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47 The Houston Front

I march past soldiers, “Hey! You’re all bloody!” I pick up a rifle, chamber a round and throw it over my back. “Hey! Volunteer! Stand Down!”

A man grabs my arm and looks down at it. My skin’s hardened. “He’s a demon!” I look ahead, cover my head and run towards the fight. I’m almost catching up with the jeep in the distance. My heart burns a little, my chest still has that sharp pain, but that just makes me more pissed. Old habits come back, tapping into pain, anger and adrenaline. That jeep comes closer towards me, even slows down to watch me run fast as them. I salute, then hop in, making the suspension take a hit. They jump and pull their guns. I stretch my arms out, “I’m here to help!” They think about it hard as we drive. Eventually they cozy up as I sprawl against the backseat, amongst their extra fuel, ammo and grenades.

It’s cleared out mostly, until we get to perimeter. We brake and I hop out, run past everyone and leap over the net of barbed wire. “Demon!” Bullets crack into my back as I charge away. It takes everything I’ve got to not turn around and kill them.

I finally get toward the battle. I halt as tanks fire, despite them clawing into their armor. A soldier tries his best to hold a beast back. I run up and punch it away. It charges in so fast, slams against me. My lips crack at its fist. I shout and grab it’s shoulders, knee it’s stomach. It bends forward and shoots it’s sharp teeth out at me. A pistol goes to its head and black sludge gets in my eye. Another bang against my head, I fall over and look up, a demon taller than anyone I’ve ever seen, wider too. It throws a fist, my chest cracks under the weight as I fly back. I check my chest as it turns away. I fix my eyes on it, denting through a tank turret with one punch.

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He’s way too strong. Those punches hurt, but that hard rock, it slowly grows back, even over my head. That thin plate over my face, have to protect it. He skips on all fours towards me. He stops and spins his arm at me. I lunge back as the slipstream tries to suck me back in. I raise my fists and punch it. I look up, it grins wide. I shout and uppercut him into the air. He lands on his feet and grabs my shoulders, throws me against a tank. I gasp as my back armor cracks. I slide down as he closes the distance.

Flames engulf it and it runs as other demons charge in. “You alright!?” I grab that kid’s hand and shout, “Thanks!” “We gotta retreat! Come on!” He runs as I watch them. Those giants become bigger and bigger, they even swallow metal plates off of tanks. I gulp- She’s right. They’re too tough, ever learning. I’m strong, but I’m not at their level. I run as the little demons are on my tail. “Come on! Mortars are firing! Run!” Mortar shells fall as they catch up to us. Hands reach out as jeeps roll away from the chaos. I stop, that kid collapses. I pick him up, throw him over my shoulder and run like hell. Pools of fire explode from the hellfire of shells raining down. I leap over the barbed wire and lay him down.

He coughs up black blood. He looks into my eyes as his face turns black. I look around, soldiers are dying, turning INTO those things. “I can’t control myself!” The man screams as he tears into a man’s torso. The kid claws against me, but the armor stops him.

My heart skips a beat and I gasp. It beats slower than when I went out here. Not now! I wince and run towards a jeep. “Drive!” I hop in, a headache pounds as I grab at my chest. Damn, he hit harder than I thought. Might have a concussion. A loud explosion booms from behind, I look back at a giant inferno, someone must have destroyed the fuel tanks to stop the spread.