At that moment a Black Hawk lands on the back side of the ridge behind the Hummer, as another does a strafing run towards the town. I load my last mag as one more round passes through the shattered plate and into my chest. Hitting the ground, all I can hear is distant shouts of my name.
My vision starts to fade in and out and I feel colder than I’ve ever felt before. I look over towards the Black Hawk. Miguel and Christopher are loading Robin in. Chad runs to myside, “Come on, the chopper is here, we can make it,” he yells, grabbing me.
I shove him away, forcing his hands off of me, “Go, I’ll cover you,” I wheeze. He squeezes my hand.
“No, you’re coming with me! Now, shut up and cover us,” he says before grabbing the back of my vest, and dragging me to the chopper. With the last bit of strength that I have, I raise and point my rifle toward the town and squeeze the trigger. As the mag empties, Chad and I get pulled onto the helicopter by Miguel and Christopher. They look at me and I offer them a weak smile.
As I roll onto my back and look at the roof of the chopper, I fight to keep my eyes open as my body gives in to the pain.
At least they are safe now.Then everything fades to black.
Chapter 2
Ifeel an overwhelming warmth that envelopes my entire being as my consciousness returns. I try to open my eyes when a thundering, powerful voice speaks, but find that I can’t due to a blinding light.
“My child, you have done exceptionally well on Earth. To be granted salvation you shall serve as an elite member of my army. But first, you must be tested.”
Confused, I feel a searing pain that I canonly describe as my soul being branded. As it subsides, an uncontrollable rage and hunger sets in.
“I have bestowed upon you a powerful gift which you will use to vanquish your enemies. It will either grant you immense power, or completely consume your soul and destroy you.”
The light fades as everything goes black again.
Feelinga slight breeze against my face and the soothing warmth of the sun, I open my eyes. Struggling to see anything with my blurry sight, I can feel two distinct presences near me.
One is benevolent, soothing, and calm. The other is sinister, full of malice and hate.
Staggering to my feet—now that I can finally see—the reality of where I am starts to sink in. I’m bewildered by the sight of a vast valley that seems endless between mountain ranges.
The valley floor is the remnant of a battleground littered with countless deformed skeletons, mutilated corpses, and scorched earth.
Panic starts to set in.
Trying to keep my composure and gather my bearings, I keep glancing around. Strange structures off in the distance start to come into focus. Looking in the direction I felt the benevolent energy, I spot an immense golden gate with two towering marble pillars at the base of a mountain that fadesinto the clouds.
I glance into the distance toward the dark energy I felt, then slowly turn around to the second mountain range. I’m horrified by the sight of hundreds of human skeletons that form a gateway at the base of the jagged and menacing obsidian mountain range. At the center of the gate is that which can only be described as a black vortex made of fire, sorrow, madness, and death.
Just then a high pitched screech comes from within the vortex and something resembling a comet comes shooting out, covered in fire. It stops in the air and bursts open.
As the flames dissipate, a large, blackish-red, deformed man with giant bat wings appears flying in front of me.
Before I have time to do anything, it notices me and lets out a bloodcurdling screech, as it plummets directly at me. I don’t even have a chance to blink. It smashes into me like a freight train, throwing me across the desolate wasteland.
I come to a stop as I slam into a pile of bones and corpses, sending decaying flesh and bone flying through the air.
I scramble to my feet as it charges me once more. The black and red beast pins me to the ground, slashing at me with razor sharp claws and biting at me with its needle-like teeth. Instinctually, I put my arms up to defend myself and feel its fangs dig deep into my arm.
It stares at me with eyes so black they almost seem to consume my soul as it continues gnawing on my arm.
Taking my free hand, I punch it as hard as I can in the head. Connecting with such force, its fangs are ripped from my arm and it goes sailing across the field. Looking at my torn up bloody limb, the wounds start to close on their own.
The rage that I felt earlier becomes uncontrollableas it fills me to the point that I can’t contain it. I get extremely hot and it feels like my whole body is being ripped apart. My bones start breaking and shifting as the rage and insatiable hunger builds to the point I lose myself in it.
I yell out from the pain, but what escapes my lips sounds more like a howl.
My vision narrows and a voice is screaming in my head, “Kill it, destroy it, we need to devour it.” Uncontrollably, my body lunges at the creature and I notice that I’m not running upright anymore, I’m on all fours.
In the blink of an eye I’m face to face with the beast, my hand slashes at its stomach, ripping it wide open. The creature lets out a painful screech as its intestines spill onto the ground. I pause, taking in that I now have long razor-sharp claws and my arm is covered in jet black fur. The beast staggers back as I involuntarily slash again, this time tearing through the majority of the muscle on its thigh and splintering the bone.
