The sun, draped on the horizon. Setting down for the day, it filled the sky its orange hue as I looked at the nearby shop that looked like a shopping mart. It's still stocked as it was before it was abandoned, so I decided to get some of the chips and held them over my arm as I left a few bills in my pocket to the register.
I also took three bottles of water from the cold counter, and left hastily as I went back to the three-story building that I decided to camp out the night.
Keeping cautious of the area as I moved up, but after hearing no oddities at all as I waited, I settled on a corner room in the second floor. It looks like the room is unused as it only had basic amenities and no signs of occupation, so I thought I could stay here for a while.
Listening to the war outside, I can hear the hum of jets and helicopters time to time, but none flew by around here. Besides, if I consider the situation here, they're most likely retreating from this position to begin with, so I assume I wouldn't get some help.
I placed the chips, packaged bars of chocolate and water down to the side where my gun was and I looked by the window. I didn't put my entire body at view mainly because of the concern that these bugs aren't alone and are still prowling the area, but I got a view of the greater range of this city.
Growing up essentially on a wartime situation, I know most of what I'm seeing here. Rockets streaked by the orange sky as explosions leveled areas of the stricken city. Jets flew tactical strikes, probably intending to strike important or grouped up targets.
But what's worse is what they were fighting.
There was something in the horizon. I can't see it properly because of the smokes from the burning areas of the city, but a giant slug-like entity is crawling across the landscape, spanning higher even to the same levels most passenger planes fly at. It's emitting smoke, probably strikes from the military, but it still moved like it's nothing.
"…That thing might be something important to these bugs."
I can only see so far, but I noticed something. A contingent of two helicopters—something that looked like the US AH-1 Cobra, shot rockets into the giant slug.
But in the middle of their attack run, I can see some dots approaching them. I winced and did my best to focus on those dots, but those 'things' swarmed the two helicopters. It lurched it around like it was losing control, and one of them broke in half as the helicopters fell to the ground.
"So there are flyers."
I can't help but sigh as I went down to the floor to rest. I took off my carrier and top, revealing a lanky body. Thin enough that I'm sure I could wrap my pointing finger and my thumb over my arm around easily.
My bottom right part of my body is also bruised. It had a few wounds and what looked like a burn mark, though it doesn't sting much. I took some of the bottled water and cleaned it, and using a nearby paper napkin stocked on the counter, did my best to clean it up.
Surely, this empty room should have some medical supplies?
I shuffled through the kitchen first, then I turned over to a door nearby and found a bathroom.
I finally got to see my face clearly, and as I suspected, I look different. Another thing I noticed is my red hair—is it a dye? I touched my hair to feel it, but I don't really feel it being a dye… Instead, I felt it more like I haven't gotten a proper bath for days.
Noticing a soap and a…shampoo? Nearby, I thought of taking a bath. I smelled the container and it seems like it's shampoo, but then again, not because it's fragrant meant it is, right?
Either way, I'd prefer to clean these bruises first. I locked the door by jamming a rolled-up mat by the door, and washed my body.
I'm surprised that the water is still running, but then again, the city might've been just abandoned recently which is a pretty good explanation why it's still not looted much.
"…Ow."
The sting of the soapy water running over my wounds hurt me a little, but I disregarded it as I focused to make sure I get over the wound properly. When that's done, I covered it by another few sheets of the paper napkin.
"…I'd better look for medical supplies later."
I laid my tired body over a makeshift cot with the bathrobe and towel, resting there for the meantime as the sun set fully and darkness filled the city.
(Crash!)
My eyes fluttered open as I heard it.
A loud crash, something large hit something. I peeked over the window and saw the rows of streetlights, now flipping open as their sensors dictated them to. A part of it is off, and I can see a car set ablaze.
From the flames, I can see two giant monsters—Something that look like giant spiders at the same height of an average adult human. They tore through the front seat and I saw them drag the driver out as the man shot his pistol to the spider, only to get devoured.
But my eyes turned to the side. South of that situation, I can see two people—an adult male and a child. She seemed to be wearing something like a school uniform?
They're turned towards this street, which made me wary. If they continue and the two monsters notice them, they'll indirectly bring those two monsters to me.
I was about to reach for my gun when I heard a screech. I turned my eyes over and saw that the two spider things had noticed the two, and now they're at full sprint.
"Aaaaah, cyka. Fine."
=-=-=-=-=-=
"Miss Zofya (Zo-fi-a), you need to keep running, I'll hold them here."
The man, looking like at his 50s, looked at the girl with concern as he bats one glance to the two monsters approaching them. In his hands is a Vis 100 pistol… Something that can't even scratch those monsters.
"No! No! Father told me you'd keep me safe! We have to run!"
"But these Spiraks would get to us faster than we could run. Miss Zofya, please go."
Zofya wanted to cry out for him to stop saying that, but she knows that the longer they get into this argument, the more time they've wasted.
Perhaps to reassure her, the man spoke once again, "Your father has mobilized the entire army. I'm sure they'll come for you… So please, you need to live."
Teary-eyed, and perhaps she's just running at this point unable to see anything thanks to the tears in her eyes, she grits her teeth as she put her head down as she kept running.
"I—"
She was cut short as she hit someone, and instead was held tightly by another person.
"Make your goodbye worthwhile, not like this."
The unknown person spoke in an accented Polish, and Zofya looked up. She finds a boy who held her in the shoulders in one arm with a rifle on the other.
"I don't know how to speak polish, I only spoke what a friend always told me back then." He says in English, "But head over there and go to the second floor."
"But—" the man interjected, but the boy shook his head, "Your pistol isn't going to do anything. Go!"
The boy instead went to one of the cars parked nearby, breaking the side windows with the buttstock of the rifle and reached for the lock of the door. Fishing it out within seconds, he opened it with ease as he lifted the parking brake.
While the two, still in shock, tried to follow his orders, the boy easily opened the car and kicked the tire stopper in the curb.
"Thank god this is an old model."
He then proceeded to push the car back rolling to the approaching spiders, and as it drew closer to them, leveled his rifle and—
A full burst targeting the engine canopy. Cars aren't great cover after all—the bullets seamlessly penetrated the engine and the fuel inside caught fire with the flame rounds he carried, which in turn—
(KABOOM--!)
Detonating the car over the two 'Spirak', the boy didn't stop there and fired a three-round burst into the monsters as they got tossed by the concussive force of the explosion. Being set ablaze as their softer underbelly being exposed, the two monsters let out a loud shriek as they were set ablaze.
The boy didn't waste time and entered the shopping mart again, looking for medical goods first as he avoided being there in case any attention was brought by the explosion.