The Birth of the New World

-Interlude-

Anna

The gentle rumble of diesel engines and the whispers of private conversations fill my surroundings as I watch the scenery pass by. The ever present and spreading foliage of trees, dominating our view for miles in every direction. I sit on the bench along with other survivors rocking back and forth in our seats as the large tires of the military’s transport vehicle carries us slowly over cracked and ruined roads.

Every direction I look, I can see men and women in green uniforms, armed with rifles and other armaments walking alongside the convoy. Armored vehicles equipped with machine guns drive to our front and back, their gunners’ heads always on a swivel, looking for any threats that could come ripping out of the forest that blankets each side of the road.

It’s already been four days since Lain’s parents, and I were made to evacuate, and traveling has been slow to say the least. The roads are hardly in any condition for driving nowadays and we have to stop constantly so that those at the front can clear the road of obstructions. Trees growing through the road, abandoned vehicles and collapsed sections of road are a common occurrence and has brought the convoy to a crawl.

To say that everyone is tense is an understatement. The soldiers walking next to our truck hardly take their eyes off the trees as we slowly crawl forward. The other survivors in the truck all have a look as if they expect something to come tearing through the tree line at any moment.

A fear that is rather justified considering that our convoy has been attacked by monsters and mutated animals several times already since the start of our journey.

Most of the time it is just one or two creatures throwing themselves at us like rabid animals, only to be quickly gunned down by the soldiers. The worst attack that has happened so far was two nights ago. Most of us were asleep until the sound of gunfire, splintering wood and the rage filled cries of monsters filled the night. The dark night was filled with flashes of gunfire as a swarm of creatures came tearing out of the forests and threw themselves against the armored vehicles.

The fight only lasted for a couple of minutes, but it was enough to leave everyone on edge since then. Just waiting for the next attack.

Sitting next to me are Lain’s parents. They have been taking it pretty hard since being forced out of their home. I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s like for them to have to leave their daughter behind in monster filled territory. Mr. and Mrs. Dixon have barely spoken since the start of this trip; undoubtedly blaming themselves for leaving Lain behind.

If there are any bright sides to this, it is that Mr. Dixon was able to get his leg looked after by a field medic. It turns out that what we thought was just a bad sprain, was actually a pretty nasty fracture. He was able to get his leg put into a proper cast and was given some pain killers.

There was the very real possibility of his leg never healing back properly, but now he should be fine.

I still wish that Lain was here with us. I just hope that she is doing ok.

“Is everything alright Anna?” asks Mr. Dixon from my side.

Taken a bit by surprise, I turn to him and answer, “Yes, sorry. I was just a bit caught up in my thoughts is all.”

“You’re thinking about Elizabeth, aren’t you? He asks.

“Yes, I’m just worried about her. She’s out there all alone and we just left without her… I know that we didn’t have a choice in the matter, but I just wish that I could have done something.”

He responds, “I know you are, but you don’t have to worry too much. I taught her everything I could. She’ll be pissed, but she will find her way back to us. I know she will.”

He says the last part with confidence, but I can tell that he is still worried. I’ve known Lain’s family long enough to know that most of what he says isn’t just false bravado.

The man had always had a deep love for the outdoors. From fishing and camping to bushcraft and hunting. Mr. Dixon has always been an outdoorsman, and he made sure to spread that love to his daughter. At the age of twelve, Lain even managed to hunt her first deer with his help.

Bows and crossbows, rifles, and traps. Hanging out with her before all of this started, I never got the impression of her being ‘dangerous,’ just some big lovable softy that used to love talking about anime, playing video games and reading shitty Isekai novels.

Now though? She is part of why I am even still alive. After my parents died from the Sleeping Sickness, I had nowhere to go. She convinced her parents to take me in despite the literal apocalypse happening outside. Even a lot of the food I get to eat nowadays is brought home from her and her dad hunting and scavenging.

If the situation was reversed, and I was the one left behind, I can’t honestly say that I would be able to make it. But Lain should be able to make it. Though that doesn’t make me feel any better.

Sometimes I find myself wondering why it is that she goes so far out of her way to help me. Yes, we are friends, but we’ve only known each other for a couple of years. It’s not like I’m her family or anything. Besides helping her mom with gardening, I’m not much help. Just another mouth to feed.

And now I left her behind. I should have…

My thoughts are interrupted when I am tapped on the shoulder. Looking over I see Mrs. Dixon looking at me with her arm stretched other her husband to rest her hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry sweetie, we will see her again. Until then, you just stay with us. Ok?” She tells me.

Looking at her, I can see the dried tears on her face. She had not stopped crying since leaving home.

Nodding my head lightly, “Mhm. Your right, I just have to have faith that she will be ok. Thank you, Mrs. Dixon.”

Smiling lightly, she replies, “Please Anna, I keep telling you to call me Janet. You are practically a part of the family; you don’t need to be so formal with us.”

Blushing a bit, I look away and tell her, “Sorry, I just find it a little hard. I’ll try to remember to do so.”

Looking back towards the forest, I hear them both giggle a bit as she removes her hand from my shoulder.

It’s been six days now since we left home. We crossed over into Kentucky yesterday and should be getting close to Fort Knox soon. Beside a small group of stupid goblins, the convoy has luckily been able to avoid attracting too much attention from monsters. The rare moments where we find clear road, the convoy is able to speed up and cover more ground. Even still, it will probably be another day or two before we reach the base.

The goblins themselves actually made for a bit of a funny distraction from everyone’s depressing moods. The little critters came bursting out of the brush screaming at the top of their lungs. They charged at our vehicles, armed with nothing but sticks and rocks, like warriors charging a dragon.

Everyone was on edge until they realized that it was just about a dozen goblins. Compared to a lot of the things that are out there, goblins are practically harmless. For a lot of people dealing with goblins is basically a realization of the question, “How many 5th Graders could you take in a fist fight?”

With all of the stress that everyone was under, it just ended up being a bit like a morbidly funny joke. Having a small group of what people largely consider pests, just throw themselves at a fully armed group of soldiers. Like expecting a tiger and instead finding a mouse.

Thinking about goblins, I just wish that they weren’t so ugly. They are so small, like a kid. If they weren’t so hard to look at, I would be tempted to try and keep one. The smell doesn’t help either. It’s as if they have no concept of cleanliness.

At least the kobolds are cute. But they won’t let me pet them; they’re too smart. The last time I tried, the local troop stopped coming by to trade for a couple weeks. Lain said I scared them…

But it’s not my fault, I just really love small things. Of course, I’m going to want to pet the little bipedal dog/lizard people!

Leaning back and resting my head on the backrest of the bench, I just watch as the landscape goes by. We are on a stretch of road that is thankfully not surrounded by trees on all sides. To the right of our convoy is open ground. Fields as far as I can see along with the remains of deserted farmhouses.

To are left, and subsequent behind me, is sadly more forest. It’s impossible to go anywhere without seeing trees being absolutely everywhere, so I chose to just keep watching old farmhouses go by as a way to quell my boredom.

Being sad can only keep your mind busy for so long before boredom eventually takes over. Makes me wish I could play on my Switch, but I don’t think the soldiers would be very happy with me adding more reasons for the monsters to attack us.

“Mmm, at least the sky is clear today… We’ve been getting less rain lately. Maybe the storms are finally coming to an end.” I say, looking at a rusted-out tractor.

Sitting next to me, Mr. Dixon nods his head and says, “That would be nice…”

He just keeps staring out at the fields. The two of them haven’t improved much since earlier, both clearly still worried about Lain. Not that I can fault them for it.

Deciding to try and lighten the mood and kill some boredom, I try to talk with the soldier sitting across from us.

“Excuse me mister soldier. What’s your name?” I asked him.

Turning to me, he observes me for a moment before answering, “Anderson, miss. Private Anderson. What can I help you with?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s nice to meet you, Private Anderson. I just wanted to talk with someone to waste some time is all. How long have you been a soldier?” I ask.

He looks back towards the woods, I can tell that he isn’t comfortable with taking too much of his attention off of them. Regardless, he chooses to be polite and answers me. “Five years miss. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name before?”

“Anna, you can call me Anna. Hey, can you tell me…” I don’t get to finish my question as I am interrupted by Mr. Dixon placing his hand on my shoulder.

“Anna please be quite for a moment…” He says.

Looking to the soldier he asks, “Do you hear that?”

Looking over I see him peering over his shoulder and looking towards the woods. The soldier is also starting to get up from his seat and is moving closer to our side of the truck. Everyone in the truck is silent as we all listen for whatever it is that he heard, all the quietly whispered conversations having seized.

Looking out of the truck, I try to hear whatever it is but all I can hear is the sound of diesel engines and tires on cement.

“I don’t hear anything.” I say quietly.

A few tense moments pass as nothing happens. As I start to relax a bit, thinking that it was a false alarm, I hear something.

The cracking and splitting of wood as a tree falls. Soon the sound of another falling joins the first, this time a bit louder.

More and more noise comes from the woods until treetops in the distance can be seen moving. Something big is moving towards us, and it is moving very fast.

Cursing the soldier grabs his radio and calls it in, “We’ve got something big coming in on from our left. I repeat, we’ve got something big coming in from the East side!”

The entire convoy slams to a halt as a bunch of orders are barked out over the radio. Quickly, soldiers are unloading from vehicles and setting up defensive positions. Soon our truck and the others holding civilians pull off of the road and park behind the other armored vehicles.

Everyone in our truck is deathly silent as they wait. Peaking over the side, I watch the tree line as I wait for whatever it that’s charging at us to arrive.

Seconds pass as the sound of crunching and splintering wood gets louder and louder. Soon a tree is taken down and a flock of scared birds fly away, crying out in protest. Everything is quiet as we wait. I can see a soldier holding on to his rifle with a death grip, finger hovering over the trigger guard, lightly twitching as he waits for the order to open fire.

With sudden and explosive violence, a tall black figure blasts its way out of the tree line in an explosion of splintered wood and uprooted dirt. Tall as a house and built like a fluffy tank, a being on four massive legs as wide as an oak tree barrels its way towards one of the armored vehicles with a mighty roar.

Someone yells out, “BEAR!!”

All over I hear the call to open fire. MGs unleash a torrent of violence and soldiers open fire on the monstrosity.

Slamming my hands around my ears I watch as the bear rams, shoulder first, into a Humvee. It knocks over the vehicle onto its side like a child kicking over their toys.

All over there is noise. From the shouting of soldiers, the crying of civilians, the cracks of gunfire and ammo casings falling to the floor. Standing up like a savage tyrant, the bear bellows with a mighty roar that shakes its surroundings.

Unperturbed by the constant stream of gunfire pelting its thick hide like a swarm of angry bees, the massive bear begins to savage the Humvee that it knocked over. Tearing into its armored carapace with sword like claws and ripping a tire off with its mouth, the bear continues to brutalize the downed vehicle with psychotic energy.

Clambering out of the downed vehicle the soldiers that were inside are trying to take some distance from the mighty beast. Unfortunately, the bear sees the soldiers escaping away from the abandoned vehicle. Shoving it aside with one massive arm, the beast tries to head for them.

Luckily before it can reach them, the bear is forced to stop. Raising its arm, the bear tries to shield its face as one of the MGs continues to unload on it.

The fleeing soldiers try to run behind the defensive line, but one is unlucky as a massive, furred paw, as big as full-grown man, slams into the unlucky soldier. He is flung screaming in a large arc for several yards before landing hard on the cement road.

He doesn’t move, mostly killed on contact.

Ripping my eyes away from the dead soldier, I watch as the bear continues to advance towards the line of soldiers. Moving forward on its hind legs while blocking its face with one arm. If it manages to break through it will have free rein to rampage through the whole convoy. The civilian would be easy targets for a hungry bear.

We wouldn’t be able to get away fast enough, especially with Lain’s dad having his leg in a cask. We would be easy pickings.

As the fear of our situation continues to set in, I am distracted by the call of a soldier. “Firing RPG! Get down!”

Suddenly, someone pulls me by my shoulder and forces me to get lower. The sound of the rocket propelled grenade firing is soon followed the loud clap of an explosion. Even with my hands firmly covering my ears, they ring from the sound of the explosion.

Shortly after the explosion, a load roar filled with pain and rage fills my ears as the bear cries out. Its roar is practically an explosion unto itself, being able to feel it physically push on me from here.

Peaking back over the edge of the truck I see the bear. Standing on its hind legs, it clutches its side as torrents of blood fall from its shoulder. Its missing arm lay a few meters away, reduced to bloody meat and broken bone.

Roaring at the soldiers and trying to cover itself to ward off the constant barrage of lead. The bear looks around, both anger and fear evident on its expression. Looking around it tries to decide between continuing to fight or to flee.

With one last roar the massive bear turns its tail and runs limping back into the forest. Even missing an arm, it moves so fast that it is out of sight within seconds.

Dead silence descends on us as no one wants to break the quiet. No one cheers. We are listening to hear if it will come back or if other creatures are on their way; drawn by the sounds of gunfire.

It takes several minutes, the soldiers scanning the tree line with pointed barrels until the all-clear is given. A sigh of relief spreads over the convoy and everyone slightly relaxes. Orders are given, and soldiers get to work on getting things cleaned up.

Letting out a long breath, I slide down into my seat. Next to me Mr. Dixon is holding his wife close and stroking her back.

He looks at me and says, “Black bear, first time seeing one since all this started. Always figured that they would get big, but I didn’t think that they would get that big. We were lucky that it showed up alone. If it had dogs or other creatures with it, the soldiers would have been looking at a much harder fight.”

“Ya, we got lucky…” Looking back towards the corpse of the soldier, now being cared for by morning comrades, I can’t help but feel apprehensive. We are almost at our destination and will be safe, but Lain has to travel all this distance by herself. I can’t help but feel a fresh wave of concern as I think of my friend.

I hope she will be okay.