TURN OVER

1

Her tired eyes opened slowly to reality, feeling the cold afternoon breeze and analyzing the filthy room.

The stains and cuts ruined the mattress; shattered glass lay everywhere, and graffiti was on the walls.

The pipe broke, releasing a brown fluid complemented by a foul stench of urine going up to the knee.

She looked around gradually, not moving her head to not disturb her state of calm.

It was an unusual thing to come by for the woman.

The leading cause for this interruption of calm was the horrors of war.

Many fights have pushed her, but she doesn't want to show any weakness.

In time, her world vision was comparable to a wild orchestra with no rhythm.

In the end, her smile could hide so much, questioning if her humanity was left intact.

She stood like a statue, gazing into the broken mirror, noticing the darkening bags under her eyes.

Her skin was pale, almost unnatural, with a large scar on her right cheek.

The yellow jumpsuit, face mask, and military-grade weapons did make her feel more comfortable, though.

During her time in the downtown area, the paranoia became too much to ignore, waiting for the locals to attack.

She never held back when it came to killing the undead scum nor when it came to civilians.

Of course, she would attempt to help with directions, food, or medical assistance.

Upon ending the lives of countless people, she tried her best to ignore the situation.

The downtown area was frigid, completely inhospitable for anyone unless you were a part of some group.

The locals would not hesitate to kidnap, assault, or mug you.

From a distance, the city still had an odd charm, but up close, it was a nightmare to any sane person.

Desperately trying to stay awake, grabbing her M4A1, switching position, hearing horrid voices scream in agony from a distance.

She took a deep breath, feeling a rumble coming from the ground, and watched as pieces of the neighboring skyscrapers fell apart due to decay, causing a booming sound throughout the city.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, noticing that it had been a full two days since she had last eaten.

She went through her backpack, grabbed a knife and MRE, and cut open the small package, putting her rifle next to her shoulder.

Unexpectedly, a deep growl came from a corner of the hotel room.

She pulled out her firearm from the holster, analyzing her target.

Sasha quickly puts three rounds into the man, just a sharp pain going down her shoulder.

She quickly reacted, pushing back on what was behind her, with the blade breaking her clavicle.

She let out a loud groan of pain as she removed herself from the attacker, shooting three rounds into its chest, kicking his face into the wall, and dying.

The soldier turned to see another figure in the hallway, running at full speed.

Her eyes widened with rage, running toward her attacker, pistol and knife in hand.

She ignored the unbearable pain, thrusting her knife into his face, killing him.

Sasha sat down on her bed, shaking.

" was I asleep for that long? do they have more coming? " She said to herself.

The building began shaking again, with the power finally going out due to the overwhelming amount of water.

Her eyes widened as she felt a sharp pain around her shoulder.

Once on the first floor of the skyscraper, she removed her blood-stained gloves.

Once the new pair was on, she began dipping a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol, putting some around the wound.

She stuck a syringe inside her veins, pushing the plunger, alleviating the pain.

Sasha got the medical tape and wrapped the cut wound, groaning in irritation.

She moved through the city on foot, which may have been a dangerous move.

The smoke of the downtown area was almost unbearable, yet the brave woman soldier was moving down a rocky road occupied by large busses and broken-down cabs.

Thankfully, she reached a large tunnel, giving her some cover from potential sniper fire.

Out of nowhere, she heard four helicopters coming in her direction.

Four Humvees and a single tank went down the street, pushing away the damaged cars quickly.

Sasha clutched her bag, talking into her radio.

" This is Sasha, requesting pick up for medical treatment. "

" Copy that, sending one of our units to pick you up. What's the status of the injury? " He asked.

" I believe I broke my shoulder during a fight. " Sasha replied.

" Solid copy. We're going back to base today. "

She entered the armored vehicle, pouring water on herself.

Inside the vehicle were two men, the driver was a young black man named Ajax, and on the passenger seat was a soldier named Outbreak.

" Where the hell is Goliath? " Sasha said, with the duo looking at her.

" Fort. " Outbreak said

" Smokes? " Ajax offered.

" N,o thank you. " She responded while lighting the cigarettes.

" I can't wait to go back to Fort Echo. Plus, I don't have to deal with the locals. " Ajax said while driving slowly into a heavily secured area.

Whenever Sasha saw the ten-foot-tall concrete wall covered in barbed wire, being in both fear and comfort, an odd combination, but it was the best way to describe the feeling.

An entire town turned into a base for military-level operations, with mines and dogs all over the area.

Not only that, but the fort also had food, water, weapons, and a single tank.

To the locals, this was a castle with no way to enter.

Once inside Fort Echo, Ajax parked near the camps.

Sasha entered the camp, ready to fall asleep as she took off her heavy equipment and uniform, resting her body on a hard bed.