The group quickly rushed to exit the cave; their formation forgotten in the heat of the moment. Quickly reaching the cave entrance the others in the group were suddenly aware of the sound of multiple helicopters.
Jack could faintly sense some shapes moving into the nearby forest. One even climbed a tree and positioned themselves midway up on a sturdy branch.
Snipers? What the hell is going on?!
“Uh guys…” Jack said with dread tinging his voice. “I think they’re here for us. They’ve got friggin snipers in the trees…”
“Why would they be here for us?” Kane asked the same question the others were thinking.
“I don’t know, but why else would they position snipers in the forest. You wouldn’t need them if it was for an animal.”
Movement attracted the attention of the group once again. Men were filing out of the newly landed helicopters, each in full body armor equipped with assault rifles. They quickly surrounded the entrance to micro mountain confirming that these men were here for them.
How did they know they were here? What could make them send such a large armed team? Sure, Jack’s group was strong, but he didn’t think they’d pose a threat to a few guys with guns.
Kane looked at his scared team members with a resigned look in his eyes. After contemplating for a moment, he’d made up his mind.
“We don’t know why they’re here, but there’s a way to find out.”
Kane stood from his crouch and began slowly approaching the entrance to the cave.
“What are you doing? Get your ass back here you idiot!” Cade angrily whispered.
“Sorry Cade, it looks like we’re out of options here.” Kane said while forcing a smile.
Walking through the exit, Kane immediately had several guns trained on him. By their reactions, the armed men were surprised to see someone here.
Raising his arms in submission Kane loudly addressed the soldiers.
“What do you want?”
No response came for an awkwardly long time. Soon another man stepped out of a helicopter, megaphone in hand.
“Address yourself and state your reason for being here.” The soldier said ignoring Kane’s question.
“Kane Reach. I’m bat hunting.”
The answer was short but good enough for the soldier.
“Have you seen or heard anything strange in the area? A few days ago, we picked up some unusual activity. Do you happen to know anything about that?” The soldier asked with suspicion.
It occurred to Kane that whatever the man was talking about might be related to Jack. After all, he was here around the time the “unusual activity” occurred.
“No, honestly, I just got here myself. I was recommended the area by an acquaintance.”
The soldier thought for a moment before making a decision. Pulling out a radio, he spoke a few words into it before nodding to a separate group on men on the side.
“We’re going to have to question you further back at the base.” The man spoke through his megaphone.
As if those words were the cue, the group quickly approached Kane. Seeing no other option, Kane climbed down the steep rocky slope to meet them.
Upon reaching Kane, one of the lead men said two words. Two words that could have made the following events much different. “Cuff him”
Those words triggered something in Kane. Something all evolved humans seemed to have. An uncontrollable animal instinct.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The moment the cuffs touched his skin, Kane lost all reason. *CRACK* The sound of a powerful arc of electricity filled the clearing as the soldier holding the cuffs collapsed on the ground convulsing.
Back in the cave, Jack had already known this would happen. He’d seen the buildup in Kane’s body. He knew this would be the result.
“Damn it! We need to do something. Kane is going to get himself killed.”
Reluctantly Jack stepped out of the cave to the disbelief of the others. He knew his best chance of getting out of this would be with the strongest guy here.
He hated himself for thinking this way.
Soon… Soon I’ll be so strong I don’t have to rely on anyone.
Luckily for him, Jack didn’t need to do anything because at this moment Kane went wild.
Arcs of electricity covered his entire body and grew in intensity with every second.
Seeing the threat, the soldiers opened fire. Sadly, for them, it wasn’t enough. The arcs of electricity evaporated the bullets before they could even make contact with Kane’s skin.
Open mouthed, Jack watched on in silence at the overwhelming display of power. THIS was what he wanted, what he needed to survive in this world.
Kane approached the soldiers at a rapid pace. Electricity arcing to the nearby soldiers. Nearly half of the group that had surrounded them had already fallen within less than 10 seconds.
In this moment Kane was like an unstoppable force of nature. He continued his massacre, the armed group not applying any more resistance than air to his assault.
When a little over two thirds of the armed force were wiped out, Jack noticed something. Kane was getting slower, and his skin became pale. It appeared he was nearing his limit.
Despite this, the lightning covering his body only continued to increase in intensity. It was now arcing everywhere, toward the ground, nearby trees, and most importantly, the soldiers.
Kane charged towards the thickest group of enemies. He was trying to take out as many as possible while he could. Finally reaching his limit, Kane positioned himself in the center of the clearing. A small part of his rational mind realized how stupid his actions were, but he could only smile grimly at what he intended to do next.
*BOOM*
The deafening sound of countless lightning strikes erupted from Kane’s position as the lighting he’d been containing all along exploded in all directions taking nearly all the remaining soldiers with it.
Kane collapsed, every ounce of energy in his body spent.
Cade and the rest of the group in the cave couldn’t believe their eyes.
“What in the HELL WAS THAT?!” Cade exclaimed, no longer caring if he’d be spotted.
No answer came. Everyone was in shock at what had just happened. Well, everyone but one person.
Shit Shit Shit Shit
Jack raced towards Kane’s downed form. He’d noticed the remaining group of unharmed soldiers approaching his village leader first. He couldn’t let them take him, both for moral and practical reasons.
Arms and legs pumping like never before, Jack felt the familiar floodgate of power he’d gotten when sparring Cade. His arms and legs increased in speed till they were nothing but a blur as he sped toward his target.
Sliding to a stop in front of Kane’s unconscious form, Jack stood defensively before the approaching soldiers. He wouldn’t let them get far.
The four remaining men stopped around 3 meters from Jack.
Each of them had their guns pointed at him but one. The one in the front addressed Jack.
“We don’t want anyone else dying today. Step back and let us take him and we’ll let you live.”
Jack felt an inferno of rage that mixed with his flood of unknown power. He glared at the man with such intensity that it caused the group to retreat a step. He replied in the most appropriate way he could given the circumstances.
“FUCK.
OFF.”
The roiling power in Jack made him feel invincible, but he knew it wouldn’t last long. He could only bluff and hope the rest of the group decided to back him up.
A tense stare down ensued as neither the soldiers nor Jack wanted to give any ground. To his absolute surprise, the soldier sighed and turned to leave with his companions.
Shortly after, a few snipers came out of the forest with empty magazines. It looked like they spent everything they had on Kane. Otherwise, Jack would have probably been dead by now. He felt a small shudder as he realized he completely forgot about the snipers HE warned everyone about.
I really need to think about things sometimes.
The remaining soldiers all got into one of the two remaining helicopters that weren’t zapped by Kane. Within moments they were already in the air and heading back to base. Jack’s group was puzzled. Why did they all leave like that?
Oh shit… here it comes.
Jack staggered, his body going numb and the feeling of being drained hit him like a truck. He didn’t know if it was his imagination or not, but Jack thought the flood of power lasted longer this time. Not just that, but the aftereffects didn’t seem as bad as before either.
His pondering was interrupted by the sound of running behind him.
Turning back, Jack saw it was his group. Finally, he could get some rest. Exhausted, he collapsed on the ground and instantly fell asleep.
The helicopter made its way back towards the base. Brandon, the man who’d just talked with Jack while he was guarding Kane’s unconscious form, looked down at his shaking hand. He knew he’d have nightmares for a while. The feeling he got from that man… Shuddering at the thought, he closed his eyes to relax.
Sadly, that didn’t work. He just saw the same thing. The same thing that put him in his current state. The intense rage in those eyes. Those glowing violet eyes.