The Last Tankery Match...

Chapter-2 Evil Returns

      Yukari and Anchovy drove down the dusty road slowly getting closer and closer to the fiery destruction. Ash and embers fell all around them. The sky was filled with smoke making the sun vanish, the rest of the sky was lit by the fires from below.
"Miho, the damage is... immeasurable. We can already tell that the city is no more..." Yukari stated.
"I've never seen so much chaos..." Anchovy spoke into the radio.
Miho received the transmission.
"Be careful girls. Don't stay there no longer than you need to." Miho clearly sounded worried.
The two girls road on in their cramped vehicle into the city.

As they drove more and more destruction appeared around them. The suburbs were burning, buildings collapsing and the schools were still being bombed from somewhere. The two could feel there tank slightly rumble.
"What's that rumbling Anchovy?" Yukari asked feeling the wall of the tank.
They sat still for a second, waiting for the rumble.
And there it was. A slight rumble in the Earth.
"Let's keep moving. This is kinda scaring me." Anchovy shivered.
They pushed both sticks forward and chugged along. Into the heart of the city, they went. Looking for any signs of life. Until they saw a person running ahead.
"Look! We should help them!" Yukari said watching the man about a city block away.
They slowly drove towards him as to not scare him. Yukari stood out of the tankette waving to the stranger.
Anchovy stopped.
"What? Why have you stopped Chovy-Chan?"
"Do you feel that?"
Yakari paused as she felt a wave of fear and distress overwhelm her.
"Uhh something is happening," Yukari said as she noticed something.
"Look Chovy-Chan!" Yukari yelled while pointing towards the stranger.
The two watched the man, he looked very scared. He turned around to face the corner. He was looking at something or someone. Now he was begging and screaming at them.
"What's he do-" Yukari was cut off by loud rapid-fire cannon fire.
The man was shot multiple times by an autocannon of some sort.
A few of his limbs were clearly blown off, his limp body slumped to the ground. The corpse seemed to light ablaze and slowly disintegrate into ash and blow away.
The two were completely stunned. Then a few men came from behind the corner of the building. They couldn't tell who or what they were but they noticed something bigger rolling around the corner as well. It was a tank, a Panzer 2, and it was now aiming at them.
"Anchovy drive!" Yukari yelled.
The two girls pulled back.
The enemy tank fired at them, a quick four round burst.
The rounds impacted and shook the small tank.
"GO GO GO!" Yukari yelled almost punching Anchovy.
They're tank going full speed rushed around a building and down the road. They were speeding down while Anchovy looked behind them.
"They're still coming!"
"Just drive!" Yukari told her.
The Panzer 2 turned the corner and began firing at them again. The shells whizzed overhead.
"Miho! Come in!" Yukari yelled into the radio.
"Yes yes! Update us!" Miho could hear the fear and adrenaline in her voice.
"There are people here! But everyone is dead! There are only these...soldiers or something. Whoever they are they have real guns, shells and tanks after us! What do we do?!" Yukari said panicking.
Miho was now frightened. Her sister was listening.
"You two get here right now! Return to base!" Miho commanded.
Something hit their tank, but it was much bigger. Miho could hear a loud ringing in the radio.
"Yukari? Yukari! Talk to me talk to me!"
"We're here commander! We've been hit by an anti-tank round." Yukari paused. " Anchovy why are we not going full speed?" Yukari asked.
"Umm, I think the engine was hit by something... We're going slower!" Anchovy was now in a panic.
Yukari and Anchovy tried to turn the corner but saw a bigger tank almost crash into them. Chovy-Chan pulled back and dodged the shell the heavy tank fired. It exploded on impact with the road which almost flipped over the L3.
"Go the other way!" Yukari yelled.
The heavy tank they ran into was a Tiger 1. Its immense size compared to them made the two shiver.
Suddenly they were hit and they stopped in their tracks.
Yukari got into a video call with Miho.
"Finally they're going to show us what's happening," Miho said concerned.
"Hey, we want to see too!" Said one of the freshmen.
"Yeah, she's our friend as well!"
Some of the other students overheard them. They too needed this information.
"Ok, you all deserve to know this too," Miho said.
Miho quickly ran to the projector and plugged in her phone. And turned it on. The projection was now displayed onto the wall. Somebody switched off the lights of the hall and everyone waited.
The call went on, revealing a clearly distressed Yukari and Anchovy desperately asking for help.
"Miho-Chan what do we do! Our tracks are out and they are encircling us! Please send back up!" Yukari begged everyone.
"Please, the Duce of Anzio needs your help too!" Yelled Anchovy.
Everyone watched silently, all worried about them.
"Stay calm girls, stay calm. Are you able to repair the tracks?" Asked Miho.
"No, they're blown right off! Help Miho please they're coming!" Everyone could see the pure fear and adrenaline in her facial expression.
"Ok girls stay calm and we're sending help now." Two teams instantly volunteered and prepared their tanks.
"Don't fight them it's too dangerous! Just stay calm and maybe we can make an arrangement." Miho said not knowing if they'd make it back.
Then suddenly everyone heard loud banging on the hatch above them.
"Open up or we'll blast you to pieces!" An unknown voice yelled at them.
Everyone was silent...
Three more aggressive knocks were heard.
"Miho, if we die here I want you up to know I love you girls. And it was such a pleasure to work with everyone." Yukari said with tears welling in her eyes.
"The Duce of Anzio isn't going to die here! As this is no place to die!" Anchovy stated.
"You got three seconds or your dead!" The unknown voice warned.
The two seconds that passed felt like an eternity for the people who were watching.
Anchovy opened the hatch and yelled,
"You can't just shoo-" Anchovy yelled but was hit in the face before she could finish.
"Anchovy!" Yukari yelled reaching towards her.
Anchovy was pulled out of the tank. The live feed camera watched as well.
Yukari was knocked out by someone.
Everyone watched.
Then suddenly someone came into frame holding an assault rifle. He looked down into the tank.
"Who the hell would use this? A piece of shit ta- Wait, hey boss we got viewers!" The unknown man yelled as he grabbed the camera.
The girls back at base watched.
"I recognize that emblem," Maho said.
Miho looked at her.
Everyone was hooked onto the screen which now displayed Yukari and Anchovy being pushed onto the ground.
The two slowly pushed themselves up.
"Why hello everyone! Are these your friends here?"
The camera panned to a new figure. He was clearly in charge judging from all his markings and tags. He took off his gas mask, revealing a scarred charred face. His grin revealed flames and embers in his mouth.
"Don't you hurt them! Or I'll.."
"Or you'll do what? The man smiled while looking at Miho through the phone screen.
"Because I have an army of well-trained tankers better than you!" Miho said as she pointed the camera at all the other students.
He watched, their only goal was to kill and destroy as much as possible. And crush any resistance they encountered.
"Oh good. It's good that you brought an audience, cause now I can make an example..." He grinned.
An unknown person grabbed the camera and set it down so it was facing the two girls, who were now on their knees.
The man could be heard speaking.
"I'm gonna kill one of your kind in cold blood, as an example to show you why you don't stand a chance." He said as he grabbed a weapon.
All the girls back home were now freaking out.
Anchovy and Yukari were on their knees beside each other.
Yukari hugged Anchovy.
"Anchovy, I don't want to die. I just wanna go home." Yukari began crying.
Anchovy now looked anxious.
"Hey get off her." A soldier separated them.
"So, which one is it gonna be?"

Author's note: Hey this took way too long. It's gonna get really dark next chapter, like gore and all that.