Wings of Death

Zulu

Nathan had the task of searching for survivors in the most densely populated area of the town. Alex had the map of the underground network saved on his palmtop and helped the team focus on those regions which had a lot of construction below ground level. Though Nathan had previously led 50 survivors he felt different this time. When he was leading the survivors he just focused on getting them safely to Fort Barton but now he had to command an offensive military squad. As the leader of Zulu team it was his responsibility to ensure that they eliminated the Bloodwings in the region and also rescued the stranded survivors. Since this part of the town had an elaborate network of basements and cellars he had to search the area extensively.

Team Zulu went door to door and called out for survivors. Where the houses had basements they climbed inside through the broken windows and investigated what was inside. Dead and decaying corpses were littered all around them along with skeletons of dogs and cats. Nathan had always thought that being a hero meant saving people and performing great feats of courage but now he understood that a hero must also confront the grim reality before him. He kept his composure and moved forward. So far they had covered just one small neighborhood. There were five other locations in the southern part of town which needed to be searched and Alex’s mom’s office was in one such location. Alex and Joshua were beginning to lose hope in the face of the stark reality which lay in front of them but they had to keep moving.

“Nathan, are you there?” asked a voice on the radio.

“Yes Captain. I am here”, Nathan replied.

“Give me a status report.”

“Zulu team is checking the houses with basements individually. Nothing so far, just dead bodies”.

“Keep looking and don’t drop your guard. Charlie team ran into two Blood Demons and around 40 Bloodwings near a shopping mall. Notify me if you find anything”.

“Yes sir. We will keep moving forward”.

Joshua was scanning the skies with his binoculars to make sure there were no Bloodwings nearby when he suddenly noticed a sign on a rooftop. It was painted with fluorescent colors and shone brilliantly in the moonlight. He zoomed in on the sign, it read: STOP! ENTER HERE. Immediately he ran up to Nathan and told him about it.

“I think the sign must have been put up there by a survivor. We need to check it out”, said Nathan.

“Careful, it might also be the work of bandits”, warned Alex.

“We can deal with the bandits. You don’t need to worry”, said one of the soldiers.

“Alright, keep your eyes peeled and look out for traps. We have to check it out. Follow me”, ordered Nathan. Zulu team switched to their sidearms and followed Nathan to the building with the signboard on its roof.

“Toss a flair inside. We need to see what or who is inside before heading in”, said Nathan as he took his position by the door.

One of the soldiers followed his command and tossed a flair through the broken window on the ground floor. The dark room immediately started glowing red. There was no one inside. It looked just like another abandoned house. The soldiers were still scanning the inside of the house through the window when a voice cried out from inside, “Please don’t kill us. My wife is pregnant.”

“This is the military. We are here to help. Don’t be scared”, replied Nathan and he ordered a couple of men to move in with him.

“Okay. We are hiding in the basement”, cried the voice from inside.

Nathan and the two soldiers turned off their night vision goggles and switched on their flashlights before heading towards the basement door. As he reached for the doorknob his hands trembled in fear. He remembered what had happened to Jackson. Well, there isn’t any ticking noise, he thought to himself and slowly turned the knob. The door was locked from within.

“Sir, I want you to open the door. We are here to rescue you”, he said reassuringly.

“We won’t come out. Don’t you know those monsters are still out there? It is much safer here.”

“Your wife is pregnant; we need to get her to a hospital. There are no Bloodwings in the area. It is perfectly safe. Just trust us”

“I know as soon as we come out the screams will start. I don’t want to die”.

“Sir, we are right here, we can deal with the Bloodwings. Just step outside and come with us. We have special armored cars which can block the sound of their screams. Please, trust us. We have 53 more survivors at Fort Barton. You will be safe there”.

“Do you promise that we will be safe?” the man asked fearfully.

“I promise. We won’t let anything happen to you or your family. You have my word”.

A few seconds later the door opened and they saw a man with disheveled hair and an unkempt beard standing in front of them with tears streaming down his cheeks. Just behind him was his pregnant wife lying on the couch.

“You are safe now”, said Nathan placing his hands on the man’s shoulders, then turning to the soldiers he asked them to help the woman. Zulu team rescued the couple and Alex and Joshua accompanied them to a Metal Guardian waiting nearby.

“This is Zulu team reporting. We have managed to rescue a couple. The lady is pregnant but looks to be in good condition. They were hiding inside a basement.”

“Copy that Zulu team. Charlie has also managed to rescue a group of survivors from the parking lot of a shopping mall. We have 5 more hours before dawn break. Move fast”.

“We are on it”, replied Nathan and signaled his men to board the vehicles. They had already searched every house with a basement or cellar in the current location and decided to go to the next area.