The air in the jungle was thick, humid, and suffocating. A dense canopy of ancient trees loomed above the group, blocking out most of the sunlight. The occasional shaft of light pierced through, illuminating the gnarled roots and thick underbrush beneath their feet. Every step felt like wading through molasses, the heat sticking their clothes to their skin and the air filled with the incessant buzz of insects.
“Could this place be any more miserable?” Jude grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow. His injured leg was slowing him down, but he refused to complain outright. Instead, he let his sarcasm do the heavy lifting.
“We could still be out there dodging drones and mercenaries,” Cara said, her voice sharp as she pushed a branch out of her way. “So, yeah, this is an improvement.”
“Debatable,” Jude shot back, limping after her.
August wasn’t in the mood for their banter. He moved at the front of the group, eyes scanning the dense foliage. His HUD was active, highlighting faint trails and subtle movements in the shadows. The system had flagged the jungle as a Moderate Threat Zone, which was unsettling in itself. So far, they’d avoided any direct encounters, but the eerie silence of the jungle put him on edge. It was too quiet.
“How much farther?” Lara asked, her voice low. She brought up the rear, her eyes darting nervously to every rustle in the leaves.
“Another two miles,” August replied. The system’s map showed a clearing ahead that could offer them a temporary reprieve. “There’s a safe zone up ahead.”
“Safe zone?” Jude scoffed. “That’s what you said about the hospital.”
August ignored him, his attention drawn to a sudden flicker on his HUD. The system highlighted movement in the underbrush to their left—a subtle shift in the shadows, too deliberate to be the wind.
“Stop,” he said sharply, holding up a hand.
The group froze, their breathing heavy in the oppressive heat.
“What is it?” Cara whispered, raising her rifle.
August didn’t answer immediately. He squinted at the HUD, willing the system to provide more details. A new icon appeared: Unknown Threat Detected.
“Something’s out there,” he muttered, gripping his weapon tightly. “Stay close.”
The rustling grew louder, closer. Then, out of the shadows, a pair of glowing yellow eyes emerged. They were followed by more—pairs upon pairs—until a pack of gaunt, snarling wolves stepped into view. Their fur was patchy and matted, and their bodies bore the unmistakable signs of infection: exposed bone, pulsating sores, and a sickly green glow emanating from their veins.
“Zombie animals?” Jude breathed, his voice a mix of awe and terror. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
The wolves moved as one, their growls low and guttural, their eyes locked on the group. The largest of the pack, a hulking beast with jagged teeth and a gaping wound across its face, let out a bone-chilling howl.
The pack charged.
“Move!” August shouted, raising his rifle. He fired off a shot, hitting one of the smaller wolves in the chest. It yelped and collapsed, but the others didn’t slow.
Cara and Jude opened fire, the sound of gunshots echoing through the jungle. Lara scrambled backward, fumbling for her pistol.
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“Headshots!” August yelled, his system highlighting weak points on the wolves’ bodies. He aimed for the glowing eyes of the alpha, but the beast was too fast, weaving through the trees with unnatural agility.
One of the wolves lunged at Cara, its rotting jaws snapping inches from her face. She swung her rifle like a club, smashing it across the creature’s skull. The wolf staggered but didn’t fall. Before she could react, another one tackled her from behind, knocking her to the ground.
“Cara!” Jude shouted, limping toward her.
“I’m fine!” Cara growled, struggling to push the wolf off her. Its claws raked across her arm, drawing blood.
August rushed to her side, firing point-blank into the wolf’s head. It let out a high-pitched whine before collapsing on top of her. He grabbed Cara’s arm and hauled her to her feet.
“Thanks,” she panted, wiping sweat from her brow.
“No time for thanks,” August said, his eyes scanning the battlefield. The wolves were relentless, circling them like predators playing with their prey.
Lara let out a cry as a wolf lunged at her, knocking her to the ground. She fired her pistol blindly, the bullets grazing the wolf’s side but not stopping it. August sprinted toward her, his system pinging the wolf’s weak spot. He drove his knife into its exposed neck, twisting the blade until the creature went limp.
“Get up!” he barked at Lara, who scrambled to her feet, trembling.
The alpha wolf howled again, its eyes glowing brighter. The remaining wolves seemed to take on a new frenzy, their movements faster and more erratic.
“Is it... controlling them?” Cara asked, firing at one of the smaller wolves.
“Doesn’t matter,” August said through gritted teeth. “Take it out!”
He focused on the alpha, his HUD analyzing its movements. The system highlighted a weak spot on its chest, just below the ribcage. He raised his rifle, aiming carefully, but the beast moved unpredictably, zigzagging toward him with terrifying speed.
“Keep it distracted!” he shouted.
Jude, despite his injury, managed to land a shot on the alpha’s flank. The beast snarled and turned its attention to him, giving August the opening he needed. He fired, the bullet striking the glowing weak spot. The alpha let out a pained howl, staggering but not falling.
“Again!” the system urged, its voice cold and mechanical.
August fired a second shot, this time hitting the alpha square in the chest. The creature collapsed in a heap, its glowing eyes flickering before fading to black.
The remaining wolves hesitated, their glowing veins dimming. Without their leader, they seemed disoriented, unsure whether to continue the attack or flee. One by one, they retreated into the shadows, their growls fading into the distance.
----------------------------------------
The group stood in the aftermath, their breaths ragged and their clothes soaked in sweat and blood. The jungle was silent once more, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze.
“Is everyone okay?” August asked, his voice hoarse.
“Define ‘okay,’” Jude muttered, collapsing onto a nearby rock. His leg was bleeding again, the strain of the fight having reopened his wound.
“I’ll live,” Cara said, though she winced as she inspected the claw marks on her arm. Her gaze shifted to the blood dripping from her wrist. “But one of those bastards got me.”
August’s stomach dropped. He moved to her side, pulling out a first-aid kit. “Let me see.”
Cara reluctantly held out her arm, revealing a deep bite mark just above her elbow. The flesh was torn and bleeding profusely, but there was no sign of the sickly green glow that marked the infected wolves.
“Does it look... bad?” she asked, her voice quieter now.
“It’s hard to tell,” August admitted, his hands working quickly to clean and bandage the wound. The system’s interface scanned the injury, but no definitive analysis appeared.
Lara stepped forward, her expression grim. “We don’t know how the infection works in animals. If those wolves were carriers...”
“Don’t,” Cara snapped, her eyes blazing. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
“We’ll monitor it,” August said firmly. “For now, we keep moving.”
Cara nodded, though her jaw was clenched tightly. Jude watched her with a mixture of concern and fear, but he didn’t say anything.
As they resumed their trek through the jungle, August couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that things were only going to get worse. The system’s reliability was waning, the enemies were becoming deadlier, and now one of their own might be infected.
The mission timer ticked on, a relentless reminder of the time slipping through their fingers.
40:18:42.
They had to find Sabrina. For answers, for hope, for survival. But August couldn’t ignore the growing doubt in his mind: What if finding her only made things worse?