RE BUNKED
701 Words
I led the team cautiously through the rubble-strewn remains of the first wall. The once-mighty barrier now lay in shambles, a grim reminder of the devastation the hunter tacs had wrought. My heart pounded in my chest, but I forced myself to stay focused, knowing that any slip could be fatal.
The city ahead was eerily quiet, the oppressive silence only broken by the occasional distant thud or the faint rustle of debris. We moved swiftly, sticking to the shadows, until we reached the loading area where the food supplies were stacked. The team started loading crates into the truck, their movements swift but filled with an air of casual disregard.
“You really scared the hell out of us back there, Zeir,” one of the team members said with a smirk. “Thought you were just spouting ghost stories.”
“Yeah, you made it sound like we were walking into a death trap,” another chuckled.
“Just doing my job,” I replied curtly, trying to ignore the dismissive remarks.
The boss, a stern-faced man who rarely showed emotion, watched us intently. “Remember,” he said gruffly, “we’re here for more than just food. Our primary objective is to capture a hunter tac. We need live specimens.”
The team’s jovial mood shifted instantly to frustration.
“What the hell, boss?” one of them shouted. “You’re risking our lives for some freaks of nature instead of focusing on the supplies?”
“Yeah,” another added, “this wasn’t part of the plan. We’re not ready to face those things!”
“It wasn’t part of the plan!” I screamed, my voice cracking under the weight of our predicament. “I said we needed to be prepared!”
Before anyone could respond, a strange figure appeared at the edge of our field of vision—a skinny, emaciated hunter tac shuffling toward us. The grotesque sight was almost comical, and some of the team members laughed despite the danger.
“Look at that thing,” one of them snickered. “It’s like a skeleton with legs.”
The boss took a step forward, his expression hardening. “I don’t care how it looks. If it’s a hunter tac, it’s a target.”
He raised his gun and fired, the shot echoing in the desolate area. The hunter tac collapsed with a grotesque thud.
“Let’s load it up and move out,” the boss ordered, pointing at the creature.
As we prepared to load the body into the truck, the boss suddenly had a change of heart. “I want something else,” he said abruptly. “We need to make some noise.”
Before anyone could protest, he fired a few more rounds into the air, the loud cracks shattering the silence.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shouted, panic rising in my chest.
A chilling silence followed, then the ground seemed to come alive with movement. More hunter tacs emerged from the shadows, drawn by the noise. Their grotesque forms lurched toward us with unnatural speed.
“Get in the truck!” the boss yelled, his voice filled with urgency.
But as we scrambled to load up, one of the soldiers reached the truck, his bony hand grasping the door handle. Without warning, he sped off in the vehicle, leaving us stranded.
“Damn it!” I shouted, fear gripping my heart as I glanced around at the encroaching creatures.
“We’re on foot!” the boss barked. “Move, move!”
I turned and ran, the commander hot on my heels. My legs felt like lead, each step a desperate attempt to escape the relentless pursuit. The roar of the hunter tacs grew louder behind us, and I could feel their presence closing in.
“Keep running!” the commander shouted, his voice strained. “We need to find shelter!”
The chaos behind us grew more intense, but I kept pushing forward, the weight of our failure pressing down on me. My mind raced with thoughts of what could have been done differently, but for now, all that mattered was surviving the next few minutes.
- Writer
