Chapter 6

Tony

The moment we brought the Lok into the interrogation room it cradled back in forth between the restraints while trying to bite Jacob’s arm off.

“Screw you humans! All of you must die!”

Jacob forced a bowie knife in my palm and I cut the Lok’s chin off with one swing. He stopped in an instant as his jaw bled out in front of us.

“What’s your name?” I said and slid the knife on his neck. “If I’m going to interrogate a wild dog, I need a way to address you.”

The Lok made his mouth wide open as he drooled down my knife. Then he licked the blood off his chin and smirked.

“My name is, Redik, what is yours, human?”

I took the knife away from him.

“It’s Tony.”

“You want information?” Redik asked and snarked at us. “You don’t have bullets to dent us. Especially our lord, HellFire. He’s going to make you sit down for your vile sins.”

“Sins?” Jacob questioned. “How the hell does a creature like you know about sins? Your Lox just bit people’s heads off back there.”

“I don’t need to be human to know what sins are.” Redik aimed his eyes at Jacob. “You humans most definitely know what sins are each day yet you can’t figure out how to stop killing each other. Lord HellFire has been there during world war one and two. The crusades and even when Yellowstone erupted in the 2100’s!”

He kept saying Lord HellFire. Is he referring to a king or a god?

Then Redik started laughing. “Such pathetic evil creatures! You don’t know how to understand each other! The only things you know how to do is shed blood amongst each other. If HellFire says your evil, it will be well worth it for our Lox to munch you down to the bone. Is it really wrong for us to kill you, when you’re already killing each other.”

I looked at Jacob. He started pulling out and loading his handgun.

“Fucking vile creatures!” Redik rocked the chair back and forth. “This universe is far better without humans! They all must die for their sins! If anyone is going to eradicate you it will be lord HellFire and our world of Lox that must chew down your flesh!”

I dropped my knife in disbelief. I didn’t even want to hear anymore. This was hurting my head.

Suddenly I heard Jacob’s gun click.

“You’re all sinners! You don’t deserve to walk on two feet! If killing you, will save this universe, it will all be worth it in the end. You’ll all die in the—”

Bang!

Jacob silenced Redik with the final bullet. Even the room’s air became thick as his blood splashed on our armor.

“I’m sorry,” Jacob said. “I didn’t want to hear anymore.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad you fired the bullet. He’s no matter to us now.”

Out of nowhere Romeo walks in without knocking out.

“Hm,” he questioned looking at the body. “How’d it go with that Lok?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I sighed. “The only thing we got was him ranting about a God of his.”

“Cool,” Romeo ignored my distress. “We got another mission for you. There’s a town close by that was recently infiltrated by them. Can you get the hang of it, yet Tony?”

I didn’t know how to respond. I wasn’t sure I could continue.

“I’m trying my best,” I said.

“Your best?” Romeo frowned. “We didn’t train you to do your best. We trained you to be the best. If you can’t handle it, go back home!”

“I can do it!” I yelled back. “It’s my mission as a Rhino!”

He smirked then set his foot back. “Take care of yourselves out there. We don’t need any of you dead.”

Romeo walked away. Jacob slapped my shoulder and said, “Hey, Tony. Just so you know, I got your back.”

“Thanks,” I smirked. “I appreciate it. Let the Cobras take care of the body.”

Jacob stepped out and I began guiding myself to the sleeping quarters to rest for an hour but Nancy met me halfway.

“Hey,” Nancy put her hands in her pockets. “You have time to speak for a bit?”

“Does it really matter?” I teased her.

“No,” she made a small smile. “It really doesn’t.”

“Hm, well go on.”

“I’m just checking on you. You kind of went a little crazy when Patrick got shot.”

“I’m trying to be okay.” I took my helmet off. “I’m doing my best to keep my sanity clean.”

Nancy picked her hands out and touched my chest. “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know,” I sighed. “We need to be careful. We're in a lot of danger right now.”

“I’ll be right here.” Nancy rubbed my chest and glared bright eyes at me. “I’m watching you every step. Try to keep a good composure. There’s no reason for you to continue if you fall apart along the way.”

“I’m a Rhino, Nancy. I shouldn’t but we’re only human. Being a Rhino doesn’t change that. We still have the risk of dying in the cold air but no matter what, we need to fulfill our duty as Rhinos to protect Orson. It's our only job here.”

“Well, you better hope we die protecting Orson together,” Nancy said.

“No.” I pulled her arm away. “You have no reason to die here. I was born here. I’ll be happy to die for Orson any day.”

Chapter 7

Tony

The next day, we flooded the town with several hundred Cobras. All the sound came from our breaths. A deadly cold silent breeze of air followed against our backs. A breeze that stopped Maurice from lighting his cigar.

“Mortars incoming!” A Cobra yelled.

My head decided on its own to contact Maurice, he immediately placed his helmet back on and stuck his sniper on the snow.

The whistling noise that flew across the sky, sounded like it was dancing in the air like a bird in the morning sun, then came along an explosion that left a dent in our life.

Blood flew out of people’s systems. Arms and legs said goodbye to their partners. The life that woke up each morning for breakfast was nothing but a man that left to the night sky.

I faced the bloodbath and saw a reflection of me. The man inside me said, “Snap out of it!”

A slap made contact with my cheeks and I immediately slammed the rifle into Orson to brace for a wave that knocked me out of my socks. The ground below me said hello to my back. That was only one mortar and half our army was decapitated.

I grappled the gun back into my possession and put a force to step back up on my nerving feet.

While I tried to snap myself from the distorted sound of people crying in agony, one of the Cobras pulled my shoulder and cried out-loud.

“What are we going to do, boss?”

I honestly didn’t know yet I learned in training what exactly to do when we face explosives like these, run, duck and hope you don’t get hit.

Until two men dragged a Cobra with a torn off leg, I heard one sentence and I finally snapped back into existence. “Screw this, I’m getting out of here, this isn’t worth it anymore!”

I had quitters and I was one of them. I’m a Rhino. There was no reason I should quit when people need me. There were civilians in that town that needed us. If I let them down, I only hurt my sanity even more.

I waited for the next mortars to land and I paid attention to the time it took to fire and drop. I heard three consecutive thuds in the distance and it took fourteen seconds before they landed and it took them twenty seconds to load them in and they’re not striking anywhere near the houses. I had my plan.

“Listen up!” I yelled out. “It takes thirty-four seconds before the mortars hit! Run fast immediately after they drop and head to the closest house!”

Nancy, Maurice, Jacob and I took off to the nearest house just as the last mortars hit. Nancy and I ran the back door while Maurice and Jacob loaded up on the front door.

A faint sound of weapons being armed flew through the door. Nancy peeked through the door and threw a flashbang into the kitchen. A table smacked down sideways providing childish support for the Lox. Nancy and I then kicked the door open and spread shots through the table.

The Lox landed flat dead on the floor, then Maurice kicked the front door open, and sprayed his dual SMGs at two Lox by the stairs.

In a small second, my attention closed in on several torn apart bodies. A whole family were ripped apart by teeth and even a little child, which I don’t want to mention what they did to him.

“Tony!” Jacob nudged my shoulder. “Up the stairs. Two bedrooms. I get the right, you get the left with Maurice.”

I looked back at Nancy and she stood back to watch the floor below as we raided upstairs.

Maurice walked up careful steps with his SMG’s aimed out at the left bedroom. I kept my weapon locked on the door and suddenly I more weapons were being loaded

Three shots ripped through the door and Maurice exchanged back. He sprayed through the wall every shot he had and kicked the door open.

I followed in and one Lok laid under the bed with a shotgun. His head was blown off with mine and one Lok popped out in the bathroom around the corner.

My foot took me behind the door to avoid the marks. Maurice leaned around the door and capped the Lox with two bullets.

Then we switched to Jacob’s door. Jacob without released two sniper bullets through the door and we listened to two giant bodies hit the ground.

I leaned around the door with my shotgun and opened it carefully for Jacob and less than a second, he shot another blood skinning bullet into a Lok’s face by the bathroom.

“Stop shooting!” a woman cried out. “They’re all dead.”

My heart shook and Jacob disarmed his sniper. Jacob and I rushed into the bathroom. A woman with light brown hair whimpered in a puddle of tears and blood inside the bathtub.

“Are you okay?” Jacob asked.

She ignored him and shed multiple tears into a pool. Jacob pulled me out of the bathroom to talk to me.

“God damn, I almost shot her, Tony,” Jacob sighed.

“That means there’s more civilians in this town, we need to be more cautious,” I said.

“She’s too traumatized, Tony. We need to move to the other houses. There’s probably more civilians like her out here.”

“Right, let the Cobras know,” I muttered. “They'll keep her safe while we move.”

We had the Cobras cover the house, and proceeded the same tactic to clear the next houses together.

With more backup this time, we reached a one floor house. We breached the front door, and another armored Lok aimed at us over a tipped table.

Just as we exchanged looks, the Lox released a rain of bullets that scared us enough to retreat out the door. Nancy shoved me to the side and chose to risk her life by leaning around the door.

She skipped one bullet that nearly skinner her face but aimed her rifle along the doorway and said goodnight with two bullets that kissed the Lok’s forehead.

“Check the kitchen! I’ll get the bedroom,” I said.

I pumped my shotgun and followed a track of blood to the room. I shared my back with the wall and reached for the doorknob. A faint cry came out the door and my eyes traced on two little girls covering each other’s faces from tears.

“It’s okay, I’m friendly,” I put my shotgun up in the air. “Is it just the two of you?”

They only nodded and I signaled Nancy. I wanted to ask if they had parents but I didn’t want the feeling of putrid death making contact with my damaged heart.

“Hey, Maurice, Jacob,” Nancy said. “Both of you climb on top of the roof.”

“What’s your idea?” Maurice asked

“Provide sniper fire. Me, Tony and the rest will secure the town from the mortars,” she ordered.

“I’m right with you.” Jacob began climbing the house. “Good luck to both of you,”

Nancy then looked at me briefly.

“Ready?” she asked. I nodded and we moved on. The mortar crew has been revealed on a rooftop of a farm house in the middle of the town, surrounded by clusters of sandbags. A Lok stood beside them with a turret.

Once we made our step, Jacob knocked open the Lok’s head, clearing the turret. They blazed down each Lok attempting to reuse the turret. Our passage was glass clear.

Both Maurice and Jacob pierced bullets through. The Lox were cornered into the pens. Nancy and I then fired through the pens, jabbing bullets into their backs.

The ladder stared at us with height. Nancy watched my back as I laid my hands on the feet on the wood. At the top, one Lok peeked aiming his AR on me but Nancy capped down the Lok rapidly, collapsing over me and crashed on the bottom

I reached the top and loaded my shotgun with explosive shells. The shells tore the ceiling with each mark and landed two Lox on my land. I switched to my handgun and told them goodnight.

The Lox that tore our army were now in the pits of hell. With them down, we had our chance to bring in vehicles. Two tanks, and three armored trucks with machine guns.

In responding back, they brought in what appeared as helicopters with turrets on their sides. They redesigned a helicopter aircraft, adding a tan color to them.

But my main attention was on a Lok with a large round shield and axe. The Lok was eight foot six tall and big enough to stomp my head open. I stepped down from the roof to confront the Lok myself.

“Why is there a Lok with a shield and axe?” I questioned out-loud.

I grew a desire to face him myself just to show off in front of my army but when he caught my attention, he charged towards me with his shield out, ramming me like a bull and slammed me on the snow.

My weapons were knocked away from me and all I had was my knife in my waist. His axe nearly met with my head and I continued to eat my breakfast with one kick into his chin. The foot only made him frown lower and growled.

The thing grabbed me by the neck lifting me up in the air. I pulled out my knife, and stabbed him in the neck. He screamed and dropped me to the ground.

With little effort the Lok pulled the knife off his neck and whacked me in the chest plate. In one hit he launched me back against a house across the town.

I crashed a house with my back, nearly fell to my knees. As I stood back up, a rocket came out of nowhere aimed against the Lok, striking his shield sent him flying back with his Lox.

Three different Lox, picked him up from his back, recovering him with his shield. For a pause, the Lok exchanged a death stare that told me, I may have to fight him again.

Our army overpowered his Lox. The battle is too overwhelming for him forcing him to retreat with the rest of his Lox. This must be one of leaders of the Lox. Sadly, I knew that wasn’t going to be the last time I saw him.

That was a complete mission but not many civilians survived. Jacob approached me after. “Tony. The woman doesn’t want to leave the house. She doesn’t want to say anything.”

I went back to the house, still seeing the woman in the same bathroom crying, but although she is in full trauma, I still attempted to calm her.

“Hey.” I rested my weapons on my back. “I’d really like to help you but I can’t if you’re too scared to leave. We all have to extract the civilians. That means you too.”

She only looked at me with one eye, covering her head with her arms and legs. She continued to cry, attempting to hide her tears away from me.

“If you don’t mind telling me, what’s your name?”

She gasped and wiped her tears, “Jackie. It’s Jackie.”

“Okay, Jackie,” I said. “What happened here?”

“Those things.” She shed tears. “They ate my family. They ate my son, and ... They were going to eat me too. I was watching everything ... You don’t know how horrifying that was!”

She covered her face again and cried out-loud.

“I can’t say I can help you with your family but I’d like to get you out of here. If you come with us, we can guarantee your safety. You just need to cooperate.”

“My leg.” She showed her face. “Those things, they stabbed my leg ... It hurts to move.”

I looked at her leg, it doesn’t look too deep of a cut.

“It’s not anything too bad for me to handle, I’ll be careful.”

I reached for her arms but then she yelled out, “Wait ...! I want you to cover my eyes ... I don’t want to see the bodies.”

“Okay ... I understand,” I said.

I lifted her leg up slowly as stiff as possible and covered her eyes with my left hand as she grabbed onto my shoulders. She got more comfortable, relaxing her tears, but at the same time, she’s not going to be fine for a long time.

I had no other option. I could only take her to the truck where it’s safer up north. My business stays here in the south no matter what happens.