn knew who Orion Pierce was. He was the second cousin to general Vashin. Forced into the military because that’s what his family expected of him. He thought being the generals cousin that he would get an easy pass but he had to work like everyone else. He loved to give orders but wouldn’t take them and he challenged Flynn every chance he got.
“Take me to him now!” “Of course commander. Right this way,” the solider gestured toward the town that was just up the road. “Thane, with me,” the commander ordered. Thane quickly rushed to her side. “Driver keep the bus here. Keep the people safe.” “You got it ma’am.” The driver picked up the rifle that lay in the floor next to him.
Flynn and Thane were escorted into Wells, the town's eerie silence broken only by the soft murmurs of the onlookers. Flynn's concern deepened - why hadn't they been evacuated? The people of Wells were supposed to be headed to Stonewall. Which means they were supposed to be going to Dalmore now, just like Bloom. She nudged Thane, discreetly pointing to a nearby building, where a cage held a snarling mass of rean. Thane's worried glance mirrored her own.
Their escorts led them to the top floor of a six-story office building, where they finally faced the enigmatic Orion Pierce. Flynn's anger boiled over. "Why haven't you evacuated yet? What's the point of disobeying direct orders?"
Pierce's calm demeanor belied the chaos outside. "What's the point, indeed? The war is lost. The president is dead. I am the king here, and those people are my servants."
Flynn's horror intensified as she took in the rean cage. "You're using the rean as a threat, a means to control?”
Pierce's smile twisted. “We fallow no orders now. We are on our own. So I thought why not make the most of it. Why not cease this moment to do more for myself. We were never going to evacuate. The town of Wells is ours now. Mine! Me and my men are all that matter now. I hung the generals goons and used them as an example for all who oppose me.”
“I order you to stop this madness at once!” “You don’t get it do you commander? I don’t take orders from you anymore. I don’t take orders from anyone anymore. You have always singled me out and gave me the short end of the stick since day one!” Pierce’s attention turned to Thane. “And then There’s you. Flynn’s lap dog. The hero of Kalvacade who didn’t do a damn thing. I was there too you know. You wouldn’t have even gotten out of the city if it wasn’t for me. I told you to stay where you were but you didn’t listen! That girl is dead because of you!”
Thane couldn’t find any words. The nightmares of the past rushing up to haunt him. “I… we were there for days. I didn’t think you were coming back.” “Shut up!” Pierce yelled. “This little shit got a metal.” He pointed at Thane. “And for what? Oh Thane you’re so brave.” Pierce began to mock. “You were trapped alone behind enemy lines. A real inspiration to us all. You became Flynn’s pet because it was traumatizing and you needed the help and support. You know what I got? I got sent to this shit hole of a town! It’s war Thane! People die! Get over it! You can’t go running and hiding every time things go wrong!”
“You have been a thorn in my side for far too long.” Flynn ended his banter. “So since you’ve gone AWOL and don’t have the general here to protect you I have no choice but to kick your ass.” Pierce unholstered his gun and let it drop to the ground. He walked toward Flynn cracking his knuckles. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
Flynn too dropped her gun and Pierce lunged at her with a vicious punch. Flynn dodged, her training kicking in, and countered with a swift kick to Pierce's stomach.
Pierce grunted, stumbling back, but he recovered quickly, his face twisted in a snarl. The two clashed, their fists flying, each blow landing with a sickening thud. Flynn's training gave her an edge, but Pierce's sheer strength and desperation made him a formidable opponent. Thane wanted to help but the other two soldiers kept their guns trained on him, insuring he didn’t get involved.
The brawl raged on, the two combatants clashing in a flurry of punches and kicks, their heavy breathing and grunts of effort filling the air. Flynn's foot connected with Pierce's stomach, sending him stumbling back, but he quickly regained his footing and launched himself at her with a fierce cry.
The two crashed together, their bodies locked in a fierce embrace, their movements a blur of fists and feet as they struggled for dominance. Pierce wrapped his arms around Flynn's waist, his grip like a vice, and charged forward, driving her back with a series of powerful strides.
Flynn tried to elbow him in the back, but Pierce's hold didn't yield. With a final heave, he sent her crashing through the large window, the glass shattering into a thousand pieces as her body quickly fell down the side of the six story building.
Thane's world slowed as he processed the horror before him. He drew his gun, but it was too late. “Drop it!” The soldier escort demanded. Their guns still drawn and fixed on him.
The sound of several gun shots echoed outside before Thane could drop his own weapon. Pierce’s comm unit crackled to life. “It’s the towns people! They are uprising!” There was a loud clank and a crash outside. “They’ve opened the rean cage!” Pierce began to pace. His town was falling apart. He should have seen this coming. “Shit!” Pierce cursed. “I’ll be right there.” As soon as he turned around Thane fired a shot that landed square between his eyes. Thane quickly spun and dropped the other two soldiers with a single shot each.
As Thane emerged into the fray, the town of Wells erupted into chaos before his eyes. Rean attacked indiscriminately, their twisted bodies clawing at anyone within reach. Townspeople fought back with desperate ferocity, while soldiers struggled to maintain order, unsure whether to target the Rean or the townspeople.
Amidst the mayhem, the evacuation bus screeched into town, its tires smoking as it skidded to a halt in front of Thane. The driver yelled, his voice hoarse with urgency, "Come on, come on! We have to go, now!"
Thane hesitated, quickly scanning the town for any sign of Commander Flynn. "I have to find her!" he shouted back, but the driver was insistent. "There's no time! She fell six stories, Thane. She's gone. We have to save who we can, now!"
Thane's heart raced as he glanced around at the carnage. "What about the people of Wells?" he asked, but the driver's expression was grim. "We can't save them all. We've already lost ninety percent of Bloom's population. There's no room. We have to go, now!"
Thane boarded the bus and it took off down the other side of wells. “How did you know to come for me?” Thane asked once they were safely from Wells. The driver held up a pair of binoculars. “I’ve been watching since you two left. I might drive the bus but believe it or not I’m a soldier too.” Thane patted the drivers back. “And a damn good one at that. Thank you.” One thing Pierce said was true though. Chaos is our president now.
As the bus drove away from Wells, Thane couldn't shake off the image of the town in chaos. He thought about the people they had left behind, the ones who had fought against the soldiers and the rean. He wondered if they would survive, or if they would become another statistic in the war-torn world.
Thane continued to think back to the sign that hung around the dead soldiers neck. Chaos is our president now. Thane knew that was true, but he also knew that there was still hope. As long as there were people like the driver, like Flynn, who were willing to fight and protect others, there was a chance for a better future.
Thane looked around the bus, seeing the faces of the survivors. They were all scared, all exhausted, but they were all alive. He saw the determination in their eyes, the resilience that had gotten them this far.
"We'll make it through this," Thane said to himself, a quiet promise to the people on the bus, to Commander Flynn, and to himself. "We'll find a way to rebuild, to start again. We'll make Alister rise from the ashes."
