HUMAN

Chapter 40 - The Fifty-One Soldier Pt. I

The night vision goggles were activated, and each soldier began to advance towards Frank's house. Their target remained inside, according to intel they haven't noticed any movements of anyone else leaving. Any form of movement from that location will be detected by a thermal heat vision set up by one of the soldiers. The unit would need to devise a new plan on infiltrating Frank's house as he'd proven to them that rushing in - their reliable tactic - would be futile.

They haven't even broken further into the tree line to make it to the edge of the field. But doing so would also mean stepping into more of those sick traps that Frank had crudely installed an hour prior to their arrival. A word of caution from scouts that watched him from afar.

The platoon followed the designated route where traps are most likely absent.

Their hopes still remain high of finishing this mission quickly and coming home to a big pay check and warm soup to end the night. But one thing that struck oddly about this mission is that it included all members of the Storm Breach 51 Unit.

A first for the platoon. Command had informed them that approaching this target must be proceeded with caution at all cost.

It was only a matter of how many of them will make it inside the house and whether their equipment and experience will get them through this alive.

They advance forward in silence, each step bringing a purpose on choosing the correct path from certain death. Scanning the perimeter as they kept their eyes and ears open for anything.

A tripwire was activated, a minor slip up from one of the members of SB51, but a mistake that would ensue a domino effect of chaos.

One had fallen victim to a trap where a bamboo branch equipped with spikes that was being held back with great tension was released upon tripwire, causing the spikes to pierce through the abdomen and quickly ending the life of that soldier.

Three Anthros were taken down; two who stepped in a hole filled with spikes jutting from the walls that pointed downwards. Although they weren't severely injured, pulling out would make sure of that. The barbed spikes would dig deeper through their boots and into their skin fatally injuring, and rendering them useless.

The unit came to a halt, awaiting further instructions from command seeing that the "safe" path was still riddled with deceptively hidden traps. "SB51, this is command. Scout the east and west perimeter of the forest. Limit the number of members that traverse the perimeter. Over." Command replied. "Copy, out."

They attempt to circle around the fields to flank the house but were presented with more dangerous traps. A tripwire was activated, causing a grenade in a can jumping from the ground exploding midair and sending shrapnel that would reach a nearby group of two.

That killed four soldiers who were within the blast range, and severely incapacitating two nearby. The boom sending an echo throughout the forest which reverberated amongst the mountain.

As if mother nature were joining in on playing a sick joke, a pine cone fell on a soldier's head causing him to panic thinking it was a grenade. He fell to his back and into a pit of spikes covered by foliage. The armor saved him from getting pierced, but a broken pelvis from the fall would render him dead weight to the team.

An arrow appeared from the dark corner of the woods and struck a soldier on the thigh. Others nearby quickly assisted him in dragging him out, following the original route they followed, but a landmine decapitated them from their lower body. Turns out they traced back to the wrong path.

Screams of terror and confusion echoed in the dark night. The soldiers were paranoid and bewildered seeing their comrades drop like flies to meager, dirty traps. Their heads panned aimlessly up and down, left and right, for anything that would resemble a wire on the ground or an oddly shaped mound on the floor.