The wind howled through the devastated fields, whistling mournfully against the twisted metal skeletons of the old transmission station.
Elias stood motionless before Viktor Hale, rifle in hand, though lowered toward the ground.
Grimm and Ash circled, restless, sniffing the air.
The old general looked more like a ghost than a man.
His skin weathered by time, clothes worn thin, and his gaze heavy with the weight of sins even the apocalypse had not washed away.
---
"I know what you're thinking," Hale said, his voice rough.
Elias said nothing.
He simply waited.
Hale sighed and sat on a broken stone slab, his hands resting on his knees.
"You think this is a trap."
"It should be," Elias replied dryly.
"Maybe it would have been easier that way," Hale admitted. "But I'm not here to kill you, Thorne. I'm here because we need to stop what's coming."
Silence fell between them again.
Elias felt the weight of those words.
A weight he knew all too well.
---
"Talk," he commanded at last.
"After the collapse..." Hale began, eyes scanning the gray horizon, "...the New Order rose, promising restoration. Unity. A new beginning. But beneath that structure, something else grew."
He paused, choosing his words carefully.
"A faction. A group calling themselves The White Dawn."
Elias frowned.
He had never heard that name before.
Hale continued:
"They believe the future of humanity lies in selective immortality. A new ruling elite. Immortals chosen to govern the survivors."
His voice hardened.
"And for that... they need you, Thorne."
---
Elias let out a dry laugh.
"I'm a mistake, Hale. Not a model."
"Not to them. To the White Dawn, you're proof. The key to supremacy. And they'll hunt you until they get what they want."
Grimm growled low.
Ash pressed close to Elias's leg, tense.
The dogs sensed it — the danger rising in the air.
Elias scanned the surroundings, eyes sharp.
Still alone.
For now.
---
"How did they find out?" Elias asked.
Hale ran a hand through his graying hair.
"Someone from the project survived. Someone sold the information. We don't know who. But they're organized, well-armed, and extremely determined."
"And you include yourself in this 'we'?" Elias asked coldly.
The old general gave a sad smile.
"Maybe it's too late for redemption, Thorne. But if I can stop the world from ending again... I'll try."
---
Elias pondered.
Every word from Hale could be a lie.
A manipulation.
Or it could be the truth.
Either way, ignoring it was no longer an option.
The radio signal, the attack on Haven-17, the hunters — all signs pointed to something bigger.
Something no fortress could protect him from.
---
"And what's the plan?" Elias asked.
Hale leaned forward, his voice low.
"They're gathering at one of the old research centers, out west along the coast."
"How many?"
"Many. With weapons, equipment, and genetically enhanced soldiers."
"Wonderful," Elias muttered.
"We can't attack them head-on," Hale continued. "We need to sabotage. Disrupt. Cut off the blood before they grow too strong."
---
Elias stayed silent.
Absorbing.
Calculating.
All the while, his mind worked: escape routes, possible ambushes, signs of lies in Hale's words.
Nothing about this seemed easy.
Nothing seemed right.
But the truth was simple:
If he didn't act, they would eventually find him.
And destroy what little freedom remained in the world.
---
Hale extended a small portable device.
"Everything I've gathered is here. Locations. Names. Structures. Patrol patterns."
"And why trust me?" Elias asked.
Hale met his gaze, unflinching.
"Because I owe you, Thorne. And because if they win... there won't be anyone left to regret it."
---
Elias took the device, slipping it into his jacket without breaking eye contact.
He knew that from this moment, his life had changed.
Again.
He also knew his chances of survival had just shrunk even further.
But that never stopped him before.
It wouldn't now.
---
Before he could answer, Grimm let out a deep, feral growl.
Ash, across the station, bared his teeth.
Elias spun, scanning the ruins.
Movement.
Shadows.
Figures approaching carefully — armed and deliberate.
---
"They found you," Hale murmured, standing swiftly.
"Or they followed you," Elias shot back.
The general didn't deny it.
No time for blame now.
The fight had arrived.
---
Elias took cover behind a cracked concrete pillar, rifle ready.
Grimm and Ash flanked to cover angles.
Hale drew a heavy pistol from under his coat — old but well-maintained.
From behind the ruins, the attackers emerged.
Light tactical uniforms.
No insignias.
Modern weaponry.
Cold eyes.
---
Agents of the White Dawn.
No doubt.
The confrontation was inevitable.
Elias took a deep breath, feeling the rifle solid against his shoulder.
He had fought ghosts from the past before.
And he would again.
---
When the first invader stepped into his sights, Elias fired.
A clean shot.
The man dropped before he could react.
Grimm and Ash hit the flanks like living missiles.
One attacker gurgled out his last breath.
Another turned to flee — only to be taken down by Elias's second shot.
---
Chaos erupted among the fallen towers.
Gunfire tore through the air.
Shouts echoed.
Dust and blood mixed under the gray twilight.
Elias moved like a shadow — each shot deliberate, each step measured.
But there were too many.
Far too many.
---
With a sharp hand signal, Hale pointed to an escape route — an old maintenance shaft beneath the station.
Elias understood instantly.
They couldn't win here.
Not against these numbers.
They needed to survive.
---
"Go!" Elias shouted at the dogs, pointing toward the shaft entrance.
Grimm and Ash obeyed without hesitation, vanishing into the darkness.
Hale followed close behind, covering their retreat.
Elias fired one last shot, dropping another agent, before diving into the narrow passage.
Behind them, hell erupted in bullets and smoke.
---
Darkness swallowed them.
The stench of burning oil and rust filled the air.
Elias ran, feeling the ground vibrate underfoot.
Above them, the world collapsed.
But he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
Not now.
---
The war he thought he had left behind...
Had only just begun.
---
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