Wings of Death

A walk in the park

As the night crawled up over the skies, Captain Elijah and his men prepared to venture outside and rescue the survivors who were helplessly wishing upon an invisible shooting star. The moon welcomed the soldiers with open arms as they stepped into the night.

Nathan had made his way to the top of an abandoned guard tower inside the fort and gazed at the night sky. Things looked so peaceful. It was as if the universe hadn’t been disturbed by the pandemonium which had been let loose on earth. He longed to sit on his terrace with Margaret and gaze at the stars together. His childhood memories flashed before his eyes and he felt a deep sense of loss. He tried to think about his parents, he tried to think about Alex and Joshua but his mind painted Margaret’s face every time he closed his eyes. Ever since they had arrived at the base, Margaret had been busy assisting Dr. Erica with her research. She barely had the time to speak with Nathan. Alex didn’t mind it so much since he had Joshua to keep him company but Nathan missed her immensely. Although Fort Barton was a safe haven he did not like it in here anymore. While he was still out there, he felt like a hero. He actually had the power to take his own decisions and was trying   his best to save humanity. At the military base he felt powerless.  Though Captain Elijah always behaved in a polite manner and Lieutenant Amy had become a close friend, he did not like cowering behind stone walls and letting the soldiers do everything. He wanted to be a part of the action. He wanted to feel like he mattered to the people. Nathan wanted to go outside and help the soldiers even if it meant gathering supplies. He waited for a chance to prove his worth.

Margaret was trying to help Dr. Erica to find out more about the Bloodwings. She didn’t even realize that she was slowly drifting away from her own friends. Even her parents saw her only during bedtime. She had her meals in the lab itself along with Dr. Grant and Dr. Erica. Sometimes she would miss Nathan but then a new discovery would be made about the Bloodwings and Nathan would again recede to the darkest corners of her mind. Recently they had discovered another very important thing related to the Bloodwings.  The sun was their main source of power. They were able to fly much higher on a sunny day and even their speed was incredibly fast. During the night they would fly low and their speeds were greatly reduced. It now became clear to them why the Bloodwings weren’t so aggressive at night. Just one question bothered them: Where did the Bloodwings go when it rained?

Alex still had not been able to get in touch with his mom. Joshua would break down into tears every night and Alex would try to console him as best as he could. They had so many things to tell her. He promised Joshua that he would ask Nathan to help him find his mom. After all Nathan was his closest friend. He didn’t need to worry about breaking a military protocol.

The survivors inside the base had bonded pretty well. They had all become a part of a huge family now. No outsider could guess that they were complete strangers just a few weeks ago.  It was a very important night for some of them. The survivors whom the military had gone out to rescue were their family members. They waited anxiously to be reunited with their loved ones.

Captain Elijah and his men had barely crossed the safe zone when they encountered a swarm of Bloodwings headed towards them.  Viper team engaged them head on and decimated the monsters in a matter of seconds. Along the way they encountered 3 more swarms consisting of about 20-25 Bloodwings. They were all easy pickings for the Viper squad. About half an hour later they managed to reach the abandoned coal mine. The Viper squad spread out to recon the area and the 31st armored regiment moved in to rescue the men stranded inside the mine. Captain Elijah took the elevator and descended into the mine. The two middle aged men were relieved to see a man in uniform. It was a miracle how they had managed to stay alive in that dark tunnel. These men had come to inspect the mine when the invasion began. They were smart enough to hide inside the mine instead of trying to outrun the Bloodwings. None of them had eaten for 3 days; the emergency food supplies in their caravan had run out a couple of days ago.  Captain Elijah helped them onto their feet and escorted them to the Metal Guardian waiting outside.

“Matt, give them a couple of energy bars and a bottle of water”, said the Captain.

When the survivors had finished eating, the team prepared to move out. For many of the soldiers it was their first rescue mission. It gladdened their hearts to see the smiles on the faces of the survivors when they were offered food. These men in uniform had sworn their allegiance to the nation and its citizens and this was the perfect opportunity to honor their oath.

The third survivor was hiding in a cave in the middle of a forest. They still had 50 miles to travel. The 31st armored regiment was carrying extra oxygen canisters to resupply the vehicles for their return journey so this time they did not have to worry about running out of oxygen.

As they entered the forest the trees blocked their path. The armored cars could go no farther. Captain Elijah asked the 31st armored regiment to wait outside the forest and protect the survivors. The Vipers were ordered to follow him on foot.

“Check your weapons and switch to night vision”, instructed the Captain.

This time Captain Elijah took point and the whole team followed him in a beehive formation. There were a total of 10 soldiers behind him and they covered all flanks effectively. It was a slow trek through the forest which was interspersed with tall ferns and thick vines. The soldiers had to keep cutting the vines with their combat knives to penetrate deeper into the forest. After walking for almost 15 minutes they reached a clearing. The cave lay in front of them. Its entrance had been blocked with 5 rocks stacked on top of each other. Captain Elijah called out the man’s name a few times but there was no reply. In the end he decided to remove the rocks himself and go inside. The soldiers helped clear the rocks in front and then returned to their defensive positions. Captain Elijah headed inside the cave accompanied by the youngest member of the Viper squad. It was damp and dark inside. He switched on his flashlight and started searching for the survivor. There was no sign of him anywhere. Something didn’t seem right. He ordered his companion to guard the entrance and headed deeper into the cave. The light from his flashlight fell on what seemed to be a pile of leaves. The Captain moved closer to inspect it. As soon as he removed a few leaves from top he saw the distorted face of a man covered in dirt. His eyes had a terrified look in them and his cheeks were shriveled and pale.

“Are you okay?” asked the Captain.

The man didn’t even look at him. He kept muttering something under his breath.

“We are here to get you out”, said the captain extending his hand towards the man.

The man just curled up into a ball and started chanting, “You won’t fool me. You won’t fool me. I don’t like pretty women. I don’t like pretty women”.

Captain Elijah and his companion had to forcefully drag him out of the cave. The soldiers could barely imagine what that man had gone through. They splashed some water on his face and helped him stand on his feet. The man stopped his maniacal chanting at last but his body still trembled in fear. A couple of soldiers helped him walk and the team headed towards the vehicles waiting outside.

The man was still trembling in his shoes when they had finally reached the vehicles. His eyes seemed like they were gazing into some distant abyss. The Captain felt his forehead; the man was running a high temperature. They still could not figure out what he had seen.

“Get moving guys. We need to take him to the hospital”, ordered the Captain.

The Viper squad was back in the lead with the armored regiment following closely. It was 3 AM. They had to drive fast in order to reach Fort Barton before dawn. Staying out in the open during the daytime was suicide. They couldn't retrieve the oxygen cylinders but at least they had managed to rescue the survivors. It had been a relatively easy mission for them. They had encountered only a few small swarms of Bloodwings and had dealt with them easily. They were pretty confident that with the Shock Hounds and Arch Knight Tanks they could win any battle against the Bloodwings at night. Humanity finally might have a winning chance they thought.