CHAPTER ONE

Outpost-One

August 2025. Sometime around noon at the Gila Forest National Park.

"Batman-five, Batman-five, this is Batman-six. Over."

"Batman-five, Batman-five, this is Batman-six, respond. Over."

No response was heard.

Several minutes later, the Combat-Net Radio (CNR) suddenly gets a response but the person on the other end is whispering.

“Batman-six, this is Batman-five, I am on the ground. Over.”

“Batman-five, this is Batman-six, you have been out in the mist for two days. Break. You have been instructed to return to Headquarter (HQ) immediately, over."

"Batman-six, this is Batman-five, I heard multiple gunshots and explosions several clicks away. Break. Request permission to recon and secure the perimeter, over."

"Batman-five this is Batman-six, that's a negative. Break. You are not allowed to go down from your post in the first place. I repeat you are not allowed to go down from the treehouse and walk on land. Break. Prepare to return to base before sunset. Over."

Again, there is no response from Batman-five.

"Batman-five, Batman-five, this is Batman-six, ... there has been no evidence of human survivors inside the First-Ring of the mist after Z-Day. You are hallucinating. Break. Do not engage in any activity. You are allowed only to observe. Do not walk on land. Break. Stay at your post, and wait for instructions. Over."

"Batman-five, Batman-five, this is Batman-six, respond! Over."

Nothing. No response was heard, only silence …

CHAPTER TWO

Some hell looks cold and damp

15:15. Somewhere inside the First-Ring of the mist in the Gila forest

Batman-five looks at his military wristwatch to see the timer which he sets earlier just before he came down from the treehouse, and it’s showing 2 hours 11 minutes. It has been quite a while since Officer Davis starts trekking inside the misty forest of the First-Ring.

Though he seemed to made a clumsy decision, but he has calculated the potential risks even before going down from the treehouse that the HQ approved to build and used for recon purposes. The wooden treehouse was named Outpost-One and it’s located on the outskirt of the First-Ring of the misty forest which is known to have the densest mist and the gloomiest compared to the Second or the Third-Ring.

Believe it or not, it was officer Davis's idea to set up the recon post besides being the only soldier who volunteers for this insane field duty; However, Officer Davis is not an ordinary soldier. Back before Z-Day—which most human survivors have named it these days; he was a decorated and committed Special Operation Forces (SOF) for the US Military Special Unit Division. He served in countless military covert operations overseas, ranging from the Middle East, North Africa, and some parts of Asia; but whatever he did before Z-Day is another story.

Right after the deadly outbreak, Officer Davis is counted as an asset for the US military—or to be exact, what’s left of the US military corps; and well-respected for his bravery and loyalty in the line of fire to always defend his unit.

For two long hours—which he felt like a lifetime inside the First-Ring of the mist—Davis has been walking in real slow motions. He consciously controls his breathing by inhaling and exhaling from his nose and mouth to conserve energy in his muscles while consistently measure every step he took for that long tiring shadowy ninjalike walk.

Hiding under his ghillie suit, he sometimes chooses to walk or crawl from one place to another in a strictly discreet manner. At every certain distance, he lowers his body to rest on the ground while his camouflage suit blends him almost perfectly with the surrounding bushes. Ordinary watchful eye could never detect or expect anything.

He couldn’t walk faster or run to the source of the gunshots that he heard because there is a well-known myth not long after this catastrophe began, which is: don’t ever run inside the First-Ring of the mist. Most stories told from human survivors were, whoever runs inside the First-Ring of the mist will not survive. Therefore, believing there can be human survivors left inside the First-Ring of the mist is just too good to be true.

16:00.

As Officer Davis keeps moving for nearly three hours, he starts to realize that his body is demanding water and sugar. Davis's mind and emotions have begun to wander wildly in the last ten minutes, but he tries to stay focus. Minutes later, he finally decided to stop and rest longer behind a large tree which makes him almost invisible by the naked eye.

Connected to the earpiece he wears, Davis turns his CNR back on and a while later, he hears a radio call coming in, "Batman-five, Batman-five, this is Batman-six, do you copy? Over."

Like before, Officer Davis respond by whispering,

"Batman-six, this is Batman-five, I am half click from the source and conducting recon on the perimeter. Requesting radio silence, over."

"Damn you, Davis! This conversation is not over yet. Batman-six, out."

Hearing the response from Batman-six back in the HQ, Officer Davis smiles and turns off his radio.

For an ordinary person, or perhaps most soldiers, a battlefield is a crazy place to hang out, but for Davis, is just another day on the stomping ground. Little does the HQ know that ever since Davis spend his days for these past few weeks in Outpost-One, the reality is, he rarely stays in the treehouse in the daytime. He always stays inside the treehouse after sunset but during the day, Davis is busy exploring and scouting the surrounding area. What Davis has done alone in these past few weeks at Outpost-One is considered insane by many survivors, but he probably did it because he was driven by his survival instinctive behavior and becomes territorial over his domain. Or, the survivors were right, he might just be an adrenaline junky and felt challenged to do it considering he is a well-trained military man.

Some of Davis’s colleagues in HQ think he is overwhelmed, desperate, and hopeless about the global situation. They believe Davis has made a death wish after he was assigned voluntarily for the field duty on Outpost-One alone. But some colleagues from his unit see it differently. They think Davis is not a desperate and hopeless type of person, yet instead, he simply doesn't want to give up believing that after one-third of the earth's surface is covered by the mist and roamed by the undead, all of it is empty of survivors. They see Officer Davis as a man who believes that the only way to avoid fire is not to run away from it but rather, jump into it.

During most of the day, Davis sets up "invisible fences" by planting boobytraps or other decoy materials to lure the undead away from entering the Outpost-One perimeter. Anyway, although he never journeys as far as he did today, nevertheless, only time can reveal Davis's true motive as to why he went through all this trouble in the first place?

Officer Davis use his short resting time to drink and took a bite of his military-grade food supplement. Several minutes later, suddenly, “...Bang! ... Bang! ... Bang! Ratatat! … Ratatat!”

A new round of gunshots was heard and it was close to Davis's proximity. This time Davis did not overhear it once or twice but several times of loud gunshots then followed by a semi-automatic rifle. In an instant, Davis knew what type of semi-automatic rifle was fired; he knew it was not a military-grade weapon but a nonmilitary one.

For a second, Davis was caught in a moment of disbelieve but he is not an overreactive person, his mind works like lightning, calculating the possible risk, angle, and approximate distance of the gunshot's location, then he begins to move with caution.

Davis knows that he is so close to the source of the gunshots sound and it can be someone or something or it might even be nothing at all because when he heard it the first time, he knew it can just be a gun belonging to a dead survivor triggered accidentally by an undead, yet he feels so in need to follow his hunches today and kill his curiosity.

Davis slowly crawls to the source. Part of him wishes that he can just run and arrive sooner to see what happen, but then he immediately remembers the myth of the First-Ring; and today, somehow, Davis doesn’t want to be the first one to prove if the myth is either true or false.

CHAPTER THREE

Ghostrider

The Gila Forest National Park, New Mexico

Since the late '80s, a secluded airfield located in a not well-known location inside the Gila Forest National Park was used by the US Forest Service to prevent forest fire. After 9/11, the airfield was secretly handed over to the US Military. Later, the airfield was converted to an airstrip and used as a secret military base for the US Special Forces. Ever since it was used by the US Forest Service, the locals never see the airfield because it was located deep inside the Gila National Forest. 

For more than two decades, people from the surrounding towns knew that the airfield is regularly used once or twice a year as a training ground for forest firefighters and areal firefighter planes to prevent bushfires in Gila National forest. After it was taken by the US Special Forces, many planes that look like the US Forest Service are often seen near the vicinity. Besides the military servicemen that work on the airstrip, the common folks who live near the surrounding towns never know anything about it. The so-called US Forest Service airfield that they once knew since the '80s has become one of the most sophisticated secret military bases for the US Special Forces. At night, two AC-130J Ghostrider which are known as the deadliest gunship planes take off and land without ever being noticed. Most military servicemen or field agents who work inside the base live like regular people, and some do daily jobs in the nearby towns.

16:20. The year is 2025, New Mexico. Somewhere inside the Gila forest.

Batman-six walks to the Air Commando’s Office. He knocks on the door, and seconds later a male voice was heard from inside the room, "Come in."  

Officer Spencer enters and gives his military salute to the high-ranking officer inside the room and says, "Colonel, Permission to report, Sir.” 

“State your report, Spencer,” says the Colonel after he glances at Spencer and continues drawing lines on a map. Before Officer Spencer entered the room, Colonel Monk was busy marking and drawing lines on a military map hanging on the wall that covers almost one side of his office wall.

Officer Spencer: “Sir, Officer Davis left Outpost-One and he is walking by himself inside the First-Ring of the misty forest. He reported earlier that he might overhear several gunshots and explosions at around noontime from Outpost-One. Now he is investigating the source for the last 2,5 hours and requested radio silence." 

Colonel: "(Sigh)…He never changes. So, where is he now and what is his status?" 

"Around 20 minutes ago, Officer Davis reported that he is already 500 meters away from the source. He insists to conduct recon in the surrounding vicinity. Colonel, it is almost sunset, he will never make it alone. Sir, requesting duty, Sir!" replies Officer Spencer.

Colonel: "Dispatch Blackbird-509 and Bravo-One Team to Outpost-One. Tell them to secure the perimeter and wait for my orders. I will be in Eagle-One. We leave in 20." 

Officer Spencer: "Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir!" 

16:40, Somewhere inside the First-Ring of the mist.

Officer Davis has entered uncharted territory. He knows that he never wanders this far before, not at morning, noon, less close to sunset like this late evening. Thirty minutes is the maximum time frame before the night and the dark misty forest turn into Davis's worse nightmare. Well, except he can quickly find a secure hiding place like an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), a hidden treehouse, or a sound escape plan, then even spec ops with skills as Davis will not likely make it. The chance is thin considering two out of the three options are not available. So, time is critical and Davis aware of his weak spot.

To be clear, the densest mist mainly appears after sunset and is known by survivors including Davis as the sanctuary of the undead, which is why the First-Ring of the mist is undoubtedly the monsters’ lair. Each day, the mist from the First-Ring which has sporadically cover forty percent of the earth's surface in the world's major continents has been continuously expanding. What matters is not only about the mist’s expansion but if a person is trapped inside the First-Ring of the mist for one night, then his effort to escape from the mist the next day becomes greater and farther. Therefore, whoever decided to remain indoors when the deadly outbreak event took place some eight months ago, which is also the first time for the mist to appear, then he is either safe and sound without needing to go out at all, or he is good as an undead.

With little time to spare, Davis maps the surrounding area with his mind as fast and accurately as he possibly could, and for whatever happens then, he needs to be certain not to lose his way back to Outpost-One. Davis is 400 meters away from the source of the gunshots, but the thick mist still makes it difficult for him to get a clear visual of the location. He needs to go further ahead.

16:55.

While lying face down on the ground, Davis moves his elbow and feet pushing his body forward one step at a time. This time he moves even slower. It took him almost fifteen minutes just to reached 100 meters from where he was before until he finally arrived at a nearby open field. Kill zones to be precise. Davis knew he has reached the safe limit; further movement can expose him to threat and uncertainty.

In the battleground, better safe than sorry is never an option. Knowing the risk Davis might face the undead, he has no plan to add hostile enemies to his adversary list. A spec op like Davis has figured out that a gunshot sound that happened inside the sanctuary of the undead is always a bad combination. He decides to stay hidden and use his spot to observe the approximate gunshot location using his MRAD sniper scope. Gently, he positions his sniper rifle while listening to every noise happening nearby. For Davis, sitting alone day in and day out inside a misty forest is not his first time, but sitting alone in the misty forest full of undead walking around after sunset, now that is his first time.

After adjusting his sniper’s position, Davis starts to see a small-looking red dot wobbling from afar. It also becomes apparent to him that the red dot is moving in his direction. He shakes his head twice to make sure his mind is not playing with his eyes but is neither his head nor his eyes. He sees something out there alright. Davis measures the distance of the red object which is around 200 meters away; but as the night invites the sun to sets at the edge of the horizon, the mist also thickens inside the misty forest. Davis still couldn’t confirm what he sees with his naked eye. He opens the sniper scope and begins to zoom in onto the small red dot. Once he saw it, Davis’s heart was shocked. He mumbles, "It’s impossible!”

CHAPTER FOUR

The briefing room

01:00, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 24 days before Christmas, 2024.

Two AC-130J Ghostrider belonging to the US Special Forces landed safely on the US-UAE join operation military air force base near Dubai. They have just completed one of their two secret missions at an undisclosed area somewhere inside the Middle East. The two birds are refilling their ammunition and fuel while the crew has been given spare time to rest inside the military compound before doing their next and last assignment this year.

Officer Davis is drinking a cold beer inside the military cafeteria. He needs a break from his military duty, at least it’s what he felt in his heart. Although he has not returned home in the past six months, his face looks glad because once he completed his last assignment, the miserable days of missing his family will soon be over.

Ever since Officer Davis was assigned to conduct several classified and covert military operations overseas six months ago; well actually, he was stationed by the US military high command in Washington to remain at a secret military base located inside The Gila Forest National Park, New Mexico. It is not far from the New Mexico state capital, Albuquerque, where his family are making their daily lives.

Each month in the past six months, Davis spent seven days in Washington DC, where he reported the status of his last assignment and was then assigned to a new one before heading back to the Gila Military Base in New Mexico. Davis's missions are classified as covert operations; therefore, he never tells Catherine of his whereabouts for safety reasons and his loyalty to the corps.

Currently, he is on a video call with his wife and six years old son, Catherine and Mike.

Mike: "Daddy, will you be home on Christmas Eve?"

Davis: "Sure Mike, I’ll not miss it for the world. I miss you son." 

Mike: "Last year you also promised but you were not home on Christmas and New Year?" 

Davis: "I am so sorry Mike, daddy was busy last year. Look, I tell you what, Daddy promise will be home before Christmas and I got a surprise for you and Mommy." 

Mike: "Mommy, Daddy said he got a surprise for me and you. Daddy, when will you return home?" 

"Davis! Briefing room, ASAP!", Officer Monk shows up and interrupts Davis's conversation with his 6 years old son. 

Davis: "Mike, Daddy got to go. Be good and help Mommy, you hear me kid?" 

Mike: "Okey, Daddy." Though he is not pleased with his father's decision to end the video call too soon.

Suddenly, Davis's wife takes over the iPhone from her son.

Catherine: “Sweatheart, can Mommy talk to Daddy? Mommy needs to tell Daddy about something,” then she switches the call to private mode as she walks to the kitchen.

Catherine: "Again Davis? It’s not even five minutes yet?" 

Davis: "Look, Honey, I'll be home on the fifth, but don't tell Mike about it, I want to surprise him. I love you both. Honey, I am sorry. I got to go." 

Catherine is fed up with Davis's excuses and she hung up the call without saying anything.

For a moment Davis was having a mixed feeling between disappointment with himself and the need to be patient at the same time. He closes his eyes, then after a while, he sighs.

Davis switches his mobile phone off and walks to the briefing room. Inside the military base, all personal mobile phones must remain switched off except inside the cafeteria.

December 2024, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Catherine’s residence.

Somewhere in a rented apartment in downtown Albuquerque, Catherine has just recently switched off her call with her husband. Catherine holds herself not to cry but she sometimes found herself having no clue whether she loves her husband so much or just hates him too much because he is rarely available at home with her. 

She opens the fridge to get a glass of milk for Mike while she mumbles, “Just be patient Catherine. It’s not the first time he did it, and it’ll certainly not his last.”

She puts the glass of milk beside Mike while he is busy playing with his toys on the dining table. Some minutes later, she opens her mobile phone and writes a short message (SMS) to Davis. 

Catherine writes: "Davis, I am so sorry. I just missed you so much. Promise me to be safe and see you soon. Charlie-Mama-Lima-Delta ..." 

She always adds “Charlie-Mama-Lima-Delta” on her SMS to Davis at the end which means Catherine-Mike-Love-Davis, although Davis never does the same.

17:00, August 2025. Somewhere in the outskirt of Gila National Forest Park.

Inside the First-Ring of the misty forest, Davis is looking closely using his MRAD sniper scope. He still could not believe what he sees and whispers repeatedly to himself, "No, No, ... This can't be true!"

CHAPTER FIVE

Love your neighbor like yourself

Albuquerque, New Mexico. Early December 2024

Catherine has been sitting for half an hour in the living room apartment. She picks her mobile phone several times and hopes there is a Short Message or call from Davis. Today, all she ever wanted—after her last SMS to Davis—was a reply from her husband to say anything that gives a clear sign for Catherine that Davis is still truly cares for her and Mike.

Well, she feels like she deserves it, at least after living patiently alone for four and half years, although she married Davis nine years ago. Each year she only spends six months with her husband. And most of all on this late evening, she misses him so much and needs something that can cheer her mood.

While she keeps staring at her mobile phone, suddenly Mike says to Catherine, "Mommy, why is there a cloud outside?"

Catherine: "What cloud? Where?"

Mike: "There." he points out to the balcony that is facing the city.

The balcony has a panoramic view of the city. This was one of the reasons Catherine chose the apartment. She likes to sit at night thinking about her life and wonder will she be able to see her husband again? Safe and still in one piece.

Catherine often listens to romantic Mexican music and watches the beautiful night lights of the beautiful city of Albuquerque. She hopes it can ease the pain inside her heart from missing her husband.

Catherine is still sitting on the living room sofa when Mike says about the cloud. So, she cannot see what’s happening outside her apartment. The balcony door is near the dining table opposite the kitchen where mike is playing with his toys. She immediately gets up from the sofa and walks towards the balcony.

As she reaches the dining table, she takes a glance and sees the city is covered by white smoke. She felt disbelieve but it’s real. As she thinks it could be fire smoke, she says, “O God, is it forest fire?” Fear suddenly struck her mind and she breathes faster than usual though tries to calm herself down. She opens the balcony and steps out to the balcony.

As she gets closer and holds the balcony handrail, she looks at the street below. She sees the whole neighborhood is empty. No cars passing by or people walking around as they used to. She ponders, “Where the hell is everybody?”

Catherine looks closer toward her car at the parking lot below and sees one of her neighbors who lives on the ground floor is standing beside her car. Her name is Mrs. Abigail. She is an elderly lady and lives alone with her cat, Beatrice after her husband passed away four years ago. Catherine doesn't know Mrs. Abigail well but since she walks with a four-legged walker and smiles every time they met, Catherine felt sorry for what Mrs. Abigail is going through.

Catherine's apartment is only three floors high and that is why it's easy for her to identify the old lady who has been staring at her car for the last minute but without her walker.

Catherine was surprised to see Mrs. Abigail is standing without her walker and shouts to her neighbor from the balcony, "Mrs. Abigail! Mrs. Abigail! What are you doing? Where is Rosa? Why are you standing without your walker? Mrs. Abigail! Do you know why the city is covered with white smoke? Mrs. Abigail! … Mrs. Abigail!”

Despite she shouted to Mrs. Abigail from the balcony, Mrs. Abigail just keeps standing in front of Catherine's car without the walker and she did not respond to what Catherine is saying.

She feels something strange is happening, but suddenly, she hears her apartment door was opened. She quickly rushes back into her apartment and saw her main apartment door was opened. She looks at the dining table and Mike was gone! She spontaneously says, "O GOD, NO!"

She panics and runs chasing Mike to the stairs. As she rushes on the stairs to the ground floor, she yells, “Mikey! Come back here! Stop! Mikey!"

While running on the stairs, she wonders, how a six-year-old boy runs these stairs so fast that she couldn’t catch up on him. Catherine finally reaches the ground floor and she continues running to the main building entrance that is facing the main street. The main door is partly glass. So the main street is visible.

She can see Mrs. Abigail is still standing facing her car, and several meters away behind Mrs. Abigail, Mike is walking towards Mrs. Abigail.

Catherine feels relief for a moment, but now she sees something frightening and almost impossible. The neighbor she knew can barely stand on her two feet moreover to walk because she’ll need a walker to do it. At that time, she vividly sees part of Mrs. Abigail's clothes has reddish stains, which from where Catherine sees it, it's looks like fresh blood.

In that frightening moment, Catherine suddenly feels as if everything moves in slow motion.

She sees Mrs. Abigail's apartment door is opened and more bloodstains are seen on the floor and wall near the apartment’s door. She found Beatrice's dead body. Mrs. Abigail's cat was lying dead in a pool of blood not far from the door. Beatrice's neck was cold-bloodedly ripped off.

Seeing what she saw, Catherine runs to the door to grab Mike as fast as she could, but somehow her legs are not responding to her will, and by the time she reaches the main building door, Mike is already too close to Mrs. Abigail. She yells so loud trying to stop Mike from getting closer to Mrs. Abigail, "Mikey Stop! Mikey!"

Catherine tries to run faster but somehow, she couldn't.

She shouts repeatedly, and yet innocent Mike just keeps walking towards Mrs. Abigail.

As Mike stands behind Mrs. Abigail, she suddenly turns around and at that moment, Catherine sees the most frightening face she ever sees in her entire life!

Still struck by the fear of what she sees, Mrs. Abigail suddenly moves to hold Mike.

Catherine knew Mike made a mistake as he probably thought that the old lady standing by her car is the nice and warm-hearted Mrs. Abigail, their neighbor.

As Mrs. Abigail grabs Mike's jacket. Catherine cries and her mind flees at that frightening moment and shouts her husband’s name, Davis, who always lives far away from home, leaving her and Mike alone.

Cathrine screams: “Davis, help me! Davis! … Mikey!

Though scares as hell, Catherine pulls herself together and gives all her strength and courage to save her one and only son, Mike.

As Catherine gets closer, she sees the frightening face of Mrs. Abigail who already looks like a dead person. Her eyes are yellowish red and her mouth is dripping thick colored blood which Catherine thought is Beatrice who was known in the neighborhood as the fat cat.

Knowing he makes a mistake, Mike is terrified as he sees Mrs. Abigail's face and he turns to rush back into the apartment building. As Mike turns swiftly, the monster or someone who looks like Mrs. Abigail grabs his shoulder with her right hand. Mike struggles to fight back because both his hand is loosened and he yells, "Mommy help! Help me! Mommy!

With both hands, Catherine quickly grabs both of Mike's arms as she tries to pull her son with all her strength to safety. She cries and yells, "Let him go you old hag! Let Mikey go!”

Catherine keeps screaming and she can hear Mike was screaming desperately to be saved from Mrs. Abigail.

"Mommy! Wake up! Mommy! Wake up!"

Slowly ... Catherine hears Mike’s screams become louder and she suddenly awakes from her sleep and sees Mike standing in front of him inside the living room apartment crying while calling her name.

"Mommy! Mommy! Please, wake up! You scare me. Why do you keep calling Daddy and me?" Asks Mike.

CHAPTER SIX

Certain plans in an uncertain time

The year is 2025. A helo flying on route 180 heading North near Whispering Pines, New Mexico.

Bravo-One: "Eagle-One, come in Eagle-One, this is Bravo-One. Bravo-One Oscar-Mike and five clicks from Outpost-One. Over."

Eagle-One: "Eagle-One to Bravo-One. Roger-Tango, Lima-Charlie. Break. Bravo-One, be advised the ground is FUBAR after sunset. Advance with caution. Over."

Bravo-One: "Roger that. Bravo-One, Out."

The bravo-One team consists of four highly trained spec ops. They know the vicinity and the surroundings of the Gila National Forest well since they have been guarding the base before Z-Day. They used to disguise themselves as forest rangers to scare hikers away who come in too close to the secret military base, then they told them to return because they’ve entered wolves or bear hunting ground and not safe to proceed.

Despite the Bravo-One team have the knowledge and experience of the Gila forest, but before Z-Day, most people have reported strange-looking Oak Trees appeared in many areas and some grew overnight.

As Blackbird-509 is preparing to land in a nearby open field on the edge of the Second-Ring of the misty forest, the Bravo-One team is checking their weapons and communication unit inside the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk for the last time. The helo that carries the Bravo-One team is like a tank and will provide air support for the ground team. The Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk has two external wings that can support four weapons on each side, like the 50-cal (12.7mm) gun, Hydra 70 rocket pods, and Hellfire missiles. There is also a 7.62mm minigun mounted on the side of the cockpit and controlled remotely using the pilot visor’s helmet.

17:02. Somewhere inside the First-Ring of the mist

Officer Davis still can’t trust what he sees. He needs to be perfectly sure that whatever he sees is real and not his imagination. He keeps looking through his sniper scope and waits until the object becomes closer and clearer.

Perhaps it's fate or mere coincidence on that late afternoon because a heavy storm is also gathering above some parts of the surrounding misty forest in Gila. The wind is building speed fast and followed by dark clouds thickening by the minute. The stormy weather makes the misty forest even darker at sunset. As a spec op, Davis knew well that stormy weather is his advantage over the enemy but at the same time, it can also become his biggest obstacle.

The high-speed wind scatters the mist and makes Officer Davis finally has the visual ability to see and confirmed the wobbling red dot with certainty. Then he uses the sniper scope again to zoom to what is behind the red object, and what he sees has brought fear down to Davis’s spine!

Once Davis knew what he is about to face, he takes a deep breath and sighs. He knows he is facing the impossible, but then his mind tries to make a quick plan but today, time is not on his side!

(To be continued)