[06:42 | Day 1 | Outskirts of Suceava Forward Base Ruins]
Smoke coiled into the gray dawn sky, rising from the husk of the downed jetliner. Logan Hale and Private Alexandru Petrescu moved in silence, their boots crunching over scorched concrete and fractured bone. The echoes of distant moans hung low across the burned hills.
Logan kept his rifle trained ahead, HUD flickering faintly in the corner of his vision.
> WAR CREDITS: 0
Unit Status: 2 Active Operatives
Base Integrity: N/A – Command Center Offline
"We're not gonna last long like this," Logan muttered.
Petrescu didn't answer. His eyes scanned every rooftop, every alley. Romanian-born, maybe twenty-three, but he moved like a soldier who'd survived things he didn't talk about.
They needed high ground. A vantage point.
Logan pointed to a half-collapsed firewatch tower beyond the fuel depot ruins. "There. Let's move."
[06:57 | Day 1 | Firewatch Tower – Perimeter Edge]
The tower groaned under their weight, metal warped from heat. Logan climbed first, ignoring the pain flaring in his ribs. He collapsed onto the platform at the top, rifle across his lap. Petrescu followed, quiet as a ghost.
From here, they could see it all:
Suceava was gone.
What remained was a graveyard of twisted buildings, ash-choked streets, and blood trails that went nowhere. Movement skittered through alleyways like rats. Some walked. Others ran. But none of them were human anymore.
"We're surrounded," Petrescu said softly.
"Yeah," Logan said. "But they're not coordinated. Yet."
He opened the HUD again.
> Command Uplink: Inactive
Tactical Network: Searching…
[ERROR: Generator Array Offline]
Side Objective Unlocked: Reactivate Power Grid
A red marker blinked on his internal map. A substation, roughly 600 meters east.
Logan tapped the map with a blink. "Power comes first. If the uplink comes online, I might be able to summon something better than you."
Petrescu chuckled. "That hurts, sir."
Logan smirked, then stood. "Let's move."
---
[07:19 | Day 1 | Access Tunnel – Sector 4 Transit Route]
The tunnel smelled of rust and rot.
Fluorescent bulbs flickered overhead, casting long, twitching shadows. Logan swept the hallway with his flashlight while Petrescu checked corners with surgical precision. The silence wasn't comforting — it was a trap.
Then came the click.
Too late.
The infected dropped from the ceiling like meat puppets on broken strings.
"Contact!" Logan barked.
Gunfire erupted — short bursts, center mass, no time for finesse. Petrescu dropped one with a headshot before another tackled him to the ground.
Logan spun, firing point-blank. The thing's skull popped like a watermelon. Blood hit the wall in a red arc.
Another burst. Another down.
Then quiet.
> +30 WAR CREDITS
Total: 30
New Option: [Deploy: Recon Drone – 25 WAR CREDITS]
Logan blinked the menu open mid-breath. His pulse was steady now — not calm, just trained.
> Deploy Recon Drone? [Y/N]
"Yes."
A shimmer of blue light pulsed behind them. Seconds later, a compact quad-rotor materialized, blades spinning silently.
> [RECON DRONE ONLINE]
LIVE FEED ACTIVE
Threat markers incoming…
Red dots.
Dozens.
Moving fast.
And they were coming straight for the tunnel exit.
---
[07:31 | Day 1 | Generator Station – Exterior Fence]
Logan kicked open the metal gate, breath ragged, blood slicking his forearm.
Petrescu covered him from the rear, firing in disciplined bursts, downing two more of the sprinting infected. The recon drone zipped overhead, projecting red markers on the HUD.
> 20+ Hostiles Approaching
ETA: 90 seconds
"Petrescu, cover the back. I'll get the grid running."
"Make it fast."
Logan vaulted over a fallen support beam and ran inside the main terminal. Everything was dark — the air reeked of diesel and ozone. He found the switchboard near a console cracked open like a broken ribcage.
> [INITIATE POWER SEQUENCE?]
[Y/N]
"Yes."
He slammed the switch.
The whole building vibrated.
Somewhere beneath, a generator sputtered to life. Lights flickered, then stabilized. The HUD pulsed.
> Command Uplink Reestablished
Summon Tier II Units: UNLOCKED
WAR CREDITS: 5
Outside, gunfire intensified.
Then Petrescu screamed.
---
[07:34 | Day 1 | Generator Station – Rear Wall]
Logan burst outside.
Petrescu was on the ground, his rifle gone, a massive infected brute towering over him — at least 7 feet tall, its muscle mass grotesquely swollen, pulsing with red veins. Its jaw was split open like a blooming wound.
It turned toward Logan.
He fired. Once. Twice. No effect.
"Goddamn it—"
The brute charged.
Logan dove, rolled, came up behind it, and unloaded a mag into the back of its skull. Still nothing. It swatted him like a doll, sending him crashing into a crate.
Dazed. Dying.
> WAR CREDITS: 5
Insufficient for reinforcements
No options.
Until—
> SIDE OBJECTIVE COMPLETE – GRID ONLINE
+100 WAR CREDITS
Logan blinked hard.
> Summon: Tier II Heavy Infantry Unit – 100 WAR CREDITS
Confirm?
"Yes!"
A thunderclap of energy exploded beside him. Blue light tore through the air.
When it cleared, a soldier stood there. Heavy armor. Faceplate down. Mini-gun spinning in one gauntleted hand.
"Designation: Reaper-One," the soldier said, voice metallic. "Awaiting hostile suppression orders."
Logan pointed at the brute.
"Kill it."
Reaper-One opened fire.
It didn't take long.
---
[07:41 | Day 1 | Generator Station – Perimeter Cleared]
Logan helped Petrescu to his feet. The younger soldier's side was torn, but he could still walk. Barely.
"We're still alive," Petrescu muttered, coughing blood.
"For now."
The HUD flickered again.
> Primary Base Location: Choose Uplink Zone
Options: Industrial District | Hilltop Ruins | Trainyard Bunker
Logan glanced toward the burning horizon. The undead would be back. Stronger. Smarter.
But now he had power.
Now he had backup.
He turned to Reaper-One. "You stay with us. We're taking the hill."
"Affirmative," the armored figure replied.
Logan looked at the bloodied skyline.
This wasn't survival anymore.
It was a counteroffensive.
To be continued...
---