Murder Drones : Born From Ashes REDUX

Chapter 5: The Final March of Vivian

// BEGIN CHAPTER 5//

Did you know humans experience their last moments of their life replaying their most significant memories? Its because the brain is still trying to survive, trying to recall any ways to escape its own fate. Oftentimes, it is for nothing.

–

Stacy locked her arms in position as the scope followed the image of a running child. She fired the slug, the round bored a hole into his gut, oil spilled onto the snow as it made exit. The trooper staggered as the Corporal cycled the gun again.

"Step aside, Corporal." V said snidely, aiming her calico pistol, "I got this."

The round exploded into his hard drive.

–

V blew the smoke from the muzzle device and smirked at Stacy. She strode across the building and kicked up her feet, watching the zombies lift up the ammo crates onto their backs.

The ULU hadn't traveled to this location until today. It clearly wasn't a planned attack to steal equipment, the ULU was smarter than that, they wouldn't let ammo like this be transported into uncharted territory. Of course, it was also because she could hear the clacking of the magazines inside their plastic bags as the zombies carried them into the building. Den Mother emphasized to her that she was not allowed to fight.

"You're a liability," V mockingly said to no one, "My ass."

She knew why, it was because they didn't have enough oil to quench her thirst if she did. Thanks to the longer battle, they now had to wait an extra 20 hours for the sun to rise and set again.

–

"I win, again." V sliced her claw across her 100th tic tac toe game on the wall. She let her peg legs buckle so she could feel the back of her head meeting the concrete.

She let out a sigh and turned on her heat vision to see what the rest were doing down below.

Zombies had stopped gambling their brass casings and were now talking about what they remembered of the old world. She wanted to listen, but amplifying her hearing would consume more oil, and they were only an hour into waiting.

"What asshole designs and egress point that has no safe return path?" She grumbled.

V was hit with that feeling again. That deep emptiness that followed her no matter what she did. When she was at base she liked scrolling through the pages of burnt books N-boy got her, until she inevitably cut each page and folded them into paper cranes. She thought maybe she should have each crane resemble a person she killed.

"So? Who's gonna fold a crane for you?" She said to her finger puppet. She smiled listlessly and lifted her two pistols that were sitting against the floor.

She hated to admit it, but it felt more comfortable to not have the weapons inside of her.

"Who would fold my crane?" V asked aloud, scratching her hair with one pistol. She looked at Den Mother's heat signature, and noticed she was preparing

–

"Hey, you." Stacy said, nudging the imaginary bedside. Clicking down the hammer of the revolver into the chest. She closed her eyes and took a breath.

"Hey! You!" She aimed at the mirror- no, that's bad luck. She looked back at the corpse before her. A newborn, the stretch marks at the boosted bones and the soft fat along his face signified he was no older than a week. Close enough to a kid.

She clicked the hammer back and tried to aim.

–

The figure had a familiar proportion to it. Its body shrouded in the bright neon lights. Dozens of other civilians rushed from the building. No... she hit the wrong one? But the Computer overlord told her that there were no civilians. Oh God, she's getting closer, her breaths, no, don't realize it's a female. Run away.