DARIUS'S POV
I moved through the tunnels of the underground district, feeling each step resonate against the stone walls.
My black cape billowed behind me, a constant reminder of my duty as vice-captain of the exploration corps.
I could feel the tension in my muscles, honed after years of training and battles against the mutants that threatened our existence.
The scar crossing my face, a mark of past battles, tightened as I frowned at the distant sounds coming from further down the tunnel.
Something was wrong.
My years of experience screamed it to me, and my instincts were rarely mistaken.
Something's wrong, terribly wrong, I thought as I quickened my pace; my boots echoed against the stone floor.
First came the smell: that unmistakable metallic scent of blood mixed with the stench of death.
My heart began to beat faster, not out of fear, but from the dreadful anticipation of what I knew I would find. I had smelled that combination too many times in my life as an explorer.
—Glug, glug…
The sound froze the blood in my veins.
There, before me, one of my comrades was choking on his own blood. A grotesque hole pierced his chest, as if a beast had torn a piece of his being away.
My eyes reddened as I took in the scene, and I felt as if I were about to cry tears of blood.
I knew him well, too well. He had been a formidable warrior, a man who embodied strength and determination.
Now, as I watched the light fade from his eyes, I felt a pang of pain so deep I could barely breathe.
That bright spark of life I had always admired in him was slowly extinguishing, like a candle burning out in the darkness.
It shouldn't end like this, I thought as I saw him take his final breath, his body trembling one last time before going still forever.
I looked around, and the devastation I found hit me like a punch to the gut. Everything had been destroyed, reduced to ashes. Nothing stood, nothing was intact.
The bodies of my comrades… my friends… lay scattered like broken dolls, their limbs missing in a grotesque display of carnage.
—Darvus, Jairo… —Their names escaped my lips like a belated prayer.
Memories flooded me like an unstoppable tide. Darvus, always talking about his little girl, proudly showing me the drawings she made for him.
Jairo, who just days ago had told me his wife was expecting their second child. More than comrades-in-arms, they had been my companions in this endless struggle for survival.
The exploration corps was an elite unit tasked with exploring the exterior of the underground shelter to gather information about mutants and their behavior.
We carried out combat missions to eliminate mutants and reclaim lost territory, which meant members often had to leave their loved ones behind to join the fight.
And yet, it was these two who now lay in a pool of their own blood, having died at the hands of some unknown beast.
Why didn't they run? Idiots…
I thought as tears streamed freely down my cheeks, something I rarely allowed myself. But here, faced with the evidence of their sacrifice, I couldn't hold them back.
They kept their eyes open and their fists clenched in a final gesture of defiance. I could read the story of their final moments in the battle marks surrounding them.
They had fought to the end, knowing they had no chance of victory. It was the kind of bravery I had always admired and feared finding in my comrades.
The sound of footsteps behind me snapped me out of my grief. In an instant, my sword was in my hand, my body turning to face the new threat.
The familiarity of the figure emerging from the shadows only intensified my anguish: Abel, our captain.
—Captain? —I uttered the word with a mix of relief and suspicion.
—Is that you, vice-captain? —He replied, slumping to the ground with a sigh of relief that felt out of place to me.
Anger began to boil within me as I observed his state: unscathed, relaxed, as if the death of our comrades were merely a minor inconvenience.
—Captain, could you explain what happened? —I asked, struggling to keep my voice under control.
—Isn't it obvious? A mutant ambushed us, a giant centipede. —His casual response only fueled my rage.
—What I mean is, why are you the only one who managed to escape? The members of your group are dead…
His response turned my stomach:
—What the hell? Vice-captain, are you saying you'd rather I died with those guys?
As I listened to him explain how he had hidden while urinating, how he had chosen to save his own life while our comrades died, I felt something break inside me.
It wasn't just disappointment or anger; it was a profound disgust for the man who was supposed to lead and protect our soldiers.
—They believed in you. —I said, my voice laced with contempt.
—Those two would've given their lives if you asked them to. Shouldn't you at least prove you're worthy of their respect?
—Shut up! What does their respect have to do with me? Damn it! I can avenge them, can't I?
Rage burned in my eyes as I looked at him. This man represented everything I despised, everything I had fought against in my life as an explorer.
—You're a piece of rotten garbage.
The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them, though I wouldn't have wanted to anyway.
—What the hell was that, you bastard?! —He roared, but I no longer cared about his anger.
My mind was elsewhere, thinking of those who might still need help. I couldn't waste more time with this coward when lives were at stake. Without another word, I turned and began walking toward the underground district.
—Hey! Bastard! If you go that way, you'll surely die! You should run the other way! —His shouts echoed through the tunnels behind me.
—Damn idiot, don't you know it's all over when you die? Hey! —I ignored his words and pressed on.
My path was clear: if there was any chance of saving even one life, the risk would be worth it.
And if I couldn't save anyone, I would at least ensure the mutant that massacred my comrades paid for its crimes.
As I walked away, I could hear Abel muttering insults and justifications for his cowardice, but his words faded into the echo of the tunnels, as empty as his honor.