RTS System in the Apocalypse: New World

Five minutes ago.

Western edges of Grefort City.

Six silhouettes moved along the shaded corners in an alleyway, barely making a sound.

Four men.

Two dogs.

Adrian raised one fist. The group stopped at once.

No boot scraped the pavement. No weapon shifted too loudly. Even the dogs lowered their bodies close to the ground, their ears twitching toward the street ahead.

The western edge of Grefort seemed quiet today.

Adrian looked at the Radar map.

The area around them was clean of any infected and other markers.

The artillery is effective enough, he thought. But now is not the time to bring my guard down. These hives are tricky. We need to be trickier than that.

He tapped the side of his helmet twice.

The map shifted in his vision.

A route line blinked through the alleyway, crossed the next service road, then bent around the old commercial block ahead. Echo Two did not need to speak much. Every member already saw the same path, the same danger arcs, and the same fallback points.

That was their advantage, or rather, the System unit’s advantage.

A normal scout team had to pass information through words, hand signs, and guesswork.

Echo Two only needed a thought, a marker, and discipline.

Adrian marked the next corner.

Vex and the other Attack Dog moved first.

Not far and just enough to test the air before the men crossed. These dogs were immune to infection, and would likely alert them should anything be out of place.

The dogs gave no reaction.

Adrian gave the next signal.

The first Scout slipped across the mouth of the alley and pressed against the opposite wall. The second followed. Adrian crossed third, while the last man watched the rear.

Too clean? Adrian wondered. Is this the city or have we been transported someplace else?

The Radar map answered nothing for them nearby. For the next three blocks, only empty streets and broken structures lay around.

Not that he was complaining, but it was the kind of boring he both hated and wished at once.

”Squad leader,” one of the Echo Two members spoke through the radio.

”What is it, Echo Two-One?”

”Dogs are reacting.”

Adrian turned around.

Vex had stopped near the mouth of the alley.

The other dog stood a few steps behind him, body low, ears pinned back. Neither barked. Neither growled loudly either.

They know how to not bark at this moment very well, Adrian praised. This makes things easier and interesting.

He slowly approached Vex and rubbed its fur.

”What’s up buddy? Show me what you found.”

Vex’s nose dipped toward the ground, pointing at whatever it had found.

Underground? A bold thought entered Adrian’s mind. Is it the hive, or is it something else?

Just as his thoughts drifted, the Radar map suddenly showed distant red markers rapidly approaching toward their position.

”Squad leader, incoming enemy.”

”I know,” Adrian frowned.

Five red markers moved from the eastern road. They were too fast for a regular, wandering infected.

Adrian tapped the map and marked Vex’s position with a yellow point.

”Echo Two, inside the building. No shots unless discovered.”

The squad moved at once.

No one asked why. No one complained about the sudden change. Vex pulled back from the drainage slit, while the other dog circled toward the broken storefront.

The building had once been a hardware store.

Or at least, the front half had been.

Rusty shelves leaned against one another. Broken paint cans, cracked toolboxes, and old plastic pipes littered the floor. A faded sign behind the counter still advertised electrical fittings and repair supplies, though most of the letters had peeled away.

The first Scout slipped through the shattered entrance. The second followed. Adrian waited until the dogs passed before entering last.

The building smelled of dust, old rainwater, and dead wood. Adrian crouched behind a fallen shelf and watched the Radar map.

The red markers slowed near the alley.

That alone made him doubt that these things were ordinary patrols.

No, did infected even have patrols?

If they were only drawn by sound, they should have continued toward the last loud disturbance. If they were wandering, their path should have bent without purpose.

But they stopped, observing their surroundings. And it was right where Vex had pointed his nose down.

Adrian’s expression changed.

Something had pointed these infected toward that area. Not to Echo Two directly, but to where Echo Two was just a moment ago.

If the infected had seen them, they would have rushed straight toward the building. If they had heard them, their movement would have been rougher, wider, and less certain. But these things stopped near the drainage slit as if someone had marked the location for them.

Did we leave a trace?

Adrian doubted. The area had been empty a moment ago. Who would be here to mark things for infected groups that were far away?

Or was it a signal from something? Tsk, don’t tell me it’s the hive!

He did not need a second reminder. He’d rather think of the worst than be optimistic of the best.

”Deeper,” he whispered. ”Find a basement access. Now!”

The command passed through the shared map before his voice fully settled. A new route line blinked across their vision, cutting through the broken storefront, around the fallen shelves, and toward the rear service corridor.

The squad moved.

No heavy steps. No objects kicked aside. No questions wasted.

The dogs went with them, low and silent.

Outside, the red markers split.

Two remained near the alley. One moved toward the storefront. Another circled around the left side of the building.

The fifth stayed still.

Adrian watched that one longest.

A wandering infected did not stand guard.

”Echo Two-Two,” he whispered.

”Rear clear. Door blocked. Basement access visible.”

”Open it.”

”Understood.”

A soft scrape came from the back.

Adrian’s jaw tightened at the sound.

Too loud?

The red marker near the storefront turned slightly.

For half a second, nobody moved.

Then the marker continued along the wall.

Adrian breathed once through his nose, waiting for the door to be unlocked.

Echo Two-Two spoke again, quieter this time.

”Basement open.”

”Everyone down.”

The first Scout disappeared into the rear corridor. The second followed with one dog. Adrian waited until the last man crossed the aisle before falling back.

A shadow passed over the shattered storefront. Adrian froze beside an overturned shelf.

Something stood outside.

No, it’s clinging to the damn walls!

Through the broken glass and dust, he saw fingers hook against the outer wall. Long fingers. Too long for a normal infected.

Then the red marker on his map began to rise up the wall.

Adrian’s eyes narrowed.

Another special infected? Damn it, just how special are these things?!

It did not enter the building immediately. Rather, it climbed higher, listening from above, maybe.

Whatever it was, Adrian had no intention to spend time with this lovely infected.

Good. Let this thing be wrong then.

He slipped into the rear corridor and descended after his team. He calmly closed the door and locked it from the other side.