Chapter 125 The Grim Reality

125 The Grim Reality

"Girls, with our injuries, we won't be able to outpace that thing," Ella stated.

The beast they had encountered possessed formidable capabilities — flinging massive rubble across distances with ease, leaping spans that defied their understanding, and delivering earth-shattering blows that fractured the ground beneath them. Their options were limited; outrunning the creature was not one of them.

How about fighting it? Well, Ella already had that one accounted for. If it can broadside a car and send it flying away ten to twenty meters, there's no way their small arms could make a dent. Their firepower wasn't designed for this scale of threat.

Ella continued, her voice tinged with a hard edge of realism, "We've got to think defensively. Our small arms won't do much against something that can toss a JLTV like a toy."

"How long until the strike package arrives?" Angela asked.

"Well, in forty-five seconds, give or take," Angela replied, checking her watch. Their eyes collectively turned to the sky, seeking any sign of the promised support.

Angela, gripping her rifle, spoke up, "Okay, so we hold up. Wait for them to arrive."

"If you shoot at it, it will not hesitate to attack us," Lisa said.

"Then what do you want us to do, squad leader? Stand here and accept our deaths?"

That's right, Lisa is the squad leader of Unit 4. This was supposed to be a beginner-level mission for them yet it had unexpectedly turned into a survival scenario. Lisa, assessing their dwindling options, maintained her composure.

But before she could share that with her friends, the creature charged, a blur of rage and muscle barreling towards them. Instinctively, Lisa and her team raised their M4 Carbines.

The M4s rattled in their hands. They were well aware that the small caliber rounds were unlikely to stop the creature, but if they could slow it down, even for a moment, it could make all the difference.

But it didn't. As it neared them, the four of them dispersed, jumping out of the way where the creature would have trampled them. They split in different directions, putting distance between themselves and the point of impact.

They had evaded a fatal blow but that wasn't the end as the monster eyed one of them, it was Angela.

With a swift, powerful motion, it lunged forward, its fist connecting squarely with her.

The impact was devastating. Angela was sent hurtling through the air, her body slamming against a container truck with a sickening crunch.

"Angela!"

The three of them were shocked as they saw Angela look like a squashed tomato against the metal.

Ella was the one shocked the most as she froze there in place, not believing the reality they were in.

That weakness was smelled by the monster and it shifted its attention toward her.

"Ella, look out!" Lisa shouted but it was too late, the monster closed the distance by propelling itself towards her. Its huge hands wrapped around Denise and lifted her off the ground. The sight was grim — Ella, dangling helplessly as the creature's grip tightened.

Denise and Lisa, though horrified, reacted instinctively. They opened fire, their M4 Carbines spitting lead in a futile attempt to save their friend. The bullets pinged harmlessly off the creature's skin, which might as well have been armor-plating. n)(o-.v./e//l/(b--I-)n

"Drop her, you monster!" Denise screamed.

But the creature was undeterred. Ella's shouts of pain filled the air as the monster's grip grew ever tighter. The two soldiers continued to shoot, aiming for the creature's eyes, its joints, anywhere that might force it to release Ella.

Despite their efforts, the monster's hold didn't waver. Ella's cries became gargled as the pressure increased, and Lisa and Denise could only watch in horror as their friend's struggles weakened.

Moments later, Ella tried to reach for them with her arm, as if wanting to hold them.

Lisa and Denise ceased fire, their ammunition spent, the futility of their actions laying heavy in the air. The monster, with a final squeeze, ended Ella's suffering. Her body went limp, the life extinguished from her eyes.

In the silence that followed, punctuated only by the distant sounds of combat, Lisa and Denise stood in shock. Their squad, their friends, were decimated in minutes.

"Let's go, Lisa!" Denise thought of something. She pulled out a flashbang from her gear, her hands shaking. "We can't just stand here," she said, her voice urgent but devoid of emotion.

Lisa nodded, her mind snapping back to the mission. "Right," she agreed quickly. Denise pulled the pin and threw the flashbang, creating a blinding flash and a deafening roar that momentarily disoriented the creature.

Seizing the moment, Lisa and Denise bolted, running as fast as their wounded bodies could carry them. They headed for the nearest cover.

The monster, recovering from the flash, roared in frustration and resumed its pursuit. But for now, Lisa and Denise had bought themselves a precious few seconds — seconds that could mean the difference between life and death.

They didn't look back. The only thing that mattered was putting distance between themselves and the monster, and surviving long enough for the air support to arrive.

"It's been forty-five seconds, why is the strike package not yet arriving?" Lisa asked in frustration.

"They are running late, but we only have seconds, Lisa. I don't think they'll get here in time—" Denise trailed off as she heard the footsteps of a monster increasing by the moment. It seemed that the monster had regained its senses after the flashbang's effects wore off.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw its small figure increasing in size. She then flickered her glance to Lisa and she made a decision.

She pushed her inside in one of the abandoned stores along the streets, a bookstore.

"What are you doing?" Lisa asked, her eyes widened.

"Lisa, thank you for everything. Your brother saved me and my family and gave them a safe place to stay. I never knew this is where I would pay him back," Denise said, her voice breaking, her eyes meeting Lisa's with a depth of resolve that spoke of finality.

Lisa's heart clenched, understanding immediately what Denise was planning. "No, Denise, we stick together. We can make it—"

Denise cut her off with a sad smile. "You and I both know that's not true. One of us can make it, and that's going to be you. Your brother would hate me if I were the one to survive and not you. So live for all of us okay? I love you...Lisa."

"Denise..!" As Denise pushed Lisa further into the store, she gave her one last look — a look that said all that needed to be said between the two lifelong friends.

"Goodbye, Lisa."

Upon saying that, she recalled the times prior to the apocalypse, when they would spend time together with Angela, shopping, studying, and just being there for each other. Those were the happy times.

"No...Denise...please don't do this..."

Denise ignored her pleas and simply closed the door and dashed off to distract the monster. Lisa, now hidden in the bookstore, couldn't prevent herself from holding her tears from streaming down her cheeks. She covered her mouth, preventing her from making a noise.

She couldn't believe it, just hours ago, they were still alive, and now...she was alone. Her body trembled and shook as she was overwhelmed with grief.

Then—there was silence, she couldn't hear the sound of the monster's footsteps anymore nor—did the familiar sound of the M4 rifle.