Ch. 48: Apocalypse: Hour One

A.N.:

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the delay. It's finals time so I've been conflicted.

Anyway,

As always, read and review if you want. I like feedback xD

As we ran up on the beach, my partially functioning com link activated as a wave of static appeared on my flickering HUD. The barely identifiable image of the operator of King Kong 1 appeared in the bottom left corner just above my armor and health bars. With his distorted voice, he reported, "King Kong…arrive…station…one hundred and twenty seconds…"

I had taken cover behind one of the beach obstacles to avoid a line of machine gun fire. The rounds kicked up the black obsidian sand all around me. The particles coated my soaked armor, skull mask, and the exterior of my HUD glasses as a result. I spoke into my com link, "Negative, King Kong 1. Beachhead is not open. I say again, the beachhead is not open! Do you copy?"

I did not receive a response and I realized that the line had been disconnected by my partially functional HUD glasses. Peering over the top of the obstacle at the eight massive bunkers in front of us, I noticed that a captured Russian Armata Universal Combat Platform in its main battle tank form had moved up to take position between the two in the middle bunkers just behind the trench line. I grimaced behind my skull mask. That was going to be a problem.

The Russian AUCP was a fourth generation combat vehicle that was the basis for both lightweight infantry support tanks and heavy battle tanks. The main battle tank version was called the T-14. With a formidable 125mm main gun, lightweight but effective armor, and electronic radar systems from the Russian fighter jet Sukhoi PAK FA or T-50 Fifth Generation Fighter, the T-14 was a true battlefield monster that was capable of defeating even the American M1A3 Fourth Generation Abrams battle tank if in the right hands or if the M1A3 did not play to its strengths when facing the T-14.

While the 125mm main gun was woefully inadequate against the King Kong EPAs, I worried about the tank serving as a "spotter" for more powerful tank destroyers that were likely hidden nearby. Our King Kong EPAs would be vulnerable while they were approaching the shore. We had to act quickly.

The machine gun fire had ceased because the gunner had taken aim at a squad of Replica that were attempting to advance. Unfortunately, the soldiers were quickly cut down as their bodies were torn apart by the machine gun fire. However, their sacrifice was not in vain. I would make sure of that. Through our link, I contacted Athena, "Athena, I need fire support. Take out the tank. Danger close. Fire for effect."

Seconds later, what sounded like a roaring freight train flew overhead and the tank disappeared in a massive cloud of black sand and fire. Taking advantage of the cover that the cloud provided, I ran forward towards the next source of cover, a large artillery hole around ten yards from the shoreline. However, seconds before I reached it, the machine guns opened up once more. I instinctively activated my reflexes and managed to dodge the streams of lead with my increased speed by literally weaving in and out of the path of the rounds as the gunners attempted to follow my movements. Upon reaching the shell crater, I jumped into its interior.

I deactivated my reflexes as I landed on something soft and wet. Upon raising my head, I came face-to-face with the bloodied visor of a slain Replica trooper. The soldier had been nearly cut in half by a mortar round. I was kneeling in his exposed intestines and its contents were now coating the exterior of my right kneepad. Letting out a soft cry of disgust, I recoiled back away from the corpse.

I moved to lean against the crater wall just to the left of the body and, as I began to survey the battlefield, I noticed the stock, receiver, and trigger guard of a Patten PK470 sticking out of the black sand with its stocked pointed straight up into the air. The Replica soldier must have lost his grip on his weapon when the mortar caught him and it flew through the air to bury itself upon landing on the loose sand. I reached out and grabbed the weapon by its grip.

Upon pulling the rifle out of its grave, I saw that the clip was torn open by shrapnel and that the metal surface of the receiver was heavily dented. I held the Patten against my chest as I ejected the compromised clip and then pulled back the bolt. Sand had penetrated into the internal mechanisms, but, while that would have been an issue for the flimsy M-16 family of assault rifles, the Patten's reliability was legendary. It was the only Western rifle that was a match for the infamous AK-47 family in terms of reliability.

After "tapping" the receiver twice, I retrieved one of the ten thirty round clips that I had brought with me and fed it into the empty slot. After cycling the bolt, I discharged a single round in the general direction of the bunker to my immediate left. I laughed loudly when, despite the weapon itself being covered with obsidian sand internally and externally, and the rounds being soaked with seawater from my submersion moments prior, the round discharged on command as if it was just another day at the office.

Because any schmo can have an assault rifle that works in perfect condition but only the truly elite can have an assault rifle that works when it is was mostly buried in sand and the ammunition was coated with seawater.

As I retrieved my M9 bayonet/combat knife that doubled as a can opener from its sheath on my left leg, I spoke to the nearby Replica soldiers through our telepathic link, "Fix bayonets. No mercy is to be given." The M9 bayonet shared many similarities to the KA-BAR Marine Corps Fighting Knife in both physical appearance and lethality and it was also the knife used on the M4 Carbine. Since the American Military was their prime benefactor, Armacham designed their Patten PK470 assault rifle to be able to mount the M9 bayonet.

As I lowered the seven-inch steel-bladed bayonet down over the muzzle of my rifle to eventually give off a satisfying click as it locked into position directly beneath the metal tube of the barrel, I noted that even with as far as technology had progressed in warfare, there was still nothing more satisfying than ramming a hardened steel blade into one's enemy to kill them. I looked to my right to see Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and Alma in the crater with me.

With the exception of the unnaturally clean appearance of my wife, we were all covered with black sand and body fluids. Foxtrot 813 had managed to arm himself with a scavenged Patten PK470 assault rifle and had placed his bayonet on his rifle as well. Meanwhile, my brother had managed to arm himself with an Armacham 10mm High Velocity Penetrator, an older variant of the Hammerhead. I noted that Alpha 1 was the first individual that I had witnessed to make use of the Penetrator's foregrip, making the large weapon appear to be a submachine gun-sized weapon in his grasp.

Alpha 1 asked me over the sounds of small arms fire and exploding mortar rounds, "What do you think, brother?"

I looked over the top of the crater and surveyed the battlefield. The assault was bogged down. To both my left and right, I saw pockets of Replica soldiers that were pinned down in small groups. The LCACs that had survived to offload their cargo had retreated back out the naval vessels to pick up the next wave of troops. To my left approximately one hundred yards down the blood soaked shoreline was where my squad and War Dog 1 was pinned down behind the destroyed LCAC. I could not see Sgt. Passalaqua, his men, or the F.E.A.R. teams. Before me was the vast expanse of the blood-soaked black sand that stood between me and the slight rise. Beyond it, I saw the line of tower-like bunkers that were ablaze with machine gun fire from the slits near their top. There was still a slight haze over everything as the blood red sun struggled to rouse the apocalyptic landscape from its slumber.

However, I was able to pinpoint a weak spot in the concrete wall standing between us and the trench network beyond it. The section that the T-14 had been above now had a vertical crack that was visible on its exterior. The concrete wall between the two middle bunkers had managed to withstand the 20.1-in shell from Athena but was now structurally weakened as a result. No sapper explosive could take down that wall in time to for us to stay ahead of our allies. However, I knew something that could. I just had to ensure that they reached the beach without being sunk to the bottom.

I mentally planned out a course of attack. Step 1) Unify 1st Battalion, F.E.A.R., and Delta Force. Lead a banzai charge at the rise to draw attention away from the arriving King Kong EPAs. Step 2) Use sappers to blow a hole in the rise and the tank obstacles beyond in one spot, preferably in front of the weakened wall between the middle bunkers, thus clearing the way for the King Kong EPAs and the infantry forces to advance. Step 3) Instruct King Kong EPAs to advance towards the weakened section of the wall and soak up the machine gun fire while the infantry advances behind them. Step 4) Once the EPAs neutralize wall, advance forward and clear out bunkers from behind to ensure safety of arriving reinforcements. Step 5) Once beach is secure, move inland and relieve the Special Forces holding the bridges before they are overrun.

A mortar round exploded just in front of us. The black sand rained down on us as a harsh ringing filled my ears. I spoke through our telepathic link, "Only two kinds of people are going to stay on this beach: the dead and those that are going to die! 1st Battalion, prepare to charge!" I got onto my feet in a crouched posture. The words of my mentor filled my mind as I summoned the courage to lead a charge straight into the sights of multiple machine guns.

"Do you know what separates a good soldier from a great soldier, kid?"

"Yes, sir. It is skill, sir."

*Laugh* "Your naïve ideas are very refreshing, son, but no…it is not skill. Look at me…I'm fifty years old…I'm the last of my generation…do you really think I am still alive because of my skills? No, I am alive because I have the one thing that most soldiers do not. Do you know what it is, kid?"

"No, sir."

"Luck. Sometimes, the only thing separating you from the guy splattered on the ground is that you were just a bit luckier than he was. That is what separates a good soldier from a great soldier, Becket…luck."

I steeled my resolve and cleared my mind. Then, I stood and climbed out of the crater. With my rifle held at an angle to my left, I charged towards the rise as fast as I could sprint in my heavy, waterlogged combat gear and through the quagmire-like obsidian sand. Though I could sense Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and Alma sprinting right behind me, I waited a few seconds before I finally ordered, "Charge!"

From behind me, I heard a deafening chorus of war cries as the surviving soldiers of Dark Signal, 1st Battalion, F.E.A.R., and Delta Force charged forward in a massive banzai charge. The short trip between the crater and the nearest spot on the rise was easily one of the most surreal experiences that I have ever encountered. It was as if time itself had ceased to exist and I was stuck in a purgatorial state. As I tell this story now, I wonder how odd the sight was for the defenders. The soldiers you had been pinning down with your machine gun fire suddenly left their cover to charge towards your position in a mass attack with a single individual, whose face was hidden beneath a weathered skull mask, leading the charge as he sprinted straight up the center of the middle section of the beach. I imagine that it was surreal for them as well.

Just as I had planned, the enemy defenders' attention was drawn away from the shoreline and the approaching King Kong EPAs as they attempted to prevent us from reaching the rise. Presently, a mortar round exploded just in front of me. Without even slowing down, I sprinted through the debris cloud, feeling the hot sand rain down on me as I did. A second mortar round exploded off to my left. If it had been three more inches to the right, it would have maimed me or killed me.

Undaunted, I continued forward. Hot lead whizzed all around my body and the ground itself seem to be exploding as the defenders began to focus their fire at me. I kept my reflexes on reserve as I sprinted forward. If I had stumbled or slowed down, I would have been dead before the mangled sections of my body had hit the sand. How I managed to reach the rise even as thousands of round were fired at me is still a mystery to me, even to this day.

As I neared the rise, my HUD became distorted as a maddening headache erupted inside my mind while orange flashes appeared in my vision. Akira materialized before me as she stood just in front of the rise. Her eyes were jet black and she had a cruel sneer on her otherwise innocent face. Meanwhile, the bangs of her raven hair hovered in the air around her along with particles of black sand as if a strong upward draft was around her feet. She pointed at me and, from high above me, a loud screech tore through the air. I glanced up but I could not see anything through the thick fog. When I looked back, Akira was gone.

Another screech tore through the air, and, this time, one of the giant flying abominations that we had encountered in the city in Russia flew down through the fog-shrouded sky towards me. The beast's razor sharp claws were outstretched as it dive bombed towards me. However, seconds before it reached me, a loud thunderous roar rocked the air before a large black shape collided with the beast and sent it into the ground on the other side of the rise in a pile-drive.

A massive cloud of sand was kicked up and I could make out the shapes of two winged beasts as they fought in a fierce, primal manner. The sound of snapping jaws and slicing claws filled the air as I finally reached the rise and jumped against it. I landed on my right shoulder and slowly inched my way up to peer over the top of the mound. As I did, I saw that the sand cloud had settled. I instantly recognized the shiny black ancient winged beast that was my guardian angel. It was Amara's pet dragon Perses.

Perses was the last of his kind. Tragically, as I had learned, he was also the last elder of his kind. His seemingly impossible rate of regeneration, the singular curved horn at the end of his snout, and also the gnarled nature of his thick curved fangs were, for his kind, the hallmark of an elder dragon. Alma had informed me that, as with the cliché mythological vampire, a dragon's strength only increased as the beast aged.

Perses strength was so great that, according to my beloved companion, it was more than likely that he was the original "fire" element dragon, meaning that he more ancient than even the beings that we called gods and goddesses. He was old even by his kind's standards. In fact, such was the extremeness of his age that he was the dragon equivalent of a living fossil. With his age and second-nature mastery of hellfire, Perses possessed a powerful engine of destruction that rivaled even that of Alma and Akira in terms of raw power.

His willingness to help us was one of the grandest ironies of that war. The gods and goddesses from which beings like Alma and Amara would ultimately descend from were the ones that had hunted his kind down to extinction. Perses himself was so feared by the original psionics that they imprisoned him in his own element: hellfire. Amara's kindness had soothed the giant's rage as well as won his loving devotion. Now, in the ancient beast's twilight years, he had committed the last remaining youthful years of his life force to defeating Akira in order to protect Amara.

Perses had the abomination pinned to the ground on its back by his massive claws. His front left claw's razor sharp black talons were dug into the abominations pinned head in its lower jaw. As the wing abomination that resembled a demon tried to take flight with its bat-like wings, Perses clamped down on its throat with his immensely powerful jaws. The abomination's wings trembled until the dragon succeeded in ripping out its throat. With the slain beast was at his feet, Perses stood on top of the abomination, arced his back so that he was facing the sky, and then let out a primal roar of dominance.

As machine gun rounds began to bounce off his thick hide, the mighty ancient being roared in fury. He took flight and began to hover in front of the left middle bunker. Then, in a sweeping motion, he immolated the defenders with a jet of hellfire from his mouth. He moved to the right middle bunker and then gripped the sides of the concrete structure by penetrating the building's exterior with his sharp talons. With his grip secured, he inserted his mighty jaws into the machine gun nest of the bunker and then neutralized the hell soldiers inside in form of getting a snack.

As he withdrew from the bunker, I noticed that the abomination's body had dissolved into a pile of black sludge-like material. From somewhere in the fog-shrouded sky, more screeches suddenly erupted. Perses responded by first arcing his back and then replying with his own thunderous roar. He spread his massive dark purple wings and then disappeared as he charged up into the blood red sky to meet his new challengers.

Beside me, Foxtrot 813 remarked with his deep, disguised voice, "I keep forgetting that we have a pet dragon."

I yelled back over the sounds of machine gun and mortar fire, "Focus! Covering fire!" I took aim at the bunker to the left of the one that was now ablaze with Perses's hellfire through my pseudo-ACOG scope and began to discharge rounds into the machine gun nest to force the gunners back behind cover to buy time for the rest of us to reach the rise. Though Perses neutralized two of the machine gun nests, we put suppressing fire on three more, and Alma materialized inside two more to liquefy the gunners, we still lost nearly a quarter of our Replica soldiers before they could reach the cover of the rise because of the hidden snipers and machine guns inside the trenches. However, we would have lost more if I had not led a charge up the beach.

I was relieved when Stokes, Morales, Bravo 2, Juggernaut, and War Dog 1 reached the rise and took cover up against it to my immediate left. Morales yelled over the sounds of chaos, "Damn Becket, you gave us quite a scare man. We thought that we had lost you when the LCAC took that second hit."

Stokes yelled, "We're really stuck in the middle of the shit now."

I replied, "Yeah, just another day at the office. Hey, have you seen the mute?"

"We're over here, asshole."

I rolled over to face to my right. There, past Foxtrot 813, I saw Jin, Point Man, Sgt. Holiday, Capt. Raynes, Lt. Chen, and the Sergeant. Everyone's face, in Point Man's case his blue balaclava and red goggles, and uniforms were covered with black sand. I yelled, "Holiday, do your thing." The ex-Delta Force Demolitions Expert crawled over the top of us as we continued to keep up the suppressing fire. As he reached me, I felt the ground shake. Looking back towards the shoreline, I saw that the first King Kong EPA had arrived and was beginning to make its way off the modified LCAC and onto the beach.

My com link activated as the distorted image of the pilot of King Kong 1 appeared in the bottom left corner of my HUD. He reported, "King…1…station. Requesting ord..s."

Forgoing my com link, I replied telepathically, "King Kong 1, your orders are as follows. Breach at Sector Omega-Nine-Delta. Provide fire support against enemy armor and defensive positions. Instruct King Kong 2-4 to form up on you."

The Replica EPA Pilot responded, "Roger that, Commander. Advancing." Shaking the ground, the massive quadruped began to make its way towards the weakened section of the defensive wall while absorbing small arms fire and anti-armor missiles from the enemy soldiers inside the trenches. A cloud of sparks surrounded the behemoth as the rounds failed to penetrate its thick hide. As it advanced, the laser cannons mounted in its nose swiveled independently as bright red beams of high-energy, military-grade, energy lasers sliced through the air to inflict catastrophic damage on the hell soldiers located inside the trenches.

While I waited for Holiday to finish rigging the sapper charges, I suddenly heard Akira inside my mind. She said with an innocent, loving tone, "Now, you attack my playground, Daddy? Well…don't be too proud of these technological terrors that you've constructed. Anything that you humans can construct is insignificant next to the power of psionics."

Still wanting to believe that Akira could yet be saved, I replied, "We did not know that this was your playground, sweetie. This was the only location that we could do this. We did not attack here just to spite you. How have you been? We have not seen you in so long…Mommy and I have missed you."

She said, "You…have? R-really? You-you've missed…me?"

Alma joined in, "Of course, sweetie. Mommy and Daddy love you. How have you been Akira?"

Akira replied with an unsure tone, "I…I've been okay, Momma. I taught myself how to cook...but…that…that's stupid."

I assured her, "No…that's not stupid. That's so wonderful, Akira."

She replied with a tone that if she had been a puppy she would have been wagging her tail, "Th-thank you, Papa." Then, her tone changed to be downtrodden as she informed me, "You know that I am still going to try to kill you all in the most brutal way possible and try to force myself upon Uncle…right?"

I replied, "Of course, Akira. I would be insulted if you didn't."

Alma added, "See you downrange, darling child."

She giggled before she said, "See you downrange, Momma."

Their presence left my mind. Looking around, I saw Holiday rolling off to the left. As he retrieved a detonator, he instructed the rest of us, "Stand back." I rolled over onto my right side and hunched my posture slightly to shield my face. Seconds later, a loud explosion rocked the air while I felt the intense vibration in my entire body. Sand and bits of metal rained down on me for a moment. When I looked back, I saw that a slot the size of a subcompact automobile had been opened up through the mound and the tank traps beyond.

Getting to my feet and bringing my rifle up to face at an angle to my left, I yelled, "Up and over, let's go! Let's go!" A loud throaty war cry erupted from the soldiers around me as I led the charge through the opening. The sprint between the rise and the nearest bunker wall, the one that Perses had left ablaze, was perhaps even more surreal than the sprint between the artillery hole and the mound. Every instinct I had was bombarding my psyche with urges to stop and return to the relative safety of the mound. However, out of either bravery or stupidity, I continued forward straight into the incoming fire from the hell soldiers firing over the top of the walls.

Now that I was closer, the massive defensive position before me did indeed remind me of a castle with the imposing vertical wall and towers. As I recalled, it took ten days for Troy to fall in the Iliad. Well, it was time to see how long it took us to topple Akira's Wall. Before I knew it, I had impacted the damp, chipped, dark grey concrete wall of the tower-like bunker.

Seeing a sniper peering over the top of the weakened wall about to take out Keira, I quickly leaned around the corner, took aim through my scope, and then discharged five rounds into the gasmask-wearing hellspawn's head. When she made it where I was, the blonde operative flashed a grateful smile. I noticed that her teeth were still just as neutral white as they had always been, but, now, they were noticeably worn from where she had been clenching them together to hide the constant pain that she was in from the blood tests and treatments that she subjected upon herself. I was not one to have wandering eyes, but I found it remarkable that Keira was still just as beautiful despite all that she had been through. I nodded in response.

Turning my attention back towards the beach, I noticed that the three other King Kong EPAs had offloaded and that the four olive green giants were now stomping their way single file towards our location. Suddenly, behind us between the bunker that we were taking cover behind and the one further to the left, a loud thunderous explosion vibrated the air while a large amount of sand was ejected into the sky. Another tank must have moved forward to reinforce the besieged defenders.

My com link activated as the image of King Kong 1's pilot appeared in my HUD. He reported, "Enemy armor sighted…engaging…standby…" Mechanical whining filled the air as King Kong 1 lowered itself into its firing position. As it locked into position, another loud explosion rocked the air as the unseen tank fired upon the stationary behemoth.

The enemy armor piercing round impacted King Kong 1's main 240mm gun's armored faceplate. An ear-shattering metal screech filled the air as the tank's round failed to penetrate the heavy armor of the quadruped's pseudo-turret mantle. As the turret swiveled to aim towards the threat, King Kong 1 reported, "Tracking…"

The Replica manning the gun could be seen loading the massive shell and separate powder charge into the interrupted screw-style breech. The enemy tank fired another round. This time, the round impacted the upper right laser cannon in the nose. The round detonated and the section of the giant's hull was soon ablaze. However, the damage was minimal. I could see that the fire was dying down and that the cannon was still operational as it swiveled to aim at the tank.

Finally, the pilot reported, "Target locked…sending shot." Rocking the heavens themselves, the behemoth unleashed its mighty main gun into the enemy tank. I was so close to the impact that I temporarily lost all of my senses as if I had been hit with a flashbang tactical grenade. By the time that my senses had returned, the four quadrupeds were once again advancing towards us over the mound.

Looking back, I saw the turret of a M1A3 Abrams tank lying in a smoldering heap between the two bunkers. I also noted the sound of a roaring inferno. The child inside me felt like cheering with delight at the extreme firepower of the King Kong EPAs. A single round from their 240mm main gun had utterly annihilated the M1A3 Abrams. Referencing what Akira had said moments prior, I remarked, "I find your lack of faith disturbing."

Alma materialized in front of me in her child form as she said, "That was lame."

Lowering my weapon to a more relaxed position in front of my lower torso, I replied, "Blow me, you pervert."

She frowned and then stated with a downtrodden tone, "But…I thought you liked your dirty little girl, Michael…"

I assured her, "What…no…no…I do…I really, really do."

She placed her hands behind her back and swayed on the balls of her feet as she asked with an insecure tone, "Do you really mean that?"

I replied, "Of course I do. I especially like that thing that you do with your back when you're on top."

She raised her left eyebrow slightly before she slowly smiled. Then, she taunted, "Dirty boy that was your idea."

I retorted, "It was not."

The raven-haired goddess argued, "Was to."

Ignoring the fact that King Kong 1 had reached the weakened wall and was presently rocking up onto its back legs, I argued, "No, no, no. I suggested foreplay and then you busted out that little move."

Alma asked, "I thought that it suited my character…did you not like it? Was it the tail?"

I assured her, "I didn't say that I didn't. No, your tail was beautiful…just like your wings. If you really were a succubus, you would be the most beautiful succubus, Alma."

My wife giggled before she replied, "Aw…thank you, my love. You're so good to me that I would let you keep your soul."

I smiled slightly before I asked, "You…you mean that?"

She smiled brightly before she replied, "Of course I do. You've always been good to me, my little Michael."

Before I could say anything else, suddenly, I was nearly thrown off my feet as King Kong 1's front legs made contact with the surface of the wall like an elephant crushing a lion's skull beneath its immensely heavy front pads. The weakened structure gave way as it submitted to the giant's assault. Sections of the wall fell to the ground along with what was essentially the entire hillside behind it. Bits of the wooden trench work came along with the sand as well as the still smoldering remains of the tank that Athena had all but vaporized.

The four behemoths took point as they made their way up the side of the hill. Seconds later, as King Kong 1 reached the crest, tracer fire flew overhead as the hell soldiers in the trenches and those in the rear defensive fortifications opened up on the mechanical beast in an effort to destroy it while it was at its most vulnerable. The whistling of incoming mortar fire was soon followed by the explosions of the useless anti-personnel rounds that hardly even scratched the armored surface of the quadruped.

After the four giants had climbed the hill, I yelled, "Let's go!" With my bayoneted rifle in my grasp, I charged up the loosely packed incline. With reinforcements on the way, we had to clear out the bunkers to help cover their arrival. Reduced to a crawl, I forced my tired body onward. I knew that the crest would be zeroed in on by the defenders, but I had no choice except to challenge the forces of fate, not when the future of the world was at stake.

As I reached the top of the incline and went to place my gloved left hand on the crest to haul myself up and over into the trench on the over side, a sudden burst of machine gun fire ripped into the ground mere inches from my outstretched digits. I instinctively recoiled away for a second before my mind caught up and I forced myself to continue forward once more. This time, I was able to haul myself over the top of the crest.

The extensive network of trenches met me as I pulled myself up. The interconnected trenches appeared to go for miles in either direction. The fog was still thick in the air so I could only see the first layer that went to my left and right to connect the bunkers to the rest of the network.

It was as eerie as something out of a horror movie. The fog seemed to be too thick to be natural fog. The entire area was colored a wet grey tint and the cold dampness of the fog penetrated my already uncomfortable waterlogged combat gear to make the misery of the situation even more so. Every sound was amplified yet at the same time was also muted. Somewhere ahead of me, I could hear the King Kong EPAs cutting a path through the network as they engaged the secondary fortifications so that we could advance and clean up the remaining enemy soldiers.

However, there was an aspect of the fog that unnerved me to a small degree. The way the fog appeared to dominate the landscape seemed wrong to me but I could not describe it even to myself. It was almost as if this was some alternate version of reality that mirrored the "real" world in almost every regard except for this unnatural blanket of fog. Even the gothic elements of the blood red sun and volcanic sand were muted by the color wash effect of the fog.

I jumped into the trench on the other side of the crest. Almost immediately, I heard several hell soldiers approaching through the fog from down the right path. Their deep breaths as they breathed through their gasmasks was disturbing as the unpleasant sound echoed through the fog. Seconds later, three figures emerged from the grey abyss. They too seemed hindered by the unnatural cloud around us because they failed to discharge their weapons until they were within ten yards of me when I was finally visible to them.

Aiming through my sand-covered rifle's scope, I activated my reflexes. The first soldier was a typical grunt with his charcoal black combat uniform that resembled my own and the gasmask that emitted the sickly-looking gas with every breath that it exhaled. Placing the red dot of my scope in the center of its forehead, I fired a five round burst. The second was a bit more robust than the first with additional armor and a thicker ballistic helmet. However, I neutralized him with relative ease with a ten round burst into his mask.

By then, the third hell soldier had reached me. He was a standard trooper like the first one and, thus, lacked the additional armor and the reinforced helmet. Firmly griping the front and rear of my rifle, I thrust the bayonet into his chest, ripped it back out, drawing black slime-like blood as I did, bashed the soldier across the left side of his head with the butt of my rifle's stock, sending the hellspawn falling onto his back, and then, as the soldier attempted to get back onto his feet, I thrust the dripping blade of my bayonet through his gasmask and into his skull. The glowing light of the humanoid's gasmask eyes ceased and his body dissolved into ash. Pulling my bayoneted rifle out of the sand where it had been penetrating through the hell soldier's skull seconds prior, I deactivated my reflexes.

A mortar round exploded just beyond the edge of the trench wall to my left. I cried out in disgust as I found myself against my back on the opposite side of the wooden board-lined trench wall. As I got to my feet while the black debris cloud began to settle, I was assisted by Alpha 1 and Capt. Raynes. The Replica soldiers of the 1st Battalion were pouring into the trench. War Dog 1 was directing them, sending an equal number down the left and right path. Seeing the operatives from Dark Signal, Delta Force, and both F.E.A.R. teams before me, I addressed them, "We need to get these bunkers cleared out. Captain Raynes, take your team and begin your sweep of the left bunkers. Sergeant Passalaqua, take your men and go with Captain Raynes's team. Point Man, take your team and begin your sweep of the right bunkers. Dark Signal, on me let's move out."

They gave their respective replies and we began to move towards our objectives. With Dark Signal following me, I led the way over to the first bunker on the right while Point Man and the rest of the F.E.A.R. team moved to clear the next one. The massive metal door that allowed access into the bunker was sealed shut by the hell soldiers inside. Due to the cramped space of the trench, we had to line up in single file. Using my psionic abilities, I willed the sealed door to open and then entered the bunker with my rifle at the ready.

The room directly in front of me was the machine gun nest. Perses had cleared out the nest but I could hear more enemy soldiers in the lower levels of the structure. The simple concrete walls in the box-like room were bullet riddled. Overhead, the room was illuminated by a single light bulb fixture, which was blinking and giving off a loud electrical buzz as it struggled to keep the bulb lit. Due to the narrow slit of the machine gun nest, a loud whistling sound filled the room in conjunction with the loud electrical buzzing of the overhead light fixture.

As I slowly began to make my way towards the staircase along the right wall, the light fixture suddenly began to flicker erratically along with my HUD. I was suddenly surrounded by darkness. Whispers filled my ears as if there were thousands of people surrounding me. I could not make out what they were saying but the angry tone in their voices indicated that they desired to inflict great harm upon me.

When I was able to see my surroundings again, I found myself in a seemingly deserted graveyard. I could see my breath as the frigid winter-like conditions hit me like a load of bricks. Particles of snow lazily rained down from the dreary grey sky to add to the already powdered snow layer on the ground. Looking around, I saw endless rows of identical white gravestone markers. The forest of markers reminded me greatly of the Arlington Cemetery with how endless it appeared.

The snow crunched beneath my feet as I moved forward slightly to try to find a way to gain my bearings. The area was disturbingly silent and a heavy feeling of lose was in the air. As I moved forward through the lonely forest of grave markers, I suddenly heard the quick crunching of feet on the snow covered ground behind me. I activated my reflexes and wheeled around to attack my assailant. However, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw that it was Alma.

She was standing before me in her child form. Her shiny raven hair covered her beautiful face as she silently stood mere inches from me. I lowered my rifle as I remarked, "Geez you nearly gave me a heart attack. No matter…your charming presence is enough to lighten even the most morbid of surroundings, my dear. Come on, let's find a way out of this place."

I turned and began to walk forward but stopped when I realized that she was not following me. I turned back and saw that she had not even moved. Concerned, I asked, "Alma? What is it? What's wrong?"

My wife raised her head to look at me and I gasped as I recoiled away. Her face was bloated and green like that of a corpse. Her eyes were milky white and the skin on her cheeks was falling away to reveal the jaw bones of her skull. When she taunted me, her jaw bones cracked and her voice was a hiss. "What's wrong, Michael? Do I disgust you?"

She began to slowly advance towards me. I backed away from her as I asked, "Al-Alma…what…your fa-face…?"

She let out a wheeze to giggle before she replied, "Isn't this what you wanted, Michael?" Before I could reply, she continued, "It must be because you abandoned me. I became an inconvenience to you didn't I? You promised to set me free but as soon as you could, you ran away and left me behind."

Fighting to remain composed, I tried to defend myself, "No…I…"

She cut me off and said, "So lonely…so cold…no one cared…I gave you my heart…" Before I could react, she teleported to stand directly in front of me and screamed, "YOU LEFT ME TO DIE!"

"Becket?"

"Sir?"

"Michael what is it?"

I turned back to see my team and my wife standing by the entrance to the bunker with concerned expressions. I realized that I was back in the bunker. I was breathing heavily as if I had just sprinted the twenty mile run for the Physical Test and my skull felt as if it was in a molten bench vice. Hiding how rattled I was by the hallucination, I lied, "I'm fine. Just catching my breath."

I could see that they were unconvinced, especially Alma who was studying me intently with a concerned motherly expression. However, I had a mission to complete. Moving forward, I made my way towards the staircase.