The first of the beast horde had been eradicated by the charismatic mayor of York Town who was now walking back towards the troops of Camp White who stared at him in awe. That level of destruction…it was inhuman.
How could a man even be capable of such destruction?
However it was that destruction that left a deep impression on the militia forces of the camp. They had a boost of confidence. The morale was high in the air.
If their leader possessed such great strength then what was there to worry about?
Lieutenant Pike looked at the troops. A smile forming at the corner of his mouth. They had stopped shaking visibly which was more than enough for what was to come.
"Ready your weapons!" Pike's voice carried over the wind, reaching the first row of the militia men.
They responded raising their guns and taking aim at the fog of smoke that Mayor Bennet's initial attack had created. They shifted positions and took a firing stance.
The fog of smoke soon cleared and the horde of mutated beasts broke through. Their roars and blood thirsty charge getting louder and louder. The militia men were tense but they maintained positions. Holding a steady aim at the approaching creatures.
Lieutenant Pike had his eyes locked onto the approaching horde.
"Hold!"
…The horde got closer.
"Hold!"
…it got even closer. Looking at the red crazed eyes of the creatures, the militia couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down their spines. The horde of the mutated creatures was less than ten meters away from the frontline now and the overwhelming bloodlust they gave off washed over the men making want nothing more than to turn back and run for their lives.
But where would they run to? Was there even a safe place anymore? The stronger protectors of the camp were all gathered here and there wasn't any other camp left in this town. This was the last shelter they had so…this would have to be their last stand too.
If they died and failed to defend the camp then everyone else would remained in the camp behind them would die too and if they prevailed…well the consequences spoke for themselves and so they held down their instincts and held firm.
Soon the horde of mutated creatures was upon them.
"Squad A fire!"
Pike's order fell, followed by the deafening roars and thunderous explosions from the weapons that were fired off. Half of the militia men and women fired off their weapons. The ignition and sparks of gun powder permeating the atmosphere.
Most of the creatures that made up the first wave of the attack didn't stand a chance against the heavy artillery bombardment. The less fortunate ones were torn to shreds, riddled with holes that seeped blood as though they were broken taps.
The fortunate ones that managed to survive were only injured but the injuries themselves weren't light by any means.
The charge of the horde slowed down as the bodies of the dead as well as the injured that lay on the ground blocked the advance of the horde somewhat but it wasn't by much. It was a chain reaction. Mutated beasts stumbled, some fell to the ground only to be pierced by the resilient bombardment of bullets or to be trampled by the paws and hooves of their comrades…if the mutated beasts even considered themselves comrades in the first place.
More blood spilled. And more creatures died. However…
CLICK. CLICK.
…bullets soon ran out and the heavy bombardment paused…
"Squad B fire! Squad A reload!" Pike ordered and soon the rain of bullets and the sound of gunfire resumed as the other half of the militia emptied out their magazines and replaced them with spare ones.
As this was happening the entire army moved back. Slowly. Retreating towards the gates of the camp. The air was charged with adrenaline as everyone worked like a rough machine. They weren't a well oiled machine just yet after all this was the first time they were fighting a battle like this.
They had fought a few stray mutated creatures here and there but never a whole horde of them.
Squad B's bullets soon rang out too and Squad A had to take over. This time the switch was more smooth and almost seamless. The men and women were no longer shaking and the initial fear that they had was suppressed…replaced by another fierce desire to make it out of this battle alive.
The retreat continued and so did the gun fire. The smell of gun powder as well as the smell of blood mixed together in the air feeling it with an eerie stench that was as ominous as the dark clouds.
The militia retreated until they were behind the slanted spikes that had been laid out, a small distance before the walls of Camp white, for occasions such as these.
The crazed beasts continued to rush forward. Some were shoot down and some were merely injured. However, the less intelligent creatures found themselves impaled and butchered by the wooden spikes.
Slowly but surely the numbers of the mutated creatures were being reduced.
A few more switches later…the militia was finally out of bullets. No more spares, no more switches. The guns were now useless. In this final switch was a familiar man who had been in charge of the armed forces of the Tiger Gang camp after Huey and his friends had taken over.
His gray hair stuck to his temple and his blue eyes shone with intensity and determination. He was a middle aged man with a working man's build and a there was no doubt that he had been a strong man before the apocalypse and he probably would have been a high level evolver had he been brave enough to fight off mutated creatures in the initial stages of the apocalypse.
Sadly he wasn't and it was only after his encounter with Huey Coleman, the sword demon, that he had been getting the urge and desire to prove himself more on the battlefield and fight.
'After all if a kid like Huey could fight then why couldn't he?' that was what Rod Baker had told himself and that was how he found himself gathering his courage and joining the militia force after arriving in Camp White.
And so he here he was…fighting on the front lines with the last of the firing squad.
He shuffled back and pulled the trigger on his gun. He felt the rapid recoil of his weapon as he fire his weapon in short bursts. It wasn't as destructive as that of his comrades by his side but it allowed him to aim somewhat accurately at these blood thirsty creatures that seemed to have to end to them at all.
"Arrgh!" a war cry found itself escaping from his lips as he shot a beast resembling a deer in the eye. The deer stood no chance, the bullet tore through its eye in a burst of blood and ripped its brain to pieces.
He saw the vile creature drop to the ground in a pool of blood with dark satisfaction, then he moved on to shift his aim. He pulled the trigger and shot at another creature, this one was smaller and it moved on the ground fast so he had no choice but to fire relentlessly until he saw the creature stop moving.
He had killed it. But he had also exhausted all his bullets.
'Just what I need" he thought in irritation. He wanted to do more. To participate in this battle more but this was all he could do with his current strength and that didn't sit well with him…not at all.
"All Squads retreat! You have done enough!"
As he heard Pike's order coming from the distance. He sighed helplessly but there was nothing he could do…at least not right now. Standing beside him was a man younger than him who seemed to be in his mid-twenties. The young man had been in the middle of retreating when he tripped on loose rock and fell backwards.
Panic and fear took hold of him.
There in front of him one of the mutated creatures had broken past the wooden spikes. It was a rodent…no it looked like a rat…a really big rat that looked no different from a cat. it crawled on the ground and it moved fast.
Its crazed eyes had locked onto the young man, burning with a crazed hunger. The Young man screamed as he tried to crawl back. His fingers digging into the earth. He threw what ever he could get a hold of in a desperate struggle to the get the creature off his trail. Dirt, stone…it didn't matter because it didn't work.
The rat evaded it all. Moving side to side and zig-zagging in his direction with a incredible flexibility and agility.
Soon it was upon him. It leapt up aiming for his throat. The young man brought up his empty gun and used it as a make shift shield to block off the creature. He didn't know how long it would last though. The rat screeched and clawed, its jaws snapping towards his throat, rolls of razor sharp teeth wanting nothing more than to shred through his skin and rip his throat out. This close the rancid smell of rotten flesh, probably what the rat had consumed a few moments before, stung into his nose, almost making him gag.
It was a vicious struggle.
The rat's claws tore through his shirt and the skin on his chest was riddled with scratches. The young man felt his arms growing numb. He was losing strength and he wouldn't last long struggling against the creature. An involuntary scream fell from his lips. It was a scream of fear, indignation and most of all desperation.
His efforts may have looked vain but…they managed to buy him time…
Time that was enough for Rod to act.
Rod's gun was empty so he threw it to the ground, then he ran after the young man, one of his hands reaching for the knife that was kept close to his belt. Everyone in the militia had received a gun, three spare magazines and a combat knife in case they needed it.
And Rod needed it indeed.
Feeling the weight of the knife in his palm, Rod rushed forward as fast as he could. The rat was getting closer and closer to its goal. Almost sinking its teeth into the young man's throat.
'He's not gonna last for long'
Rod took a deep breath. It wasn't pleasant, especially considering how heavy the scent of gunfire and blood hung in the air but he forced himself to do so. His speed increased, it wasn't much…bu tit was enough.
He arrived beside the young man.
With a single motion, he brought the knife down with all the strength…well with as much strength as a an unevolved middle aged man who used to be a working man could muster. The rat had been too distracted so it never noticed him approach however it must have felt the danger coming from Rod's attack because at the very last moment it tried to move out of the way.
However, it was already too late.
The knife plunged deep into the side of the creatures neck. Rod had been aiming for the head, but this was good too.
Putrid blood spilled everywhere. It splashed onto Rod's hands and smeared a part of his face. He didn't flinch.
The rat wasn't dead… Not yet.
He gave the knife a twist. There was a sickening crack. The rat shuddered and then it slumped and slid off the young man, falling to the ground. Unmoving.
A split second later the Spirit Record flashed in his retina. Rod looked at the green letters with a distant expression.
[You have acquired the soul essence of a level 2 Mutated ground mouse.
You have received Agility +2
[You have leveled up to level 1. You receive 2 stat points to distribute freely]
Looking at those messages. Rod could help but feel a fire of determination ignite within him. He hadn't taken the time to consider trying to go for the system in the past. He had been skeptical about it but now looking at how far his boss Huey had come and seeing the display of power by the mayor earlier.
Wouldn't this be a chance to gain such levels of strength?
Distracted by his own thoughts, he didn't notice a shadow approaching him with ghostly speed.
He turned his head to the side to see what it was. It was wild boar. The tusks sticking out of its mouth glistened menacingly. They were pointed in his direction ready to tear into him. It wasn't as large of the other creatures but it had a heavy presence filled with blood lust.
Rod froze. Stricken with fear. Those menacing red eyes, those dangerous tusks, those hooves that stomped against the ground making it quake as it approached…it was all so suddenly frightening.
Rod felt a primordial sort of fear grip him. You know how kids are just naturally afraid of the dark without any further explanation or apparent cause? That was the kind of fear Rod was experiencing.
He was just afraid of the boar.
The boar was upon him its tusks just a few centimeters away from his stomach. Rod could see them and yet he still couldn't move out of the way.
'I…I'm gonna die aren't I?'
…but it seemed it wasn't his time yet.
Lieutenant Pike appeared like a phantom, his large war hammer smashing the side of the boar in a devastating upward swing. There was a sickening crack as the beast was sent tumbling some distance away in the ground.
Rod's legs grew soft like jelly. He fell to the ground and released a shaky breath.
"Get a hold of yourself soldier! Get the brat and focus on retreat!" Pike's rough voice drifted into his ears like a sledge hammer. It shocked him out of his fear induced state.
First came the confusion and then came the shock.
Had he almost died because he froze in fear? But what was that?
Rod blinked in confusion once more. He had never felt anything like that in his life. In the distance the boar huffed gaining his attention.
The moment Rod locked eyes with the beast, the fear returned however this time he was sober enough to realize that the beast must have been using a skill of some kind. The moment he came to that realization, the fear disappeared. Vanished as though he hadn't just experienced it before.
'So it was the boar…was that its ability? It must be…' the moment the thought took root he glared at the beast and a feeling of rage bubbled up within him.
"Fight me without tricks you bastard!" Rod rose and was about to lunge at the beast but a strong grip held him back. He turned to see who it was.
Lieutenant Pike was looking him dead in the eyes.
"Take the brat and retreat! That's an order" he said. His voice flat and his face hard.
Rod looked down and noticed that the young man he had saved from being devoured by the rat was struggling to get up due to the wounds on his chest. They were deeper than he thought. His entire chest was now soaked in red.
He threw one last glance at the abominable beast, gave it a hateful glare and then he turned his attention to the young man on the ground.
He helped him to his feet gave Lieutenant Pike a look
"You better make sure to kill that thing" he said.
"Don't worry…it was already on my to do list" Pike grinned at him before turning to face the mutated boar.
Rod lingered for a few more seconds and then he walked away, dragging the wounded guy with him towards the retreating line of militia men who were being promptly replaced by evolvers. It wasn't long before the first of the evolvers clashed with the mutated creatures that managed to get past the spikes.
And the world exploded into pandemonium as flashes of light and shockwaves spread throughout the battlefield