Arknights: When Hunters Meet (A Tacet x Projekt Red novel)

Chapter 11 - Retributioner

Suddenly a maddened and grotesque wolf beast of immense size was bursting through the wall!

I realised we were breached. It took down trooper Marco in its jaws in barely seconds to spare, giving him a painful and mangled death. I grabbed my enormous rifle and ran out of the room, my weapon useless in such close quarters. Leaving my other two colleagues to try to deal with the monster and fail miserably. I felt like a piece of shit, but there was no chance for me to take it down then and there. Alarms were already blaring on the base.

I stopped some distance in the corridor and positioned my Barret M107A2 anti-material rifle. Though it was an old design it was reliable, and more than earned its fame. The wolf beast came out into the corridor, growling menacingly in my direction. I took the shot, but it moved just in time to be hit in a non-vital spot.

It growled even more furiously if that was possible and charged towards me! I barely had the split second to pull the trigger again and plant a .50 BMG round directly into it's head! Pummelling a fist load of metal into its brain. It's disgustingly malformed and huge body landed with its large toothed paws straight into me, tackling me down painfully and hitting my head. I was now bleeding from at least two places, and I was sure I had a concussion.

-''Lamba report! Lambda report your status!'' My radio buzzed, but I couldn't get to it.

I heaved with all my strength and managed to slip from under the wolf beast's corpse.

-Lambda here, or what's left of it.

-Report!

-My squad is dead sir. But I managed to take down the type two wolf beast that penetrated inside the building.

-Regroup with Alpha-Bravo-Tango at the armoury on the main level!

-Sir, what is the level of the breaching assault?

-There is no assault, we have been betrayed from the inside. The fauna just noticed our grid is down. Now follow your orders trooper!

Fucking Hell. I knew there were damn mutant lovers among us. Now this whole compound will likely fall because of it. The beasts in the area are beyond outnumbering us at this point. My damn chest hurt like Hell and I could only hope that I didn't have any broken ribs. My head was bleeding onto my face and uniform. Hurrying in the direction of the main lobby I could hear the screechers.

The type three abominations that our best and brightest boys in white coats managed to create. Curse their stupidity! There was a pack of them gathering in the hall by way of the breached room, and they were following the scent of my blood as I hurried by. I that point I could hear gunshots inside and outside the building.

Soon I heard explosions in the distance, that didn't bode well. I was forced to take an emergency ladder which was enclosed in a tube. Shutting the trap door behind me, I could hear the mockery that was humanity in beast form clawing at the thick sheet of metal setting us apart. I went up two levels hoping to avoid the intruders on the lower one before reaching the lobby.

The radio room was nearby on the fourth level yet even here I saw the signs of battle. Two type three abominations turned a corner towards me and attacked. I quickly dispatched them with my handgun, years of target practice having honed this necessary survival skill. I came about the radio room and I saw another abomination eating at a soldier who stood splayed on the floor in front of the radio coms. It was a rare blond haired wolf-woman abomination. It raised it's head from munching on the poor trooper's opened neck and looked at me almost with curious eyes. As if wondering if it was worth killing me for food when its belly was already so full.