Descent into the Shadows
With every step into the darkness, the sensation from the soles of my feet seemed to shoot straight up to the crown of my head. Even the feeling of crushing scattered pebbles and scraps of trash on the floor was unnervingly vivid, as if all my nerves had concentrated beneath my combat boots.
[End of hallway. Twelve o'clock. Multiple bio-signatures.]
Belpe's low, steady voice cut through the headset and into my ear. I blinked hard once to refocus the night-vision goggles. Beyond the green-tinged view, three hunched shadows huddled at the far end of the corridor, heads lowered.
"IDs confirmed. Three demi-humans. Holding something."
I raised my shield and whispered, "Closing the distance slowly."
The moment the words left my mouth, a faint metallic click sounded behind me. Laser sights painted the demi-humans' heads as my team leveled their weapons in unison.
Then the crouched figures sprang up like released springs and hurled the long poles in their hands straight at us.
"Hup!"
I reflexively lifted my left arm, shield covering my face. A dull thud rang out as something heavy struck the shield and clattered to the floor. A quick glance revealed a crude spear: a steel pipe with a kitchen knife taped to the end.
Crazy... They had time to make something like that in all this chaos.
"Open fire," I ordered without hesitation.
Tat-tat! Bang! Bang!
Even with suppressors, the shots echoed sharply in the enclosed hallway. I kicked the makeshift spear aside with my boot and checked through the shield's viewport. The figures that had been charging moments ago now lay sprawled on the floor, unmoving.
"Clear."
I approached the fallen demi-humans slowly. Thick-furred bodies lay limp, tongues lolling. After confirming none were still a threat, I keyed the radio.
"Three berserk suspects neutralized."
[Copy, Charon. Recovery team en route once the top floor is secured.]
A curt reply came from HQ. I acknowledged briefly and tightened my grip on the shield.
"Moving."
We pressed onward through the darkness along the corridor.
"Kyaaak!"
"Kieeeek!"
We had just rounded a corner when a pair of glowing white eyes streaked toward us amid piercing screams.
"Two incoming!" Sirius shouted urgently.
Tat-tat! Bang!
Short bursts of gunfire snapped the charging figures' heads back. They crumpled as if struck by an invisible hammer.
They're following training perfectly... I almost feel bad for Spica.
I had said in the helicopter that we'd try to save them if possible, but that had always been a hope, not a guarantee. The hallway was narrow, and berserk monsters could appear from anywhere. Aiming for limbs instead of center mass was a luxury we couldn't afford.
Behind me, Spica sucked in a sharp breath.
Even if he's disappointed, I hope it's only with me.
The team had only followed my orders. Any blame belonged to the commander—me.
I'm used to playing the villain anyway...
The same scene repeated in every corridor and side passage. Berserk demi-humans howled and rushed us like beasts, only for my team to drop them with mechanical trigger pulls. Occasionally, crude weapons flew out of the dark and bounced harmlessly off my shield.
After several engagements, the sound of magazines being changed reached my ears.
[Belpe, reload complete.]
[Sirius, complete.]
[Pellis, complete.]
Once the team had reloaded and racked their slides, I glanced back and called out.
"Spica?"
[Y-yes! I... I haven't fired a single shot...]
He clutched his rifle tightly, finger nowhere near the trigger.
"It's fine. Just keep your eyes forward behind me. That's enough."
[U-understood.]
His voice still trembled, but simply staying put instead of running made him braver than most rookies.
At this rate, the operation should go smoothly.
We continued sweeping the top-floor hallway. Team members checked storefronts and residential doors while Pellis and Sirius, with their keen hearing, pressed ears to doors for signs of life. Every report came back the same.
[All clear.]
[No contacts inside.]
After clearing the final sector, I contacted HQ.
"Top floor clear."
[Confirmed. Deploying healer and arrest teams behind you.]
I gestured to the team.
"Moving."
We headed toward the end of the corridor with windows when a sudden, blinding light flooded in from outside. The night-vision goggles whited out completely.
[Mama! Th-that's—!]
Spica screamed and swung his rifle toward the window. I calmly pushed the barrel down.
"Easy. Berserkers wouldn't be flying helicopters and shining searchlights."
[Ah...]
"Friendly. They're just confirming our position."
[Y-yes...!]
As I said, the helicopter cut its light once it had located us and vanished back into the darkness. When the rotor noise faded, I gave the next order.
"Now we head downstairs."
The team fell in behind me in perfect formation. Opening the heavy fire door to the stairwell revealed the city nightscape through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Ha... We're fighting for our lives in here, and the outside world looks so peaceful.
The building was in a remote area, so the view wasn't as dazzling as Seoul's city center, but the distant lights against the mountains were still beautiful. A place like this on the outskirts meant the residents had been well-off.
Well, the rich always have more to lose.
Enough sentiment. I shook off the stray thoughts, readjusted my grip on the shield, and started down the stairs.
Thud! Crash!
At that moment, the fire door below burst open. Countless footsteps thundered upward.
They had noticed us coming down.
"Hah. They want to settle this up close, huh?"
I pressed the button on the shield's grip. Click! Click! Thud!
The shield's wings extended left and right, rapidly expanding until they filled the narrow stairwell completely, forming an impenetrable wall.
I slung the heavy shotgun onto my back and drew my pistol instead. In this confined space, a solid defense followed by suppression was easier this way.
I muttered toward the ragged breathing rising from below the shield.
"This is the end of the line for you."
Gripping the shield tightly, I began descending one slow step at a time, ready to greet the guests climbing straight into hell.
Thud, thud, thud.
The vibrations grew stronger. I rested my thumb on the small button beneath the deployment switch and waited for them to enter range.
From the rear, Pellis spoke in a tense voice.
[Mama. They're right below. Should we shoot?]
"No. Bullets are expensive. We'll neutralize them all at once."
I adjusted the shield and added, "When I give the signal, everyone look away and cover your ears. Flash incoming."
[Yes, Mama!]
The moment the reply came, the footsteps turned into screams.
"Kieeeek!"
"Kraaaak!"
With shrieks no human vocal cords should produce, a mass of demi-humans brandishing makeshift weapons surged up the stairs.
Way too many...
Even with superior physical abilities and numbers, these were still unawakened. Against awakened like us, they were no different from stuffed toys—cat or human, it didn't matter.
When their glowing eyes reached the viewport, I pressed the button without hesitation.
"Flash!"
Pop-pop-pop!
A deafening blast and blinding light erupted from the shield's front, filling the stairwell with acrid smoke. The narrow space amplified the effect perfectly.
"Kieeeek!"
The flashbang, designed to blind thick-skinned monsters, was devastating to berserk demi-humans. They clutched their eyes and ears, collapsing like dominoes. Some flailed blindly and tumbled over the railing.
In a real accident this would be horrific, but seeing it in a life-or-death fight only brought relief.
At least it proves my team and I survived them.