RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

Boom!

The world above them exploded.

The tunnel felt the brunt of the first artillery shell.

Concrete cracked overhead. Rusted pipes snapped from their brackets.

Dust, black water, and chunks of old ceiling rained into the junction as the entire drainage line convulsed.

Adrian hit the floor before he understood what happened. Vex barely maintained its balance beside him.

For half a second, the hive stopped moving. The voices vanished. The tendrils froze inside the smoke.

And just as it slightly recovered, another explosion fell after the first.

A small wound cracked open from above. Light fell through it and struck the meteorite shard held inside the hive, exposing the ugly thing like a prize dragged out of a grave.

It shrieked loudly from the sudden sunlight exposure after burying itself so deeply. The flesh around the shard writhed violently, roots and black membranes tightening as if trying to cover the exposed core again.

Adrian did not bother looking at the results.

Another shell would come soon, and he did not want to be buried under the rubble together with that thing.

"Vex, let’s get out of here!"

"Woof!"

They dashed through the tunnel path, now briefly emptied by the blast. Ahead, Echo Two-One and Two-Two appeared.

"Squad leader!"

"Great job," Adrian huffed. "No time to celebrate. Link up with Two-Three."

Just as he finished, another shell rumbled the drainage area behind them.

Dust poured from the ceiling. Somewhere behind them, metal groaned as the junction twisted under the pressure.

Adrian stumbled against the wall and cursed.

"Two-Three, status!"

"Exit’s blocked!" Echo Two-Three answered. "The infected are swarming the place above us!"

"Everywhere?"

"Everywhere!"

"Hold that place until we arrive!" Adrian dropped the radio. "Move, move!"

Adrian did not run only because Two-Three was in danger. He ran because the cavalry had arrived.

Within the Radar map, three fast-moving blue markers punched into the dense formation of red markers above their exit. They moved like a spearhead, tearing through everything along the path.

Adrian almost laughed.

"About damn time."

Another shell thundered behind him. The drainage shook again, followed by the hive’s shriek.

The three Scouts stumbled as the psychic wave hit them once more. Vex barked sharply, the sound cutting through the pressure enough for Adrian to keep his feet moving.

"Damn it, that thing’s not going to shut up. Faster! Vex, go ahead!"

The dog barked and shot ahead.

Vex reached the stairs first and slammed into an infected trying to crawl through the broken doorway.

Echo Two-Three stood behind the old basement wall, firing upward in controlled bursts.

"Took you long enough!"

"Blame the sewer!" Adrian cursed. "Two-One and Two-Two, guard our rear."

"Reloading!"

Two-Three stepped back and knelt, changing his magazine to a fresh one. Adrian gave cover fire, holding long enough until Two-Three returned.

"Cavalry is on the way," Adrian spoke loudly. "We need to push our way out of here or we’re dead meat!"

Two-Three grabbed a grenade from his belt. "Squad leader, launching grenade!"

Adrian fired one last shot before retreating several steps away. "Dogs, get out of the way!"

The two Attack Dogs moved like phantoms across the infected formation.

Two-Three did not delay. He pulled the pin and threw it through the wide-open basement door. It bounced past the entrance and clattered into the narrow corridor.

"Take cover!"

The explosion tore through the stairwell.

Adrian kept watch on the Radar. The number of red markers flooding the hallway decreased considerably.

As for the blue markers, they were almost upon them. A few short blocks away and they should arrive just in time.

He sighed in relief when suddenly—another red marker dashed into the corridor.

The two Attack Dogs barked and went into cover. Adrian took a quick glance and widened his eyes.

The newly arrived infected had a wide-open mouth and bloated stomach. Its chest caved deeply, leaving almost nothing but bones and thin layer of skin.

"Screamer!!! Get down!"

The word had barely left Adrian’s mouth when the infected’s throat expanded. Its jaw stretched wider.

The skin around its neck trembled as if something inside was filling it with air.

Adrian raised his SMG and fired.

Two-Three fired with him.

The first burst chewed through the Screamer’s shoulder. The second struck its chest, punching black holes through the thin skin stretched over its ribs.

But the thing did not fall. Its bloated stomach convulsed. The mouth opened wider, about to let it all out.

Goddamn it! Adrian felt that his luck was terrible today. If this thing screams, I’ll be lucky to not fall into a goddamn coma!

His aim was off. The repeated shrieks of the hive threw him off, and prolonged spore exposure muddled his senses. Coupled with the exhaustion that rapidly seeped into his body and mind, Adrian’s aim was drastically affected.

Amidst his complains, Vex moved first.

The dog shot from cover and slammed into the Screamer’s legs, knocking its balance sideways before the sound could fully leave its throat.

A broken shriek tore out, but it was more than enough.

The stairwell shook. Adrian’s ears screamed inside his helmet. The Radar overlay flashed, jittering as red markers above twisted toward the basement entrance all at once.

Echo Two-One staggered.

Echo Two-Two dropped to one knee.

The second Attack Dog yelped but lunged anyway, biting into the Screamer’s forearm and dragging it down with Vex.

"Kill it!" Adrian shouted.

He fired again.

This time, the bullets tore through the Screamer’s open mouth. The back of its head burst against the wall. The body collapsed between the two dogs, twitching one last time before going still.

"This bitch," Adrian wanted to say more. However, another infected appeared above them.

Green liquid splashed on the floor, smoking the concrete black.

The spitter’s mouth was already loaded, bursting with corrosive acid. After a blink, the green projectile launched out, headed straight into him.

Adrian’s body knew what to do.

Move to the side.

Roll backward.

Duck into cover.

Anything that could evade this impending doom.

But his legs answered a heartbeat too late. The screamer’s scream discombobulated him further, rendering him almost immobile.

And in that heartbeat, the acid was already in front of his face.

Am I going to die?!

"Woof!"

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