DAY ONE ~ PARKER
Shit.
Setting his Lancer into it's holster, Parker hefted his long shot off his back and into his hands. As his other two squadmates waited in cover, he jogged farther into town, looking for any sign of life other than his own. As the rain poured down, he walked a steady pace through the dark with his gun raised. After walking less than a click, the sound of a cough shot Paker's instincts into gear, aiming his rifle on impulse. But as he peered through his scope, the eyes he saw were human, not Locust.
Stranded territory. I swear if they start to get any ideas…
He turned away from the glaring settlers who were huddled in the abandoned buildings and began his track back to his squad, stopping once to look down at a small puddle of rain. His reflection stared back, the same blonde hair and brown eyes that he's always had, and yet they belonged to a stranger. He'd changed so much since the war.
By the time he made it back to his squad, they had become restless. Squinting through the rain and darkness, his eyes finally rested on Simon who was fidgeting with his lancer, crouched behind what used to be a car, and clearly scared shitless. Parker could tell he was counting to a thousand in his head, mouthing the words with bated breath. His dark, beaded eyes scrambled all over the place, ready for an ambush. Less than a couple feet from him was Cathrine, looking no less anxious about the mission. Her back was pressed to the brick wall of an old house, her eyes shut and hands clasped together, as if in prayer. It was almost humorous to see the differences between the two. With both of them in position, that just left Parker to make the move.
He crept forward from his own hiding spot, streaking across the open road to duck in the open doorway of the home, right in between his squad. In just seconds, they followed.
"Well? What do we have? Scouts? A squadron?"
Simon's mouth moved a mile a minute, spewing anything and everything. Ground work was never his forte. His fear mixed with inexperience made him a stumbling mess. Even now, after dozens of routine tasks, he still fidgeted with his weapons when he was nervous. At the moment, his gloved hands were raking through his wild black hair in agitation.
"More than just scouts that's for sure, but hell if I know how many."
Cathrine shook her head with a sigh, brown bangs falling across her face. She looked tired, drained. "No matter how many you shoot down, they just keep coming…"
Yeah, our lives fucking suck.
"I don't know how many there are, but I know it's too much for us to handle alone. We need to fall back."
"Sounds good to me." Simon began his track back to Armadillo. The mission was finished. They were to track Locust movement, then report back. As simple as that.
"Hold on, we can't just leave." Cathrine held up her hands, brown eyes glaring at Simon. "There's stranded settlers deeper into the city. "The Grubs will tear them to shreds."
"Great, even more reason to go. Bastards can rot in hell for all I care. Not like they make life easier for us."
"We can't just leave them to die!"
"They're Stranded!"
"They're fighting the same fight we are!"
"Fine," Simon turned away from Cathrine, looking towards Parker. "Let's have the squad leader decide."
Seriously? Why me?
"I think the two of you sound like children arguing over who gets to sit in the front seat. This is exactly why we're still grunts.
That snapped the argument in two. They both turned away, ashamed. You'd think the death of the entire world would be enough to make them act like adults, but no matter how you looked at it, they were children. And Parker was no different. Just teenagers strapped in armor and sent off to war. They had no experience, no skills, no anything. But if they didn't fight, then who would?
"Ground-Walkers…"
On instinct, all three Gears lifted their weapons and turned. Parker reloaded, hearing the wispy breath of Simon just behind him, and Cathrine's quick prayer to God. The Locust were here.
Simon whimpered. "We wasted too much time, they're already here! W-we can't face them all!"
"It's too late to turn back we have to fight!"
With one last glance behind him, seeing Simon's dumbfounded stare and Cathrine's trembling lips, he charged out the door and into the horde.
It was like staring into the face of death. Mutilated flesh with rippling muscles and open wounds, with jagged teeth and black eyes that raised the hair on your neck. And the stench. They were abominations. And they were ready to kill.
I'm going to die.
Parker fired repeatedly into the masses of Grubs before tossing his Longshot aside for his Gnasher Shotgun. Bullets ricocheted around him, and with no cover nearby, he felt the agonizing pain of tearing flesh as the delved through his skin. His own screams were covered up by deep maniacal laughter and the sound of Cathrine crying out behind him. The Locust kept pushing forward, despite all the rounds he'd pumped through them. He continued the assault, until hearing a familiar click of his trigger.
Out of ammo. Shit. SHIT!
Struggling to pull another clip from his belt, Parker stumbled backwards. But as he jammed his final round into his shotgun, the solid boot of a Grub slammed into his jaw. With blinding pain, he blinked back tears as yet another kick smashed his face into the ground, blood spraying with each blow. Before his vision faded completely to black, a blast of cartridges slammed into the grub, sending him flying. Cathrine was crying, but she held her ground, firing her own shotgun above his head. He could see each bullet as it hit her skin, her blood mixing with his on the pavement...
The battle no longer seemed to exist. The ear piercing sound of each bullet fired was no just a dull echo. Parker's body felt numb as he watched his teammates thrash. Cathrine was on her knees, clicking the trigger on her empty weapon. Her tears had become sobs, merely blending in with the rain. Simon still stood inside, his body pressed against the crumbling wall as tremors shook his entire form. His weapon lay on the floor, unused. He'd given up.
This was it. Blackness. The numbness took over with a bitter-sweet bliss. Parker stopped struggling.
I'm going to die...