3. Home sweet hell

As they make their way to Sector 13, the Red Sector, they pass through Sector 10, where they are stopped by another platoon.

"Please exit the vehicles." says the platoon's lieutenant.

"Is something wrong?" Rex asks as he exits the car.

"Ah, Rex, it's you. I noticed that you're headed to Sector 13. The captain plans to close that road to prevent demons from reaching Sector 10. Sectors 11 and 12 seem to be planning something similar. Demons have started to breach the walls of Sector 13 again." the lieutenant from Sector 10 explains.

"I don't think we can do that." Rex responds.

"Young sir, I'll ask you to move the vehicles and soldiers more quickly; we want to finish our journey as soon as possible." Dr. Romanov interjects.

"But..." the Sector 10 lieutenant begins.

"Let them pass!" a voice from behind the platoon calls.

"What?... Captain... Understood, make way, let them pass." the Sector 10 lieutenant says.

"Safe travels!" Captain Killian, the leader of Sector 10, an imposing figure with a grin on his face, bids them farewell.

Twenty minutes after their encounter with the Sector 10 military, Rex says: "Ladies, can you wake the other two? We've entered Sector 13 territory."

"Hey, you drunkards, open your eyes!" Hope yells, but without any results, as the two of them, shoulder to shoulder, continue to sleep soundly.

"I don't know why you bother talking to these two animals." Rozalia says, throwing a bucket of water in their faces.

"Ha?! Ha?!" Guardiol exclaims.

"Huh?! What happened?!" Nick exclaims.

"They are hopeless..." - Rozalia

"Rozi, you shouldn't have thrown water; we don't know what supplies are left in Sector 13." - Hope

"Don't worry, it was just the water from the bucket, not drinkable. We would have used it to wash." Rozalia explains.

"I need to use the bathroom, I can't hold it any longer." Nick says, jumping out of the car.

"M-me too!" Guardiol says, following him.

Rex stops the car at that moment, and everyone else gets out of the vehicle. With teary eyes, Hope says: "What's going on here? Why is everything in ruins? People seem to be starving."

"Well, miss, this is what happens when a sector falls; the people around the defense point suffer. They have to hide from the demons that destroy their crops and kill their fellow people. This is what the world has been like for the last 50 years. Castilla didn't exist 30 years ago, people were on their own in this apocalyptic landscape. But, regardless, man has always done it to himself." Dr. Romanov explains.

"What do you mean by that, doctor?" Hope asks.

"It doesn't matter. Give these people water and food." Dr. Romanov says.

"We don't have enough even for ourselves if we don't find provisions in the central bunker." Rozalia adds.

"We will need these people, miss. Do you think you can fight the hordes and repair the breached walls at the same time with just seven people?" Dr. Romanov asks.

At that moment, they start distributing water and food to the people.

"Come on, Rex, go!" Dr. Romanov urges.

"People, we came here to free this sector and its surroundings from demons, and we will, but after we succeed, we will need your help and that of your friends. We all have to work together to repair the walls that demons are breaching. Don't worry; we won't call you until we're 100% certain of your safety!" Rex says.

An older man with tears in his eyes approaches Rex and says, "We will do whatever it takes to protect our children and survive, even when you leave us alone to be slaughtered by demons and die of hunger."

At that moment, Rex freezes, and everyone else is left speechless, except for...

"It wasn't us, old man. Don't compare us to the other military groups. I hope this message sticks with you. I'm Nickolas, the leader of the Crimson Squad, the front line of the Red Platoon. No demon will make me retreat!" Nick with an angry face.

"You have our guarantee that we won't retreat, but we must hurry. You should know we'll be waiting for your help in two days at first light in the front of outer wall." - Dr. Romanov

"Is he crazy? He wants us to liberate the entire sector in less than two days?" - Rozalia to Rex

"I've stopped questioning his words. All I know is that his predictions are usually accurate enough. I suppose you should do the same; we're soldiers." - Rex

Everyone gets back into the car and reaches the main gate of the central circle.

"Let me explain some of the differences between the two sectors. Firstly, Sector 13, or as it's now called, the Red Sector, has been abandoned for a long time, so we have no information on supplies or how many demons have infiltrated it at this point, even though the central circle was once cleared by the Crimson Squad. Secondly, Sector 7 didn't have this central circle; the bunker entrances were directly inside the sector. Thirdly, together with Sectors 6, 10, and 12, it has an outer wall that prevents demons from coming into contact with humans. Right now, both walls have been destroyed by demons, so the plan is quite simple. We'll free the area from the inside to the outside immediately when we arrive, and then we'll search for supplies and rest. After that, we'll first rebuild the outer wall, and the inner one can be reconditioned once we've secured the perimeter. Any questions?" - Dr. Romanov explains.

"Yes, how are we going to do this?" - Hope asks.

"For starters, we'll liberate the inner circle as soon as we arrive. After that, we'll look for supplies and rest. Tomorrow, we'll take care of the entire sector." Dr. Romanov responds.

"Do you think we can reclaim the entire sector from the demons in just one day?" - Rozalia asks.

"One day and one night, so make sure to get a good night's sleep tonight. Tomorrow will be a long day." Dr. Romanov says.

With an expression devoid of any emotion, Nick adds: "I'll sleep well tonight; I'm hungover, after all."

"M-me too.." Guardiol with a droopy face.

"We've arrived!" - Rex

"Girls, go and search for supplies. Guardiol, let's go!" Nick said, getting out of the car. He started running towards the demons in the inner circle.

"Keep some for me as well." Guardiol, moving slowly. He took his shield in his left hand and his sword in his right hand and followed Nick on his way to the demons.

"How arrogant can these boys be?" Rozalia raised her left eyebrow.

"They are right. We can open the bunker and start arrangements." Rex suggested.

"We have to go." Dr. Romanov said.

"What's that smell and this air?" Hope asked with a worried look.

In the distance, a loud voice was heard: "Death, sis! That's how death feels!" Nick said, with wide-open eyes and a grin on his face.

"It's a war zone after all. Even if the area was cleared of corpses, you can't eliminate death from the air so easily. We'll deal with that in the coming days." Rex explained.

"Dr. Romanov, what do we see in the sky?" Max asked, looking at the colors above them, a sky formed by green and red gases constantly solidifying.

"This is humanity's final sin against divinity." Dr. Romanov said, his eyes slightly moist.

After entering the inner circle, those responsible for searching for supplies were greeted by the two swordsmen.

"The inner circle is officially demon-free, how are the searches going?" - Nick

"We managed to find some supplies, but they won't be enough to share with all the people. We'll barely last a month with these." Rozalia said, disappointed.

"That's right. If we don't regain control of Sector 13 soon, it will be lost forever." - Rex

"Did you choose our rooms, Rex?" Nick asked.

"We got the first rooms, and the girls got the ones below." Rex replied.

"It's good that you adapted so quickly." Dr. Romanov commented.

"You call this adapting?" Nick muttered under his breath.

"It's still very early; we'll liberate the outer circle today." Dr. Romanov explained.

"Seriously? That sounds impossible, even in two days! What is this old man thinking?" Rozalia said, looking irritated.

"Uhh, I'm getting used to his craziness." Hope sighed.

"Ha! Ha! I love the old man's ambition!" Guardiol laughed.

"Dr. Romanov, can we help too?" Sofia asked.

"Of course, the whole team will be in the field to liberate Sector 13. Well, all of us except me, I'll stay here to address the supply issues, we need to add some color to this place. Rex, you're in charge. You have until dusk, so you can make camp by the wall and wait there." Dr. Romanov instructed.

"Are you suggesting that I should take the children? Take care of them while I'm liberating an entire sector from demons?" Rex asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"Just make sure they don't have to take care of you. You can go." Dr. Romanov said with an arrogant tone.

"Alright... We need to check if we can find a combat vehicle, the one we came in doesn't offer enough space." Rex continued.

"I beat you to it; I found one while we were eliminating demons, including something nice." Nick said happily.

It took them 20 minutes to prepare for departure. At the exit of the inner circle, they made their battle plan.

"Alright! Guardiol, can you drive? That way, the rest of us, who use firearms, can do our jobs on the move." Rex said.

"Sure, but don't keep me away from the action for too long." Guardiol replied.

"At last, we can finally say he's not completely useless." Rozalia remarked.

"What did you say?!" Guardiol asked with a puzzled and slightly irritated look.

Rex continued the explanations: "Perfect! Max, you'll be on Guardiol's right, using the radar. That way, we won't miss any demon areas. We'll go in a circular motion, slowly advancing towards the outer area. I want you, Rozalia, to use your small arms, not forcing the use of the sniper. You and Sofia will shoot from the rear, and Hope and I will cover from the front."

"What about Nick?" Hope asked.

They heard from a distance: "Did you call me?" Nick, with an eager voice.

After drawing everyone's attention, he said, "I'd like to introduce you to my new love" reaching out his hands towards a motorcycle.

"Wow, that's cool!" Max exclaimed.

"It's not fair, I want one too." Guardiol said.

"He said he found something nice, and he was right." Rex said.

"Hmm?" Sofia looking confused.

The girls, bowing their heads:

"Men and their toys..." - Hope.

"I won't say anything more..." - Rozalia

On the road, it didn't take long for them to encounter hordes of demons patrolling the outer circle. Using the radar, Max, positioned on the right of the driver, Guardiol, and in direct contact with Nick, using communication devices, guided the team.

"Hey, Rex! Good idea to let the kid use the radar. I don't think anything will escape us. I see Nick is quite happy he doesn't have to share the demons with us." Guardiol said, chuckling.

"Maybe you're right; the kid really seems to have a knack for it." Rex replied. But his thoughts were elsewhere: "It's the first time we're using the radar in a mission. I thought it would trick him into not bothering us. Old man, you surprised me once again. And the girl doesn't seem to be doing too badly either. Maybe we could go somewhere with this team after all."

"You've got some skill, young lady, for a beginner. You're hitting moving targets quite well. But I doubt you can do much from a distance, can you?" Rozalia asked.

"It's different..." Sofia began.

"Rozi, leave the girl alone. It's her first time shooting anywhere other than the firing range inside the bunker. There weren't such extensive areas there." Hope intervened.

"What?! She hasn't been to the training camp? She's only trained with the bunker's targets?" Rozalia asked.

"She hasn't left the bunker at all until now." Hope replied.

At that moment, Rozalia had the following thoughts: "Before I joined the training camp, I couldn't hit almost anything with just the bunker training. No, it's not just about me; I was quite skilled. It's not easy to shoot while concentrating demonic power... This girl is definitely talented."

Following their unexpectedly good teamwork, they managed to clear the outer ring by sunset. Officially, there was not a single demon left in Sector 13 a day before the deadline.

"We have to stay the night here to prevent other demons from entering. We'll take turns on guard duty. Guardiol, you can take the kids back to the inner circle." Rex said.

"What?" Guardiol asked.

"Were you not clear on that?" Rex replied.

"Are you sure, Rexi?" Rozalia asked.

"We want to stay! We're part of the team now!" Max said, lifting his head, with Sofia holding his hand. At that moment, Sofia approached him and took his hand.

"We're staying!" Sofia said.

To avoid any further unwelcome discussions, Hope went to Rex, grabbed his shoulder, and whispered something in his ear. Rex remained displeased, but surprisingly, he said nothing more.

"Hello, do you like wasting time?" Nick asked.

"What do you want, Nickolas?" Rozalia asked.

"Nickolas? Oh, Rozi, we're being so formal, I don't like it. Let's get some rest. I found two cabins very close on the other side of the crack in the wall. I'll take the first watch with the kid." Nick said with a slight smile.

"Okay, let's go! We'll take shifts of 4 hours each. You go first, followed by Rozalia and Guardiol, and then it will be my turn with Hope." Rex said.

"W-what?! Why did you put me on a shift with him?" Rozalia exclaimed.

"Strategy." Rex replied.

"What?!" Rozalia said.

"Rozi, that's enough!" Hope said, giving Rozalia an insistent look.

"Okay, I guess I can endure ignoring him for 4 hours." Rozalia said.

"As if I'd talk to you." Guardiol added.

The first two shifts passed without any significant events. Nick sipped from his bottle as he told Max about the world outside and stories from before the end of days, with Max listening in admiration. Guardiol didn't wake Rozalia, taking the shift alone. However, the two from the previous shift, Nick and Max, stayed with him, talking together.

"Guardiol, it's our turn. You can go to sleep." Rex said.

"Oh, sure..." Guardiol replied.

"And please, take the two of them with you." Rex added, seeing Max and Nick asleep on the ground next to Guardiol.

Guardiol got up, taking each of them by an arm, and headed towards the cabin.

"Listen, Rex, do you think we'll succeed?" Hope asked.

"Succeed in what?" Rex replied.

"In life, Rex. If we survive long enough for it to matter if we make a difference in this world. Because... Sometimes, I feel like we're fighting windmills... I wish everyone could be happy." - Hope with an innocent expression looking to the sky.

"Only time can answer these questions, and we, as soldiers, will be more effective if we ask fewer questions." - Rex with a serious expression.

"Did you hear what I whispered in your ear earlier, Rex?" - Hope asks.

"Somewhat, I suppose I misunderstood." Rex said.

"I don't think you misunderstood. I said that—" - Hope, when Rex suddenly turns his head in the opposite direction and says, "Let's take turns, 2 hours each, I feel like I didn't wake up well, can I sleep first?"

"Y-yes, you can..." - Hope with a disappointed look.

Lost in thought, Hope loses her concentration and stares blankly ahead. At that moment, the ground shakes strongly, jolting her.

Hope screams loudly: "Rex, wake up! Earthquake! They're coming!"