Prologue
1200 Words
POV:???
I was laying on the bed when the sound of footsteps running outside woke me up. With the moonlight illuminating my quarters I turn around the mostly empty room, only having enough time to blink the sleep away before someone knocks on my door and, without waiting for my response, barges into my room, a soldier who shaking salutes me, out of breath, before saying:
“C-Captain Murray, we are under attack!”
“Which Shinzaki lackey is this time?” I ask, not amused, my voice monotone and even out as I start to stand.
“That is… we don’t know yet sir..” At that a small frown appears on my features and, unsatisfied, I quickly wear my uniform over my clothes since we rarely wear pajamas in the frontlines, putting the boots, belt, gloves and hat in a very familiar way, already used to dressing up at this speed and flawlessly at that, with every double line of buttons closed in place.
“Who is responsible for staying on guard? What about our troops at the front?” I did not mind being awakened in the middle of the night, it was part of the job, but I could not withstand sloppy work and the lack of information, both could not be amended in the battlefield and could easily cost our troop soldiers.
“Tha-that is actually the problem sir…” At that I’m already angry enough that my cold eyes could almost cut through someone’s soul, and as I stare the soldier dead in the eye he swallows, looking all over the place, trying to avoid my gaze, like a rabbit under an eagle’s stare.
“I-I think is better if you see it for yourself sir.” That type of answer will earn him a schooling for days to come, but right now I had far more troublesome matters to attend to and had to focus on the situation at hand… whatever the situation may be.
“Which direction is the attack coming from? What about their numbers?” I start to question him, going for the door, and some answers were given, but all information regarding the attackers only ended up with him shuttering.
Not wanting to waste time we keep walking while talking, passing though grey halls were many other soldiers are running back and forth holding big machineguns and some equipment, wearing the dark black and grey camouflage print from our unit.
When I arrive at my personal unit they had already assembled, sixteen of them ready for battle, men and women alike with distinct guns on their hands as diverse as their personalities, all with a strong look in their eyes.
“Black Tiger, be ready for battle in five, we will recon like usual and be ready to flank them from the side. Greg, with me, let’s have a look from above.”
“Yes sir!” All say and done Greg, one of the burly men, do as told and follows me as I go up the stairs, above the walls, to have a better look at our situation and find someone more informed than the previous soldier that still trails behind us in silence.
I was confident in the capability of my team, but I have never been the stupid type of letting past victories dictate my future actions, always analyzing each situation as they came, so Intel was essential for any tactic we may choose to use at tonight’s battle.
But I could not deny our experience and how positively it affected on the battlefield, especially the ones directly at my command; as a small group with only the best, we would avoid the main battle and front line to sneak to the side and aim at the commanding troops, cutting the head of the body and only leaving a mindless form behind.
Only that that day… nothing would go as planned.
The first sign that something was off; beyond the battle that is; is when I reach one of the fellow commanders upstairs and find him paralyzed in place, looking in the distance where gunshots shone in the night and scream filled the place, holding a binocular on his hands and chewing an unlit cigarette.
“Major Miller, what is the situation at the front sir.?” I ask, and I’m surprised to receive the same answer as the soldier as he hands me the binocular, even though my expression does not change.
“See it for yourself, Captain.” He has his usual fierce hoarse voice, but this time his eyes do not even turn my way, a frown on his face, wrinkling his forehead.
In silence I grab the object and gaze over the horizon, trying to make sense of that I’m looking at as destruction stretches out in the front lines amongst the darkness of the night.
There were fires here and there that illuminated a little of the tents and crates, the stone walls not reaching far and protecting only the part of the camping we were on since they are still under construction, but, beyond the soldiers running about, I could see… shadows leaping above their heads or dashing between shadows, avoiding the light and making it hard for me to see them.
I focus on those creatures, now unsure that it may be any attack launched by our enemy nation, Shinzaki, and that certainty only makes another rare frown want to appear in my frozen features.
I focus on one soldier that had gotten out of a tent, half-walking half-stumbling his way outside as something hits him in the back, out of my line of sight.
It must have hit him hard… because he doesn’t stand back up, instead tries to crawl away, but his muscles seem to respond poorly, giving time for whatever was attacking him to leisurely walk his way.
And give me the perfect view of the attacker’s body as it licked the blood from its very long claws.
I watch for a while, then stop, understanding the situation we were in, fighting against a strange enemy and losing control of our troops, my mind focusing on how to defend against such unknown treat.
I narrow my eyes to our new target, no fear, no thoughts getting in my way, my always controlled calm temperament acting fast in making this nest of drunken ants into a troop worthy of commanding.
“Defend your positions! Stay on guard! Do not let the enemy pass!” I screamed over the chaos, looking at the widen full of fear eyes of the soldiers surrounding me. Dealing with one problem at a time, as I was commanding the troops, making a line of defense against the unknown enemy and preparing to hold our grounds, staying up and defending with waives of bullets until the sun raises on the horizon and they flee away.
After that first fight for survival we would soon discover that that day would go down in history, that it would be the day that everything would change for humanity.
The ending of our ongoing war between humans, the war that would pale to nothingness after the Longest Night.
The first of many more long nights that the Ghouls will came for us.
And it won’t be pretty.
- Writer
