[Survivor's Diary: Ethan Cole – Entry #127]Shelters aren't just built from steel and stone. They're built from routine, from repetition, and the illusion of peace. But today—our illusion shattered.
The day had begun as a series of quiet, productive rituals. Bread was being baked from yeast grown in the hydroponics lab. The new solar conduit was almost fully connected. Jun was training two new recruits—scavengers-turned-defenders.
Then the ground began to shake.
Low. Rhythmic. Wrong.
The command center erupted in alerts.
[SHELTER SYSTEM WARNING][SEISMIC SIGNATURE DETECTED – SOUTHERN RIDGE][MULTIPLE HIGH-SPEED TARGETS – COUNT: 16+]
"Contact—South Ridge!" shouted Jun, bolting to the surveillance terminals. "Something big is coming. Fast!"
"Bring visuals up!" Ethan barked.
The monitors flickered, displaying the hazy dust cloud barreling across the ridge—beneath it, glimmering movement. Shapes. Many.
[WARNING: ORGANIC CLUSTER DETECTED – UNKNOWN SPECIES][RANK ESTIMATE: Class C to B]
"Mobilize every station," Ethan ordered. "All outer sentries online. This is no migration. This is an assault."
Emergency Deployment – Shelter on the Brink
[NEW EMERGENCY BOUNTY GENERATED]MISSION: STAMPEDE-7
Survive the Beast Assault
Repel or eliminate all hostiles
BONUS OBJECTIVE: Prevent wall breach
Base Reward: +200 SCIndividual Monster Kill Rewards: Vary by Class
Failure Consequence: Structural breach, morale loss, risk of survivor fatalities.
Ethan immediately tapped into the SC store, selecting rapid reinforcements:
[SC AVAILABLE: 511]• 120 SC – Upgrade Auto-Turrets to MkII Precision Class• 90 SC – Reinforce South Wall with Internal Bracing Mesh• 45 SC – Targeting AI Subroutine Optimization• 60 SC – Deploy Vibration-Triggered Spike Pit (x2 rows)
Total Spent: 315 SC[Remaining: 196 SC]
"Systems primed. Traps armed. Turrets are online," Sima confirmed from Engineering. "It's going to hold... probably."
The first enemy broke the tree line—a skittering quadruped with elongated talons and scythe-shaped legs. Its mouth foamed. A second, then a third followed. Then the pack arrived.
Species Identified: Ravagers, Clawborn, SpinewolvesSubtypes: 12 variants totalAlpha Unit Detected: Gorehide Ravager (Rank: C High)
Turrets roared, the smell of ozone and gunpowder rising like incense to war. Hundreds of rounds screamed through the sky. The first wave fell, shredded before crossing the trench.
[System Log: Spinewolf (x2) defeated – Reward: +20 SC | 6 units Biomass | 4 units Hide][Clawborn (x3) neutralized – Reward: +15 SC | 3 Bone Spikes | 2 Adrenaline Glands][Current SC: 231]
But the second wave was smarter. Two Spinewolves took the side ridge, testing the turrets' blind spots. A juvenile Ravager hurled itself at the wall—sacrificing its body to absorb the lead.
Jun cursed, moving to intercept with a team of spearmen near Gate Post C. "They're probing us. This is coordinated!"
Ethan adjusted the turret algorithm to maximize spread fire and engaged his custom override protocol. His eyes never left the combat feed.
[Manual Override: Cannon S5 Engaged][Linked Fire Commands: Ethan Cole – Confirmed]
He manually lined up the Gorehide Ravager now charging through the front—massive, heavily plated, its skull like a battering ram.
BOOM.
Ethan fired.
A concentrated round slammed into the beast's shoulder. Bone and sinew exploded. It faltered, staggered—but didn't fall.
[Gorehide Ravager Damaged – Weak Spot: Shoulder Exposed]
"Focus all fire on target Gamma-1!" Ethan ordered.
Four turrets turned in sync. A second barrage erupted. Then a scream—a horrific bellow split the air. Blood. Bone. Collapse.
[ALPHA UNIT TERMINATED – Gorehide Ravager][REWARD: +75 SC | 10 units Alpha Biomass | 4 Ravager Horns | 1 Power Core Fragment][Current SC: 306]
The last of the creatures tried to break the flank, but were intercepted by Sima's automated traps. Spikes burst upward, impaling three of them in one brutal snap. Aria and two support medics rushed injured personnel back inside.
Thirty-nine minutes of hell.
Then, silence.
Smoke. Blood. Stillness.
Jun surveyed the field. "Eighteen hostiles. Five alphas. All dead."
"Structural impact?" Ethan asked.
"Wall took 9% damage. Turrets need reloading. But no breach."
Sima added, "South mesh held. Ammo usage—down 34%. Traps are cooked. We'll need materials to reset."
Aria approached Ethan. Her sleeves were soaked with blood—not her own. "We almost lost two at the secondary gate."
"But we didn't," he said. His voice was steel.
He turned toward the others. "You all held the line."
System Rewards Summary
[MISSION COMPLETE – STAMPEDE-7]
+200 SC (Base Reward)
+110 SC (Enemy Kill Bonuses)
Resources Gained:• 24x Biomass Units• 12x Bone Spike Shards• 4x Adrenaline Glands• 4x Ravager Horns• 1x Power Core Fragment• 9x Hide Clumps (suitable for insulation crafting)
[Total SC: 396]
Shelter Status:• Level: 4• Defense Rating: Tier 2+• Wall Integrity: 91%• Morale: +++ (Battle-tested)• Power Use: 84% during peak combat• Ammunition Remaining: 66%
That night, the entire bunker sat together in the communal hall. No cheers. No revelry. Just quiet meals and stolen glances of gratitude. People were changed now—hardened, but bonded.
Sitting alone atop the command tower, Ethan looked at the ruined field—blood-soaked, but safe.
Aria climbed up behind him, wrapping a blanket around his shoulders. "You kept us alive."
"I kept pressing buttons," Ethan replied. "You all fought."
She leaned her head on his shoulder. "You lead. That matters."
He didn't reply. But his hand found hers.
[Survivor's Diary – Ethan Cole, Entry #128]
It wasn't the machines that saved us. It was the people who stood inside them, next to each other. We survived because we believed we could.And if this was only the first wave—then we damn well better believe harder.