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Reverend Apocalysis: Reality Surpassed Fiction

Chapter 2: Prologue (2)

In the darkness of the night, three Jeeps moved along the muddy ground and the large potholes on the road. Inside, armed individuals were silent in each Jeep moving along the lonely paths. All of them, except the driver, had their eyes closed, as if they were somehow sleeping or meditating.

They all wore tactical gear, with night vision goggles on their helmets, open communication equipment, and an array of weapons strapped across their bodies. They were ready to initiate any kind of operation one could imagine, but this time, they were heading into the depths of Siberia where a Russian medical research company was located.

"Zz... This is Captain Jessica speaking. Intelligence just received crucial information that a group of private guards went in search of the targets. All of them stopped communicating half an hour ago, and it's estimated they are already dead."

"They should have waited for us..." A soldier shook his head while listening to this news, which was commonplace in their line of work.

A man named Carlos pressed the button on his radio and communicated, "Zz... How many targets will we face once we enter the battlefield?"

"Zz... Targets undefined, but you must eliminate anything that moves and is attracted to you. Whether it's a rat, a cat, a wolf, or a bear. You are authorized to use lethal force against the targets." Jessica's response was swift, and the others simply nodded, knowing the minimal details.

"Zz... Well, that's going to be difficult. We're trained to eliminate people, not to go after animals. If that's the main job, it would be better to call in expert hunters, not trained soldiers with little knowledge of animal behavior."

"Zz... Make sure to be cautious; we are not in our jurisdiction, so we have no air support. Once we reach the affected area, all of you will be on your own."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound very convenient." Captain Sergei of the special response group sent to this area didn't seem very convinced about this last-minute operation.

"Is there something bothering you about all this, Captain?" One of the soldiers who had kept his eyes closed asked. Knowing that it was not common to see Sergei in this way, many had doubts, but not everyone dared to ask openly.

"This mission is not typical. We are not going to face terrorists or stop a coup; we are on a mission to kill bears that possibly have some kind of contagious infection on their bodies. Maybe those bears were not released accidentally, but there was an intention behind it, and now we are their guinea pigs to test whatever they are doing."

"Anyway, remember to prepare the equipment to protect us from being infected." Sergei shared his thoughts with his comrades guarding his back, and everyone nodded as they put on gas masks with filters; they were the only ones who had them.

"Zz... Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I need you to put on your gas masks as soon as possible. Things seem more complicated than they actually appear. Keep your eyes open."

Sergei's order echoed on all radios, but just as the responses were being given, the front Jeep was hit by a shadow, and it rolled several times to the left.

"Enemy contact at three o'clock!"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Support the fallen, the rest, shoot at that thing!" Sergei got out of the car and began firing at the shadows moving in the distance towards his direction; blood stained the bushes, but what was most shocking is that there were no signs of heat in the thermal images on their night vision goggles.

Rrroooaaaarrrrr!

Ferocious roars echoed in the surroundings, but no matter how many figures emerged from the darkness, they were all killed by the group of elite soldiers specially hired for the elimination of these creatures.

Blood, the smell of gunpowder, and heavy breaths filled the air for a brief few minutes. After the last figure fell to the ground, Sergei raised his hand for all the soldiers under his command to stop shooting.

After the gunfire ceased, there were several sounds of reloading and heavy breaths influenced by what had just happened. Sergei took a step forward while tightly holding his weapon, keeping a watchful eye on the targets in the vicinity.

"Sir, we have one casualty, and two are injured!" shouted one of the soldiers who went to assist the soldiers in the first Jeep that was hit.

"Andrew, bring the car in front of us, and get everyone out, including our fallen brothers!" Sergei advanced with some soldiers into the bushes while continuing to shoot at those ferocious beasts still running towards them from a much greater distance.

Andrew, who was armed with a sniper rifle, followed the orders and sat in the driver's seat of the last Jeep, moving ahead of the group. Having traveled in three Jeeps, there were a total of twelve soldiers, so they would be fine as long as one was in the rear.

"We have to reach the facilities; we'll administer first aid to the wounded there!" Sergei covered the backs of the soldiers who were returning hastily to the Jeeps.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Boom! Boom!

"Get us out of this place, now."

"Yes, sir!" The soldier in the driver's seat wiped his sweat as he started the engine and followed the Jeep ahead.

"What the hell was that?"

"It's pretty clear they were bears, Salinas."

Salinas reloaded the magazine of his rifle and affirmed, "You know what I mean, what the hell are those bears? Obviously, they're not normal. I mean, I emptied a magazine into a damn bear's back, and it kept advancing like nothing happened."

"You have to shoot in the head; at least that kills them..." Sergei, while saying this, was establishing contact with Captain General Jessica, who was in the operations room.

"They won't be drugged, will they? I recently watched a movie about a bear going crazy after eating drugs, but it wasn't immortal like these damn bears."

"Zz... Sir, they were not just bears. I shot wolves, and Randalf got bitten by an animal similar to a squirrel, I mean, I don't know the name of that rat or squirrel. But the animals in this jungle are going crazy, trying to kill us; maybe the medical company we're heading to knows something about it."

"Zz... Keep your eyes open, don't forget to go at maximum speed, and be prepared to shoot anything that moves."

"Zz... Yes, sir."

Sergei was extremely uneasy; not only had he lost a comrade, but they were also facing something they couldn't control. With no aerial support, the chances of survival once they entered the jungle were minimal.

"Zz... This is Jessica, what's the situation?"

Sergei grabbed the radio and said, "Zz... We have one dead soldier and two injured. We were attacked on the road by a hundred bears. Do you have any idea what the hell you've gotten us into?"

"Zz... Captain, as a friend, my duty is to keep you informed, but this situation has gotten out of my control. Your job is to keep the company's facilities safe from the beasts until a plan to stop them is devised. As long as there is activity near the area, the creatures infected with a military-grade virus pose no risk of spreading."

"Zz... They are expert hunters. Are you saying these creatures are infected with a military-grade virus, and it wasn't a containment breach? You know damn well that with this information, they're using us to test their biological garbage. How the hell did you come up with sending us on a mission of this magnitude?"

"Zz... Sergei, make a decision when the time comes and get out of there alive. But the mission is simple from start to finish: eliminate anything that moves outside the company's facilities. It's only 24 hours until the company's data is transferred and packaged, there's a plan to blow the whole place up with no risk factor."

"Zz... Go to hell; you'll explain it to me later."

Sergei knew long before they had to eliminate a ferocious beast that had gone out of control outside the secure facilities of the medical company. Everything seemed straightforward, so he didn't think much about it, taking this job after protecting an American businessman who had come to Russia for business.

This mission paid twice as much as the previous one, which would help him settle many outstanding private expenses and others he kept secret. But when he learned the mission's location, although it seemed strange, he pressed on, and as he discovered more hidden information, things became more sinister.

"Zz... There are no records of anything that can help you on this mission. You just need to make contact and stay on guard. Your job is simple. I'm sorry I shouldn't have offered you this job without having more information about it."

Sergei shook his head and said, "Zz... Alright, Jessica, we'll handle this."

"Zz... Check the symptoms of all those wounded by those beasts; we need to know who they are to try to keep their safety in check since they may contract rabies or some other disease. When we arrive at the facilities we need to protect, the injured will receive medical attention immediately."

"Zz... Yes, sir. I have two soldiers injured from the accident and another from a rodent bite. It doesn't seem serious, but it would be good to get them checked."

Sergei just furrowed his brows and said, "Zz... That's it, then. Stay alert until we reach the facilities."

"Sir, is it serious?"

"No, we were just hired as hunters, and nothing more. No more questions, focus."

He couldn't scare his team, but if that virus passes from animal to animal, what will happen is that it possibly aims to eliminate humans. The question would be if that virus can be transmitted from animal to human; things would change drastically if that assumption is correct.

"We must get information from that company..." Sergei muttered in a serious tone and thought, "No one plays with the lives of my men!"