The smoke billowed outwards from the tiny canisters, the defenders straining their eyes as the shroud engulfed them, grey tentacles drifting round tree trunks, the haze obscuring all view as Gusung lost sight of the forward soldiers, his hands tightening around the wet rifle nervously.
Muffled crumps from the top of the slope followed, the officer shouting frantically, ‘Cover…incoming fire!’ The defenders ducked down, thrusting their heads into the moist dirt and leaves, hands over their helmets as a faint whoosh headed towards them, shrieks of relish behind.
The explosions were muffled above, fragments clattering against the overhanging branches and tree trunks, the smoke dissipating as debris fell onto the moist earth, the following shock waves causing the thick shroud to swirl and twist.
The first determined shout came from the officer, ‘Any wounded? Be ready…they will come now!’ Distant shrieks filled the summit of the slope, the cracking of branches as the South Korean defenders’ hoarse replies resounded across the forest, few seeming to be injured.
Gusung swallowed hard, hearing further clumsy movements further up the steep slope, more shrieks as his eyes widened, the crunching of branches nearer and frantic whimpers, then screams, his head jerking from side to side in rising anguish. Through the thinning wisps of smoke, he glimpsed the prone defenders beginning to move in panic, their bodies shuddering then writhing further.
Several thrust themselves upwards, slapping and punching at their shaking bodies, their weapons discarded in panic as the reserve line looked on in horror. The officer’s voice rose again, heavy coughing as a high pitched scream came from his bloodied mouth, ‘Hold! Hold!’
A number of the standing turned to run, pitiful gurgled screams filling the air as Gusung stepped back, his eyes straining as the first thrashing figure roamed through the last of the smoke, his hands clawing at bloodied punctured cheeks, the soldier staggering as his knee joints seemed to click and jar. Gusung gasped at the blood dribbling from the man’s mouth, chest and legs, his agonising screams joined by others as the bodies flayed around in front of him across the forest floor.
Several others further up the slope were rolling across the earth, punching their bodies in terrified pain, Gusung backing away further as the first soldier collapsed downwards before him, blood spurting from the soldier’s mouth as he fell face forward, his body bucking in death throws as other shaking and staggering figures emerged from the gloom, most coated in blood.
Gusung turned along with several others in panic, running and stumbling down the steep wet slope, clawing at branches and trunks to remain upright as screams of ultimate agonising torment filled their ears, their resolve and bravery broken.
Behind them, dull crumps erupted again from the summit, the nano rounds replaced with acid shells, camouflaged grenadiers now surging past their black armoured counterparts as the deafening scream of Morgon fighters swept overhead…bloody Busan had finally fallen…enemy reinforcements were moving up, and fast.
Deep below the South China Sea
The four figures had trudged slowly along the sharply metal grooved passageway, blood dripping from their slashed soles as Tony glanced down, straining his eyes as he glimpsed the swirling crimson liquid below, realising in horror that small carnivorous creatures below the walkway were feeding off the shredded skin of theirs and the many that had passed before, the dull clump of Morgon boots behind.
The Thai teenager was virtually hanging from his frame, Tony’s arms holding the youth upright as the male sagged sobbing against him, arms draped around the English student’s shoulders and neck. He smiled faintly as he felt the coarse black hair against his chest, his lungs filling with emotion as he realised he perhaps was the only support for the youth in his arms, the younger male probably now having lost all his family and friends, the feeling warming inside as they painfully stepped towards a seeming inevitable end.
Behind the two entwined figures, the Frenchman steadied his girlfriend, struggling to stay upright and fearfully wary of the two tall viciously motivated and armed soldiers behind, the couple stumbling after the two male teenagers as she wept uncontrollably.
Further back, the terrified and pained screams of chosen teenagers echoed across the steel enclosures and walls, several bodies dragged forcefully from their cells, their hands and arms slashed against the sharp perforated walls, several limbs snapped painfully as powerful Morgon jailers wrenched the unwilling captives free from resistant grips.
Turning into another blood smeared corridor, the two couples climbed some steps slowly, lights flickering from the side doorways ahead, Tony wincing as the pitiful screams got louder, his hands virtually supporting the Thai teenager’s shoulders as they trudged forward, the youth’s head pressed against his chest as he cried. Crimson liquid dribbled along slim drainage ducts on either side of the walkway, Tony wincing as he glimpsed fragments within the liquid, his stomach churning as they approached the first open doorway.
Unable to resist the temptation, no matter how gruesome, Tony held the Thai teenager’s head firmly to his chest as the Englishman glanced into the light, his eyes widening as sparkling red eyes stared back at him. Two crimson soaked grey armoured Morgon soldiers and a rubber gowned smaller figure stood over a seared black table, the operator’s eyes covered with thick shining goggles, Tony gasping as he realised they were seared into his skin. Candles flickered in the corners of the room, providing limited illumination as he stared on in disbelief.
Blood dribbled onto the scarlet mesh floor below from the corners, severed chopped body parts lying across the black table top,
