The smell of the meal was sweet. Olivier could feel the warmth of his leather stove. He had not taken it out of the package, just opened it so that it would heat up more quickly. Pork cheek. One of the worst. But you can't have everything. Next to him, his one-liter plastic bottle of water was already well underway, and the soup he had boiled in his quart was warming him up just right in the cold of the night. On the second floor of a ruined house, the balcony had been arranged so that a 50-caliber machine gun was in place facing the horizon from inside. Opposite to Olivier of guard, groves of trees stand here and there on the mud and frost covered plain. A way comes then to break its reverie.
-I still don't understand why we put you in charge of the 50 cal.
-Simple, I have the CATI and more experience. Whereas you, you have never fired a cartridge with it.
One of Olivier's comrades went up the stairs. Installed inside, the mounted turret faced outward. The shutters were half closed to avoid any spotlight. The house was plunged into darkness and the only light from the stove was enough to illuminate what was once the living room.
-Once again the first to be thrown out. But you know Carlos, it's not the length that counts. Too long is not good either.
-Shut up. No but the connection is weak with me, I barely made it past my connectivity rate, my ACC is the weakest of all.
-Next to me.
-That's bad luck for you.
-I'm not the one walking around in another monkey's head you gay bastard. Get your food out, I'm done with mine.
Recovering his meal with a rag, Olivier took out his fork and spoon and began to take large bites, slightly burning his mouth. He put down the food and took a big gulp of water from his bottle.
-Why don't you use your canteen like everyone else?
-Because I'm saving it for when we have to leave in a hurry. The plastic bottle is life. A tap that you can't reach with your canteen will be reached with your bottle, once all the plastic is used up you'll see how shitty it is to fill your canteen.
-I sometimes forget that you have years of service compared to us.
-It doesn't matter, the hardest thing is to remember these things. You'll see that you too will find life hacks that will save you time and patience. You know before the war I had to use my canteen less than ten times and that was in initial training... And if not, how is it on the other side.
-Without going into detail... A butchery. We slaughtered them.
Carlos' silence made Olivier understand that he should not broach the subject. And he accepted it.
-You know if they find us here, they'll do the same. That's why I'm looking on the other side of these flights. Fortunately, our means of connection are longer range. So our enemies have to comb farther to find us.
In the distance Olivier could see the smoke of the fighting. He couldn't see it, but the stories of Carlos and the others made him imagine. He watched the edge of the trees when he saw something. Putting down his bowl he went to stick to the window, looking through it he could see precisely something, in the wood opposite their position.
-I jinx it, Carlos cut the gas and went to reconnect, told the others that we were close in and that I would hold my fire as long as possible.
-What's that?
-A thousand pieces of shit. A bullshit thousand legs.
Executing, he stormed down into the bowels of the house as Olivier passed behind the 50 cal. The ammunition was already in place, the hood was already closed, all that was missing was to arm the gun. Grabbing the levers with both hands, he pulled the gun towards him, a dry rack letting him know that he had successfully cocked the gun, bringing the two levers forward he grabbed the handle and left his two thumbs on the butterfly trigger, during the whole operation he had not taken his eyes off the edge. Adjusting the sight, he waited. Until the edge turned towards him.
Two long appendages moved, at this distance they looked like branches, but not of this size. Olivier calmed down as best he could pointing to the approximate place where he guessed the antennae would meet. The thousand paws. Created for reconnaissance thanks to its sensitivity to vibrations, it quickly became a monster in battle, creating deadly ambushes and devastating assaults on rear and supply lines. The creature even without seeing it should easily be the length of a rugby field thought Oliver. If this thing were to charge in their direction the 50 cal would have to put everything in his head to get past his natural defenses. His fingers tensed on his wrists and he stretched them to relax. The thought that if it charged it would just die, he could already imagine the bug hitting the house in its tracks, collapsing the roof around him. Looking at another window on the side before quickly returning to his target. He would jump out of it if the worst came to the worst.
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-Lebeau! Where is your heavy helmet.
-Shut the fuck up, the centipede reacts to sound if it hears you we're all dead.
The dumbass who had just spoken was Sergeant Gragis. A direct NCO. To say he was out of school but doesn't know what he's talking about. At what point do you think my heavy helmet is going to help me? In his defense, he did and pulled out a pair of binoculars. To which Olivier explained.
-In the direction of my gun at 800 meters the grove to the right of the tree, two antennae of thousand legs.
The silence continued as the sergeant took his time to analyze the report.
-Seen. I'm preparing to leave. Carlos will return to the unit, count 15 mike for backup. Fire as soon as possible.
-Copy that.
Gragis then stepped back and walked down the stairs in silence.
Seconds became minutes as the unnatural movement confirmed his decision to sound the alarm. More than once Olivier felt the urge to shoot and end the wait. But a tremor made him stop whatever he was thinking. As if he too had been alerted the two antennae reached for the sky. Before the forest began to move violently, from his position Olivier could see the trees fall on the passage of the creature which fled in the opposite direction. Heaving a sigh of relief, less than a minute later he opened the shutters completely and was greeted by a view straight out of a science fiction movie. Giant gorillas with four arms the size of houses were emerging from the hills near his position. On the back of one of them, a smaller one climbed down and came to the balcony of the house. It was an abinos one and although smaller its muscles were much bigger.
Shouting and pointing to the enemy's position, the gorilla nodded and signaled to the others, and the group charged the grove where the enemy had been.
Regaining his composure he looked at his bowl, it was cold. At least he had survived.
As he finally let go of all the tension. He went to sit down on a sofa. He rubbed his eyes, trying to calm his heart.
-Lebeau!
Sergeant Gragis, the comeback.
-Just a minute.
-Lebeau, we're on the move. You can start packing. And Lebeau, that's the last time you'll talk to me like that.
Getting up suddenly, he approached the sergeant. Being taller than him, the sergeant lowered his gaze to look him straight in the eye.
-Or what? I'm asking you for a minute, I need a minute, after almost dying it's nice to be able to breathe.
-It's about respect Lebeau. Keep it up and there will be sanctions.
-And then you will do what? Your act works with young people because they are confused and afraid outside of their monsters. I know what you are, a 19 year old guy who was given hammer therapy, you have done nothing to earn my respect, the only reason I call you sergeant is because of the piece of cloth on your shoulder. So you can keep your two-bit threats, because if you want us to talk about respect. Call me Mr. Lebeau. As you should call all people of my rank according to the TTA. Sergeant.
As Lebeau finished speaking, a roar came from outside. Looking out from the balcony they saw a fight worthy of King Kong, the centipede had not run away but was buried underground. The creature was now clearly visible. It must have been discovered by one of the monkeys, which was taken by surprise by its opponent who, after biting it, began to wrap itself around it, planting its paws in the flesh. The screams were heartbreaking, echoing through the countryside for all to see.
In no time at all the white gorilla screamed and all the others rushed to help their fellow gorilla. The latter had started to roll on the ground. Gesticulating violently, trying to make the insect let go. But it was too late, the grip was too strong. When finally another gorilla arrived he grabbed the head and part of the body of the insect and with a sharp blow tried to twist or crush the head of the bug. The insect let go of his grip, reducing the strength of the handle and letting himself be carried away by the giant hand. But thanks to that the gorilla in a movement tore off a part of the thousand paws of the body of his victim.
Good or bad this decision brought a new howl of pain as the victim found himself with his belly eviscerated. Blood and guts could be seen flowing from the monkey even from this distance. Olivier and his sergeant could see the terror in the gorilla's eyes as the life drained from its body.
It didn't take long for the others gorillas to arrive and the centipede once its head was firmly held was promptly trampled and in a calculated act of violence, ripped apart, separating the head from the rest of the body.
Olivier took a breath before turning to the sergeant. Now that he thought about it the sergeant was human too. Gragis was shaking, he was as scared as the rest of them, Olivier thought, and he felt very bad for having taken him for an arrogant man, he was just terrified and hid it under the rules he had learned. Probably in self-defense.
-Sarge, I'm sorry about before...
-No... You're right, I'm sorry for not realizing the situation. It's true that a heavy helmet wouldn't have made a difference. We are not in the old wars anymore. First with the drones and now with the monsters. Of all the men here you are the oldest in service after the chief. I should have more confidence in you.
-That's your job. I got carried away with the stress.
-It's no excuse for me to act like a jerk.
Shouts went up from the ground floor. The gorilla that had been attacked in the ambush was dead and his controller had just come back. Post mortem. Not a pleasant feeling, Sergeant Gragis, took a breath and turned to go downstairs. Olivier could only look at the result of the fight and the macabre spectacle it offered. While he heard the cries of his companion below.
******
The next morning
-But what an idiot! It will be fine, trust me, trust my ass! You tell him that his corporation is going to murder him, but that asshole went to British Monster by himself!
Walking to where the car should be, he realized that the bastard had taken it. Wasn't answering his phone and was probably going to his death.
-Damn and I was stupid enough to believe it! Shit! Shit of course he took the car! Calm down. I need a cab.