Mike jolts up from his sleep, snatching a quick breath. He grips his sleeping bag hard as cold sweat fell down from his face. He takes a deep breath and holds his head.
A female voice spoke, "Same nightmare?"
Mike exhales deeply and gives a nod. The olive skinned woman sat down beside him, she had a short and curly hair, she wore a leather jacket paired with denim pants, and finished with a pair of black combat leather boots. Her jacket was stained with dried blood, and her pants have seen better days.
The fire from the barrel flickered, casting a shadow across the ruined room. The walls were broken down, and glass from the windows were nonexistent. The cold air breezes through the gaps of the walls and windows. Outside the room was complete darkness, like the abyss.
"Boy, you better get up! I'm catching some sleep, and its your shift now anyway."
Mike snapped out of it and quickly got out of his sleeping bag. He rolls it hastily and said, "Thanks Nora. I'll take it from here."
Nora rolled and snuggled inside her own sleeping bag, "Mmhmm."
Mike stretched out his arms and body, his motorcycle jacket is now damaged with scratches and a few minor burns. He walked towards the edge of the room, and scanned the horizon. As his vision clears and adjusts to the darkness, he saw high rise skyscrapers. Inside the skyscrapers were a few lights from fire barrels like theirs. He looked down, and saw the high drop below. Mike and Nora was at the 34th floor of a skyscraper. It used to be a mega condominium, where it was filled with people living in peace. Now it was but a mere hollow shell of what it used to be. Yet it served as a sanctuary for a few people.
Mike's radio buzzed to life, "Mike, come in. You there?"
Mike grabbed his radio and clicked, "Yup. What is it?"
"Look at the building by Magnolia."
Mike scratched the back of his head looking at the several skyscrapers by Magnolia. "Which one?"
"You know, the one where they filmed that one weird commecial where everyone was a can of soda?"
Mike's eyes lit up and realized, "Oh, that one. Yeah I'm looking at it."
The building itself was broken. Shattered walls and windows exposed its insides. There were a few lights from fire barrels peppered throughout the building. Some people there are cooking food over it, sleeping beside it, and some are doing gun maintenance and patrolling its perimeter.
Am I looking at the right one? It looks normal, and from the looks of it, it was taken over by another group.
Mike's radio buzzed again, "Our scouts say that they saw Angries walk in. The Big Boss gave the signal too. So you better gear up."
Angries? Ragers? The people inside looked fine to me.
Mike clicked his radio, "I'm currently on Sentinel Duty-"
Mike's radio cut him off, "The Big Boss himself gave the order. It overrides whatever shift you're in."
Mike sighed. He had just woken up from a nightmare and Nora is just getting her sleep too. "Alright. I'll let Nora know."
"Hurry up, we're meeting over by the lobby."
Mike put his radio back to his pants and walked up to the sleeping Nora, nudging her slightly. "Psst, Nora-"
Nora snapped, "Yeah yeah, Big Boss orders. I know."
What? This bitch... She didn't want to do it herself!
Mike left Nora alone, and took his guns with him. It was an old M1911 with a single spare magazine, and a Laser Rifle with a couple of spare cell batteries. He rushed towards the stairs and into the Lobby.
At the lobby, two men await. One was taller than Mike, wearing a full Battle Dress Attire worn by the old US Military, with Kevlar vest and a helmet. The other guy wore a makeshift armor made from PVC pipes for his forearms and shins, gardening gloves, some pillows on his torso, and a metal pot strapped on his head.
Mike said, "You look ridiculous Richard."
Richard made a lazy two finger salute and smiled. "My gear is still drying out."
The guy with the military gear handed the two of them a couple of flash grenades. "We're up against Ragers. Head out."
Mike wore his motorcycle helmet and followed. They exited the lobby and into the streets. The street was littered with broken down cars, some were looted off of its parts. There were dried blood stains on the pavement, and the streetlights had long since died out. The doors and windows of some buildings was barred with planks and furniture. The air was cold and crisp, enough to make their breathes fog.
The guy with the military gear said, "This is your first time working with me. The name's Alan. No, I'm not a soldier. And no, I'm not a basketball player."
Richard grunts under his breath. "Damn... How'd he know what I was gonna ask?"
They entered the building and everything seems fine. Alan raised his laser rifle in anticipation. The reception area was empty, with a few broken glass and turned over furniture. The marble counter was broken off, stained with dried blood, smudged as if someone was dragged off of it. It was eeriely silent apart from the drops of water that echoed.
Plip...
Plip...
Plip...
Scitter Scittter...
The trio snapped their laser rifles towards the scurrying sound, refusing to take a step further. They aimed steadily towards the sound. A shadow passed by and Alan snapped towards the movement. The light revealed a cat with a dead rat on its mouth. It scurried away and into a hole.
BANG!
The three jolted from the gunshot. Followed by screams.
BANG!
BANG!
RATATATATATAT!
Gunshots! That's sure to attract those freaks.
Alan snapped an order, "Hurry, up there!"
Mike and Richard looked up on the second floor and saw a couple of red flashes of light. Laser Rifle fire. The fighting had begun there. Alan took the lead and ran upstairs. Upon reaching the second floor, the gunshots died down. Alan crouched and the two followed.
Thud.
Thud.
CRASH!
A body was flung through the door and slammed into the concrete wall. The man grunts in pain as he tries to stand up. Alan raised his Laser Rifle, aiming by the door.
GROAR!
Another man burst through the door with arms stretched forward, he was roaring with a deep guttural growl, his eyes were bloodshot, veins bulge throughout his body, and his mouth is foaming with saliva. With great speed he dashed and slammed his body towards the downed man.
Alan fired, a beam of red light shot out of his laser rifle, making a pew sound. He missed. The downed man had his stomach clawed open by the other man, he screams in agony whilst blood is spewing out of his mouth.
Alan shouts, "RAGER!"
The Rager continued to disembowel the downed man despite flopping off. The Rager then snapped its head towards Alan and lunges at him. The speed of the Rager blitzed past Mike and Richard, and slammed into Alan.
Alan grunts as he was flung backwards, sliding across the cold marble floor. Mike aims his Laser Rifle and fires a continuous beam of red light. It hit the Rager's shoulder and pierced through, melting its flesh, almost hitting Alan. The Rager's arm fell off as it tried to strike Alan.
Alan shoved the Rager, hitting its jaws with the stock of his rifle. The Rager staggers back as it tries to strike Alan again with a headbutt. Alan rolled to the side and the Rager hit the solid marble floor, making a wet impact. It reels its head again, going for another one. Mike wrapped his arms around the Rager by its torso, and with a roar, he leans back and slams the Rager into the floor. Mike quickly grabbed Alan's arms and pulled him up.
Richard looked back at the downed man and saw that he was still breathing. His mouth started foaming and his veins started to bulge. Anger streaked across the downed man's eyes and face. His eyes become become bloodshot as he makes the same growl, like an angry man on a road rage.
The downed man suddenly gets up and sprints towards the Rager. Richard jumped out of the way, and watches as the once downed man grabbed the Rager by the head and repeatedly smashed its head on the floor until it stopped moving.
The three of them raised their laser rifles, aiming at the two. The once downed man looked up at them with his face twisted with anger, growling, and gritting his teeth.
"There are more..."
The three of them lowered their rifles. Alan walked up to him and asked, "Where?"
The once downed man grits his teeth and speaks through it, "Go, straight down this hallway."
Alan pats his shoulder and arms his pistol, aiming it towards the head of the once downed man.
"My daughter... She's at the seventh floor by the pool. Please, save her."
The once downed man reached to his pockets and pulls out a photo. It was a photo of a young asian lady with long straight hair, she was wearing a traditional Japanese kimono. Mike looked away, and focused unto a printout by the wall, it depicted the same commercial of the soda, bubbling, labeled Fizzy Soda.
BANG!
Alan fired his pistol, blowing the brains off of the once downed man. He flopped and fell on his face. Unmoving.