Within minutes the camp guards were killed, a siege was formed around it.No one enters, no one leaves.
Dmitri, Anastasia and Alice ran together trying to get out of the camp, but were stopped by a line of soldiers.
PAFT!!! — Warning shots were fired.
In the distance one of them managed to escape the line, but was shot in the head by a sniper round. The sound echoed intensely through the area, it was impossible to tell where the shooter was hiding.
Anastasia's legs weakened. — We're going to die... — Sob. — We're going to die.Dmitri struggled to try to lift Anastasia, a futile attempt to hide his own fear. His hands revealed the truth.
Alice broke into a cold sweat while the soldier kept his gun aimed at her face, one step forward and it would be her end.
— What is going on here!? — Elena emerged in hysteria from inside the central house.
Her face froze at the sight of that number of armed soldiers surrounding the camp. The heavy vehicles made them resemble giants, the snow was shaped with thick tire marks.
They carried weapons of war, some had throwable explosives at their waists, others were more focused on camouflage.
The invasion had been carefully planned for every variation of the terrain, for every divergence that could possibly be encountered.
There were 17 soldiers, but only 10 were visible.
THOOOM!!!
The abrupt sound of a magnum shot drew everyone's attention to a figure in a white cloak.
At the center of attention she stood, holding a long-barreled .600 revolver. The initials GT were engraved on the grip, and on the barrel the word "Goliath" stood out.
Natália kept a smile on her face, as if she enjoyed the attention she was receiving.
— Forgive me for interrupting your precious sleep. — Her smile never left her face, it was disturbing the way she spoke. — But this morning we prepared something very special for you, so do not close your eyes. — She bowed. — Do not miss any stage of this experiment.
She kept the revolver in her hand and signaled for the soldiers to advance, they held some incandescent cylinders and other battery-based thermal light sources.
— I ask that you wait until we prepare the stage, after all it will be much better if everyone is able to see, isn't that right?
Bagdan protected a woman against the wall of a wooden house, Anastasia held Alice's arm afraid she would charge at the soldiers.
It was admirable to think Alice possessed such courage, but she was also afraid. The only difference between her and the others was that Alice knew how to mask and hide her intentions.
Dmitri stood a few steps ahead of them, if anyone were to be shot he was willing to serve as a shield.
Everyone wanted to protect something, but Mikhail was nowhere to be seen.
— Let's see. — Natália began walking around them. — Nafari, fugitive dated February 23, 2035. — She looked at the campers in the wooden house. — Bagdan, it was you who escaped on July 3, 2035, wasn't it?
She continued listing the dates of those who had fled, making sure she had recorded each of them. As the soldiers attached the lights, it became easier to distinguish their faces.
— Petra January 27, Johan June 16, Fyodor September 19, Toffin March 07.
One by one, each name she gave was recorded by a lieutenant in a notebook and later in a farm database.
— How did she memorize all that?... Is that woman human? — They murmured.
The last light was placed on the tree, the camp was fully illuminated. Some of the camp's own lights were used to speed up the process.
Natália holstered the revolver and hid it beneath her cloak.
— Perfect, now...
Alice froze with dilated eyes, her head moved in denial. She refused to believe what she was seeing.
— Kobayashi, you may come to the "stage".
A lieutenant, that was all he was. But at this moment he would be reduced to a dog without a leash.
A deal is a deal, regardless of the terms.
Natália touched his shoulder.
— As you can see, this is my "faithful" hunting dog, he will be the one performing today.
Kobayashi's eyes were already dead, he refused to look into those people's eyes.
— As you can see, your surroundings are—
— What do you want!? Why did you come here!? — Bagdan shouted in search of answers. — We did nothing wrong, why won't you leave us alone!?
Natália stopped smiling.
— Why don't we at least negotiate!? We still can—
THOOM!!!
Natália fired.
Bagdan's head exploded with the force of the shot, his brains stained the clothes of the woman he was trying to protect.
The campers locked their eyes on the scene.
In despair with Bagdan's body fallen in her lap, she tried to flee. She stood up and ran as fast as her legs allowed.
But it was useless.
No soldier in the line fired, but the moment she stepped outside the perimeter, a bullet pierced the side of her head.
Anastasia brought her hand to her mouth in agitation and fear, Dmitri began to lose hope of escape.
— Please, do not interrupt me when I am speaking.
She holstered the Goliath.
Cough Cough. — As I was saying, your surroundings are encircled by my soldiers, but they will not fire unless you pose a threat to them. — She smiled. — But that does not mean the snipers will not shoot if you leave the "line" that has been formed.
The wind swayed her cloak, it was so white with golden ornaments that it looked like a noble's mantle, like a king of white pieces.
— I will set a timer, if you survive until the time runs out, you may be spared and return to the farm.
She showed her phone with a timer set to 5 minutes.
— Did anyone not understand?
Terrified, Nafari raised her hand to speak. — Are you really going to spare us?
Natália let out a theatrical ear-to-ear smile.
— But of course, my dear.
Without wasting time, some were already preparing to run. Dmitri signaled for them to run in opposite directions, he would try to lure the pursuer away from Anastasia and Alice.
— Ready!? Three... Two... One... — She drew the Goliath and fired. — Begin!!!
In the blink of an eye, Kobayashi beheaded Nafari and hurled the head with all his strength toward Toffin, who had his ribs broken by the impact.
— What the hell is this!? He is an Ash!! — Johan, a middle-aged man, shouted.
Chaos took over the camp, a bloodbath covered everything the light touched. The tents were painted red along with the snow.As the despair increased, more campers tried to flee the guards' "line". But all were taken down by shooters camouflaged in the snow.
That was the purest definition of hell. Kobayashi acted like a demon that crawled out of a fissure on a dark morning.Anastasia cried, she covered her ears to muffle the sound of the screams.
— Not again! Not again!! Not again!!!
Dmitri lost strength as he saw the abyss of difference between himself and Kobayashi.
— How am I going to delay this...
Natália walked among the bodies, turning them over to record who had been taken down.
— What an obedient dog, at this rate the operation will not even last ten minutes.
Some soldiers from the "line" were firing behind the central wooden house, but that could just be some desperate campers trying to seize the soldiers' weapons.
— What a bunch of desperate fools.
BOOM!!!
An explosion occurred at the location of the shots.
— Nabuko, our observations confirmed four guards, correct?
— Yes ma'am, but there may be a few more of them hiding.
Natália narrowed her eyes. — But they had no explosives in the camp.
Familiar screams arose from the explosion site, they seemed to come from allied soldiers.
Natália touched the communicator in her ear.
— Why are the snipers not firing?
No response.
— Lieutenant Boris, are you receiving? Respond.
Silence was her answer.
— Is there any problem ma'am?
She looked at the line of soldiers behind her, all remained normal.
— What is going on here?
Confused, she headed toward the explosion.
— Continue the records, I will be back shortly.
Meanwhile Anastasia and Alice ran to the wooden house at the center of the camp, this time the door was open.
PATH!!! — The door was shut forcefully.
There was fire in the fireplace, but no one was tending the flames.
— Grab a chair! — Alice ordered.
The chair was placed against the door latch, at least it would delay the pursuer for a few seconds.
A calm voice came from inside the house, it was terrifying to hear someone so calm amid that screaming.
The voice seemed to be praying.
— That voice...
Elena was on the floor with her eyes closed and a Bible on her knees, her prayer was gentle and carried no fear or despair in her words.
Alice grabbed her shoulders.
— Elena!! You need to stay quiet.
She did not heed her request, her prayer would continue until it ended, no matter how much Alice shook her.
When she finished, the first thing she saw were Alice's magenta eyes soaked with tears.
— It is a little strange to see you wanting to cry.
— I am not... — She wiped her eyes.
Anastasia drew her attention. — We need to hide! — Her head rested on Elena's knees, beneath the Bible. — Please, you know this place better than we do... Please there has to be somewhere...
Despair took hold of Anastasia, she cried like a child. Every time someone struck the outer walls of the house, she startled.
Elena gently touched her head.
— Stay calm, he will protect us.
— Who?
Alice began looking at the corners of the house.
— Elena... Where did Mikhail go?
Outside the house, bodies of dead soldiers welcomed Natália, their ballistic vests were pierced.
Some had been violently thrown against trees and had their spines broken, in a terrifying display of anatomy impossible for a human being to have. At least, not a living human being.
— Now I understand, no wonder our observations did not detect an Ash in the camp.
She drew the Goliath.
— It has been a long time since I have seen an old model. — She smiled. — Hasn't it? No.05.
Mikhail stared at Natália while holding the crushed head of a soldier.
— Do not call me by that name anymore.
— It seems it was worth bringing the heavy equipment.