UNSCDF3 Chapter 16- Interrogations

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 14, 2001

0950 Local Time

            “Here’s the first marine, Captain Blake.” Dimitri waved at a Russian soldier outside.

            The soldier walked out and dragged a marine into the room. The marine had a pale look on his face as if he was still in shock from the siege of his ship.

            “Blake, here’s Private Thomas. I understand that he has nothing to offer me so I put his life on the line for what you have.” Dimitri shoved the pale marine to his knees.

            “What do I have?” Blake looked at Thomas.

            “Knowledge. What did you guys take out of the facility?” Dimitri demanded.

            “I don’t know.” Blake answered swiftly.

            “Wrong answer.” Dimitri pulled out his Luger sidearm.

            “Please…” Thomas begged for his life.

            “Dimitri, I swear I have no idea what the UNSC took out. That’s not my job.” Blake looked at Dimitri’s gun.

            “Then what’s your job?” Dimitri asked impatiently while studying his gun.

            “To retrieve UNSC asset.” Blake replied refusing to tell Dimitri of Zyrok.

            “Shame, I already know what you are here for. Your friend here, told me much more in detail.” Dimitri jabbed the Luger into Thomas’ back.

            “What do you want?” Blake pleaded.

            “Everything, but time’s up for Thomas.” Dimitri put a pullet into Thomas’ head.

            “No! You bastard!” Blake cried as Thomas dropped lifelessly to the ground.

            “You hesitate too much. You should know that I’m an impatient man.” Dimitri waved at the soldier beside him.

            The Russian soldier exited the room once again, but this time he dragged in a female marine.

            “Meet Lance Corporal Everson. She may know you, but you don’t know her. I should warn you, that I have no mercy in killing women if I don’t get information out of you.” Dimitri threatened.

            Everson looked at Blake and then Thomas’ body beside her. Her eyes lit up with fear as she watched Dimitri wave around his gun.

            “Now Dimitri, you don’t have to do this. Tell me exactly what you want and I’ll tell you.” Blake attempted to calm Dimitri down.

            “What do you have to offer me that she doesn’t have to tell me?” Dimitri yanked on Everson’s hair.

            Everson cried out loud and tried to wriggle herself from Dimitri’s grasp. Dimitri pulled out a combat knife and placed it by her throat.

            “Move and you die.” Dimitri warned.

            Everson stopped moving and nodded obediently. Tears streamed down her face and Blake watched helplessly.

            “I’ll tell you our RaidComm frequencies.” Reid blurted.

            “Already got that, we had defectors from your marines the first time you set foot here.” Dimitri sighed.

            “What? How?” Blake looked surprised.

            “Heard of Lieutenant Reid and his squad?” Dimitri asked.

            “I think I have…” Blake raised an eyebrow.

            “Well, you failed. I’m wasting too much time.” Dimitri looked at the sharp blade pressed against Everson’s neck.

            “Please…I beg you. Please don’t kill me. I’ll make it worth your time.” Everson begged for mercy.

            “My time?” Dimitri scoffed.

            “We can talk behind closed doors.” Everson responded.

            “Consider yourself lucky Blake. Everson can make a deal better than you.” Dimitri removed the blade from Everson’s neck and took her out of the room.

            Blake sighed in frustration as he knew what Everson was dealing with Dimitri. It shamed him that his marines had to belittle themselves to survive. Their pride and dignity was now turned to a class lower than the undead. Blake was angry at what the Russians were doing, but he was helpless.

New Karachi, Karachi, Pakistan

Khursheed Begum Park

May 14, 2001

1000 Local Time

            “Rise and shine.” Johnson shook an asleep Hariprasad.

            Their flight to reach the nearest camp was detoured when they encountered Russian helicopters patrolling in the vicinity. As a safe measure, Frederick called Daniels to land and take cover for a full day before moving out.

            “Ready?” Frederick walked in with her full combat gear.

            “All geared up and ready ma’am.” Daniels slung a backpack over his shoulder

            “Then let’s go. No time to waste, if Blake is still alive…we don’t have too much time.” Frederick warned.

            The group of marines exited the room and out of the building. In the middle of the street was the Falcon glistening in the morning sunlight.

            “Same game plan boys.” Frederick motioned the marines to move.

            Daniels hopped inside the cockpit and threw the backpack beside his seat whilst Frederick sat on her seat and buckled up.

            “Airborne in one minute people. Get strapped in.” Frederick hushed.

            The sound of seat belt buckles clicking could be heard simultaneously as the marines got into their seats. In a few seconds, the Falcon dusted off the ground and was in the clear skies.

            “How far are we out?” Johnson yelled over the roar of the rotors.

            “I’d say at least ten kilos out.” Hariprasad studied the buildings below.

            “Let’s hope this isn’t a wild goose chase.” Dau added.

            “Dude, it’s stationary.” Johnson reminded.

            “Fine, no need to get so technical here.” Dau smirked.

            Hariprasad grabbed a pair of binoculars from under his seat and scanned the distant lands.

            “You see it?” Frederick asked.

            “Not yet….not yet.” Hariprasad turned his head and placed his binoculars down on his lap.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 15- Reunion

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 13, 2001

1150 Local Time

            Dimitri looked at Blake tied to a chair while being interrogated by his men. Blake was a strong marine and was able to resist most of the torture the Russians had in store for him. Dima tapped Dimitri on the back to bring his attention.

            “Sir, the soldier we caught at the British Embassy is ready for interrogation.” Dima reported.

            “Good, show me.” Dimitri ordered.

            “Follow me sir.” Dima walked down the hall.

            The pair approached a door where a soldier stood guard. Dima nodded and the soldier opened the door. In the center of the room was Zyrok tied to a chair.

            “Why am I not surprised?” Dimitri laughed as he immediately recognized the captive marine.

            “And should I be surprised?” Zyrok mocked.

            “I see the UNSC left you to die.” Dimitri pointed.

            “I’m sure they’ll come and find me.” Zyrok answered swiftly.

            “I’m not so sure about that. Wouldn’t they have sent a team out to get you? After all Captain Zyrok, you helped your team carry away valuable information.” Dimitri challenged and crossed his arms.

            Dimitri had decided to he wanted to do his interrogation differently. Instead of torturing, he was going to lie to Zyrok and make him defect. It would be much easier if he spilled everything instead of forcing out partial and potentially inaccurate info.

            “What do you want Dimitri?” Zyrok struggled in his chair.

            Dimitri grabbed a chair beside the wall and sat down in front of him. Dima stood next to the door with his arms crossed unsure of what Dimitri’s intentions were.

            “Look, I want to help you. I know you’ve been abandoned by your team and you’ve also managed to bring along a girl.” Dimitri spoke softly.

            “Don’t you dare hurt her!” Zyrok growled.

            “Oh no, we’re not going to hurt her.” Dimitri replied.

            “Yeah right, your incompetent soldiers cut her neck in the scuffle.” Zyrok spoke angrily.

            “I’m sorry to hear that, I will find whoever it is responsible. Look Zyrok, we don’t hurt women and children.” Dimitri sighed.

            “I find that hard to believe.” Zyrok scoffed.

            “Fine, as a gesture of goodwill, I will remove your restraints and reunite the girl with you.” Dimitri waved at Dima.

            “What do you want? You weren’t a good person the last time I checked.” Zyrok watched as Dima removed his handcuffs.

            “People change…just like how the UNSC ditched you.” Dimitri reminded.

            “Are you that certain?” Zyrok rubbed his wrists.

            “Well, wouldn’t they be here by now?” Dimitri laughed.

            “Where’s Sarah?” Zyrok demanded.

            “Oh, that’s her name? I’ll have her sent over here.” Dimitri nodded at Dima.

            Dima walked to the door and opened it. He waved his hand out and a soldier escorted Sarah to the door.

            “Sarah!” Zyrok called out.

            Sarah turned her head and saw Zyrok and felt a sense of relief. The soldier let Sarah go and she quickly ran towards Zyrok. Zyrok embraced Sarah with a tight hug and crouched to look at her neck.

            “I’m so sorry.” Zyrok spoke apologetically.

            “Now that the reunion is over, let me offer you accommodation.” Dimitri waved at the door.

            “Follow me.” Dima spoke in a flat tone.

            Obediently, Zyrok grabbed Sarah’s hand and walked her out. After turning a few corners, the pair had been escorted to a room.

            “This is your quarters.” Dima opened the door.

            “Not bad…what’s the catch?” Zyrok examined the room.

            “We’re locking you here until we trust you.” Dima replied and watched Sarah lie on the bed.

            “Ok.” Zyrok nodded.

            “We’ll see you tomorrow.” Dima closed the door and locked it.

            Zyrok turned to look at Sarah and then walked to her. He sat down on the bed beside her and yawned. They were both exhausted and confused by the Russians’ act of kindness.

            “Sarah, come closer so I can look at your neck.” Zyrok patted the empty spot on the bed.

            Sarah crawled up beside Zyrok and raised her head. A cut was visible on the neck, but it was a flesh wound.

            “You’re going to be fine. It’s a small cut.” Zyrok assured with comforting eyes.

            Sarah looked down at Zyrok and touched her neck. Zyrok noticed a plate of biscuits beside the bed and motioned for Sarah to eat.

            “Let’s eat while we can.” Zyrok suggested as he picked up a biscuit.

            “Okay.” Sarah began to munch on her biscuit.

            Suddenly, the door opened and a soldier walked in with two trays. It contained a can of tinned tuna and the other was a can of tinned salmon. The soldier placed the tray beside Zyrok and walked out.

            “Wow.” Zyrok looked amazed.

            The soldier walked back in with two bottles of water and handed it to Zyrok.

            “Lunch.” the soldier mumbled and walked out.

            “What do you want Sarah?” Zyrok pointed at the tin cans.

            “I don’t know.” Sarah shrugged.

            “Well, in Canada we have a lot of salmon.” Zyrok chuckled.

            “I’ll take tuna.” Sarah decided.

            “It’s up to you. Salmon has more nutrients than tuna…I think.” Zyrok laughed.

            “As long as I’m full, I don’t care.” Sarah smiled.

            “Here, take the salmon. I want the best for you.” Zyrok handed the tinned salmon to Sarah.

Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Cobra Squad’s Camp

May 13, 2001

1400 Local Time

            “Gentlemen, are you ready?” Frederick looked at Dau and Hariprasad sitting on the couch.

            “Yes ma’am.” Dau stood up slowly.

            “We’ll make them pay.” Johnson walked in the room wielding a Washington 1100.

            “I’m ready LT.” Hariprasad gritted his teeth and stood up.

            “We’re going to do a quick snatch and grab of the assets if they are still there.” Frederick briefed.

            Daniels rushed into the room with his helmet on while holding a Lock 17 pistol.

            “Falcon’s ready ma’am.” Daniels holstered his sidearm.

            “Let’s go gentlemen.” Frederick ordered.

            “What about Parker and Sears?” Hariprasad asked.

            “They’re staying behind to watch base.” Frederick replied.

            The group of marines quickly headed for the roof and gathered around the Falcon.

            “Ok, listen up marines.” Frederick clapped.

            “Dau and Hariprasad, get on either side of the mounted turrets. Daniels, get it started up. Hariprasad, take a seat, we’ll be needing you soon.” Frederick commanded.

            “Understood.” Daniels rushed into the cockpit and closed the hatch.

            Frederick watched as the marines got into their positions before setting foot on the aircraft. Once she was in, Daniels lifted the Falcon off the ground and steered right. From a distance, the shores littered with ship debris and bodies.

            “What a mess…” Dau examined the distant shores.

            “A slaughter.” Johnson replied.

            “I knew people on that ship.” Dau spoke with a hardened look.

            “We all did.” Johnson sighed.

            “Alright, we’re going to increase altitude.” Daniels chirped on the comms.

            Daniels ascended the Falcon into a steady climb until it was just below the clouds. The wind was choppy, but the aircraft remained leveled. From the ground up, the Falcon looked like a small speck in the sky hiding from any potential threats.

Sketch of the Girl in My Gaming Group 4

Sketch dedicated to the "Girl in My Gaming Group"
*Exclusive on Memoirs of Zyrok*

UNSCDF3 Chapter 14- Experienced Soldiers

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 12, 2001

1400 Local Time

            “Almost done yet?” Sarah shouted from outside the room.

            Zyrok stood in the shower as warm water trickled down his dirty body. The pair had managed to find a section of the embassy that was untouched with the facilities still running. He had been showering for well over ten minutes in the change room with Sarah keeping guard outside.

            “You’ll get your turn Sarah!” Zyrok hollered.

            “You’re going to use up all the water!” Sarah pouted.

            Zyrok ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to straighten his hair. He grabbed a nearby soap and applied it to his arms. Dirt and blood turned the soap into brown bubbly foam and dripped to the ground. The hot water splashed against the ground and created a little steam and some condensation on the walls. Zyrok was relaxed and almost carefree. This was the break that he had been looking for ever since he was out in Afghanistan by himself. The shower was washing his past behind him and a new sense of hope renewed his strength. Feeling satisfied, Zyrok turned off the shower and stepped out whilst grabbing a towel. The hot water had warmed up the air and the room that was cold was no longer more.

            “Sarah, I’m done.” Zyrok dried himself with the towel and grabbed a new set of clothes hanging on the wall in front of him.

            It was a standard dress shirt and trousers he had acquired from one of the lockers. The shirt was a good fit, but the pants were too short. They were clean so Zyrok wore the trousers with a smirk.

            “Maybe I’ll find another one later.” Zyrok buttoned his dress shirt.

            Zyrok walked to the door while drying his hair with a towel. Sarah was sitting down on a bench swinging her legs with her arms crossed.

            “Finally.” Sarah jumped up.

            “Don’t take too long.” Zyrok watched as Sarah closed the door.

            He sat down on the bench and looked at a fully loaded M16 and Lock 17 he had found on one of the corpses. He removed the magazine from the M16 and looked inside the gun. He pulled the firing mechanism back and began to disassemble it for cleaning. He was bored and had nothing else to do than to sit and wait until Sarah was done taking a shower. From the corner of his eye, the main door into the change room creaked open a bit and closed back.

            “Hello?” Zyrok stood up and held the Lock 17 in front of him.

            The only sound Zyrok could hear was the sound of the shower and Sarah quietly humming in a melodious tune. Zyrok quickly holstered his sidearm and began to reassemble the M16. He wasn’t going to scout, but he wanted to be prepared to defend in the event that something did occur. In his gut feeling, something wasn’t feeling right. As Zyrok placed the magazine back into the M16 and cocked it, the lights suddenly turned off. Sarah cried out loud and Zyrok quickly pushed the door to the shower room open. Keeping his face forward to the main door, he turned on his flashlight and shone it behind him without looking.

            “Sarah, get dressed quickly. Get my flashlight.” Zyrok clicked on his flashlight on and off.

            “Ok.” Sarah whispered.

            Zyrok could feel Sarah’s wet hands touch his as she took the flashlight from behind him.

            “Close the door and get dressed.” Zyrok walked forward to allow Sarah to close the shower room door.

            Once the door clicked shut and Sarah was getting dressed, Zyrok steadied his M16 and slowly walked to the main door. Something wasn’t right about the door because of the shadows underneath it. It didn’t seem like the walking of an infected, but rather of a trained soldier preparing to clear a room. As Zyrok walked a step closer, he heard a beeping sound and he quickly turned his head just in time as the door exploded.

            “Sarah! Run!” Zyrok shouted as he rolled for cover.

            Just as Zyrok had expected, the Russians had somehow found them in the British Embassy. Maybe, there were soldiers already stationed here and that is why the facilities worked. Zyrok stuck his head out of cover behind the lockers and heard a series of gunshots. He ducked back into cover and looked at his weapons. He was no match for the Russians, but he had to protect Sarah. He slid to the next cover while spraying a light cover. A flashbang grenade rolled onto the ground in front of him and he quickly covered his eyes. The deafening bang briefly stunned Zyrok, but he quickly recovered just in time to shoot his gun at a Russian soldier.

            “Sarah! Run!” Zyrok shouted again as he saw more soldiers pour in.

            The room was lit up by the firing of guns and a smoke grenade which the Russians had tossed in. Zyrok coughed loudly and attempted to maintain his alertness. Suddenly, he heard a scream from behind him.

            “Sarah.” Zyrok immediately thought and had his eyes filled with fear.

            Using Sarah’s scream as his focus, Zyrok dashed into the change room and noticed a soldier holding Sarah and muffling her screams of help. Zyrok pointed his gun at the soldier and noticed he had a combat knife to her throat.

            “Let her go.” Zyrok commanded angrily.

            “Drop your weapon or I slit her throat.” the Russian soldier countered.

            “She’s just a child.” Zyrok held his gun firmly.

            A pistol click was heard at the back of Zyrok’s head. Before, he was about to shoot Sarah’s captor, but now he didn’t stand a chance to attempt a rescue.

            “You are a coward.” Zyrok felt his finger tingle on the trigger.

            “No, I’m a Russian and I don’t bluff.” the Russian pressed the blade on the neck of Sarah.

            From Sarah’s eyes, she was scared and unsure of what to do. The blade had cut the outer layer of her skin and a trickle of blood oozed onto the knife. Zyrok had no choice but to surrender.

            “Alright, don’t hurt her please. I’ll drop the gun.” Zyrok removed his finger off the trigger.

            “On the floor and kick your gun away.” the soldier ordered.

            Zyrok listened obediently and placed the M16 to the ground. Then, he kicked it with one foot and held his hands up.

            “Done.” Zyrok announced.

            Sarah’s eyes widened in horror as she saw something come up behind Zyrok. A Russian bashed his gun at the back of Zyrok’s head and knocked him out cold. Sarah tried to scream, but her mouth was covered. No one was going to protect her from the Russians now. She watched as two soldiers dragged Zyrok’s body out of the room and then saw another soldier with a cloth. Before she knew what was happening, the soldier gagged her mouth and placed a black hood over her head.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 13- Holding Prisoners

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 12, 2001

0810 Local Time

           Blake woke up to the sound of car horns honking. He had a black cloth over his head with his hands tied behind him. He heard the sound of a door opening and some minor flashes of sunlight penetrate the dark cloth.

            “Move!” a soldier shoved from behind him.

            Blake’s muscles ached and his head pained as he walked a coarse road. He remembered missiles hitting the bridge and the shockwave sending him out the window. The darkness immediately followed as he splashed head first into cold water. Next, he recalled the sound of a helicopter nearby as he floated on a piece of debris. It was a UNSC Falcon, but he was too weak to call out. His head throbbed with pain and he passed out on the sea and back into the darkness. The events after involved another helicopter, but it was the Russians this time. He was airlifted and then placed into a van transporting him to an unknown location.

            “Sit down!” a soldier pushed Blake onto a chair.

            Blake felt his hands locked to the armrests of the chair followed by the sound of a door opening.

            “Mr. Blake, what a surprise.” a man spoke in front of the captive marine.

            “What do you want?” Blake scoffed.

            “Everything.” the man removed the cloth from Blake’s head.

            Blake noticed he was in a small room with a light hanging above him. The man was behind him and had his hands on his shoulder.

            “Who are you?” Blake spoke angrily.

            “Who am I? Hahaha.” the man spun the chair to face Blake.

            “I am Dimitri, your enemy, of course.” the man opened his arms in pride.

            “Why are you here?” Blake questioned.

            “Let me be clear with you Captain Blake…I ask the questions here.” Dimitri punched Blake in the stomach.

            “Screw you.” Blake spitted.

            Dimitri nodded to his soldiers standing next to the door. Two soldiers knocked the chair holding Blake to the ground and began to kick him.

            “If you haven’t noticed Captain, I am in charge of you now. Until you are clever to see that, some things won’t be changing.” Dimitri stormed off.

            “I’ll kill you.” Blake coughed as the soldiers continued to kick him.

            “Huh, we’ll see.” Dimitri laughed and walked out of the room.

            Dimitri walked down the halls when a tall man with a scar on his cheek approached him. He saluted Dimitri and looked at him.

            “Captain Dima, a job well done.” Dimitri complimented.

            “Thank you sir.” Dima replied.

            “I must say, Captain Blake is quite a fighter.” Dimitri crossed his arms.

            “I’m not so sure about the others.” Dima said with confidence.

            “Others?” Dimitri smiled.

            “Five marines, sir.” Dima pointed down the hall.

            “Good, let’s see what they can offer us.” Dimitri rolled up his sleeves.

            “Right this way sir.” Dima led Dimitri towards the captured marines.

Clifton, Karachi, Pakistan

UNSC Cobra Squad’s Camp

May 12, 2001

1000 Local Time

            “How are they doing?” Frederick asked Parker as she examined Dau’s vitals.

            “He’s holding.” Parker recorded some notes.

            “Lieutenant, I have something.” Sears rushed into the room with a piece of paper.

            “What is it Staff Sergeant?” Frederick turned her head.

            “We know the Russians came back to pick up the survivors, but we don’t know how many people made it.” Sears reported.

            “Calm down Sears. Tell me.” Frederick listened attentively.

            “They transferred our marines by car into Afghanistan. Erazi, to be exact.” Sears looked at the paper.

            “Is the Intelligence reliable?” Frederick was interested.

            “I believe so ma’am. Blake’s emergency transponder was turned on prior to him entering Erazi.” Sears read the paper.

            “Blake, he’s alive?” Frederick’s eyes widened.

            “Appears so.” Sears replied.

            “Okay, I hate to be pessimistic, but what if it’s a trap? A trap set by the Russians to kill all of the remaining marines.” Parker interrupted.

            “That’s a possibility…” Frederick thought deeply.

            “It is possible, but what if it isn’t?” Sears challenged.

            “What if it is?” Parker asked.

            “Okay people. We need to do an assessment of our risks.” Frederick waved at the marines to follow her.

            “Guys, I think I may have the solution.” Johnson rushed into the room holding a tactical map.

            “What’s that?” Frederick looked amused.

            “Oh, that map…I totally forgot about it.” Sears brushed his hair.

            “It’s Fire Team Kilo’s assets.” Johnson handed the paper to Frederick.

            “A Pelican?” Frederick flattened the map on a table.

            “Yeah, it’s a supply Pelican modified for heavy payloads. It’s slower and lacks firepower.” Sears read the map.

            “Problem…the Pelican is in Afghanistan.” Parker reminded.

            “Yeah, we go in by Falcon and take the Pelican with us.” Sears explained.

            “Russians are stationed in that area. Once we lift it up, we’ll get blown out of the sky.” Parker pointed at the surrounding buildings.

            “Damn it. Any ground assets available?” Frederick studied the map.

            “Warthogs and Mongooses.” Sears quickly replied.

            “Still, like I said, Afghanistan.” Parker frowned.

            “Where’s the other map?” Sears flipped the maps.

            “On the desk, but it’s incomplete so I didn’t bring it.” Johnson answered.

            “Incomplete?” Frederick looked impatient.

            “Ma’am, Hariprasad was the one doing it.” Johnson replied quietly.

            “Sears? What about you?” Frederick turned to look at her Sergeant.

            “I’ll see what I can do. I was focused on assets within Afghanistan because we’d never expect to go beyond the borders.” Sears replied.

            “And Hariprasad was?” Frederick questioned.

            “No, nobody was. Hariprasad and another marine had set up communication relay stations outside of Afghanistan.” Sears answered.

            “And they seemed to have failed when the Russians knew where we were when we discovered the Secronom facility.” Frederick crossed her arms.

            “I believe so, but that doesn’t mean we have lost our assets.” Sears replied optimistically.

            “Alright, let’s head to the central room and get that map completed to the best of our ability.” Frederick rolled up the maps.

            “Ok.” Johnson and Sears replied in unison.

            “Parker, stay here and watch Dau and Hariprasad.” Frederick pointed.

            “Yes ma’am.” Parker nodded and turned.

            Johnson opened the door and waved at the marines to pass.

            “After you.” Sears motioned for Frederick to go first.

            “Thanks.” Frederick smiled warmly as she passed the two marines.

UNSCDF3 Chapter 12- Taking Care of Each Other

Downtown Kandahar, Kandahar, Afghanistan

British Embassy

May 11, 2001

1205 Local Time

        “Not a bad day after all.” Zyrok looked at a stockpile of canned goods in a small closet.

        “Take everything?” Sarah picked up a can of tinned hotdogs.

        “Not all, but some. These canned foods are heavy and decrease our speed.” Zyrok looked at a shelf full of tinned vegetables.

        “Alright.” Sarah grabbed three cans and stuffed it into her backpack.

        Zyrok did the same except he got five cans. Sarah looked at Zyrok and grinned as she grabbed one more can into her backpack.

        “Not so greedy now…” Zyrok teased.

        “That one was for you…since you eat a lot.” Sarah reasoned.

        “Oh…calling me fat now eh?” Zyrok shot an evil glare.

        A clatter was heard outside the closet and Zyrok quickly spun around gun ready. He motioned for Sarah to stay quiet and he slowly stuck his head out the closet. A zombie was walking aimlessly in the room kicking over broken bottles. Zyrok charged out of the room to attack the zombie when suddenly he slipped on some papers which happened to be in his way. He fell to the ground with a loud thud and the zombie immediately headed for him. Before Zyrok could get a clean shot at the zombie, the zombie had pounced onto the marine and clawed at his chest. A few pieces of fabric got ripped from the flak jacket as the zombie attempted to reveal Zyrok’s organs. Zyrok elbowed one arm away and kicked the zombie in the stomach. This only enraged the zombie making it harder for Zyrok to get back on his feet. The flak jacket was deteriorating rapidly as the zombie went on a clawing rampage.

        “Argh!” Zyrok cursed as he tried to block the hits.

        Zyrok knew he was going to die and all it took was one normal zombie to catch him off guard. He attempted to pull out his kukri, but only got it knocked away from his hands. A shadow casted over Zyrok and Zyrok looked up. Sarah swung the golf club sideways into the cheekbones of the flesh-eating monster sending its lower jaw flying off. The zombie looked up at Sarah and roared with fury. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zyrok manipulated the zombie’s center of gravity and tossed it aside. He made a quick dash for the kukri and impaled the blade into its right eye.

        “Thanks Sarah.” Zyrok panted.

        “You…” Sarah pointed at Zyrok’s chest as he stood up.

        Zyrok looked at his chest and saw blood dripping off the body armor. He touched his chest and winced in pain as the adrenaline wore off. Sarah looked at Zyrok with concerned eyes and held her weapon waiting to strike.

        “Sarah, I’m alright.” Zyrok sat down to rest.

        “Zyrok…you…” Sarah held the club firmly in her hands.

        “I need to rest.” Zyrok breathed deeply.

        “You are going to turn aren’t you?” Sarah looked with worried eyes.

        “The blood not transmitted directly. Besides, I had my shot of nanites.” Zyrok touched his chest to examine for internal injuries.

        “Huh?” Sarah was confused.

        “The UNSC has a technology to fight the virus. It’s expensive and hard to make. I was fortunate enough to get a shot.” Zyrok explained slowly.

        “Will you turn?” Sarah pointed at the dead zombie corpse beside them.

        “No Sarah, I won’t. But, I still need to get patched up. After all, I can still bleed to death.” Zyrok removed his flak jacket slowly.

        Upon closer inspection, the chest had a moderate amount of swelling and some open cuts. Zyrok knelt to one knee and opened his backpack. He rummaged through the contents and found a roll of bandages.

        “Help me.” Zyrok lifted up his shirt.

        Blood that once dried underneath the shirt was wiped off making the wounds open again.

        “Ahh…” Zyrok looked at his chest as blood oozed out.

        “What can I do?” Sarah took the bandages from Zyrok.

        “Wrap it over my chest. Wrap it tight to apply pressure.” Zyrok directed.

       Sarah unrolled the bandages and began to wrap it around Zyrok’s bloody chest. After the first layer was applies, what was once a white cloth had now turned to a dark shade of red. Carefully, Sarah began to wrap a second later when it ran out.

        “Any more in my backpack?” Zyrok held the loose end of the bandage for Sarah.

        “I don’t think so…” Sarah emptied out the contents in Zyrok’s backpack.

        “Ok, clip on the safety pin and hold the bandage in place.” Zyrok handed a safety pin from the package of the medical supply.

        “Ok.” Sarah replied quietly.

        Slowly and carefully, Sarah clipped the safety pin from the loose end and attached it to the dressings.

        “There, I’m done.” Sarah turned to face Zyrok.

        “Thank you Sarah.” Zyrok flipped his shirt down.

        Zyrok touched his chest and felt a soft layer of medical dressing. Feeling satisfied, he got up to his feet and placed all the supplies back into his backpack.

        “This?” Sarah held up the damaged flak jacket.

        “No, I don’t need it any more. It’s no good.” Zyrok took the flak jacket and tossed it aside.

        “Oh okay.” Sarah looked at the armor on the ground.

        “Let’s get going. We need to find medical supplies too now.” Zyrok looked at the blood marks on the ground.

        The pair exited the room simultaneously and went on to the next room. The room was similar to the previous room they were in except everything was in perfect order as if no one had touched it.

        “Shame…” Zyrok laughed.

        “What?” Sarah raised an eyebrow.

        “A perfect room in good condition. After we loot it, it will be just the same as the other rooms.” Zyrok walked to a desk and opened the drawers.

       “Maybe we can find things that weren’t looted.” Sarah walked to a metal cabinet mounted on the wall.

        “Perhaps…” Zyrok removed the drawer and dumped the contents on the desk.

        Paper, pens, and coins rolled on the desk and fell onto the ground. Nothing useful was there for the plucking so Zyrok cleared the desk by pushing everything to the ground. He continued to proceed with the next drawer. One by one, the drawers in the desk were emptied onto the desk and later tossed to the ground like all junk.

        “Nothing useful.” Zyrok sighed in frustration.

        “I found some antibiotics.” Sarah held a small bottle of white capsules.

        “That’s good. I think I need a few pills for my chest.” Zyrok studied the medical ingredients marked on the bottle.

        “Here, I’ll go look at the other things.” Sarah gave the bottle to Zyrok and resumed her search.

        Zyrok read the application label and popped open the lid. He grabbed two pills out and tossed them into his mouth and swallowed it.

        “Done, thanks for finding this.” Zyrok placed the bottle into his backpack and watched Sarah.

        “Yeah, no problem.” Sarah replied without turning her head.

        “Hey Sarah…” Zyrok walked to a drawer beside him.

        “Yeah?” Sarah continued searching.

        “Do you think we will be found?” Zyrok turned his head.

        “I don’t know. Why do you ask?” Sarah tossed useless items to the ground.

        “I don’t know…I just don’t know.” Zyrok resumed his search in deep thought.

        “You are a soldier, I think they can find you.” Sarah replied innocently.

        “I am…” Zyrok nodded.

        Zyrok knew he shouldn’t give up hope. Sarah had been in this position for sometime and he needed to be strong for her and his own sake. He bit his lip and continued to search without saying anything for the next five minutes.

        “You okay Zyrok?” Sarah turned to look at Zyrok.

        “I’m fine, thanks for asking.” Zyrok smiled and closed his hands into a fist.

Erazi, Kandahar, Afghanistan

Russian Communications Outpost

May 11, 2001

1300 Local Time

        Dimitri stood behind two soldiers looking at their computers whilst talking on their headsets.

        “Status report.” Dimitri crossed his arms.

        “Captain Dima’s forces have engaged the UNSC.” one soldier took off his headset and looked at Dimitri.

        “And…” Dimitri asked impatiently for the results.

        “A victory sir. Although we lost two scout choppers, it was sufficient enough to wipe out the ship and its entire crew before the rest of Dima’s men got there.” the soldier answered.

        “Any survivors?” Dimitri smiled evilly.

        “A few stragglers in the sea. One that we found was a big fish…” the soldier looked at his desk and pulled out a piece of paper.

        “Oh?” Dimitri raised an eyebrow.

        “A Captain Blake. I’m guessing he was the captain of the ship.” the soldier handed the paper over to Dimitri.

        “Very good work. Inform Dima of his excellent work. Tell him to bring the prisoners over here for interrogation.” Dimitri ordered.

       “Yes sir.” the soldier placed his headset and resumed typing on his computer.

        “The UNSC is in my hands again…this time it won’t be that easy for them to escape.” Dimitri grinned.

        “What’s that sir?” the soldier removed his headset.

        “It’s nothing. Get to your business. I want this settled as soon as possible.” Dimitri waved the soldier away.

        The soldier nodded silently and immediately turned to his computer to relay Dimitri’s orders. Dimitri glanced at the two soldiers and stormed off down the halls without saying another word.