“With the thief now awaiting his public execution, the people of Old York will sleep better knowing this degenerate will face justice. And that's how the cookie crumbles.”
“You got that right, Jimmy. Our next story: Zero, Beast of the Reckoning War; a woman?”
“Bet you were as shocked as I am, Janice! Heck, what have they been feeding that gal? Bricks?”
“A representative from the People's Redemption Project entered the Reckoning War to shed some light on the soldiers fighting for your rights. John Delgado. In the East Branch Manager’s words: John is a hard working individual who is selfless and caring. Traits that helped Damian Reeds decide on who to send into the sad world of the war.”
“A man braver than most. Bringing not only the truth, but love and peace as well, into chaos.”
“His recent interviews with our own Blizzard infantry Captain Theodore Campbell; hundreds of thousands tuned in just to find the biggest twist in the world yet. John encountered the elusive Zero and discovered more than anyone before. Now this man is determined to pursue this monster bravely, risking his life in order to bring out the truth.”
“Let's not forget his heroic deeds. Saving the life of Captain Campbell. My, what an amazing guy!”
“A real Superman if you will. Guess this is why the PRP is the most beloved news outlet in the world.”
“This is Jimmy and Janice of J&J News! Goodnight folks!”
The sun was slowly meeting the horizon. What should've been simple work hours at the PRP office turned into a nightmare. He trudged through the ruined country of France. Formally now known as Old France.
The name didn't matter much to him. Only his need to survive.
The drone followed John as it recorded the hellish landscape of what was once beautiful. Decomposed and withered, a large portion of this land's vegetation had long since rotted away. Replaced by blood and mud. Weeds overtook the soil, yet their sole purpose was to eat the dead like vultures. There were some trees, but rarely any of them had shade anymore. Every animal or creature that inhabited this wasteland had evolved to withstand such hostile conditions. Of course, many of them developed a taste for human flesh.
John could even feel the gazes of rabid squirrels and rats. If he was not careful, he'd end up below the food chain.
Today, his objective to outlast this challenge relied entirely on the monster of the Reckoning War: Zero.
It was easy to track her down. Simply follow the bloodshed and devastation. If there was gunfire and explosions, she was most likely responsible. Still, the fact that Zero was a woman came as a complete shock. Her bulky appearance was thanks to all the armor she wore. Gave her the silhouette of a man. With that in mind, he was greatly curious about her origins. Of course he was curious before, but now he was far more intrigued.
John nearly tripped over a carcass. Zero wasn't clean with this one. It appeared she took her time with the poor guy.
He was lucky to catch himself in time or else he'd be considered a Radiance soldier. With that in mind, John took a wide angle around the ruined corpse just for the sake of his boots. And hygiene.
Since he was still in Blizzard territory, he rarely saw any Radiance soldiers amongst the trail of gore.
“John, you're boring the crowd.” Damian whispered through the drone. “We've been watching you walk for hours without saying a word. Not even stepping on any of these poor bastards.”
“Well I'm sorry that I'd rather keep myself clean.” John scoffed.
“Come on, people are watching not just to see why humanity is bad, but also for you! A legend among journalists!”
“I'm an unpaid intern.”
“That's besides the point!”
John gave in with a growl, his shoulders hunching. “Fine, I'll do some commentary.”
He raised a hand to the bodies before him. “Good evening to all. My name is John Delgado and currently live in the Reckoning War. A war that lasted for far too long. Ruining the lives of those who cannot afford the comforts of our pitiful world.”
“A little down… I love it!” Damian laughed. “The truth is sad, but that's good! It'll fuel the hearts of many to change this world!”
“The PRP has been doing this for years. How come no one is doing anything at all?”
“Revolutions take time, John. One day, someone will finally rise up to the challenge and liberate us all! By then, I'll definitely have enough to retire in the countryside.”
For the rest of the walk, John tried to entertain the audience as much as he could. Some observations here and there. A bit of comments of his own. But it seemed like he was slowly losing the viewers.
But lucky for him, he could see the unmistakable frame of Zero.
Swiftly, John ran up to the giant.
Had he been a soldier, this would have been a mistake. His rapid footsteps didn't go unnoticed as Zero bolted up to her feet, gun pointed at John's general direction. As quick as she was in her reaction, Zero lowered her weapon as she watched him close the distance.
Since he posed no threat, Zero went back to rifling through the body under her.
John approached much more cautiously after that short moment of fright.
There was no point in being scared of her, she made her intentions clear about him. So with free reign, John examined her closely. Her armor had seen better days. The bag on her back rustled with her loot. He took a closer look at the damage of her equipment. The scars that told stories of which he had never heard of. However, he intended to change that.
“Excuse me, ma'am?” John walked over. “My name is John Delgado from the People's Redemption Project, and I would love it if I could have an interview with you.”
She glanced at him for a second. “No.”
“Please? I'm sure it won't be a problem for someone like you.”
“It might be.”
“You're a woman of few words I see.” And low intelligence. He remembered how she had mistakenly believed he had a button on his chest when they had first met.
She gave him another glance. Her eyes sent shivers through him. “I don't really talk often. But when I do I usually don't stop because I kinda like talking with people which is kinda sad since I mostly only ever meet soldiers.” She then went back to the corpse.
“Interesting.” John hummed. “So you're quite the chatter mouth but… rarely have the chance to speak?”
“Kill. Kill. Kill.” She rose to her feet, satisfied with her scavenging. “That's all we do. This is just a game and I'm playing my part.”
She began walking in a random direction.
“Weren't you in Madagascar? Why show up here?”
“I'm looking for someone. Big bounty.”
John's eyes shot open. “Really?”
This was good, he was getting some good info from her.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Maybe, I could help out? I am from the news network, PRP. So we might have some information about this bounty you're looking for.”
This seemed to pique her interest. “Is that so? Very well, you seem useful enough. But. I will only let you tag along if you do something for me?”
“Anything!”
She stopped and tossed her bag at him. He caught it, but the momentum threw John off balance and he crashed onto the ground.
“You will carry my loot and ammo.” She demanded.
“Sure.” He answered through gritted teeth as he attempted to get back up. But the bag was heavy, and he was just a man, not a machine.
Even though John was able to wear it on his back, walking was a different matter. Quite a miracle the impact didn't kill him, much more that he didn't break any bones. Struggling with every step, John followed Zero which wasn't a problem as she walked at a snail’s pace. Yet, her footsteps were harrowing. Like the pounding of a dying heart. Her eyes fixed ahead, as if she knew that no one would dare cross her. Or simply that she knew the results would be the same.
Still, he was amazed by her size alone. A giant among men.
John realized that the bag was lighter than before. And the reason for this was the drone, which assisted him in carrying the bulky bag with its robotic arm. With a silent thanks to Damian, John continued following behind Zero.
“Couple of questions.”
“Shoot.”
“What's your name?” A simple question indeed.
“Luna.”
“Cool name.” He cleared his throat.
So that's what the tape on her chest was about. Her name. Now John was curious if there was a deeper meaning to it. Was her memories failing and she needed a way to remember?
“Why do you want to claim this bounty?”
“I'm curious of what the reward means. Sounded vague.”
“Huh, that's interesting. Can you tell me more about yourself? Where are you from?”
She shrugged. “No idea. Don't really know where I came from. I just woke up and knew I needed to kill. I do recall my squad. I haven't killed them yet.”
“Your squad?”
“Yeah. Red Wolves. I suppose you know of them?”
John paused to think. The name was familiar and he knew he read about them.
“Psst!” John looked up at the drone. It was a silent watcher for this whole time that John forgot about it. “Your phone will have some info if you need it. Just look them up.”
John did as instructed.
The Red Wolves squad was a popular team of Blizzard soldiers. Celebrities among the infantry. Known for their bravery and many successful missions. But… There were only six of them and no sign of Zero. There wasn't even a mention of anyone named Luna. This only opened up more questions for John.
“No one in the Red Wolves had the name Luna.”
“Is that so?” Zero didn't ask any further. She continued to walk instead. Patiently waiting for John's next question. She was an anomaly.
“Right. Who were in the Red Wolves?”
“You're asking the wrong questions.”
There was a hint of hostility in her voice. The team seemed to be an off limits topic for Zero. Now he was deeply curious. Sadly, John valued his safety so he didn't push further.
“What kind of gun is that?”
“No idea. I'm not much of a gun gal, bought this shotgun then took it to a workshop to redesign it to my preference.”
A soft yet frightening chuckle escaped her.
“I like to tinker from time to time. So I made this gun to help me suppress the enemy with waves and waves of lead, making them cower behind cover as I slowly stomp my way over to them, then the fun happens, they're all so small, so fragile, unlike me, and I like tossing them around like toys, but I don't like their screams, it hurts my ears, so I always make it quick, don't like that, don't like that, such a dilemma, I can't pull them apart because they'll scream, and I hate it when they do, so I just gun them down…”
She noticed too late that John had stopped in his tracks. He was staring at her strangely. Eyes full of fear. John had almost forgotten who she was. Zero was a monster, no doubt about it. Her blood lust was clear. The lack of empathy even more so. She believed this was all a game and tossed her humanity aside. This was why she was deemed a beast. Nothing human about her as she others as merely prey.
“I… I asked you about the gun.” He shuddered.
“Sorry. As I was saying, I like to tinker. Most of my equipment gets a little personal touch.” Other than the horrific detail about her, she seemed to enjoy making things. Almost an hour went by as she described to him the things she made in clear detail.
He made sure to take some notes, the previous conversation still fresh in his mind. Her enjoyment of creating things was equal to her pleasure in breaking people. Two conflicting things about her, yet one truth was clear. She's a sadist. John felt sick to his stomach.
Being around her made him far more uncomfortable. But the way she talked about her little hobby of crafting random tools was almost adorable. A side of her that was at least human.
“Oh! I also like to make shotgun shells!” She shows him one of the shells on her chest. A white one. “This is my favorite. It's a custom slug round with a small bit of explosive in it. Designed to only arm when it rapidly spins in the air and detonates when it stops.”
“That's very creative.”
“Thanks! I'm really proud of it because it can punch through common Blizzard infantry armor, and make them pop.”
“I hope the camera is seeing this because I would rather not have another take of this moment.”
“Let's keep walking.”
Her mood suddenly shifted as she began to stray off the road. Something caught her attention.
He followed closely, but her pace grew. Then she went into a full blown sprint toward the forest.
“Woah, she's fast!” Damian said. “John, hurry! Don't lose her!”
As fast as he could, John attempted to follow Zero. She was surprisingly fast despite the gear she was wearing. He was a little behind, however, John could hear her heavy breathing. He concluded that running in such heavy armor was physically taxing even for her.
“Hey, where are you going!?”
She didn't answer.
The two ran through the forest, her heavy footsteps matched his beating heart. As if they were in perfect sync.
When the giant skidded to a halt, John could finally see what caught her interest. Just past her, were Radiance soldiers. It was clear with their red highlights on their armor. All unaware of the upcoming danger as it looked on the edge of the forest.
A camp by the looks of it.
They were just sitting there, a fire burned in the middle. Seemed so peaceful. Their armor was far more modern than the Blizzard’s. Unlike Captain Campbell and his team, these Radiance soldiers were up to date with their gear. The Radiance have made sure to fund research into their infantry armor so they'd survive small arms fire. It was smoother and sleek, much cleaner too. Though, he doubted it would help against someone like Zero.
As John watched silently, something inside him wanted to scream out and warn them. But, as he stood behind the monster, he couldn't find the courage to even speak.
He noticed one soldier was busy on his phone, he seemed to be watching something. Then his body language changed as if he just discovered the cure to cancer. John wished the soldier did, because his head slowly swiveled to face him and Zero directly. The fear was clear despite his face hidden behind the mask. This soldier was watching the PRP stream and now he was about to have front row seats.
“RUN!” John managed to shout out finally.
Instead of heeding his words, the whole camp aimed their weapons desperately.
John froze as they all let loose a barrage of lead. Zero immediately braced herself and covered John from the bullets. She knew he was behind her, but instead of letting him die, Zero actually shielded him.
With that done, Zero unloaded a shell from her gun and swapped it with a black shell with white stripes. She fired it directly at their feet and a burst of smoke erupted.
Despite being concealed, the Radiance troops continued firing all they had.
Zero shot at random, this silenced them completely as her shots took one of them down. “Take cover.” She told John as she burst out of hiding.
“John, follow her!”
He couldn't argue as the drone dragged him out of the smoke cover. With it attached to the bag, he was practically tied to it.
Every soldier focused on Zero as she dashed to one of them. She caught one by the throat and slammed them into the ground as she stopped in her tracks. The soldier was a broken mess but his death was quick.
She fired more shots at them. Then began her slow and horrific steps. The ground beneath her crunched as she imprinted her footsteps into the earth. John made his own mark as the drone dragged him around; his feet drew lines across the ground.
Even though they were in a panic, the soldiers did their best not to shoot at John as the drone followed Zero.
“Didn't I tell you to take cover!?” Zero said as she threw a man over her shoulder.
“The drone! It wants to watch!”
She tried to swipe the drone but it used John as an obstacle. At this point, the soldiers stopped shooting as Zero tried to crush the drone with her hands. They were reluctant as one of them could kill John by accident.
The soldiers watched, unsure what to do at the moment.
“Stop!” John pleaded as Zero reached for the drone once more. “This thing is expensive!”
“It's ruining my fun!”
“I won't be able to carry the bag without it!” He tried to argue.
She grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up to her level. “Then control your drone and go hide. I'm starting to reconsider keeping you alive.”
“Hate to be a joy kill, but they ran.” Damian informed them through the drone.
The soldiers indeed ran. Unheard of from the Radiance infantry division. These soldiers are devoted to their cause and were willing to die for the Immortal Light.
Yet, when faced with Zero, they're merely humans.
John felt her grip tighten, he choked as she threatened to snap his neck. No, she promised him that would snap him easily.
The drone bumped into her helm.
“Let him go.”
Zero stared at the machine. She relented and released John from her hold. He crashed onto the ground harshly with a gasp.
“I'll take full responsibility for that. Just don't take it out on John.”
Zero stared silently. Her expression was unreadable due to her mask. “Don't get in my way ever again.”
She began her usual process of looting. However, she seemed more agitated as seen from the way she rifled through the corpse. Her hands were harsher as she ripped through the dead’s belongings.
John flinched as she snapped one finger from the corpse. She still seemed to have a desire to kill.
“So begins Zero's looting. After every slaughter, she carefully picks off the dead. Taking what she wants with no one to stop her.” John didn't realize he had begun narrating her actions. “Hours before, these people were just like you. They had hopes and dreams like anyone. Now they feed the soil.”
Once she was done, John walked up to the corpse and took out the dog tags. “Adrian Parker. Shame you ended up this way. You were the guy watching the stream earlier, probably a fan of the PRP like Captain Campbell. Maybe in another life, you two would have bonded over your shared interests. Sadly, in the eyes of Zero, you all are just numbers on the board.”
The camera watched closely as he tucked the dog tags back into the man's shirt.
John stood back up and followed the monster. Once she gathered what she wanted, John had to hold still for her to put everything in the bag. Once she stored her loot, Zero started to walk back to where they came from. John begrudgingly followed.
They were already back on the road. It was an awkward trip through the forest. But finally, he spoke. “There's just no lick of humanity in you, is there?”
“If you don't have anything nice to say, then shut it.”
“Wow, is the big lady a big baby? Don't like to hear my comments?”
“John, I know I told you to interact with her, but don't provoke the monster.” Damian tried to warn. But it seemed that it fell on deaf ears as John continued to tease the giant.
“Maybe that's why you kill people. You don't like it when they criticize you. I mean, to think someone as lonely as you could only slaughter potential friends. Maybe if you slow down your roll, you can actually talk with people. Less psychotic tendency, more interactions.”
Zero stopped her in her tracks. John didn't flinch as she pressed her gun against his cheek. “Is there a reason why you're trying to antagonize me, or do you just have a death wish?”
“I want to understand you.” He confessed. “You're not exactly human. Now that I have your full attention, I want to make some ground rules.”
“Fine.” She lowered her weapon, the disdain clear in her glowing red eyes. “I'll start: Don't get in my way when I'm having fun.”
“Alright. And you don't run off without warning.”
She scoffed. “If you can't keep up then just say it.”
“Right. I also want your promise that you will hold back with your violent tendencies.” He crossed his arms as this giant loomed over him like a dark shadow.
“You think you're in charge?”
“Do you?”
There was a pregnant pause. The two locked eyes for minutes as the drone broadcast the scene to the world. Silently, she lifted up her face shield. The mask beneath had large glowing red eyes that bore into his soul. The filter seemed to mimic the harrowing screaming face of a dying man.
Zero leaned in close, her breathing ragged and slow.
It felt like John was at the gates of hell as she hovered close to his face. But he stood his ground despite his knees buckling under pressure. Her mere aura was enough to tear a man down to a heaping pile of mess, yet John persisted.
“Fine. I'll be gentle.” She spoke with a hush whisper. “But I won't be held accountable when I lose control.”
“That's good to hear. As for this bag? I'll carry it. And the drone will stay on it. I promise you that.”
“Anything else?”
“That's all for now. But I hope we don't have to adjust the rules in the future.”
“If you plan to stick around, it'll be seeing a lot of changes.” She chuckled grimly. It sounded so synthetic thanks to her mask. “Now come on, I don't want you lagging behind with my stuff.”
“What do you even carry in here?”
“Bombs, ammo, guns. You know, lady stuff.”
“Funny, I didn't think you had a sense of humor. Almost makes you human.”
As she led the way, she lowered her face shield back. “I’m better than human. I'm Luna.” He could feel her smirking proudly, as if it was an achievement to be a monster.
Was it a mistake to try and understand her? Perhaps. She deserved nothing more than a quick end. But John wasn't the man for the job. He was simply there to look into her life. That's all.
With a reluctant step, he followed Zero, the audience still watching.
“So,”
Zero began to make a conversation. But it ended up being one sided as she went on and on about something John couldn't understand. It started with talking about things she saw during her travels. And ended up about which was her favorite kill throughout her life. John felt sick to his stomach as she described the horrible fate she unleashed on a poor Radiance sniper.