The Helicopter touches down, and the blades come to a stop. I put my helmet back on and Chris does as well. I grab the bag of rolls and we exit the helicopter just in time for a person in white and black ski gear, with white and black boots to approach us. He has a white ski mask and a blue visor, and a white cloth mask covering his entire face. On his back he has a riot shield, with a machine pistol on his belt.
"Hey Liam." I greet, as Chris hops out.
"Hello again Landon. You were at Fort Claxton, right?" He asks.
"Yep." I confirm.
He looks to my bandaged shoulder. "I assume you're taking it easy on that?" He inquires.
"Noah said to..." I reply as Chris salutes Liam before looking around.
"Christopher. You know your way around the compound... Right?" Liam questions.
"Uh-Hu." Chris declares, tossing a piece of bread on the ground.
"Perfect, a lot of people from Fort Claxton are coming over here. I have to return to my office to arrange the proper accommodations for them." He states.
I say bye and I turn to walk away with Chris. "Wait. I have to talk to you about something, Landon. Meet me this afternoon at east Summerside cafe, alright?" He yells.
"Alright!" I say.
I walk on a bridge, and the helicopter flies away. "So where's my house?" Chris asks.
"I thought you knew your way around here?" I inquire.
"Doesn't mean I know where my house is!" He yells.
"Damn... Calm the hell down." I state.
Chris shakes his helmet. "It's probably over there." I point to our east.
"What's down there?" Chris asks.
"We're in the main... thing... like the main part of the compound." I explain. "It's either here or over there."
"Just show me where it is..." He says, I groan.
We walk east and we walk on bridges and on wooden sidewalks attached to the houses. After we walk for 5 or so minutes, we see that the houses and mansions get bigger, and there is another set of houses above them, kind of like a second floor. We walk up some stairs and we keep walking. We pass by some people and we pass a restaurant. Eventually we reach a wooden pad that has a bunch of zip lines, below the zip lines is a river, with rapids flowing extremely fast making the water white.
"And my house is over there?" Chris questions, looking at where the zip lines connect to another wooden pad across the river, and a bunch of other mansions and houses are.
"Yeah. It's like a downtown area." I say.
"Do I go over there?" He asks.
"Minus well." I reply.
He grabs a zip line hook and he presses a button, and he zooms off. I look around, glancing at the wooden buildings attached to the trees, and the sound of the rushing river flowing. I walk away from the pad, wandering around aimlessly. My boots stomp on the floor, before I grab a roll out of my bag and eat it. I only have five more rolls, gotta make them last.
I walk for around 10 minutes, before reaching the very outskirts of this area of the compound. I walk into a wooden building, and there are 3 walls, but there is a missing wall facing the outside of the compound. A bunch of targets are attached to the trees in front of it, and there are three tables so someone can put a gun on them for stability while shooting.
I quickly draw my Glock and I shoot a metal target, my gun making a bang and the bullet hits the target with a sharp clang. The air here smells of cedar and gunpowder, and a hint of grass. I notice a sign that says: 'No shooting over 8:00PM." I look at my watch and the time is 5:26. I reload my Glock and I put it in my holster. I walk to a door on the left wall, and I open it. It is a room with a bunch of guns on the wall, ranging to machine guns to tiny .22s. I grab Barrett 50. Caliber, and I walk back outside the room. I put the sniper on the table and I pull the charging handle back.
I pick it up, slightly struggling to maintain good posture while holding it, I pull the trigger. The air crackles around the gun, and the metal target gets swung back, before going still again. I get shoved back, and I stumble to the floor. The gun falls to the ground with a clank and I stand back up. Luckily I wasn't shooting with my injured shoulder or that would've been way worse.
I pick the sniper up and I open the door once more. I put the gun on the table I found it on, and I take my leave. I walk out of the wooden building and onto a porch that leads to a bridge. My phone rings, and I pick it up.
"Hello?" I say.
"Landon, I'm waiting outside the cafe." Liam states.
"Alright... I'll be there in a second." I reply.
"Okay." Liam hangs up.
I wander around for a bit, until I come across a table that has a sign saying 'Maps and News'. I walk towards the table and the person behind it salutes.
"At ease..." I tell him.
He relaxes. "Thank you, sir. We got news and maps." He motions to the papers. The maps are a big sheet of paper that has a map of this area of the compound, and there are some news papers right beside them. I grab a map and I see that the place is mapped out perfectly, but it has some black boxes covering where some buildings would be, including my house.
"Why are there black squares?" I ask.
"Those are places... Where like, only people like you can access." He nods.
"Oh." I mutter, putting the map in my left hand.
"Have a good day." I state.
"You too, sir." He responds.
I walk off and I sit on a bench, trying to find sunnyside cafe. I scan the map, and I see a small building near the outskirts. It is attached to 3 bridges and has a porch all the way around it, like most of the buildings. I begin to walk towards it, looking at the map as I do so.
Eventually, I reach a one floor building. It has shingles on the roof, and there is a golden side that reads sunnyside cafe. The front of the building has a bunch of clear glass windows, starting at the floor and expanding towards the ceiling. I can see some tables in front of the glass. The building has an L shape, the wall next to the windows has a big wood door. I walk across a bridge and I reach the door.
My hands push the door open. I step inside, the smell of cinnamon hits my nose under my helmet. To my left are the glass windows with tables and seats, and to my right are more tables. I walk to my right and I turn the corner, and I see a kitchen. I look around, and I see Liam in his ski gear sitting at a booth in front of the windows. My feet bring me towards him and he glances at me.
"Hey Landon." Liam says as I sit down.
"Sup. Anything new?" I ask.
"Yep... You know how I said that a lot of people from fort Claxton are coming here?" He inquires.
"More or less..." I reply.
He unbuckles his ski helmet. "James is coming too. I think it'd be convenient to schedule a meeting with me, you, and James. And some others I think we should talk to." He states. A waiter walks next to us and gives us some mozzarella sticks and I ask for some rolls and he says they'll bring them out. "Hey... You can take your helmet off, you know." Liam says.
I unbuckle my helmet as Liam sets his helmet and visor down on the booth next to him. His blonde hair shakes out, and he takes off his white clothe mask.
"So, who's comin?" I question, taking my helmet off.
"The one's coming to the meeting?" He speaks.
"Yeah," I take my black mask off. Liam takes off his riot shield, revealing a white DMR and a kriss vector on his back.
"Well, right now Thatcher Morris, Caleb Hart, Ethan Caddel, and Mark White are coming." He tells.
I nod. "Well what about Christopher Mercer?" I ask.
"He's your best friend, I assume if he wants to tell us something he would tell you..." He grabs a deep fried mozzarella stick.
"True." I say.
I take a stick and I bite down into it, the cheese spills onto my tongue. I grab some marinara sauce. Liam reaches onto his back putting the stick in his mouth. He pulls out a silver MacBook and opens it.
"I wanna show you something." He declares. He shows me the screen, and it is google earth, it has Sylvatus's territory outlined in red. It shows that we control almost the entire U.S and 90 percent of Canada. He points to California, the only state we don't own in the west. California is outlined in yellow, Hiwassee's main color.
"These Hiwassee's built some forts near our border. I assume they want to attack and invade Nevada. Whatever we do, we can not allow them to gain any more territory. They already control all of Mexico and half of south America, we have to maintain power over them." Liam informs.
"Uh-hu." I utter.
"Just thinking you should know... " He puts his laptop back. The waiter brings out some rolls, I thank him. He gives us drinks, Liam gets a Pepsi, and I get Dr pepper.
I grab a roll and I bite half of it off. "Where's the place you wanna meet at?" I ask, swallowing a roll.
"We're at section 1 of the compound, this is where high ranking members stay. Section 2 is the one that you cross the river to get to. Some high ranking members stay there but mostly just guards and low ranking members, along with other stuff." He explains. "But there's a section 3. It's near that pad that the zip lines are at. You gotta take a cable car to get to it, It's a lot smaller then the other sections... however, it's where we have meetings and important shit. You've been there."
"Oh, I remember." I reply. I sip my drink.
"Good." He yawns. The waiter comes back and we order our food. A couple minutes later he brings it out to us. Liam gets a steak, while I get fries with cheese on it with pizza.
"Damn... What in the fatassery..." He mutters.
"I weigh less then you." I state, shrugging.
2 hours later
"Okay, we've been here for way too long." Liam declares.
"My feet are asleep..." I state, putting my cloth mask on. Liam does the same and puts his ski helmet on, along with his shield.
"See you tommorrow..." He says tiredly, putting his visor on. I put my helmet on and I fist bump him before we walk out. It's pretty dark outside, I can still see in front of myself, but the sky is black. A bunch of lanterns shine onto the bridges and walkways, and a lightning bug flies onto my visor. I swat it off and I walk on a bridge.
The sounds of crickets all around me make it feel relaxing. I make my way towards the outskirt of the compound where my house is. Eventually, I reach a bridge. It is guarded by two guards in black dirt bike gear, and I walk past them and onto the bridge. I reach my house, the house is in the shape of a rectangle, and a porch wraps around it almost fully. The porch stops at the back side, and the metal roof is slanted, with black tinted glass below the metal roof.
I walk on the porch, and I'm facing the right side, and the right side has a couple stained glass windows as well. The front of the house is 2 floors tall, with the entire front wall having a bunch of black stained windows covering the wall. On each side of the house there is a door, both opening into the living room.
I open the right door, stepping into the living room. My boots hit the glossy oak planks on the floor, and in front of me is a clear path to the other door, nothing blocking it at all. In front of the path is 2 sections of the living room, each being identical. The right side has a coffee table in the center, and a TV behind it. A leather couch is in front of it along with another couch to the right of it. A gray carpet is under the coffee table and the sofa's. The left side is the same, but there is a staircase leading to the loft behind the left couch.
The staircase sits on the left wall of the house, leading to the loft. The loft has a spruce floor, with no walls sectioning it. The left side has a kitchen, and the right is a rustic game room. The loft has black metal railing, that wraps around the stairs as well. Below the loft is a wall sectioning half of the first floor from the rest of the house. A door sits in the middle of the wall.
My boots walk through the living room, past the right side coffee table and to the door. I open the door and it opens up into a hallway. There are walls on each side of the hallway. The left side is a bathroom, and the other side is my bedroom. I turn the lights off and I open my bedroom door. My boots step onto the gray carpeted floor and the room gives off a cabin vibe. The room isn't too big, making it even more cozy. In the middle there is a king size bed with red sheets, and a table on the left side. The right side of the bedroom has a walk-in closet and a wooden hunting rifle hung up. The bed has a moose taxidermy with huge horns.
I sit on the right side of the bed, the warm light flowing from the lamp onto the wood panel walls. A faint hint of cedar lingers in the air, adding to the already rustic feel of the room. I shrug off my slings, my shotgun and rifle falling onto the soft bed. An owl hoots from outside, I look outside and I can still make out the shape of trees. No houses or anything of the compound expands past this, as it is on the outskirt of the compound. I pick my rifle up and I set it on my lap.
The rifle carefully sits on my lap, the matte black finish reflecting no light. I stare at it, the tool that has saved my life countless times, but also taken many others. I take a deep breath, before I put it beside me. I gently unbuckle my helmet strap, and I slide my headwear off. I look at the silver visor, and it feels as if it's almost glaring at me back. I sigh and look up from my helmet, my legs straighten as I stand to my feet. I set the helmet on the edge of the spruce study table on the left wall, with a window right above it. The table has a computer and a monitor sitting neatly on the surface.
I grab my rifle and shotgun, and I put them on the chair behind the desk. The slings drape on the chair, just like they would have if they were on my back. I sit down on the chair, the brown soft part cushioning my weight. The backboard has an image of a buck standing atop a hill. I lean back and get comfortable, before turning the screen on. I sign in and I enter in a video game titled: Call of duty.
1 hour later
"I'm done with this bitch ass game." I say, banging the mouse on the table.
I quickly stand up and I sit back down on the bed. I rip my boots off, and I take my socks off. My hands unbuckle my belt, and everything that was on it gets tossed along with my belt to the floor. I walk a couple feet and I open the door to the hallway, which is now completely pitch black. I put my hand on the wall, feeling for a light switch. I grab a little nub and I flick it, and the corridor gets illuminated. I walk to the bathroom door, and I creak it open.
My feet step onto the cold white tiles, and I walk into the room. A counter with two sinks is on the right side of the wall, with a white light shining onto it and the mirrors in front of the sinks reflecting into my eyes. A toilet is in front of me and a big shower with a sliding glass door to my right.
I strip off all my clothes and I turn the shower on. After ten or so minutes I come out, the cold air giving me the urge to jump back into the warm water. I dry off and I put on pajamas and a bath robe. Grabbing my shirt and pants, I turn the shower off and I step back into the hallway. I exit the hallway and into the living room. All natural light is gone, and now a light blue light shines from the ceiling, tinting everything a shade of blue. My feet shuffle past the couch and away from the TV, playing a muted YouTube video.
I turn to climb the stairs, but I stub my toe on the first step. I grunt and I slam my fist down onto the oak stair, before walking up. My feet hit a grey carpeted floor, and I walk past the kitchen and into the gaming space. There is a old looking pool table and some antique arcade machines, along with 3 elk heads I got from a long hunting trip a while back. I walk behind an arcade machine and I open the washing machine behind the game.
I shut the door and I press a button, and the clothes spin around rapidly. I walk away from the machine, and into the kitchen. Grabbing a glass cup, I pour some sink water in it, and I take it with me as I head downstairs. I pass the leather sofa and the glass coffee table, and the light from the TV shines onto my face, until I walk back into the hallway. I close the hall door behind me and I shut the light off. I head into my bedroom, and I set the glass cup onto the nightstand.
I lay down, tucking myself under the covers, and grabbing my phone. I enter the number for auberge mansion's reception. The phone picks up.
"Hello. How may we help you tonight?" A cheerful female voice greets.
"Hi, this is Landon Miller... I left my pets during my stay. I need someone to drop them off, I'm at the compound." I state.
"Oh... May I ask your pet's names?" She asks.
"Arctic, Rook, and Daisy." I reply.
"Great! We'll get you them as soon as possible!" She hangs up.
I sigh and set my phone down onto the nightstand. I grab the chain attached to the lamp and I pull it, and darkness takes over the room. I close my eyes and I lay my head onto the soft pillows, feeling my body start to drift into nothingness.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
My eyes open fully, as I feel a drop of water hit my nose. I look around and somehow I'm in a pitch black room, with white drywall. My bed has white blankets and a metal bedframe, and it seems to be an extremely small room, almost like a closet. I grab my glock, which was under my pillow, and I turn the flashlight on. I stand up on the bed, my hair hitting the popcorn ceiling.
Water seeps on the gray carpeted floor, coming from under the door. I hear a thump from behind it and I aim my pistol at the doorway. More murky water floods in, creating what seems to be an inch of water on the ground. I try to jump off the bed, but something screams at me in my mind not to touch the water.
I start to panic, and my finger shakes a bit. The door opens and water immediately bursts through, of what seems to be a void of darkness. I stare at it, as the water floods three feet above the ground. I hear another thump.
My heart starts to feel like it's beating out of my chest, and I try to lower my foot into the water. A tall gray humanoid figure rushes into the room, I can't distinguish any features before it slams into me, I shoot my Glock at it's head twice but it does nothing. It digs it's claws into my chest and I gasp.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
I shoot up, my eyes completely wide. I look around and I catch sunlight spilling out of my window. Taking the glass of water from the nightstand, I bring it up to my lips and I pour a little in my mouth. The liquid quells the dry spell going on in my throat, and I take a deep breath. I lift the blankets off myself and I stand up. I stretch my arms, before walking into the bathroom. I go to the counter and I reach for my toothbrush before a slight pain in my chest stops me. I look down and I notice a scratch, right where that thing stabbed me.
I stare into the mirror, looking around the room before walking slowly towards the door and leaving. My feet shuffle through the hallway, and I open the door. I walk through the living room, the blue light now gone and replaced by sunlight flooding through the black tinted windows. I walk up the stairs and past the kitchen. I pass the pool table and behind the arcade machine the washing machine is in front of. I open the door to it and I grab the red and black dirt bike clothes. I get dressed behind the arcade machine.
Stepping away from the game room, I make my way downstairs and back into my room. I put my helmet back on and I put my boots on my feet. My hands buckle my belt back on and I put my Glock 19 back in it's holster. The shotgun and rifle go back on my shoulders, and I strap on my knee guards and elbow guards. I put on some combat gloves and my ballistic vest. I put my phone in my satchel and my apple watch back on my wrist.
I grab the wooden hunting rifle off my wall, and I go to the living room. I walk over to the left door, and I step onto the porch. I look at the forest behind my house, and then at the compound in front of it. I walk to a corner of the porch on the left side of the house, and I ride a zipline that's attached to it. I zoom by trees, before reaching a UTV on a dirt trail.
The zipline stops and I fall to the ground. I open the driver door, and I twist the keys to the ignition. I push my boot on the pedal and I zoom down the trail. I drive on a wooden bridge over white water rapids. The trailer behind the UTV rattles and shutters, before I hit a rock in the trail and it makes a clang noise.
I drive into a field, that has a bunch of deer feed in it. I stop the UTV and I take my helmet off and toss it into the seat next to me. My right gloved hand opens the door, and I grab the hunting rifle and step out. I look around, the field is about 200 feet wide and in the shape of a bean, with a dirt trail cutting through it. I abandon the UTV and I walk deeper into the field, closer to the feed. There is a stump with a bunch of deer feed on it, along with a salt block.
I walk into the tree line, the leaves crunching under my boot. I climb a hunting stand, my hands grappling at each step of the ladder. I get into the enclosed cab space, with 3 slits all around me. There is a seat in the corner and a pair of binoculars on the floor. I stand next to the front slit and I scoot the chair closer, before plopping down.
I look at the sky, a nice day with few clouds in the sky. I put the rifle in my lap, and I make sure I have a good view before I go on my phone. I shrug my slings off, letting my guns tumble to the floor. I watch videos on my phone, waiting for deer.
2 hours later
I look up from my phone, trying to see if anything is there. The deer feed is untouched. I look around the field, I'm about to go back on my phone before I see some movement behind a tree. I sit up straighter, and I put the barrel of my rifle on the slit for support. I scope in the area, looking through my scope for zoom. I see a bush rustling, and then a buck pops out. I get ready to pull the trigger, but I'm not too confident in making a shot that far away.
I keep the scope trained on it, but instead of walking to the deer feed, it stumbles around. My eyes narrow, and it runs to the stump. It sniffs the food, and I wait for it to get still so I can take the shot. It stands on two legs and its lower jaw unhinges and swings loosely. A bunch of blood spills out and its teeth are sharp and jagged, the eyes are black and beady. A sour rotting smell hits the stand as it makes a squeal noise.
"You're fucking kidding..." I whisper. I shoot it in the chest, and it makes a screeching sound and runs away. It almost reaches the tree line before I blow it's head off.
It slumps to the ground, right in front of the bush it came out of. I want to shoot it one more time just to make sure, but if the deer aren't already spooked that would just make things worse. I sigh and stare at the corpse, wondering why god put things like that on the planet.
I get back on my phone, but an add comes up. "Do you want longer, harder erections? Make-" I cut my phone off and I chuck it out of the window beside me. "Oh shit..." I mutter after I just realized I threw my only source of entertainment out of the window.
I stare out of the front slit, before looking around the cab. I find a bow and a range finder in a corner. I stand out of my chair and I grab the range finder. I start measuring random areas, and how far away they are.
3 hours later
I hear steps below the stand, I go still. My body remains completely rigid as another buck steps out of the area beside me and in front of the stand. I ready my rifle, aiming a little beside it's front leg. I kick the front of the wooden tree stand and it freezes and stares straight at me. After a split second it tries to run away but I've already fired a bullet. The projectile pierces both lungs and he falls down. He quickly gets up but only runs about 10 feet before falling down to the ground and kicking it's legs.
I open the hatch and I climb down the ladder. My boots hit the leaves, and I approach the buck. I end it's suffering with my machete, and I look around. I climb back into the stand, chucking the range finder back to the corner I found it in. I sling my guns over my back. I quickly climb back down and scour the ground for my missing phone. I eventually find it, my gloved fingers grip the leather casing.
I call Liam.
"Hey." Liam greets.
"Hey, I need you to get someone to get this deer I bagged." I explain.
"Got it. Remember the meeting is at 5:00." He replies.
"Alright. See ya." I hang up. I text him that I got the deer in my personal hunting field.
I put the phone in my satchel and I walk over to the deer feed. I climb on the stump, looking for that Skinwalker I killed. I see a blood puddle where I shot it, but the body isn't there anymore. I look around, before slowly walking to my UTV. I open the door and I put the hunting rifle in the passenger seat. I unholster my Glock and I aim it inside the vehicle. I look inside all the windows, making sure nothing is hiding inside.
I check my phone. 1:28. I look at the trailer on the back of the UTV. I pull out my phone and I text Liam to scratch that. I walk back to the deer and I grab both of it's antlers. I drag it to the UTV, letting go right behind it. I open the latch and the trailer ramp falls onto the ground. I climb inside and I haul the buck in. I jump out and I pull the ramp back up, locking it in place.
I open the passenger door and I grab my helmet. I shove it on my head and I buckle it. I climb into the drivers seat and I start the engine up. I drive down the dirt trail, further into the forest. Maybe I can find that Skinwalker. I drive as fast as I can, my mind on just going fast instead of finding anything. My feet hit the brake pedal as I turn a corner, but the brakes fail.
My eyes go wide and I drift the vehicle, getting pushed back in my seat. I take most of the pressure of the gas pedal and I slow down. I take a deep breath before looking behind me, why the hell did the brakes fail? I step on the brakes but this time they work perfectly fine. I drive past a big rock before the engine sputters. The UTV coasts for a few seconds before coming to a stop. My back starts to tingle.
I hit the steering wheel, annoyed until my eyes start to water. My nose runs with snot, and I wipe it off with my glove. Some snot gets in my mouth, leaving a metallic taste. I look at my glove, it isn't snot, it's blood. My soul fills with a deep sense of unease. I feel like I'm being watched from everywhere at once, an unnatural deep sense of dread fills my being. I panic and I punch the seat, and I desperately try to start the vehicle.
"Jesus..." I utter in sheer panic.
The engine comes to life with a purr, the dashboard lighting up. I stomp on the gas pedal and I turn all the way to the left. I drive to the compound going as fast as I can, but I steer too sharp and I turn directly off the bridge. Something yanks the wheel to the left, steering back on course. I reach the zip line and I ride it, falling onto my porch with a thud. Blood stops leaking from my nose, and I'm left shaken.
I unbuckle my helmet and I throw it off my head, and I rip my cloth mask off as well. I unzip my satchel and I grab my phone. I call someone, and I take a deep breath. I stare into the woods, thinking of what's lurking, and that it's out there. The phone stops ringing.
"Hello?" A voice says from the phone.
"Ezra..." I whisper.
"You okay?" He says.
"I was in the woods... t-then I saw it." I explain.
"Saw what?" He asks.
"The Entity..." I mutter.
A brief moment of silence follows after that. "Okay... You're at the Compound...?"
"Yeah..." I say.
"I'll fly over there. I'll cleanse it... Bye." He tells.
"Bye..." I hang up.
1 hour later
"Bro... I'm better than you in every way." Jake says, in his yellow and black protective chainsaw gear. He has a rifle on his back and a chainsaw tied to his back as well. He has a yellow helmet with a black net mask.
"Really?" I ask.
"Yeah, just look at our life choices! You're the Co-Leader of a fucking cartel." He declares.
"And you're a soldier of my cartel. And don't even dare talk about life choices, you have fucking cocaine line under your nose." I assert. He touches his upper lip with his glove and grabs the mask that is flipped up on his helmet and flips it back down to cover his face.
"You can't even fight for shit." Jake remarks.
"Tell that to the guy I beat the shit out of right in front of you last week." I respond.
"I could still take you..." He replies.
"That's because you're not mentally fucking stable, not because you're good at fighting." I state.
"Well, why don't you keep doing your little bitch ass sit ups and feeling sorry about yourself, alright, Pork Chop?" Jake declares.
"Go fuck yourself." I conclude.
"I was actually gonna do that anyways." He says with a nod, walking off.
"Good!" I yell. "Wait what?"
Someone behind me grabs my shoulder. "You wanna take him up on that?" A voice says. I turn around and I see someone in black and red motorcycle gear. But unlike mine his is mostly black with some red accents. "How the hell are you here Levi..." I ask.
"I've been here for like a week." Levi states.
"What do you mean by taking him up on that?" I inquire.
"You know... fighting him. You both are good fighters." He puts his hands on his belt.
"Go tell him that." I say, he nods and runs after Jake. I sit on a bench until Levi returns with Jake walking beside him.
"Where we doing this at?" Jake asks, Levi get us to follow him. We walk for five minutes before reaching a room that has a wrestling mat in it. Levi sits in a seat and puts his right leg on his left.
"3! 2! 1!" He claps.
Jake immediately runs towards me and tries to tackle me. I kick him in the mask but he knocks me to the ground. He gets on top of me and punches my mouthguard. I try to kick at him but he holds my feet down. My hands flip up his net mask and my right hand punches his face. The combat glove connects to his nose, and he falls down.
I jump up and he does the same. I quickly front kick him and he stumbles back. I go for an uppercut but he grabs my throat guard just in time and throws me to the ground. Levi sits in his chair watching as I fall. Jake punches my helmet a couple times but the headwear absorbs most of the impact. I kick his chest and he keeps punching me. I uppercut his jaw and he jerks back. I stand up and he punches me in my injured shoulder.
I quickly grab him and shove him into a wall. I grab his head, and I smash it into the wall a couple times before he kicks me off. I take a deep breath, and I look at him, slightly crouched. "I thought you could take me?!" I say, as he promptly kicks my left leg out from under me.
He grabs my mouth guard and uppercuts me from inside my helmet. I cough and I push him back a little, before slamming my boot on his jaw. We both stand up and he rushes at me, shoulder first. I end the fight with a quick punch to his exposed face, and he falls on the ground.
"Ahh..." Jake says, on the ground. "I let you win..."
"My turn?" Levi asks.
"Not yet..." I sit on the mat.
"Water?" He questions.
I shake my head and stand up. "Ready."
"3. 2. 1. Go..." He says, getting in a wrestling form. My mind goes back to my high school wrestling days. "Go for the legs." My coach told me on my first day. I shoot, my knees sliding on the floor as I try to grab his legs. He quickly sprawls and tries to put me in a headlock, but my neck protector doesn't allow it.
He settles for pinning me on the floor and giving me a few quick punches before I throat punch him. He gags and stands up. I get on my knees and attempt to stand up, unfortunately he has other plans. He quickly grabs my uninjured shoulder and yanks me by it. He wraps an arm around the neck protector and unbuckles my helmet. My eyes go wide as I feel what he's doing and I try to stop him, but it's to late. He yanks my helmet off and throws it across the room.
"You won't be needing that." He says, delivering a punch to my temple. I punch him in the mouthguard and he lets go of me.
I throw a front kick at him when I stand up, but he sidesteps and punch me in the chest. My chest protector and ballistic vest absorb all the impact, however. I punch shoulder and he responds with a grunt and a fist to my side. I fall on my ass and he takes advantage and pins me down.
"You give up yet?" He asks.
"No!" I yell back.
"Seriously?" He groans.
"Yep..." I say with a grunt.
"I respect that." He nods with a complementary uppercut.
"How about now?" Levi questions.
"Ugh... fine..." I mutter.
He gets off me, and I stand up. Levi walks over to my helmet and tosses me it. I put it back on and we shake hands. "See ya." Levi says.
"Bye." I depart out of the room, Jake already left. I walk outside of the building and I make my way to the lift. I walk on bridges, until I reach a gate guarded by 10 guards. They look at me and open the gate, with a quick salute. My boots step onto a metal floor, with 2 cables, almost like zip lines attached to the floor and going to the trees. There is an ariel lift car, a glass cube with some seats in it attached to the zip line.
I open the door and I step inside. The interior has cushioned seats lining the walls of the cab, with some gun holders. The door closes behind me and I see a green button next to the door. I press it and the cab starts moving. I take a seat, my left leg bounces as I look around. The vehicle moves away from the pad and into the trees. A couple minutes later the cab moves over the river.
The water rushes down the hill, and falls down into a water fall in the distance. After two or so minutes later the cab stops at a wooden floor. I exit the vehicle, and I see there is about 10 buildings in this area. I walk past a private shooting range, and onto a bridge. I check the time. 5:01 PM.
I step onto a wooden porch, attached to a large wooden building with a bunch of black tinted windows. I enter and I see a long marble table, with two TV's the right and left side of the table. Liam is on the far end talking to James. James still has his yellow and black dirt bike gear on, and he has both of his boots on the table, Liam spots me.
"Landon!" Liam waves me over. I take a seat on the right side of his chair.
"So what are we talking about today...?" I ask.
"Just... Everything, really." He responds.
"Mmhmm... I still think Chris should've been here." I state.
"I don't like that Chris guy..." James says in a gruff voice.
"I don't think you like anyone." I remark.
"That'd be correct." James says.
The door opens and Thatcher steps in, in his camo clothes and camo boonie hat.
"Hey." Liam greets.
"Hey." Thatcher repeats in his deep gravely voice.
Thatcher sits down calmly. The door creaks open again and Wyatt comes in, his black and white dirt bike gear shining from the light. Vex follows, he has dark green dirt bike gear with black accents, and is holding a FAMAS. Aiden comes in as well, dressed in all white with a white hoodie and a white mask.
My eyes narrow. "Aiden. Where did your guns go?" I tilt my head.
"They're at my house... I'm not lugging two mini guns around right now." He explains, sitting next to Vex. Vex takes his axe off his back and puts it against the table. Wyatt waves at me and I wave back, and Thatcher looks at him.
"You may say whatever you want right now. Any feedback, criticism on how Sylvatus is run, go ahead and tell us." Liam informs.
Thatcher raises his hand, James nods.
"I don't doubt your leadership, or your abilities to fight. But, I've always been asking myself why you do fight. You're Sylvatus's leaders... and if you die then no one can cover that." Thatcher states.
"Well," I lean back in my seat. "We try to keep Sylvatus as... Morally right as possible. I mean, if I'm gonna send a team of soldiers to fight, and possibly get killed, I should fight too. We can't stay behind our desks and just send people off to die and we don't do anything..." I explain.
Thatcher gives a 'mmhmm' and then Aiden raises his hand. Liam nods.
"Why do most of you wear dirtbike gear?" Aiden questions.
"Looks cool..." James says lazily.
We start talking about random stuff, completely unimportant to anything.
"Hey James and Landon." Vex says, getting our attention.
"Yeah?" I ask.
"Miles said he needs to speak to you tomorrow, He's at the Hexagon." Vex informs us.
"The base near Claytor lake?" James inquires.
"Motherfucker!" He exclaims. Liam gives him a side eye under his visor.
"You not gonna go?" I ask.
"You damn right..." He mutters.
"Oh come on." I say, rolling my eyes.
"I ain't a goin' dagnabbit!" He slams his fist on the table.
I pull out my phone and I look at the screen.
"Oh my god... Miles said he found a 20 point buck." I whisper to him.
"Let me see." James reaches over the table. I look at my phone screen, as it's turned off.
"Well, if you're not going guess it'll be all mine." I shake my head.
"Who the hell said I ain't a goin'?" James snarls.
I look at him.
"So you are going?" He gives a brisk nod.
Jake strolls in, with his visor down and acting like he owns the place.
"What's up my dudes?" He asks, a can of mountain dew in his gloves.
Vex dabs him up. "You know... The meeting is about to end in 5 minutes." Liams states.
"Hold on... Before we go, I got something to say." Jake holds a hand up. "I think I should be Co-Leader." James snickers.
"My ass..." I tell him.
"Are you kidding me? I am leader material." He demands, his yellow gear making him look like a pissed off beehive.
"Meeting is over!" Liam yells. Wyatt and Vex leave together. Thatcher stands up and walks out with them, and so does Jake.
I stand up and stretch. "Woah... We still need to talk." Liam says, James gives a groan.
Liam tells us to follow him and we obey. He walks to a corner of the room and flicks a light switch. Instead of the light's turning off, a doorway opens up in the wall. "What the hell..." James mutters. We walk inside and it leads to a black room with a concrete floor. There is a triangular black polished desk in the middle with a TV in front of it. Liam goes on one side, and then we follow suit.
"So... Why are we here?" I ask.
Liam grabs a remote and turns the TV on. It is a google earth map of the U.S. Most of it is highlighted in red, showing that we own most of it's land. However, California, half of Arizona, and all of Texas besides the top part is highlighted in yellow.
"I think we should try to invade Arizona and Texas." Liam says promptly. "Hiwassee has owns half of south America, and the other half is completely uncontested. They can take it whenever they want... And if we let them keep those states that just adds to their power."
"Remember what happened last when we tried to invade down yonder?" James says.
"Well... That's the past." Liam states.
"What about Altus? We need to keep fighting them." I declare.
James nods. "About that... Altus is much more powerful then us... However, they are removing a lot of their troops from the front lines. In fact, their leader Iskander Rael said they'd be willing to stop fighting if we do." Liam tells.
"You know how evil that man is? He ain't no good..." James mutters. "I don't trust him. Not one bit."
"I guess we have to." I whisper.
Liam nods slowly. "Altus is busy fighting Ruston. They can't afford to fight us any longer..." He mentions. "Not that we shouldn't keep our guard up. In fact, maybe we can do a little spying on 'em."
"How?" I ask.
"Not sure... Maybe we can order a submarine to check if they're making any moves." Liam responds.
We both confirm. "About Fort Claxton... how did Hiwassee get so deep into us?" I question, James side eyes me. "Into our territory." I repeat.
"I'm not sure..." Liam says.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Armand POV
I push open the glass door, a bell noise rings from overhead. I look around, the spruce planks line the floors, a bunch of wooden shelves sit in the back and right side of the store. There is a man with a small beard, looking to be in his 30's behind a wooden counter with a glass display full of handguns.
"What's up man? How you doing?" He says cheerfully, I look at him.
"Good." I state, my voice rough and deep. The floorboards slam under the weight of my jack boots, until I reach him. I catch sight of my reflection, my light brown Stetson hat sits neatly on my head, a light brown leather overcoat is draped over my shoulders. Blue jeans are on my legs, hanging on by a leather belt with an engraved bison skull on the buckle. A gray shirt covers my chest, the sleeves disappear into the overcoat.
"What can I help you with today?" He says with a smile, putting his hands onto the counter.
I look behind him, rifles and shotgun are racked inside the cabinets. "I'm lookin for a shotgun..." I say with a southern drawl.
"I've got plenty." He nods. "Any preference?"
"Got any of them fancy ol' shotgun silencers?" I ask, still scanning behind him.
He looks around. "I'd have to check," He states. "Stay right here." He opens a door to the right of him. I stare at the spot he was at, my boots tap on the counter. The door swings open and he has a box that has a picture of a suppressor on it.
"Here it is." He puts the box onto the glass surface.
"Anything else you need?" He adds.
"12 gauge shotgun... Any will do." I respond, he gives a curt nod. He turns around, then grabs a shotgun with a polished wooden stock. The rest of the gun is a sleek back, except for the forend, which is just like the butt.
"How much?" I pull out my wallet.
He looks at a tag attached to the trigger. "Four hundred dollars sir. And the suppressor cost 2000. Would you like any ammo with that sir?"
I grab 2500 out of my wallet, and drop it on the counter. "Give me some slugs and buckshot" I demand. He nods and reaches into a cabinet and pulls out two boxes, one filled with slugs and the other with buckshot. His hands slide the boxes over to me, and he takes the money.
My phone rings from inside my pocket, I pick it up and I bring it to my ear. "Is this Armand Brigante?" A familiar voice says on speaker phone. I take it off speaker and I confirm.
"The target is staying at rosewood hotel." The voice says.
"Copy..." I hang up, sliding the phone in my pocket.
"So Armand... Like I was going to say. I'll have to keep your shotgun and silencer on hold. You'll have to do a background check for both of them, and then you'll need to register your silencer with the government." He states.
"How do you know my name?" My eyes narrow, my voice growing deeper.
"Uhh... I heard it on the phone..." He whispers, avoiding my gaze.
"You don't need to know my name, friendo." I say grimly, my hands by my side.
"Um, you're right. I'll give you the paperwork..." He scurries off, grabbing a couple slips of paper and a pen. He comes back and puts the papers and pen onto the counter. "Here you go..."
I nod and I grab the pen. I click it and I fill in the background check, and then the registration. I toss the pen onto the glass and then I push the papers to him. He does a quick scan of them. "Looks good... I'll have to hold onto your suppressor until they say you can have it though. That's okay with you? He asks.
I nod. "That'd be fine." I grab the shotgun and he flinches. He looks at the paper and squints. "It says here your name is John Spruce." He says with a shake of the head. "Just put your real name..." He pushes the paper to me.
"Far as your concern is, it is my name." I state, pushing the papers away.
"Come on man... Let's not-" He gets cut off as I pull out my 1911 and shoot him in the lower jaw. Blood spews out of his jaw and onto the silencer box, and around the glass. A little spray of the liquid touches the ceiling as he collapses. I grab both boxes of ammunition, and stuff them into my overcoat. I put the silencer box in my right hand, and I holster my gun.
I lean the shotgun on the counter and I pull out a buck 119 silver knife. I pick up a ferro rod from my pocket and I put it over the paper. I scratch the rod with my knife and a spark shoots out and hits the white sheet. The fire spreads across the paper and I put my knife back on my belt, and the rod back into my pocket. The distinct smell of smoke fills my nose, and I grab the shotgun and the box and walk to the door. I push the glass door with my shoulder, exiting the shop.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
I am inside a building, submerged in a pool of holy water. Ezra is standing above me in his white and golden dirt bike gear, holding a bible. My guns are sitting on the floor next to the tub, and Ezra speaks. "Repeat after me. No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling." He begins.
I breathe in, "No evil Shall befall me, nor any plague come near my dwelling." Ezra gives a nod.
"For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways..." He finishes.
"For he shall give the angels charge over me, to keep me all in- in all my ways." Ezra shakes his head but mutters a good enough and helps me out of the water. I stretch and he puts his bible away.
I look around, we are in a church and I'm on a stage with a giant wooden cross on it. Ezra pats my back and we both kneel down. "Keep back us from willful sins. Let them not have dominion over us. Then we will be upright. We will be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, Lord, our rock, and our redeemer." He preaches, "In Jesus name, amen."
I stand up before sighing. "There... It won't follow you anymore." Ezra comforts.
I shake my head. "You know... I don't know why we fight that thing... It feels pointless." I grumble.
"I can see why you think that, but we must, it's what he wants us to do." He looks upwards.
"I guess. But... We're never gonna kill it." I conclude, shaking my head.
Ezra sits on a bench, putting his right leg over the other. "Remember what I always say? Philippians 4:13. I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me."
I look at the floor and nod, the air smells of lavender, but it's humid. Sweat begins to form under my gear. Ezra stands up and looks at the double doors that enter and exit the building. "I have to return to my church now, you can drop by anytime you'd like." Ezra tells me, beginning to walk off the stage.
We walk out together and it's already dark out, lamps line the wooden bridges and walkways, and we say goodbye before I make my way to my house again. My phone rings and I pull it out of my belt satchel. A group chat I'm in is on a call, and I join.
"Hey." Ethan Caddel's voice says over the call.
"Sup. Why'd you call me?" I ask, continuing to walk through the compound.
"Well... Ya got a pool table, am I right?" James questions.
"Yeah?" I reply, confused about where this is going.
James smacks his lips. "Ya down for a game with us? We have enough time, I reckon." He informs me.
I go silent for a couple seconds. "Sure, I'm down."
"Hell yeah." Ethan says.
After ten minutes I walk past my guards, and Ethan and James are leaning on my house. Crickets chirp around me as I walk closer to them, James nods at me.
"What's up?" James asks.
We greet each other before going inside. All of our boots climb up the stairs to the loft, James's rusted machete almost bumps on my helmet multiple times. We walk past the kitchen and our footwear hit the soft, brown carpet. The light blue LEDs on the slanted ceiling cast a cool glow onto the environment around us.
Ethan grabs a pool cue off the wall, and takes his camo helmet off and sets it on an arcade machine. "Nice place you got here..." Ethan complements in a slight Canadian accent.
"Thanks. I got a bigger house in the first section, but I just like this one better, you know?" I ask, taking my helmet off and tossing it onto a couch. James takes off his yellow helmet as well, dropping it to the floor. Ethan looks at the pool balls on the center, kept together by a black piece of plastic surrounding the balls.
Ethan shrugs his sling off, and a camo m249 saw machine gun with an Eotech on the top of the gun. There is a magnifier on the right, behind the optic. He puts it on the laundry machine and stretches his arms. I walk behind him and I grab a cue. James takes off his tan Scar H off his back, but keeps his UZI on his holster.
"Love that gun. Great piece of hardware, Eh?" Ethan asks, using the pool cue as support as he leans on it.
"And I hate your machine gun." He says with a smirk, grabbing a pool cue.
I snicker. "Alright," I shrug my rifle and shotgun off my shoulders. I take my belt off and everything that was on it goes on the couch behind me. "Let's get started. Me versus you?" I motion to James; he nods in conformation.
He grabs the black plastic and throws it to the ground, lines up his cue, and pushes it to the balls. The spheres scatter around the green carpet on the table, not one going inside. I hear an owl hoot from outside, and Ethan shakes his head. I boo, and his shoulders slump and he mutters the word 'Bullshit'.
I put the cue between my fingers and I hit the black ball, the ball hits against a solid red ball and it slides to a hole. It hangs over the edge but it doesn't fall.
"The fuck is this shit?" I mumble to myself.
Ethan shakes his head. "You guys don't play much, eh?"
"Man... Be quiet." I order sternly.
1 hour later
I throw the blankets above me. My dogs were already in my room as someone dropped them off but somehow got inside the house. They're sleeping in the bed with me, I shut my eyes.
7 hours later
Elijah POV
I walk inside with my gang, all of us in our cowboy outfits and guns on us. Dan, Armand, Ike, Tex, and Winston lead us inside the shop. The rest of the gang didn't want to get off their lazy asses to get some guns to fill up the damn locker, but whatever.
The drum magazine on my tommy gun tied to my back digs into my coat. Winston elbows me and nods, I confirm and walk to the gun store cashier. The man behind the counter looks at us wide eyed, before gaining his professionality back and looking at me.
"Howdy." I tilt my stetson.
"Hey. Is there anything I can do for you?" He asks, trying not to look at the floor. My gaze flickers to the wall behind him, admiring the guns that line the wall.
I look around, making sure we're alone. "Yeah." I nod.
"You... Gonna buy something?" He asks, staring at me.
I quickly grab the leather strap on my shoulder, and I yank it. The tommy gun falls into my hands, and I put it against my hip and I motion my head towards the guns behind him. "I want them all."
"Ay Tex, make sure he don't try nothin." Winston orders. Tex walks to the counter and jumps it, the cashier raises his hands. Ike and Winston pull out a roll of trash bags each. "Put 'em in the bag!" Winston yells, and the cashier grabs a rifle off the wall and dumps it into the bag.
Tex keeps his revolver on the back of his head, as he keeps shoveling guns into the bag. I can hear cars driving behind us on the freeway, as we found this store on the side of the road. Winston fills his bag and Ike steps up. The cashier throws rifles and shotguns into the bag, and it quickly fills up.
I shoot the counter a couple times and the glass surface shatters. Winston tosses a trash bag to me and I stuff as many handguns in as I can.
"Don't forget ammo." Tex says to me, keeping the cashier still as he hyperventilates.
I grab a couple boxes of ammo before slinging my tommy gun over my shoulders, and tying the bag. I grin and imagine myself in my backyard shooting to my heart's content tonight. "Alright... That's enough." Winston states. I groan and Ike keeps his gun pointed at the cashier as he jumps the counter again.
Winston walks to the cashier and stares at his face. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a band of one-hundred dollar bills and drops it on the counter. "Sorry about that, sir." Winston tips his hat. We all walk out, but Ike slowly walks backwards while keeping the revolver pointed at the man before slipping out of the door.
"Welp boys... Pick out a couple guns to use for the train robbery, and we'll put the rest our houses." Winston says with a smile. Tex's horse neighs at us. "Come on, let's go." Tex's voice rings out.
Our horses gallop out of the parking lot, all of us ride together. "After we rob the train, we give that gentleman a cut!" Winston yells. "He helped us out a lot, I reckon'."
"Alright!" I reply.
Tex reaches into his saddlebag with his right hand and pulls out a beer. He looks around to make sure no one is watching, but when he meets Winston's gaze he acts like he was gonna throw it away. He grimaces, "Who put this damned thing in my bag?" He questions, everyone side eyes him besides Dan, who gets dirt in his eyes but doesn't blink.
"What'd we tell you about drinking and riding?" Tex grunts jokingly.
"It wasn't me." He states. "Whoever the hell that was, damn you." Tex yells.
"Hey Winston." I ask.
"Yeah?" Winston questions back.
"Are we going straight to the train? Or back to the houses?" I inquire.
Winston adjusts his hat. "Our houses. Pick the guns you want to use and then we'll get the train."
I give him a curt nod. Ike speaks up. "And why don't we just use our guns we already have?" Ike hits the lever action rifle on the side of his horse.
"You can. But we need to fill the locker..." Winston explains. "By the way, if you find money, gold, or any shit like that, grab it. Then put it in the locker after, Landon said he'd send some gentleman to collect it later."
I pat my horses mane, as it pants from galloping for so long. We ride over a couple train tracks, talking about how things have been going, and about how we should share a couple beers tonight. "You good Daniel?" I ask, watching Dan look at me.
"Yeah. Can't talk... I got strep..." He confirms.
I silently nod, before going onto a dirt trail. There is no grass on the ground, some shrubs stick out from the ground, the empty land sometimes interrupted by a tumbleweed. The air is humid, we pass a bridge and ride for another ten minutes before reaching a couple houses in the middle of nowhere.
The houses are big, but they carry an old rustic vibe to them. Winston's house is the biggest, with a huge basement barely visible from the front. It's been nice since we've moved here, less Hiwassee's.
Landon Pov
The sun light shines into my eyes, as I start to wake up. My dogs are gone and my neck is sore. I sit up with a groan, dreading today as I know I'll have to go to the Hexagon. I can probably just take that train to make it quicker. My feet hit the floor and I get dressed in my gear.
My guns go on my back and I buckle my belt. After the helmet clips onto my head, I walk out of my room. My alpine star boots walk past the couch, and out of the door. Walking out the door, I pass by many bridges before I reach the Drift Wood cafe. I push open the glass doors, and I sit down on a one seater table.
A waiter approaches me and I order a plate of pancakes and a Dr Pepper. I scroll on my phone and I hear foot steps approach me, my head swivels towards the noise thinking it's a waiter but I see a fresh recruit standing there nervously.
"Who are you?" I ask, in a bored tone.
He gulps. "Hey... Uhh, my name is Jefferson White. I'm just... I was wondering about like... what monsters are here? Like in the Appalachians? I keep asking around but nobody talks straight..." He says, his leg shaking a bit.
"Why're you asking me?" I inquire as I sip my drink pepper.
He puts his hands up. "I can just go... I mean, I'm sorry..."
"Nah, you good." I comfort. "So you're asking what exactly?"
"Just... What are some monsters that live here? Like common ones." He asks, gaining some confidence.
I shrug. "I don't know. Most common ones are... I guess ranchers, bleachers, crocottas, mud huts. Just those things, really." I say with a shake of the head. "You know what those are, right?"
He nods. Bidding farewell, he hastily leaves the building, and the waiter brings me my pancakes. Pulling out my phone, I text the Compound Services to bring my dogs to the cafe. I spot a notification I got at five in the morning from miles. Opening it, it's a picture of a couple muffins. My fingers type; "TF," and I call Jason.
"Hello?" He asks through the speakers.
"Hey Jason," I tap my glass of Dr Pepper against the table. "I'm heading to the Hexagon later today. Wanna come with?"
"Uhh... Sure. What about Wyatt" Jason asks.
I tilt my head. "Who?"
"Wyatt, and Andrew?" He inquires.
"Oh, I guess ask them to come over too." I reply.
"Ight. See ya... Soon I guess. What time?" He questions.
"Mmm... One." I declare.
We say farewell, and I shove the phone back into my pocket. The waiter walks up to my table with a plate of pancakes drenched in syrup. I thank him, and I begin eating.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Isaac POV
"Can you hold still, please, sir?" I ask, my paintbrush flickering across the canvas. I hold a wooden paint pallet in my left hand, red liquid dripping from the tip of my brush. The canvas holds a picture of a man in a chair, with his guts spilled out.
I look behind the painting, the man behind the chair I'm using as an example keeps writhing. "Hold still, please." I repeat. Adding the finishing touches, I feel a light weight settle onto my left shoulder. My pet dove, named Daisy, gently picks at my helmet.
Finishing the artpiece, I put my supplies on the table next to me and I stand up. The Hiwassee's blood has spilled all over the concrete floor. He makes pathetic yelps and groans until I pick up a metal baseball bat and collide it into the side of his face. The metal echoes against his bone, and the metallic smell of blood only intensifies.
His spilled organs jiggle, before his head slumps. I toss the bat onto the floor and the dove flies around. My gloved hands pick up the canvas, but my phone rings. I ignore it and my boots shuffle past the man and to the door.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
Wyatt POV
I'm still geared in my black and white dirt bike gear. My KSG shotgun hangs on my back as I clean my Glock. The canisters of smoke bombs on my belt line my waist, not too sure why I didn't use them during Claxton. Jason and Andrew barge inside the room, and Jason's eyes settle on me.
"You busy?" He questions.
I shrug. "Uhh, no."
He nods, leaning on the doorway. "Landon's heading to the Hexagon for some reason. Me and Andrew are coming, are you?'
My hands put my Glock in my holster and I glance at the EVO scorpion on the table. "Are we gonna fight? Cause if so I don't want to." I state.
"I don't think so, from what Jason said we'll just hang out." Andrew inserts.
I slowly nod. "Okay... I needed to fix my visor anyway."
"Why?" Jason asks.
"It crashed." I reply, standing up and sliding the CZ Scorpion Evo carbine onto my back.
"You know... How is it fair that you get that fancy ass helmet when I don't get shit." Andrew remarks, shaking his head slightly.
Shrugging I say, "Well I gotta see through smoke. And look at your gun." Andrew looks at his machine gun, it has a box mag and an ACOG scope.
"What about it?" Andrew asks.
"The one on your back." I say, Jason looks at Andrew. Andrew grabs his sling and pulls on it. He grabs the machine gun on his back, and lets the machine gun he was holding dangle to the side on its sling. The machine gun has a tripod, two barrels, and a drum mag sticking out on each side of it.
"Still not as weird as your thing." Andrew mutters.
"Guys. Let's get going." Jason orders.
We walk out of the room, we head out of Fort Claxton and a Helicopter is at the front. Jason motions for us to follow, and we all board the vehicle. Andrew gets in the pilot seat and starts it up.
"You sure you know how to fly these things?" Jason inquires.
Andrew gives a curt nod and the blades begin to spin. The engine drowns out all the sounds around us, as we begin to hover in the air. "Hexagon, right?"
"Yep!" Jason yells over the engine.
Someone on the ground runs up and waves their arms. They are clad in dark green dirt bike clothes, with a dark green dirt bike helmet. "It's Vex! Is he coming?!" I yell to Jason.
Jason yells to get a rope, and I grab a rope. I sling it outside and it falls to the ground, but I keep hold of it. Tying it to a hitch on the wall, I motion for Vex to climb up. He climbs up, and his dark green glove grabs the edge of the helicopter. Vex hoists his body up and he falls onto the floor.
Vex stands up and dusts himself off. I close the door of the side he came in, and Jason does the same on the other side. "What was that all about?" Andrew asks.
"I ain't gettin left out..." He says.
Vex sits in the seat vertical to me. He takes his FAMAS off his back, and then his giant breaching axe. The axe is a tiny bit bigger than a normal axe. The handle is a light but mossy green, and the blade is sharp, but half of it is hollow.
(Insert image here)
He puts his rifle and breaching axe on the seat next to him.
"Where we going?" He asks.
"India." Andrew asserts.
"Actually." Vex mutters.
Jason puts his rifle beside me. "The Hexagon."
Vex nods and leans in his seat. A feather flies off of Vex, landing on the floor. "Why do you have feathers on you?" I ask.
"Just killed a crocotta." He states.
Jason sighs. "I talked to Landon and he said that some others are at the Hexagon too."
"Like...?" I question.
"Well... Colton, Brandon, Riley, Grant, Ivan, I think Isaac, and Miles." He informs us.
"Why the hell are they there?" Vex asks.
"Hang out." Jason states.
I put one leg over the other. "You guys had fun at Claxton? I know I did." Andrew states, trying to make small talk.
"Yep..." I recall.
Vex shakes his head. "Hell no. There was this damn juggernaut that kept fucking with me..."
"Oh." Andrew says. He keeps his gaze on the windshield. "You guys... hear about that thing going on up in Canada?"
"The missing soldiers?" Jason asks, putting an arm on his seat.
Vex groans. "Everyone's being dramatic about the shit... How is that such a big fucking deal?" He exclaims.
"Well," Andrew begins. "Apparently they disappeared from some titan. It was like... a squid I guess. It flew above them and grabbed them from the ground. After there was little symbols on the trees, and some guy that saw it from a helicopter told a reporter all about it."
Jason looks interested now, his right eye brow rises slightly. "What was the weather?"
"Foggy." Andrew informs.
Jason's shoulders slump. "Then it's probably just a fog giant..."
"We've never seen it though. Some town people near the sighting said they had saw the creature before. They called it the elder." Andrew states, looking back at us.
"Shit... That's really cool and all, but... I don't give a shit. Why are we talking about something that happened in Canada for days?!" Vex exclaims once again, bewildered.
"Things have just been boring in red hill lately, nothing has happened." I insert.
"I get that but damn..." Vex mutters.
20 minutes later
The plane hovers above the helipad. Hundreds of tents span across the forest. They look similar to the Nonagon tents, and on a big hill there are a bunch of rectangular overwatch tents on the hill. The plane touches down onto a concrete landing pad, and we all jump out. Vex walks out last, with his breaching axe in his right hand.
"Landon's running late." Jason says, walking to a 8 foot tall metal door. We follow him and he takes his right glove off. The air smells of the smell of forest. Leaves crunch under our boots as Jason puts his pointer finger on a scanner next to the door. Andrew opens the door after he's finished.
The large door swings open slowly, revealing a halls about 6 and a half feet tall. Two lines of LED lights line the hallways, shining a bright white light onto the interior. There are some sun roofs, and the floor is made out of the same black fabric as the walls.
"What wing is this?" Vex asks, swinging his axe to rest on his shoulder.
Andrew side eyes Andrew. "The white wing. Look at the damn lights."
Vex gives Andrew a quick middle finger and Jason gets on his phone. "I think we should just wait on Landon. He's coming by helicopter too."