Chapter 127 Hope?
The Apache helicopter resumed its assault with urgency, the gunner in the back seat tracking the movements of the beast below. The M230 chain gun, a 30mm cannon capable of firing 625 rounds per minute, unleashed a barrage of rounds towards the monster.
The monster, its hide scarred and smoking from the previous strikes, retaliated. It scooped up chunks of the shattered street, hurling them with deadly accuracy. But the Apache was nimble, banking sharply to evade the incoming projectiles.
Inside the cockpit, the pilot's hands were steady despite the adrenaline that undoubtedly coursed through his veins. With each maneuver, he stayed clear of the creature's reach, allowing the gunner to lay down a relentless stream of fire.
The monster couldn't do anything but hurl rubble at the Apache as it couldn't reach it. With that, the monster seemingly changed its tactic. It wasn't staying in the open, going around and between blocks, using the buildings as cover. It was more cunning than they had anticipated, using the urban environment to its advantage, trying to force the Apache into a mistake.
The Apache pilot kept his cool. The gunner kept the 30mm cannon spitting lead, aiming where he predicted the creature would emerge. It was a cat-and-mouse game, with stakes higher than any they had known.
Meanwhile, Lisa was just watching below under a cover. When her adrenaline wore off after her intense confrontation with the monster just earlier, she started remembering the time where her best friends were killed. Her heart ached again. She tried shaking it off by not thinking about it for a moment, but she couldn't.
She hoped that more would come and kill that monster. It deserved to die, it killed her classmates, her best friends after all.
Back on the ensuing fight.
"Where is it? Have you found it yet?" the pilot of the Apache asked the gunner.
"Negative, but I'm keeping my eyes peeled," the gunner of the Apache replied.
"Raptor-1 to Blackwatch, we have lost sight of the target. I repeat, we have lost sight of the target," the pilot reported to the command center.
"Raptor-1 copy. The orders remain the same. Eliminate the monster. Thunderbolt is one minute out," Blackwatch replied.
"Look for it again," the pilot ordered the gunner.
Just as the gunner was about to survey the area to the right, a sudden shadow cast over the Apache, followed by a deafening crash atop the aircraft. The beast had leaped from an adjacent building, using its powerful limbs to propel itself through the air with startling accuracy.
The Apache, caught off-guard by the sudden weight, pitched violently to the side. Warning alarms blared inside the cockpit as the pilot fought to maintain control. The gunner swiveled the chain gun upwards, but the angle was impossible, and the proximity of the creature made it risky to fire without causing collateral damage to the helicopter itself.
"Mayday mayday mayday!" The pilot repeated urgently. "The monster is hanging on the skid!"
In a dire attempt to dislodge the creature, the pilot dove the Apache sharply, but the monster's claws were like anchors, ripping through metal as if it were paper. The gunner could only watch as the beast began to tear at the helicopter's body, its monstrous strength deforming the tough exterior with each savage twist and pull.
The Apache's alarms grew more frantic, a cacophony of warnings that mingled with the roar of the creature.
The gunner relayed damage reports, voice strained but composed, "Hydraulics failing, we're losing tail rotor function!"
Below them, Lisa could see the Apache's predicament worsening. The monster's hands, massive and powerful, were crushing the aircraft's rear, the tail boom bending grotesquely under the force. She felt a helplessness that bordered on despair; these machines were supposed to be one of the strongest of the Blackwatch assets. But to see it being easily downed, reminded her that this monster is strong, possibly stronger than the Hunters.
The Apache's descent was rapid, a controlled crash at best as the pilot managed to keep the nose up. But since it lost control, it went on a nosedive, exploding upon impact with the ground.
Lisa, from her vantage point, watched in horror. The situation had turned dire; the Apache was down, and the monster, now unchallenged, could turn its attention back to her. She checked her rifle, though it was just a habit rather than preparation. If the monster found her, she would have to fight it no choice. She would have the same resolve she had prior to the arrival of the strike package.
But to do that, she had to do something. She pulled out her cell phone and opened the voice recorded app. She would leave a message to her only family, her brother, Richard.
Lisa's hand trembled as she pressed the record button, the voice recorder app open and waiting to capture her words.
She inhaled deeply, a shaky breath that held the weight of her world.
"Hey, Richard," she whispered,
"If you're hearing this, then... then I didn't make it. I'm sorry. I know you'll be hurting, and that breaks my heart more than what's waiting for me out here."
Her voice cracked, and she paused, collecting the shards of her courage to continue. "You promised to protect me, to keep the horrors of this apocalypse at bay... but some things... some things are beyond even your control. I don't want you to carry the weight of blame. This was my choice. I joined the Volunteer Corps, I stood my ground, and I fought."
A tear trailed down her cheek. "Don't dwell on 'what ifs', brother. I don't regret a single moment, and I need you to know that. I need you to keep fighting, to lead Blackwatch, to protect those who still have a chance. Do it for me, do it for all of us who have fallen."
She closed her eyes for a moment.?"I'm proud of you, brother. You were the best in the best in the world. And...I love you. Always have, always will."
With that, she ended the recording and stowed it in her pocket.
Just as she left her cover, the monsters landed from the other end of the avenue, staring at her menacingly. Lisa raised her rifle, and aimed at the monster.
"We'll see you soon, Denise, Angela, Ella…"
As she was about to squeeze the trigger, her ears caught the sudden roar of an engine.
Lisa instinctively snapped her head upwards. There, cutting across the sky, was a plane unlike any plane she'd seen in the skies before the world had turned upside down.
It was a gray, menacing shape, unlike the sleek lines of fighter jets. This aircraft was all angles and edges, with wings that spread out wide and straight from its bulky fuselage. Mounted atop the fuselage were two large engines, their placement unusual to Lisa's eye, giving the plane a hulking, powerful stance in the air.
Underneath, she could see the shadows of what looked like heavy armaments, the details unclear but the purpose unmistakable. The front of the plane was blunt, with what appeared to be a large, protruding nose — perhaps housing some sort of equipment or weapon—Wait. There's something painted on it, like a shark teeth motif.
She wondered what kind of aircraft would that be, and does it belong to the Blackwatch?
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