BXBX NOVEL Chapter 64: For the Fallen
Whatever energy sent me here, I felt a strong push that forced me to my knees. Lights accompanied my transfer, so I could barely see through the blinding flashes. After a few moments however, it all disappeared. I opened my eyes and tried to reorient myself.
I was in a wasteland with hardly anything in it. There was a single, lonely, two-story house in the middle. The sky was dark, but the house had some lanterns along its walls that helped me see a little.
The sounds of gruttal roars and skittering feet told me that I had arrived. The next thing I needed to know was what the situation was and how many bodies I should bury. As I stood up, I suddenly heard a monotonous female voice.
[Reaper NA20230799-FRM, Welcome to Zone 1063-2. I am your personal Artificial Intelligence for Reconnaissance and Analysis Version 7.1, you may call me Aira. Pleasure to meet you].
Artificial intelligence? Was Aira like Iron Man's Jarvis? When did I get her? How can she even talk to me?
"Your confusion is understandable. I was installed on your GRI the moment you joined the Death Seekers. I speak to you through bone induction. When you are sent into the Hellsgate Zones, the GRI handsets go into battle mode where they change to earpieces."
I checked to see if I had anything on my ear and noticed that a clip-like device fit snugly behind my right ear. Which was both cool and convenient when you think about it.
"Thanks for the explanation Aira, can you tell me about the situation? Are there any survivors? How many undead are there?"
[Certainly Reaper NA20230799-FRM. There were three Wraiths and one Phantom deployed in this zone. All of them were killed in battle. There are currently two hundred rank-F undead led by a rank-E Chief].
'Four reapers died just like that. I wonder if they knew they would not survive the night.'
I said a silent prayer, wishing them peace in the afterlife. A rank-E chief was a normal zombie who could lead and think. Its body was the same as a Normie, but the ability to command others made it a formidable enemy, especially when it led a large group.
"Is there anything else of note, Aira? Do you know the last location of the Chief?"
[None Reaper NA20230799-FRM, battle records indicate that the Chief repeatedly attacked this location, slowly learning the zone's weaknesses. The defenders failed to kill it each time, allowing the undead to adapt to its tactics. Its current location was unknown.]
Even though the battle had a time limit, they repeatedly failed to kill the biggest threat. The chief was probably smart enough to retreat and learn. No wonder the defenders were overwhelmed.
From the mercenary download, I learned that each zone was protected by a high-tech barrier made of souls.
Whenever a zone was attacked, the undead would breach the barrier, allowing them to enter. However, the barrier had a self-repairing function. As long as the undead were dying and the Phantom was alive, the souls from the battle would be used to close the breach.
Eventually it would seal the zone once again. This created time-based battles between the Reapers and the undead.
For mercenaries, however, this was not the case. Normally, the Soul Barrier would be down for good if we attacked zones that had already fallen.
So the Death Seekers fought without a time limit, and we fought until there was nothing left to kill.
"Well, it is not like I can find and kill that bastard right away. {Save}. {Draw} M26. {Mage}. And I lack the patience to wait for the Chief to show up. I'll just do what I do best."
[I will keep an eye out for it, Reaper NA20230799-FRM].
"Can't you do something about the way you call me, Aira?"
[How would you like to be addressed? There are over ten thousand Reapers named John Smith].
"Then call me by my Graveyard Id."
[Understood, Limitless. Good hunting.]
I then threw the grenade in a random spot and pulled out the M60. I got down on the ground and used a prone firing position. As the grenade exploded, the area suddenly went deadly silent.
"Come and get it, you bastards. There was no need to find you in the first place. The freedom buffet is open for business."
After a moment, the sounds of a stampede rang out. Hundreds of feet stomped on the ground at the same time, making small tremors. The effect was noticeable as they all moved towards my position.
When I arrived earlier, I checked if there were any zombies around me, As there weren't any, they must have gathered where the defenders had made their last stand.
Of course, this meant that if they were called, they would all come from the same place.
The machine gun class of firearms was designed to defend fortifications. Their poor aim was negated by the ability to fire a lot of bullets continuously over a long period of time.
So what would happen if you had stupid as hell zombies charging at a weapon designed to kill people en masse? The answer was...
"A fucking turkey shoot."
I rested my shoulder on the gun as I removed the safety. In the dim light of the house, I could see the flood of bodies rushing toward me. Even though it was dark, {Mage}'s vision was so good that the lighting didn't matter.
The sound of the M60's iconic ratatat filled the air. Armor-piercing 7.62 NATO rounds were flying at over 2,800 ft/s. The carnage that ensued made me smile like a lunatic.
Heads exploded, bodies were torn apart, limbs were blown off, all while blood soaked the ground. Unable to think, the zombies stumbled over the dead and fell on their faces.
I barely took aim and just swept the M60 over the ones that were still standing. I didn't bother with head shots because with my {Fates} none of them would be able to escape me.
After I wiped out the first wave, I noticed that the second wave suddenly started to spread out. This was the difference between humans and zombies. No army would intentionally gather its men in front of a machine gun. Such a situation meant that the bastard with brains had joined the fight.
With targets spaced apart, my kills naturally dropped significantly. If I hadn't let go of the trigger early on, I would now start firing in bursts. Preoccupied with shooting zombies, I neglected to notice my remaining ammunition until the gun stopped firing.
"Aw shit! Aira! How many zombies are left?"
[There are 127 rank-F and 1 rank-E remaining, Limitless], the AI replied.
Now that the Chief was here, continuing to use the M60 would only immobilize me. So, I stood up, drew the AR15, and invoked {Thief}. I charged at the zombies, firing at them in the nose.
"Shit! If I don't find the Chief, I'm screwed. How the hell am I supposed to find it? Come out like a man, you asshole!"
I fired lead into the zombies as the battle raged on. Despite my attempts to avoid being surrounded, the zombies began to close in on me from all sides like a noose.
I went through two magazines of 5.56 NATO before I switched weapons to the Blade MAC-11s.Using the dual-wielding techniques I had trained in, I fired both MAC-11s in opposite directions.
Instead of sweeping the weapons, I slowly spun around. As body after body fell around me. The area I could move in was drastically shrinking.
'The Chief is fucking annoying. Is it among those here? No, if it was, the bastard wouldn't be able to see the whole battlefield. It must be in a secluded spot with a good view,' I guessed.
When the MAC-11's ran out of ammo, I threw them away and pulled out the 1887 and the MP5SD. But before I could fire, a Normie lunged for my right arm and ripped a chunk off my bicep.
"AHHHHH! YOU STUPID FUCK! {Fighter} AIRA! FIND THE CHIEF!"
I used the MP5SD on my left hand and shot the bastard in the temple. Before I could catch my breath, another Bigfoot attacked me from the front like a linebacker and pinned me to the ground.
Even though, I was pinned with my arm damaged. Due to {Fighter's} resilience, my right hand, was now usable. so, I blew the linebacker wannabe's head off with a 10-gauge slug.
[Searching... Please wait a moment.]
Blood and flesh rained down from the Bigfoot as I struggled to my feet. I then spin cocked the 1887 and exploded more walking corpses.
Using the MP5SD as a sidearm, I fired only short bursts while the 1887 was being chambered. I even managed to bash in a few heads with my shotgun before I was knocked off my feet again.
Shadows began to gather around me as I fought the undead on the ground. After running out of bullets for both weapons in my hands, I called for the 1911's. When the 1911's ran out of bullets, I drew the 629 and the P30L.
"I DON'T HAVE A MOMENT! OUCH! THAT HURT, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
Over and over again I pointed at the heads of the Normies and pulled the trigger. I let them get to me so I could kill them with a single bullet. My body was covered in bites and scratches as the fight intensified. Pain, and relief, shot through my system alternately like drugs.
Four Bigfoots pinned my limbs to the ground after killing what seemed like a hundred zombies. Together they rendered me completely immobile. As I lay helpless on my back, I heard and felt the parts they were eating and tearing off my body.
My brain must have been fried by now from all the pain, because I couldn't feel anything at all. {Fighter} was probably the only reason I could still move, however awkwardly.
"This should be all of you, right?" I asked in a stupor. It was suicide to charge in. But I did it all for this moment. Unlike soldiers, these fuckers wanted a piece of me, so I intended to give them all a healthy helping.
My voice roared into the sky. "{Draw} ALL M26! DINNER IS SERVED, YOU FUCKING PIECES OF SHIT!" The moment the explosions began, I cast {Rewind}.
After rewinding, I noticed a lone glowing zombie staring at my previous position. Not wanting to take any chances, I silently crouched down and prepared.
"{Draw} M24. {Reveal}. {Mage}. This is for the fallen reapers, you bastard."
I summoned the sniper rifle and aimed at the glowing weakness {Reveal} showed. The Chief was probably analyzing the situation, trying to understand what had just happened.
Not that it mattered. I ignored everything else and took aim at the back of the Chief's skull. A loud shot followed, then the top of his forehead exploded.
Knowing there would be more zombies, I tried to find my next target, only to be interrupted by Aira.
[Limitless...You may now stand down. There are no enemies left. The defense of zone 1063-2 has been completed.]