They travelled across the corridor and stopped before a wooden door. The crucifix attached in the middle was reversed but the Saint Benedict's medal pinned below it was untouched. Francis knocked at the priest's door. "Father, it's me. Open up."
The priest did what he was told. Lukas was surprised of what he saw. He wore the same armor and gear of a 666IB soldier, but his left shoulder displayed the patch of his holy Office. He was armed with an M-16."Come in, come in." He said, waving them inside the room.They entered. The office of the Chaplain looked like a warzone, with the table flipped and numerous holy symbols drawn on the surface of the desk. Salt could be seen around him, as well vials of oils and holy water."Salt?" Lukas asked."Exorcised salt." The priest replied. "Salt repels evil spirits due to its...anyway you wouldn't understand." The Chaplain paced towards his desk and righted it. "Seems like someone inside th"Alice, lead the way, now!" Lukas yelled, prompting the woman to turn and run. Lukas fired at the Demon, who simply stood there despite taking rounds to its body. Francis let loose a shot from his weapon before he turned and ran after Alice. Lukas followed him shortly.They crossed the lobby of the front entrance while the Demons followed them quietly. Its body was leaking blood everywhere. Francis turned at Lukas and yelled."Cover me, I'll frag the bastard!" He detached a grenade, unpinned it, and tossed it across.The two ran away, back to the intersection that led to the armory. A sharp bang could be heard while they retraced their way back to the Chaplain's Office. In the process, they stepped over puddles of blood on the ground and accidentally crushed scattered body organs that they failed to avoid. Lukas realized that it wasn't just blood that decorated the hallway too. Fear started to rise, reaching its boiling point as every turn they made
The lights flickered on. Lukas was quietly sat on the chair, savoring the chilly wind brought by the main hall's air conditioning unit. Nurse was beside him, bandaging the laceration on his right arm."Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She asked with concern in her tone.Sergeant Alice Abantay stood a few meters from them, visibly jealous."I have fought with the Lieutenant before, of course he will!" She yelled rather loudly. "That's more of an insult on his part!""Sarge, it's fine." Lukas said with a raise of his hand. He noticed that her forehead was bandaged by medics."No, LT! She made you sound like a wimp!" Alice yelled."I said it's fine, sarge! Dammit." He glanced at her forehead for the second time. "How's that?""The medics advised that I take a day off before I join any combat operation." She grinned. "But what the hell do they know?""I need my XO to be sharp so that she could
The operation was unlike any other. Lukas sat near the exit of the truck, allowing him to see the other four trucks behind the convoy filled with the recently sent 666IB soldiers from other Outpost Detachments. Most of them had seen a fair share of Hell and doesn't need any form of watered down instructions unlike with the rookies who were clueless about almost everything.Lukas thought about the words of the Major yesterday. When he said that they are going to end this, he really is being serious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have requested a large number of personnel and launched a major offensive in this tiny village that probably has little capability to defend itself against a small platoon of 666IB soldiers.Some of the troopers were loant from the other Outpost Detachments and will return to their original duties after this. It was understandable. The 666IB was the only largest paranormal combat unit, but their numbers are limited. Replenishing it required a long time
He glanced at the photo with tears falling from his eyes. He held the only possession he have. It was against the rules of the Battalion to obtain any object that would remind its personnel the former lives they had but Lukas does not care.It was an image of him and his wife by the beach. In her bosom, she carried an infant draped in blanket. It was taken by her sister when they had a family reunion before. He wondered how the two of them are doing now since his "death" three or four years ago. The watchers under his payroll told him that she had already found someone--a banker and a childhood sweetheart of hers. Her new husband treats her and their daughter well and she was currently carrying a second baby.It hurt him to hear that she was already happy in the arms of another man, but the sacrifice he--and the others--have made were neccessary to ensure the continuous survival of the nation against the threats that they have no knowledge of.Better that way th
"Greetings, gentlemen." Major Tomas Veras greeted as they entered. Lukas sat at the middle, as usual, with Alice sat beside him. The aging officer activated the projection after the lights of the room deactivated. "The cellular phone that 1st Lieutenant Francis Borja and his group had recovered contained vital intelligence that would aid us in the pursuit of our target."An image of another village by the river located in Sirawai appeared in the projection screen. The picture was a real-time satellite image and, despite being thousands of feet above, the image possessed a clarity like no other, revealing small details in great accuracy.He saw a handful of wooden huts along the river as well as long flat platforms or bridges that connected the treetops together. By the looks of it, the settlement looked more of a guerilla's hideout than a village. He guessed that beneath the leaves, there were tree houses occupied by belligerents. It put the defenders at a tactical adv
This time, it was Lukas and Francis who watched behind the observatory window. In front of the Mambabarang was Sergeant Alice Abantay, and the newly promoted Corporal Jan Nagar.Roberto was restrained in the same manner as the cultist who previously sat in his chair. The Mambabarang watched in amusement, his gaze was glued at the soldiers before him."I never knew the Armed Forces has a branch specialized in occult combat." He chuckled."And we are good interrogators too." Alice said as Nagar lifted the knife from the wheeled table by the wall."Wait, isn't this police brutality? I have rights too!" The Mambabarang protested."I'm afraid we are not police." Alice grinned as Nagar raised the knife in the air, causing the light to reflect against its shiny blade. "And their jurisdiction does not reach us. Meaning, we could kill you here without no one finding out.""Okay, okay," Roberto shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still smiling as if al
Under the cover of the night, their transport journeyed to the targeted location. Lukas caressed the grip of his blessed rifle and calmed his troubled mind that was slipping to yet another world of random thoughts again but he thought that there was no point in wishing back his previous life or how things should be and decided to refocus his thoughts on something else entirely.He noticed that their transport vehicles, no matter how long the distance was, always arrived to its destination in a short period of time. Sometimes, the vehicles itself were occasionally seen by civilians in broad daylight when there were no secret routes available to take.He heard from the privileged few included in the Personnel Exchange Program with the Agency, that their vehicles were modified using the organization's advance tech that allowed them to reach point A to point B in a short span of time. In addition, their vehicles were also fitted with a cloak tech that made it looked like a
The two teams met in the middle silently and moved on. Just like the first corridor, it ended with an eastward bent, which they crossed before they ascended to the third floor. Lukas recalled that the lights came from the rooms of this level and the level above. He tightened his grip as they arrived at the floor...Only to be disappointed.The floor contained no doors, only a straight narrow corridor with bare walls flanking it on either side. Strangely, the floorboard was dimly illuminated from the lower parts of the walls where the doors should have been. Lukas could see moving shadows, as if someone was inside. He was curious what lies behind it."I wanted to blow up a chunk of this wall." Francis whispered at Lukas. "But the element of surprise that we have would be lost for sure.""What do you think was behind it?" Lukas asked."I'm guessing a nightclub." Francis joked. He pulled out a small rectangular pack of explosives wrapped together by a