Half-life: Resist

Chapter 1: Rude Awakening

"Icarus Dagfinn..." He heard the strange suited man say as the man moved him upright with a gentle push.

Icarus stood rigid like a block of wood.

Icarus' body was numb. He couldn't feel any part of himself, but he saw himself floating.

"It would appear that we... Require your... Service again... It... Seems your brand of mayhem would help... Our cause..."

Icarus looked at him, only able to move his eyes.

"What the hell is your cause, anyway?" Icarus asked, trying to move his arm, but being unable to move at all.

"Well... Mister Dagfinn, I can't tell you that... Yet." He said, completely expecting Icarus' response, looking him dead in the eyes.

"Especially considering that you... Tend to disobey authority... I'm already making exceptions with you, keeping you... Employed. As I was saying before... Mister Dagfinn... Your brand of chaos is needed for our cause again..."

"If you wish to remain employed... You'll... Have to do this one."

"So... I ask of you; would you please wake up... Mister Dagfinn... Wake up to place your kind of... Rampage onto your, no... Our... Our enemies?" He asked rhetorically.

Icarus' vision was blurry as he woke up standing in an empty street at night. There was a howling in the distance. The air was cold and stale.

He looked at himself. He was wearing a blue jumpsuit.

He didn't have any weapons. He walked over into a building. It had a few black-finned canisters indented into the ground, letting off smoke as a hatchet was resting on the wall. One of them opened. Parasites jumped out of it, making a horrible screech. Icarus grabbed the hatchet and hit one of the parasites. It was split into two.

He walked outside. The air was dead. The howling in the distance sent shivers up his spine. He looked around. There were canisters everywhere.

An animalistic silhouette charged at him on all fours. It screeched as it ran and jumped at him, the creature's body bare muscle and tendons.

Icarus swung the hatchet, knocking the creature away from him. It came after him again, Icarus hitting it in the head. It fell to the ground. He pulled the axe out of its head.

He looked around. The dead town smelt of blood and rot. The wind howled in the dead wasteland town. A few buildings were nothing but soot on a foundation, A hanged man swung gently from a rooftop, being blown in the wind. Dead leaves, rubble, and garbage covered the streets. The ground was bare dirt, no plants to be seen.

Icarus noticed the hanged man was wearing a blue jumpsuit as well. It must've been a uniform.

He walked further into the town reluctantly.

"May it be said unto thee of little faith, that the work of above is no mysterious force, that it hath and may once more reign fraternity amongst thee! Lies hath been fed to ye, and ye hath eaten it up. Say nay to those who lie and taketh the truth!" A strange gruff voice preached from above, followed by gunshots.

"Ah, a wandering soul!"

Icarus looked up.

What looked to be a pastor wielded a lever-action rifle on a rooftop. He too wore a blue jumpsuit, but more flashy. His head had no hair, but he had a black but greying beard. He held an antique lever-action rifle.

"No worries brother! We are all lost here in Ravenholm. You are different from my congregation, however! Judging by the blood on your axe, I assume you've already met with some." He chuckled, following into a crazed laugh.