AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello all! This is my first FanFiction I've written, and its about the continuation of one of the best games of 2015 I've had such a fortune to play on Xbox One. Aside from such, critisicm and suggestions are accepted. I really hope you enjoy reading this chapter, and expect more to follow in the coming months if school doesn't attack me with papers of death. Enjoy! :)
Chapter 1- Reflections
Rais's Skyscraper
18:00
The former G.R.E operative sat upright against the back of the concrete pillar. He inhales slowly and winces from the burning pain radiating from within his lungs. A torrential flood of memories rushed through his head as he closes his eyes to rest slightly. Karim's death, Rahim's death, Zere… Jade. 'Christ, why couldn't I have just picked up the injector and gave it to her, despite her resistance. Why the hell did she have to die? Why did I lose another...' He sighs and shakes his head, dismissing the rest of his grievous thoughts and giving off a small grunt of exertion as he opens his eyes and pushes himself upright.
The last sounds of the blue G.R.E helicopter echo in his eardrums as the metallic blue bird flies off into the unknown. For all he cared, the G.R.E could go fuck themselves. Trying to lie to the public and weaponize the virus instead of curing it was the main reason they were on the top of his shitlist, the only good thing about them was his training and the pay. "Least they're gone now" he muses out loud to himself. Taking the research box and placing it in his backpack, he zips it up and proceeds to find a way of getting off of the hellish skyscraper.
He moves over to the blue cargo container, the blood from Rais's throat still fresh as it glistens smoothly in the sunlight. 'Crazy fuck… Glad he's dead now.' Kyle thinks and sighs, a dry laugh escaping him. Stepping close to the edge, Kyle peers over only to reel back from the sheer distance to the ground. He wasn't a mathematician, but the rough estimate of that drop was a good 1000+ feet. Judging from all the infected down on the lower levels of the building, coupled with Bombers, Miners and the turned Survivors… It was quite a long shot from an alternative he was willing to risk.
Squinting his eyes and peering down once more, he is barely able to make out the faintest outline of a trashbin container, stacked with those little blue familiar trash bags that had saved his ass more times than he could count. The rest of the area below is littered in twisted metal, bodies, pools of blood and hungry Infected. Sighing, he moves back and gets a running start- jumping at the last second and skidding on the container. He stops right before the edge, the grits of dirt and grime falling off the bottom of his shoes and into the mess below as he holds his hand out to balance himself. Gulping softly, he's brought out of his trance by a loud gurgling growl.
Swiveling around and looking for the source of the noise, he spots a Toad on the top of one of the pillars. The acidic infected screeches, then prepares to spit as its massive green abdomen expands. Kyle prepares for the attack by holding his shield out in front of him, the Toad releasing a thick stream of steaming acid. Kyle flinches, but then his eyes widen as he realizes the Toad targeted the cable above that kept the container suspended. Kyle wastes no time in bolting forward to jump off the container right as the cable snaps from the acidic corrosion; landing on the platform once more and slipping on a pool of blood.
Kyle yelps as his footing is taken out from under him, sending him onto his back with a loud thud. Luckily, he didn't hit his head.. Either that, or the adrenaline kept him from the horrendous sensation of a head wound. He flips onto his stomach and stands upright, moving his right hand to his holster and quickly taking aim at the bloated monstrosity with his German-made 9mm pistol. Squeezing the trigger was both a blessing and a curse in this twisted city, where whatever would be attacking you is now dead, but as a punishment the sound drew the more dangerous infected to your position.
Today was no different.
Round after round of 9X19 Parabellum ammunition tore their way through the Toad, the creature emitting a loud belch-like splatter as one of the rounds caught it right in the forehead; the head detonating in a reddish-green mist. Not even a few seconds after he stopped firing, the familiar loud screeching of Virals began echoing in the air as he peers quickly down to the ledge once more. "Whelp, nothing like taking risks" he comments to himself. Putting his pistol securely back into the holster, he backs up a few paces before taking one last look behind him. A pair of grey, blistered feminine hands appears on the top of the ladder; a female Viral emerging from ledge and looking around. Almost instantly as she spots him, her eyes seem to light up a tinge redder as she throws her arms back and screams loudly. Flipping the bird to the turned survivor, he runs and leaps off of the ledge.
Down below, a lone Infected enjoys its rotting carcass of a dinner. Feeling like climbing on top of a random object to get a better vantage point on its human food, it gets up from the meal and climbs on top of a nearby dumpster. Looking around, the zombie lets a rattling sigh escape its throat. Slowly, the faintest sound of a drawn-out scream is heard, getting progressively louder. It perks its head up, just in time to get crushed to death from the weight of the falling operative beneath it. Kyle groans and coughs, the wind knocked out of him from the impact as he looks down at the source of the hard landing. Leaning his head back, he groans softly. "Good thing it wasn't a bag of rusty knives" he laughs to the sheer absurdity of the joke with the realization that it very well could be true one day for him. He sighs softly, grunting as he gets upright and off of the dumpster.
"Attention fellow Survivors… You don't want to be playing hooky with the Nightmares, right? I thought not. Get to the nearest safe house or seek the nearest shelter until dawn. You've got about ONE hour. Brecken out."
He mutters irritably to himself. Damned nighttime was almost here and he was once again pitted against the blackened clock of the dark. Looking around quickly, he spots the familiar blockade of the red, spiked bus. He breaks into a sprint and vaults the wall next to it, hitting the ground with a thud as he quickly regains his bearings and makes a mad beeline for the Tower. Checking over his shoulder and behind him, he spots nothing yet. Right as he looks back, however, he slams right into a Nightwalker; the beast elicits a snarl of alarm as it is toppled onto its stomach. Kyle trips over the brute's legs and curses under his breath as he steadies himself, continuing to run as hard as he can with the Tower's UV lights visible in sight. The Nightwalker, upon recovering, emits a sharp howl before giving chase. Within ten seconds, five more of the abominations are after him and closing the distance.
The cold air of the night finally reached down his throat and wrapped around his frail lungs with its chilled fingers; turning every voluntary contraction of his organs into a pained wheeze as he does nothing but run, jump and scale the dilapidated shanty buildings as if it were second nature to him. His legs felt numb, yet his will to move forward keeps him from tripping up from the obstacles and lunging infected. He snapped out of his trance and became more alert as the shambling infected started to turn and became Night Walkers, sprinting and screeching at him as they move in to join the chase. "Fifty meters left.. Oh God, c'mon!" Kyle yells to himself as he sees the tower's UV lights activate. Bolting through the entrance, he pulls out the garage door remote and presses it. Smirking and standing triumphantly at the entrance, the biters sprint and instantly seize up as electrical currents traverse through their body and chain onto the others in a beautiful display of blue and white. The volatiles stand back, seemingly aware of the danger as they hiss and flail their arms at Kyle in a blind rage. Kyle flips the bird to the hulking bastards and walks to the wall, the noise of the hissing increased louder as if he pissed them off even more by the gesture.
He moves to the entrance and climbs up halfway, only to have a hand grab him by the wrist and yank him up into a brotherly hug as he releases a startled yelp. Almost instantly after the interaction does a roar of cheer and applause greet his ears from the various survivors around him. He looks down slightly, only to recognize the yellow shirt of Brecken. A firm, bandaged hand claps him on the shoulder as the Aussie breaks the embrace with Kyle. "Ye fuckin' did it, mate.. Yer a goddamn savior." Brecken says, the various other survivors shouting in approval. Brecken smiles, his teeth crooked yet surprisingly white. His bandages had come off, revealing a slightly scarred forehead and messy brown hair. "Didcha find Jade?" Brecken asks curiously, as the room begins to die down into a deathly mute silence.
Kyle feels a pang of warm, bitter remembrance pulse through his body as he shakes his head with a grim expression. "Jade…. didn't make it out." he states solemnly, his voice low as he fights a wave of emotion threatening to break his resolve. The entire room is stunned into a state of disbelief and shock; the cheerful mood instantly shot down by the heartbreaking news. Brecken's smile fades at a gradual pace as he places his face and his hands and exhales sharply, shaking his head. As Kyle looks around, the room's occupants are standing still as statues, their jaws set as there wasn't a dry eye in the room. They lost part of themselves, their Jade, their soul….
And he had to kill her. Just like Rahim.
