Hunted
12 August, 1996
HUNK charged out of the armory with three other soldiers behind him. They ran through the lobby of the Military Training Facility and burst through the front doors and into setting sunlight. Outside, the wail of the emergency alarm was loud. Around the facility, other U.S.F. soldiers hustled to their stations to take up defensive positions on the roofs and walls. HUNK addressed Striker, Blacktail and Boots – the soldiers he would be commanding for this assignment.
"We're going in hot. Weapons free to eliminate any and all hostiles." HUNK ordered.
The soldiers responded by switching off the safeties of their weapons. Blacktail and Boots wielded MP5's like HUNK did, but Striker carried a M4A1 Carbine equipped with a magnification scope. He was an ace marksman, and a fresh transfer from the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service. His skill with his rifle had earned him jealousy amongst the ranks of the U.S.F.
Elsewhere in the facility, Flavio Raval – now codenamed "Fenix" – took a seat in the Security Control Room. He equipped a headset as he sat in the center of the room so that he could see all of the security monitors. Plugging the headset into the command radio, he tested it.
"This is Fenix to assault unit. Does anyone copy? Over."
"Loud and clear." HUNK's no-bullshit voice replied.
"Good." Fenix said, straightening up. "The entire facility is officially on lockdown. You're free to enter the combat zone immediately. I'll lock the gate behind you. Over."
"Roger that. Assault team moving. Over." HUNK replied.
On the monitors, HUNK and the others exited the safety of the facility training grounds through large metal doors that led to a road down to the shooting ranges and Killhouse. Beyond those structures there was nothing else on the island other than jungle.
Earlier that afternoon, a transport vehicle had been returning to base after a routine B.O.W. field test. The cargo in the truck was a pack of the B.O.W. identified as MA-39. They were codenamed "Cerberus". They were fierce dogs infected with the T-Virus. In most cases, Umbrella used Doberman's as subjects because of their unique ability to retain more of their instincts after infection.
The truck transporting the B.O.W.'s had apparently run into some kind of trouble. Just before noon, and less than a mile out from the facility, there came a disturbing distress call from the truck driver. Nothing he said was clear, but there had been plenty of screaming, barking, snarling, and finally, silence.
Cerberus stood out amongst other B.O.W.'s because they exhibited pack behavior, whereas any other un-programmable B.O.W. acted on self instinct and didn't acknowledge others of its kind unless they got in each others way. Cerberus worked as a group to bring down prey. They were also the only B.O.W. reported to feel pain. This was something Umbrellas virologists hoped to correct, though they couldn't explain why this was unique to the Cerberus.
Fenix watched on one of the monitors as HUNK, Striker, Blacktail and Boots passed by the shooting ranges and Killhouse. They disappeared from his view, following the road into the jungle.
"Good luck, gentlemen." He said softly to himself.
HUNK led his soldiers down the road in a loose formation. They marched quietly, with their weapons at the ready for any nasty surprises. They were in a loose formation so that each soldier could see the others in his peripheral vision. Every few yards, they would pause, listen, and continue moving if they heard nothing suspicious.
HUNK didn't like the situation. He had little training for wilderness operations. However, he was currently U.S.F.s most experienced Officer. That meant he had little say in who ran this operation. He was happy at least that the objective was clear. All too often over the past months, his orders had been vague if even existent. But eliminate any and all escaped B.O.W.'s was plain and simple.
His thoughts were broken as he caught something through the trees in his flashlight. A reflective surface. The truck.
"Downed vehicle in sight." He reported over his radio.
He motioned for the other soldiers to rally on him. The four soldiers cautiously walked down the slope towards the truck. It was on its side. They immediately checked the back, where the Cerberus would have been held. It was empty. Approaching the cab of the truck, they found broken glass and blood. Boots spotted a flat tire.
"Check this out." He pointed to the flat.
It looked like it had been burst on an object on the road. Possibly a sharp rock or even a poorly discarded knife.
"Looks like it careened off the road there...rolled on its side, wound up here. The B.O.W.'s must have been released because of that."
"Assault unit to base, we have reached the vehicle. It is beyond repair and there are no signs of eliminated B.O.W.'s or the driver. Over." HUNK said through his radio.
There was a brief pause before Fenix replied, "Copy that, assault unit. Continue your search for the six B.O.W.'s and keep us posted. Over."
"Wilco. Out." HUNK replied. Then he addressed the soldiers. "I want a perimeter search. The dogs are probably not wandering, but looking for a place to settle down. Look for tracks, and stay in pairs. Boots, you're with me."
Boots followed HUNK deeper into the jungle. They each searched with flashlights through the thick trees. Blacktail and Striker went in the opposite direction, back towards the road, looking for tracks as well.
"So, I hear you're a good shot." Blacktail said casually as he and Striker pushed through the bushes.
"Some say that." The small soldier replied.
"I guess we'll find out when the time comes."
"Don't worry. You get bit, and I'll do the honors, buddy." Striker offered with a chuckle.
"Thanks." Blacktail muttered. "That's not what I meant."
Striker laughed again as he pushed some flora aside with his M4A1. He paused when he spotted the footprint of a dog in the mud. As Blacktail continued his search, Striker slowly followed the track to another, and another. The prints were deep and sharp. The Cerberus must have been dragging something. He could make out drag marks on the ground from the body of the driver being dragged. There were bits of torn clothing and blood.
"I've got something over here." Striker called to Blacktail as he looked up. Blacktail looked in his direction. Behind him, Striker spotted a human figure approaching Blacktail.
"HUNK?" Striker called. "You find anything?"
It was just then that he realized that HUNK was still across the road. As the approaching figure stepped out of the shadows of the trees, he could see it was the driver of the truck – dead and reanimated by the T-Virus.
The driver reached out with a hiss and grabbed Blacktail by the soldiers. Blacktail was caught off guard and stumbled forward, instinctively reaching behind him to pry off the arms of his assailant. The driver leaned in towards Blacktails' neck, jaws wide, ready to bite.
"Shit!" Blacktail cried out.
Striker whipped his carbine up to his shoulder and fired one single shot. It whizzed right passed Blacktail's ear and penetrated the drivers' skull. The infected man sank to the ground lifelessly as brain matter leaked through the entry and exit wounds. Blacktail regained his posture and looked to Striker.
"I guess I owe you one."
"Don't bother. That won't be the last time I save your ass." Striker grinned as HUNK and Boots approached from across the road.
"What happened?" Boots asked.
"It's the driver." Blacktail motioned to the corpse. "Infected."
HUNK bent to examine the body. The right arm was nearly chewed off. He could tell that the Cerberus were in mid-feast when the driver reanimated. The stench was almost unbearable.
"They're close." HUNK said grimly as he stood up.
Almost as though it was in response, barking was heard not far away. And it was getting louder.
"Sounds like they heard the gunshot." Striker said.
"Let's move. Remember, six of them." HUNK ordered. "Stay alert."
The soldiers moved forward, following both the tracks of the dogs and the sound of their barking. The snarls and growls echoed eerily in the night air and amongst the jungle breeze. The soldiers looked every which way for an oncoming attack. HUNK suddenly held up his fist, commanding a "freeze". They stopped and listened. The barking was gone. It was now terribly quiet. No crickets, no nocturnal birds. Just the wind in the trees. This kind of silence was the bad kind. It meant predators were nearby. HUNK signaled his soldiers to fan out into a clearing and search the area.
Blacktail and Striker moved off to the right side of the edge of the clearing. They swept amongst the trees, carefully watching for movement. HUNK and Boots moved off to the left.
There was a sudden guttural growl, and something darted amongst the bushes in front of Striker. He followed it with his weapon, but only caught sight of leaves moving after the creature had brushed past them. He listened for more movement, but heard nothing. Cautiously, he crept forward while Blacktail moved around a cluster of bushes to come around and meet Striker on the other side. There was another blur of movement and a snarl. Both soldiers froze and then tried to follow it, but saw nothing. Blacktail swore under his breath.
Suddenly Striker was hit hard from the side. The Cerberus had charged him from the cover of the trees. He sank below the bushes, out of Blacktails sight.
"Contact!" Blacktail shouted as he rushed to Strikers aid.
Striker struggled with the large Doberman as it gnashed teeth in his face. He held a forearm against its throat and gripped the back of its neck, keeping the head away from him as he tried to roll off of his back. Blacktail swiftly approached, raising his MP5, when he was hit from behind by the Cerberus they had originally tried to track. With a beastly roar it leapt from the bushes and tackled him down, viciously tearing at the back of his nylon vest.
A few dozen yards away, HUNK and Boots turned to face the sound of the attack.
"We've got to do something!" Boots shouted as he began to run.
"Wait!" HUNK shouted.
He pulled Boots down and pointed out into the clearing. Three more Cerberus were charging towards Blacktail and Striker as they fought with their two assailants.
"A trap."
HUNK raised his MP5 and Boots followed his example. There were only a few seconds until the three charging dogs would reach the other soldiers.
Blacktail rolled over and punched the Cerberus that attacked him in the side of the head. It snarled and leaped at his face as he tried to recover. He swung his MP5 in an arc and felt the steel of the weapon connect with the creatures skull. The Cerberus yelped and fell to the ground. Blacktail leveled his MP5 at the downed monster and pulled the trigger. The top of the Cerberus' head exploded into a bloody mess and it laid still in the dirt. Blacktail turned to face Striker, and fired a burst of rounds into the Cerberus on top of him. As the dog fell, Blacktail stood, targeted its head, and fired another burst.
The three charging Cerberus closed in on him. He hadn't noticed them. He turned to face them, but it was too late - they were too close. As he braced for impact, the dogs were hit from the side by several rounds of ammunition. They yelped in pain as they tripped over each other. HUNK and Boots stepped out from their cover, firing until all three dogs were dead.
"You okay?" Blacktail asked as he pulled Striker to his feet.
"Yeah...I guess this makes us even."
"Bullshit. I killed two. Now you owe me one."
Striker shook his head with a grin.
As HUNK reloaded his weapon, Boots scanned the clearing. Behind him, the bushes parted as the sixth Cerberus leaped out and tackled him to the ground. Blacktail and Striker were caught off guard as HUNK moved to avoid the oncoming dog as it rolled on the ground with Boots.
It all happened too fast. HUNK slammed the fresh magazine into his MP5 and racked a round into the chamber. He tried to get an angle, but even though the Cerberus was right in front of him, so was Boots. Boots thrashed in resistance, screaming in fear for only a second before the vicious dog sank its teeth into his throat and ripped a massive hole in his windpipe. The dog looked up, blood dripping from its jaws, and poised to pounce at HUNK. HUNK fired one, two, three rounds at the Cerberus and it sank lifelessly to the ground with two of the rounds in its skull.
Striker and Blacktail ran over, shocked at what they'd seen in less than five seconds. HUNK kneeled to examine Boots. He choked as blood pooled in the grass that he lay in. His eyes went wide and he exhaled the last of his air through his wounded neck. He went limp.
"Jesus..." Striker said quietly.
Blacktail counted the bodies of the dogs to make sure there were no more surprises. HUNK silently drew the Desert Eagle from the holster on his thigh – knowing what would happen if he left Boots as he was.
A single shot rang out from the big .50 caliber handgun, blowing the top of Boots' skull apart. Strikers' body tensed at the sight. HUNK turned away from Boots' corpse and spoke into his radio.
"Base, this is assault team. Do you read me, over?"
"Copy, assault team. What's your status? Over?"
"Man down. Agent Boots is KIA. All escaped B.O.W.'s have been eliminated. Awaiting further instruction. Over."
"Hold position, assault team. We'll send a truck out to pick you up. Over and out."
HUNK nodded to his surviving soldiers. They turned the safeties of their weapons back on.
"Gather the bodies for disposal." HUNK ordered as he went to stand by the road and prepare to flag down the truck.
"You think he really would have turned?" Striker asked Blacktail as they dropped the last of the six dogs into a pile a few yards from Boots' corpse.
"You saw what happened to their driver." Blacktail answered.
"And what about him?" Striker nodded to HUNK, who was standing in the middle of the road, facing the direction of the facility, smoking a small cigar. "Think he's shaken up or something?"
"I don't think so. But it must be hard on anybodies conscience when they have to put down one of their own."
"I guess so. Don't worry though Blacktail. Like I said, I'll do the honors if you turn."
"Thanks a lot, shitbag." Blacktail said as he punched Striker in the shoulder. "I swear you'd be better off dead."
Striker laughed as he rubbed his arm. He nodded towards HUNK. The two soldiers picked up their weapons, and headed back to the road to meet with their commander.
