Helsing and the Tales of Heroes
CMed (TheUniverseofCMed)
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About the Author
Hello everyone, my name is CMed. I will make it brief and quick about me. I was a college student who got a Major in History before going into the realm of the military. I am a Navy Veteran that has served for six years and wanted to become an author and book writer near the end of my military contract.
Serving aboard ship was a long and challenging life. It is not for the faint-hearted, but after being taken off of it, I now had more time than ever. I used my time wisely to begin writing books. Writing had and continues to serve as therapy for me. It helped me through my times, even way before diseases or social unrest ever became the main headlines of modern media.
Writing is something that does not come overnight. Most writers require at least two years of writing before they are even going to be marketing. Needless to say, make sure that you set the time to do so if you wish to be a part of that hobby. If you know somebody that wishes to become an author, make sure to give them that support. Writing is an extension of us and our imagination. Without imagination, our civilizations would never exist. Without imagination, we would have no empathy towards the next person. We all come from different walks of life. Each one of us can tell a story, and it all comes down to our will to survive through the best of times to the worst of times.
I have designed Tales of Heroes and Gabatrix to be a system that expands itself. If people like my stories, then they can help out that cause. With the help of you, the audience, the system will get bigger and bigger. If you like my stories, then come and support me on my Patreon. Thank you, and enjoy my stories. :)
https://www.patreon.com/TheUniverseofCMed
Disclaimers
Tags: M/F, M/F, F/F, Consensual, Male Human, Female Vampire, Female Human, Male Vampire, Blood drinking (Consensual and Questionably Nonconsensual), Love, Sex, Swearing, Violence, Blood, Magic, Time, Oral Sex, Female/Female (Briefly)
Disclaimer 1: This story is meant for adults as it contains sex, violence, fighting, cursing, and blood. There is a clear division between the sex and the violence.
Disclaimer 2: While there are vampires in the story, the sex scenes are an attempt of consensual consent. Vampires have the right to be depicted as good and evil under this story. However, expect possible references that may deal with mild horror, light gore, and blood.
Disclaimer 3: This book is an erotica, action, and fantasy fiction rolled into one. Expect scenes of human/vampire or human/anthro sex and love. Tales of Heroes is an ongoing series. It’s highly recommended that the audience reads the earlier stories to enjoy the overall arc of this story.
Disclaimer 4: This book utilizes elements of biblical events. It isn’t intended as sacrilege or an attempt to devalue certain beliefs that some may hold sacred. This is a story. Treat it as such.
Disclaimer 5: Only one portion of the book does have events that may be considered questionably nonconsensual sex (more in line with dream sequences). This is in coordination with public domain sources. The events in the story do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the author.
Disclaimer 6: This story loosely uses elements of other known stories considered public domain under fair use.
Artwork by Dragon-Noir. Edited by Piero Painter.
Special Thanks to my Patreon supporters:
Quintin Martin, Joshua Nelson, Nindahr, Mr. Darknut, Christof Bradford, Darklord Sengir, Mike Nixon, Nightsound, Anthony Kestle, Vlad Emanuel, and Lynn A Sines, for their generous donations.
And, of course, the other patron supporters for allowing me to write and supporting the universe that I write. :)
By CMed
Prologue
What if we live in a world that the deities exist?
What if we live in a world where myths were real?
What if we live in a world knowing that the folklores were true?
What if we live in a world in that the fairy tales were real?
What if we live in a world where history and myth intersect?
What do you believe?…..
Chapter 1: January 15th, 2012?
Darkness. The twinkling starlight continued as it had been for countless eons on Earth. However, this was no relaxing night. If anything, the last year had been anything but calm….
The sounds of echoing gunfire filled the air. The great city of Paris had seen better days. Countless destroyed buildings and skyscrapers filled what could be seen. There was no electricity, and only the occasional burning building provided any illumination.
An explosion rocked a street as a bomb detonated near a column of soldiers. The chaos of war made it difficult to decipher who was who. Only the sounds of screams and bloodshed had been all but common.
It was the war to end all wars. A battle for Earth for which humanity was on the brink of annihilation. However, none of it seemed to make sense. How did it reach this point, and why? History does not record such events ever transpiring, nor was it supposed to happen.
Yet, there it was. The metropolis was a warzone. An artillery shell landed on a nearby building on Rue Rouelle Street. The flash was enough to reveal the Seine River, but only briefly. More gunfire could be seen as a pair of humans are seen running. Overhead, a jet fighter flew over high in the sky. Its destination was unknown.
As we get closer to the pair of humans, the moonlight starts to settle in. Another explosion riddles a destroyed car. The blast was enough to lift the vehicle high in the air before it smashed onto the street.
The two humans are a man and a woman. Both individuals are dressed in paramilitary attire. They both appear to have a light mixed skin complexion, black hair, and facial features reminiscent of a person born in northernmost Africa. Each one carried a FAMAS rifle. The bullpup weapons, green and tan attire, and a French flag badge on their shirts all reveal more of who they are.
However, they ran at a rapid pace as another explosion hit the street, cracking asphalt and producing a small shockwave that staggered the woman. The man grabbed the woman’s arm as he helped hoist her back up. Their panting was extraneous.
“Lina, Desplacer!” The man yelled in French. “Nous serons secourus. Allons-y…..Let’s go!”
“Ne peut pas suivere,” Lina replied back in the same language. “Laisse-moi….leave me. Leave me be, Abdelkader.”
“Go! Go!”
Lina barely had a chance to react. Her lungs were gasping for air as the sounds of artillery shells began to die down. Overhead, a tank began to pull around the street. The familiar colors of blood were slapped onto it. The former German vehicles had been raked by continuous machine gun fire, but it still kept coming.
Both of the individuals kept running as they were not far from the nearby gunboat.
“Shit!” Lina said. “Only…..one left!?”
“Three sent in…..,” Abdelkader replied. “Two lost past…..bridge.”
Lina knew that this day was getting worse and worse. Both river bridges had been destroyed for a while, sabotaged to stop the impending horde from spreading further through Paris. The ruins of the Eiffel Tower rested behind the pair. As Lina turned her head, she could see one of the disgusting creatures operating the tank. He was so huge that his stomach must have glued him to the machine gun turret. The snickering pig-like face and tusks made them all but monsters.
“Almost…..almost….,” Lina cried as her legs were buckling. She almost debated dropping her rifle just to give her more speed, but things got worse.
“Not going to…..not going to!” Abdelkader grunted. He could see it.
A cannon shot echoed. Both Lina and Abdelkader could see the four crewmembers operating the small gunboat. One of the men’s hands was waving at them to close in when the tank fired. The single shot of the 125mm gun was enough to slam into the small ship. An explosion riddled outward as the craft was momentarily tossed out of the sea. Bodies and wreckage were thrown about. The flash and sound were deafening. It disoriented the two.
“NO!” Lina yelled. “Our recovery team!”
“Keep going!” Abdelkader yelled.
With the gunboat destroyed, the two had no choice but to continue running. The tank appeared to slow down some. The gunner that operated the machine gun only seemed to heckle a little as if his life didn’t matter. Both the man and woman were gasping for air. A small barricade of wrecked cars was ahead of them. It didn’t take long for the two to run past it. Finally, Lina collapsed near the right side of the front wheel.
“Can’t…….can’t….,” Lina wheezed. “Too much…..”
“The tank….,” Abdelkader collapsed near the woman.
“We can’t…..run it……fucked.”
They could hear the tank in the distance, but it continued to slow down, almost as if it had given up its pursuit.
“They……have….most of….Paris,” the man said.
“I know….,” Lina replied. “If….that tank comes…..”
“Catch our breath. At least…..a minute.”
More explosions rocked the interior of the city. The artillery bombardment didn’t seem to be doing much from across the river. All it was doing was leveling more and more of the great city. The smell of wreckage and smoke filled the air.
“Our home…..,” Lina said as sorrow filled her eyes.
“I know, cousin,” Abdelkader replied.
“Not letting them…..capture us. Won’t turn us…..turn us into…”
“We won’t….,” the man held his rifle for her and gestured the barrel to be pointed to their heads. “We won’t become them…..”
“Or be used….as their breeding stock. The ogres….must die.”
Lina’s radio activated. A male’s voice came through it.
“Any team from Beta Squad? Do you read me?” The radio was giving a lot of interference.
“Soldat Lina, reporting….” Lina replied.
“Lina, I read you,” the man on the other end explained. “Anybody else from your squad?”
“Just me and Soldat Abdelkader.”
There was a pause on the line. “….We lost contact with our boats. Head to rendezvous B.”
“What about NATO forces?”
“They're withdrawing in an hour, Soldat. We’ll try to get you out. Vive La France.”
“Vive….” Nina almost broke down as the radio signal broke off. “….Paris.”
Abdelkader reached over and gripped the woman’s hand. The two were still breathing hard as Lina looked up. A fireball broke over the sky. The fighter craft had been destroyed and was going to hurdle down somewhere in the middle of the city.
“The United States never….never came,” Lina said.
“I know,” Abdelkader remarked. “China is losing….US can barely keep up.”
“The Ogres can’t be stopped.”
It was like a nightmare that came true. Lina remembered the first days when the reports came in. Entire cities began to transform. Populations of people started to mutate, growing more massive. Their bodies became pig-like, either fat or muscle-bound, sometimes both. They stood on digitigrade legs, their feet being hooves, tusks from their pig snouts. The stories even stated that Africa was the first to fall. Scores of vicious monsters gathered into hordes. From there, they spread into the Middle East. Then, European nations reported the same epidemic. It spread like a virus, but Lina shook off her thoughts.
“If….God is up there….,” Lina said. “Please….help us.”
“I'm sorry, cousin,” Abdelkader told her. He turned to look over the hood of the car. The tank was still there. Finally, the gunner had the intelligence to turn on the tank’s main searchlight. The man lowered his head and looked back at Lina. The hint of the main light hovered near Lina. A single shot from the tank was all it needed to end their lives.
“We can’t….stay here,” the man said.
“I know. Their main….army is going to keep pushing west.”
Another explosion echoed in the distance. Lina practically slapped her head against the car door.
“Come on….,” she commented. “Just come and save us…..they’ll come.”
“Our forces can’t make it,” the man reminded her.
“No….‘them,’ we aren’t the only one fighting the ogres.”
“Not this again. It’s just wild rumors.”
“Is it?” Lina looked at her cousin. “Something has to be true. Japan said that they saw reports of rat people fighting the ogres. Russia…..dragons. US….thought they saw a werewolf.”
“Just because the people turn into pig people doesn’t mean….that every fable has come to life. Besides….doesn’t sound like there would be enough…..to stop them all.”
Lina had to face reality. The ogres were winning this war. Europe would eventually fall and, eventually, the entire world. She grimaced as she practically slapped the stock against the pavement. Another explosion hit near the tank. It was enough to cause the main searchlight to veer towards the river.
“Now’s our chance!” Abdelkader said. “Let’s go!”
“Yes,” Lina remarked. The woman looked ahead of the main road. More wrecked cars destroyed military vehicles, and blast marks filled the scene. It was a graveyard of death. Most of the main population had already fled, with only a few scenes of rotting corpses. Men, women, and children, the ogres spared no one.
Both the man and woman charged forward. The new bound energy, combined with a continued surge of adrenaline, drove the two to a high pace.
“Not blown away yet,” Lina said.
“Keep going,” the man replied.
The two leaped over a corpse before the tank’s lights were focused back onto the main road. In an instant, the two humans were lit up. Lina’s heart skipped a beat. The tank began to start moving again. The main gun adjusted and pointed directly at the two.
A concrete barricade was just ahead. The man grabbed Lina as they leaped over it, just before the machine gunner opened fire. 50 Caliber rounds began to shower the scene. The browning machine gun was relentless, but the concrete barricade had become a reliable cover for them.
“Damn it!” Lina yelled out. In an act of frustration, she waited for the rounds to stop before she leaned over and fired a set of burst fire from her rifle. At least one of the bullets hit the tank but did not damage it.
“Lina, no!” Abdelkader told her. “We keep….”
The turret rotated a little bit as the sound of laughter continued to fill the air. The ogre operating the machine seemed to yell into the tank. Abdelkader had only half a second to respond as he lifted his head.
It was as if destiny had stepped in. The man only had a fraction to respond as everything had fallen silent. Abdelkader looked over to Lina. Her actions were of desperation but carelessness. His hands grabbed and pushed her to the side, out and away from the concrete barrier. It was done with perfect precision. In half a second, the tank’s main gun fired. The 125mm shell slammed into the concrete barricade with an unrelenting force. The barrier smashed into multiple pieces, splintering in all directions.
Lina could only feel her body shoved away from the explosion. The sound was deafening as the round continued past it before smashing into a nearby car. Her mind couldn’t make sense of anything.
“Ahhh!” Lina screamed as she felt flung to the pavement. Her body rolled a little bit before coming to a stop. When she came to, her ears were ringing. She couldn’t make sense of anything. Her hands went to her head before she knew she was out in the open.
About 50 feet away from her was the tank. Lina knew that she was staring death in the face. The ogre stuck his tongue out to her, mocking her. Then, he slapped his hands onto the turret’s hull before he aimed the gun at her. It was here that Lina knew that her time was up. It was better to be gunned down now rather than be made into that creature’s plaything. She closed her eyes and let fate decide for her.
Suddenly, an artillery shell slammed into the tank. An explosion rang outward as the wreckage was flung about. The ogre on top was engulfed in flames. A shockwave echoed in the street. However, even in all of this, the ogres were almost immune to the raging burning fires. But it wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of experiences. They had their own problems to take care of.
“They got them….,” Lina gasped. “Cousin….they got them.”
There was no response as she turned her head to him. It was here that Lina realized that she had survived an almost direct hit from a tank shell. The side of the barricade was the thickest section that absorbed the impact. The explosive and concussive shockwave had been diverted safely away from her.
However, not all were so lucky…..
“Cousin?” Lina’s eyes widened. “No….no….”
She quickly moved over to look at Abdelkader. Upon crawling up to him, she could see that the man’s body was limp. He wasn’t moving, nor was there any response. His eyes were open, staring blankly at nothing. Lina was shaking her head as she quickly checked his pulse. There was none. Further investigation also revealed concrete and metal slivers embedded in the man’s body. It was clear that he was dead.
“No….no….cousin….get up….,” Lina whimpered. She released the man’s body. A hint of a tear appeared on her face. She could hear the sounds of the ogres as they were climbing out of the destroyed tank wreckage, flames engulfing and burning their hair. It would be a matter of time before they dispersed and found her.
“Fu….fuck…,” Lina tried to say. She began to fish out the spare magazines that her cousin had, quickly stuffing them into her cargo pockets. With one last gesture, she used her fingers to close the man’s eyes before gently placing his hands together, splaying them over his heart.
“Farewell, cousin,” Lina said. With that, she grimaced and took off on a hard run. Her rifle was held close to her as her boots gripped the pavement. The ogres were too distracted, dousing themselves, to give notice of her departure. She vanished into the darkness as the artillery fire continued….
*******
Lina had been running for what felt like hours. By now, the woman could see she was somewhere further southeast, putting some distance between her and the river. The explosions were less concentrated in this area, where the artillery had been focused on the main formation of the enemy.
The woman’s run had turned into a jog. She could no longer maintain her fast pace. Her breathing was heavy, but her eyes had been well-adjusted to seeing the remaining buildings around her.
“Ah….ah….,” Lina panted as she slowed to a walk. She hugged the sidewalk and tried to gather where she was at. “Almost…..almost there,” She said in exhaustion. “Just….need a few minutes to pause.”
She looked closely at the remains of Paris. She recognized this as Rue Cauchy, but the slim street was plagued with rubble. The scene remained out of friendly control. Her rifle was held close to her, ready to engage, but even then, it was a matter of time before the ogres would show up.
“Have to stop…,” she said. She turned her head to look at one of the buildings. Perhaps it was an apartment at one point, but now, it had been seemingly long abandoned. The civilian population had been long evacuated and now became a ghost quarter.
Her heart was pounding. Not even raw adrenaline could keep her running forever. She proceeded into the structure. The door was broken by its hinges. She considered turning on her rifle’s flashlight, but doing so may draw attention to herself. However, when she did, she momentarily turned on the lights and flashed the interior before shutting it off.
In the distance, more explosions could be heard as the battle continued. The interior first floor was empty, most likely a lobby or reception area of some sort. There were cracks along the walls, but the place seemed secure for the most part. Lina walked over to a table, flipped it onto its side, and formed a concealed enclosure. The elevator was broken down, but a set of stairs were not far from her.
“Good…,” she said. From her position, she could see the entrance while keeping an eye on the stairs at the same time. A part of her told her that she should go and check the higher floors, but exhaustion weighed down her thoughts. She sat down by the table and remained hidden.
“Ah…,” she moaned. Her head was tucked down while the butt end of her rifle would serve as a crutch for her beleaguered frame. It was the first time that she was able to weep.
Lina’s thoughts had gone everywhere. Why did it have to come down to this? It was as if the world had been turned inside out. Good people had been mutated into monsters, and they, in turn, would wipe out more good people. There was no reason why it happened. Perhaps someone flipped a switch and declared that Earth be made into a living hell. Even the nights almost felt longer now than ever before. Maybe God had proclaimed that humanity was unfit to live.
She simply had no answers.
“I’m sorry, Abdelkader….,” Lina whispered. “Maybe…. we’re meant….to see each other soon.”
A tear hit the ripped carpet. It was difficult for her to see, but as she opened her eyes and looked around, the calm chill of silence became ominous. It was eerie. The artillery was nonexistent, silent as the death-filled landscape. For a while, the woman tried to hum a rhythm that had become her favorite musical piece. If she had a lute or classical guitar, she would play it to raise her spirits. However, the need to remain silent was beyond necessary. She did her best to keep the musical theme as low volume as possible while her feet would tap the carpet.
A sound echoed. Lina stopped as her head turned in the direction of the sound. She swore she heard voices, and it was getting louder.
“Fuck….,” Lina whispered. Her body tensed up. She could make a run for it, but it could only draw attention to herself. The enemy was relentless, too many to fight and too strong to take down. Her eyes went to the stairs. She could try to head up there, but it was dangerous. She could be heading to more of them by accident.
The voices had gotten loud enough that Lina could recognize who it was. It consisted of the grunts and snarls of deep male voices. This was followed by the hooves that impacted the pavement.
“Gren thought little woman go this way,” one of the ogres said in his butchered English.
“Not many of us here,” the other one said in a lighter tone. There was another grunt, similar to a hog. “Many places to look.”
“She got away. We go home.”
Lina’s head was poking out from her concealment. It was here that she could briefly see them. Both ogres were horrid and terrifying enough that Lina lowered her head immediately. She swore that one of them might have been looking at the interior buildings from only their entrances. She still didn’t know how good their ability to see in the dark was.
“See anything, Benga?” The deeper voice said.
“Notin,” the lighter voice replied.
The hint of a fart sound could be heard from one of them.
“Whoops…,” The deeper voice said.
“Don’t stink the places!” the other mocked him. “If she hidin, she drop dead from your shit.”
“Sorry, Jedjed. Learn to cover that snout of yours.”
“Eh….I let off a good one.” A snorting sound could be heard.
Even now, Lina could smell a hint of the ogre’s flatulence. Her nose cringed as she showed a level of disgust. The ogres were anything but cordial. They couldn’t sneak if they tried.
“Ugh…..” Benga questioned. “We going to just stand here? Tired….tum tum is hungry!”
“Ergh!” Jedjed grunted. “Humans like rats….no fucking courage to fight.”
“Not worthy, ogres. Best to kill her…..see if she make good soup.”
Lina remained quiet. They hadn’t seen her. The table was doing its job. However, if they saw her, she would likely be done for. For a few seconds, she thought of using the gun on them or herself. Ogres didn’t hesitate to torture their victims.
“Smell anything?” Benga asked.
“Just the fart,” Jedjed replied. “Tum tum need better food. Last man didn’t agree with me.”
Lina almost cringed. She was hoping that they weren’t referring to her cousin. A distant big explosion rocked a few streets over. The woman remained quiet, but in a few more seconds, a piece of plaster from the ceiling fell down and made a thump on the floor.
“What that!?” Benja asked.
“Eh…..eh…..,” Jedjed entered the room. His attention was away from the table and to the source of the disturbance.
“Just another big boom?” Benja replied.
“Big boom,” his companion answered.
“Let’s leave human weakling.”
“Chief tell us to hunt, and we hunt.”
“She could be anywhere.”
“So we sit. Tum tum hurting bad.”
“Eh….fine, but we go upstairs. I want to be high….see if she comes down the street. Then we grab her and make soup. This time….I make it.”
“Benja smart,” Jedjed commented as he sniffed. “I can almost smell her right now….”
Lina’s adrenaline was in full swing. She didn’t know if the ogre’s sense of smell had caught her scent. However, she did notice the two large silhouettes as they began to head toward the stairs. She inched further and further to help keep her concealment. The heavy footsteps of their hooves pressed against the wooden stairs. Lina could see a further hint that both of them were armed with huge crude rifles. A single shot by one of these could end her quickly.
Lina was debating about making a run for it, but the ogres were correct. They were nearby and most likely going to stay near a window. Any sound that she made right now could alert their presence. If she did move, she needed to hover near the walls. She would wait a little bit. Above her, she could hear the weight shift from their large masses as they pressed against the 2nd floor. More of the plaster would fall and slap the ground near the woman. Lina could still hear their mumblings but at a much lower volume.
“Heh…,” one of the ogres said. “Building ready to fall down.”
“Benga, you going to rump with Kendra?” Jedjed asked.
“Rump….I rump Kendra and Fendug.”
“Two ogres! No fair.”
“Maybe you need bigger dick…heh, heh….”
“Ergh….”
The sooner that Lina could leave, the better. Their level of disgust would reach all levels for her. Her nose scrounged as she slowly made a walk out of the door. She could still hear them mumbling above. As she reached the entrance, she looked out into the street. She could still listen to them above her. She took a quiet breath and inched along the wall.
“Anybody out there?” Jedjed asked.
Lina quickly went back inside. She managed to do it just in time as one of the ogre’s heads poked out of the windowsill. The pink pig-like face, tusks, droopy ears, and snout were unmistakable. The eyes scanned the street.
“No….nutin,” Benga replied. The ogre’s head looked away from the window.
“Heh…boring here,” Jedjed said.
“No action. Want to target practice the wall?”
Lina grimaced. These ogres didn’t hesitate to make as much noise as possible.
BANG….a heavy gunshot echoed in the building. Lina was momentarily startled, but she already knew that the ogres were wasting their ammunition.
“You missed that painting, Jedjed.”
“Sights are off,” Jedjed complained. “Damn tank explosion!”
The woman peeked towards the windowsill. That ogre was still making routine observations towards the street. She got lucky that the monster didn’t look straight down at her, but she knew she was trapped.
“Hmm…,” Jedjed said. “Try to make better….”
“Here,” Benga replied. “Try my gun. See if shoots good.”
“Ok….”
There was a pause as Lina heard another gunshot. It echoed through the building.
“Gun works…” Jedjed answered.
“Here, I fix your gun while you shoot,” Benga replied. A big snorting sound could be heard.
“Thanks, Benga. Good for once.”
“Good to smell another one….heh..heh.”
“What? Oh…..oh….that ones bad.”
Another gunshot echoed in the building. Lina knew that the ogre by the window was distracted. The sounds of a barrel being slammed into the windowsill could be heard.
“Your gun is fun,” Jedjed said. “Mine still better.” There was a thumping sound that echoed above Lina. It sounded like something hit the floor above her and started to roll. “Oops…my bad. Dropped my bullet. I go get it.”
The woman could see the round rolling as it hit the stairs. The brass casing would hit each step like a rubber mallet. Lina knew it was now or never. That ogre was going to come back down the stairs and might spot her. The moment she heard the first hoof hit the steps, she bolted. Her adrenaline picked up as she ran as fast as she could.
Her footsteps echoed in the streets. It was enough for the ogre to look out of the window.
“HEY!” Benga yelled. “I see one!”
“Go shoot it, Benga!” Jedjed replied. “Tum tum be happy!”
Their mocking words burned into Lina’s brain. Her fear factor was at its peak. She was halfway to the nearby building before the ogre’s bolt action rifle was aimed at her. Benga had a clear shot at her as the barrel stuck from the window.
BANG….a 50 caliber round bounced off the payment about two feet from Lina. There was a light crack in the pavement as the woman was nearing the entrance of the nearby building. The road had become a death funnel.
“Ah!” Benga yelled. “Sights are still off!” The ogre pulled the bolt on his gun to load up his next round.
Meanwhile, Lina turned her head to see the other ogre walk into the street. There was enough light to reveal much of his frame. He stood on digitigrade legs. The ogre had dark skin, floppy ears, huge muscles, and a jutting snout. He wore tattered clothes consisting of what looked like military uniforms of prior human soldiers stitched together. He had a short curly tail protruding from his rear end. His rifle was at the ready, loading a new round in place.
Lina took quick aim and fired a burst of auto fire from her rifle. A spray of bullets flew at the monster. Only one of the rounds struck the ogre, where it bounced off.
“Ha, ha,” Jedjed said with a snort. “That tickles!”
The woman had no choice but to dive into the nearby entrance of the adjacent building. She managed to do it just before the ogre took a shot at her.
“She’s running!” Jedjed commented. “Benga, move down!”
Lina had wandered into another reception area. Unlike the adjacent building, this place looked like a possible clothing store. Various clothes had been tossed about, knocked loose from the explosions. There was a set of stairs that led up, much like the prior building.
“Got to….keep going,” Lina said. She charged up the stairs, almost tripping on debris. It was so difficult to see.
“Come out, little human,” Jedjed replied. “Make your death quick. Quicker to go into my tum tum!”
By the time she hit the top of the stairs, the ogre was reaching the entrance. Most likely, he wouldn’t have seen her go up. Lina saw the next set of stairs and kept going. It was tricky, but her foot folly had to be quiet.
“Hmm….where she go?” the ogre asked. “Go upstairs?”
Lina’s legs were burning from the run. By the time she reached the third floor, she had to mark what was there. The building had also served as a small makeshift apartment complex. Some doors were open or left closed. She chose the 2nd room, where she ran inside and quietly closed the door.
“Ah….ah…,” the woman quietly wheezed. She locked the door and observed the interior of the room. It consisted of a single bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Much like most of Paris, this building had seen better days. The windows were cracked, Furniture had been turned over, and the refrigerator stank of rotten food. However, there was a metal balcony to escape from the window.
“Useless,” Lina whispered to her rifle. “Just like before….can’t stop them.”
Lina had no choice but to evaluate where to go next. It was possible that the ogres would just give up. This building wasn’t the biggest, but there were too many hiding places. Even if they were determined, finding her would take a little while.
“Urgh….,” the mumbled voice yelled past the closed door. The hint of frustration was something for Lina to comprehend. She managed to evade her pursuers, for now. Once again, she was exhausted from the constant running and dodging. She knew she couldn’t keep this up.
“God….,” Lina mumbled in her breath. She practically tossed her rifle to the carpet, almost in the woe of defeat. The very fact of seeing that ogre able to withstand a rifle bullet without any hint of damage was alarming. The ogres were little more than a tidal wave of invincible meat where they ground down all resistance that stood in their way. All had fallen quiet again. Before she sat down behind the counter, she approached the window.
“Damn it,” she whispered in aggravation. The window that led to the balcony had been damaged. She might have been able to get on it to climb down, but the hinges were knocked loose. It was apparent that trying to get on it would warrant it crashing down with her included. She was trapped in this room. If the ogres broke down the door, they could likely find her.
Lina’s fists gripped hard in aggravation. Her teeth were clenched. She reached over to her rifle and picked it back up. She ejected the magazine and inserted a fresh one. Then, she walked into the bedroom, where she saw a single closet. She turned on her flashlight to see that there were rummaged blankets and towels strewn about. She stepped inside, closed the door, and then turned off her light.
She was engulfed in darkness. The confined space would be her only way to remain hidden. Her rifle would be kept close to her as she scrunched up into a ball.
“I’ll use it on myself, cousin,” she whispered to herself. “I won’t let them rip me into pieces.”
She kept the blankets ready to toss upon herself. The pile was big enough to hide something underneath without making it obvious. She lowered the volume of her radio and tapped the call on it.
“This is Soldat Lina,” she whispered. “Do you copy?”
She waited for a little while, but there was static. Her ear was glued to the speaker of the walkie-talkie.
“I repeat, this is Soldat Lina. Does anybody copy?”
Nothing. Lina practically slapped the radio to her head in disgust.
“Too far…or too much interference.”
Her ears were attuned to whatever might have been going on outside. It wasn't easy to tell as the walls were better insulated. However, it was a good sign that she wasn’t hearing anything. The ogres would be so loud she could probably listen to them from the adjacent floors.
“Nowhere to go…” she whispered. “Please….please…if there is anybody up there, give me help. God…. somebody…. watch over my cousin. He didn’t deserve his fate….”
She was left with only the trepidation that the ogres were still searching for her. She could only hope that their patience would wear out…..
*******
Thunk….There was a rumble in the room. It was enough to startle and wake up Lina. How long had she been asleep? Was it hours or mere minutes? She had lost track of time. Her body tensed up immediately as she tossed the blankets over herself and lay low in the closet.
CRASH!....the room door had been flung open. A hoof lay bare from one of the ogres that had broken into the apartment room.
“We should give up, Jedjed,” Benga said. “No can find.”
“Just a little more,” Jedjed replied. “She’s in this place.”
“Maybe she escape? Go to the top floor and jump?”
“Not that stupid….we smarter. Humans break in fall. Look….that couldn’t even hold your fat ass.”
“You’re fat.”
Lina was tense. The ogres were close. She swore she could hear the refrigerator door opening from the kitchen.
“Look….chunky milk,” Benga said. “Best smell ever!”
“More for the tum tum,” Jedjed replied. There was a pause as Lina knew that the pigs were probably guzzling down rotten food.
“Tastes like cherries!”
“You never like cherries.”
“Croissant….French people and their food, ha, ha.”
How much Lina wanted to kill these things. She had to remind herself that they were human once. Their mutations changed everything that they were. They were twisted beyond redemption. Maybe killing them was the only way their souls could be free. If only her gun could kill them.
Lina made a silent prayer as the rummaging of the kitchen continued. There were burps that could be heard.
“You keep eating!” Benga complained. “Nothing left in this place!”
“Yum…,” Jedjed said. “Urgh….getting tired of this too.”
The woman could hear one set of footprints not far now. Her heart was beating fast. One of the ogres was inside the bedroom.
“Argh!” Benga grew flustered. “We lose tank and lose human. It was a woman, Jedjed.”
“So….” The other ogre replied. “Good eating.”
“Maybe turn her? Make good romping?”
“Because you don’t have enough, she-ogres? Want happy little ogres?”
“….Yeah….I do.”
Lina heard the closet door open. She was absolutely still. The blankets were covering her. Her mind was screaming in fear. The barrel of her rifle was pointed at her chin. All she had to do was pull the trigger….
“Hey….look at this,” Benga commented. The hand reached, and Benga grabbed two things from the closet.
“What?” Jedjed replied.
“Flashlight and a little human doll…ha, ha.”
“Are you done?”
“Mmm, yeah.” The closet door slammed shut. The sounds of the footsteps began to head away.
Lina couldn’t believe it. The ogres were right next to her, and they failed to spot her. Darkness and the blankets were the only things that saved her. The ogres were too stupid to even turn their flashlights on, which would have revealed the mound of blankets below them. She moved the rifle barrel away from her face. She remained quiet and continued to use her hearing to track them.
“Eh…you still want to check the rest of this floor?” Benga asked.
“Yes…. Chief will kill us if we don’t do enough,” Jedjed said.
“Smart as always, Jedjed. My hooves are killing me, though.”
It sounded like Lina was in the clear. She had two choices to make. She could stay and hope that they wouldn’t return. Or she could try to sneak her way out. Most likely, they would be going to the next room, away from the stairs. Their attention would be diverted where she could flee.
“Hey…where is flashlight button?” Benga said. “Heh, there it is. Now I can see better.”
Lina tossed the blankets off of her. She was tired of this. These ogres had proven beyond annoying in their reign of terror. She made her decision. One of them might get the brains to return back and look around with their newly found flashlight. She needed to sneak out now and get away. She lightly opened the closet door and stood up. She took a deep breath and proceeded to leave the bedroom. Her head poked around the corner, and she could see that the door was broken open. Any harder hit, the door would be smashed into the carpet. The horrid smell of opened rotting food stank the entire living room. It was enough to almost sting Lina’s eyes.
“Disgusting….,” she whispered to herself. She saw the hints of light, but it wasn’t directed toward the room.
“Jedjed,” Benga said with a snort. “We check this room next.”
Lina approached the door frame. Her head poked around the corner. She could see the backside of one of the ogres. The flashlight beam was aimed in the opposite direction of her location. Now was her chance.
She had to be quick. She left the room and hurried to the stairs. Thankfully, the carpeted floors silenced her boots. Closer and closer she got. She knew she was in the clear before she was about to pass the last set of doors.
Grab!..... A large hand reached past the door and took hold of Lina’s neck. Her movement was halted immediately. She was caught in a complete chokehold.
“Ah…..ack….,” Lina gasped for air.
“Goootttt you!” Jedjed said in a mocking voice. The ogre stepped past the door of the apartment. The towering size of these creatures was obvious. They stood up to 8 or 9 feet in height.
The flashlight beam had been directed at the woman as Benga slowly walked up behind her.
“Heh, heh,” Benga told him. “You are smart, Jedjed.”
“I had a hunch. Humans act like roaches. They…. scurry.”
Lina knew that her time was up. How much she wished she had pulled the trigger on herself sooner. She was at the complete mercy of these ogres. Their massive four-fingered hands were enough to encompass her head.
“I can still twist her neck, Benga,” Jedjed said. “Pop….and it’s over.”
“Eh…,” Benga ripped the rifle away from her and tossed it aside. “Maybe…. just maybe.”
God, just make this stop. Her mind begged the gods to end it all. End it all now. Her body was pushed as she was hoisted up to look at the face of Jedjed. She could see the ugly snout face and tusks and droopy short ears. Some had hair, while others didn't. This one still had something on his head. Their putrid breath blew into her face.
“What say you, puny human?” the ogre told her. “Want to be ogre? How much meat is on your bones?”
“Ergh…,” She tried to resist. The chokehold was too much. She could feel the life being squeezed from her body.
“I prefer her to live,” Benga said. He then took his finger and ran it across her back. “You ate enough. We play with her….maybe say things to chief….maybe she play with chief.”
Odd….in all of her struggles, Lina’s eyes spotted something behind Jedjed. Had Benga seen it? No, he was too distracted with her. Lina had sworn that she saw something that was behind the ogre. The beam of the flashlight only revealed a shadow. It was that of a man with bat-like wings. But, perhaps, it was just an illusion, a trickery from the mental stress her body was going through. Yes, she had to be seeing things.
SHINK….Lina’s eyes were wide open. A metal blade stuck out of Jedjed’s head. Blood and bone fragments were flung outward, with a little bit landing on Lina’s face. The blade stuck a mere three inches from Lina’s nose. The open eyes showed a face of death. The rifle he held fell to the floor.
The ogre’s body had remained still as all the life was drained from him. Benga had very little time to react. He dropped his flashlight as he readied his rifle.
“What the fu…!” Benga said, but it was interrupted.
BANG…Lina was dropped to the floor as the dead ogre let go of her. Her ears rang at the sound of the gun blast near her head. Her body was gasping for air. As she lay on the floor, she heard the last vestiges of Benga.
“I…..just….wanted…..,” Benga said nothing more. He tumbled backward. His heavy frame slammed to the carpeted floor with a thud.
“Ah….ah….,” Lina was taking a lungful of air. Had she been saved? Her ears were slowly recovering from the sudden sound. Her hands were pressed to her head.
She had the feeling of a presence near her. The flashlight still lay on the floor, illuminating whomever it was that killed the two ogres. She looked up to see a lone gentleman, no bigger than her. The complexion of the young adult man was amazingly pale. He wore a large white trench coat, black pants and boots, black gloves, and black tinted glasses. He also wore a hat, but it was nothing like Lina had ever seen before. It resembled a white cowboy hat but much flatter with a longer brim.
From the man’s hands was a glowing blue scimitar, dripping with blood, and a Desert Eagle on the other. However, Lina hadn’t recognized this type of gun, either. All she could tell was the smoke trail from the long barrel. The sword stopped glowing, revealing a metal blade with two sharp points at the tip. On the sword was a seal of some sort, but the woman couldn’t tell anymore as the man walked past her.
“Ah…..ah…..thank you,” she told him. She was still feeling her throat as she looked at the two dead ogres.
There was no response from the man. The woman watched as he holstered his gun to his trench coat and pulled out a tissue. He began to wipe the blood off the sword as he seemed to focus on the dead corpses.
“Umm…..thank you?” she tried to repeat to him again. However, the man continued to ignore her.
Was this man hearing impaired? Was it possible that he was somehow blind? Although, this didn’t explain what he did earlier. Whatever the case was, the individual was benevolent. It was more than evident that he could have killed her, but his actions were done with total precision. He had aimed that sword perfectly to avoid slicing into her by accident. His goal was to eliminate those ogres, which he did with the purest of ease.
“Ah….,” Lina winced. She knew she probably had bruises on her throat, but a sense of ease filled her mind. She knew she wasn’t in danger. Instead, it was replaced with that of curiosity. Her attention remained on the mysterious figure.
“My name….my name is Lina,” she said.
The man’s silence remained. He took a knee and began to investigate the corpse of Benga. Then, he lifted his sword and cut into the neck of the ogre. Blood began to leak from it as Lina showed a look of disgust.
“What? What are you doing?” she asked.
The unknown individual pulled out a large syringe from his coat. He focused on the tip of the needle before pressing it to the back of the neck. With his gloved fingers, he pulled the applicator back, drawing blood. The syringe began to fill with dark red liquid. Seemingly satisfied, the man put a plastic cover on the tip of the needle before putting it back into his trench coat.
“Move….,” the man calmly said in English.
“Ah…,” the woman could note that the man stood up and was looking down at her. He made a gesture with his right hand for her to step aside. Lina’s only choice was to do just that. She picked up her rifle and stood up. When she did, the unknown individual took a knee and began to repeat the same steps as before. He had another syringe ready. He started to draw blood from the dead ogre.
“How did you kill them?” she asked him. “My gun was useless, but yours pierced them like it was nothing.”
The man said nothing. Lina had to get these answers. Humanity was losing a war against these creatures, yet this stranger just killed them without as much of a flinch.
“African ogre…,” the man said as he pointed at the dead darker skin-toned ogre. Then, his finger pointed at the next one with a pink color to it. “European ogre…” With that, he pulled out a small ink pen and jotted it down on the syringe labels. “Killed by mystic silver bullet….killed by Zulfiqar.”
The woman noted the tone of the individual. The man didn’t have a deep voice, but it wasn’t light. He wasn’t speaking French. He was speaking English. His accent was similar to a more Eastern European dialect, but that in itself was unusual. Everything that he said was with purpose and finesse. Thankfully, Lina’s knowledge of English was good enough that she understood all of it. There was no anger but selfish curiosity. The woman walked by the stairs, but she wasn’t going to leave this individual. If anything, she felt safe being near him.
“Time of deaths….0232,” the man continued to note. “15th of January 2012. Did you note anything that these ogres ingested?”
Lina was taken by surprise as the man continued to look at the bodies. The question was directed at her even if his view was directed toward the bodies.
“I….ah…just the food from the refrigerators,” she replied back in his language. “They….might have eaten a person recently.”
He began to wipe down his sword, cleaning the blood from it. “Your bullets wound it?”
“No….”
“Any information they provided?”
“No…..I just know that our army is withdrawing from Paris.”
The man finished cleaning his sword. He turned to look behind him before putting it into his trench coat. However, Lina noted that the sword was so large that it was impossible to sheath it into his clothing. When he turned to look at the stairs, it was as if he didn’t have a sword at all. Lina couldn’t tell if the man was looking at her or not. He started to head towards the stairs.
“Hey….hey!” Lina told him. She kept her rifle at hand as she was keeping up with him. “Who are you?”
“Step aside,” the man said. Her hand brushed her away.
“No…that’s not good enough. You saved my life.”
“I needed their samples.”
“What are you? Sécurité extérieure? CIA?”
He ignored her. He started to walk down the stairs, but the woman couldn’t let this man go. Whatever he did was more than she ever could in the last few hours. She practically ran down the stairs while staying ahead of him.
“My gun is useless, yet you killed them,” she said. “At least tell me how you did it. Are you an agent? Experimental weapons? Something….”
“Return to your home….your base,” the man replied.
“What home? This is my home. Paris is burning!”
It didn’t take long before the man reached the bottom of the stairs. He maintained his walk, but the woman ran up to the exit. She practically blocked him from leaving the building.
“No!” the woman told him. “You can’t leave! I need answers. How did you kill them?”
“None of your concern," he said.
What was with this guy? Lina was shocked at how everything transpired. The man reached up and grabbed her shoulder. She learned all too easily that this person was much stronger than she ever realized. He didn’t yank her away but pulled her from the door without hurting her. She didn’t even know that person had that much strength to begin with.
“How? Wait!" She pleaded.
He was just about to leave. Lina knew that this man was determined to disappear. If she did, she would never find out who her savior was. Maybe it was the key to victory, a turning point in the entire war. She had to know. Desperation came into her voice.
“Please! Please!” She exclaimed. “My name and rank is Soldat Lina. I’m the last survivor from my unit. We were trying to scout the area when the pigs ambushed us. Slaughtered my whole team. They killed my cousin.”
“Humans die….that is the way of things,” the man replied as he stepped outside.
“I have nowhere else to go! You leave me, and you condemn me to die. The ogres….they don’t care….they kill….rape…eat….steal….fight….transform more to them. I can’t live like that. Humanity is losing.”
“I know….,” he replied without remorse. She walked up to the door frame and tossed her gun to the street in frustration.
“I feel safer with you,” a tear ran down her face. “You can kill them. I can’t. Please….I’m begging you. Tell me. In God’s name.”
He continued to walk. However, finally, he paused. He didn’t turn to look at her but remained in place. His head looked up as if he was in deep thought. The woman couldn’t tell what was going on in his thought process, but maybe, he was getting through to him. The man sighed a little.
“Your name is Lina, correct?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Interesting….,” he turned to look at her. He could see the desperation on her face as he continued to analyze her. She remained quiet as if she was going to let fate decide if this individual was going to ditch her or not.
“Soldat….I need a guide,” he told her.
“Never been to Paris?” she asked.
“I need a guide. Can you do it or not?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Good. I cannot guarantee your safety as long as you are with me. Do you understand?”
It was an easy answer for her. The stranger made it clear that it was impossible to keep her from getting killed, but no place was safe. Better to be with him than be left alone. The severity in his tone made it perfectly clear.
“I understand,” she told him.
“Throw away your radio,” he said to her.
“What?”
“What’s going to happen can’t be known.”
Again, her choices remained limited. She was as good as lost anyway. However, her radio was her last lifeline to the outside. She owed it to this man for doing what he did earlier. She pulled out the device and looked at it.
“It’s your choice,” he told her. “Do or don’t.”
She tossed the radio into a destroyed car. She knew that there was no going back on this. However, something in her mind told her that it was for the best. The stranger remained satisfied with her action.
“Then come with me,” he told her. He turned his attention down the street and started to walk. Lina didn’t have to be told twice. She ran up and grabbed her rifle before running up beside the man.
“So….,” she asked him. “Where do you want to go?”
“Deeper into the city,” he answered.
“Ah….Ok,” she tried to hide her pessimism about such an idiotic idea. However, she knew it was best to stay with him even if it meant going into the heart of more danger. Most likely, she was walking into certain death. However, the man was calm, as if he knew he was somehow invincible.
The two continued deeper down the street. The hints of distant explosions continued as the night remained. Lina had no idea of the path that she was going down except to push forward with her mysterious associate. However, the woman’s mind had gone to the events that unfurled around this stranger. Nothing seemed to make sense. How did he have these abilities? How did he sneak up on those ogres? How did he have a sword that glowed? It was almost as if it was magic, but that had to be impossible.
It was best to appease him. Perhaps it would lead to a more significant outcome than she knew before. For now, time was going to be the only way those questions would be answered.
“You know my name,” she told him. “What do I call you?”
“You can call me Doctor…..,” he replied. “Doctor English…..”
Chapter 2: The Long Night?
“This is Rue Lucordaire,” Lina said. “You have two choices. You can take a right at Rue Des Cevennes or continue walking till you reach Rue De La Convention.”
“Do you know where the ogre strongholds are located?” English asked her.
The woman seemed to think about it as she maintained her walk. Only the stars helped provide illumination, but the artillery bombardment had almost ceased entirely. The slim streets had large amounts of debris strewed about. There were a few cars on the narrow road, but most broke down long ago. Artillery shells had battered half of the buildings, and the smell of smoke and death seemed to hover in the air.
English continued to walk forward, never really looking over toward Lina. Instead, occasional questions would regularly interrupt the long silence of walking.
“Thank you for saving my life,” she told him. The doctor seemed like he was going to say something but changed topics.
“Tell me about the closest stronghold that you know,” he asked her.
“I don’t know if there is one close, but my team was ambushed near Rue Duranton near Square Duranton.”
“How many ogres?”
“10….maybe more. More reinforcements come from the east.”
“They use their bolt action rifles or the human-made M82s?”
“Both. The tank destroyed was….”
“One of yours, I know.”
“They sniped us from the buildings too.”
Lina continued to analyze her associate. Doctor English was always to the point. He seemed nonchalant towards her, not thinking about her feelings and on a singular goal that had to be met. While the woman knew that keeping an eye out was necessary, the fact remained that they were sitting ducks. The darkness was their only shield, but they had to keep their voices down. At least Lina could give a pass on why English was so quiet. Perhaps it was to discourage the possibility of getting sniped. Regardless, the woman remained uneasy. Finally, the man briefly turned his head in her direction before looking ahead.
“Tell me about yourself,” English asked.
“About my service or about me?” She asked.
“You….”
“I was born in the Eastern side of Paris, near Brou-sur-Chantereine. My mother is Algerian. My father, French.”
“Your English is impressive.”
“You are surprised my English is so good, no?” There was a hint of a smile on her face, even if it was brief. “My dad was an English teacher. Taught me and my cousin.”
“I see. That is good. The ogres predominantly speak the language as well.”
They were approaching the crossroad. Doctor English gestured for the woman to hover near the corner. The man peeked his head over.
“See anything?” she asked.
“One on the roof,” English explained before he pulled his head back. “Near the park that you described.”
“What is your goal? Why are we heading to the ogres?”
“I need samples.”
“They’ll kill us.”
“Perhaps.” English pulled out his magnum. There was a spectacle of shine as the starlight glimmered from it.
“You….can kill them. You have something in your gun.”
“Yes, it can kill them.” The man fished into his trench coat. “Your rifle won’t hurt them, but this will.”
The doctor pulled out of his coat a small handgun. It was a compact pistol, but it seemed crude by design. It had four barrels on it, along with an intricate firing chamber. It almost seemed over-engineered by design. However, the woman looked at it closely. She shouldered the rifle so that she could hold the pistol with her free hand.
“This can kill the ogres,” English informed her. He fished out some bullets and handed them to her. Lina looked at them. They had a bright silver color with brass casings to them. She put them into her pocket.
“How can this hurt them?” she asked.
“You pull the trigger, and it fires one shot. You have four shots. You reload it using the switch here. Pop open the chambers and change the rounds. You understand?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I….I don’t understand. Why trust me with this gun?”
“Are you going to shoot me in the back with it?” There was a lot of weight in how he asked that question to her.
“No! No….”
“Use this only when you need to.”
Doctor English continued to push with his own agenda. Lina was often left to question the motives and the sanity of everything that was happening. She looked at the small pistol. It seemed so weak when compared to her rifle, but who was she to argue if this weapon could kill them? Even then, it was better than nothing.
“All right,” she said. She kept the pistol aimed low. The doctor pulled out a small white crystal from his coat. He then spoke into it. When he did, the thing glowed. Again, the woman was just shocked at what she was seeing. Was this some sort of advanced technology? Regardless, Lina couldn’t hear what the man was saying. A hint of a voice echoed from the crystal, almost as if it was like some radio. However, there was a hint of a feminine voice that responded on the other end.
“Good,” English concluded. He put the crystal back into his coat.
“What things do you carry with you?” She asked him.
It was proving to be futile to ask questions that he would avoid answering. At least she was starting to gather more and more information on his personality type. It was frustrating, but maybe the answers would come later.
“You have the choice,” he told her. “You can stay here or fight, but I can’t protect you from here if you stay.”
“I fight…,” she said.
“Do you know any of the buildings on this road?”
“Yes…..yes.” She stepped around English and pointed her finger passed the corner. “That ogre is by a hotel. I used to work there for a few months. It has a ladder to get up.”
“That is all I need to know.”
“You’re really going to fight them? There’s too many of them.”
“It always is.”
English said nothing more. He turned around the corner and started to hurry in his walk. Lina had no choice. She wasn’t going to remain there and wait for somebody to grab her. She kept the pistol close to her as she started to run. She kept her footsteps as light as possible.
It was madness. Lina’s mind knew they were in another death funnel. Urban warfare was horrific. An ogre could be ready to shoot from any window. At the same time, the doctor was practically fearless.
However, the woman could feel like something was watching her. It only occurred until now. Perhaps it happened because of English’s lack of gaze upon her. There were too many places to be observed, and they were in a wide-open area. She did her best to keep an eye out for anything hostile.
It was a quiet jog. However, as they moved through the street towards the park, Lina could more easily spot the ogre. It appeared to be a she-ogre due to the breasts. She was serving as a lookout, but her attention was lackluster. A small lantern rested beside her, illuminating her entire frame for even a rifleman to pick off. It was something that Lina hated so much about the ogres. They were so stupid in their tactics, but it didn’t matter. Their invincibility was what made them so dangerous.
“Hold….,” the doctor whispered as he held his fist up to stop her. By now, the park was more easily observable. A hint of firelights could be seen coming from that direction. As the woman looked, she could see the hints of blood and gore on the streets.
“My team…,” She whispered back.
“Is gone,” he answered back to her. “Consumed by them. Do not mourn, for they were lucky.”
“I know.”
Doctor English pointed into the open door of the hotel. There was no hint that the ogress spotted them. Both of them walked in to see a small reception area of some sort. The interior had been looted thoroughly.
“I saw three near the park,” English said.
“You could actually see them?” she asked. “How do you know?”
“Saw one on the roof. The three are by the main gate of the park. They have a mortar setup, so we must be quiet.”
Doctor English continued to walk past knocked-down shelves. The main elevator was inoperable. They reached another open door that led to a set of stairs before the man started to climb up.
“We heading to the roof?” Lina whispered as she followed along.
“Must clear the guards,” he replied quietly. “She can shoot us from there.”
They quietly moved up the set of stairs. Rubble and dust had gathered more and more as they went up each step. The doctor was keeping an eye upward as he seemed cautious.
“The humans are leaving Paris?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she replied. “We can’t win.”
“As expected.”
“Why do you refer to our forces as ‘humans?’” she asked him. “We’re human. You make it sound like you’re different.”
“I am human.”
To Lina, she couldn’t make sense of what he just said. It wasn’t a satisfactory answer, either.
It didn't take long before they reached the third floor.
“Any ogre transformations in Paris?” he asked her.
“No….no…” she answered. “I was told Germany and Italy had them. Small outbreak in Madrid, but NATO is keeping them busy. Where do you come from?”
“I understand,” was his only response.
“I wish to know more about you,” she told him. “Stop giving me half answers or no answers.”
“You wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy the truth.”
Lina was left shaking her head. They reached the top floor of the building, where there was an exit. The doctor used his hand to gesture to Lina to stand back and remain as silent as possible. He held up one finger. Within a few seconds, he then held two fingers and finally three. The gesture didn’t entirely make sense to Lina on what he meant.
The doctor took his gloved hand, turned the knob, and opened the door. There was a hint of a squeak from the hinges as Lina was right behind English. They had just reached the outside roof when pandemonium struck.
“Wha?” a deep female voice echoed. Doctor English was on her in less than a second. Lina was amazed at how quick the man was. By the time the she-ogre tried to lift her gun, the man had pulled out his sword and slashed upward. It was a perfect swipe. The monster’s head was cut clean off. Blood was spat about as the decapitated head rolled before the rest of the body crashed to the ground.
“Hey….Shalina,” a mumbled male pink ogre responded. He was lying down not far from the entrance when his eyes opened. Lina was taken by surprise, not expecting that there was another ogre in the darkness. The woman took aim and fired the pistol twice, hitting the monster in the heart and head. It made quick work of him. The woman realized that she had managed to kill the giant with simplicity.
“HEY!” It was another ogre on the other side of the entrance. He was quickly roused to get up from the gunshots. He pulled out a large club and began to rush towards English. However, the man was quick as he raised his magnum and fired. A heavy gunshot rang out, piercing the ogre’s skull. His brains blew out as he crashed to the floor.
“We’re under attack!” The voices came from the park. Lina knew that the gunshots had alerted the enemy. However, she quickly turned her head to see another ogre in the opposite building. He had his rifle aimed at English.
“Watch out!” Lina cried out.
The doctor turned his head to see the ogre. He had his magnum turned to shoot him, but the ogre already had his sights set on the man.
A gunshot echoed in the distance. The ogre’s head blew as blood sprayed from the side, causing him to topple over to the ground. Lina knew that the doctor wasn’t the one that fired the shot.
“Doctor,” a female voice called out from the doctor’s coat. “They are loading up their mortar. I got you covered. Get out of there now!”
Lina turned her head around to see where the gunshot came from. The voice was different. It had a light Russian accent, but she spoke in English. The doctor waved over to Lina.
“They killed them!” A distant ogre voice rang out from the park. “Shoot the humans. Kill them!”
“Come on!” English yelled to Lina.
“We need to get down!” Lina yelled.
“Come to me now!” He ordered her as he stood at the edge of the building. His voice was aggressive to her, but the woman had no idea what he was asking.
“Why?” she walked forward to him. “They are about to shoot at us!” She stood next to him. “We need to head down the stairs if we hope to get out alive.”
“That wasn’t what I was thinking,” he calmly told her.
Lina heard a thumping sound. The mortar fired a shell into the air. While she was distracted, she had no idea that the doctor took his leg and slammed it into her back. The force was strong enough to send her flying forward…..straight off the ledge of the building.
Time seemed to slow down for the woman. Her thoughts registered it all. The bastard had betrayed her. She was sent hurdling into the air. Her body spun as everything gained speed. She was falling, falling to her doom. The pavement would be the only thing that would break her fall.
She was halfway down as gravity continued to pull her down faster and faster. Her guns flew from her hands. Lina's body was in full panic, knowing she was about to die. Her body would ultimately crash into the concrete, and she would die instantly.
“AHH!” she screamed. In mere split seconds, she would be dead. Why did he do that? She knew that the man should have never been trusted. That he…..
Catch…..
Her body came to a slow, cushioned halt. Something caught her just before she slammed into the pavement. It was so fast that she couldn’t even register it. A pair of hands were holding onto her.
“Ah! Ack…..What?” She reacted in shock. She turned her head and saw that it was the doctor. They were on the street, and he had caught her.
“How? How?” she reacted in total surprise.
An explosion rippled to the top of the building from where they were at. The mortar shell slammed and blew in all directions. Fires broke out as the hotel took damage. If Lina had remained there, she knew she would have been dead.
“Go get my pistol,” the doctor ordered her. He stood the woman up so she could walk on her feet. She saw the gun and started to head toward it.
Lina needed answers to what had just happened. It was physically impossible for a person to move that fast. Nothing made sense except the fighting that was taking place. While she could see the pistol, she couldn't see where her rifle fell to. She slid down and grabbed the handgun before she ran back to English.