Empire Of Ash

Chapter 4: The Fall of the Resistance

The resistance had always known that their fight was a desperate one, but the crushing weight of impending failure loomed heavier with each passing day. For weeks, they had moved through the shadows of Veldar’s capital, Drakenburg, quietly undermining the Reich’s tightening grip on its people. Yet despite their best efforts, they could feel the noose tightening around their necks.

Erik Weiss stood in the heart of the resistance’s hideout, a cold sweat clinging to his skin. Around the small underground room, his comrades—Lina Adler, Jakob Klein, and a few others—waited, their faces drawn with exhaustion and uncertainty. The city above them was restless, but the quiet intensity of their underground war had left them fractured. The Blitzwelle—the military operation the Reich had been preparing—was nearing completion. If it launched, it would overwhelm every neighboring nation before anyone could stop it.

“They know,” Jakob muttered, pacing back and forth. His voice cracked as he spoke. “I’m telling you, they know what we’re planning. The increased patrols, the raids—it's not a coincidence.”

“We can’t give up now,” Lina said, her voice sharp with resolve. She leaned over the table, staring at the maps they had carefully laid out. “We have to act before it’s too late.”

Erik glanced at them both. He knew they were right. They had one chance to disrupt the supply lines before the Blitzwelle was set in motion. But the Reich’s forces were everywhere now, and Erik couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.

“We’ll go tonight,” Erik finally said, his voice heavy. “We have no choice. If we don’t stop this now, the entire continent will fall.”

The others nodded in silent agreement. They knew what was at stake, and they knew the risks.

The Final Mission

That night, the resistance moved swiftly through the darkened streets of Drakenburg, heading toward one of the city’s major supply depots. Erik led the group, his heart pounding in his chest as they approached the target. Guards patrolled the area, but the resistance had been careful, studying their movements for weeks.

They slipped through the shadows, avoiding the patrols with practiced ease. Lina had brought the explosives, small but powerful charges designed to take out the fuel reserves and disrupt the Reich’s supply chains. Jakob stayed back, watching for any sign of trouble.

As Erik crouched behind a stack of crates, motioning for the others to move forward, a strange unease settled over him. The air was too still. The guards moved too casually, as if they weren’t concerned about the possibility of an attack.

Then, the sound of marching boots echoed in the distance.

“They know,” Jakob hissed, panic creeping into his voice.

Erik’s eyes widened as floodlights suddenly blazed to life, illuminating the area. Shouts rang out as soldiers poured into the depot, rifles raised, and the trap snapped shut.

“Move!” Erik shouted, drawing his pistol and firing at the approaching soldiers. Lina scrambled to set the charges, but the Reich’s forces were too fast. Gunfire erupted all around them, and the resistance members scattered, trying desperately to avoid the hail of bullets.

Jakob fell first, a bullet striking him in the back as he tried to retreat. Erik saw him go down, but there was no time to help him. Soldiers were everywhere, cutting off their escape routes with terrifying precision. The Reich had planned this, down to the last detail.

“We have to go!” Lina shouted, abandoning the explosives as she tried to find cover. But there was nowhere to run. The depot was surrounded, and the resistance was outnumbered and outgunned.

Erik fired his pistol until it clicked empty, then threw it aside. He looked around, searching for any way out, but the sight of his comrades falling one by one filled him with a cold sense of dread. This was it. They had failed.

Lina made one last desperate attempt to break through the soldiers, but a rifle shot took her down before she could get far. Erik felt a surge of helpless rage as he watched her fall. The mission had been doomed from the start, and now they were all going to die.

The gunfire slowed as the soldiers closed in, surrounding Erik. He stood alone in the center of the depot, his hands clenched into fists. The Reich’s forces moved in with cold efficiency, rifles trained on him, but they didn’t fire.

A tall figure emerged from the ranks of soldiers, dressed in the black uniform of the Schattenkorps—the elite division of Veldar’s secret police. The officer strode forward, his face expressionless as he looked at Erik.

“You thought you could stop us?” the officer said, his voice calm and measured. “Foolish.”

Erik’s breath came in ragged gasps as he stared at the officer. He had known from the beginning that the resistance’s fight was a long shot, but he had hoped—hoped that they could at least delay the Blitzwelle, give the world a fighting chance.

But now it was over.

The officer turned to his soldiers. “Clean this up,” he ordered. “And make sure none of them escape.”

As the soldiers advanced, Erik’s thoughts turned to the other nations, to the people who had no idea what was coming. The Blitzwelle would begin, and there would be no one left to warn them. The world was about to fall into darkness.

The last thing Erik saw before the rifle butt struck him across the head was the shadow of the Reich spreading over the continent, unstoppable and merciless.

The Reich’s Iron Grip

Back in the heart of Drakenburg, the Führer sat in his grand office, reviewing the latest reports from his military advisors. The Blitzwelle was ready. The soldiers were in place. And now, the resistance had been crushed.

Von Klaus allowed himself a small smile. Everything was proceeding as planned.

“Let the world tremble,” he murmured to himself. “The Reich will rise, and there will be no one left to stand in our way.”

The Blitzwelle would begin soon, and once it did, Veldar’s domination of the continent would be swift and brutal. The Führer looked out over the city of Drakenburg, bathed in the light of the setting sun, and envisioned a world united under his rule.

There would be no more resistance.