The Cold War 2: by Nick Venom (book club reads txt) 📕

“Wix?” Angelica exclaimed. “Why are you here?”

“Are we under attack?” Wix asked her.

Angelica nodded. “The Delta factioners are here. They brought a large army to combat us.” She informed him. “We are awaiting their first move before we send-” She was interrupted by a sonic boom that cracked into the fortress, shaking the ground and forcing the buildings to let out a strained sigh. 

Angelica and Wix both fell to the ground, and so did everyone else in the fortress, but they recovered faster than the others. Angelica and Wix turned to face the front of the fortress, noticing a large hole in the solid wall. 

“What was that!” Wix exclaimed, covering his ears. He was trying to regain his hearing after the sonic boom nearly destroyed it. 

Angelica didn’t respond, staring at the wall. “Their trump card…”

“What?”

Angelica turned to face Wix. “It’s their trump card! The railgun!” She shouted loud enough for Wix to hear. He nodded his head, somewhat familiar with the idea of a railgun but he never heard of one being created. 

“W-What should I do? I can help with the front.” He told her.

Angelica shook her head as a woman riding on a horse approached them. “Go with your squad. You’ll be the reserves. Wait for further instructions.” She told him before the woman arrived, handing Angelica her gear. 

“Commander Rose, your instructions?” The woman, Colette Vega, asked. “The platoon is ready!”

Angelica nodded, turning away from Wix. “Spread the word to the platoon. We’re moving to confront the railgun and Delta army.”

Vega nodded, turning her horse away from Angelica and tgalloping away in the opposite direction. She raced off to spread the word to the 101st Ironclad Infantry which had Commander Angelica Rose as its leader. 

Angelica turned back to Wix. “Reunite with the Black Spirits and wait for Berets or I’s orders. Is that clear?”

Wix nodded, his hearing finally returning to normal. “Yeah, I got it.”

“Good,” She turned away from him. “The fortress’s future is on your shoulder.” She told him before walking away, putting her gear on as she walked. She headed in the direction of the hole in the wall. Wix’s gaze lingered on Angelica for a few moments before he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around to face Ash who had tapped on his shoulder.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Ash asked, bewildered by the sonic boom.

Wix nodded. “The enemy has access to the railgun.”

“The railgun? But I thought that the prototypes were all failures?” Ash questioned.

“They were… but the enemy must’ve perfected them. At least to afford a single shell.” Wix told him. “I’m not sure how they managed to, but they did.”

“Are we going out to attack the railgun operators?” 

Wix shook his head. “We’ve been put on standby. Until Berets or Angelica gives the order, we’re nothing more than reserves.”

Ash nodded, slightly disappointed that they were not going to participate but also happy not to return to the battlefield. However, one feeling was enhanced by a sudden thought popping into his mind. “Gunner has left, sir.”

Wix furrowed his brows. “What do you mean he left? Where did he go?”

“I’m not sure. He didn’t say anything. He just got up and left, never mentioning a word to me.” Ash told him. “I tried to chase after him, but then we heard the railgun go off.”

“... We’re returning to the dorms. Our goal is to protect Black Spirits until they’re called onto the battlefield. We’ll look for Gunner later. Is that clear?”

Ash nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Then they departed, passing by the redheaded refugee who was heading in the same direction as them. Wix noticed her but his focus was on Black Spirits, Gunner, and the railgun. He had little attention to spare on her. 

***

“We’re the last line of defense for the refugees and citizens?” Wix questioned. In front of him stood one of Berets’s messengers. “We need to move to secure them?”

The messenger shook his head. “The refugees and citizens will be moved here. Your job is to protect them if the Delta factioners were to overcome our main defenses.”

Wix nodded, waving the messenger off. Once the messenger left the room, Wix turned to Ash and the others. They stood in Black Spirits’s dorm. 

“What now, sir?”

Wix let out a deep sigh before responding. “We protect the weak and defenseless. Berets want us to protect them, so we will. Everybody! Get geared up, we’ll be helping to move everybody into the building.” He ordered, receiving nods from everyone, even Raiz. Raiz bit his lip, silencing a retort. He followed Wix’s order without a complaint. 

With the room in agreement, Wix led them outside where they helped another squad bring all of the refugees and citizens into the building. They fed and accommodated them, spending the next few hours until a boisterous sound shook the earth. This one, however, wasn’t from the railgun. It was artillery shelling the fortress with everything they had.

It would last for two days before they ran out of shells and the dust settled. Then the shooting continued.

***

“Here’s your radio.” A messenger said, handing over a walkie-talkie to Wix. Wix took the walkie-talkie, dismissing the messenger. He then pressed down on one of the walkie-talkie’s buttons, speaking into it.

“This is Alpha Squad Leader Wix, reporting in.”

Instantly, he got a response from Berets. “We’re in a dire situation, Wix. We suffered heavy casualties thanks to the sudden bombing. A large Delta force under the banner of Vivian Walls is attacking the fort and there are not enough soldiers to defend against it. Get the Black Spirits at the front wall now!” He ordered.

“Yes, sir. Over and out.” Wix said before turning around. Sitting on the couch were Havin, Katrina, and Raiz. They all looked up at Wix, showing different expressions. Havin appeared nervous, Katrina seemed energetic, and Raiz looked fearful. He looked as if he was going to faint any minute… and was getting closer to that point by the passing seconds.

“Gear up, we’re heading to the frontlines. Make sure your guns are fully loaded before you leave!” He ordered. Ash and Evelyn, who were in different rooms, heard the order and complied as well. They took a small collection of minutes to prepare themselves before Wix ordered them out. They passed by the curious ears and eyes of the refugees and citizens, handing off responsibilities to the assisting squad, and headed towards the front of the fortress. 

They made their way to the top of the wall where they had a clear view of the warfare. Two armies faced each other in front of the fortress, spraying blood and corpses everywhere. 

Wix turned to face his unit, staring at their expressions. Evelyn shielded her eyes from the events while Ash stared at them intently, Havin forced himself to stare at the carnage, Katrina began tearing up, and Raiz puked. All different expressions for the same sight. 

Wix cleared his throat before speaking. “We’re going into the thick of it. In front of us is the battlefield, the plain where we may live or we may die on. If you want to live, then raise that pistol and point it at a Delta factioner. If you want to die, then keep it at the ground. Is that clear?”

Everybody nodded, reassuring Wix. “Good… then I welcome you to The Cold War.”

They then left the comfort of the fort and entered the battlefield. The field of death now lay in front of them. Where an eternal frost would soon claim their corpses. 

***

June 8th (four days before Wix and the Black Spirits were sent into combat)

Jeff handed Gunner a walkie-talkie. “Take it, you’re going to need it.” Gunner scowled at him, hesitant to take it. “Come on, stop wasting my time. Speak into it.” 

Gunner took the walkie-talkie, pressing a button on it. He then spoke into the device. “I am Gunner, who is this?”

“Gunner, huh? You must be the person Jeff told me about.” A female’s voice said through the device. “I am Captain Vivian Walls, leader of the Delta force headed towards Ironclad.”

Gunner’s eyes widened as he realized the implications of Walls’s words. “W-What… What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry about that. What you should be worried about is completing the task we’re going to give you. If you don’t, then you’ll never see them again.” Walls told him.

“Who?” Gunner questioned. He couldn’t think of anybody that he knew being under the grip of the Delta faction. 

“Say hi to him, honey.” Walls directed someone.

“O-Okay,” The voice responded into the device. “M-My name i-is W-Wendy Hendrix.” She said, close to tears.

Gunner glared at Jeff, recognizing the voice. “D-Don’t you dare touch her or so help me God I’ll-”

“You’ll do what? The cards are in my hand.” Walls said, cutting him off. “Your entire family lives in Delta territory, so if I really wanted to, I could get rid of them with ease. You know that, don’t you Miles?”

Gunner was fuming, his identity and weakness now exposed. “Fine, what’s the mission.”

“Kill Berets.” Walls told him. “If he dies, then the entire fortress will crumble. It’ll be easier to push my forces into the fortress if he’s dead, right?”

Gunner punched the table he sat at. Jeff stared at him, unflinching. They sat in the same room where they had first met. 

“Oh, was that a nonverbal… no?”

Gunner bit his lip before responding. “I’ll do it… As long as you don’t hurt my family. I’ll do it.”

“Good… can’t wait for your results.” Walls said before cutting the connection. Gunner heard the walkie-talkie go silent, deciding to stand up and throw it at the nearest wall in frustration.

“Good luck with your mission, Miles. You’re going to need it.” Jeff said, smirking. “Meet me at the outskirts of the fortress once the job’s done.” He then left the room, leaving a seething Gunner behind, who was now struggling morally. He didn’t want his family to die, but he didn’t want to betray his faction.

However, he already agreed to one of his two options. He didn’t want to do it, but… he needed to kill Berets.

***

June 3rd (9 days before Wix and the Black Spirits were sent into combat)

A female janitor walked into the female bathrooms on the third floor. She entered the room, doing simple sweeps of the floor and quick cleans of the sinks and stalls. However, she struggled with one of them. 

“Excuse me, miss.” She called out. “Are you okay?” She asked, noticing a few droplets of blood on the floor, assuming that the occupier of the toilet was on her period. 

The janitor received no response, bewildering her. “Miss, is everything alright? All you need to tell me is that you’re okay.” She said with silence as her response. 

“Miss, I’m opening the door. Is that okay?” She asked again, waiting for a few moments before she turned to her toolbag and took out a screwdriver that she used to crack the stall door open. Instantly, she was hit with the horrific sight of Maci on the toilet with her wrists slit, strangely placed on her lap, and with her wrists pointing at the ceiling. 

The janitor raised both of her eyebrows, horrified to see Maci in her state, but that expression quickly changed. She noticed defensive wounds on Maci’s body as if she had been in a struggle before she committed suicide, which she saw as strange. 

“P-Poor girl… was she abused and that’s why she did this?”

“No, she was just unmotivated.” A woman muttered behind the janitor. The janitor turned around, recognizing the redheaded woman in front of her as one of the refugees that had entered the fortress not long ago. 

“Y-Y-You?”

The redheaded woman smiled, armed with a knife. “You shouldn’t have opened the door.” She said before locking the only entrance into the bathroom. “Because now I have to deal with two bodies.” However, the redheaded woman truly didn’t mind. More bodies meant more fun. A twisted kind of fun. An