Terra Preta

A Promise to the Fallen

Orion's gaze lingers on Elara, his expression a mix of determination and apprehension. Elara meets his gaze, her own a mirror of his concern. A silent exchange passes between them - a question, a shared fear, and a reassurance.

"Let's move!" Marlow's gravelly voice cut through the silent tension.

Orion moved through this ghost town his group trailing behind him, each shattered window, each overturned vehicle, a silent testament to the lives lost.

Ren was by his side, usual easygoing attitude was absent, replaced by a tense alertness. She hadn't spoken since they'd split from the others, her movements deliberate and precise, but her eyes darted to every shadow, every rustle of leaves, her breath catching in her throat at the slightest unexpected sound. She was on edge, fighting to maintain her composure.

Jaxon's fear was tangible, a weight that dragged at his heels, while Ronan, ever stoic, his gaze sweeping across the ravaged landscape, missing nothing, his nostrils flaring as he tested the wind for any scent of danger. But even his usual unwavering gaze flickered with a hint of unease.

Mira and Khalil moved with efficiency, covering their flanks as they approached the abandoned plaza through the way leading to the impact site to lead the creature to the ambush the army prepared for them.

"Eyes open," Ren warned, her voice barely audible. "they should be swarming us by now." She glanced at Orion, her eyes seeking answers.

Orion agreed. The Crawlers had pulled back, but the stillness felt unnatural. The oppressive silence that had settled over the ruins was unnerving.

"Stay sharp," Orion whispered, signaling for the group to spread out slightly. "I think, they're trying to lure us deeper."

As they moved further towards the impact site, bizarre, foreign flora sprouted from every crevice, their colors a spectrum of neon greens, deep violets, and unsettling shades of red, a stark contrast to the gray desolation. Massive, spore-like trees grew in clusters, their trunks wide as oaks. Flowers with luminous petals unfurled like carnivorous mouths, and thorny vines snaked across the path, their tendrils twitching with a sinister life of their own.

A strange mist hung close to the ground, heavy with unfamiliar spores, creating a thick, fog-like barrier. The landscape near the impact site was a distorted mirror of Earth, familiar yet at the same time foreign.

The unsettling silence was shattered by a subtle shift in the air. A sense of unease ran down Orion's spine, his senses screaming danger. Then, cutting through the stillness, came the faint clicking of Crawler chitinous limbs against the pavement, growing steadily louder.

"Two minutes away," Orion said, his voice calm but edged with steel, his eyes swept over the terrain, assessing their options.

"Ronan, with me. We'll draw their attacks. Mira, Jaxon, Khalil, circle around and get behind them. We'll hit them from both sides." He paused, his gaze settling on Ren. "Ren, this is where you shine. You exploit any openings."

A mischievous grin spread across Ren's face. "Time to play," she said, her voice laced with a hint of mischief. "They won't know what hit them."

Orion scanned the horizon. He could see the shadows shifting between the buildings, moving with unsettling speed. About fifty Crawlers were circling, ready to strike.

"Fifty," Orion mused, "Jaxon, fire a few rounds. We need to draw more out. Make them believe they have the upper hand while falling back drawing them toward the ambush point." Orion said, his voice calm but firm.

As if on cue, the first wave of Crawlers burst from the shadows, their chitinous bodies glistening. Their jaws snapped open and shut with a wet, bone-crunching sound.