Chapter 34

The evacuation was anything but orderly. Lieutenant Parker's soldiers scrambled to keep the civilians moving, but some refused to abandon their personal items. A few held onto large furniture, family portraits, and even heavy cooking pots. One elderly man clutched an ancient gramophone, insisting he couldn't leave it behind, while a young woman struggled to carry bags of books.

"Leave it!" one soldier shouted, prying a bulky bag filled with silverware from a woman's hands as she tried to drag it through the street. "We don't have time for this!"

Others held on to crates of food supplies, as if clinging to any sense of normalcy amidst the chaos. Frustrated, Parker barked over his radio, urging his men to prioritize speed over belongings, but even with these orders, the evacuation crawled forward far slower than he had hoped.

Tensions flared as some civilians outright refused to leave. Parker clenched his jaw, taking a deep breath before approaching a cluster of people who were muttering among themselves. One older man stepped forward, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You're lying to us," he accused, voice trembling. "You soldiers just want our land for yourselves! There's no danger, is there?"

Parker raised his hands in a calming gesture, though inside he was running out of patience. "I understand your doubts, but please, this isn't about taking your homes. There's a real threat—a dangerous creature lurking underground. Our priority is getting you all to safety."

But the mistrust ran deep, and some others crossed their arms, scoffing at his words. "If there's really a threat, why haven't we seen it ourselves?" one woman demanded.

"We didn't want to alarm you before we were certain," Parker replied. "But now, it's undeniable. The sooner we get you out of here, the safer you'll be."

Nobody from that group listened to him. One older man sneered as other civilians moved past him, shaking his head. "Running like scared mice!" he scoffed, his voice loud enough to be heard. "The soldiers just want the town for themselves. We've handled worse than this!"

Another woman chimed in, rolling her eyes as she watched others gathering their belongings. "You think they're saving us? They're just trying to control us!"

A younger man went a step further, stepping directly in the path of one soldier, deliberately obstructing his way. "Who do you think you are, huh? This is our town, not your playground!" he jeered, earning a few nods of agreement from the others standing by.

Lieutenant Parker tried to keep his frustration in check, taking a deep breath before addressing them calmly. "I understand your concerns, but this isn't a choice. Staying here puts everyone in danger, including yourselves."

But his words seemed to fuel their defiance even more. "Danger?" the older man barked with a mocking laugh. "You're the ones making this a danger, filling people's heads with fear."

Parker's patience wore thin, and he gave a subtle nod to his men to start ushering the more cooperative civilians forward. He knew time was running out, and every second of delay could spell disaster.

Some of the defiant ones continued to mutter and throw insults, even mocking those who had joined the convoy, but Parker and his men pressed on, doing what they could to get as many as possible to safety.

A sudden tremor rippled through the ground, sending dust and small stones skittering across the road. Civilians halted mid-step, gripping onto whatever they could for balance, their faces etched with panic. The soldiers immediately snapped to attention, hands instinctively tightening on their weapons, eyes scanning the area.

Lieutenant Parker's voice cut through the tension. "Everyone, stay calm and keep moving. Soldiers, form a perimeter around the civilians! Eyes on the ground—watch for any movement."

But before he could give further orders, another tremor pulsed, more intense than the first. A low rumbling echoed beneath their feet, followed by a faint, chilling sound—like the grinding of countless legs against rock. A soldier's voice crackled over the radio, fear evident in his tone. "Sir... I think they're moving closer."

Parker's heart pounded as he watched a faint line of disturbed earth snaking toward them, the creatures closing in fast. "Move! Get everyone to the evacuation points now!"

Almost as if responding to Parker's order, the ground erupted with sudden, gaping sinkholes that began to expand outward in all directions. Soil and rocks collapsed inward, swallowing patches of earth and vegetation, creating jagged craters that quickly widened. The once-firm ground beneath the civilians and soldiers turned into a shifting, unstable landscape.

Screams broke out among the townspeople as they stumbled backward, trying to avoid the growing chasms. Soldiers fought to maintain order, urgently guiding civilians away from the danger zones, but the sinkholes multiplied too quickly. Parker yelled into his radio, "All units, regroup at the evacuation points! Pull civilians back—avoid the open ground!"

Then, from one of the largest sinkholes, a glistening, segmented body appeared—a miniature Terragnath, with mandibles snapping and countless legs clawing its way up, one after another, all hungry and driven by the vibrations. Parker gritted his teeth, realizing they were no longer in control of this evacuation; the creatures had forced their hand.

"Command, this is Parker! We've got an outbreak of smaller Terragnaths at Crestfall, multiple hostiles emerging! Immediate backup needed!"

...

The air was filled with deafening gunfire as the soldiers unleashed round after round on the miniature Terragnaths clawing their way out of the sinkholes.

"Focus your shots low, aim for their undersides!" Parker shouted over the gunfire, his voice a steady anchor amidst the chaos.

As the soldiers fired on the emerging Terragnaths, they quickly realized these creatures were more resilient than anticipated. Bullets sparked and ricocheted off the thick, hardened carapace of the smaller Terragnaths, which only seemed to anger the creatures, making them more relentless in their approach. Each impact made a dent, but it took repeated, concentrated fire before the shells began to crack, finally allowing bullets to pierce through to the vulnerable flesh beneath.

"Focus fire!" Parker barked, his voice sharp with urgency. "Target the same spot until the armor cracks!"

The soldiers followed his lead, adjusting their tactics. It took several rounds, even entire magazines, to break through a single creature's shell. With each successful kill, a creature let out a guttural, almost mechanical shriek as it collapsed back into the hole it came from.

But despite their efforts, the ground remained a churning pit of chaos. The Terragnaths surged out faster than they could be neutralized, each creature pushing forward in waves, grabbing anyone too close to the edges of the sinkholes.

Several unlucky soldiers and civilians found themselves seized by these monstrous appendages, their frantic pleas fading as they were dragged into the yawning chasms below.

Among the first taken were those civilians who had refused to evacuate earlier, their stubbornness turned to terror as they were pulled beneath the earth, struggling against an inevitable end. Their cries echoed briefly, hauntingly, then vanished as if swallowed by the ground itself.

The remaining civilians clung tightly to their loved ones, desperately trying to put space between themselves and the monstrous onslaught. Parents shielded their children, holding them close as the creatures inched closer.

Yet, in the frantic rush, many were blindsided by the sudden collapse of earth beneath them. Some stumbled, others fell, and a few disappeared in an instant, leaving only the shocked silence of those who had watched helplessly.

The soldiers fought valiantly, reaching out to pull people away from the crumbling edges, straining against the tide of panic. They held fast to anyone within arm's reach, dragging them back from the brink with gritted teeth and raw determination. But the creatures were relentless, clawing their way forward, their monstrous legs tearing through the ground in pursuit of more victims.

With each desperate attempt to contain the situation, the soldiers found their grasp slipping. They tried to form barriers, to hold the line, but the onslaught was unstoppable. The ground churned beneath them, and with every passing second, the night grew darker, consumed by the horrors clawing up from below.

One soldier, gripping his rifle with trembling hands, emptied his magazine into a Terragnath that had broken through their line. The creature finally collapsed, but not before it had taken two civilians with it, their screams echoing briefly before fading into the depths.

"Pull back!" Parker ordered, voice hoarse. "We can't hold them here!"

The soldiers began to fall back, forming a protective ring around the remaining civilians, their eyes wide with horror yet resolute, knowing the urgency of escaping this unending nightmare.

As the last of the civilians clambered into the M1083s and other transport vehicles, the soldiers moved with swift efficiency, scrambling up onto the trucks while providing covering fire. Their shots were carefully aimed, each one slowing the advancing creatures long enough to secure the final retreat.

With a brief shout from Parker, the convoy roared to life, engines thundering as the vehicles accelerated away from the carnage. Dust and debris kicked up as they sped forward, creating a barrier between them and the relentless creatures emerging from the ground.

Just moments after the convoy cleared the perimeter, the unmistakable sound of rotary blades filled the air as a squadron of Apache helicopters swooped down, their powerful rotors creating a vortex of dust.

The pilots wasted no time, unloading a barrage of firepower onto the swarm of smaller Terragnaths below. The landscape became a deadly canvas of explosions and tracer fire, the helicopters' chain guns and missiles tearing through the advancing creatures with brutal precision.

Each explosion sent chunks of chitin and gore flying in all directions, temporarily halting the surge of Terragnaths. From his position at the front of the convoy, Parker could see the Apaches effectively holding the line, their suppressive fire creating a buffer between the retreating convoy and the encroaching horde.

Yet, even as the creatures fell, more emerged from the sinkholes and surrounding forest, undeterred by their fallen kin. Parker, watching from the back of his transport, felt a mix of relief and lingering dread.

They had narrowly escaped, but he knew this was only the beginning. The resilience and numbers of these smaller Terragnaths hinted at a threat much larger and more widespread than any of them had anticipated.

As the convoy sped farther away, he keyed his radio and reported to command, "Crestfall evac successful, but the Terragnath infestation is worse than we thought. Command, these creatures are relentless. We need more firepower if we're to contain this."

...

At Fort Sentinel, John gripped the edge of the control panel, watching the live drone feed as the evacuation unfolded with desperate urgency. Civilians and soldiers alike scrambled into vehicles, ducking as bullets flew, while the relentless swarm of smaller Terragnaths poured from freshly formed sinkholes across the field. The creatures moved with terrifying speed, tearing through the ground and closing in on the retreating convoy.

John's hand hovered over the radio to call out HIMARS, tension coiled within him. A missile barrage could potentially stop the creatures in their tracks, giving the convoy a critical window to escape. But with his people so close to the creatures, the strike would be just as deadly to them as it would be to the enemy.

"Come on, just a little more," John muttered, his gaze locked on the drone feed. He knew they couldn't last long against the swarm without air support, but ordering a missile attack now was a gamble he couldn't afford to make.

The radio crackled to life, bringing Parker's voice through the static. "Commander, we're taking heavy pressure here! They're all around us!"

John took a steadying breath and replied, voice low but resolute. "Hold on, Parker. Apaches are inbound; keep everyone moving. The moment you're clear, I'll hit them with everything we've got."

As if on cue, the thundering roar of Apache helicopters filled the air. John felt a surge of relief as the Apaches descended over Crestfall, their mounted cannons and rocket pods trained on the writhing masses of mini Terragnaths below.

The helicopters unleashed a torrent of firepower, shredding through the advancing creatures and halting their momentum. Fiery explosions rocked the earth, and thick smoke billowed upward, obscuring the chaotic battlefield.

The relentless barrage provided just the cover Parker and his soldiers needed. Seizing the opportunity, they urged the convoy forward, vehicles away at top speed. Soldiers clambered aboard, some firing back in short, controlled bursts to keep the creatures at bay as they climbed.

"Convoy is moving out, Commander!" Parker's voice came through, laced with determination.

Watching from the base, John kept his focus, counting every precious second the Apaches bought them. This was their window, and he knew every moment mattered.

Without missing a beat, John keyed his radio, voice steady and urgent. "Missile team, load M30 rockets with submunitions. I want every strike calculated. Awaiting my mark."

On the other end, the team swiftly initiated the launch sequence, prepping the M30 rockets. Designed for precision, the M30 rockets could release submunitions over a spread area, delivering devastating effects across clusters of targets. With the convoy moving to a safe distance and the Apaches clearing the way, John waited for just the right moment, monitoring every movement through live drone feeds and field reports.

Seconds later, he gave the order: "Fire!"

The missile team launched the M30 rockets, arcing high into the sky before descending in calculated bursts. Each rocket unleashed its payload, raining down submunitions across the mini Terragnaths below, engulfing their lines in waves of explosions. The creatures writhed and scattered, their advance disrupted by the powerful blasts, while Parker's convoy continued to push further away from the chaos.

...

As the convoy rolled into Havenbrook under the dimming twilight, Lieutenant Parker and his weary soldiers were met by figures clad in hazmat suits. The faint orange glow from nearby lights cast eerie reflections off their visors, adding to the weight of the moment.

One of the hazmat-suited officers stepped forward, raising a gloved hand to signal them to stop. "Welcome to Havenbrook," he announced, his voice slightly muffled by the respirator. "Everyone, please dismount and proceed in an orderly line. We'll need to conduct individual screenings for potential contamination."

Parker exchanged a look with his soldiers, nodding to encourage them as they began filing out of the vehicles. Many of them wore expressions of exhaustion, but also relief—each was grateful to have made it this far. The civilians, though wary and tense, followed suit, clutching their remaining belongings tightly.

The medics and researchers moved methodically, using handheld scanners to inspect each person from head to toe, while others prepared disinfectant sprays and quarantine tents nearby. Any sign of infection, even the smallest scrape or discoloration, was scrutinized under the harsh glow of floodlights.

The final count came in: 3,650 civilians from Crestfall had made it safely to Havenbrook, out of an original population nearing 5,000. Though the relief of survival was palpable, there was also a deep sense of loss as the numbers sank in.

As the final clearance was given, John, who had been silently observing the screening from the sidelines, approached Lieutenant Parker. The lieutenant, worn and weary from the ordeal, immediately straightened up, offering a crisp salute despite the exhaustion evident in his stance.

John returned the salute with a nod of respect. "You did well, Parker," he said, his voice carrying a rare warmth. "I know it wasn't easy out there."

Parker dropped his hand and replied, "Thank you, sir. We got as many out as we could." His voice held a trace of sadness, reflecting the heavy losses suffered along the way.

John put a hand on his shoulder. "You did what was necessary. We saved lives today, and that matters."

With a quick gesture, John signaled a group of soldiers, who immediately began moving toward the civilians, arms loaded with food supplies, blankets, and portable tents.

John addressed the weary crowd. "Everyone, please follow the soldiers. They'll guide you to spots where you can rest for the night," he announced, his voice carrying steady reassurance.

The civilians, exhausted but grateful, moved as directed, guided to designated areas near the main barracks. The soldiers assisted families in setting up tents and distributed food, offering comforting smiles and warm words where they could.

After overseeing the civilians' temporary settlement, John turned his attention to Lieutenant Parker and his team, who stood at attention nearby. He stepped forward, his expression one of sincere gratitude.

"Lieutenant Parker, you and your soldiers have done an incredible job," John said firmly, meeting each soldier's gaze. "Thank you for your resilience and bravery. You've brought hundreds to safety, and that's no small feat."

Parker gave a respectful nod. "Just doing our duty, sir."

John returned the nod, a hint of pride in his eyes. "You've earned a well-deserved rest. Consider yourselves dismissed—get some sleep. You'll need your strength for whatever comes next."

Parker and his team saluted before dispersing, the weight of the last few days showing in their tired steps as they headed toward their quarters.