After an hour of rest and submitting his paperwork to the Major, and to the High Command as an esoteric After-Action Report, Lukas dropped by the Clinic Bay to have his injuries checked. Lukas was laying with his stomach flat on the bed. It felt awkward but Nurse Sala instructed him to. There was no point in protesting since all he wanted was to get himself treated.
The nurse came with her tools and pulled his shirt up to reveal his backside. She gasped upon seeing the contusions on his back muscles."I am inclined to recommend my superiors to put you under x-ray for any bones that might be out of place.""Don't sound like I'm gonna die." Lukas protested. "It's just a fall from a two-storey house.""Exactly!" She said. "Don't you hear yourself?""Just apply your guyabano leaves and be done with it." Lukas said sarcastically. "The Major needs to see me in an hour and I want to get this checked before he decides to send us into another operation."Sergeant Nagar and Staff Sergeant Alice Abantay stood before the restrained Roberto Omar, who glanced at them with an impressed look in his eyes. Alice crossed her arms and asked."Why are you looking at us like that?""You two could make a good couple," he said. Nagar raised his butcher's knife without hesitation. "What? I meant that in a good way as possible.""No, I think it was something else entirely." Abantay replied. Lukas, and a new soldier from the cut-off team regularly attached to their unit, the newly promoted 2nd Lieutenant Yusuf Ibrahim, stood behind the observatory window with three other subordinates facilitating the room as usual. They quietly listened."You think?" Roberto asked. "I'm just kidding, yes. Because I am very impressed that you survived against my master that I am already convinced, you might win this against him.""How'd you know?" Alice asked, threatening to pull out her sidearm. She was suspicious that the Mambabara
The horn of the Demon was laid on the top of a cloth. The Chaplain's Office was now restored in order and the furnishing's orientation was different than the last time when Lukas visited it. He watched as Father Mike sprinkled the horn with holy water while reciting a prayer of sanctification.Every droplet that made contact, the object sizzled. Geysers of smoke rose, as if it was a steaming hot object doused with cool water.After the blessing, Father Mike wrapped it again with the white cloth and handed it to Lukas. He nodded his thanks, the laced vial around his neck containing the eye moved slightly. Lukas was still getting used to his new necklace, which he couldn't wait to remove after this suicidal assault that they are about to undertake.Right after they walked out of the room, they encountered Major Veras outside."Lieutenant." Veras called sternly. "Come with me, we got a meeting.""Meeting?" Lukas asked."Remember the liaison off
The sun sets in the horizon. The streets were empty, not a single soul was seen in sight. Even the police who should be watching it were also absent, fearful of the fabricated contagious disease that the 6 AM news had broadcasted. In the side of the defenders, it was acceptable since they would just get in the way of things when this particular shadow war was waged. Even the so-called "Regular Infantry" that the soldiers of the paranormal combat units fond of using to reference their ordinary counterparts were also evacuated kilometers away.He envied the civilians, who only thought that this event was just simply caused by some infectious viral disease. Indeed, it was far better to live one's life in ignorance than bearing the burden of knowing about the existence of the creatures that prowls the night.He watched the sun sinks below the world. The scenery was symbolic, for the most part. Davao City, the would-be battle zone of a skirmish that should be fought in the
They continued down the street. It was dark and quiet with only the distant noise of the battle taking place elsewhere could be heard. Lukas could hear his own breath as they traversed the road, paranoia slowly forming in his mind. He restrained his thoughts before it became a distraction until something urged him to stop.He raised his fist upwards and glanced from left to right. The storefronts around them looked weird. Of all the stores, one in particular was not barricaded. He studied it and noticed swirling darkness beneath, as if a black smog or a murky water filled it from the inside. He took two steps towards it when the glass that kept it from the outside world shattered, along with the other storefronts around and behind them.Elongated shadows streaked from the stores. Lukas noticed the white porcelain faces on the top of the six entities. He raised his aim and fired at the face of the entity near him.Three bursts and the face shattered. The entity i
March 12, 2004From the dark corners of a recently visited cemetery, a movement could be heard. The stars of the night twinkled bright alongside the full moon that provided dimmed illumination for the silent recepients below. They made sure that no one was around to witness them, for they are not ready yet.Between the poorly maintained graves and the nearby large mounds of soil below large balete trees, they slowly revealed themselves. The appearances of some varied from one another, but most of them are complete reflection of the other--creatures birthed from the same family of monsters. Diverse as all of them could be, they possessed three things in nature.Sadism, hunger and malevolence.Like stringed marionettes manipulated by an inexperienced puppeteer, they walked forward. Each baby steps developing to a stable one as their physiology began to adapt in the new environment where they are born into.
Three days later...They came like lightning. The wind blew, the stalks swayed. In a flash, they had him and his squad surrounded. They were fast, agile and fearless despite the fact that they lacked the superior weaponry that soldiers like them possessed. He saw them with faces covered with a shemagh, advanced with a kriss raised in a threatening manner.He had to move, he had to act. One of his subordinates fell to the ground with a missing head. His instincts kicked in as he drew his handgun and fired at the killer of his young companion. But his own assailant was just a few steps in front of him.No time to act think, had to act. He was too close for him to raise his rifle. So he did what he could. The butt of his pistol assailed the air in a vertical swing directed at his attacker's skull. A right straight punch to the bridge of the rebel's nose sent the armed man to the grassy field. The sun was setting, the memory was very clear even if it had happened fo
His vision was illuminated in a bluish hue. The faces of his teammates were obscured behind polarized face visors connected to the brims of their helmets. His heart rate on the electrocardiogram bio monitor showed a quickened pulse, but Lukas thought that it was just the alcohol working magic in his system. All of them are tense, but Lukas managed to control himself in situations like these.However, he couldn't help but to wipe the barrel of his M4A1 with his gloved thumb involuntarily. Just like their weapons, his was blessed by the Outpost Chaplain before they march off to battle against the supernatural.He saw some of the rookies repeat actions, caused by pre-deployment anxieties. He could not blame them, operations like these made you worry about the future, whether you will survive or not, or what about the aspirations you wanted to pursue later in your life after your service. It made them fear for their lives, despite losing it once when they are ind
The psychologist asked him slightly cryptic questions that only him alone could understand. Lukas answered them without pausing. He was asked if he felt anything strange about himself lately, and he replied with the horrible nightmares he was having. As usual, the psychologist dismissed it as normal and he was free to go.Lukas was the last to leave the pscyhologist's room for the post-action psychological evaluation. Just like the medical examination earlier before this, he was cleared for the next operation. He was relieved to know that he could join the next ones because his bestfriend and the superior officer of the assault platoon failed the previous evaluation, prompting the Major to assign him with the 1st Lieutenant's duties and suspending the aforementioned officer for five weeks to rehabilitate.Another 666IB soldier approached their group, his tone was marred with urgency."The Major wanted to see all of you, Lieutenant." He said.