DARIUS'S POV
I moved through the tunnels of the underground district, feeling each step resonate against the stone walls.
My black cloak billowed behind me, a constant reminder of my duty as vice-captain of the exploration corps.
I could feel the tension in my muscles, developed after years of training and battles against the mutants that threatened our existence.
The scar that crossed my face—a mark of past battles—tensed as I frowned at the distant sounds coming from further ahead in the tunnel.
Something wasn't right.
My years of experience screamed it at me, and my instincts were rarely wrong.
Something is wrong, terribly wrong, I thought while quickening my pace, my boots echoing against the stone floor.
The smell came first: that unmistakable metallic aroma of blood mixed with the stench of death.
My heart began to beat faster, not from fear, but from the terrible anticipation of what I knew I would find. I had smelled that combination too many times in my life as an explorer.
—Glug, glug...
The sound froze my blood.
There, before me, one of my companions was choking on his own blood. A grotesque hole pierced his chest as if some beast had torn away a part of his being.
My eyes reddened as I contemplated the scene, and I felt as if I were about to cry tears of blood.
I knew him well, too well. He had been a formidable warrior, a man who embodied strength and determination.
Now, as I watched the light fade from his eyes, I felt a pang of pain so deep I could barely breathe.
That bright spark of life I had always admired in him was slowly fading, like a candle consuming itself in darkness.
It shouldn't end like this, I thought as I watched him take his last breath, his body shuddering one final time before becoming still forever.
I looked around, and the devastation I found hit me like a punch to the stomach. Everything had been destroyed, burned to ashes. Nothing remained standing, nothing remained intact.
The bodies of my companions... my friends... lay scattered like broken dolls, their bodies' limbs had disappeared in a grotesque display of carnage.
—Darvus, Jairo...
Their names escaped my lips like a belated prayer.
Memories flooded me like an unstoppable tide. Darvus, always talking about his little daughter, proudly showing me the drawings she made for him.
Jairo, who just days ago had confided in me that his wife was expecting their second child. More than brothers in arms, they had been my brothers in this endless struggle for survival.
The exploration corps was an elite unit responsible for exploring the outside of the underground shelter to gather information about mutants and their behavior.
We carried out combat missions to eliminate mutants and recover lost territory, which meant members very often had to leave their loved ones behind to join the fight.
And yet, it was these two who now lay in a pool of their own blood, having died at the hands of some unknown beast.
Why didn't they run? They're idiots...
I thought as tears flowed freely down my cheeks, something I rarely allowed myself. But here, faced with the evidence of their sacrifice, I couldn't contain them.
Their eyes remained open, their fists clenched in a final gesture of defiance. I could read the story of their final moments in the battle marks that surrounded them.
They had fought until the end, knowing they had no chance of victory. It was the kind of courage I had always admired and feared finding in my companions.
The sound of footsteps behind me pulled me from my grief. In an instant, my sword was in my hand, my body turning to face the new threat.
The familiarity of the figure emerging from the shadows only intensified my anguish: Abel, our captain.
—Captain?
I uttered the word with a mixture of relief and suspicion.
—Is that you, Vice-Captain?
He responded, dropping to the ground with a sigh of relief that seemed out of place to me.
Anger began to boil inside me as I observed his state: unharmed, relaxed, as if the death of our companions was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
—Captain, could you explain what happened?
I asked, struggling to keep my voice controlled.
—Isn't it obvious? A mutant ambushed us, a giant centipede.
His casual response only fueled my fury.
—What I mean is, why are you the only one who managed to escape? The members of your group are dead...
His response turned my stomach:
—What the hell? Vice-Captain, are you saying you'd prefer I died along with these guys?
As I listened to him explain how he had hidden while urinating, how he had chosen to save his own life while our companions died, I felt something break inside me.
It wasn't just disappointment or anger, it was a deep disgust for the man who was supposed to lead and protect our soldiers.
—They believed in you
I said, my voice loaded with contempt.
—Those two would give their lives if you asked them to. Shouldn't you at least prove you're worthy of their respect?
—Shut up! What does their respect have to do with me? Ahhh, shit! I can avenge them, can't I?
Rage burned in my eyes as I looked at him. This man represented everything I despised, everything I had fought against during my life as an explorer.
—You're a piece of rotten garbage
The words left my mouth before I could contain them, though I didn't want to anyway.
—What the fuck was that, bastard?!
He roared, but I no longer cared about his anger.
My mind was elsewhere, thinking of those who might still need help. I couldn't waste more time with this coward when there were lives at stake. Without another word, I turned and began walking toward the underground district.
—Hey! Bastard! If you go that way, you'll surely die! You should run in the opposite direction!
His shouts echoed in the tunnels behind me.
—Damn idiot, don't you know everything ends once you're dead? Hey!
I ignored his words and pressed forward.
My path was clear: if there was any chance of saving even one life, the risk would be worth it.
And if I couldn't save anyone, I would at least ensure that the mutant who had massacred my companions would pay for its crimes.
As I walked away, I could hear Abel muttering insults and justifications for his cowardice, but his words were lost in the echo of the tunnels, as empty as his honor.