The group moved out, following Titan's directions. They navigated through the deserted streets, their senses heightened by the ever-present danger. As they approached Ryan's location, they could hear the growls and snarls of the ragers.
Ryan was cornered in an alley, desperately trying to fend off the ragers with a makeshift weapon. His face was a mask of fear and determination. "Ryan!" Jake shouted, rushing forward. “I’m sorry Jake. I thought I could show you that I could also do operations.” Ryan said, almost crying. The team formed a protective circle around the boy, fighting off the ragers with all their might. Luckily for them, the ragers were the first strain and weren’t fast at all. Mason's drones provided crucial support, their sonic cannons disorienting the ragers and giving the group a chance to strike. But the sheer number of ragers made it clear that this was a losing battle. "We need to fall back!" Mason shouted. "There's too many of them!" As they started to retreat, a deafening roar echoed through the alley. The juggernaut was back, and it was furious. It barreled towards them, its massive form smashing through anything in its path. Jake knew they couldn't outrun it. Mason smiled again and made his hands into a fist. “Titan, ready the cannons” “Yes Sir” A high-pitched humming sound follow after Titans voice. Boom !!!! The canon went firing. It wouldn’t stop the juggernaut’s movement, but it slowed it down. There was still a problem, the other ragers were already circling in on them. Mason had to deploy the two drones to help take care of that while he kept firing the mini cannon he wore on his hand. The mini cannon effectiveness was minute compared to the ones the drones had. “We need to fall back. I can’t keep this for much longer” Mason said. The guns and his team were firing wasn’t doing any real damage. Jake looked around; he saw that there was no way to escape if Mason kept dividing his resources amongst all the ragers. He made a split-second decision. He turned to Liam, saying;” Do you still have any bombs with you?” Liam was confused. “Yes, I do. But I haven’t worked on the timer yet. If activated, it could detonate immediately. There’s no chance of using it without suicide” “suicide” Jake was half smiling. Liam became more confused. He was already getting an idea of what Jake wanted to do. “Hand me the bomb” “Why?” “Just do it” Liam reluctantly gave Jake the bomb, wondering why he wanted it. Jake went over to Mason, muttering something to him. Mason sighed and nodded. "Get Ryan out of here," he ordered to his team. "I'll hold the juggernaut off." “Hold it off? , with guns? You saw what that thing can do.” Maria said. “Trust me, I have a plan. I always do” Jake smiled at Maria. Sam immediately understood the assignment and held the boy with his left hand. "No!" Ryan cried. "I can't leave you!" He was feeling remorse, because he was the one who made the decision of going against Jake’s order and leaving the base. "You have to," Jake said firmly. "Go with them. Now!" Just then, Mason handed his hand cannons to Jake as they had spoken about. “I’ll get them home safely” He re-assured Jake. Jake nodded and looked at his team. They immediately knew what to do. They held off Ryan. Mason withdrew his drones from the juggernaut and targeted the other ragers as Jake had ordered., creating an open path for them to walk through. Jake charged at the juggernaut, drawing its attention away from the group. He fought with everything he had, using the sonic cannon Mason had given him and his machine gun to keep the beast at bay. The more he fired the canon, the more distraught and angrier the juggernaut became. The juggernaut roared in frustration, its powerful limbs smashing into the walls around him. It swung one of its arms towards Jake. He ducked, firing the cannon on the arm that was swung. For a second, it could not move the hand. But then, it came back into control. Jake wiped the smear of blood on his lips and took a stance, looking at the creature. He knew his bones would break if he took a hit from the juggernaut’s swings.
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The explosion shattered the night, sending a shockwave that rippled through the surrounding landscape. A plume of fire and smoke billowed into the sky, briefly illuminating the darkness as debris rained down. Ryan’s ears rang from the blast, his vision blurred by tears and smoke. He tried to process what had just happened, but his mind refused to accept it. Jake, the man who had been like a father to him, was gone—ripped apart by the juggernaut and consumed in the explosion. Maria’s scream pierced through the noise, dragging Ryan back to reality. She struggled against Alex’s grip, desperate to run back toward the burning wreckage that had once been their friend and leader. “Jake!” she cried, her voice raw and broken. “Jake!” Alex felt like he was moving through molasses as he reached out to her. He had to stop her, had to make her see that it was too late, but the words caught in his throat. Instead, he could only watch as she crumpled to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
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The sun hung low in the sky, casting shadows over the landscape as Jake tightened his grip on the makeshift spear. The strong stench of death hung in the air and he could barely breathe. Literally, there were decomposing bodies all over the city, a grim reminder of what once was. “When would this end?” He muttered to himself. A year had passed since the N-23 virus had shattered civilization, rendering the world hostile and broken. At the onset, people thought they would band together against the threat. But survival instincts made them selfish, turning on one another. Supplies were stolen, fights broke out, and some even resorted to cannibalism. The common enemy was forgotten as the struggle for survival took precedence. Some formed colonies or enclaves to increases their chances. Jake’s enclave, repurposed from an old military base stood as a beacon of hope in the chaos, but supplies were dwindling. He knew that today’s scavenging mission was critical for their survival. He glanc
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