Chapter 52

Coiled into a fluffy ball of fur, Chloe raised her head, panting with her tongue out. A small pair of hands caressed her silky fur, running across smoothly like the gentle ocean waves.

Free-standing watchtowers surrounded the premises of the military outpost, roughly constructed and mounted with turrets. Stiff cables attached the fortified towers to the barbed fencing and neighbouring infrastructure, barricading the obelisk with seemingly impenetrable defences.

Yet, this very facility, probably the most secure region in Sap-East City, was breached by an unknown man, his title blatantly displayed at the vertex of the highest structure in the world.

A man who goes by the nickname — The Sinner.

"Kansan, you were here when the culprit invaded right?"

Kansan jolted his head towards Mary. He stood upright like a soldier on duty, his newly collected rifle tilted downwards to prevent unintentional discharge.

"Walked right out of the centrepiece when he breached through our defences. He was fast and efficient. A speeding jet." Pausing to recall the memories a day before, Kansan winced. "Never seen anything like that before, dodging bullets and tearing through metals…"

Mary kept her gaze on Chloe, untangling a clot of fur knotted by dirt. "Did you manage to catch a glimpse? I wasn't present that day, probably playing somewhere around the camp or else I would have been rushing to meet this mystery man."

"No." Kansas shook his head. "He was fully cloaked in black, from head to toe. Goggles. No weapons. And he was too fast, darted past me before I could react…" He clenched his fist, chewing on his words. "It was cool but humbling. Made me realize that my superspeed is nothing in comparison."

"Hmm…" Mary gave a brief response, her hands still stroking Chloe's silky fur.

The howling gales wept. Tinged with stifling distraught, the air was heavy, weighing down on fatigued men and women dragging themselves to their respective quarters. Messengers maneuvered between tents and facilities hastily, galvanizing the military settlement into high alert. Personals abandoned their tasks at hand, seeking shelter and coverage under the metallic infrastructures that guarded the central obelisk, perplexed and puzzled with uncertainty.

The already jet-black sky dimmed, enhancing the milky veil blanketing the hectic city.

Mary observed the darkness high above, moonlight splashing on her youthful features. "It's about time." She muttered.

"About time for what?"

"The second wave."

A vibrant dot appeared alongside the gloom clouds, barely perceivable. The colourful dot expanded unbridledly, seeping through the monochromatic night sky, paint furbelowing an empty page into a piece of art.

"Affirmative. Alpha is sweeping through block 21."

"Delta?"

"Delta has reported. Block 27 has been cleared, civilians evacuated."

"Good job. Reports on Tango?"

"Suffered several casualties. Injured members currently seeking medical attention…"

Toppled canisters leaked sugary toppings as wandering ants transported chocolate sprinkles and fruit bits with their jaws. Tubs of ice cream used for display were replaced by a viscous liquid, melted into a raging mess and layering over the metal containers. Without electricity, what used to be a common delicacy could no longer retain its shape as they succumb to room temperature.

As aged sweetness lurked in the air, several figures exchanged reports in the abandoned ice cream shop, shutter door sealing the main entrance. They were shielded heavily in riot gear, dents and marks wounding their protective armour.

Intentionally lowering their volume, the men's bulky equipment rarely shuffled when they gestured, subdued to the extreme.

"Immediately allocate 3 sets of Category 1 soul fragments. We need to minimize casualties."

"Understood, commander."

Receiving his command, one man retreated into the haunting backrooms of the ice cream shop where the back gate remained ajar, bloody bodies of zombified employees and customers piling on the floor along the way.

"Any news about Oscar?" Training his fiery eyes onto another man who wore an 'O' shaped emblem on his shoulder pad, the commander grumbled with authority.

"No… commander. Oscar has been unresponsive."

Clenching onto the barrel of his bloody rifle, his arms quivered from applying too much strength. The man gritted his teeth. "We've lost all contact with the team. Block 24, uncleared…"

"Stop."

Suddenly, the commander grunted, jerking his head upwards. Squinting his puffy eyes, the ceiling above him seemed to quake.

Rumbling broke the tense silence.

The thunderous noise was getting louder and fiercer with every passing second. Feeling a phantom pressure drilling into his forehead, the commander frowned with unease.

The uncanny disturbance… was approaching.

"Commander, what—" The man wearing an "O" shaped emblem uttered. He pointed his rifle towards the roof where the ceiling fan trembled.

But before he could finish his sentence, a fissure formed.

Following a rapidly approaching siren, the fissure expanded into a massive hole as an object blasted through the ceiling, infiltrating the discreet meeting.

In the blink of an eye, the riot helmet designed to protect the human skull disintegrated into metal scraps and the man's head exploded. Chunks of brain matter and blood splattered across the shocked face around the standing table as the comrade they once knew lay dead on the dusty floor of an abandoned ice cream shop.

"TAKE COVER!"

Witnessing the jagged boulder embedded into his subordinate's skull, the commander roared while he dove behind the counter, crushing a few ants in the process of transporting sweets.

Meteorites shrouded in palpable waves struck the earth, creating destruction and havoc. Ducking under coverage, his arms coiled around his head as meteorites of all shapes and sizes whistled past him like speeding bullets.

Wails of despair slithered into his ears. The brothers whom he has been through thick and thin together were dying left and right, destroyed like the puny ants underneath him.

Yet there was nothing he could do about it…

"Bro, did you hear something?" A young soldier murmured as he patted a fellow soldier's shoulder.

Walking in formation, a team of well-equipped soldiers surrounded a group of nervous survivors.

"We just cleared the residential block. There's nothing alive back there anymore." Replying with assurance, the soldier ignored his worry. "Probably just a bush rustling in the wind."

"If you say so…"

As they exited the sheltered corridors of the residential complex, the expanding artwork in the sky caught their attention. Myriad of colours danced in the dark sky while fleets of material plummeted down, whistling a tune that rendered the eerie night euphonious.

Snarls of aggression and bloodlust intensified as meteorites made contact with the civilization below. The dying city increased its already deadly pace as bloodthirsty zombies gouged out the remaining hiding humans, feasting under the majestic aurora.

Amidst the shower, a particularly large meteorite diverted from the swarm, diving straight into the building that the soldiers had just evacuated from. Burning wreckage forced the group to scramble, avoiding the falling debris.

"Attention Delta, we've got company!" A frantic voice alerted the members and they immediately turned their rifles behind.

Jittering silhouettes of zombies crept out from the "empty" apartment complex, their heavy footsteps clamouring in the hollow corridors.

Without a command or order, the group had already begun tucking the triggers. Bullets sailed through the air, lodging deep into the flesh. Sparks and flashes carved out the stern expressions of every soldier, reflecting off the nervous beads of perspiration sliding down their faces.

However, the lethal bullets that once penetrated through zombies with ease seemed to regress as the undead monsters fought through fatal injuries.

Unloading his rifle into an approaching zombie, a soldier cursed angrily. "Son of a bitch! They require twice the ammunition to take down! The rainbow fuckery is enhancing these zombies in some way!"

"We won't make it back to camp at this rate of consumption!"

Snapping bullets drowned the weak voices of concern as they fended off the feral monsters, uncertain of their future.