Gears of War: Lesser of Two Evils

[Sgt Grub]

Ok, I'll start with an introduction. I am Sgt Grub(this forum would not allow the space ), and this is my Gears of War fan fiction, Lesser of Two Evils. I needed a place to get my story heard, and I was recommended this place by a certain someone(Croswynd )I haven't had a lot of writing experience in the past, and this is the first piece of work that I've been able to put into actual story format. Its a Gears of War fiction, simply because I love the Gears universe. It takes the usual generic shooter, but adds an amazing character driven story that surpasses all but Mass Effect, in my honest opinion.

Now, on to the story details. This story follows the Stranded conscript, Dizzy Wallin. He’s been a minor secondary character in the Gears of War universe, but he is easily my absolute favorite. I felt that my favorite character deserved more than a life of second class treatment, so I felt inspired to write his backstory. So, this story, which is still not finished, will follow Dizzy and his companions through his daunting past as a Stranded, into the events of Gears of War 2, and beyond. I may not know his final fate yet, as Gears of War 3 is not yet out, but I feel confident that this is the origin his character deserves.

Now before we start, I’d like to point out some things. One; I am a horrible speller. Homonyms are the scourge of my existence, and MS word can’t tell if they are wrong. Two; I will outright apologize for the quality for the first few chapters. Back when I wrote them, I was still very new to the writing scene. A lot of them is painful for me to re-read knowing that I wrote that. I really want to re-write them, but a part of me would rather push the story forward rather than go back.

Now without further adieu, I give you Gears of war, Lesser of Two Evils.

Act 1 - Loss
Chapter One

Dizzy was just like any regular old stranded. Left by the COG to rot. He was one of the luckey oned though. He had something to hold on to. To keep him going everyday even while the rest of the world went to sh*t. What could it be, you ask? What could keep a man sane in this living hell. The answer is simple, his twin daughters, Teresa and Maralin. He felt as if he had a duty to keep them safe, no matter the cost.

10 Years After E-Day

He lay there, watching her beautiful face. So calm and peaceful. Her scarlet red hair framing her flawless face and draping down her neck. She looked like she didn't belong there. In a world where monstrous beasts killed everything they saw.

Ten years earlier the COG dropped the Hammer of Dawn in a futile attempt to stop the Locust Horde. Anyone who couldn't make it back to Ephyra was left "Stranded". In short, the Hammer killed more humans than Locust. The Horde just kept coming, and the COG fled to Jacinto.

None of that mattered to Dizzy now. His beautiful wife, Jasmine and his daughters, where the world to him.

Suddenly an explosion could be herd in the distance, breaking Dizzy out of his daze. He instantly shot up and got out of bed, grabbing his Boltak pistol under his pillow. Jasmine woke up at the same time.

"What’s going on?" she asked in her soft voice.

"I don't know yet," Dizzy replied. "Stay here."
As Dizzy walked to the door, he herd the handle move and open. He quickly aimed the pistol, ready to shoot whatever came through. To his surprise Henny, Dizzy's best friend, came through the doorway.

"Well sh*t, Henny, don't you be scarin' me like that! What the hell is going on ?" asked Dizzy.

"Its those damn Grubs," replied Henny. "They're attacking the North end of camp."

"Dammit. Listen Henny, I need you to stay here and protect my girls."

"But Diz,"

"Please Henny. Their all I got, and lets face it, Ima better shot than you,"

"Fine. Do what you gotta do. You owe me man."
At that moment Jasmine walked into the room. She had changed from her sleeping attire into her day clothes. She had a Snub Pistol in her hand.

"If they are attacking, I need to tend to the wounded," she said. Jasmine used to be a nurse back at JMC.

"Alright then le's go," Dizzy said impatiently. He hated the thought of leaving her out of his sight. At least the twins were safe with Henny. Dizzy grabbed his dusty beat up hat from the table and the shotgun that was laying by the door as he and Jasmine left the safe confines of the house.

"Good luck Dizzy. Kick some a*s for me," Henny called out.

"You know it brother," Dizzy called back to him.

Next part up in a bit.

[Sgt Grub]

Act 1
Chapter 2

Gunfire rang out everywhere. What was once background noise, distant and dull, was now real and close. A wide range of sounds could be heard, from the explosions created by Boomshot rounds, to blood curdling screams

Outside of houses people where calling out to family members, urging them to stay inside and away from the imminent threat. The Stranded weren't monsters like the COG led everyone to believe. They where human beings just like those COG fascists. They weren't just parasites living on the ass of society. Granted some where nothing but criminals and dissidents that deserved to be shot. At least that's what Dizzy thought.

Dizzy and Jasmine kept making their way toward the action. Weaving through alleyways and back streets. Their goal was like a X on a damn map. Head toward the large column of smoke and the intensifying sounds of the fight. Finally they crossed into the main street where the bulk of the fighting had taken place.

"Take care of the Fat Ones first!" yelled Gary, the leader of the Stranded camp.

Jasmine had immediately went to work. She ran toward the first group of guys taking cover behind an over turned car. Out of the three of them, one had been shot, and Jas did just what she was trained to do. Dizzy ran out and took cover behind a road block some fifteen feet away from her.

About twenty feet behind Dizzy, the Stranded had set up a Troika Machine Gun Turret. They knew how to salvage enemy tech and use it against them. The man on the turret was plowing through those damn grubs. The Stranded forces hid behind cars, road blocks, building debris, and other assorted cover. They kept hammering away at the Locust, with shotgun, Hammerburst, and assorted pistol fire. Hell someone even had a Boomshot, and took out a good many Grubs out with it.

Dizzy peeked around his cover. There was a good fifty or so Locust packed into one street. Dizzy cursed under his breath. He knew that was a sh*t load of Grubs and more kept coming out of the holes. The Stranded may of had some powerful weapons, but they weren't trained soldiers.

One of those horrid creatures rushed Dizzy's position. He gave it no second thought. Dizzy took aim with the Gnasher and squeezed the trigger. The shot had blown the Grub's leg clean off with a fountain of blood flying out its stump of an appendage. The thing was left writhing on the ground, screaming in agony.

"HaHa, don't you crawl away mad now," Dizzy said with a small smile on his face. He was in no way making light of the situation. Its just humor raised moral. Hell, to see one man smiling, while sh*t was raining down inspires people in some primal way.

Dizzy cocked the lever of his shotgun and fired at the Grub once more. This time it shut up for good. Dizzy peeked around his cover again. The Locust were holding their ground. They were to far away for him to hit them with his Gnasher. He'd just be pissing rounds if he tried. Dizzy tried to think quick. His Boltak wouldn't work. He may have been a good shot but not good enough to hit the Grubs from that distance. To his right he saw the Hammerburst that the Grub dropped. Dizzy picked it up and felt its weight. It was a heavy gun, defiantly heavier than the Gnasher.

Dizzy popped up from the safety of his cover and fired his newly acquired Hammerburst. Seven rounds shot out the barrel of the gun, and shredded their way through three Grubs.

"BOOOOOOMMM!!" shouted a Locust with a very deep voice. At that moment a Boomshot round arced through the air and landed next to the Troika. The explosion destroyed the gun and killed its operator.

"Dammit! There goes our support, fall back, FALL BACK!" Gary shouted.

That Troika had mowed down most of the Locust attackers so far. With it gone, there was nothing to hold them back. At just that moment Dizzy realized how deep the sh*t they were in was.

Suddenly the ground shook violently. Deep fissures split the street about thirty feet away from Dizzy. In an eruption of noise the building to the right of the Locust collapsed and giant spider like legs came out from the ground like demons trying to escape hell.

"OH F*CK CORPSER!" someone shouted.

By now the Stranded had spread out. Everyone running in different directions, they where definitely not trained soldiers. Explosions rang out elsewhere. Apparently the fight was spreading out through the rest of the streets.

Dizzy! Dizzy!" Jasmine yelled at him, trying to get his attention. "I have to get over there. People could be hurt."

Dizzy cursed his luck
"Fine, get goin'" Dizzy called back to her. He shifted his attention to the man next to her. "Tom, go with her." Dizzy said to him. Tom nodded back to Dizzy and they both ran off.

Dizzy could see Gary and two other men holding position ten yards away. Everyone else fled into the rest of the city. With his Hammerburst in one hand and the Gnasher in the other, he sprinted toward them at full speed. With bullets whizzing past his ears, narrowly missing him, he made it over there.

If all this sh*t was not bad enough, the next sound Dizzy heard took the cake. A long, high pitched scream let out. It was loud enough to shatter glass.

"You have to be f*cking kidding me." one man said in disbelief.

That sound was unmistakable. Berserker.

[Sgt Grub]

Act 1
Chapter 3

There the Berserker was, running full speed at them. Her thunderous foot steps shook the ground with every step.

“Sh*t, get out of the way!” shouted Gary desperately. He was obviously panicking now.

The four of them turned and ran. One of the Stranded tripped and fell face first into the concrete. He tried to get up but it was too late. The Berserker gave him a massive right hook. He flew twenty feet and slammed into a brick wall. He was splattered against it like a bug on a windshield.

“F*ck this man,” the other Stranded said. He ran to the left, trying to get away. Like waving a flag at a bull, it only grabbed the Berserker’s attention. She charged at him and easily caught up. She swiped at him with the back of her gigantic hand, pinning him up against the wall. She then grabbed him by the shoulder and picked him up over her head. With her other hand she grabbed the Stranded by the waist and pulled him apart. He split in half with his intestines and other organs spilling out of him.

Dizzy and Gary opened fire on the Berserker in a futile attempt to kill her. Each bullet glanced off her armor, not even leaving a scratch. She turned and faced then.

“She looks angry,” whispered Gary.

Somewhere in the distance, Dizzy could hear the sounds of rotor blades, the signature sound of the COG King Raven. The Stranded had to hold out just a little longer.

The Berserker charged Dizzy and Gary. Dizzy’s instincts told him to get out of the way and he listened. He and Gary rolled away just in time. The Berserker kept going and slammed into a building behind them. She turned around seemingly unfazed by the fact that half of the building was coming down on her. She climbed out of the debris and charged in the direction she thought she thought the two Stranded where in.

Just before Dizzy could even think to move out of the way, a sudden explosive blast knocked him and Gary down. Dizzy felt like had been hit by a truck. His eardrums felt like knives where driving into them. His head felt like it was being pounded by a sledgehammer. His vision was still blurred, and he couldn’t see the Berserker anywhere. Dizzy looked around for her. His head was pounding so hard that he felt like he might black out. His vision slowly focused. In the last place Dizzy saw the Berserker lay a smoldering creator. Movement caught his eyes. He saw the Berserker staggering to her feet. She had large chunks of her armor like skin missing, reveling grayish pink flesh underneath. She got up and charged again, but this time not at Dizzy. Her target was a Centaur tank about twenty meters down the road.

The massive tank fired again. The blast sent the Berserker flying back. The shell hit her dead on but somehow she got back up. She stumbled down to one knee but still screaming her head off.
Dizzy couldn’t understand how she could take two tank shells and still get back up.

“Whoo, she’s feisty. Must be her time of the month,” Dizzy said while trying to pull himself upright.

At that moment three King Ravens flew over head. One opened fire on the Berserker with its chain gun. With most of her armor gone, the bullets just ripped into her exposed flesh.

Apparently that did it. She fell to the ground with a hard thud and this time she didn’t get back up.

Up the street one of the Ravens touched down and dispatched a Gear squad.

“Sh*t Dizzy, we’d be dead right now if I wasn’t for those guys,” Gary said in disgust. He didn’t want anything to do with the COG and definitely didn't‘t want them near his camp.

“Ya, sh*t,” replied Dizzy.

The Centaur rolled passed them. Dizzy guessed that the Corpser was its next target.

Suddenly something pinged in Dizzy’s mind. Jasmine. He had to find her, and make sure she was safe. Dizzy took off toward the distant fighting where she most likely was. He could hear Gary calling after him but Dizzy ignored him.

Dizzy ran through the streets at top speed. He came across the ruins of a building destroyed in the Corpser’s rampage through the city. Dizzy could hear gunfire on the other side, and he could see one of the King Ravens circling over head. It would take too long and use up too much energy to go over the wreckage so Dizzy decided to go around.

Once Dizzy was about half way around the destroyed building, something hit him like a brick sh*t house. He hit the ground hard, losing his hat in the process. Dizzy turned around onto his back to face his attacker. It was a Locust Drone, weaponless and missing an arm. The Grub had been hiding behind some rubble, waiting to strike something that came into its line of sight. It had a look of bloodlust in its white eyes. The foul disgusting creature wanted to take out any human it could before succumbing to its wounds. Dizzy reached for his Hammerburst laying next to him. He grabbed it, aimed and fired. No bullets came out of the gun, instead a sharp clicking sound.

“Gat dang it, outa ammo,” Dizzy said in a pissed off tone. He needed his Gnasher more than ever. Dizzy winced as he remembered he had dropped it when running away from the Berserker.

“Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh!” the Locust bellowed as it charged at Dizzy. Being on the ground, he was in a bad position. He rolled out of the way from a boot to the skull. Dizzy got up and shoulder rammed into the Grub. Knocking it down was tough, like hitting a brick wall, but the Grub fell. Dizzy bounced back a couple feet and caught his balance. Close quarters with the Grub sent a horrible scent up Dizzy’s nose.

“Sh*t, you smell worse than rotten ass!” Dizzy exclaimed.

In one quick movement he upholstered his Boltak pistol and fired into the Grubs chest. It fell backward, but it was still alive. Dizzy ran up, spun his Boltak around and gripping it by the barrel, and brought the butt of the gun down on the Grubs head.

Explosions in the distance caught Dizzy’s attention. He saw the Corpser perched on top of a building, swatting at two King Ravens circling it. They where firing their chain guns at it to no affect. Suddenly an explosion hit the Corpser. Obviously the Centaur had shot it. It staggered and slid a couple floors down the side of the building. The monster jumped into the air in an attempt to hit one of the Ravens. One of its eight claws hit a Raven and it spun out of control into the streets below. Dizzy heard the Centaur shoot again and the sounds the Corpser made stopped.

Dizzy picked up his hat and returned to his task of getting around the ruined building. Once he got around the rubble he could see the action.

The Gears where sure giving the Locust hell. The Grubs numbers where severely lowered. Only a handful of them left. Dizzy could see Jasmine kneeling over someone and trying to bandage his wound. Tom was next to her firing his shotgun at the Locust.

Dizzy started running over to them. He was amazed at how twenty Gears where able to completely decimate the Locust. Three more Grubs went down. Two Ravens where raining hell down on the enemies. An entire column of the damn Grubs dropped like rocks. Dizzy got behind a car twenty five feet away from Jasmine. He looked out and watched as even more Drones fell. Dizzy turned toward Jasmine. She glanced over to him and gave him a thumbs up. Somehow she knew that everything was going to be all right.

A shot rang out. Tom fell to the ground clutching his neck. Blood squirting out between his fingers.

“Sniper!” yelled one Gear.

Jasmine ran to Tom’s aid. Dizzy screamed at her, telling her to get back into cover. She couldn’t hear him over all the gunfire. Another shot rang out.

In that one split second, time stopped. What happened next appeared to Dizzy like a slow motion video. Jasmine was hit in the chest. The bullet exited her back with a large splatter of blood.

That one second of time felt like hours. Dizzy’s mind was blank. No emotions, no thoughts whatsoever. He was just watching, waiting for it to end. In an instant it all came back. The sounds, the sights, the situation. It all came back except the emotions. They seemed to filter back slowly. Dizzy just stood there staring at his wife laying in a pool of her own blood. Suddenly Dizzy was overcome with only one emotion. Rage.

Dizzy flung himself out of cover and ran at the Locust position. He saw the sniper easily identified by its orange goggles. It was one of the last Locust left standing. You could count all the Grubs still alive on one hand, but Dizzy didn’t care about them. He had one target on mind. He had it in his sights and sprinted at it full speed. Dizzy bum rushed the bastard and before it could retaliate, Dizzy slammed it to the ground. He got on top of it and just unloaded with all he had, punching the sniper in the face over and over again. The thing couldn’t even fight back because Dizzy had it pinned.

Dizzy just let out a long drawn out yell. Grunting with every strike to the Grubs head. Its skull started to crunch and shatter. Is was obviously dead but Dizzy kept wailing on it. Dizzy’s hands where bruised and broken but that did not detour him. He kept punching it even after its head was nothing but mush and his fists started hitting the concrete underneath.

Just then two pairs of arms pulled him off.

“Let me go. I wanna kill em all!” Dizzy shouted.

“It’s over Dizzy,” said a familiar voice. It was Gary. “Dizzy, I’m….” his voice trailed off.

For the first time Dizzy could feel warm tears falling down his face and soaking his beard.

The fight was over. Dizzy slumped next to a car. He could barely hear the voices in the background. The Gears had left. Their job was done. Dizzy could only make out a couple people talking. Something about getting the lights on, the kyrll would be out soon, and other bull sh*t.

Sure Dizzy survived that day but at what cost. His wife, his love, his entire world, was gone.

[Sgt Grub]

Act 1
Chapter 4

The hours following the event all seemed to blur together. Dizzy was walked home by Gary. When the duo arrived, Henny asked what happened. Gary took him into another room and told him. Everything after was clear as day. Dizzy walked to the girls room and peered in through the crack in the door. They where both sound asleep. Dizzy pushed open the door slowly as not to wake then.

Their faces were calm and peaceful, as if nothing had happened. The room was small, two beds lined close to each other. The twins where covered in rags and old clothes to stay warm. They had the same scarlet hair as their mother, tied back into a ponytail. Maralin had always kept hers longer than Teresa.

Dizzy sat down on a chest in the corner of the dark room and started crying.

Waiting gives a man time to think. Time to put everything into perspective. A lot of questions fill a man's mind afterwards. How would he handle the girls asking the inevitable question? How would he tell them? How would they cope?

*****

Hours later the sun creeped in through the small window, and rested onto Dizzy’s face. He awoke, still sitting on the chest. He hoped, prayed that last nights ordeal was just a horrible nightmare. That, sadly, was not the case. Jasmine was still dead at the hands of the Locust horde, and there was nothing Dizzy could do about it. He shouldn’t have let her out of his sight.

Movement caught Dizzy’s eye. One of the girls, Teresa, had stirred for a moment. She pushed herself up and put her hand to her mouth to yawn. She opened her eyes and saw her father. Her green eyes looked identical to her mothers.

“Daddy?” she asked in her sweet voice, still full of the innocence of a child. A wave of emotions washed over Dizzy like a flash flood. He pushed himself up and walked over to her bed. Dizzy dropped down to his knees. She had pushed herself out of the bed at the same time.

“Sweety,” said Dizzy said with his voice breaking and tears rolling down his face again, “Sweety come here.”

She took a step foreword and hesitated for a second.

“Dad?” she asked with a puzzled look on her face. She took another step foreword. Dizzy brought his arms around her in a loving embrace. Teresa put her arms on Dizzy’s back, still confused. “Daddy, what's going on?” she inquired. She tried shaking Dizzy to get his attention.

“Baby,” Dizzy forced out his baseball sized lump in his throat. “Baby, your momma loves you.”

****

The loud creek of the door broke Henny out of his trance. He looked up from the small kitchen table to see Gary walk in the doorway.

“How’s he doing?” asked Gary. He looked exhausted with dark purple bags under his eyes.
“Don’t know. Hasn’t been out all night,” Henny responded, “Can I get you some coffee?”

“Yes, please,” said Gary as he sat down at the table.

Coffee was a small luxury that Stranded rarely got. The Locust attacked a COG supply convoy last month. The Grubs left the supplies untouched and the Stranded didn’t let it all go to waste.

Henny grabbed a small bag of coffee grounds and a bottle of water from the cupboard.

“How many casualties?” Henny asked in a somber voice as he started the crude, old coffee maker.
“Forty-six,” replied Gary, “17 unaccounted for. Probably in the rubble of the building the Corpser destroyed, or unrecognizable.

Henny felt his heart sink into his stomach at the realization of that fact.

“Sh*t,” Henny whispered.

“I know. We spent all night getting bodies into the light so the Kryll wouldn’t get to ’em. Ten years in hell and you never get used to seeing corpses. Friends, loved ones, sh*t even kids.”

Henny looked over to Gary. He had his eyes screwed shut, as if trying to fight back all the repulsive images in his head. Henny poured the coffee into the cups and walked back to the table. He put one cup in front of Gary.

“We’re going to have to do a full count later today to find out who exactly didn’t make it,” Gary said. He looked as if he was off in another world.

Gary was an average sized man. Short brown hair, graying in places. Hairline receding at the temples. A short stubble beard indicated he hadn’t shaved in a couple days. The man looked ten years older than he really was.

Gary was barely able to take one sip of his coffee when a knock sounded at the door. In walked a man named Grant.

“There’s some people outside the gates asking for you, Gary. They look like some of Thor’s men,” Grant said in a strangely calm voice.

“Sh*t,” Gary muttered, “What the hell do they want?”

“I don’t know sir,” replied Grant.

Gary sighed, “I’ll take care of it.” He got up from the table, took another drink of his coffee, then headed out.

“You want me to come wicha,” asked Henny.

“No man, stay here. Dizzy needs a friend now and that’s you,” replied Gary, “I’ll be back after I see what these assholes want.”

*****

Gary followed Grant toward the south western gate of the camp. Along the way they passed a large pile of dead Locust. Gary knew that if the Gears hadn’t of shown up, they’d all be dead. He resented the thought. Gary hated the COG, but not for the same reasons as others. In fact it wasn’t the COG he hated, just one man in it.

Gary’s father served in the Pendulum Wars. He was a damned hero. But one day, while on leave he got in an argument with his wife and in a drunken rage, killed her. He was sent to Jacinto Maximum Security Prison to serve a life sentence. Gary never forgave him for his actions, but at least he thought he’d never see that bastard again. Then came E-Day. Shortly afterward, Col. Hoffman pardoned all inmates, and put them in uniform. That’s why Gary hated them, Every time Gary saw a dead Gear, he hoped it was his father who suffered a horrible death at the hands of the Locust horde.

Gary and Grant arrived at the open gate. About a hundred feet down the road was a truck with three men standing next to it. One man he recognized as one of his own men. He seemed to be getting the raw end of an argument with the other two. After another verbal assault from them, he turned and ran back to the gate.

“What do they want?” Gary asked him as he finally made it back. Up close Gary recognized the kid as Bob.

“The one in charge is looking for you,” replied Bob, “Said his name was Mad Dog.”

Gary cursed under his breath. If their was anyone he hated more than his father, it was Mad Dog. Mad Dog was a sly, conniving, little sh*t, and just happened to be Thor’s second in command. Thor is a leader of a two bit Stranded gang, always threatening Gary for supplies.

“Lets go see what those bastards want. Joseph,” Gary pointed to one of the men stationed at the gate with a sniper rifle in hand, “Keep me covered. If this goes to sh*t, pop one of them. Grant, Bob, you’re with me.”

Gary set off to confront the gang members. He counted four of them. One man standing by the front of the truck, another standing in the back, and two more standing at the back end, closest to Gary. The short one was Mad Dog. While he wasn’t a small guy, he looked like an ant compared to the mountain of a man standing next to him. The man standing in the back of the truck was skinny and short, and looked very malnourished. He was standing next to a large crate covered in a large white tarp.

“Hey, Gary. What’s up man. How are things in your little slice of heaven, huh?” Mad Dog asked with an infuriating smirk on his face.

“F*ck off Mad Dog. What do you want?”

“Hey now, that’s no way to speak to the messenger.”

“I don’t have time for your games. In case you hadn’t noticed, Locust attacked yesterday, and we are trying to clean up. If you’re not going to help, get your ass out of here.”

“Oh, see, now we’re getting somewhere. Thor knows of the attack. He also knows that the Gears saved your ass. Now when a sh*t load of Locust attack and Gears kill ‘em all, there’s a sh*t load of dead Locust. And When there’s a sh*t load of dead Locust, there’s a sh*t of weapons. We’re here to take ‘em off your hands for you.”

“What the f*ck makes you think I’ll just give them to you?”

“See, Gary, that wasn’t a request. You either give them to us, or we take ‘em.”

“With what? Four against my entire camp? I’d like to see you try Mad Dog.

The man who was standing in front of the truck, walked up to Mad Dog’s left side. Mad must of thought he looked tough with two big guys next to him. Mad Dog took a step forward and got right up in Gary’s face.

“The only reason I don’t cap you right now, is cuz I love to watch you squirm Gary,” His dreadful smirk widening.

“The only reason I don’t shoot you is because I don’t waste the ammo on a piss-pore excuse of a human being like yourself.”

Mad Dog took a step back, “With all pleasantries aside, lets get back to business. Rat!”

“Yes Boss,” said the skinny man in the truck bed.

“Show these nice people our little pet.”
The man called ’Rat’ reached around and picked up the giant crate and hefted it out of the truck bed, and set it down in-between Gary and Mad Dog. Suddenly a high pitched scream sounded from the crate.

“Take the tarp off,” Mad Dog ordered Rat.

As Rat pulled the white tarp off the snarling from inside only got louder. The Tarp slid off revealing a Locust Wretch inside a steel cage. Gary jumped back in surprise. Grant and Bob leveled their shotguns at the beast.

“Are you f*cking insane?” Gary shouted while Mad Dog broke out laughing.

“You see, if we don’t get our weapons, I’m going to let this little guy loose and watch him rip you to bloody ribbons.”

Gary looked at the savage animal. It had grey skin, just like its Locust masters. It had small beady red eyes full of bloodlust. The Wretch grabbed one of the bars on its cage and reached its monkey like hand out, in a feeble attempt to maim anything it could.

“I don’t even want to know how the f*ck you caught that thing,” said Gary, “Grant, shoot it!”

Grant raised his Gnasher , but before he could fire, the Stranded next to Mad Dog blasted Grant with his Double Barrel Shotgun. Grant was dead before he hit the ground, his body littered with buck shot.

“We have a deal or what?” chuckled Mad Dog.

You’re f*cking crazy,” Gary said as he walked over to Grants corpse. He ran his hand over Grant’s face to close his eyes, then grabbed his shotgun. Gary motioned to Bob, telling him that there leaving.

“You can tell Thor to shove it where the sun don’t shine,” Gary said. He and Bob started walking back to the gate.

“You’re making a huge mistake Gary!” Mad Dog shouted, “Rat! Release our little friend.”

Gary spun around and raised his shotgun. Rat stood up on top of the cage, pulled a lever, and unlatched the lock on the cage. He pulled the front of the cage up, releasing its prisoner. The Wretch, now free of its cage, charged at Gary all while screaming its small head off. Gary aimed his Gnasher and fired. The beast fell back from the force of the shot. Mad Dog’s face contorted in anger.

“Your gonna pay for that!” he screamed. He and his gang walked up to Gary, obviously ready for a fight. “Big Larry, show then who there dealing with,” Mad Dog ordered the hulking giant. Suddenly a sniper rifle round rang out. The top half of Larry’s head exploded, and his lumbering frame fell backward. Mad Dog looked at his corpse in shock and when he turned back to Gary he received a heavy punch to the face. The other two men turned and ran back to the truck. Mad Dog was still trying to pick himself up from Gary’s massive blow to the face.

“This is a mistake! You hear me!” Mad Dog screamed as he stumbled to his feet and took off for the truck. “When Thor hears of this, your all dead!” he shouted as he climbed into the truck, “You haven’t seen the last of me asshole!” With that, the truck drove off.

“Good shot Joseph," said Gary as he reached the gate, “If those bastards come back, shoot on sight." Gary knew that if they even tried coming back, his men would be ready for them.

[James]

((Fixed your name for you Sgt Grub. Nice to see a new face and I hope you enjoy your time here!))

[Sgt Grub]

Ok, Act one has ended.

This part is the Prologue to act 2. Its been five years since the devistating attack on Gary's Stranded camp. The past five years haven't been good to Dizzy, and this segment is a dream that reflects his mental state. Enjoy.

Act 2
Prologue
14 Years after E-Day

******

“She’s gone,”

“No…No, she can’t be,”

“She’s gone dammit! And its your own damn fault!”

“No! NOO! That’s impossible! She can’t be…”

Dizzy found himself stumbling around in the dark. It was pitch black for as far as the eye could see. A spot light of unknown origin shown down on him, illuminating his figure against the darkness.

“Do I have to spell it out to you? She is DEAD!”

Dizzy took a step forward, and his leg buckled, but he caught his balance just before he fell.

“No….No, you’re wrong!” Dizzy yelled back.

“Face it. You Failed. Jasmine is dead because of you, and only you!! You couldn’t save her. You failed her as a husband, and you have failed as a father.”

The words dug into Dizzy like a knife. He fell to his knees, and buried his face in his hands. His fingers ran through his salt-and-pepper hair, and tears flowed in between them.

Bang

Dizzy pulled his hands away from his face, and saw his wife’s body laying ten feet away from him, a hole in her chest, and laying in a pool of blood. Even in death, she was just as beautiful as the day Dizzy met her.

“No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! It’s not true. It can’t be true,” said Dizzy as more tears fell between each word.

“It’s true. Every word,”

“Shut the f*ck up!” yelled Dizzy as he punched the ground. “Show yourself! Show yourself you bastard!” Dizzy screamed into the air.

“I’m right here you son of a b*tch,” The voice rang out from behind Dizzy.

Dizzy turned to face his verbal attacker, but what he saw sent another knife into his chest. In front of him was a mirror in which he saw himself standing with his arms crossed.

“Surprised? You sicken me, ya know that? Look at ya‘self, and think hard. What do you see? A pathetic sack’a sh*t that’s not even worth the ground he’s standing on.”

Dizzy stood there, studying his reflection. With every line on his face, with every hair in his beard, he came to realize that he barely recognized the man he’d become. In only four years, his face had aged ten.

“What do you have to say for ya’self? Sh*t, what can you say? You’re a failure. You failed her…..You failed them.”
Two figures appeared behind Dizzy. They were his twin daughters, Teresa and Maralin. Dizzy turned to the girls.

“Babies, I-I’m sorry,” Dizzy said while choking on his own words. He took three steps forward, but they didn’t seem to get any closer. Dizzy took another five steps, but the distance between them didn’t close. Dizzy started to panic. He started to walk, but the girls got no closer. Dizzy picked up the pace, then broke into a full sprint. He ran as fast as he could, but they only got farther away. He pushed himself to go faster, but the distance between them grew with each step.

“You can’t save them! They’re doomed to die in this hell hole, and there’s nothin’ you can do!”

With that, Dizzy tripped and fell. He could no longer see the twins, only bitter darkness surrounded him once more. His reflection was right. He failed.

Bang

Dizzy looked down and saw a grapefruit sized hole in his chest. He fell to his knees, and that all too familiar feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him.

“I’m sorry,” Dizzy gasped as he blacked out once more.

[Sgt Grub]

Apr 27, 2011 23:35:05 GMT -5 James said:

((Fixed your name for you Sgt Grub. Nice to see a new face and I hope you enjoy your time here!))

I noticed. Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing all this forum has to offer. ;D

[Sgt Grub]

Act II:Operation Lifeboat
Chapter 1

In the wake of the Locust attack four years ago, Gary’s rag-tag camp was assaulted by a rival Stranded group, led by Thor. Thor got the weapons he desired and decimated Gary’s camp. Gary was forced to retreat to the southern end of Tollen. Things have been quite for the past five years, despite recent heavy seismic activity.

*****

1:13 AM
Tollen, Tyrus

“No!” Dizzy yelled as he awoke from his horrible dream. He found himself sitting in the dark of his shack in the dead of the night. He looked to his right to see both of his daughters sound asleep.

Dizzy pulled himself toward the wall and leaned his back against it. He propped his left leg up, and placed his arm on his knee. Moonlight coming through the window lit up the face of his watch. His clock was one of his only possessions that survived E-Day. The glass was cracked down the middle, and the hour hand was bent. It was surprising that the thing still worked; the original batteries died a few years back, but Dizzy took new ones from a dead Gear’s wrist-watch. Dizzy often wondered why he didn’t just take the man's watch. He could only think of two reasons, one of which, was respect. He believed that anyone who died for what they believed in deserved respect.

The other reason was that this little watch had been a birthday gift form Jasmine a few months before E-Day. He couldn’t bring it upon himself to get rid of it, so he looted the batteries, but left the dead man his watch. Lately, Dizzy found himself clinging to anything that reminded him of Jasmine. This obsession, coupled with the drinking, were the only activities that kept him sane. Hell, he even wondered if he was still sane.

Dizzy braced his hand on his knee and pushed himself up. He walked gingerly to the bathroom, as to not disturb the girls sleep. Dizzy put a hand against the wall, and looked at his reflection in the mirror. The sight brought back memories of his latest nightmare. It had been the third this week.

Dizzy reached into his pocket and pulled out his flask. He took half a mouthful of his home-made moonshine, and screwed his eyes shut from the bitter flavor. Most people turned their noses at the stuff, but it was an acquired taste. Moonshine came in two flavors; Disgusting, and Pure Piss, but the more you drank, the less you noticed it. Dizzy’s brew was much better than the local ‘Shiners because he let it age. Despite that, it was still worse than the most watered down Whisky.

Dizzy took one more swig, then walked toward the door. As he opened it, the bitter night wind stung his face, but he continued outside. He closed the door quietly and walked down the street.

It was a quiet evening, with a slight breeze flowing through the streets of the post-apocalyptic city. Lanterns that hung from power lines illuminated the streets. Lines of filthy shacks framed each street. Piles of building resources, such as old plywood, sheet metal, and fencing, were placed near the borders of the camp.

Dizzy continued to walk down the street. He glanced up toward the nighttime sky, littered with billions of stars. A sight such as this would have been impossible to see in the city’s glory-days.

Dizzy came to a stop next to a barrel filled with burning trash. He took another drink form his flask, then he felt a tremor under his feet. Tremors like this had been occurring all week, but the Locust never surfaced near the camp. Still, it had put the Stranded on guard.

“Them Grubs must be having one hell of a party down there,” called out a familiar voice. “Why the hell weren’t we invited, Diz?”

Dizzy was so engrossed with his thoughts that he didn’t respond. Suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder, and shook him out of his revere.

“Hey! Hey Diz! Snap outa it man!” said the same voice. Dizzy looked up only to see his friend Henny standing next to him. He had a Gnasher in his left hand, indicating he was on watch tonight.

“The hell is wrong wit’ you Diz? You ain't been yourself lately,” Henny said in a concerned voice.

Once again, Dizzy didn’t respond. He looked down at his watch, the broken glass flashing in the light of the fire. Henny took a step back, and shook his head.

“Sh*t, it’s those damn dreams again, ain't it? Dammit Dizzy, its been four years! Its time to move on. Get yer damn priorities straight, man. What about yer girls? Ya can‘t take care of ‘em when yer minds f*cked up like this.”

Dizzy’s hand clenched into a fist. A part of him wanted to beat the sh*t out of Henny, but another part knew he was right. Dizzy pondered for a few minutes about whether or not he should let his anger boil over. Dizzy let out a sigh, unclenched his fist, and relaxed. They say the truth is painful, and sometimes it takes your best friend to prove it to you.

“Thanks Henny. I…I really needed that,” Dizzy said moments later. “I owe ya…A lot more than ya think. Sh*t, if it weren’t for you, I’d of never met Jasmine. Never would have had the twins.” With that, the memories of Pre-Emergence flooded Dizzy’s mind.

“Sh*t, if ya put it that way. I don’t remember half the sh*t that went on that night,” Henny chuckled.

“Ha-ha, Henny, you damn drunk. We was at the bar having a good time. I was watching the Thrashball game, and you was playing cards. Then, outa nowhere, your dumbass pissed off the biggest guy in the place,” Dizzy said laughing the whole time. It was the first time in weeks that he’d laughed. “He used yer head to make a new hole in the wall.”

“Hey now, in my own defense, he was cheatin’.”

“That don’t mean ya spit in his face,”

“Ya, laugh it up. What happened next? I wasn’t awake for it.”

“Had to take ya to the hospital to fix ya up.” With that, Dizzy’s tone changed from joking, to somber. “That’s where I met her. She was the one fixin’ ya.”

“Sh*t, that’s why I was out for five hours, you was hittin’ up my nurse!” interjected Henny.

Both of the men erupted into laughter that continued for a good three minutes. When it finally died down, Dizzy extended his hand out toward Henny. Henny returned the handshake.

“Thank ya, Henny, I needed that,” Said Dizzy sincerely.

“You know it, brother," Henny said with a chuckle. “Any time.”

[Sgt Grub]

First part is a dream sequence, only from a different character's perspective.

Act 2: Operation Lifeboat
Chapter 2
*****

“Oh, honey, you’re home. Good, because I have something to show you,” a woman’s voice rang out.

Gary found himself standing in complete darkness. He looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint the oddly familiar voice.

“What? What the hell is this?” a gruff man’s voice rang out of the dark.

“W-what? You don’t like it?” replied the woman.

“What the f*ck am I going to do with a watch? I don’t need to know the damn time when I’m getting shot at! I’m going back out in three days, and all you could muster was a stupid watch?”

“I-I’m sorry dear. I’ll return it tomorrow.”

“I’m sick and mother f*cking tired of your f*cking stupidity!”

“Don’t you dare talk to me that wa…” the woman’s voice cut off, aware of the fatal mistake she had just made.

Gary kept trying to find out where the voices were coming from, but to no avail. He knew he had heard those voices before, but the memories wouldn’t show up. He desperately tried to call out, trying to warn the woman, but his voice wouldn’t work.

“You ungrateful b*tch!” A loud smack echoed through the darkness. “I work my f*cking ass off ’Protecting’ our coalition and that’s how you repay me?”

“No! No, please don’t!” the woman sobbed.

Suddenly the sound of breaking glass resonated through the air followed by the woman screaming.

“I’m…Tired…Of Your…Sh*t!” the man shouted, grunting with each word. The woman’s screams stopped.

The darkness evaporated away revealing the scene of the murder. Gary found himself standing at the doorway of a small house, with a gun in his hand. The gun was pointed at his father, who was standing over his mother’s body, a combat knife in his hand was dripping with fresh blood. The father turned to face Gary.

“You gonna shoot me kid? You don’t have the balls to kill a man. Now step aside before the damn cops get here.” Gary could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“You-you killed her!” Gary shouted, his voice eighteen years younger.

“No sh*t. Figure all that out yourself?” he said as he sheathed his knife.

“She loved you! You loved her! How could you?”

"I didn’t love that broad. The only reason I stuck around was because I thought maybe, just maybe, the little mistake that you are might amount to something. Damn, was I wrong. Now, are you gonna put that gun down and move, or am I gonna have to make you?”

Just then, sirens boomed in the yard, Three police cars skidded to a stop in the yard and officers piled out.

“JPD, put the gun down NOW!”
Gary threw the gun on the ground, then was pushed down by an officer, who handcuffed him. Several other officers piled into the house. Gary’s father punched one in the face, but two more tackled him down. One called for an EMT.

“You listen Gary, and you listen good! I’m not done with you, you little sh*t! I won’t forget this!”

*****

“Excuse me, sir. Gary. Gary!”

Gary awoke with a startle. His assistant, Bob, was standing over him. Gary had apparently fallen asleep in his chair.

“Sorry to wake you sir, but I came to give you the daily update,” Bob said.

“Go,” Gary paused to clear his throat, “Go ahead.”

“Well sir, the water purifier has gone down, but Less is working on it as we speak. She says it’ll be fixed in an hour or two. Also…..” Bob ran through a list of trivial tasks everyone was doing. Bob had really stepped up to the job when Grant, Gary’s previous assistant, was killed five years ago. When he finally got to the end of his list, he paused, “Um, sir. Garza and Tom went out scouting this morning. It’s past noon and they're not back yet. If they’re not back by sunset, we have to assume the worst.”

“Damn,” Gary said silently. Garza was a good friend of Gary’s. He was one of the first members of Gary’s camp. “Thanks Bob. That’ll be all.” Bob nodded and walked out. A few moments later, Gary got up and walked out of the house as well. Outside, people were off doing their daily business. Joseph was stationed at the gate with his sniper Rifle, Henny was helping Less with the water purifier while simultaneously being b*tched at, the Wallin twins and a few other women were washing clothes, and Bob was running about taking notes. Dizzy was nowhere to be seen. Gary took a wild stab at his location. In a small, fenced off area that used to be someone’s yard, was Dizzy. The yard used as a make shift cemetery, and Dizzy was kneeling next to his wife’s headstone. That’s all it was, a headstone, because it was impossible to get her body from the old camp to here. Gary walked up to Dizzy and stood behind him.

“How are you doing, Diz? Gary asked. It took a while for Dizzy to respond, as if he was deep in thought.

“I’m still alive. Still breathin’” he said finally. “I reckon that’s how she’d want me to be.” With that, Dizzy got up, tipped his hat to Gary, and walked off.

Gary shook his head. “Allfathers help that man.”

******

The tires of the truck skidded to a stop in front of the fortified shopping center. A man in a black leather jacket and blue jeans stepped out of the passenger side. His head was shaved except for an inch wide strip running down the middle. He had a goatee and dark sunglasses to add to his menacing air. He appeared to be a man you wouldn’t want to mess with, a real “Mad Dog”.

“Rat,” Mad Dog said to the small, malnourished man standing in the truck bed. “Unload our ‘Guests’”

“Yes boss,” Rat said in a scrawny voice. In the back of the truck with Rat were two men. Their hands were bound, their mouths were taped, and they were laying face down.

Rat kicked the first guy, a large, bearded black man, in the side. He grunted in response as Rat kicked him again. “Get up asshole!” Rat shouted. The man struggled to get to his knees since his hands were tied. He finally got to his feet. At that time, the driver walked around to the back. He grabbed the second guy, a younger, blond, white guy, and pulled him to his feet. After he got up, the driver, named Tick, pushed him off the back of the truck. The man hit the ground with a thud. He let out a moan in agony.

“Don’t ruff ‘em up too badly, Tick,” chuckled Mad Dog. “The boss wants them in one piece.”

The larger guy tensed. It must have angered him to see his friend treated like that. After being goaded in the back with Rat’s shotgun, he stepped off the truck. He looked Mad Dog in the eye, only to see his own reflection in the gang member’s sunglasses.

“You got a problem, big guy?" Said Mad Dog with his signature sneer on his face. The man turned away and gave a sincere look to his friend, who was being hefted to his feet by Tick again. With that, the five Stranded started toward the shopping center.

From the outside, the store looked simple enough. A warehouse sized building
With a few piled of sand bags near the door. Inside was a different story. Racks of guns and ammo lined the entrance, ready for an assault. All the store shelves were gone. A hundred plus Stranded walked around, some fixing broken guns, others repairing old Junkers. Those that weren’t working were either eating, sleeping, or loitering.

The five men made their way toward the center of the shopping center. There, they found an imposing sight, the leader of the Stranded gang, Thor.

Thor was a mountain of a man. He had long, salt-and-pepper hair, and a gnarly beard. His nose was crooked and he has a long, white scar stretching down his face. He was shirtless, but he hung an ammo belt across his chest. His throne wasn’t a pleasant sight. It was an old recliner decked out with ammo belts and metal spikes. Sitting on the arms of his throne were two woman in lacy underwear. They had chains attached to their ankles and bruises up and down their bodies. Thor had a glass of whiskey in his hand. Next to Thor was a man equally as scrawny as Rat. He looked terrified, as if he was seconds away from pissing himself, if he hadn’t already. Thor took one drink from the glass. He closed his eyes, as if thinking hard, then crushed the glass with one hand. The servant let out a yelp. Thor got up and lumbered to his trembling servant. Thor stood a foot and a half taller that him. The servant started to cower and whimper, as if he knew what was next.

“What the hell was that?” Thor asked in a very imposing and booming voice.

“W-w-w-whats the p-p-problem s-sir?” he responded.

“Water. Their was water in my whisky. Explain!” Thor boomed. The ground shook with his voice.

“J-j-just trying to p-preserve rations s-sir.”

“Rations? Rations are my problem. Not yours,” Thor turned and walked back to his throne. “but, I understand your concern. It was a simple mistake.” Thor gabbed a large sledgehammer that sat next to his throne. “A mistake, you won’t make twice.”

Thor struck the servant in the gut with the handle of the hammer. “Kneel!” he shouted. The servant dropped to his knees, writhing in pain. Thor swung the hammer down on his head. It hit with a wet thud.

Without another word, Thor walked back to his throne. Like clockwork, the Stranded went to work. A few picked up the body, one took Thor’s hammer to be cleaned, another started cleaning the blood off the floor, and the two girls started giving Thor a neck message.

Mad Dog walked forward to get Thor’s attention. His usually permanent sneer was nowhere to be seen.

“Sir,” Mad Dog said. “We found these two in an abandoned Pharmacy.” He motioned to the two captives. “And I thought raiding was our job.” He laughed dryly. Thor sat forward in his seat, studying the hostages.

“That’s not the good part either. They’re from Gary’s little circus.

Moments passed without a sound. It was Thor who finally broke the silence.

“This is perfect. Gary has been a thorn in my side for too damn long. This gives us just enough leverage to tip the scales in out favor. Drop them off as shells of their former selves. Let it be clear who is responsible. Then, when they mourn they’re loss, we strike. Now go. Drop them off at dawn.”

“Yes Thor, as you command,” said Mad dog with a bow. As he was walking away, Thor’s voice stopped him.

“Now’s your chance, Mad Dog. Succeed, and you will be rewarded. Greatly. Fail, and well, I think your head will make a nice ornament for my throne.” With that, Mad dog walked off.

Mad Dog led the captive Stranded to the loading bay of the store. The loading bay used to be where the trucks would drop off the stores supplies, but now it is used to hold the gangs Junkers. Mad Dog led the men toward the corner of the room, where there was a furnace and some old work tables. There was two rods extending from the furnace. The tips had a design welded to them. Mad Dog ordered a few of the larger stranded to restrain the captives by the tables.

“Take the tape off, boys, I wanna hear them scream,” Mad Dog said. The Stranded did as directed.

“F*ck you! F*ck you, you piece of sh*t! screamed the blonde guy.

“That won’t solve anything, Tom,” said the larger guy. The blond man looked like he was going to respond, but Mad Dog’s laugh cut him off.

“Easy ladies. Remember, this is my show here. And now for the main event.”

Mad Dog grabbed the first rod out of the furnace. It turned out to be a branding iron. The brand was Thor’s symbol, a large circle with a hammer and lightning bolt crossing in the middle. This one in particular was huge, about a foot and a half in diameter. As if on cue, the Stranded behind the large guy ripped the back of his shirt odd, revealing bare skin. Mad dog walked around and got into position.

“This’ll be fun,” sneered Mad Dog.

“You think you can break me, but you’re sadly mistaken.” The captive replied.

“Ha! That’s just too funny.” With that, Mad Dog plunged the red hot tip of the iron onto the Stranded’s back. Instantly, he screamed in agony. The smell of burning flesh filled the air.

“Garza! No!” Screamed Tom, as he fought desperately with the man restraining him.

Mad Dog pulled the brand off Garza’s back and threw it back into the furnace. Garza’s head hit the table as he moaned and gasped for air.

“You alright Garza? Come on man, answer me! Are you alright!” yelled Tom. His face showed a mix of terror and concern for his friend. Garza barely managed a nod.

Mad dog took the other brand out of the fire, and examined it. The brand was a lot smaller that the last one, about five inches in diameter. Mad Dog looked at his wrist. That very brand was burned onto his hand when he joined.
Mad Dog shook himself out of his revere and looked Garza in the eyes.

“You got balls, big guy. I’ll give you that. I could use a guy like you in my crew.”

Garza let out an almost inaudible “F*ck you.”

“Too bad.” Mad Dog said. He then looked at the men holding Garza down. “Hold his head still.”

The Stranded put a meaty hand on top of Garza’s head. Mad Dog then placed the brand right on Garza’s forehead. He screamed in pain once more. Tom just looked on in horror. A moment later, Mad Dog pulled the brand off and admired his work. The bolt and hammer was etched into the stranded’s forehead. Garza’s head fell back down as he passed out from the pain.

“You f*cking monster!” Tom screamed. “You’re worse then the f*cking Grubs!”

Mad Dog walked over to Tom and chuckled. He picked the brand up to eye level and started examining it. He rolled it around in his hand, as if he was feeling the weight.

“Humans. Locust. We’re all the same. We’re all animals in the end.” With that, Mad dog swung the iron like a bat. The tip stuck into Tom’s temple, his skin sizzling from the hot metal. Tom went limp and his Stranded guard released him. His corpse hit the table with a thud.

“Get these two paper weights into the truck,” Mad Dog ordered. “We got a delivery to our dear friend Gary in the morning.”

[Sgt Grub]

Act 2
Chapter 3

The sun slowest peaked over Sera’s horizon. From a distance, Tollen looked devoid of life. Completely empty, ravaged by the Horde. Up close, however, the city was in an uproar. Concrete cracked, masonry split, and rubble danced across the forsaken streets. The tremors, cause by an unknown subterranean force, had been going nonstop for the past six days, putting all of Tollen’s inhabitants in high alert.

Tollen’s only notable landmark was the large elevated highway stretching through the middle of the city. A lone APC drove across the massive eight lane highway. Swerving between rows of long abandoned cars, the APC quickly approached Tollen. A squad of three Gear soldiers inhabited the vehicle.

One Gear, who was sleeping in the back, was violently awoken by a pothole in the road.

“Hey, LT,” he said in an annoyed voice. “Do you have to hit every hole in the road, or are you just being a dick on purpose?

“No, Mendoza, I just wanted to hear you b*tch about my driving.” said Lieutenant Will Garret from behind the wheel.

“Whatever. You mind telling me why we’re in the middle of f*cking nowhere?" Private Mendoza called back. Garret sighed in annoyance.

“Slept through the debrief, huh?”

“Major Reid is a boring old bastard, and you know it. Now what are we doing in Tollen?"

“Operation: Lifeboat,” answered Garret in an authoritative tone. “Prescott has it in his head that Stranded will join the COG in exchange for food, water, and safety.”

“It’s a f*cking joke.” Interrupted Cpl. Dean Marx, the squads NCO. “Animals, the whole lot of them. They don’t deserve the COG’s protection. They gave it up years ago.”

The Lieutenant slowed the APC and took an off ramp into the outskirts of Tollen.

“The Stranded are just as human as you or me, Dean.” The Lieutenant stated.

“Bullsh*t! You’ve seen ‘em! They scavenge, pillage, and rape anything they get their hands on. I’ve seen good Gears gunned down by those animals. Human on human warfare didn’t end at the Pendulum Wars. They’re not even worth the bullet I’d happily put between their eyes.”

“Dean, I can’t have your personal merits get in the way of this mission. Make one small step out of line and I’ll have you court marshalled without loosing any sleep over it. Are we clear?”

“Sir, yes sir!” Dean replied angrily. Moments passed without a word. Private Mendoza broke the silence.

“So, what’s so special about this Stranded group?”

“Intel states its run by a man named Gary,” Garret replied. “The COG has had very little contact with them in the past. There have been no reports of hostility against the Coalition. That makes them a prime target for the Lifeboat.”

“Ain’t that the camp that got attacked a few years ago?” Mendoza asked.

“Yes. We had reports of a large Locust movement in the area. We got there just as they emerged. Low military casualties but,” the lieutenant paused. His usual In Charge tone of voice changed into sorrow. “High civilian casualties. We offered assistance, but Gary refused. He said he just wanted to be left alone.”
“What makes you think they’ll except Lifeboat now?”

You never know Private. People change.”

“Stranded don’t.” Marx interjected. The cabin of the APC fell quiet. The Gears didn’t say a word, each engrossed in their own personal thoughts. The Lieutenant wheeled the APC through side streets and large alley ways to avoid toppled buildings. They were about an hour away from the Stranded camp.

“Stop the ‘Dill!” Cpl. Marx suddenly shouted. “I said stop!” Garret hit the brake and the APC slid to a stop in the middle of an intersection.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Mendoza asked.

“Shut up and listen. You hear that?” Marx said. Outside, the ground was cracking, building supports moaned and snapped, and windows shattered.

“What the f*ck?” stated Mendoza.

“Grubs.” The LT said. “Out of the APC, Now!” The three Gears piled out of the ‘Dill and instinctively pointed their Lancers to the ground. “Surround the APC. Figure out where they’re coming up!” Garret ordered.

The other two did as directed. They circled around the APC, keeping their eyes on the ground to spot any Locust activity. Moments passed, and nothing.

“There’s nothing here, Lieutenant.” Mendoza stated.

“Noted. Doesn’t make sense. Back in the APC Gears, double time it!” Garret ordered, and the Gears did as such. The Lieutenant closed the APC’s hatch, and sat back into the drivers seat.

“Sir, that was not normal.” Marx said. “Tollen isn’t near any fault lines. It has to be Grubs, and their doing something big.”

“Think we should radio it in?” asked Mendoza.

“Negative. Orders are to maintain radio silence until we reach the camp.” Garret answered.

“What!” Exclaimed Marx. “That is bullsh*t. This is important. Command needs to know!”

“Orders are orders. Understood?”

“Sir, yes sir.” said Marx, defeated by the Lieutenant once again. Garret just sighed and put the APC in gear.

“That’s some weird sh*t man.” Mendoza added randomly. With that, the APC set off to the Stranded camp.

******

The long barrel of a sniper rifle extended over the top of the gate to Gary’s camp. The gate itself was about eight feet tall, made of large pieces of sheet metal on a sliding track. It wasn’t bulletproof, but it was tall enough to ward off most invaders. That is, if the sniper let them get close enough. The sniper was a kid named Joseph. He was a damn good sniper, considering he isn’t trained. He’s one of Gary’s greatest assets, and the COG would want him for their own if they saw him in action. Ever since the attack five years ago, Joseph put it onto himself to protect the camp. The new camp had only one entrance, which made his job much easier. From his perch, he could see down three different streets, a perfect position to snipe in case of attack.

The rest of the camp was quiet, aside from the quakes. Next to the gate was a garage with two Junkers parked inside. A man’s legs stuck out from under one.

“You dirty sum’b*tch,” said Dizzy in an annoyed voice. The head of the bolt he was trying to loosen had snapped off from rust. “Sh*t. The hell am I supposed to get that little bastard out with?” Dizzy sighed and pulled himself out from under the Junker. Keeping the Junkers running was Dizzy’s chief job at the camp. He used to work on rigs and large trucks before E-Day. The fact that he was good at it was the only reason he didn’t serve in the Pendulum Wars. Dizzy wished he could go back to those times. Before the world went to sh*t. At least his daughters would have a bright future, not what they have now.

Dizzy sat up and leaned his back against the Junker. He stared at the wall across from him that had a small assortment of tools hanging. They were clanging loudly against each other in tune with the tremors.

“Hey Dad.” said a sweet voice to Dizzy’s left. Dizzy turned and saw his daughter Maralin standing a few feet away.

“Hey Sweetie, ya snuck up on me.” said Dizzy. He motioned to the clanking tools, “Couldn’t hear ya.” Dizzy chuckled and Maralin returned with a small smile. Dizzy pushed himself up and walked over to his work table. He grabbed a rag and started cleaning off the grease from his hands. “Need somethin’?”

“No, just came to say hi. Teresa abandoned me to go talk to Bob.” she pushed herself up onto the table so she could see her dad at eye level. “I don’t know what she sees in him though. He’s always running around taking notes for Gary.” Dizzy chuckled as she said that.

“Just like yer momma. Always gossipin’ ‘bout somethin’ or other.” The mention of Jasmine brought back images from the dreams he’d been having lately, but he shook it off a second later. “Ya look just like her too. ‘Cept ya got my sh*t-brown eyes.” They both shared a laugh.

Suddenly a commotion outside caught their attention. Joseph was calling back to some other Stranded. As Dizzy and Maralin got to the door or the garage, the Stranded Joseph was talking to ran back toward the rest of the camp. Dizzy told Maralin to stay in the garage, much to her dismay, then walked over to Joseph.

“What’s all the ruckus about?” Dizzy asked.

“Three Junkers coming up the street.” Joseph replied. “They got Thor’s flag on them. I just told John to get Gary. This could be important.” Dizzy walked up to the gate and unlatched the lock.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” Joseph demanded.

“Gonna say hello to our guests. Don’t wanna be rude.” Dizzy replied as he pulled the gate open. Dizzy walked out in front of the gate, feeling reassured with a sniper watching his back.

Three Junkers pulled up in the middle of the street. Their Stranded occupants stepped out. One figure stood prominent, Mad Dog. He looked like he thought he was the king of his own little world, which pissed Dizzy off. He walked up a few feet away from Dizzy.

“Hey there country boy.” He said with a smirk. “Can you get Gary’s lazy ass out here for me? We have ‘business’ to discuss.”

“Mad Dog, ya sack’a sh*t.” Dizzy replied. "Which Grub’s ass did ya crawl outa this mournin’? Was it a Boomer? Ya sure as sh*t smell like one.”

“Ha, don’t you think you’re funny. Now shut the f*ck up and get Gary out here." Mad Dog demanded. His men were getting anxious, just waiting for a fight.

“Don’t you be worryin’ ‘bout Gary now. Anythin’ you can tell him, ya can tell me, ya hear?” Mad Dog looked like he was about to retort, but Gary’s voice cut him off.

“You rat bastard!” shouted Gary as he came walking out the gate, a shotgun toting Henny next to him. “Mad Dog, nothing you have to tell me can possibly be important enough to garner my attention, now get out before I call my sniper to blow your damn head off.” Gary demanded as he took a stand next to Dizzy. Mad Dog just laughed, as if he thought Gary’s threats were jokes.

“If this is how you treat all your guests, I’m going to have a word with management.” Mad Dog mused. Dizzy was fighting the urge to knock his lights out. Gary did not seem to share Mad Dogs sense of humor either. His fists clenched and his brow furrowed, ready for a fight if need be.

“As you stand there talking out your ass, my sniper is lining your forehead in his scope. Now give me one good reason not to give the order.” Gary was already pissed today, and Mad Dog’s appearance made it indefinitely worse.

“Ah, straight to business. Very formal. That’s what I like about you Gary, you get things done.” Mad Dog said with his typical smirk on his face. “Now, we may be a group of raiding, murdering, assholes, but we’re not stupid. And from what we can tell, you’re not stupid either. Present company excluded,” Mad Dog shot a glance toward Dizzy. Dizzy put a hand on his Boltok pistol, contemplating whether or not to take that insult. Mad Dog continues. “I’m pretty damn sure you’ve noticed the intense,” Mad Dog paused. “What’s the word I’m looking for? ….Tremors. That’s it, ‘tremors‘. Now, it doesn’t take an Imulsion scientist to know the Grubs are up to something. Could be building an army to take the city. Could be planning on ransacking the place. Or they could just be having a crazy Locust sex party, for all we know, but it pays to be prepared. So, Thor is gracious enough to offer protection for the small fee of all your food and living space for my boys.”

“That’s it?” Gary said with a look of disbelief. “That’s seriously what you wanted? F*ck off. You’ve already given me my daily dose of asshole, and its not even noon, now take your band of merry sh*theads and get off my lawn.” Gary turned and walked off, dizzy and Henny fallowed behind him.

“Oh, hey Gary!” Mad Dog called back. “Your camp looks a little emptier that usual. You missing a few people?”

Gary stopped in his tracks, upholstered his pistol, and turned back toward Mad Dog. He walked up and pointed the pistol at Mad Dog’s face, the stranded body guards returning the favor.

“You damn son-of-a b*tch!” Gary said.

“Hey, my mother was a whore, but there’s no need to bring her into this.”

“Stop bull sh*tting me!”

“Take a chill pill gramps, you’ll give yourself a heart attack.” Mad Dog laughed. “Get the package.” he ordered the other Stranded by the Junkers. On cue the two large stranded stepped into the back of one of the Junkers and picked up the limp bodies of Garza and Tom. They walked up, and dropped them at Gary’s feet.

“Sh*t,” said Gary as he knelt by his friend Garza. His back and forehead were covered in burns, brands to be exact. Thor’s symbol, the hammer and lightning bolt, were etched into his skin. Garza and Gary went back, way back. Garza was the only surviving member of the camp Gary started several years ago, and now he is a broken, burnt shell of a man. Gary fought to keep tears from falling over his friends mutilated form.

“Damn,” said Henny, who was hunched over Tom. “He’s dead.”

“Found these two scavenging in our territory. Let it be a warning. Don’t f*ck with Thor.” Mad Dog’s permanent sneer was infuriating Dizzy and Gary.

“Get them inside,” Gary ordered, ignoring Mad Dog. Dizzy and Henny pulled the two men inside the gate. “Oh, and Mad Dog.” Gary called back. “Tell Thor to shove his hammer where the sun doesn’t shine. No deal.” With that, Gary slammed the gate shut.

Mad Dog fallowed suit, and got back into one of the Junkers with his men. “Ha, if only they knew what happens next,” He chuckled as the Junker drove off.

[Sgt Grub]

Act 2
Chapter 4

The small convoy of Junkers slowed to a stop at a makeshift Stranded camp. Thor’s flag flew proudly over the camp, its pole swaying from the constant tremors. A man stepped out from one of the Junkers, a ‘Mad Dog’ by name and reputation. He made his way into the camp that was literally set up overnight. It was to be the staging area for the assault on Gary’s camp. Thor’s “Moment of Greatness” as he called it. Mad Dog rounded a row of Junkers and came upon Tick, who was loading a Hammerburst.

“I trust the ‘Rat’ made his way onto the roof?” Mad Dog asked. Tick nodded silently and handed Mad Dog a hand radio from his belt. Mad Dog took it and pushed the ‘Talk’ button.

“Hey Rat? Rat. Answer dammit!” Mad Dog called into the radio.

“Yes B-boss?” came a scared voice form the other side, definitely Rat.

“What’s up buddy? You in position?” asked Mad Dog.

“Yes Boss, of c-c-course Boss. Everyone’s in p-place and Boomshots l-l-loaded.

“Good, good. ‘Cause failure is not an option. Understand?”

“Y-yes Boss!”

“I have my complete trust in you, Rat. Not an easy thing to procure. Do you know who has their complete trust in me?” asked Mad Dog.

“Tha-tha-thor, Boss,” Rat replied. His voice started to break from fear. He was a man who had loyalty beaten into him, and was terrified of making Mad Dog angry.

“Exactly. If you fail, you don’t just piss me off, you piss off Thor. If you piss off me, you only get your ass kicked and you don’t eat for a week. You piss off Thor, and well, you’ll be dining down with the Grubs in hell. Are we clear?”

“One hundred p-percent Boss!”

“Good,” Mad Dog put the radio on his belt and walked off.

He wasn’t joking when he said he needed Rat for this. Thor’s plan involved the Junkers plowing straight into Gary’s camp, but that’s nearly impossible with a gate and a sniper in the way. So the best option around that obstacle was to blow it away, literally. Rat and about five other guys were stationed on the roof of an adjacent building with Boomshots. When Mad Dog gives the signal they fire their rockets and destroy the gate and its keeper. Then the Junkers rain hell on Gary. Well, that is if everything goes according to plan.

Mad Dog continued into a more open area of the camp. It was an intersection with Junkers parked in a circle around one man, Thor. He sat in his throne with servants all around him. When he saw Mad Dog, he got up to greet him.

“What a glorious day for bloodshed, wouldn’t you agree Mad Dog?” Thor asked in his booming voice. It was a wonder that Gary’s camp couldn’t hear him from a few blocks away.

“Of course sir. You’ll have Gary’s head before lunch.” Mad Dog replied in a stale tone. He’d been kissing Thor’s ass for seven years. That’s how he got the prestigious position of ‘Second-in-Command’. Personally, Mad Dog was sick and tired of brown-nosing Thor. He was a tyrannical, cruel, old bastard, and Mad Dog prayed for the day he’d kick the bucket. Hell, Mad Dog just might help him there.

“Haha, indeed. If there’s anything left of his head!” Thor laughed. The sound echoed through the street, even louder than the still shaking ground. Once his laughter died down, Thor’s expression changed. “Where the hell is my Hammer!”

A small man, another servant, came running out of one of the empty buildings. He carried Thor’s illustrious sledge hammer. Thor apparently wanted it polished before his big victory. However, the weak frame of the servant and the shaking ground makes running a bad idea. The small man lost his balance and tripped head over heels a few feet away from Thor. Thor snarled and picked up his hammer. He brushed the dust off, then drove the head into the servants skull. Thor beckoned another servant to wipe the blood off while the previous one gargled and died.

Mad Dog just looked on in disgust. Sure, commanding through fear was a great tactic, but your men won’t respect you for it. Mad Dog wondered when Thor will consider him just another servant whose last thought was a hammer.

“Not gonna happen,” Mad Dog said silently under his breath. “Not if I have a say in it.”

The servant cleaning Thor’s hammer finished and handed it back to him. Thor climbed into the back of a Junker and raised his sledge hammer above his head.

“Failure,” He boomed. “Is unacceptable! But fear not men. The ground may shake, but it is only the Locust making room for Gary’s corpse in Hell!” Most of the Stranded cheered at the speech. Mad Dog just stood there with his arms crossed. Thor pointed to him. “Give the signal! Start the assault!”

“Hey Rat,” said Mad Dog into the radio as he climbed into the back of a Junker.

“Yeah Boss,” Rat replies. Mad Dog smiled.

“Light ‘em up buddy.”

*****

10 Minutes Earlier - Gary’s Stranded Camp

Gary slammed the gate shut and bludgeoned his fist against it. He didn’t know how, or why Mad Dog got under his skin the way he did, but it was extremely frustrating. Mad Dog had a way to anger Gary in a way nothing else could. A useful tactic. How can people look up to you as a leader, how can they have their complete faith in you when they see you loose your cool at the words of another man. Gary wanted nothing more than to completely destroy Mad Dog, but by that, he’d fallen into his trap. Gary took a deep breath and tried to comprehend what just transpired.

“Garza! Sh*t, Garza!” Gary called. He turned and ran from the gate. Dizzy and Henny had put the bodies down in the center of camp. People started to gather around, asking questions, wondering what happened outside, and why the two men thought lost were laying destroyed at their feet.

“Garza!” Gary yelled again. The Stranded moved aside and made room for Gary. “Garza! Come on, please!” Garza slowly started regaining consciousness.

“G-gary?” Garza said quietly. “Is that-AHG” He yelled in pain and rolled onto his side as to not lay on his wounds.

“Garza! Oh god, Garza, what happened to you?” Gary asked, on the verge of tears.

“Caught us,” he said panting, barely able to breath. “Tom! What happened…Tom. Where…AH” Garza winced in pain again. Gary glanced over at Tom’s corpse. His head was split open and charred. Only a sick and twisted bastard like Mad Dog could do that to someone.

“He…he didn’t make it.” said Gary in a somber tone. “What did they do to you, Garza?”

“Horrible things,” Garza responded. He grabbed Gary’s shoulder and pulled himself upright. He looked Gary in the eye. Even though he’d been gone for two days, he looked like he’d aged ten years. “You can’t imagine the pai- AH, Damn!”

“You’ll be fine Garza. You just need Rest. Come on, I’ll help you up.”

“No…No, I don’t want it. Not anymore.”

“What? Garza, I don’t understand.”

“Rest won’t stop it. Nothing’ll stop it. Please, make it stop.”

“No Garza. It’ll heal! We’ll get some medical supplies from the COG, we’ll do something. You will be fine.” Gary sounded like he was in complete denial.

“Please Gary, end it. End it all. Ima scarred man. It won’t end as long as I’m still breathing.”

“Garza no!” Gary pleaded. His voice cracking, a large lump forming in the back of his throat. “The scars will heal, I promise!”

“Not the ones I’m talking about. You weren’t there, Gary. You can’t imagine the pain.”

“No Garza. Please no. I can’t-”

“End me! God dammit, Gary. Make it stop!” Garza pleaded.

“Garza, I-I…” Gary looked down to his Snub pistol on his belt. He upholstered it. Tears ran down his face. “I’m sorry.”

*****

“C’mon girls.” Dizzy said quietly to his daughters who were standing next to him. “We don’t need to see this.”

The three of them walked away without a word. After about ten paces, Dizzy heard a loud gunshot. Dizzy turned to look at Gary. His eyes were dark and his face wet from tears. Henny walked up to him and put a hand on his back The crowd slowly dispersed . Dizzy saw Teresa eyeing Bob walking away, looking as down as everyone else.

“Go on,” Dizzy said quietly. Teresa left, leaving Dizzy and Maralin behind.

“What did they do to Mr. Garza?” Maralin asked. “What could they do to make him like that?”

“Sweetie,” Dizzy replied. “I don’t think you wanna know.”

Dizzy looked back to the scene. Some Stranded were carrying both bodies to the cemetery. Another woman grabbed a rag and started cleaning up the blood. Henny helped Gary up. Gary left his pistol on the ground as if afraid to touch it. He looked like he’d been hit by a truck, and for good reason. Dizzy had known Gary a long time, but not once had he seen him like this. He didn’t blame him either.

Gary had a thing going with a girl a while back. A few years before Jasmine died. She was killed by some other Stranded gang, possibly Thor’s. He was devastated. Garza helped him through it, however. That, coupled with the fact that Garza helped Gary start a Stranded camp in the first place, and well, the two were the best of friends. Dizzy knew it was up to Henny and himself to get him through, for they were all the man had left.

Henny helped Gary walk up to Dizzy and Maralin. When he got there, everyone was quiet. Dizzy put a hand on Gary’s shoulder to let him know he isn’t alone in this sh*t-storm, but something caught Dizzy’s attention. Joseph, the sniper at the gate, was running from the gate screaming his head off.

“Everyone get down! Away from the gate now!” he yelled.

“The hell?” Dizzy mumbled, trying to figure out why he was yelling. The realization came too late, however. Within an instant, the front gate exploded. Gary seemed to snap out of his depression in that exact moment, his true leadership kicking in.

“What the f*ck just happened? What did you see?” he yelled at Joseph, who finally got to their position.

“Thor’s men.” He panted. “On the roof. We’re under attack!”

“That bastard!” Gary yelled. “Henny, with me. We’re getting the Junkers out. Dizzy, Joseph, get people to the garage ASAP!”

“You got it. Henny, take Maralin. Get ‘er on the Junker!” Dizzy said in an urgent tone.

“But Dad, I want to-” she protested, but Dizzy cut her off.

“No buts Missy, Go! Now!”

"Don’t worry Diz, I’ll keep her safe.” Said Henny. He handed Dizzy his Gnasher. “When have I ever let you down before?” Right as he said that, the gate exploded again, but this time a large stream of Junkers poured through. The Stranded occupants fired indiscriminately into Gary’s camp. Screams filled the air as people were mowed down.

“Ya don’t want me to answer that!” Dizzy yelled back to Henny as they split up. Dizzy and Joseph ran toward the center of camp. Through all the noise, it was impossible to notice the tremors getting stronger. One final jolt from the ground sent Dizzy and Joseph to the floor. The ground under them started to split open.

*****

3 Minutes Earlier - Down the Street from Gary’s Camp

“Hey L.T. we there yet?” Pvt. Mendoza called form the back of the APC.

“Yeah. About a hundred yards up the road, we should see the gate to the Stranded camp.” Lieutenant Garret responded.

“I’m telling you, this whole Operation is a mistake. We’re wasting our time.” said Cpl. Marx.

“Dammit Marx, how many times-” said the Lieutenant, but he was cut off by a distant explosion. Somehow, the gate to the camp erupted in a fireball. Garret hit the brake.

“What the hell just happened?” Mendoza inquired.

“I don’t know, but we’re checking it out.” replied Garret. Suddenly a column of Junkers came down the opposite street filing into the camp. One split off from the group and charged the APC head on. Small arms fire bounced off the hull.

“Hostiles!” Marx yelled. “I’m on the gun!” He climbed up and opened the hatch to the roof-mounted chain gun and opened fire. The bullets shredded most of the Junker’s passengers. The two vehicles passed each other and kept going. Marx opened fire on the rest of the Junkers. He took out a couple, but one slammed into the APC once it entered their line. The vehicle spun out of control, even against the LT’s attempts to right it. The spinning APC crashed into the side of a building.

Garret’s head was ringing from the crash. Over his disorientation he heard Marx’s chain gun roaring at the Stranded. He heard something else, however. A loud cracking sound from under the vehicle. He looked out the window and saw the street cracking in a spider-web pattern.

“Sh*t, get out of the vehicle!” Garret ordered.

“Damn,” Marx cursed as he descended from the hatch. He and Garret piled out of the APC. Marx started firing his Lancer at passing Stranded.

“Wait, where’s Mendoza?” The LT cried.

“In here Sir!” He called from inside the ‘Dill. “My armor’s stuck. Something broke in the crash, and I can’t move.”

Garret cursed under his breath and moved to help Mendoza. Before he got to the APC, however, he was floored by a massive jolt. The ground jerked violently. A massive fissure opened under the APC stretching across the street. The back end of the ‘Dill fell in, stopped by the top of it hitting the other side of the gorge.

“Mendoza!” Garret screamed. He reached his hand into the APC, not stepping inside because he knew the slightest touch could drop it. “Grab my hand! Come on!”

“Almost got it, Sir!” he cried. He was desperately pulling at his leg armor. A piece was wedged into a crack in the APC’s interior.

“Pull your damn armor off and grab my hand!” Garret ordered.

“Wait Sir, Almost-” Mendoza was cut off. Another massive jolt sent the APC into the ravine. Garret felt a sense of weightlessness once the vehicle started moving. He saw the fear in Mendoza’s eyes. Suddenly it all fell into the abyss, but Garret stopped moving. Marx had grabbed the back of his armor at the last second. Garret could tell Marx was pissed, even under his helmet.

“Mendoza,” Garret said somberly. “What the hell is going on?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Marx stated. “Tollen is going to sh*t.”

[Sgt Grub]

Act 2
Chapter 5

“Hell yeah!” Gary yelled as the Junker's engine roared to life. He threw the massive vehicle into reverse and backed out of the garage faster than he probably should have. Henny followed suit in the second one. “Got to get my people out, the get the hell out.” Gary said to himself. It was impossible to take the gang out alone, so picking up sticks and running was the only option.

While in reverse, the Junker slammed into something hard. Gary hit his head on the wheel and thought he hit one of those pre-war parking breaks. He looked down and saw the street had split open and one side jutted above the other.

“Dammit, not now. Henny, we got Locust coming!” screamed Gary as he changed gears and rushed forward. The two Junkers split up at the intersection, encircling the devastation. Gary took the left.

It was horrifying to see the people he had sworn to protect being gunned down and slaughtered like livestock. A couple of guys were fighting off the gangster stranded and protecting a group of Gary’s people. Gary drove up to them and beckoned them to get in.

“Come on, come on, com-” A sudden impact whiplashed Gary’s head against the seat and the wheel. Quietly, under his breath, Gary said “Huh, damn. That’s gonna leave a mark.”

A thunderous roar snapped Gary out of his daze. He looked up to see a humongous, Boomer sized man leap from the object that rammed into Gary, one of Thor’s Junkers. The living mountain charged into the group of Gary’s people as they made their way to the lifeboat. The first man was too busy shooting to notice the sledge hammer coming for his head. The impact sent his corpse into another moving Junker. The people scrambled, and the giant took his pick of prey. A woman carrying a young child made a dash for Gary’s Junker, but sadly was too slow. She took a large downward blow to the shoulder, crushing them both. The behemoth looked up from his kill and saw Gary. Gary recognized him instantly, the man who has caused him grief for the past six years. Thor.

“HA, now your existence comes to a pitiful end, Gary! HAH-” automatic fire pierced his left arm. Gary turned to see two Gear soldiers rushing toward the scene. Gary’s hatred for them took to the backburner for now. Help was help.

The helmeted Gear rushed Thor with his Chainsaw bayonet raised, yelling an insane battle cry all the while. Thor looked ready to swing, but he hesitated and raised his hammer’s handle up in defense. The chainsaw clashed with the metal sending a cascade of sparks over the two men. Thor used his superior height and strength to push back his attacker, putting his Lancer up to his chest. Thor realized the chainsaw’s purpose a second later and sent a mighty kick into the Gear’s gut, but not before the Lancer cut through the hammer’s handle. Even while being sent backward, the chainsaw’s teeth cut across Thor’s chest, leaving a long, bloody gash. Thor roared in anger and bloodlust. He swung the business end of his broken sledge hammer at the stumbling Gear. The blunt head made contact with the Gear’s helmet making a loud crack and sending the Gear into the side of Gary’s Junker.

Gary had been so engrossed in the battle that he hadn’t noticed the other Gear who had climbed into the back of Gary’s vehicle along with the rest of the Stranded. The Gear fired a stream of bullets into Thor’s leg, crippling the beast, then pulled his comrade into the Junker.

Gary took the hint and floored the gas. Thor bellowed in rage as his prize drove away. His roar was drowned out by a very loud rumble. The ground around the front gate sank about fifteen feet and the building that housed the garage toppled toward the gap, blocking the only means of escape. Through the plumes of dust and debris, Gary saw the southern blockade. He took his chances and zoomed toward it.

“Hang on people, this might get a bit bumpy!” He yelled as the Junker plowed through the wall of abandoned cars.

*****

“Aw, sh*t.” Dizzy said, facedown in the concrete. The latest tremor floored him and he was still reeling from the effects. A stray bullet impacting with the ground a few feet away form Dizzy’s head snapped him out of his revere. Dizzy was able to push himself up, although with some difficulty.

“Gettin’ too damn old for this sh*t.” he exclaimed as he triad to get his bearings. He was near the north blockade, out of the way of the major action. Joseph was nowhere to be seen, though he probably ran into the fray to help as well as he could.

The intersection was the kill zone, most of the Stranded were there already from the confrontation with Mad Dog earlier. A team of over ten Junkers circled the intersection, killing most who fought back. There were a few who held their own, however, although with the city crumbling more and more, it was futile.

Dizzy hobbled toward the action, favoring his right leg. He must of tweaked it during his fall, but he felt no pain. Adrenalin was funny like that.

Out of the crowd, Dizzy could make out a familiar face, Joseph. He was leading a small group of people toward Dizzy, making effective use of his Sniper Rifle at close range.

“Diz! Hey, Diz!” Henny’s voice rang out. He came rolling up in one of the Junkers. Maralin was in the passenger’s seat, alive, but scared out of her mind. She had every right to be, too. Then it pinged in Dizzy’s mind.

“Teresa. Teresa!” Dizzy called. He scanned through the writhing mass of people and vehicles. No dice.

Josephs group finally got back, and they all got onto Henny’s Junker. Suddenly bullets whizzed past the group of Stranded. A Junker of Thor’s men came speeding toward them. Joseph fired, and the vehicle slid to a stop about thirty feet away, the driver with a nice new hole in his head. Before Dizzy could raise his shotgun, a second of the three gangsters succumbed to Josephs sniper. Dizzy aimed at the last guy with his Gnasher and fired as he disembarked from his Junker. Most of the pellets missed, but enough connected to make him stumble back and scream in agony. Dizzy walked closer and fired again, ending his life in a shower of buckshot.

“And stay down, hahaha.” Dizzy laughed. Through all the gunfire and background noise, a small scream echoed in Dizzy’s ears; his daughter. Quickly, Dizzy turned and through the mass of Junkers, he saw Teresa. She was with Bob, who was fighting for his life against one of Thor’s men. Dizzy had no time to think, he just acted. He bounded toward them, ignoring the pain in his ankle. The pain could wait, his daughter’s life couldn’t.

Dizzy ran through the crowd, ignoring the bullets that narrowly missed his person. Like a train on a set track, he pushed forward to meet his target. As the gap closed, Dizzy could see the scene unfold. Bob was wrangling with the gangster. Both had a grip on a Hammerburst, trying to pry it out of the others hands.

Dizzy was in spitting distance now, but it all changed for the worse in front of his eyes. The Stranded punched Bob in the face, which bought him enough time to pull the Hammerburst away. Teresa screamed as the gangster fired a single bullet into Bob’s head. The blood splattered back, spraying Teresa’s face. The Stranded then forcibly grabbed her by the arm and tried to pull her away.

Thinking was no longer an option for Dizzy. Rage, pure animalistic rage filled his every fiber as he steamrolled toward the bastard. He raised his shotgun above his head and smashed it into the man’s temple without missing a beat. The gangster stumbled and fell, releasing Teresa along the way. Dizzy dropped his knee into the fallen man’s groin and hit him across the head again. There was no fighting, no war, no Stranded, no Locust, nothing at all during that moment. Just Dizzy and this man who tried to hurt his daughter. After Jasmine’s death, Dizzy would never, ever, let something hurt his family again. Dizzy brought the butt of his Gnasher down on the man’s head again, and again, and again, and again. Not relenting, unmerciful, it was a frightful sight to behold. An urgent hand on his shoulder broke him out of his zen-like state of rage.

“Dad, come on!” Teresa screamed in his ear. Suddenly a Junker pulled up beside them.

“C’mon, get yer asses in here now!” Henny yelled. Dizzy got up, adrenalin still pumping hard. He boosted his daughter into the Junker then climbed in himself. Before he could sit down, Henny floored the gas, and Dizzy saw why.

A building, the one housing the garage, crumbled and fell. A roaring dust cloud washed over the camp.

The Junker veered toward the south end of camp, to the blockade.

“Hey, Henny! The hell you doin’? Exit’s on the other side, dumbsh*t!” Dizzy yelled.

“Quit yer bellyachin’ I’m followin’ Gary.” Dizzy hadn’t noticed the second Junker in front of them. It plowed through the southern blockade and kept going. Henny followed in its tracks.

“Hahaha, Ol’ Thor mus’ by runnin’ with his tail ‘tween his legs now, ha! He’s gonna have to change his drawers!” Dizzy exclaimed, still shaking and panting from his rage fit as the Junker fled the devastated camp.

*****

“Bow down, b*tches! Aha, bow down to the big, bad Dog!” Mad Dog yelled as he fired his Hammerburst into a crowd of Stranded. “How’s the dust taste now that you just bit it, huh? Ahaha!” He fired the semi-automatic Locust rifle until the mag was spent.

As he was reloading, a thunderous rumble echoed through the intersection. A building to the east of camp toppled down into the street, blocking the exit. Mad Dog shielded his eyes from the wall of dust and debris flying his way. All the shooting stopped as everyone struggled to adjust to the haze. Mad Dog’s sunglasses were caked with dust, so he threw them to the side. He picked up his hand radio from his belt and spoke into it.

“What the f*ck is going on, Rat? What do you see?” Rat was stationed on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the camp and had a birds-eye view of the city.

“Holy sh*t Boss! It’s gone! It’s f-f*cking gone!” Rat screamed frantically through the radio.

“What? What the f*ck are you talking about?” Mad Dog yelled back.

“The middle of the city! It’s f*cking gone! The towers, the highway, all g-g-gone! Just a hole! All other buildings around it are sinking too. The entire f-f*cking city is sin-AHH” The building Rat was on fell downwards. Not like the previous one, but straight down.

“Sh*t!” Mad Dog yelled. He dropped the radio and ran for the nearest Junker. Mad Dog wasn’t the only one with that idea, however. Thor was hobbling toward a parked Junker, who’s driver was freaking out while waiting for his leader.

There, in front of him, Mad Dog saw his supposedly fearless leader squirming like a wounded animal. Saving himself above all else, even his own men. There, the man who had given Mad Dog hell for the past seven years was wounded and cornered. This was the opportunity Mad Dog had been waiting for. This, was the moment of truth. So, he took the shot. Not at Thor, but the driver. The beast was truly cornered now. Thor turned in surprise.

“Mad Dog? What-what do you think you’re doing?” Thor asked, his voice not nearly as intimidating as before. For the first time, fear gripped his voice. Fear of the inevitable. Fear of death.

“I’m doing what I should of done a long time ago, old man. Now you have two choices. Step aside, and we all live happily ever after, except you, of course. Or, you could do something, and make this a lot more interesting. Either way, you die. Pick your poison, Thor. Its over.”

“You bastard!” Thor boomed. “You wait until my city crumbles around me to slit my throat? I hope you rot, Mad Dog. I hope you rot in the darkest pit of hell!”

“I’ll see you there, then.” Thor roared and charged Mad Dog, but he wasn’t nearly fast enough. Mad Dog parted with three bullets, all shredding into Thor’s skull. The mountain fell at Mad Dog’s feet. He spit on Thor’s corpse, the ran for the Junker. He pulled the dead driver out of the way, and drove off like a bat out of hell.

“And who ever said Gods can’t fall? Hehaha.”

*****

The two Junkers barreled down the road, side by side in a dual effort to escape the city’s quick demise. The massive tremors culminated in what could only be described as an apocalypse. Building supports buckled and snapped, sending their loads down to the still shaking ground. The road cracked open any chance it got, making the trip very turbulent.

“Go faster, go! Left. Left! Lookout!” screamed Maralin from the passenger’s seat to Henny as large chunks of masonry and architecture fell around them. She had a white-knuckle grip on the door and roll cage, bracing for the worst.

“Dammit, I know! Stop side-seat driving!” Henny snapped while simultaneously trying to avoid pieces of building matter.

Dizzy say quietly in the back with about six other people. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated at the moment. All this devastation and death around him, and he was just a simple passenger on this rollercoaster ride from hell. Henny had to have felt worse, for it was his job to get everyone out.

Dizzy looked down to his other daughter, Teresa. Her face was covered with blood and she seemed to be in a state of shock. She was hyperventilating and desperately hugging her legs while staring wide-eyed into the distance. Dizzy had to comfort her, his paternal instinct kicking in. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s ok, sweetie, Daddy’s here.” He said. She seemed to ease a little. “Now, I know yer scared, hell, I’m scared too. But Darlin’, I’m gonna need you to stay strong, ok? Yer gonna need to be strong enough for both of us. Here,” Dizzy took off his dusty, old hat and placed it snuggly on her head, “Keep that safe, ya hear? I ain’t plannin’ on loosin’ it. Remember, stay strong.” She grabbed the sides of the rattan hat and pulled it down tightly, then nodded in agreement. Dizzy gave a weak smile, but was interrupted by gunfire ricocheting off the Junker’s chassis.

Dizzy flinched, then turned to see where they originated. One of Thor’s Junkers had followed them in a desperate attempt to flee the crumbling city. The Junker was full of gangsters firing Hammerbursts and other small arms at the two other Junkers. The gangsters pulled up along Gary’s vehicle, raining hell in a pirate-like fashion. The two Gears in Gary’s Junker returned fire, taking out a few of the Stranded. One Gear ducked down to reload. The other helmeted Gear took a shot in the arm and ducked down as well. Thor’s posse continued to shoot. Dizzy pulled out his Boltok, but could not get a clear shot with Gary’s Junker in the way. Joseph, also in Dizzy’s vehicle, seemed frustrated at not being able to get a shot off. One of Gary’s men took a bullet to the chest and fell backward out the side of the vehicle, rolling when he hit the concrete.

Suddenly, the non-helmeted Gear popped up. He was swinging a miniature ball-and-chain like object. He lazily tossed it into the enemy vehicle. A second later, the Junker exploded in a spectacular fire-ball. Both cars erupted in a wave of excitement, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

“C’mon baby, almost there. Keep on chuggin’! Ah, sh*t!” Henny yelled. The ground lurched one more time. A shockwave flew under the Junkers to the outer limits of Tollen. The ground began to tilt at a thirty degree angle. The Junkers struggled to climb uphill.

Dizzy dared to look backward, but he regretted it. About a mile down the road, there was nothing. All the buildings they passed were gone. Camp was gone. A huge hole lay in their place, and it was widening every second. Building after building fell into the ever-growing sinkhole.

“If yer waitin’ to gun it, now would be a damn good time!” Dizzy called to Henny. The Junkers sped along, trying with all their might to push up the steep incline.

Another loud crack made Dizzy look forward, although again, he wished he hadn’t. At the source of the incline, the ground had shifted downward about two feet. Henny must have though he could drive over it, as did Gary, but that was not the case. Both Junkers slammed headlong into the small ledge. Henny’s came to an abrupt, although violent stop, but Gary’s flipped over the ledge and landed on its side.

“Sh*t, everyone out! We gotta get the hell outa here!” Henny barked, still reeling from the crash. Getting out was a definitely a good idea, Dizzy thought. Everyone piled out of the Junker and took off down the road. The sinkhole growing every second, consuming more and more of Tollen. The sound was deafening as it grew closer.

As Dizzy ran, he looked back and saw Gary, the Gears, and the others from the other Junker following on his heels. For a second, Dizzy thought it futile to run from their impending doom, but he stowed it away and kept running.

Then a small yelp sounded to Dizzy’s right as someone tripped. Dizzy turned to see Maralin on the ground, trying to get back up. Against his every survival instinct, Dizzy turned around, toward the roaring mass of sinking earth. He grabbed his daughter by the arm and took off, faster than he had ever ran in his life. He could have been dragging her, but comfort was not the idea, getting out alive was.

His heart was pounding as hard as Thor’s hammer as he kept running. The sinkhole had just engulfed the Junkers, and was steamrolling toward the group of Stranded.

As if things weren’t bad enough, the ground in front of them sank again. Everyone at the head of the group were easily able to jump over the raise in concrete, but when Dizzy got to it, it had raised, or sank, a good four feet. Henny stood at the top, begging Dizzy to hurry. Dizzy grabbed his daughter by the waist and hoisted her up. Henny grabbed her and pulled her to safety.

Dizzy made a grab for the ledge, but the ground sank again. He barely caught it with one hand as the ground fell out from under him. The sinkhole was moving closer at an alarming rate. Dizzy swung his other hand to pull up, but to no avail. Just then, Henny grabbed it and tried with all his might to pull his friend up. Henny was never a particularly strong man, and now it showed. Dizzy tried desperately to pull himself up, but he had almost no leverage to do so. Then, surprisingly, a second hand grabbed Dizzy’s arm and pulled. It was Gary. Their combined efforts lifted Dizzy out of the hole, but there was no time to rest. The remaining Stranded had a good lead on them, and the sinkhole was less than a hundred feet away.

The trio gunned forward, faster than any of them thought possible. The ground sank and split again, in a final attempt to stop them, but they jumped over the gap with lightning speed and continued on.

Suddenly the thunder stopped. The ground stopped shaking. Dizzy turned back to see that the sinkhole had stopped. For the first time, Dizzy slowed down. He could finally hear again as they caught up with the rest of the group.

Dizzy fell to his knees and gasped for air. His lungs were on fire and his heart was pounding in his head. Henny and Gary were equally exhausted.

Dizzy was barely able to push himself up, before his daughters nearly tackled him. They wrapped their arms around him and cried.

The rest of the group was speechless apart from the regular “holy sh*t”s and “God damn”s. The Gears were looking confused, the one without the helmet had his finger in his ear, trying to contact Command. Dizzy turned his head and his heart sank into his stomach.

Tollen, the city where he married Jasmine, where his daughters were born, where he buried his wife and spent the last fourteen years, was gone.

If you're confused by the series of events, its explained in the games. The Locust Horde's latest weapon is a gigantic worm that sinks entire cities, and Dizzy just happened to be unlucky to be in the first one hit.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed what I have so far. As I've said, its still in progress. With a lot of work on my plate most of the time, its hard to find time to continue writing, but I do usually get a new chapter out every month or so.

[Sgt Grub]

May 2, 2011 0:02:38 GMT -5 @theredbaron said:

((

Wow. . .

. . . I'll give this a review once I finish this behemoth. It's long, but you've got me pretty interested. Hope you're still going to keep updating!

))

Thank you. A review would be much appreciated. And yes, I plan to keep updating.