A Final Journey (One Shot)

The snow fell from above. Metal and concrete that had fallen in this place. Vegetation started to crawl on the rebar and thick metal columns. The foundation on the area had fallen.

A six-foot tall man wearing power armor appeared from one of the openings. His gear crushed the stones. There was a humming sound as he looked around and carried an two-handed force sword on his left arm, leaned on his metal shoulder pad.

He found a rock and sat on it. He gave labored breathing and stared at the snow entering the ceiling. He focused his mind further, he rested his gatling-gun on the left. There was nothing around him that took his interest. He barely could recognize the markings around this area. He was told to go here by people that contacted him through a walkie talkie. It was an archaic equipment but it worked.

There were movements on the corner. He remained seated while keeping a tight hold of his weapons. There was a of three who wore combat armor walking toward him except for one. One of them wore a power armor similar to him. Their armor scarred by battle.

"Quietus?," one of the man said. "I'll be, you're still alive and fighting."

"I can say the same," the man laughed. "I didn't think that there'd be folks still fighting. I was sure that Terin City was gone. Who knew that there are survivors."

"Is he the one?"

"I am," the man called Quietus said. "So what are you names?"

"This is Rick, the one in the power armor is Jim, and I am Elma."

"I thought there would be more of you people."

"We lost more good men. I say that you came here mostly unscathed."

"Not mostly," Quietus pointed at the new scar on his armor. "Almost lost a fight if it wasn't for this chunk of steel I'm carrying around."

"I see. That a PFW-Gatling?"

"It is. It only needs to be recharged and I don't have to worry about finding ammunition. My sword might need some maintenance."

Elma nodded. "You still good to fight?"

"I'll be," Quietus said. "You folks sure want to do this?"

All of them nodded. Quietus didn't ask about whether Rick and Jim would talk to him. He didn't want to learn their names because it would hurt less that way.

"Okay, you know how it is. We try to avoid as many as possible and then blow up the core of these mutated freaks."

"Copy that, any last words Quietus?"

"No. I've been doing this for five years ever since this war started. I'm just surprised that I am still alive."

"You've been fighting for five years without stop, dealing blow after blow. Hell, if you want a quick fuck then I'll consider. You owe the world at least that much."

"Hah!" Quietus laughed. "All this trouble for one fuck?"

"I'm serious."

"No. I don't need it."

Quietus said. Elma shook her shoulders. "So do you know the way?"

"I cleared the way, but since you three had to been slow I had take care of things on my own."

When they entered the large tunnel that was connected to a large dam. They only saw corpses of these disgusting skinless monsters that have been conquering the earth for five years. They were either cleaved in half or burned by plasma that had already cooled.

"You really are good at this."

"I think so too."

Quietus and the others started forward.

Elma followed while keeping her rifle scanning the environment.

"Looks like you folks switched to rechargeable batteries now."

"Their fire rate is atrocious, they overheat, but what can we do? We don't have any magazines or supplies now. Hell, I think the rest of ours are going to charge here."

"Ah, I did heard that. I also heard that brilliant plans of theirs. You signed for a suicide, you four."

"I know. Only ten percent of us are left and you think we still care about living? Most of our food are gone, there are no farmable areas, we can't even grow anything before the bastards find out lairs and purge us. There is nothing to live for here. You, why are you fighting?"

"Same as you, I don't want to go gentle. That's what I told myself everyday. Life's treating me well and there are days that I wonder if living like rats is not going gentle."

Elma laughed hard. Quietus smiled as they crossed corpses. They went outside and found an empty dam. Not far from this damn was a broken and flooded city. There were horde of monsters in that area that it made Elma shudder at the sight.

Quietus ignored her reaction. He deployed his grapple hook, and engaged his boosters for a quick leap to the top of the platform while Elma, and Rick held on to him. Jim followed with his own boosters and landed next to Quietus. "Nice control, mate."

Jim nodded. Unlike Quietus who wore a force blade that could vibrate and cut through monsters and a PLASMA-FIRING-WEAPON Gatling, he held a shield and a force spear. There were mounted chainguns on his shoulder and a light mortar.

Quietus looked away from Jim. His eyes on the pathway that was falling apart. His power armor could do extreme feats, and do quick four boosts. It was a dangerous terrain that needed good timing. Like what they did, Quietus flung himself to the next rock platform, activated his boosters, and landed heavily with Rick and Elma on tow. Jim followed, and he barely was able to cling to the edge. He weighted more than Quietus and his pack made his jump miss a few meters, but Quietus caught him with his grappling hook.

"Terrain is going to be like this?" Elma asked.

"Yeah," Quietus replied. He looked at the mountains that had been eroded, burnt, and bombed when the monsters attacked. The world was quiet usually and only the sound of those monsters were the only thing that they could hear. Everyone hated that sound and some are even driven mad by this.

"Let's go," Quietus urged them.

***

It took them two days to reach an elevated position. On their right was the cityscape of a once bustling city. It was half-flooded, and there were smoke rising from them. Cold winds blew around them as they continued moving forward, finally entering a line of trees that gave them shelter from the cold wind.

"You ain't tired?" asked Elma.

"I ain't cold either," Quietus asked. "Heat from the power armor's keeping me alive. You two cold then just stay near our backs since our packs emit heat."

The four of them found a clearing. Rick started a fire after digging two feet. He took out a pan then cut up some meat, and placed them on the pan.

"You brought meat?"

"Goat meat," Elma said. "Old Uncle gave us that before he went and died. I had it butchered and brought with us since its the end for us anyway, so might as well make a feast."

Quietus nodded. He opened his face plate and showed his face. Elma stared at him for a second and then smiled. Elma looked away, and faced the goat meat that was being cooked.

"It was supposed to be for ten people, but since we have enough for us then we'll have a feast."

Quietus ate the roasted goat meat without hesitation. Five years of hardship had taught him to eat rats and anything that could be food. He had been eating monsters as well and somehow been alive. At first he would vomit, but now he was fine with anything.

"Great meal," Quietus said as he tore the meat apart with his mouth. The rest of the crew also tore through the roasted goat meat until they were done. It was only when everyone had their fill that they settled down to get all the rest that they could. Jim and Rick slept on the side while Quietus looked at the snow falling.

"Can't sleep?"

"Why would I want to sleep?" she brought a gauntlet that was keeping her awake. "I don't need it as long as I have this. Someone needs to watch the crew, and that I want to look at the world before my time's up."

"I see."

"Jim and Rick lost their wives eight days ago. Can you imagine that? They were able to keep them safe for five years, defending the shelter, but even they weren't spared. I know that it no one is really spared by these monsters, but these watched them die. They could nothing and although they should have lost their hope. They kept on going, and even coming here to die for something at least."

Quietus looked at the two. "Good men, there is only a few of them left, sadly."

"I know," Elma stared at them, then she looked at Quietus. "What's your name?"

"Quietus."

"Your real name?"

Quietus didn't answer. "I know who you are, Elma."

"I know. I wasn't sure until I you open that face plate of yours."

"Strange fate, eh? You calling yourself Elma now?"

"And Quietus, really?"

"I know. It's what this armor is called. I've been fighting around, doing this for nothing other than just for the hell of it."

"And you gave hope to everyone."

Quietus nodded. "I did unintentionally. I just wanted everyone to know that I'm still here. That humanity hasn't lose. That's all I wanted when I donned this armor."

"I see," Elma nodded. "I guess it isn't so bad to watch the end with someone who you knew."

"Perhaps," Quietus agreed.

The four of them stayed on this area until they had enough rest. They continued trudging through the snow, forcing their way through a heavily snowing area until the found an edge. When they found the edge, they saw a mountain area that had been carved, as if someone had planted an oblong-shaped egg on the mountain.

Next to the mountain was a horde of monsters that numbered millions. Next to these monsters were clearly cocoon like meat sacks that contained the monsters. Quietus looked at the area and realized why no one wanted to come here. Why no one had dared to come around this area at all. The strike team that disappeared four months ago? The whole of humanity's last advanced forces?

They've been wiped out. Their failure was shown here. Everyone felt like their hearts were going to break. Quietus looked at Rick and Jim's face and they were deathly quiet.

"This is…hopeless," Rick stared at the meat sacks that were pulsing. The cocoons gave this eerie red glow and there were millions of these cocoons that were clinging on the ground and the mountain. Jim looked at the pack he was wearing and then continued moving forward.

"It's death there, brother," Quietus said. "You following him?"

Rick nodded. "Be safe, Elma."

The two marched towards the area. After reaching the bottom of the mountain. The two went out in a bang. It was like a small grenade thrown to a pit. It didn't matter and they barely made a scratch. Quietus knew it himself that there was no use on going there. They won't make a difference and even if they did. Would they be able to do anything at all? Even when they have the numbers, the convenient weapons of mass destruction, there was nothing left for them to do other than stare at the end of the world. Above them was the mother ship of the world that looked like a dried corpse that had been frozen.

Quietus sat down and fingered his pockets.

"Sorry about this, Wendy."

"I know, Alex. You did your best. I think we did our best."

"They'll probably find us soon here."

"Probably."

"Man, maybe I should taken your offer."

She knocked on his head. "Idiot, you should have."

He took out two cigarettes. He handed one and lit up his. Elma leaned on him and he lit up her cigarette with his. The two sat on top of a mountain above the nest of monsters that ended humanity. When they finally threw their butt of cigarette, they saw a wave of flesh.

Armed with a smile and a weapon on their hand.

The two charged.