Stress Test

Unknown Location

01 07 2018

0735 Hours

Detroit, Michigan

"Back back back!" Lincoln shouted as the familiar red eyes stared back at him through the sight. The beast of the tank went into reverse gear with a jolt. For only twenty small feet the tank retreated before the tank was shook violently and the engine cut all power to the tank. Everyone was thrown out of their seats from the impact of the shell from the enemy armor.

Lisa looks out her periscope and sees the red eyes still watching through the smoke. "Oh no... " Lisa said under her breath, "The T-90." With a bright flash followed by a loud bang of metal on metal, just enough to make everyone's ears ring, everybody practically leaped from theirs seats from either the hit of the projectile or the ringing. It sounded almost like very large chimes except it only rang once.

"My EARS!" Lola cried in agony. Lincoln couldn't help but only yell as his ear drums felt like they were vibrating out of his skull. Lynn clentched her teeth and kept her hands planted over her ears to help dampen the sound, but this only allowed her whole head to feel the vibration of the sound. Lily let out a painful whale as if it could help.

When the ringing finished, it left Lisa with a massive headache, her vision was no longer able to focus properlly it seemed. Again, another hit left everyone to suffer to the sound of a ear blistering ring. Lori shoved the tank into full reverse in order to escape the constant battering of their ears.

Lori managed to reverse behind a large garage and began to turn around the tank when the T-90 tank appeared once again in front of them. Out of shear instinct, Lincoln pulled the trigger to the massive gun. Within the blink of an eye, another flash occured and everyone clenched their ears once more, however, there was no ringing. Lori looked out the tiny driving port to see a burning fireball before her.

Lincoln was breathing heavily, it was more like a panting when he let off the gun. He looked at the others in the back and stared into their petrfied eyes. The stress was mounting, on the one hand this was their only way of surviving this hell, a cramped metal box in a warzone. One the other hand, hiding inside here could be a deathtrap due to the massive size of the vehicle, not to mention that hiding this behemoth needs alot of room.

Lincoln's thoughts were then cut short by the sounds of Leni hyperventilating. Within seconds she was laying on the cold hard metal floor of the tank, breathing very quickly. "Leni it is alright bro." said a worried Luna. "You'll be fine. It's ok." Leni continued to breath like she was running a 10k. A concerned Lynn stepped in, "Is she tired? Why is she breathing so heavily?"

"She can't handle it in here."

"SHE can't? I'm going insane!"

"Will you just give her some space Lynn?"

"You're telling me to back off?"

"YES, I AM!"

Lynn, knowing she won't get far, admits defeat and sits down.

Finally getting a hang once again of the stick control for the tank, Lori turns the tank around and heads east, hoping to find shelter and supplies. Along the way, they found French Mex a burning pile of rubble. Buildings all around this area were reduced to ash, collapsed and on fire. As they drove, they could feel the debris in the road being run acrossed by the tracks of the behemoth. Nobody in the back knew what they were running over, for all they knew it could've been toys, peices of buildings, cars, or even bodies. Nobody dare to look out the view ports and find out, for fear of the worse.

The sound of the humming from the engine was almost soothing, but this in of itself was very unsettling. Nobody spoke. No one was sure if it was because of fear or tension, but no one was willing to test it. Suddenly, everyone was jolted forward as the tank locked its tracks on the pavement. Everyone quickly scrambled for the viewport windows to see the somehow still standing Royal Woods Elementary. Would it be worth it? Would it just a waste of time? Was there anything inside?

Carefully but quickly, Lori reversed the tank to the front doors of the school. Lori then shouted to everyone else, "Get inside and get supplies, I don't want to risk getting caught with literally all of you with me." Everybody nodded and bailed out the back doors into the school building. As soon as the doors closed, the massive armored monster rolled away. Lincoln worried, he hoped Lori would be fine, there is no telling what lurks out there. But there is also no telling what lies inside this seemingly abandoned building.