Revolution: The New World

June 28, 2075

1302 CDT

The Undead Forest, Between the Gulf of Mexico and Mexico City

Billy Cooper's Point of View

“Keep moving! We’re almost there!” General Farrington yells out.

The only thing I’ll have left to remember you by is this freakin’ Black Ace of Spades card! You three deserved better. Rest in peace.

“Billy! You need to keep up!” Sonya orders as we hop and zip from tree branch to tree branch.

“I hate you,” I say.

“Excuse me, Billy?” Sonya says as she abruptly halts and stops me.

“What are you two doing?!” Anna yells out in confusion as she and General Farrington stop as well.

“I just saved you, you ungrateful fuck,” Sonya shouts in my face.

“You murdered two people and didn’t even flinch, Sonya!” I say.

“They were going to do the exact same thing to us, Billy!” Sonya continues.

“That doesn’t make it ok to kill! It’s never ok to kill!” I say.

“Billy, grow the fuck up,” Sonya says. “You’re better than this, and you know it. I did what I had to do to survive and protect my friends.”

“But…” I say.

“Are you seriously crying over Seina?” Sonya laughs like a jerk. “You barely knew her! You’re fucking ridiculous.”

“Stop,” I say.

“No, because you need to hear the truth and accept it.,” Sonya continues.

“Please, stop,” I say.

“Seina didn’t give a fuck about you or your feelings. She only pretended to like you to gain a strategic advantage over me. Had Dwayne killed me before I killed him, she would have shot you and General Farrington without a hint of hesitation! I knew Seina better than you, and I know that she had too much heart to become a sociopath. She would’ve felt sad about your death, but she would’ve eventually gotten over it for one simple fucking reason. She did what she had to do to survive, the same exact thing we do every day. They could’ve simply ignored us, but they chose to pick a fight. Billy, life is cruel, cold, and unfair. If you want to prove yourself out here, then you need to grow a pair of testicles, get Seina’s titties out your mouth, and get the fuck over it.”

I need to stop cryin’!

“Sonya, I think you went too far,” Anna says as she checks on me.

“If you believe that, then you’re just as much of a dumbass as him,” Sonya says.

I’m scared. I’m so scared. I can’t stop shakin’. This can’t be happenin’. This can’t be happenin’! Being a man is so hard.

“Listen, Billy,” Sonya says.

“BILLY, LOOK OUT!” General Farrington yells out as he dives at me.

Ah! General?!

S-something smacked the General! Something big! H-he went flyin’ across the air so fast and landed violently against a tree!

“Anna! Billy! Get the General and leave! I’ll take care of this!” Sonya yells out as she prepares to combat this new enemy.

“What?! N-No way! I-Is that a…?” I say.

“Billy! We have to help the General!” Anna yells out.

Shit! You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, everyone. Sonya is right. I’m a dumbass. This is all my fault.

*

Sonya Grey’s Point of View

Well, this could be worse.

Currently unleashing a mighty roar to my twelve, on the opposite tree branch about 4.5 meters away, on all four limbs and roughly the size of a school bus in terms of both width and length, physical features that resemble a mixture of a crocodile and a Komodo dragon including a long tongue, thousands of sharp teeth, numerous amounts of claws, a pair of tiny and yet always menacing blood-red eyes that become more frightening by the second, a tail; one-fourth the size of its abnormal body behind it, and a durable rock-like shell protects its flesh, but more specifically, its brain.

Behemoths, how terrifying. And yet.

They’re the perfect challenge for me.

Here it comes. It’s about to jump!

Fuck! Too close! Slow reactions will get you killed, Sonya. Wake up!

Luckily, it crashed into the tree on my six with its snout and not into me! I’m starting to remember that this mutated is much, much faster than it looks.

Escaping on foot isn’t an option since they can move up to 144 kilometers per hour on land, combined with an equally extraordinarily killer lunge, one much more devastating than a Chaser! And as if they couldn’t get any more annoying, they’re capable of traversing up all types of terrain as well as being able to swim!

“Ugh!” I say as I make a rough landing.

A very rough landing, but pain is good. Pain proves that I’m still alive, but it also shows that the life I live is indeed real and not a dream.

Ok, ok. Calm down. Catch your breath. It’s above you now and has taken its blood-detecting snout out of the tree. Remember, Sonya, the mutated are just disfigured human corpses. No matter how strong they are, they’re just as stupid as regular zombies, and that means that you can outsmart them.

All zombies have a weakness, even a Behemoth, which means I can kill it.

But I can’t let it touch my skin, no matter what.

It jumped down and exposed its weakness in the process. I gotta time this next attack perfectly! I just have to… leap under it and.

Slice its belly! I got it, but its tail is going to hit me!

“AGH!” I scream. “Ugh!”

My back! It grazed one of my legs with its tail, but I’ll be ok. As long as it doesn’t touch my skin, I’ll be fine. It didn’t send me as far as General Farrington, and I landed on another tree branch, but my luck will eventually run out. Shit! I have to try harder. I managed to slice up its belly, but it wasn’t deep enough. The Behemoth has most likely regenerated its stomach by now, which makes this so much more difficult! All I have to do is cut deep enough into its gut to reach the brain so I can destroy it!

Fuck! Not good. I’m coughing up blood and here comes the Beheomth! I need to jump now!

I gotta use my Lighting Bolt to ascend!

No!

Its tongue! My leg! It’s gonna reel me in and eat me! I have to cut it!

I did it and it unleashed another roar in response. Sadly, its tongue will regenerate as well, but at least I get a chance to breathe. Now… what’s my next move going to be?

Shit! This bastard’s relentless! It’s climbing up and about to lunge!

Gotta get under it!

I jumped and it destroyed another branch, but now it’s exposed!

I cut its stomach open and it roared again! Now to finish it!

Its brain is located in between its neck and chest if I remember correctly, and that’s precisely what I aimed for.

Easy kill.

Safe landing, now I just have to.

“Ugh!” I say.

Fuck! N-no! W-when did it touch me?! N-no. Don’t pass out. Don’t even think about it! You have to get to the others! T-they’re in… trouble. I-I can feel it…

*

5 Minutes Later

Billy Cooper’s Point of View

“He’s too heavy!” Anna yells out as we spread our human bait across the ground.

This is bad! So bad! Not only can we not use the tree branches for travel anymore, but we’re surrounded by zombies! The bait will distract Behemoths, but not the zombies! We can’t even shoot them because it’ll only make things worse! Gulp! Guess I’ll have to use my machete.

“Anna, I-I’ll take care of them!” I say.

“Nonsensical!” She yells.

I took down one!

“Billy, look out!” Anna yells out to me.

A Headhunter?!

“N-no! Don’t shoot!” Sonya calls out from above.

Sonya?! You’re covered in blood and guts, but you’re alive and well! Y-you actually killed the Behemoth?! By yourself?!! But something’s wrong! You can barely stand up straight.

“Billy, move!” Sonya warns as she jumps down.

A quick stab behind the head from Sonya ends the Headhunter’s life.

“Wait!” She slurs as she rushes to fight another Headhunter. “I got i…,”

You collapsed?! Shit! I don’t have a choice but to shoot the Headhunter now.

A clean headshot! Rachel and Pa would be so proud.

“Sonya! No! W-what happened?!” I ask.

“I… Behemoth… p-poison,” Sonya says.

That’s right! The protective shell of a Behemoth is laced with poison, capable of paralyzin’ its prey within a mere few minutes. Not only that, but the poison’s toxins inflict irreversible damage to the body after seven days.

“Billy, your six!” Anna yells out.

A zombie?!

“NO!” I yell. “S-Sonya?” I say after Sonya stabs the zombie in the head.

“D-don’t give me the antidote. N-not yet. F-finish the mission,” Sonya orders as she passes out.

You used the last of your strength to save me, but we’re still surrounded by zombies, and Behemoths are fast approachin’! Damn it! And we’re so close to the coast!

“Billy, listen!” Anna calls out to me. “The zombies may have the advantage when it comes to quantity; however, they lack intelligence, which means we’ll always have a chance against them! You’re smart, Billy, and a faster runner than me, which means you have the best chance of completing the mission! I’ll take care of Sonya and the General! Nothing bad will happen to them! I promise! I’ll hide out with them somewhere nearby and wait for as long as I have to, but you must complete the mission! This can’t all be for nothing!”

“I… I…”

“Billy! We’re all depending on you! We all believe in you! Sonya and General Farrington have entrusted this entire mission to you! Your friends and your sister are all waiting for our safe return! You can do this!”

“Anna… You.”

“I’ll be fine, you dope! Go! Go, Billy!”

You’re right. Gulp, everyone’s counting on me…

*

5 Minutes Later

*

Almost there! I can see the coast!

No! I-it can’t be!! From above?! What a loud roar!

It’s a Behemoth! The only thing standin’ between me and the coast is, gulp, a… a Behemoth! I can’t do this! I can’t! I’m not Sonya! I’m not Duy! I’m a nobody! There’s no way I can do this!