RTS System in the Apocalypse-Chapter 115: Raider Party - I

Gunfire crackled through the silence. Bullets struck the truck’s container in erratic bursts.

Echo One didn’t return fire immediately; they moved.

Two shadows disappeared behind the landslide. One of them climbed the truck’s cab.

Matilda’s voice echoed on the comms.

"Left ridge. Two shooters. Suppress them."

Three suppressed shots struck into the distance; what followed was three muted coughs.

"Clear," Dmitri coldly responded after a slight pause.

Matilda closed her eyes and erupted with a feeble aura only she could sense.

"Tree line, between those tall trees. Eliminate them."

Bullets struck the edge of the edge of the tree barks. Behind it, red blood splattered onto the roots of the trees.

Their screams echoed from the tree line. Hopkins’s voice followed calmly.

"Rear flank neutralized."

Matilda shifted her body in position, locking her vision into a particular direction.

The man behind the overturned sedan tightened his grip on the rifle.

He had seen their movements—too clean, too quick, and too quiet.

He gulped; sweat rolled down his dirtied face.

"Shit, they’re not normal," he muttered. "We should retreat!"

"Shut up," someone hissed from behind an SUV. "They’re just soldiers. They will die."

He wanted to believe that. But soldiers wouldn’t vanish into the shadows as if they were a part of it.

Five of their people died without making a sound; he even had no idea how that happened.

Just as he took a step out of cover, the earth beside him compressed.

A boot stepped on it; one he barely realized. Before he could raise his gun, a leg whipped him into blackness.

The world’s noise hushed. Only the stillness of the void remained on his vision.

Then—

"Ah!"

Cold water slammed like a waterfall into his face. The man choked awake; his hands bound tightly by ropes.

He looked down and saw his knees force into the gravel.

Gasps escaped from his mouth, disbelieving of what just happened before the tragedy.

When he raised his head, a barrel pressed against his temple.

Beyond that arm, he saw people dressed in black fatigues. Their faces covered by a mask, wearing helmets that looked too complicated for a man like him.

And the person in front of him—a woman?

He didn’t dare to think for more as she started her interrogation.

"Who are you, and why do you have guns?"

"I’m... I’m just a raider..." he stuttered. "We... we took over a small post from here... I—I was forced by them! Please believe me, I didn’t want this!"

Matilda narrowed her eyes, observing the captive’s face.

"Answer my questions only," she pressed the gun harder. "Don’t start spouting nonsense."

"But—!"

The gun clicked, halting whatever words would come out of his mouth.

"Did you set up this landslide?"

"Yes..."

"How many in your party?"

"Seven. You... killed five—" his eyes trailed into the corpse of another raider, "—no, six of us already."

"Lucky bastard," Hopkins smirked.

"Where’s your encampment?" Matilda continued.

"North of here, in an abandoned military post..."

Abandoned? Matilda furrowed her brows. "You said your raider group took over. How did that happen?"

"I don’t know... I was just someone they recruited..."

"Fairy, he’s lying," Hopkins interjected.

The man flicked his head upward, eyes twitching in trepidation.

"No, no, no. I’m not! I’m telling you the truth, they really picked me out of nowhere! I was just a civilian before this, doing work. Why would I kill people?"

Matilda ignored the fuss. "How many people did you kill then?"

The captive turned furious, blasting saliva all over the place.

"I didn’t kill people, for god’s sake! Why are you forcing—"

Bang!

His head exploded into a pulp; flesh matter scattered across the earth.

The brain was barely intact with a large hole gaping at the center of it all.

Matilda pulled her hand, smoke wafting out of her desert eagle’s barrel.

The body slumped sideways, twitching twice before remaining still.

No one flinched.

Dmitri approached the corpse, crouched, and then rolled the corpse over with his boot.

"He had something."

A pouch spilled open. Inside were watches, rings, and a blood-stained necklace.

"Overlord is going to make use of that," Hopkins added.

"But the blood price for this..." Dmitri exhaled a deep breath. "These people will pay with interest."

Matilda’s eyes shifted to the naked corpses not only by the truck, but beyond the landslide as well.

Bruising around the wrists, rope burns, and limited bite marks.

"Those raiders will pay for that."

Dmitri hummed in agreement. "We got gunpowder on his palm too."

Matilda holstered her sidearm, harrumphing in disdain.

"Search the perimeter. Strip these bodies clean. And check for radios."

Her comms crackled in response.

"Fairy, heard some loud banging in your position," Kross’s voice went through. "What’s your sitrep?"

"Bar, we’ve got hostiles nearby," Matilda replied. "Warn Overlord and the rest."

"How large?"

"No definite intel," she kicked the corpse again. "Should be armed."

"Worrisome."

"Indeed. I need some help here. Road’s blocked."

"You can’t clear it?"

"Landslide, and a big ass truck," Matilda complained.

"Let me guess, the raiders?"

"Jackpot. Now get your ass here before the Commander gets impatient."

She dropped the line and turned towards Echo One and the Scouts.

Hopkins moved beyond the landslide, sweeping the tree line.

"Fairy."

Two more bodies not of the raider party, but of civilians.

Their hands were bound behind their backs; single bullet wounds lodged on their heads.

Dmitri gazed at the harrowing scene. "These aren’t infected."

Matilda stepped forward and examined their bodies.

Male. His eyes had been ripped out of its sockets; the blood dried enough that it stuck on his pale skin.

Female. Clothes ripped apart with no hesitation. Bruises on her neck, hands, and feet. One of her fingers were cut off, the style too unclean—probably committed by an amateur, or she struggled so much that a clean cut was no longer an option.

"Brutal deaths," Matilda hovered her hand towards the dead woman and closed her eyes.

"Anything else?"

Hopkins walked around, near the two raiders who died by his shots. He pushed one of them aside and lifted a battered handheld unit.

"Got some radio," he held it tightly. "It’s still powered."

Static crackled.

"...report. We heard shooting in your area. Why did it stop?"

Matilda took the radio, but before she could speak, background noises came in.

"Are you a fucking idiot? Of course they’re dead. Stop wasting time contacting them and—"

She crushed the radio with her bare hand.

"They will be expecting us."

Dmitri knocked on the bark.

"Fairy, Bar and Echo Two has arrived."

Kross emerged through the thinned mist, blade resting over his shoulder.

He surveyed the scene.

"What a goddamn messy sight."

"Blame the raider party," Matilda shouted from the tree line.

Kross looked at the landslide.

"You want this cleared?"

"The tanks can go through, but not with that truck."

Kross popped his knuckles and rolled his arms.

"Alright, let’s warm up our muscles then."