Rat-a-tat-tat!
The sharp crack of gunfire echoed across the outskirts of the village. Wounded soldiers, limping and supported by their spouses, were hurriedly loading civilians—men, women, and terrified children—into the rescue trucks.
"Do not worry! As long as the Indian Army is with you, you are completely safe," Virendra shouted over the commotion. Covered in dust, sweat, and bloodstains, he offered a reassuring smile to the villagers to keep their morale high.
Suddenly, a terrorist emerged from behind, spraying bullets toward the soldiers. "Yaa...hahaha! Die, you bastards! Take this! And this!"
Virendra instantly shoved the civilians into the truck. "Get down!" he roared, slamming the shutter shut. He took position behind the vehicle, using it as cover. Peering through his scope, he fired. After a few missed attempts, his bullet found its mark, striking the terrorist in the shoulder. The man collapsed to the ground.
The chaos subsided momentarily. Virendra advanced cautiously, checking every step.
The fallen terrorist, lying in the dirt, slowly reached into his pocket with a trembling hand. He pulled out a syringe filled with a glowing purple fluid and jammed it into his own neck.
Virendra froze in shock. Recovering quickly, he fired three or four more rounds into the man's chest. Silence fell.
Then, the body began to twitch. The terrorist's veins bulged violently, and his body began to convulse and expand. He grew in height and width, his skin turning a sickly grey.
Terrified, Virendra sprinted back to the truck. He hammered on the door. "Get the truck out of here! Now! This place isn't safe! Go, go, go!" He ordered a wounded soldier inside to drive.
"Grawwwaaaaa...!"
The mutant roared. The terrorist was gone; in his place stood a monstrosity. He was now nearly 6'9", a mountain of grey muscle. His eyes were pupil-less and bleeding, his teeth and nails elongated into razor-sharp daggers. The creature stood its ground, growling, before lowering its nose to the earth, sniffing for prey.
"Wait for my signal, then leave immediately," Virendra commanded the driver over the comms.
Virendra backed away from the truck, drawing the creature's attention. He stopped about 12 meters away, took a heavy breath, and aimed his scope at the beast. He clicked his walkie-talkie.
"Commander Iyer, this is Virendra Digvijay Rajput, the last surviving member of Team Garud. Sir, these terrorists... they have some kind of injection with a purple fluid. Upon injection, they transform into horrific monsters. Bullets don't seem to affect them. I don't think I can hold this thing off for long. The threat level is catastrophic; we need Special Forces immediately."
"Injection? Mutant? What kind of new hell is this?" Iyer's voice crackled, filled with concern. "Don't panic, Virendra. Special Forces are en route. We've deployed tankers and helicopters. Just focus on rescuing the villagers!"
"Sir," Virendra's voice was calm. "This is my final salute. It was an honor serving with you all. I hope you felt the same. Please, just ensure my mother faces no troubles after I'm gone. Thank you. Bharat Mata ki Jai!"
Without waiting for a reply, Virendra opened fire on the mutant.
At Headquarters, Commander Iyer slammed his fist on the table, eyes welling up. "Why? Why must the best soldiers always be the ones to sacrifice themselves? Why?"
On the field, Virendra signaled the driver. The engine roared, and the truck sped away to safety. The mutant, seeing its prey escape, snarled and charged at Virendra with terrifying speed. Virendra stopped firing and sprinted toward the jungle, leading the beast away. The monster followed close behind.
Scene Shift
Kashi, covered in blood and breathing heavily, took cover behind a large boulder. He fired blindly at Nazim and his men while shouting into his radio.
"Sir! Team Dhanno reporting. Kashi here. Only three of us are left, but we have Nazim surrounded. If we could get some backup from another team, it would be a huge favor."
"Don't worry, soldier," Iyer replied. "Special Forces have been launched. They will be there shortly."
Suddenly, a bullet grazed Kashi's shoulder. "Argh! Dammit!"
Kashi tried to return fire, but his rifle clicked empty. He scanned his surroundings; as far as the eye could see, there were only corpses. He closed his eyes, steadying his breathing. He pulled five loose bullets from his pocket—his last reserve—and loaded them.
Peeking through a crack in the rocks, he saw a dead terrorist nearby with three grenades lying next to the body. On the other side, Vijay and another soldier were suppressing Nazim and his men.
Kashi closed his eyes again, listening intently to the rhythm of the enemy fire. Every five seconds, Nazim and his men paused to reload or check targets.
One... two... three... four... five.
Silence.
Kashi sprang up, dashed to the dead body, grabbed a grenade, and hurled it into the upper floor of the building where Nazim was hiding. He dove back behind the boulder just in time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three massive explosions rocked the building.
Silence returned.
"Yeah! We got them!" Kashi, Vijay, and the third soldier emerged from cover, stumbling toward each other and embracing in a messy huddle.
"The bastard is dead," Kashi spat out.
Vijay suddenly collapsed to the ground. "Ah, give me a minute, guys. I don't think I can get up. I need a rest," he laughed weakly.
"Hahaha..." Kashi and the soldier joined in the weary laughter.
"What's the status, Dhanno?" a familiar voice called out.
The three soldiers turned to see two figures emerging from the mist—Captain Husain Ali Khan and Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, both limping but alive.
"Haha... Captain! Jassi! You're alive too?" Vijay grinned.
Kashi and the others rushed to the Captain. For a moment, there was only silence. Then, the adrenaline crashed.
"Sob... hic... waaah..."
The five men broke down, crying together. "Everyone is dead, Sir... our brothers are all gone..." Kashi wept openly.
Suddenly, a scream echoed from the deep jungle. "Help me!"
The five soldiers instantly snapped back to reality, raising their weapons. Out of the treeline, Virendra appeared, running for his life.
"Look! That crazy guy is still alive!" Husain Ali Khan wiped his tears, a smile forming.
But before Virendra could reach them, a massive tree crashed down behind him. From the dust, a colossal creature—resembling a hyena or wolf—lunged forward. With a guttural roar, it drove its massive claws straight into Virendra's chest.
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UPCOMING: The cranberry?...