Trevor keeps on fighting. He never stops. He's now got people to look out for, and a world to save again. And now he's got an ever-approaching demon inside of him to worry about. And the nightmares that brings.

Bay is  Lo-carbquine's!
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Nightmares. I should’ve expected them, but not like this.
My infection with the Virus must be causing them. I found myself in a landscape similar to some of the canyons in Hell, with only one way to go. I had no weapons, armor, or even clothes.
I had to go down the path. I seemed to walk on for miles, but it was really only a few hundred feet around a corner. I found a horrible sight.
All of my lost friends were crucified on the wooden crosses which I saw on the Hollowed Plains, all crying for my help. All of them but one- Jack. He stood in the center of the circular area, looking similar to how I saw him in the Fall, but worse. The remaining skin looked burnt, and only one eye was left. The tail ended in a hooked blade, and his feet had massive spikes where the toes should be. He opened his mouth and showed dozens of razor-sharp blood stained teeth.
‘Trevor, you’re back. You know you can’t hold out to the infection forever.’ Jack said.
‘I can certainly try.’ I said. I looked over to my screaming dead friends, and they vanished, leaving nothing but grey dust blowing around. ‘So, why does the infection use you as a way to get me to falter? It ain’t working.’
‘I was your closest friend, that’s how the infection works. Join us, Hero. Forget your fears...’
‘Never.’ I replied.
‘Have you seen yourself, Hero? Have you seen what you will become?’ Jack said, erecting a large rough mirror from the ground. It showed me in it, but not as my normal self- as the demon I was slowly becoming. The scales were thick and jagged, the claws large, the tail long and deadly, and the biggest thing was the wings. Bat-like wings, ending in spurs. I looked down at my hands- they looked like they did in the mirror! One hopes this isn’t effecting my in the outside world.
I swung my armored fist through the mirror and grabbed Jack by the neck, holding him up high. I growled at him.
‘Yes... Let the demon take over...’ He mumbled through his half-crushed windpipe. I realized what I was doing and then threw him to the ground. The demonic part on me crumbled to dust as I walked towards him.
'No. It will never. Not as long as I breathe, not as long as I live, I will never give into it!’ I said, pointing at him. 'I know it will happen one day, but I will not, I shall not go willingly!’
The Revenge appeared in my hand, loaded with two shells.
'But we shall have you one day...’
'But not today.’ I said. I fired.

I woke suddenly, sweating and with my sheets on the ground. I looked myself over; I looked no different apart from an almost unseeable change in my claw length. Alexia was missing from her bed, though. Then I realized it was almost noon when I saw the clock. Damn, I can really sleep.
I saw another suit of basic body armor sitting next to the door, along with a shirt and pair of camo pants to go with them. Hanging off of the door was a general’s outfit, with medals of honor, bravery, and going beyond the call of duty on it. I put the camo pants and shirt on, then the body armor. I decided to keep the general’s uniform here for another day. I then strapped the Revenge to my lower back and took a few boxes of shotgun shells.
I walked down the hall to Natalie’s laboratory, and every ADF soldier stopped, saluted me, said a quick “sir!” and then let me pass. That’ll be hard to get used to.
I looked into the lab, and Natalie was doing work on what looked like another Bass Cannon, with Alexia on the medical bed behind her, reading a picture book.
'So you’re awake. During the night you were moving about a lot, and almost shouting things about demons. Nightmares?’ Natalie asked. Alexia looked up from her book, got down from the bed, and hugged my leg. I crouched down and hugged her back.
'See, I said I’d return safe.’ I said to her. She didn’t say anything, but Alexia was obviously happy. I got up and turned to Natalie. 'Yeah, they’ve been bad. The infection’s trying get me to let my guard down so it can take over.’
'So, it’s intelligent?’ Natalie then said.
'Seemingly. It keeps pretending to be Jack. Not as when we saw him back in the RAD base, but as when I fought him for the last time.’ I replied.
'You’ve had to fight him? And you said last... How many times have you had to kill your best friend?’
'We counting the mental times or the physical times? To hold the virus off I have to kill him again and again.’ I said. 'Physically, I fought him as I was escaping the RAD base, as I was trying to escape New Venice, and then during the Fall.’
'The Fall?’ Natalie asked.
'Ever heard of Orbital Engineering Suits?’ I replied.
'Yeah- oh wait, you don’t mean...’
'Due to the Trickster’s meddling, I had to fight Jack while we were falling from the upper atmosphere. He shouldn’t be able to come back physically again, he was turned to ash upon impact.’
'So that explains why that weapon on your makeshift memorial was melted.’ Natalie replied.
'Yeah, I tried to use the Bloody Talon during that long Fall. It melted.’ I replied.
'Speaking of big guns...’ Natalie said, closing the cover on the Bass Cannon. She handed it to me. Looked similar to the prototype, but it was rounded on the edges and the inside where the wielder’s arm went was padded. 'Bass Cannon mark one. It’s stronger too, so it won’t get crushed if you skid on it for some reason.’ Natalie added. I took the Cannon gladly, strapping it to my back. But in some of the tests I discovered that the sheer power of it would actually shake it apart, and cause damage to itself. Even though the casing’s been upgraded, it still had to be lowered in power. It won’t do much to the larger creatures, nor can it tear through metal. But it can still devastate the smaller ones.’
'It’s good enough.’ I replied. The military phone rang on the desk, and Nat answered it.
'Trev, it’s for you.’
I picked up the phone, and a different voice was talking to me.
'General?’ A voice said.
'Which one are you looking for?’
'You, sir.’ The voice said. 'Why do you want me up there?’ I asked.
'The other generals are devising a plan and are asking for your help.’
'Where?’
'In the main bridge.’ The voice said.
'I’ll be up there.’ I said, then I hung up the phone.
'Got to go? Defending the Earth, and all of that?’ Natalie asked. I nodded. 'Best of luck, you big lug. Come back for me.’
'I intend to.’ I replied, before walking out the door.

I found my way to the main bridge, where several generals were around a table, including the leader of the ADF, admiral Kenji. I saluted the admiral.
'At ease, Trevor.’ Kenji said. I nodded and did so. 'We need your input on our plan.’
Kenji lead me to a table where a map of what looked like Moscow was set up. There was a large gate model in Saint Petersburg’s square. All of the other generals stared at me.
'Well, tell me the plan!’ I said. Kenji decided to speak.
'We’re going to send in three squadrons of our best men, coming in from three sides. They’ll fight their way through Moscow, eventually meeting up here-’ Kenji slammed his finger down on a point in the center of the map- a hotel. 'They will then proceed together towards the gate, and pick up a target ordinance security system- the TOSS, for short- that some ADF men had left. Using this, you can call down a missile strike that will destroy the gate. Problem is, the range of the TOSS is short and the missile’s explosion range is much larger. Only nuclear missiles could destroy this gate.’
'So it’s a suicide mission.’ I said.
'Sadly, yes.’ Kenji replied.
'Why can’t you drop the bomb from a fly-over?’ I then asked.
'Too close to the ground. Somehow the anti-air systems got hacked in Moscow and they’re shooting down the planes. The bomb will be dropped from a low-orbit missile platform.’
'Are you saying that the Demons hacked a digital weapons system with more defense than the whole of the American government on old Earth?’
'I doubt it was the Demons; a survivor probably hacked them to defend himself then got killed, leaving Moscow with a no-fly zone.’ Kenji replied.
'Not good.’ I said, shaking my head. 'How are the squadrons going to be dropped in?’
'Not dropped in. Three APCs are going to be heading out to the edges of the city from different locations, crossing the country. It’ll take a few days of solid driving to get there, though. We’re the squadron heading in from Finland, and thus it’s the least amount of driving.’
'So I’ve got to wait through a few days of driving in a cramped APC for a mission I have little to no chance of surviving? This isn’t sounding very good, sir.’ I said.
'By the time we get there, the gate’s going to be built and opened if we leave within the next few hours and their rate of building doesn’t change. Any survivors can escape-’
'...Escape to Hell. What’s worse?’ I said.
'We’ve already discovered that the Hell planet is a grand total of 5 and a half light years away from Earth; without these wormholes, travel there takes about 10 years at our current ship speeds. Ten years back as well.’
'Will I be myself by then...’ I muttered.
'Sorry?’ Kenji asked.
'Nothing. I’ll do it, as long as the other attacks made by the Beasts on other parts of the world are crushed with an iron fist. Make sure to do that.’ I replied.
'Moscow is the last corrupted area; the other areas that have reported outbreaks have been stopped.’
'Has the same thing happened at the other locations?’ I asked.
'Hardly; Moscow and London are the only two that have attempted creating the gates.’ Kenji said. 'We’re almost docked at Finland, and we already have a team picked out for you. Some of our best.’
'Where are they?’ I asked.
'In the vehicle bay, probably loading supplies into the APC. Best give your goodbyes to Natalie and that child, you won’t be seeing them for awhile.’
'Her name is Alexia, sir. And I’ll do that.’ I said, walking out.

I had already said my goodbyes to Natalie. She wished me the best of luck with a pointy kiss and some experimental weapons. It included some specialty slugs for the Revenge, a coating on the Revenge’s ax that will make it burn when I want it to and a few specialty grenades which would’ve made Clyde proud.
I found Alexia in the large room that the other surviving children were in, they were all playing some game with toy cars that kept on going astray. I sidestepped a large one that rolled my way. Alexia was away from them, playing with her toy dog, Billy.
'You should seriously get Billy patched up.’ I said, crouching down next to her. She looked at me with a smile and hugged me tight.
'Uncle Trev-Trev! You’re here!’ She said joyously. Trev-trev? I laughed at her nickname for me.
'Yeah, I do suppose I am. I’m not able to stay around for much longer though.’ I said. Her overly happy face turned sad again, which had turned into her normal expression.
'Why can’t you stay here? Please stay! Please please please-’ I made a shush movement, and she was quiet.
'It’s my duty, my dear, brave girl. But I promise, I will return. I don’t know if it’ll be ten days or ten years, but I promise, I will come back one day.’ I said. I would always remember that promise.
'Do you pinkie promise?’ She asked. I smiled.
'Yeah, I do.’ I said. We crossed pinkies, and then she hugged me again. She turned her head to her toy dog, as if she was listening to it.
'Billy wishes you the best of luck.’ She then said.
'Well, tell him thanks for me.’ I said. 'I need to get moving- I’ll bring you something back when I return. Always wait for me, will you? Also, why don’t you go join the other children, I think they need another driver.’ I said. She ran off to them, waving goodbye. I waved back as I went towards the vehicle bay.

I climbed down the ladder to the vehicle bay, which was in the bowels of the ship. One of the walls was made to open up when the ship came near the shore, but it hadn’t yet. The five-man squad was trying to load items into the APC.
The first squad member I saw was a Harrier’s hawk, wearing a thick outer coat and an outback hat. He had shiny metal goggles around his neck, and a sniper rifle on his back. He saluted me when I walked past.
'Welcome to the suicide squad, sah!’ He said.
'At ease, soldier.’ I replied. He relaxed and straightened his hat. 'What’s your name?’
'Sergeant Bruce, sah.’ He said. Ugh, these accents.
'Well, Bruce, get yourself ready for a long drive.’ I said. I continued past. I noticed Bay was there, helping carry some crates of food. I took one from her hands almost without her noticing. I did see her bandages, though.
'Hey wait you big guys, I can carry- Oh, sorry sir!’ Bay exclaimed.
'Why are you even calling me sir?’ I asked, loading in the crate.
'I’ve sorta been a honorary member of the ADF for awhile now, they put me in properly last night. I’m Gunnery Sergeant Bay now.’ Bay replied, loading in her crate. 'See, they even gave me a new gun and everything!’ I noticed a small carbine on her back, alongside her sword.
'Nice work, sergeant.’ I said, patting her on the back as I walked to the other crates. We loaded in two more, and I entered the APC to familiarize myself with the two squad members inside it. One- a small female rabbit was trying to figure out the controls with a larger male hare with brown fur trying to help her out. When I walked into the cockpit, the hare saluted. The rabbit, on the other hand, didn’t notice I was coming in.
'Albert, what does this one do?’ She asked in a heavy Russian accent, pointing to the lever that changed gears.
'Valeriya, we have an officer in our company...’ The Hare muttered also in a similar accent, still saluting. Valeriya slowly turned and then, upon seeing me, shot up from the chain and shakily saluted me.
'Sorry sir for not seeing you!- I can explain-’ The rabbit said. I stopped her.
'No need for explanations, soldier. Glad to see you were embroiled in learning how to drive this thing, at least. Ranks, you two.’ I said.
'Lieutenant Valeriya, sir! Special ops and communications officer!’ Valeriya said.
'Captain Albert, demolitions technician and vehicular combat specialist!’ Albert said. He had at least a foot and a half on the short rabbit, not even including the ears.
'At ease, you two.’ I said. 'I’d suggest getting back to work learning how the vehicle drives. And Albert, we’ll see who can drive a vehicle better.’ I said.
'You sure, sir? I’ve gotten away from an exploding base on a snowmobile, resistance included.’ Albert said.
'I’ve done that while shooting back and driving away from an avalanche caused by a similar explosion. Sure, it was in a Snowcat, but do you know how hard those things are to turn?’ I replied, which impressed the Captain. We could’ve easily compared our vehicular achievements and traded tactics for hours, but that’ll have to wait for the ride.
I walked back out of the APC to see the last squad member running down the stairs and into the bay. He was a slightly robust rat with a simple helmet and soldier’s outfit on and several large weapons on his back.
'Hope I’m not late!’ The rat said with a New Yorker accent. He ran over, his equipment jangling. He saluted me, panting and hunched double.
'Name and rank, soldier.’ I said.
'Sergeant Marvin, trap specialist!’ He shouted, quickly taking a big swig of a massive canteen afterwards.
'Get your gear packed, Melvin. We’re about to roll out.’

A few hours later we were already speeding across the frozen tundra, a white mist behind us. The APC had two large .50 Caliber machine guns mounted on the roof, and each one had to be controlled by someone. Bay and I had taken the controls, and Albert was driving. Bruce and Melvin were inside, resting and Valeriya was inside the cockpit trying to learn more of the driving mechanics.
‘Why must it be so cold out here...’ Bay said, shivering. The APC got bumped when it flattened a Demon. even out here, Beasts were common.
‘Well, it is Finland. We go fifty miles north and we’re in the Artic circle.’ I replied.
'Hopefully we’re not going that far up.’ Bay said.
'No, Moscow is a few hundred miles below the Artic Circle, so we’ll be fine unless there’s a massive fucking obstacle in our way.’ I replied. I shot down a half-frozen Goliath.
‘Good to hear.’ Bay replied. We slammed onto a cracked tarmac road. ‘Hey, I’ve been working on my accuracy; watch!’ She then shouted. We drove past an aged billboard advertising some type of truck. She shot through the windshield of the printed truck after we were a good fifty feet away.
'Nice shooting.’ I said. She smiled proudly.
'Trevor, you ever get any ideas on what to do after this mess?’ Bay asked a few minutes later.
'Retirement. I intended to before all of this shit started. But I doubt I’ll get the chance.’ I replied.
'You mean with the whole suicide mission thing?’ Bay asked.
'Not really. I already have a way to get everyone out.’ I replied.
'Oh? Tell me, then.’
'When we get to the portal, I’ll send everyone away to start running. I’ll call the missile down onto the gate which will be open at the time and run through it. I’ll be stuck in Hell, but I’ll still be alive.’ I replied.
'In normal conditions, that would be such a contradiction.’ Bay said. I laughed.
'I guess it would. But from there, I can stop any more attacks on Earth and possibly stop these things once and for all.’
'But doesn’t Hell have no ammo at all? How are you going to fight back?’ Bay asked, confused.
'There’s still the remains of the ADF cruiser and New Germany left there, I can always go to those if need be. If there’s nothing left, I’ll still find a way. Hell, I’ll fight tooth and claw if need be. I’ll never stop until my heart stops beating.’ I replied.
'Well said, Trevor.’ Bay replied. She shot down a few Demons coming our way.
'You two come down from there, Melvin and Bruce are going up now!’ Albert said through an intercom in each of our turret chassis. I shot down a last attacking Hexed one and then went back into the main APC via a trap door in the bottom of the turret.
'Nice work out there, mate. My turn.’ Bruce said, climbing into one. Melvin didn’t say anything as he climbed into his.
I took off my coat and relaxed on the thinly cushioned benches. The inside of the APC was warm, but hard to get sleep in. The suspension wasn’t so great.
'So, what about you? Where are you going to go after the fighting?’ I asked Bay.
'I’m not quiet sure. I always try to help people, perhaps I’ll try to work in the reconstruction effort.’ Bay replied. She examined her blade, which reflected my face. I still saw the demon face that has been lurking. Bay turned the blade slightly, cleaning it with some special liquid. I saw another reflection- my demonic form ripping her throat out. But she was fine. I rubbed my eyes.
'Tired?’ Bay asked.
'Tired of this war, you mean.’ I said.
'I think everyone is.’
We were silent for a moment while Bay was cleaning her sword.
'Bay, where’d you get that sword again?’ I asked.
'Museum. Also picked up a cleaning kit, this thing needs it. From what I saw it was some important samurai’s in the 1200's. I just try to keep it clean.’ Bay replied. She tilted a bit further, showing a barely noticeable engraving on the side of the blade.
'And that engraving on the blade’s side?’ I asked.
'Weird, I’ve never noticed that before.’ Bay said. The engraving was of an Asian dragon laying waste to a camp, where men in robes fled. I noticed most of the blood stains she hadn’t wiped away yet were inside the dragon’s fire and the fire in the camp. Interesting.
She wiped away the stains, still examining the blade. She turned it to the side; same engraving.
'I wonder what the importance of that engraving is.’ Bay said.
'Shinji would’ve known.’ I said.
'Shinji?’
'One of the Hellrunners squadron- he was a Japanese hawk. Carried around a similar sword, just not as detailed. He was a good man.’ I said.
'He’s dead, huh?’ Bay asked. I nodded. 'Any of the Hellrunners squadron left, apart from yourself?’
'There was a young lion called Jake who escaped with the New Germany refugees, but I’m not sure how he’s fared through this fighting.’ I replied.
'I hope he’s still alive; we need good men.’ Bay said.
'No kidding.’

Three long days and nights of driving took their tool, but we made it to Moscow in the end. We rolled down an outer street, gunning down approaching Demons and flattening more. I was in the cockpit with Albert.
'Careful, those Goliaths can do serious damage.’ I said, pointing out one that had just smashed through a brick wall and was charging at us. Albert swerved, giving Melvin and Bay enough time to shoot it down.
‘I know how to drive, sir.’ Albert said.
‘It’s best to make sure.’ I replied, which got an annoyed look from him. He responded with flattening a Octo-gore, splattering the intestines all over the front window.
'Albert, give us some backup!’ Valeriya shouted. She was shooting from the back through the opened doors, alongside Bruce. He hopped out of the driver’s seat and went sat in the doorway and I took his place.
'Show me those skills, sir.’ He said running into the main compartment. I gunned the engine, happy I’ve got a big vehicle again.
'Bay, take down the large ones ahead of us! Melvin, take the sides! I’ll take the little ones ahead of us.’ I said. They responded, and started shooting again. I drifted the APC around a corner, crushing a few Demons under its big wheels. I then decided on a hunch to switch on my radio in the frequency that the Distributor was broadcasting on. I got a signal.
'Brothers, sisters! The time fast approaches again, where we shall let our fellows into this damned planet! The Destroyer will fall today, for my technology will clear us a path to salvation!’
'Oh, fuck...’ I said.
'Trevor, what is it?!’ Bay shouted over the gunfire.
'Radio the other squads, tell them to expect severe, unprecedented resistance! This ain’t the half of it!’ I shouted back. Albert was smart enough to go to the other cockpit seat and strap himself in.
'The time has come! Prepare to witness my power!’
'Everyone, get yourselves ready!’ I cried. There was a loud rumble from the center of the city, sending a dust storm flying down the streets. Then there was an almighty explosion that shattered buildings, raining bricks onto the roof.
'What the hell was that?!’ Bruce shouted.
'Oh my god...’ Albert said.
'What the fuck just caused that?!’ Bay shouted.
'That.’ I said, gesturing towards the massive circular spaceship now floating over the center of Moscow. The main body was round, and it tapered off into what looked like a viewing platform in a shape akin to a cone. The bottom was also cone-like but ended in a massive drill. Around the edges were windows and these gigantic metal plates that slowly rotated around the ship. They had large mechanisms on each end, and seemed to be floating. The ship was at least a mile in diameter!
'Now, let this city crumble!’ The Distributor roared over the radio. The plates on the ship altered their angles and started blasting down blue beams of light. The ground rumbled like an earthquake for nearly a solid minute.
'We’re getting seismic readings off the scale there! What the hell’s going on?!’ One of the generals shouted through another radio. I kept on driving, taking new shortcuts that were opened by the collapsing buildings. The earthquake stopped- and then the ground fell inwards on itself. I blacked out when we landed 50 feet below.

I woke up with Bay shaking me.
‘Enough shaking, please...’ I said.
‘Oh, sorry. You were out cold.’ Bay replied. She got up, and I did as well. The area had totally changed. I had got flung out of the APC, which was flipped over a distance away. The ground had collapsed, leaving a good deal of pipes exposed. Fires were burning all around, and the remains of buildings were at odd angles. The destruction seemed to encompass the whole city and the surrounding area.
‘Good lord.’ I said.
‘That’s what I said.’ Bay replied. I noticed Bruce leaning back on a collapsed wall, trying to bandage an injured leg.
‘Bay, go help Bruce out. I’ll find the others.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Bay said sarcastically, running his way. I took the Revenge out as I walked slowly towards the flipped APC. I heard crying.
‘Valeriya, you alright?’ I asked, recognizing the sobs as her’s.
‘They’re dead... All of them...’ I heard her voice say.
‘Albert and Melvin are KIA?’
‘Albert, Melvin, even Trevor... They’re all gone...’
‘Pull yourself together, sergeant. I’m right here.’ I said. I saw her crouched over two mutilated bodies. Wait no, it was one, ripped in half. Melvin’s.
'They’re all gone!’ Valeriya cried out again. I put my hand on her shoulder, and she turned to me. Her face was gone, along with the eyes. Tentacles similar to a Hexed one’s reached from her mouth.
'Oh shit!’ I cried out, jumping back when she lunged at me. I fired the Revenge into her, knocking her back.
Her stomach ripped open, allowing Octo-gore like tentacles to swing around. Bay came around the corner and just managed to slice one off that was coming towards her face.
A bullet passed through Valeriya’s head, blowing out the front of it. The body continued trying to fight for a few seconds after, then it fell down, dead as a doorknob. I saw Bruce reloading his rifle from behind me while I was picking up Valeriya’s dogtags.
'What the hell’s happening...?’ I heard Albert say from inside the cockpit of the APC. I stepped over Melvin’s destroyed body, took his dogtags and walked into the cockpit. I found Albert still strapped to his chair, upside down. I undid his seat belt. I saw the hole in the glass that I made when the APC crashed.
'We crashed. That ship collapsed the whole of Moscow.’ I replied as Albert pulled himself up. He noticed Melvin’s body.
'Chert voz'mi!’ Albert swore in Russian. 'We loose anyone else?’
'I don’t think you want to see what Valeriya turned into.’ I replied. Albert rested his face in his hands, kneeled down, and screamed in anguish. 'You loved her, didn’t you?’ I then asked.
'We were meant for each other! We had a villa picked out in a small town near the border, all ready! After the war, we were going to start a family!’ He cried out. His arms went slack.
'I’m sorry, Albert. Everyone’s lost someone.’ I said. I handed him Valeriya’s dogtags, which he dropped on the ground before picking them up. He stood back up and took a picture from his pocket. It was a damaged photo of Valeriya and him standing in front of what I presumed to be their villa, smiling. Valeriya was trying to stick two fingers over Albert’s head in the photo, but she was almost comedically short for it to work. I guess that was a common joke for the two.
'I’m not going to stop fighting until every last one of these fuckers is dead.’ Albert said, walking out of the crashed APC. I followed.

And then there were four. I was unhurt- of course- but the others were in bad shape. Bay was in a turret when the APC crashed, but was lucky enough to be flung out a few feet above the ground. She was scratched up, and one of her lower pants legs had to be turned into a bandage for a big gash in her side. Bruce’s leg was broken, so Bay tried to help him along until we found a crutch. He made sure to actually wear his goggles so the dust didn’t get in his eyes. Albert had landed hard and his stomach was badly bruised from the seat belt, but he was in alright shape. He seemed to have a concussion, though.
'We need to know about the mission objectives. What about the other squadrons?’ I asked one of the team. Bay had picked up the communications equipment.
'They aren’t responding to our signals. Probably dead.’ Bay replied.
'And the TOSS? What about that?’ I asked.
'I have no clue.’ Bay replied.
'We need to find it.’ I said. 'It was in a holdout ADF outpost, yeah?’
'I think so, yes. Where a squadron held out.’ Albert muttered. Bruce looked his way.
'Come on mate, you need to live. We can mourn after this shit is over.’ The hawk said.
'I’m just wondering who’s going to be next.’ Albert replied.
'Honestly, I don’t give a damn if I die. As long as it helps us win.’ Bruce said.
'We need to find the TOSS first- hey, wait... When the city collapsed, the Anti-Air systems would’ve been taken off line. We still have a few miles to go before the gate; try to get AF on the ringer. See why they can’t do a fly-over.’ I said.
‘Probably because of the massive alien ship hovering above the city.’ Bay mentioned.
‘Yeah, I do suppose you’re right. I’m too eager to end this. We need to destroy the ship.’ I said.
‘How? We’re not equipped for blowing up something that big!’ Albert said. 'This is hopeless...’
'Never give up hope.’ Bruce said to Albert.
'Thanks, Bruce. At least you’re trying to keep up moral.’ Bay said.
'I do what I can.’ He replied.
We staggered onwards, following what used to be the roads. We made it as far as the remains of the business sector before the next Demons attacked us.
'They’re coming this way! Get ready to fight!’ I heard one growl.
'Guys, get ready! I hear them!’ I shouted, holding the Bass cannon ready. Time to test this baby out.
'Die!’ One roared as it leapt out. I blasted it with the cannon, making its upper half explode into fine mist. I also noticed the rumble it made sounded more like the bass beat in a pop song now. Perhaps I shouldn’t drop the bass.
Bruce put a large bullet through a Hexed one before a Demon knocked him and Bay down. Bay sliced its head off with a quick swing from her sword, and helped Bruce up. She was a good person to be wielding an important sword like that- the original samurai would be proud.
Albert pulled out a machine pistol and started rattling lead through the ranks of the Beasts, killing a dozen with one cartridge. He was screaming in rage.
I pumped the bass cannon up and let out a solid blast through the enemy ranks, evaporating them in streaks. It had an oscillated tone, and could easily be mistaken for a bass beat. Was that intentional?
Bay slammed her sword back into the sheath and pulled out her carbine, hanging onto Bruce the whole way through. Bruce shot down the bigger ones.
A wall exploded above us, and a Leviathan landed with a boom from an overhanging building. I tried the bass cannon on it, but it was only dazed.
‘Focus your fire on the Leviathan!’ I shouted, switching to the Revenge. I blasted it in the eyes, staggering it. The metal girder it used as a weapon knocked down a few Beasts in its blind fury.
Bruce was quick- he shot it right through the head. The bullet passed through and shattered what glass that was left above, raining shards on everyone. I then tried the bass cannon again. Its head exploded in a massive cloud of red mist.
'Oh, hell yes!’ I shouted. I didn’t see the Goliath charging at me, which sent me flying. I pulled myself up, popped my arm back into place, and reloaded the Revenge. It roared furiously at me, charging again. I sidestepped and slammed the ax of the Revenge into its head, killing it.
Bay sat Bruce down on some rubble to get into the thick of the fighting with her sword; Albert went to give Bruce some backup.
'Take that! Hyah!’ I heard Bay shout, and I saw a head go flying. Nice work.
An Octo-gore flung itself my way, grabbing my legs with its tentacles. I sliced the tentacles off and blasted it. Another Demon lunged over the body but landed on the Revenge’s ax blade. I got it off, reloaded, and ran over to help Bay. But she had already eliminated her attackers.
'Whew, did you see that work of mine? Best yet!’ She said as I came past.
'Not bad at all.’ I said. Albert was carrying Bruce now, and Bruce had dropped his rifle. His stomach was slashed almost wide open, and he was trying to stop the bleeding.
'Well, mates- looks like I don’t have long in this world after all.’ He said.
'You have got to hang in there, Sergeant!’ Albert exclaimed. 'What were you just telling me a few minutes ago? We have to hang in there!’
'You’re right, Captain. But you’ve got to help me.’ Bruce replied.
'I’ll do just that. General Trevor, shall we move out?’ Albert said.
'Lets move.’

We ran as fast as possible down the only paths open for us. We were soon near the ship, where there was nothing intact but cracked rubble. The ground was totally flattened, and the gate was still a mile away over open ground.
'Good lord, looks like someone paved over Moscow!’ Bay joked, looking overhead at the massive ship. The thing was somehow stopping snow from falling on top of us. Looked like it was melting above it.
'Ugh, my poor city... This was where the Cathedral was...’ Albert said.
'Yeah, and this was where I got chased by a massive-ass Demon equipped with almost every single gun know to man.’ I said.
'Is it just me or was the destruction more obvious closer to the ship?’ Bruce said.
'You know, you’re right. We should be inside the ship when it does another blast.’ I said. 'But how are we going to get in?’
‘The way they are.’ Bay replied, pointing to an elevator that connected the ship to the ground. Several Demons were going up it.
‘Alright, we have access. Move!’ I shouted, and we started running as quick as possible to the elevator, which was half a kilometer away.
Within seconds, the Demons had noticed us. Including the Lurchers.
‘Watch out, Lurchers!’ I shouted to the team, but too late. Bruce’s goggles didn’t protect him from the bone spike that hit him in the face, leaving a gapping hole. He was dead.
‘No, god damn it!’ Albert cried out, dashing ahead and laying down fire with his machine pistol.
‘Don’t be so quick!’ I exclaimed, salvaging what I could from Bruce’s body. I tossed on the barely fitting hat and pocketed his dog tags. The goggles were unusable, though.
A bone spike shot past me, bouncing along the ground. I fired at it, causing it to close its shields. Bay let off a blast of bullets that riddled the Lurcher’s shields and also took down a Demon. Albert ran up the Lurcher’s shields and personally kicked its head in with his steel-toed boots.
I pulled out the Bass Cannon and let off a few blasts into the oncoming crowds, dying the ground red.
A Regenerator came smashing through the crowds straight at me.
'I’ll take care of this one, you guys kill the rest!’ I shouted. I side-stepped it and blasted it with the Bass Cannon, which didn’t even make it stop. I switched it out for the Revenge, which I had already ignited its ax. It charged again, and I swung the ax through its torso. It didn’t exactly slice its way through the flesh but melt its way. It staggered around, and then pulled itself back together. By then I had gotten behind it and had already smashed the Revenge into its spine, causing it to roar in pain. I proceeded to use all of my might to rip out the tendrils on it, causing blood to spurt high into the air. I got knocked off by said blood spurt before I could rip out the last two.
'Destroyer; you shall never win...’ It hissed.
'I think I will.’ I replied, running back at it. I landed the ax in its shoulder and let off the shells into its back. I then reloaded and did it again, not taking the Revenge out of its shoulder. It staggered back, which gave me enough time to give it a round-about kick to the head, spinning it. I then ripped out the remaining two tendrils, and it collapsed. I blasted its head off.
'Seriously, just stop trying!’ I shouted at the body. A Goliath charged at me, swinging its chain. I avoided it and blasted it in the back, making it tumble. I got on it and hacked away with my ax, leaving its front half a bloody mess.
Bay ran past me, sword held high. She decapitated several of the attackers and sliced a third plain in half. Another came at Bay- she slammed the katana into its shoulder and pulled down, slicing off its arm. The thing crumpled to the ground.
Albert dashed out of the oncoming crowd, towards the elevator. But some Beasts were coming down. Hell-variants.
Albert turned tail and dashed the other way as a massive Lurcher with a scaled body and thick marble shields started firing at him, roaring in between shots. Six Goliaths with massive weapons came charging out, two at each of us. One of mine had a mace, but the other had a massive sword. It was at least 8 feet long and a foot wide! Near the top was a hooked edge where something could be caught, and a second handle was near the bottom of the blade on the side facing the wielder. Of course, the Goliath had partially merged with it and only dragged it behind. I wanted that sword.
The mace Goliath swung its marble shield at me first, which I dodged. The mace slammed down, impacted the ground with a huge boom and I blasted the chain apart. The weaponless Goliath roared in fury, which gave me a chance to blast its head off. The sword-wielding Goliath charged at me from behind the dead one, catching my by surprise. I just dodged the sword and then ran up it, swinging the Revenge’s ax into its head. The damn thing was wearing armor, and thus that did nothing!
Bay’s Goliath were less of a trouble, although one did have a massive, totally ludicrous chainsaw as a weapon. Albert was a bit less luck; both of his had maces, but they were quite fast. The Lurcher fired at each of us now and then.
'Holy shit! What the hell is with these things?!’ Bay exclaimed.
'Hell variants! These things are heavily armored and a lot more dangerous!’ I replied. I switched to the bass cannon, hoping I wouldn’t damage the metal on the Goliath. Thankfully, I didn’t. The flesh in it kind of melted, and the armor tumbled to the ground. I put the Revenge on my back and picked up the massive cartoon-like sword. It was quite light, but still required both hand to lift. I used the secondary handle as well, giving me some extra power behind the swings.
I dashed towards the Lurcher, dragging the massive blade behind me. Sparks flew as I dodged the bone spikes. I actually blocked one with the blade, reflecting it away. I then ran up one of the Lurcher’s shields, swinging the blade up high. When it came down, the Lurcher had been split right in half. Even one of the marble plates had been cut.
'Everyone, get in the elevator!’ I shouted to Bay and Albert. I slid into the elevator first, and Bay ran in just behind. Albert ran in with Goliaths chasing him, but he rolled in. I smacked the close doors button on the elevator, and we started moving up. Just in time- one of the Goliaths had smashed the empty frame below.
'We survived that? Wow.’ Bay commented. Then she noticed my sword, which I was resting on my shoulder. The elevator may have been large, but it still almost touched the roof. 'Damn Trevor, that’s a big sword.’
'Hell variants get some weird shit sometimes.’ I replied. 'This is the first time one’s actually been salvageable.’
Bay looked at her sword, then mine, and hers again. 'Want to swap?’
'No thanks.’ I replied.
'It’s good and all that you got a fucking Anime sword, but we’re heading straight into Demon country. Shouldn’t we be taking this time to get ourselves ready?’ Albert interjected.
'He’s right.’ Bay said. She sheathed her sword and reloaded the carbine. 'Ready.’
I made sure the Revenge was loaded. 'Ready.’ I then said.
Albert looked surprised. He threw away his pistol- he had no ammo. What he did have through were several grenades and an assault rifle he picked up from an ex-ADF Demon.
'How many do you reckon are in the ship?’ Bay asked. The ascent was slow- we were only half way there.
'Hundreds, at least.’ I said. 'But they won’t last.’
'We got a plan? An objective?’ Albert asked.
'We need to find the control bridge on this ship and cause it to self-destruct. When it’s gone, ADF can blow the shit out of the gate.’
'Hopefully the self-destruct’s timed.’ Bay said.
'No kidding. But I intend to get you two out of here before that timer starts.’ I replied.
'Why?’ The both asked at the same time.
'I don’t need any more deaths.’ I said. We were nearing the end.
'Alright, I understand. But let’s fight until the end, eh? As the world burns...’ Bay said.
'It’s just Moscow burning, for now.’ I replied. The elevator dinged when we arrived, And the doors opened with a hum. We ran out into the hallway that seemed to circle the ship, and we started fighting.
The first Demon that rushed me got sliced in half. The second one lost its legs, and the third on got its neck caught in the hook at the end. I swung the sword around, launching the Demon down the hall and into the other ones like bowling pins.
'Damn, I’m envious.’ Bay said. She pumped a few bullets into the other attackers while I smashed them down.
'Cover Albert!’ I shouted as I sliced a Goliath in half. Bay ran behind me and stood next to the Hare, gunning down waves of incoming attackers from the other side.
I, on the other hand, was using the raw power of one of the oldest types of weapons- the sword.
I sliced a Demon in half down the middle, then swung the blade to the side to cut down an attacking Octo-gore. Another Hell-variant Goliath came in, this one carrying a similar but more worn down sword. I blocked my strike which was coming down on a Demon with its own sword and shoved me back.
'Oh, so you want to fight?’ I said in their language.
'You do not know what we are, or how we work. You didn’t even know of our intelligence until you got infected! You’ll lose, I’m sure of that.’ The armored and smart Goliath said.
'We’ll see about that!’ I responded, swinging my sword at its head. It deflected the swing with its shield of marble and then shoved me back. Its sword hit the ground so hard that the metal warped- But it gave me a chance to get behind it. I slammed the sword into its back, which only damaged my sword.
'See? Intelligence.’ The Goliath growled, spinning around. The sword impacted in the wall, getting wedged there. I swung mine down and shattered my opponent’s sword, but also seriously damaged mine. The Goliath stepped back.
'But there’s always a chink in the armor.’ I said. I got to the side of it and swung at the neck, decapitating it. Another Demon charged at me from over the body- I hit it was the sword, but the sword made a loud metallic clang and shattered.
'Damn it.’ I said, tossing the other half at a Hexed one, which it slammed into. 'Come on, let’s move!’ I shouted to Bay and Albert, who had just finished off that wave of attackers.
'What the hell were you saying to that Goliath?’ Albert asked as we ran down the hall.
'Nothing very pretty.’ I replied.
'I kinda want to know how you understand them!’ Bay shouted.
'Let’s just say, you don’t want to go through what allowed me to learn their language.’ I replied.
'What allowed you to?’ She then asked. There was a scuttling sound coming from the corridor, and I stop everyone.
'That!’ I shouted as several dozen Bugs came pouring in. 'Don’t shoot them in the thorax! They store a gas inside there that causes infection!’ Albert and Bay jumped back, now knowing what the purple gas was.
'Run!’ Bay shouted.
'We need to find a door to stop them!’ Albert exclaimed. We almost ran past a round door in the wall, which we opened and slammed behind us. The Bugs were ramming into it.
'How long do you two reckon that’ll last?’ I asked.
'Not long.’ Bay said. We had entered a small room- looked like it used to be a sleeping quarters for a few dozen men.
'Wait- are there vents?’ I said. We found one under one of the bunks, almost un-reachable.
'I’ll go first- I’m the smallest!’ Bay shouted, sliding in. I was trying to hold the bunk up so they could get in. I noticed the gas seeping through the edges of the door.
Albert tried to get in but then couldn’t because of his equipment. He ditched that and climbed in, only carrying his pistol.
'Get in!’ Albert shouted to me. I couldn’t lift the bed up higher; I couldn’t get inside. I shook my head.
'What do you mean, no? The gas is coming in!’ He replied.
'I’ve survived it before. I’ll survive it again.’ I said. I dropped the bed, and I heard the two crawling down the vent. 'Move fast!’ I then shouted, turning to the door with the bass cannon.
The purple gas lapped around my ankles like water, but floating upwards in big wisps. I pumped the cannon as many times as possible and fired at the door.
The door shattered into shards, along with the creatures on the other side. The wall also got blasted open, sucking out the remaining gas and Bugs. I hung onto the remains of the door frame. I felt a bit lightheaded- effects of the gas?
An energy shield shrouded the hole, and everything stopped getting sucked out. I rubbed my head and continued down the main hall, hoping for a door to meet up with Bay and Albert again.
I saw Jack walking down the corridor. Yeah, effects of the gas.
'Give in to the demon, Trevor!’ Jack roared at me.
'Never.’ I replied, swinging the Revenge’s ax at him, the visage vanished, replaced with what seemed to be a sea of bodies on the floor. Will these night terrors never cease?
As I walked, my body put up resistance. It acted like I was really walking through hundreds of bodies.
I felt a bit groggy, and then I fell over; still conscious. I got back up, noticing that all of the “bodies” were of my lost friends. My own Demons never quit, do they?
The bodies vanished, allowing me to see a familiar wolf walking down the hall, carrying an assault rifle and wearing the uniform of a colonel. Kennedy...?
'Glad to see you still alive, Trevor.’ He said, which had my confused. I tapped him- he was really here. This can’t be right- his uniform was spotless.
'I could say the same.’ I replied. 'How are you?’
'Relatively good. I managed to survive the attack back in Hell. Got back here in a similar fashion you did, through a portal. Mine was on the ground, though.’ He replied. I leveled the Revenge at his face.
'How’d you know that?!’ I shouted. 'You weren’t there!’
'It was on the news, Trevor.’ Kennedy replied. I almost relaxed, almost.
'Who were the other members of the Hellrunners squadron?’ I then asked him.
'What does this got to do with anything?’ He asked.
'Everything.’ I growled.
'They were... Shit, these things are hard to remember.’ Kennedy replied.
'They were your squadron before I saved you.’ I said.
'Herbert, Shaun-’ The names he were coming up with were totally false. Who the hell were Herbert and Shaun anyhow? I swung the Revenge’s ax over his head, almost bringing it down on him. But he had moved over to the side in an instant.
'Wrong!’ I said, firing at him. He avoided the buckshot from point blank range.
'Come now, must it come to this?’ Kenendy said. 'I’m me- my memory’s a bit messed up, though.’ I didn’t belive it.
‘Alright then, who died when you and the squad crashed in Hell?’ I said, switching to the Bass Cannon- the weapon was still leveled at him.
‘I know this one... ugh, it’s at the tip of my tongue...’ Kennedy said.
‘You were a good man, once. A great officer that should’ve been a roll model for the rest of them. Hell, you have been for me since I became a general. But you’re not him! It was two unnamed Civilians and Medic McKenzie, by the way. Three strikes and you’re out, bastard.’ I said. 'And I mean Real out.’
'Sometimes, you were just too smart for your own good...’ Kennedy commented, shaking his head. Then I noticed something- the fur on him was falling out in clumps.
'Who escaped in New Germany?’ I asked, pumping the Bass Cannon.
'Doesn’t matter- now you’ll die!’ Kennedy roared, swinging a newly-formed massive claw at me. I dodged it and fired, blasting off the thing’s arm. It stared at the bloody stump for a second before it charged at me. I fired again at point blank range, painting the wall with red. The Kennedy-monster fell to the ground with a hole in its chest. Knew it; he couldn’t be alive. The body had lost most of its fur, revealing several mouths at odd angles on its body and an extra set of eyes behind the first ones. The eyes were blood red.
'You may torment me, but you will never kill me.’ I said, stepping over the body. I walked on, looking for an opening.

A few minutes later Bay came out of a room, blasting rapidly with her carbine and Albert’s pistol. Albert himself was nowhere to be seen. Bodies kept piling up in the doorway as I ran over. Both of Bay’s weapons ran out of ammo at the same times as an Octo-gore ran her way. I blasted it, catching Bay by surprise. She was out of breath.
'I was wondering where the hell you were.’ Bay said, dropping the useless firearms and drawing her sword.
'Where’s Albert?’ I asked.
'He held them off.’ Bay replied. She held Albert’s dogtags up high in her hand, alongside Valeriya’s. I took them regretfully.
'We’re the last two.’ I said. 'And I’m going to make sure you live, at least. If we find escape capsules, I’m sending you out of here on one!’
'Are you sure? I intend to help you until the end.’ Bay replied.
'I don’t need another death on my mind.’ I replied. We walked on a bit farther and found a large set of double doors.
'Important?’ She asked me.
'Obviously.’ I responded, hitting the button on the side of the doors. The doors hissed open, revealing a large hallway. A few Demons were wandering the halls; we slammed them down. Bay hacked one in half with a flying slash. This led us to three doors, and the one in the center was the grandest one of them all. I peered into the one on the left- a bay of small ships, obviously escape pods.
'Looks like your stop.’ I said, opening the door for her.
'You’re a very good man, Trevor. People like you come around once in a hundred years. To valiant for their own good, haha. Sometimes I wish I was like that. I’ll get out of here, Trevor. Survive for everyone, alright? Any message you want me to take?’
'Tell Natalie I really do care for her.’ I said. Bay nodded.
'Best of luck, Hero.’ She said, climbing into the pod. There was a loud boom, and the pod launched. I walked back into the hall and stood in front of the main door. I rested my hand on the button for a moment. What awaits me on the other side?
I hit the button and strode in.

The room was an elevator. It activated when I stepped on.
I loaded the Revenge and pumped the Bass Cannon- but then realized that the thing wasn’t offering any resistance in the pumps. I experimentally fired it up the elevator shaft and nothing happen. It must of run out of whatever energy it used to work.
I dropped the defunct weapon to the ground and rested the Revenge on my shoulder. The big open elevator was moving quite fast.
When it stopped, I discovered that I had entered the large room at the top of the ship, and control banks covered the walls. There was a spiral staircase leading to a platform above, where the Distributor awaited me, both weapons ready.
'Trevor, you die here, tonight! The gate is open, and my forces are going to start pouring in! Your species is finished!’ He roared.
'Not if I can help it.’ I said, firing at the Distributor. He jumped down, cracking the metal floor. He let off a blast from his Revenge- the sound echoed throughout the chamber and shredded a few computers. I started running up the stairs while the Distributor was shooting at me. A shot from his bloody Talon almost took out the whole staircase.
When I reached the top, the Distributor somehow jumped up and slammed me across the floor. I smashed into some control panels. I rolled just in time as one of his shots shredded that computer. I got a brief look outside- I saw an opening in the hull of the ship- a landing bay. An escape route.
I swung around a pole and kicked the Distributor in the face, making him stagger. I hit him in the face with the Revenge’s ax, making him roar in pain. He tossed me away into what seemed to be a main control panel, which was decorated in buttons. I almost slammed the biggest red button I could see, but had to move out of the way before the Distributor fired. But he held his aim,not firing. Then I realized this panel must be important.
'Don’t want to wreck the controls, huh?’ I asked him.
'But I can do this.’ The Distributor said, swinging his Revenge up high, its chainsaws roaring. I rolled out of the way of his swing which eviscerated a secondary control panel nearby. I swung around him, took his Bloody Talon, and fired it right at his back. The blast sent him flying across the floor and made him crash into a wall. He had left the bandolier with a dozen of the five-shot cartridges, which I strapped on. It looked demonic, but it wasn’t doing anything to me. Alright...
'So the warrior gets one of his old weapons back...’ The Distributor said. He raised his arms up high. 'Kill me, you have rightfully won this fight!’
'No.’ I said. I walked over to the control panel and then mentally made a path to the window that was in line with the landing bay. 'But I’ll make sure Earth’s safe.’
I fired at the control panel with the new Bloody Talon, blowing it to smithereens. Alarms went off, and the lights turned red. The ship was tilting.
'See ya!’ I shouted, running towards the window. I shot a way through it and leapt out, sliding along the steep metal side of the ship. The almost six-foot long rifle in my hands was making it hard to balance.
Wind whistled past me and made my jacket flap like a trapped bird. Bruce’s hat went flying; I was still somehow wearing it.
The control panel exploded above me, raining glass on my head. I just narrowly avoided a large vent, and then crashed into the bay. I found several rows of alien ships on the walls, and an ADF space-and-air-fighter (SAAF) mounted in the center of the room, a large warhead strapped to its bottom. Perfect! It must of been captured.
I leapt into it and started it up. The cockpit of the V-shaped fighter made you sometimes have to lean back, but it gave some room in the back for supplies. The controls were complex, but I had learned them. There was a screen just behind the handles with a few dials projected on it and a rotating ADF emblem.
'Voice print required to fly this ship.’ It chimed. Limit AI in this one.
'General Trevor. Now fly!’ I said.
'Access granted. Taking off.’ It responded. The SAAF blasted out of the bay and lifted off into the air, circling around. Then I realized a ship that big would detonate in a nuclear blast, probably. I circled around, looking for the gate. Then I saw it! It was pretty massive, the center being a purple energy field. I blasted towards it- the gate was my only hope!
A second before crossing into the gate I dropped the bomb behind me, making sure that I killed everything. Hopefully Bay got out.
The SAAF blasted through the portal, purple clouds surrounding it. I could see the things coming through it with me- debris, bodies, and the explosion behind me.
'Unknown Aerial Anomaly detected. Location unknown. Planet/space designation- unknown. Error...?’ The SAAF’s AI said.
'Override. Give me all manual control.’ I said.
'Acknowledged.’ It replied. I could see the end of the tunnel.
'Full boost!’ I shouted, and the three rockets behind it blasted through the portal. Debris tumbled out as we did, and then the explosion shook the landscape behind us. The landscape- Hell. The SAAF was leaving a trail through the dust of the desert. This desert had no ends in sight.
I looked over the landscape. It was the landscape of doom and gloom, of death and destruction. A landscape which will be home now for eight fucking years.
'Location unknown. Query: Where are we?’ The SAAF chimed.
'Hell.’