The dawn came quietly like someone who does not want to be seen. It was, like a person who sneaks in and takes something without anyone noticing the dawn crept in like a thief.
The thing slipped through the windows and the skylights that were all shattered. It made the hypermarket look really bad with orange colors all over the place. The blood had dried on the tiles. It looked really dark. There was smoke everywhere it was hanging low and sticking to everything the smoke, from the hypermarket. The hypermarket was a mess.
Ethan Cross was standing on top of a pile of strong pallets. He was looking out over the entrance. Ethan Cross was not moving all.
Below him the parking lot was really big and really empty. It looked like a place where old cars go to die. The doors of the cars were hanging open. The glass, from the windshields was sparkling like ice. You could see smoke rising up from buildings that were away. The air smelled bad like something was burning and it was a smell that you could not get rid of, no matter what.
Things started to fall and decay had begun.
Marcus was sleeping with his back against a box near the barricade. He was holding his bat really tight even when he was asleep. Lena was lying down in the storage room with her leg up. She was breathing slowly but, at least it was steady. The night was finally over. Marcus and Lena had made it through.
That did not mean the people were safe. The people were still in a lot of danger. Being, in this situation did not mean the people were going to be okay. The people and their safety were still a concern.
The ground started to shake. A vibration rolled through it. This vibration was really strong. It rolled right through the ground.
Low. Rhythmic.
Ethan became really stiff all of a sudden.
Engines.
The man looked up.
Three helicopters flew through the sky that was all dirty from smoke. The rotors of the Black Hawks were really loud. They were hitting the air hard. The Black Hawks were flying low over the parking lot. They had lights, on them that turned on and it looked like they were watching everything.
Goblins scattered between the vehicles.
Then the sound of guns being fired followed.
Clean. Controlled. Efficient.
The creatures fell down in heaps. They were twitching all over. They got hit by lots of gunfire that was very controlled. The fire, from the guns was coming in bursts and it was very precise. The creatures just kept falling under this disciplined fire.
Ethan let out a breath of air slowly.
The military had arrived. They were the military. Now the military was there. The military had come to the place. Everything was going to be different because of the military.
The ropes came down. The soldiers slid down these ropes fast their boots hitting the ground in a steady beat. They moved out quickly their guns firing. They took control of the area with a precise routine. People who were still alive came out, from where they were hiding. Families, people who worked in offices and people who were hurt and alone. Because they wanted things to be okay again. The soldiers and their guns made them feel like everything was going to be all right.
Marcus stirred. He said "That is the army."
Lena slowly got up her eyes were really wide. "Does that mean it is really over, for the thing that was happening?"
Ethan said no. He said it really softly. He meant that the situation, with something is complicated. The thing is, it is just not simple, Ethan. That is what he meant by complicated that the situation is complicated.
A squad advanced toward the hypermarket entrance.
A megaphone suddenly made a noise and started working.
This is the Republic of Korea Army. We need to know if there are any civilians in there. If you are a civilian please let us know who you are. The Republic of Korea Army wants you to put down your guns and come out slowly. When you come out the Republic of Korea Army needs to see your hands so we know you are not hiding anything.
Marcus looked at Ethan. There was a bit of hope in his eyes but it was really scary because it could break easily. "They have guns and a good system and a way to get the things they need. This is what we are looking for is it not?"
Lena stopped for a moment. "They might put us in a camp and not let us out" she said. ". Something even worse could happen to us like the camp thing but even worse, than that."
Ethan thought about the thing for a moment. He was thinking about what to do. Ethan was not sure if he should do it or not. Ethan wanted to make a decision, about the thing.
Safety came with chains. This is something that I have learned from my experiences. When I think about safety I think about being protected and secure.. Sometimes this safety comes at a cost and that cost is freedom. The chains that bring us safety can also hold us back. Keep us from doing the things that we want to do. Safety and chains they just go together. That is something that we have to accept when we are looking for safety.
And secrets were liabilities.
He said that we need to talk. We have to be careful when we talk.
He climbed down from the pallets. Walked up to the barricade by himself. He kept his hands where everyone could see them. He moved really slowly and carefully. The pallets were behind him now. The barricade was right, in front of him. He was alone and he wanted to show that he was not a threat so he kept his hands visible. His movements deliberate.
Ethan Cross said "I am Ethan Cross" loud. There are three people inside with Ethan Cross. Ethan Cross and the people, with him stayed safe from the monsters all night.
The soldier, at the front a captain looked at him with a rifle optic. Then the captain lowered the rifle optic a little. The captain was wearing an insignia that showed he was a captain. The soldier, who was a captain looked at him carefully with the rifle optic before he put it down slightly.
Captain Park Joon-Seok said this. There is a problem everywhere. Bad things are happening at the gates. There are hostile entities all over Seoul. The army is in charge now because of law. We are moving people who're still alive to safe places, for now.
Ethan wanted to know what was going on with the monsters. "What about the monsters?" he asked. He was really curious, about the monsters.
Parks jaw got really tight. He said "We are still trying to contain this situation. The number of casualties is very high. The casualties, from this situation are really heavy."
A pause.
Then Park added, carefully "We have gotten reports that some civilians are showing combat skills that're not normal. These people are called Awakeners."
Ethan looked back at him without flinching. He said "People do what they have to do to survive."
Park nodded, like that made everything clear. "You will go to the zone. The medical people will check you out. Then you will register at the zone."
Registration.
Marcus frowned. "That sounds really bad"
Park said that it is mandatory and he finished speaking calmly.
The people did not get to decide for themselves. The decision was made for the people.
The people, at the perimeter were not allowed to have any weapons. Marcus gave up his bat. He did not want to. Ethan was the one to give up his knife. He kept looking at the soldiers hands the time his eyes never leaving them.
Lena walked with a limp, between the people who were getting on the helicopter. The helicopter was waiting for them. Lena limped along to get on it too.
The city was below as they went up in the air. The city looked pretty when they were high up. They could see the city.
The city of Seoul was totally burned down. Seoul is a place that got completely destroyed by fire. The people of Seoul saw their city go up in flames. Seoul will never be the same again because it got burned badly.
Smoke columns went up like fires that people make when someone dies. The streets were full of things that got in the way. In some parts of the city weird things were happening in the air. The Smoke columns made the city look strange. It was like the whole world had gone crazy in those places the Smoke columns were everywhere.
Captain Park was sitting across from Ethan. He had taken off his helmet. You could see how tired Captain Park was it was, over his face. Captain Park looked really exhausted.
"This is not an invasion" Park said over the noise of the rotors. Dungeons are, over the place. Monsters are changing to survive. And the Awakeners they do not listen to people.
Ethan said that they just do not need to.
Park did not disagree.
The helicopter suddenly moved hard it was like it jumped or something. Then the helicopter lurched.
"MISSILE—LEFT SIDE!"
The pilot turned the plane sharply to one side. The pilot made this turn quickly. This is what the pilot did.
Something big happened behind them it was, like an explosion that tore through the air. The explosion was so strong that it shook everything around them. The people who were there saw the explosion. They knew that something was very wrong. The explosion was an one it tore through the air behind them.
The alarms were screaming loud.
On a rooftop some people were standing. These figures stood their ground below. The rooftop had these figures on it.
Not monsters.
Humans.
Someone raised a launcher. Fired again screaming something that Ethan could not hear because of all the noise. Another person unleashed ice into the air. The shards were tearing at the side of the helicopter.
Park said the word "Cultists", with a lot of hate. These people are really crazy. They think this is the end of the world that it is judgment time. Park really does not like these Cultists they are extremists.
The missile hit its target.
The metal screamed. It was a loud noise. The metal screamed again. It was so scary.
The world spun around. It was really crazy. Everything was spinning and it felt like the world was spinning. The world. It was a very strange feeling.
The impact came like a big hit it was so strong that it felt like something a god would do a huge hammer coming down. The impact was that powerful.
The darkness just swallowed up everything, around us. It was like the darkness took over. Now we cannot see anything because of the darkness.
—
Ethan woke up. He was, in a lot of pain.
Cold water was hitting the metal. The helicopter was lying half in the water, near the riverbank. It was torn open like an animal that has been killed. The helicopter looked really bad.
Marcus let out a groan that was really close, to me.
Lena was not moving all. She was just standing there still. Lena did not take a step.
The soldiers were still they did not move at all the soldiers just lay there.
Shouts were coming from above. These were voices and footsteps. They were getting closer and closer fast. The shouts and the footsteps were coming from people who were approaching fast.
Ethan broke loose from the things that were holding him down. The blood was rushing in his ears. He was really scared. His heart was beating very fast. Ethan was finally free, from his restraints.
The blue light was flickering softly at the edge of his vision. It was not giving him any power. It was not helping him to grow. The blue light just kept on flickering.
Warning.
The man picked up his knife from the wreckage of the thing that had crashed. He was looking at the knife in his hand. The wreckage all, around him. The knife was his. It was still okay. He had found his knife in the wreckage.
Alliances can break apart easily. This is because alliances are not always strong and they can fall apart when things get tough. Alliances are, like that they do not last forever. Can shatter easily.
Things are really bad, at institutions. They are not working like they should be. Institutions just broke.
Only resolve endured.
The first cultist came over the top of the hill and Ethan stepped forward. This cultist had eyes that were burning with a strong belief. Ethan was getting ready to face this cultist. The cultist was completely sure, about what they were doing.
The world had chosen sides. People were either for something or, against it. The world had clearly chosen sides. It was very obvious where everyone stood on the issue of the world.
So had he.