Zurkerx- The Empire Shall Grow

by Eric William Haluska

  “Can you guys see me?” he whispers.

  “Of course, we can,” says Donin. “Don’t deviate from the mission. We can’t risk you compromising it.”

  “Donin is right, Albric. It would be a problem.”

  “Yes Sadara, that would be a problem,” Albric says with an attitude as his smile disappears. “Problems we should tell others-”

  “Albric, don’t start this now-”

  “Problems we shouldn’t hide from others, especially from family.”

  “Albric, please-”

  “What is he talking about, Donin?” asks Sadara, a bit alarmed. “Albric, what are you talking about? Why are you being brash, especially towards me?”

  There’s an awkward moment of silence. Usually Albric is all laughs and giggles and has a smile on his face. But today, he isn’t smiling. Rather, his calm demeanor is replaced with a stern authoritative person she rarely sees. This terrifies her, given she has no clue what he’s talking about.

  “So, when were you going to tell me about the nightmares?”

  “Ni-nightmares,” she says in a frightening voice, realizing what Albric is saying. ‘How did- you find out?”

  “I… I told him,” confesses Donin hesitantly.

  “Why? Why would you tell him? He didn’t need to know! You promised you wouldn’t tell him!”

  “It was by accident. As much as I tried to conceal it, my guilty conscience involuntarily forced me to blurt it out. I couldn’t see you suffer any longer, even if it meant the possibility of the integrity of the mission would be compromised. But none of that matters. You shouldn’t isolate yourself from your family just because you fear they may not care about your problems. What matters is that we are family and that we tell each other our problems.”

  “Donin’s right. You should have spoken to me about your nightmares. I understand you were concerned for me. However, you shouldn’t have to burden yourself by hiding your dreadful secrets from others. Like Donin said, we are family. If there is anything you need, you can come to me anytime, I’m sure I can help in some way…”

  Albric smiles, hoping to bring happiness to his emotionally distraught sister, hoping she’ll be able to see his smile. For Sadara, seeing his smile is the final straw, breaking her emotionally as tears run down her face uncontrollably. Yet, her tears aren’t tears of joy. She is in pain, feeling sorrow because it is the same smile that she has seen in her nightmares before his death, something she never wants to think of.

  “We don’t need to hear your problems now,” interrupts a thoughtless Hanna, irritated by the conversation unfolding. “We cannot afford to screw up here. The lives of millions of Zurks depend on it!”

  “Knock it off, all of you,” exclaims Marcus, who has been quietly listening. “I sympathize with your problems, Sergeants, but resolve them after the mission. Right now, I need you all to focus. We are seeing increased activity as if they are alarmed by something.”

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed the guards by the gate seem more alert now,” says Sadara, a bit concerned.

  “They may be on to us,” Albric says, a bit paranoid, remembering the mission. “Supreme Commander. Is Kelin’s time up?”

  “Yes, it is. The longer we wait, the more likely Kelin is to escape.”

  “Copy that.”

  Albric pops around the crates. While his family is paramount, there’s nothing he can do at this moment to comfort her, to tell her that her nightmares are fictitious figments, tricks to undermine her sanity. Now is not the time to get distracted, especially since the enemy is now on alert. All he can do is hope his smile was effective. Yet, the thought of Sadara suffering haunts him, keeping his mind occupied as he tries to assess the situation, distracting him from his main objective: find and apprehend Kelin because losing him would be a big blow to the government. This is especially concerning since Halusnek remains clueless that the Zurks know where he is. He wanders aimlessly around, looking for Kelin.

  As he looks around, he sees something odd on the floor next to some crates. He sees there’s some red specs on the ground, a pigment that wasn’t there earlier. He bends down, examining it as he goes out and touches the unknown substance.

  Then chills run down his spine, shriveling up his skin. The red viscous liquid is wet and warm, running down his finger, getting thinner and lighter as he wipes it away. His eyes widen as he pulls his finger away, realizing it is blood.

  Most in this situation would be worthless, backing away to call for help and have the professionals handle it. But this situation is different since he is a professional. While he can call for help, the origins of the source may vanish, leaving it a mystery.

  “Hel- Help… me…”

  Albric flinches. The voice that moans in his ears sounds as if someone is in pain, their spirit disintegrating. He runs towards the voice, rounding the corner. As he rounds the corner, he freezes. He can see an individual leaning against the crates, somewhat hunched over as he uses them for support.

  “Gus?” he asks, petrified as he slowly approaches the man.

  The man sluggishly turns around, revealing himself to be in fact Gus. The life in his eyes is drained as blood drips from his mouth. He stumbles a bit forward, hoping he can reach safety.

  But as he stumbles forward, someone pulls him back, causing him to grunt in pain. Then a sharp metal object jets across his throat, slicing it open. He gags for air as he slowly suffocates, his blood spilling from his throat like a waterfall.

  Albric runs up to him, trying to save him, but stops when he sees the barrel of a gun pointing at him. He stares at the barrel, ignoring Gus as he falls to the ground, dying painfully. He looks up and is alarmed to see who is pointing the gun at him.

  “Whoa, whoa. Take it is easy, K.B. What the hell are you doing?” he asks, terrified as he raises his hands in the air, knowing it wouldn’t be wise to go for K.B.’s gun.

  “What I must do,” Kelin says hastily as he points an Aztek[69] pistol at Albric’s heart. “And you know my damn name isn’t K.B.!”

  “What do you mean by that? Why’d you killed him?” Albric asks, trying to play dumb.

  “I had no reason to kill this humble man, who was just trying to survive in this perilous nation. Unfortunately for him, the circumstances for me have changed, and he was in the wrong place, at the wrong time. But that should be the least of your worries, Lucas Keller, if that’s your name, government mole.”

  Kelin gives a malevolent stern look at him. Albric takes a step back and his stomach turns as he realizes he has been made.

  “What are you talking about? I am Lucas Keller, just here to help the business-”

  “Nonsense! I know why you are here. You are here to screw the operations of the Gewerksma, trying to bring an end to these mediocre bastards.”

  “But, that’s not true,” he says, purposely dumbfounded.

  “Come on ‘Lucas’, the government for years has been strangling them, chipping away at the foundation they have built. But yet, they are partly responsible for their own demise, abandoning the foundations of Demokrism, and instead, embracing this Neo-Demokrism, an ideology that betrays Demokrists, that ignores the progression of society as they try to reverse it. I’m only here because I have been forced to be here.”

  He pauses as Albric stares at him, baffled by what he’s rambling on about. Yet, Marcus can easily decipher Kelin’s words. He realizes two things, one that gravely concerns him. One, Kelin’s words confirm the government suspicions that the Gewerksma is falling apart, unable to financially keep itself alive. However, in their crumbling demise, they are a planning an attack, one that seems to be a do-or-die situation for them.

  “Oh, and I know the Red Skulls have surrounded the facility. Given your presence, I assume you are here to take me captive, to send me back to Halusnek. Well, guess what? That’s not going to happen. But what may happen is that the Zurks knew my whereabouts and didn’t bother to tell their closest ally. Just imagine the political fallout that would occur
if my home nation were to discover this damning truth.”

  He pauses, allowing his spiel to sink into the man, who is desperately backing up, hoping to gain the advantage over him. Kelin can see this and knows the longer he stays, the more likely he’ll be caught. But Albric knows this as well, and needs to distract him longer, and he believes he has the plan for that.

  “So, tell me, Kelin,” he brazenly says, finally calling him by his true name. “If you don’t work for the Gewerksma, if you condemn their ideology as flawed and regressive, why help the bastards? Why dedicate your time to a hopeless cause? Who is pulling the strings that make you involuntarily operate for such a worthless cause?”

  He takes another step back, the glare coming from Kelin making him do so. Kelin is annoyed by the man’s nosey questions. If Lucas thinks that he’s going to expose his secrets, he’s got another thing coming. What infuriates him more is the fact that this man is trying to distract him, hindering his chances to escape. Despite his feelings towards the situation, he’ll answer these irritating questions, he’ll just slink away while doing so.

  “Because someone has to disrupt and cause chaos, and that’s all I am going to tell you in regards to your questions. But I will tell you this, ‘Lucas’, there are many secrets I know that these Einnerist elites would like to know, secrets that would send shockwaves through Zentari, ones they’ll regret once they hear them.”

  Kelin moves his finger onto the trigger slowly.

  “So, you are going to shoot me? Even if you do kill me, you won’t get far.”

  “I’ll get farther than you think. And don’t worry, I won’t be the one that kills you, I’ve killed enough already today. But I am sure the Gewerksols nearby would love to light you up.”

  Kelin fires a few shots. The bullets strike the edge of the crates, splintering them. Albric ducks as splinters fly into his face. A couple of guards come from behind, wondering what’s going on. They can see a man standing there, pointing his gun at someone in the distance. Between them is another person lying in a pool of blood, likely dead.

  “He’s a government spy and is responsible for this man’s death,” Kelin shouts as he waves his gun at Albric. “Kill him!”

  The Gewerksols look at Kelin, confused about what’s going on. They are baffled as to why K.B. wouldn’t just eliminate the man responsible for the death of one of their comrades. They wonder if there’s more to the story than what’s being told. But nonetheless, they then look at Albric, raising their weapons and opening fire.

  “God damn it,” Albric says in a panic as he jumps back.

  Knowing the situation has become dicey, he takes off running. The Gewerksols chase him, shooting in hopes of striking down their prey. For Kelin, this is his opportunity to escape, to return home. He jogs away from the fight, knowing that the Red Skulls will soon cut off his route of escape.

  “Move in! It’s time we break the glass,” Marcus says urgently.

  “About damn time,” Hanna says with excitement. “All right, let’s bust that gate open!”

  She raises her hand, signaling a soldier carrying an RPG-10[70] to fire at the gate. The soldier lifts it and fires at the gate. The rocket screams forward, hitting the gate and sending shrapnel flying everywhere, killing the four guards.

  “Sound the alarm!” shouts a voice.

  A Gewerksol runs towards a red button and slams it. The sound of sirens goes off as both sides engage each other, tracers flying everywhere.

  ~

  As the mysterious man makes his way through the tunnel leading to the port, he comes to a stop, hearing the sirens from the port sounding off. He smiles.

  “So, they are here now, are they?”

  He pulls out his handgun, knowing he may have to fight.

  ~

  One down. Two down. Three down. Sadara counts in her head as she and Donin unleash hell onto the enemy below. Through their scopes, they see the Gewerksols are desperately fighting back, taking cover from the superior firepower pouring on them. Yet, their attempts at hiding are futile as they remain easy pickings for the Sanz siblings, their comrades witnessing their annihilation as they too believe they’ll be picked off.

  Desperate to escape, a few Gewerksols take off, running to some nearby shipping crates for cover. But their troubles are just growing. Not too far behind them and giving chase is Hanna. Ever since she entered the facility, she has been recklessly tearing up the place, ignoring the tracers and debris flying around. She couldn’t care less about the environment she is in, confident she won’t even be grazed. Her courage and strength, along with her blissful arrogance, strikes fear into her enemy, as they wonder what this unpredictable woman is capable of.

  Desperate to escape the hellfire, the Gewerksols split up, taking refuge in a maze of containers that litter the port. She comes to a stop, shaking her head, knowing that these obstacles won’t stop her. She lifts her gun and slowly enters, wondering where her prey hides as she wanders aimlessly around.

  Suddenly, a Gewerksol appears from around the corner, kicking the gun out of her hands. He pulls out a large knife and he tries to stab her. Seeing the approaching sharp weapon, she raises her arm and blocks it, the knife just inches from her face. She then grabs his arm and twists it, causing him to drop the knife.

  In a panic, he swings around, hoping to strike her down. However, she can read him like a book as she blocks his attack. She swings to the side of the man, striking one of his kidneys. He grunts in pain as she maneuvers her hand onto his head and shoves it to the ground. A cracking sound rings out as he rolls onto his back, the pain unbearable. She backs up a bit, adjusting herself as she rolls her shoulders.

  “You call that a fight? You need some muscle on you, boy. My ex can impress me better with his fighting skills, and I hate him!”

  She lifts her leg and stomp-kicks his head into the ground, knocking him out. She picks up her gun and gets back into the fight, looking for another Gewerksol to fight.

  ~

  “Joseph. Scarlet,” Marcus says with urgency. “Albric is in trouble. Make your way to his position.”

  “Great, a rescue mission now! What happened to capturing Kelin? If only you were here, Marcus, we could capture Kelin and rescue Albric.”

  “Not now, Joseph! As much as Kelin is important, Albric is more important. We need to come to his rescue. I doubt Kelin will be able to escape anyway.”

  “Fine,” grunts Joseph.

  Joseph shakes his head in disgust as he places the explosive on the side of the building. They were originally told to find Kelin, given that Albric was unable to capture him. But now, they must go to the aid of a man who should have done his job in the beginning. He presses the button, setting the device to explode in seconds.

  “Get back!”

  Joseph and Scarlet go on opposite ends, out of the blast radius of the explosive.

  ~

  Kelin places his hand on the wall, trying to catch his breath. His physical condition is failing him as he stresses out about the situation. While the urge to escape is stronger than ever, his body can’t keep up, unable to match the feat his will imposes on him.

  “Damn do I miss my prime days. I’m getting too old for this crap,” he pants. “I got to keep moving. I got to… get out of here-”

  Suddenly, a large banging sound echoes. Kelin jumps, his heart pounding against his chest. In the distance, a cloud of dust fills the end of the hallway, concealing a point of entry made by someone. Sensing danger, he backs up.

  As he backs up, his eyes catch a partially opened door, one that leads to the boiler room. Recognizing it as his only hope, he jots towards the door, hopping in as he closes it. He kneels, placing his ear against the door.

  At first, he only hears the sounds of battle, making it difficult to focus. But then, he hears a faint tapping sound that reminds him of dripping water. The noise grows fiercer as it gets closer, intensifying. It reminds him of marching soldiers in a patriotic parade, like the ones Halusnek holds con
stantly.

  Then the sound gradually dissipates. Wondering if the enemy is gone, he slowly opens the door, peeking through the crack. He gulps. With his own eyes, he sees two figures in shiny armor, outfits that tell him they are in the Krenma. He knows he wouldn’t stand a chance against them, and his capture all but guaranteed.

  Yet, he breathes a sigh of relief as they continue to head towards the battle. He swings the door open, running to the opening in the wall to make his escape.

  ~

  Albric slides behind some crates, dodging the flurry of bullets. He can’t continue running given that now there are several Gewerksols pounding his position, shredding the crate that protects him. He has no weapons to defend himself, no means of fighting back.

  Desperate, he looks in the crate and smiles. Inside are several Bouncing Rolli Grenades[71], which split up into multiple smaller grenades.

  “I reject your reality and substitute my own. I can disperse them with this.”

  He reaches into the box and grabs two grenades. The devices feel awkward as they bulge in his hands. He presses the button on each grenade and tosses them.

  At first, no one sees him throw these explosive devices as they bounce in front of them. Then one of the Gewerksols sees a ball-shaped object roll towards her. Realizing what it is, she turns around and runs. Before she can warn her friends, the grenades go off, killing her as the other balls bounce around.

  “Ha-ha! Take that, bitches,” he shouts in excitement.

  The explosive balls bounce everywhere, landing into some crates containing other explosives. These balls explode, setting off a chain reaction of explosions as shrapnel flies everywhere, engulfed in a raging inferno. His eyes widen as he takes off running, not wanting to be scalded by the fire, unable to comprehend what is happening.

  “Keep running, keep running, keep running! Shit!!”

  He runs for his life. The fireball is getting closer and closer, ready to consume him and his fleshy body. He looks for cover and sees some crates to hide behind, and is ready to take drastic measures. He dolphin dives behind them as the fireball passes him.