Leo stood motionlessly, engrossed in conflicting feelings near the reservoir's edge. A part of him refused to accept the outcome, but the sheer will can only take you so far.
He felt the reaper's scythe poised over his head, ready to reap his life any moment. However, there's a saying, "Where there is darkness, there is light."
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Suddenly, a loud honking cut through his dark thoughts, through his reluctance to move, through the feeling of knocking on death's door, and the pounding of his heart.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Again.
Shortly, he felt the scythe recede, but heard someone yell at him before he could relax. "Leader, move out of the way. Now!"
Thump!
He instinctively threw himself sideways just as metal shrieked and the Power Wagon slammed into.
Smash!
A crash followed.
****
Aden and Dave were on their way towards the reservoir, but their lack of geographical understanding complicated things, and the relentless Death Hounds hot on their tail made navigation nearly impossible.
Left with little choice, they relied on their instincts.
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud explosion went off in the distance. "It must be them. Let's go there." Dave steered hard left.
"Woah!" The sudden maneuver threw Aden from his seat.
"Buckle up, boy. We're going faster." Dave pressed hard on the accelerator.
Vroom!
The engine roared as the vehicle zoomed through the city.
Skreee!
"Dammit!"
The debris and other obstacles impeded their progress, their speed remained at 30-35 kmph. Minutes later, they ended up in the same driveway as Leo and encountered the horrifying sight of the overlord.
"The Overlord." The words left their mouths simultaneously.
Smack!
"We were supposed to battle that with guns?" Dave ridiculed the thought.
"It's as big as the pickup." Aden was filled with fear and awe at the beast's size.
Suddenly, their eyes locked on a motionless figure. "It's the leader. Why isn't he moving?" Dave exclaimed at the sight of the beast running towards the motionless Leo.
"Screw it!" Dave maintained the weight on the accelerator and steered toward the overlord. Meanwhile, Aden squeezed through the window and yelled. "Leader, move out of the way."
"Leader, move out of the way."
"Leader, move out of the way." Leo refused to budge even with multiple warnings.
"Almost there! Hold on, boy." They were only a few meters from the beast.
"Leader, move out of the way. Now!" Aden yelled one last time.
Smash!
The Power Wagon crashed into the beast.
****
Rrrraaww!
A deafening roar escaped the beast as it hurled towards the reservoir.
Fwoosh!
The Overlord thrashed, its whip-like tail lashing out blindly.
Crash!
It speared through the center of the windshield, embedding itself in the dashboard between them.
"Holy shit!"
Fortunately, the tail was lodged in the middle, leaving both of them unharmed.
Screech! Screech!
Suddenly, the tires screeched as if being pulled.
Thuck!
Dave pressed on the brake pedal and let go of the accelerator.
Screech! Screech!
No matter Dave's action, the vehicle was losing the tug of war against the beast.
"This is bad. Aden, get out and grab the bazooka." He reversed the car to no avail. While the speed had slowed, the pickup was inching ever so close to the edge. Aden got off the pickup and made his way to the cargo bed.
Thump!
With time of the essence, he hopped inside, grabbed the super bazooka, and carefully retrieved it.
Screech! Screech!
There was no stopping the vehicle.
"Boy, did you grab it?" Dave roared over the screeching tires.
"Yes, Uncle Dave," Aden replied.
A desperate thought flashed through Aden's mind: use the bazooka now, save the truck. However, he immediately dismissed it – the blast radius was too great; they'd be caught in it too.
"Fuck it!" With the vehicle in clear, Dave also jumped out. Immediately, it got dragged at a visible rate without any hindrance.
Moments later, it fell off the edge with the overlord. Meanwhile, Leo was lying on the side, gasping for air.
The turn of events offered them a momentary relief, allowing them to focus on Leo.
"Leader, how are you doing?" Dave approached him, trying to ensure his safety.
"I'm fine now. I thought I was gonner for a second there." Leo tried to downplay the previously perilous situation.
"Are you sure, leader? The last time I saw you, you were standing motionless. What was that about?" Curiosity overriding caution, he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Dave. It wasn't just fear, Dave. It... it was like the air turned to lead, like something was pressing down on my mind. You wouldn't get it unless you've felt that." He exclaimed.
"Fair enough." Dave imagined himself in the situation and couldn't help but shudder.
Boom!
A death hound was blown into smithereens. "Leader, Uncle Dave. We have a death hound situation." Aden yelled, shooting.
"Again? We can't catch a break, can we?" Dave got up and looked ahead, his mouth gaping wide.
A massive horde was rapidly approaching.
"If I make it out of here, I'm never coming back." He complained to himself, bracing for the upcoming situation.
Boom!
Aden killed another hound. Meanwhile, Dave and Leo were left there: idling. Both lost their weapons during their encounter with the overlord. Now, they had no choice but to rely on Aden.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Aden shot three more hounds in succession, but the hound population remained the same. It felt as if the entire death hound population of the town was present.
Boom!
"I can't believe I survived the boss, only to get mauled by the minions."
The absurd development left them bittersweet.
"I guess this is what you call 'Out of the frying pan, into the fire'." Aden chuckled while trying to hold the horde at bay.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Out of nowhere, they heard multiple shots and saw the hounds in the lead drop dead.
Hahaha!
"Missed me, fellas?" The group heard a loud clamor from the rear.
"Fire!" A command followed suit, only to get drowned in the sound of constant fire.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Not a single hound was left standing from the horde by the end of the fifth minute.
"Let's go, brothers." The team, led by a bloodied figure, approached Aden's group.
"Good work, you three. Leo, I'm proud of your achievement. Leo, you put your life on the line to save the rest. As for you two, I'm proud of your bravery." Franz showered them with praise. "I'm sorry, I was late," and also apologized for the delay.
The trio took a glance at Franz and saw his bloodied figure, although dry.
"It's okay, Captain. We're in one piece. That's all that matters." They couldn't bring themselves to complain.
"Good. Now let's make sure the overlord is dead." Franz quickened his steps towards the edge with the entire team at the rear.
Moments later, the sight of the demolished Power Wagon at the bottom of the reservoir welcomed them. However, the overlord caught within the wreckage, at least its tail, surprised them.
Rrrraaww!
The beast sensed their killing intent and let out a ferocious roar, gazing at them.
Ha-ha! Ha-ha! Ha-ha!
Most of them chuckled in response; death hounds were known to be blind, so the overlord's action felt like a child throwing a tantrum.
However, something triggered inside Aden. Despite its blindness, he felt like being scrutinized by it. Suddenly, hallucinations manifested within his vision. The overlord disappeared from his sight.
Shortly, he arrived at a dark, unfamiliar location.
Rrrraaww!
He heard its roar, followed by a feeling of oppression. He was frozen on the spot, its vile stench pervaded his nose.
Baaarrff!
His body gagged in response.
"Shit that stinks." He couldn't help but complain.
"What? You can smell it from here?" Leo found his complaint implausible.
The question jolted Aden out of the weird state.
"What the hell was that?" His head spun. It wasn't just fear or the lingering adrenaline. What he'd just experienced felt… different. More real and terrifyingly intimate with the beast than anything before.
"Aden, pass me bazooka. Let's send this thing to hell where it belongs." Franz was already familiar with the item in Aden's possession, he wanted to be the person who used it.
"Here, Captain," Aden passed the super bazooka.
Creak!
Franz cracked open the crate and assembled the two sections of tube, after ensuring their functional state.
"Leo, check the rocket and load up," he gave an order.
"Yes, Captain." He meticulously examined the rocket and loaded it on the rear end of the tube. "Captain, it's loaded."
With the rocket loaded, Franz was ready to fire. "Everyone, clear the blast area."
Everyone was on the sides, about 10-15 meters away from Franz, with the rear empty. Then, he placed the bazooka on his left shoulder, disengaged the safety, and pulled the trigger.
Fwoosh!
A loud wooshing sound emanated as the rocket propelled itself toward the target.
Boom!
A bright flash, a loud noise, and dust and smoke accompanied the detonation, and the hot propellant gas was expelled through the open back of the tube.
"Hell yeah!" The team cheered in unison.
The result was visible once the dust and smoke settled. However, the overlord was still intact in its previous location. A close inspection revealed a deep and noticeable wound.
"How is that beast still intact? This thing is built to take out tanks, for god's sake." The result was beyond Franz's imagination.
"Fine. We'll have to do it ourselves. The bazooka did the heavy lifting. Let's not waste all our ammo. Those with rifles, fill that wound with lead."
"Yes, Captain." Multiple veterans lined up with rifles in front and set their sights on the wounded beast.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets echoed across the city as the remaining members watched from the back.