Damnation's Trail

In the vast, dark, and silent jungle, a beam of light shone through the trees. An engine roared in the distance, followed by a banging sound from its exhaust pipes, closing in at high speed, fleeing from something. The driver’s eyes sharpened as he changed gear, desperately trying to escape his pursuers. He looked at his side mirrors, spotting crimson glowing eyes right behind him, making a mechanical growling noise as they gave chase. His engine roared to a high pitch before he changed gear, pressing the gas pedal with all his might.

“This is Raptor 734!! Base, do you copy!? My squad has been annihilated, and I’m the only one left! Requesting reinforcements to my location immediately!” The driver shouted over his communicator, trying to contact the base.

“Rap— 734… stat— Loc...” A voice tried to reach out answering his request, but there was lots of interference.

“Base! Base, do you copy?! Shit!” He shouted in anger, throwing away the communicator.

The roar of the engine ceased the moment the driver saw something big blocking his path, he slammed on the brakes and came to a full stop. His heart pounded hard and he was gasping for breath, sweat ran down his face as he looked up, but when he did, he realized that he was at a dead end. His skin felt the heat emanating from the engine, along with the wind blowing from the east.

He was desperate, wondering what to do, when suddenly, he heard a mechanical howl coming from his left. He put the Raptor in reverse, facing directly at the darkness where he came from. Cartridges fell to the ground as the driver reloaded the gun, and with a sigh, he took out a device he had on his person, to his surprise, it had been recording this whole time.

“I relay this message to whoever finds this. This is Second Lieutenant Eugene Zakryn, member of Atheris surveillance squad. My team has been annihilated by Razorgen Volks; my co-driver was also injured, but that idiot decided to jump out of the car to buy me some time… He was crushed by the Volks.” Eugene said as howls echoed in the distance, making his eyes widen as he looked in all directions, getting more nervous. “H-Hey but not all hope is lost! The squad managed to get v-valuable information on these machines, the facility n-nearby, and… something very important.”

A susurrant sound caught his attention; he looked up, and from the cover of darkness, eight crimson-colored glowing eyes shone from within, making growling noises. These machines had a wolf-like appearance, but their appearance was strange and unnatural. Their bodies were covered in black metal plates, attached directly to a structure that seemed to combine machinery with organic parts. Between the plates, patches of living tissue could be seen, moving slightly as the creatures walked, as if the metal were integrated into their body. Some joints appeared worn, revealing the unsettling blend of the mechanical and the biological, as well as streams of blood gushing from the joints.

Their eyes glowed with an intense crimson light, standing out in the darkness and giving him a cold, menacing gaze. One after another, they began to open their mouths, revealing long, sharp teeth covered in blood, which then trickled down their snouts and land onto the gravel. Some of these teeth had a metallic appearance, reinforcing its predatory look. As they moved, their bodies produced a strange combination of sounds: the scraping of metal, the faint hum of internal mechanisms, and the movement of its organic structure. This did not seem entirely alive or entirely artificial but rather a strange fusion of machine and animal.

“I’m surrounded; t-there’s no way out…” He said in horror as he looked in all directions and the beasts closing in on him. “I-I put the intel in this device, and I wish someone manages to find it and deliver it to the base, all in the efforts to avenge all those who have fallen to these monsters!! For the glory of mankind, and may the banner of our victory rise from the ruins of evil!” He shouted his battle cry, throwing the device away.

Eugene buckled up in his harness as his eyes focused on the beasts. The Volks let out mechanical barks and growls, intimidating the human before them. He revved the engine whilst looking from one beast to the other, slowly reaching the gear lever, and with a roar, he released the clutch. The rear tires kicked up dirt as they propelled the Raptor forward, the Volks roared and jumped towards the car. The sound of the engine roared in this night, as moonlight shone over the jungle, the sounds of gunfire piercing metal echoed in the silent night, lighting up spots where darkness ruled, only for the massacre to conclude with a deafening explosion, and the echo of howls.

It happened several years ago; humanity found itself at the verge of extinction, and the world we once knew is no more. Every tale that is told about what happened differs from one another. Elders say all of this happened because of a scientific experiment that went wrong, while others say that one day, the machines rose from the ends of the earth, built to exterminate humanity for its sins.

However, no one knows exactly where these machines came from, nor who is the mastermind behind all of this, but one thing is certain: years before the collapse, animals were mysteriously dropping in numbers, and no one, not a single government in the world, could figure out why. That fateful day, the day the machines rose, humans had to flee, governments fell, and the biggest superpowers turned into ashes. Many people had to find refuge in countries that they once considered enemies, yet this new enemy united them on a single goal… Survival.

At dawn, we find ourselves in the underground city of Paltrist, home to the remaining humans on this side of the country. At first, humanity struggled to adapt to their new lifestyle, but from the ashes of the old world, an unnamed hero, gifted them the knowledge to prosper. Thanks to this knowledge, humanity has evolved and adapted, being able to grow food away from the sun and create pure water, they have also researched and developed numerous machines capable of cloning, these developments helped humanity sustain life despite the adverse circumstances.

United by their common enemy, and to bring this conflict to an end, the human resistance network was created, composed of a committee of leaders elected by majority, who represent each of the six remaining underground cities around the world, providing reports on food and water consumption, production, import, export, mortality, and birth rates. This information is studied, and numbers are made according to the data; that way, food and water are always available to everyone.

What made the underground city of Paltrist stand out from the rest was the vehicle initiative, or Project Dark Shift. The idea was to build vehicles capable of giving humanity the edge and a fighting chance against the Razorgen. What they needed was speed and power, which is what they used as a benchmark.

But there was a problem: humanity had to go to the surface and recover materials both to build the underground city, and to manufacture vehicles. These missions were very risky because the Razorgens roamed every corner of the land and attacked as soon as they saw a human. However, humanity was fortunate, as they found some abandoned vehicles that still worked after performing basic maintenance. The vehicles were taken back to Paltrist to make the necessary modifications but also to serve as a resource to speed up the resource collection process.

The first mass produced vehicle was the Sarion, it had a tubular frame made out of stainless steel, all terrain tires, and a modified four-cylinder engine; they were fast and nimble, filling the benchmark in its entirety, but lacked any protection or weapons, resulting in horrific accidents and tragic deaths by the Razorgen and by driver error.

This raised various concerns, and the engineers began to redesign the vehicle to increase its safety. Soon after, the second generation known as the Veluby would come, these vehicles were a considerable upgrade in terms of protection and weapons, the chassis was reinforced, and a forged aluminum body was made around the tubular frame, maintaining the same components as the Sarion, but having a reworked engine with more power.

The Razorgen threat was pushed back, numerous battles were won with these vehicles, allowing Paltrist and its allies to claim some of the lost land back, stablishing small underground bases and cities to shelter more refugees and gather resources for the war effort.

It was thanks to these victories that gave way to the creation of the scavenger team, a group of selected few that recovered whatever they could get their hands on the destroyed Razorgen after battles, and bring them back to the bases. Just a few days later, the intelligence section was created, whose task was to study these recovered materials and parts, so that humanity could understand what exactly were the Razorgen, but also, find weaknesses and exploit them.

The third generation would come, known as the Derluma, these cars were built to have a chassis and body made out of both steel and forged aluminum, reworked suspension, and along with the engine, it was the first to incorporate electronics capable of locating enemies, trajectory prediction, and others. The engine would also be swapped from the four-cylinder to a V8, being retrofitted with the latest technology and the revolutionary ATRS or All Torque Revving System, allowing the engine to deliver instant power and torque at whatever RPMs the engine was.

As years went by, Sarions were getting obsolete, therefore, many units were chosen to receive a retrofit, with this, the fourth generation was born, known as Raptors. The original engine was reworked, incorporating the electronics and some weapons for defense; the suspension was also upgraded for better maneuverability. The only thing that was not changed, was the chassis. Raptors would work like scout vehicles, capable of going in, take what is needed and get out as fast as possible.

The present generation, known as Qhelphira, would further improve the characteristics of the suspension as a whole, making it more agile and able to go through the toughest terrains, the V8 engine would also be improved but with more torque as the main goal, and its body would be lighter without sacrificing protection or firepower. Though all of these generations were different from each other, each and every single generation shared one thing in common: They all had manual transmissions.

A door slid open, and a man went through, walking towards the workshop. He is in his mid-forties, has pale skin, very short brown along with gray hair; he wears a dark-blue leather military uniform with two stars on each shoulder loop, and an aluminum label in his right chest showing his full name: Mekhia Raven. He was walking down the main parking spaces, checking the status on each one of them until something caught his eye, parking space number 077 was empty. He immediately called the mechanics and asked where that car was.

“I-I don’t know, Colonel Raven.” The mechanic said a she looked everywhere in search of his workmates.

“No one is allowed to leave this facility without authorization, it could endanger us all!” He said raising his voice and pointing to his left.

“Sir, if I may.” A mechanic raised his hand, getting Raven’s attention. “I think everyone here knows who we are talking about. As far I can see here, the guns were not fully loaded, and they left with half a tank of methanol.”

“Ugh those two…” Raven said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head slightly. “Don’t sound any alarm, we don’t want to cause panic. Get me to comms, we’ll bring them back here.” He said to one of his subordinates, later hearing a call note on his right ear. He touched his earpiece with his index finger and the call got connected.

“Situation report, Colonel Raven.” The voice of a deep male voice said.

“Yes General Leland, it seems like car 077 has gone out of the facility without authorization, we are certain that those two are the ones behind this.”

He let out a sigh before speaking. “I see. Your task is to get them back here safely. Once they’re back, tell them to come to my office. I’ll have a serious discussion with them.”

“Yes sir.”

A few miles away from the underground city of Paltrist, the wind blew gently towards the east as sunlight illuminated the vast forest. Silence got overwhelmed by the sound of an engine roaring near at a very high speed. The whistling sound of the turbo spooling up along with the supercharger whine was heard, it’s noise getting louder as the engine climbed up the RPMs. A black pearl colored car with a red stripe on each side drifted through the dusty trail, its tires kicking up dirt and small rocks across the stretch path, leaving a light dust in its wake.

“There’s a coming 90-degree left turn that must be taken in third gear. A little more to the right, more, more— that’s it! Get ready to brake, just a little more— Now!” A female voice said.

The driver hit the brake pedal, heel-toeing into third gear starting a power-slide, the exhaust let out a banging sound as the RPMs climbed up, the driver pulled the handbrake and the rear tires locked up, the back of the car slid with more angle and he released the handbrake, allowing the tires to spin freely as with almost no counter-steering, he made it out of the turn at a high rate of speed, just a few millimeters away from a tree. He nodded as he changed gear, and hit the gas pedal.

“Perfect!” The woman said before some beeping sounds were heard. “An enemy has been detected, prepare the guns!”

“Roger that.” A male voice said, flipping up a switch, activating the guns.

As the car raced down the path a wooden dummy resembling a Razorgen Volk appeared behind one of the trees. “Okay, you’re up.” He said to his partner.

“Roger that.” She said, pulling the target goggles onto her eyes.

The engine roared to a high pitch as the driver changed gear, going faster. The exhaust let out another banging sound as they were getting closer to where the dummy was, the woman aimed directly at it, and pulled the trigger, the bullets pierced the wood and the dummy went down.

“First target is down.” She said pulling the goggles away and seeing the notebook again. “There’s a right hairpin coming after this 10-degree easy left, then a slight right corner that we can take at maximum speed, followed by a crest, and towards the finish line!”

The driver nodded and changed gear, going faster. Suddenly, two more of those dummies were detected, one to the right and the other to the left, very close to each other.

“Say… Want to try our old trick?” The woman said, slightly moving her head to the left.

“You read my mind. Let’s do it.” The driver said with a smirk.

Approaching the hairpin, the driver pulled the handbrake to get the maximum angle possible, his eyes focused at the apex as the speed was decreasing, he put in first gear while engaging the clutch and revving the engine. The moment the car reached the apex, he disengaged the clutch and pressed the gas pedal all the way down, spinning the tires but remaining in control. As the car accelerated back to speed, the woman put her goggles back on, locating the two dummies.

Finger on the trigger and ready to fire, the driver pressed the clutch pedal hard while turning right, using his other hand to pull the handbrake and get more angle. She aimed at the dummy while the car turned. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger and fired, hitting the first dummy with the bullets. As the driver turned the wheel to the opposite direction, the car turned around now facing to the left, she aimed at the other dummy and shot, hitting it as well. He put in second gear before releasing the clutch and accelerating back up to speed, as the car crossed the line the driver hit the brakes, coming to a full stop.

“Phew, that was a good run! Let’s see what was our time!” The woman said before checking her watch. “3 minutes and 45 seconds, we’re faster than yesterday! We would’ve had a better time if those two dummies didn’t show up…” She said, sounding disappointed after seeing the time they made.

“It’s okay though. War is unpredictable, and we have to stay sharp.” Her partner said in a comforting voice, reassuring her.

The driver pushed a button and the idling sound went back to normal. He pressed the clutch and put the car in gear, gently accelerating up to speed and driving down the dusty path while observing the beautiful forest scenery they both raced around, but after a couple of minutes, they were interrupted by an incoming transmission from the base.

“You two have some explaining to do.”

“Hey Colonel Raven, we’re just taking a joyride.” The driver said.

“Unacceptable, bring that car back to base immediately!! You two know that no one is allowed to leave the base without proper authorization! Oh, and before I forget, General Leland wants to speak with the two of you once you’re back.” He said.

The driver rolled his eyes before letting out a sigh. “Roger that, we’re going back to base. Over and out.” The driver said after rolling his eyes and sounding disappointed. He turned the wheel to the left and drove back from where they came from.

The underground city of Paltrist is located in a remote area, in a place ruled by an immense lake called La-Veruza. Before the collapse, this lake was very small and had a portion of land that reached almost to its center. However, when humanity had to flee underground, the lake grew five times larger due to the construction work that was carried out, but also due to environmental changes. The driver gently pressed the brake pedal, decreasing his speed as his tires touched the water with the front tires. Lights turned on, forming a rectangle form, revealing a massive ramp going underground.

The sound of water falling down into the reservoirs, engines moving gears, and the clipping sound of metal against metal was heard as lights lit up on the ramp. The driver let go of the brakes, allowing the car to roll down, as they reached the bottom of the ramp, the sight of the enormous workshop is something anyone could be impressed with. People taking old cars, trucks, and motorcycles, modifying them for the worst possible conditions, mechanics welding metal together, reinforcing chassis, rebuilding engines, joining rims into big-sized tires. Each and every single parking spot had tools and a lifter, the type depended on what type of vehicle they worked on.

After driving for a couple of meters, the driver found their parking spot as they rolled across the workshop, yet, Colonel Raven was waiting for them with his hands behind his back. Slowing down and parking the car, the driver turned the car off and pressed the quick-release button of the safety-harness, his co-driver did the same, and both came out of the car.

The driver is a man in his twenties, short brown hair, he is tall, has yellow eyes, a muscular yet lean build, and light tan skin. He wears black sneakers with red details, midweight black pants and a dark green shirt. His co-driver is a woman in her twenties as well, she has long black hair with an orange dye at the tips, soft and pale skin, almost as tall as the driver, has sharp dark green eyes, a small nose, and thin lips. She wears a pair of dark blue sneakers, a black pantyhose along with an orange French style dress and a pair of sunglasses on her head.

“Captains Thomas Mere and Mia Reze, do you have any idea what you’ve done?!” Raven asked crossing his arms and frowning.

“We just went on a joyride to practice my driving and her guiding and trigger abilities.” Thomas said, closing the door of the car. “I don’t see a problem with that.”

“And we managed to be faster than yesterday, meaning that we are improving!” Mia said supporting Thomas.

“Still, you could’ve endangered us all by going out without authorization, we all know what lurks on the surface, we have to follow the protocol!”

“We know Colonel, we will take full responsibility if that ever happens, but rest assured, we do this because we fear the worst. Now, you told us General Leland wanted to see us, right? We’ll take a shower and be on our way.” Thomas said before turning his head to where his mechanic was. Raven sighed while shaking his head, walking away. “Hey Frankie! Can you come here for a sec?”

“Hey Thomas, hey Mia! What’s up?” Frankie said, greeting Thomas and Mia seeing that they returned safe and sound.

Frankie is a man in his forties, has natural blond hair with greyish details, dark gray colored eyes and he is almost as tall as Thomas. He wears a dark red tunic stained with oil with details in yellow and black, a belt with numerous bags to store small tools, bolts or washers, and a pair of steel-toe shoes with the same color of his tunic.

“We were doing a joyride, you know, to test our skills. But while we were practicing, Little Ghoul started acting up… I could feel a light slip on the rear right axle, I think the differential is starting to fail.”

“Okay boss, I’ll check that out.” He said taking notes. “Anything else to report?”

“Hmmm, I am starting to smell oil coming from the engine bay, I may be wrong though, but please take a quick look everywhere just to be safe, alright?”

“Yeah, I could smell it too!” Mia said with a nod.

“I see, okay, not a problem. I know this engine in and out. Leave it to me!”

“Thanks Frankie, take care of our baby alright?” Mia said.

Frankie nodded and began to work. Thomas and Mia turned around and began to walk. He extended his arm, and without hesitation, she looped her arm around his. The moment they both went through the door, to their left was the command center, a room with various screens showing information of the Razorgen, people walking around sharing information, a complete list of the vehicles in the workshop, and also the archives, in which classified information is kept.

To their right was a small branch of the intelligence section, which has become a formidable and important piece for the resistance, they are responsible for analyzing remnants of the Razorgen and the materials they are composed. Thanks to the numerous victories against the Razorgen, the intelligence team managed to understand the material they were made out of, they name it: Septenthrion. A few meters further, the couple arrived at the barracks, near where their rooms were located, when suddenly, Thomas stopped walking.

“Hmm? What is it? Are you okay?” Mia asked after feeling a slight pull and seeing Thomas looking down.

“I’m okay, it’s just, ugh.” Thomas said, bringing his hand to his face.

“Hey, don’t force yourself too much, okay?” She said, rubbing his back. “If there’s something bothering you, we can discuss it later.”

“I know… Maybe I just need some time and calm down. I’ll meet you back here in 30 minutes, is that enough time for you?” He asked, turning his head to Mia.

“Yes, that’s perfect!” She said, kissing Thomas’ cheek before leaving.

The two said goodbye and headed to their rooms. However, Thomas didn’t feel quite himself; the more he thought about how he had driven, the more it seemed to him that he hadn’t gone fast enough. He reached his room and opened the door. These rooms are like small apartments, equipped with all the basics for a person to live in.

He opened his wardrobe and looked for his uniform and boots, as he arranged everything, he stepped into the shower. As he showered, he closed his eyes, feeling the water droplets brushing against his body, but also remembering the course he just raced along with Mia. Still, he felt uneasy, his driving was flawless, yes, but he had an eerie sensation that something is missing, and fears for Mia’s safety.