Disclaimer: See first chapter + warnings.


Some Things Never Stop Bleeding


A violently loud alarm rocks Maria awake, setting her upright and narrowly missing the ceiling. There's a mixture of natural light from the slotted window by her head and the government approved warehouse lights. They hang along the centre of the barracks that Maria and her squad has been calling home for half a year, though in Maria's case the term 'home' is used rather flippantly. The long-limbed woman presses her flat palms against the granite sealing to pop her back, then slides herself down in one fluid, albeit sleepy, movement. Her bottom bunk partner grunts in greeting, which Maria returns absentmindedly as both begin to efficiently dress for the day.

Joining the army had not exactly been a life ambition for Maria, but it was a decision that she was proud of at this point in time. As soon as she was 17, she hitchhiked with a muddy Adidas bag of clothes and enrolled within her first day out on her own. Learning everything she could at school had always been something she cherished but…there was a lot to escape, and what better way than getting sent overseas?

After making it through boot camp (and losing two molars along the way), Maria ended up in a military base in South Korea where she applied for online engineering courses and found herself angling into the materials' science department. A six-month posting soon turned to two years on the outskirts of Seoul, and by the time she returned to New Jersey, she was a 20-year-old materials engineer.

She holed up in cheap housing by the state border that was popular for armed forces to settle, living the most mundane couple of months in her life so far (she even took a cooking class), then found herself deployed this time to Afghanistan for another three years.

This is where Maria found herself now, Sergeant in the US army patiently living out her life in the name of a nation she had barely spent half her life in. Of course, there was more to Maria than that, but to the other soldiers in the 148thInfantry Regiment, there seemed little else to know. All there was of importance to know was that Sergeant Coast was a tall, almost mute woman when she was not required to act her rank, and spent most of her time reading beaten up books and wasting all her change on what chewing gum she could find.

Being curious about the loner of the squad, someone had managed to weasel out from Coast that she was a foster child and had been moved to South England when she was younger, hence the soft Queen's English she always surprised people with. There was also the random gossip that everyone thought she may be Italian or Indian if it weren't for her alarming paleness, but after years of military service, she was burnt red more often than not.

Most of the men had at one point ogled or talked about Coast's looks, but otherwise, there didn't seem to be much else to know. She knew that she was attractive, but it had done her little good in her life.

Coast was known as a fair superior that would coexist with anyone who wouldn't bother her much. Other than that, Maria Coast was just another body in military boots, and that's just how she wanted it.

As Maria barks at her squad to follow her to the courtyard for morning drills, she salutes her own superiors and continues her morning in the same routine that had ruled her adult life. The base alarm rings again, and her squad are dismissed for breakfast while she is pulled aside by the First Lieutenant Ruthman. "Meeting at 0900 hours, Sergeant." He informs her briefly before joining the ever-growing food line.

The meeting Maria finds herself in is within one of the temporary offices on the bases, which always irritates her nose with the smell of hot plastic. She darts her eyes across the room, noting how quite a few personnel are called, then goes to stand tall next to Ruthman in her own stiff manner. After another few moments of lazy chatter, a man with heavy wrinkles and leathery skin steps forward and begins the meeting; General Forbes is a man that Maria respects for his cool way of handling his duties, and the strong patriotism he shows in every speech she's heard him give. Most of the meetings they have are more or less mundane, however, the air of this one has Maria listening intensely.

After pursing his lips slightly, Forbes begins. "Two hours ago, as you all know, we received communications with missing squad Amaro after being out of contact with them for over a week. Their mission was a normal escorting of goods in a supposedly patrolled route, so we were not expecting any sort of resistance."

Another superior to Maria spoke up at that point. "Sir, what did Amaro report?"

"Apparently, they were ambushed by the enemy force and had to abandon all put two of the supply trucks." Forbes scowled at this, "I want two squads to meet them at the Ritu town to provide backup for their return. They've reported three causalities and one private with a critical wound to his back."

"Squad Lynx and myself are rested and ready to go, Sir." A Corporal at the back stepped forward eagerly, but Forbes shook his head.

"Not after last time, Davies." A couple of the meeting's attendees murmured in agreement; squad Lynx were known to have several privates with attitude problems. "Sergeant Coast, prepare your boys. Make sure you bring the medics. You too Sergeant Tully."

Maria agreed sharply, and as soon as the meeting was over, entered her end of the barrack, pausing at the door as she did. Her squad was a relatively small one, with 7 members including her as squad leader. There's was a mixed-sex squad; there was Roman Putz, a stocky man with a hatred for tobacco, Freddy Lintman, who would trade his mother for a soggy cigarette packet, Gita Doe, the most sarcastic woman Maria had ever known, her sister Lindsey who was almost worse, and finally Mickey Smith and Ronald Peckerman who were constantly competing to flirt with anything with a vagina.

Maria had been with this sordid lot since she can to her current base, and quickly found they were far more unaware of personal space than the soldiers at her posting in Korea. She had admittedly grown fond of them, but it wasn't in her nature or anyone's best interest for her to start…bonding with them.

With a deep breath, Maria summons the non-existent loudmouth in her and storms in. "All right you Mama's boys and girls, get your asses up! We've got a mission briefing in 5!"

"Ooooh, Coast is feeling fiery today!" Ron calls from his bunk.

There's a dramatic howl from Mickey. "Peckerman you fucktard, eyes off my woman!"

"Fuck you, Smith!"

"Fuck both of you degenerates." Maria snaps back, suppressing a smirk when they try not to flinch under her heavy glare. "You better be exactly where I want you today, or so help me Ruthman's gonna know who's been putting cereal in his pillowcases."

Raucous laughter bounces around the barracks at that, with Ron and Mickey cajoling back. Meanwhile, both Doe sisters jump up ready first bickering to line up in front of Maria as she glares boredly at them. Putz is next, his tall frame comically dwarfing Maria even at her 5'11. Finally, always just moments before Maria finishes her countdown, Smith and Puckerman join them.

Maria informs them of their mission parameter in her usual stiff manner. "We're going to be working with Tully's lot this time. Putz, I want you and the other medic in good communication. As of 5 hours ago, we have three causalities and one man shot. They should be safe at Ritu for now. Suit up and pack for an escort mission with medium risk of enemy contact." When her squad stayed where they were, not realising she was done, Maria glared sharply. "Now, soldiers!"

The rest of them quickly made themselves busy.

There were three things to know about missions here. Firstly, there would always be sand. It seeped into Maria's shoes and underwear and lay on her sweaty braided bun that was tucked tightly under her black balaclava and helmet. Secondly, no matter where they went, the roads were made of shit and were the worst for problematic back pains. And finally, no matter how many times you think you're on a streak of easy missions, it never lasts for long.

"Take cover!" Maria roars to hers and Tully's squad, throwing herself behind the pathetic piece of stone that was being peppered with bullets.

Red sand was thick like fog in the air, and her eyes stung something fierce because of it. It was just her luck that not only had Ritu been surrounded by the enemy that had tracked their missing squad, but that somehow without them knowing, the Town had also been harbouring firearms for them. As soon as her squad arrived and left the safety of their armoured truck, they had met the sight of their missing dead squad being dragged across the town square. Before with could even retreat back to their vehicles, half of Tully's squad went down, including their medic. The rest of them had been stuck at a stalemate with the enemy until stray grenades had blown up one of the trucks and forced Maria's remaining men to scatter.

"Peckerman, Doe, with me!" Maria ordered as they reached a narrow stone staircase up to the top of the town's watchtower and mill. "Putz, you cover our backs. Smith and Doe, I want you to hold the ground for us."

"Got it, Sergeant!"

"Yes Sir!"

After reaching the rotting door at the top, Maria signalled to Peckerman and Doe they took either side of the doorframe. On her signal, Peckerman threw his foot against the door and flew in. The Doe with her, Gita, followed behind Maria as the followed in, running straight into two yelling men; both were armed and fired immediately, but both fell swiftly. The three of them cleared the floor and began to head up to the top when they heard the agonised cry of the other Private Doe.

Gita swung around with alarm. "Linds-" Maria is a yard away from Gita as she watches bullets rip into her face rapidly, causing her to fall backwards out of the broken window. Peckerman and Maria threw themselves back from the archway they had passed. The former swore in a rage before shooting around the corner and ducking back.

"This is going to shit Sergeant!"

"Real astute of you!" Maria snapped back, copying her teammate and firing her own run. She huffed dry air out of her lungs, then looked Peckerman in the eyes. "There's about four of them in there. Are you good for ammo?" The grimace he gave was entirely telling.

Before Maria could say anything else, there was a sharp scuffle from across the room, and over her head, Peckerman's eyes widened. Another flurry of gunfire causes him to return fire just as Maria catches sight of a small figure stumbling across the floor.

A pained roar of rage comes from one of the armed men as the small boy's body shudders with the impact of shots. There is a horrible drawn moment in the air as Peckerman and Maria are frozen, then the raging enemy throws himself at Peckerman so quickly he takes by surprise. In the close proximity, both guns go off and an elbow stuns Maria to the temple. She falls out of her cover and rolls with a sudden burst of speed as the two remaining men shoot at her. She returns fire and takes down one as she charges at them, knocking the second in the stomach with her rifle. But as she moves to aim for his head, scuffling warns her to duck the fist of a man behind her. Maria throws an elbow into the ribs of her new attacker but misses with the shot she aimed for his feet, and opts to duck away and gain some distance.

However as she does, her eyes hand on the unnatural angle of Peckerman's neck as he lies against the wall. There's a pause that seems out of place in a war zone, where the two men in the room watch Maria stare into her comrade's empty eyes. Then, she hears a snide laugh. It dredges up dark memories of horrible, sadistic people that Maria hates. The man that had fought and killed Peckerman sneers at her; he leers in his native language, only the vague meaning reaching Maria, while the other man laughs.

Something all-encompassing sinks through Maria's body, a feeling she hasn't felt for years. There's a shaky sort of rage that floods her; with the smell of heavy blood growing, and the echoing jeers of Peckerman's killers, Maria decides to give in to those urges that she's suppressed for so long…

And as the switch in her mind changes direction, the two men stiffen as something fills the room. Something dark, and heavy like tar, that makes the air suddenly to sickly to take in. Their breaths gurgle into gasps as before their eyes, they see demonic red eyes glowering from under Maria's helmet. The dirty curls of around her face seem to wither and age to silver, her skin matching as a low hiss escapes the wide serrated mouth of what was Sergeant Maria.

One man starts to yell and stumble away. He doesn't make it more than a step before Maria is on him, clawed hands digging into his eyes with a roar that cannot be human. If he could escape this, the killer of Peckerman would remember for the rest of his life how the demon he saw tore his friend apart, organs twisted in knotting skin with enough spilt blood to paint the wall completely. He would never forget how the female demon stabbed into her victim's neck with her teeth, moaning as she suckled like a hungry bear.

Of course, the killer of Private Peckerman would only have to remember for a short time yet, as Maria turned her bloody eyes onto him next.