Author notes: Hey readers, Jeremy here. This Hellwave chapter won’t be a long one as more important storyline and plot details are being reserved for the next upcoming chapters. Hope that all of you enjoy reading this chapter!

Disclaimer: This is a work of original fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Warning: Some small description of Blood in this chapter. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter 7 -- Aftermath

Ground Level, Road, US Route 2, Alburgh, Vermont, USA, 8 November 2020, 0203 hrs

“Come on out, pathetic humans. It’s over. Get out of the damn vehicle!” Sally commands in a stern voice.

However, not a single passenger in the wrecked Humvee hears her command, as they are still unconscious from the crash earlier. Not wanting to waste any time further, Sally puts away her M45 pistol into her Young Templars’ Quickdraw Military Holster on her right thigh before pulling out the unconscious lieutenant. “Sergeant Hass! Get to the other side of the Humvee and drag them out!” Sally tells Antoine. Without hesitation, her fellow Raven moves to the opposite side of the Humvee before removing the doors and pulling them out.

“Sergeant Flannery, I found a potential, young one,” Antoine informs her. Surprised, Sally left the unconscious 1st-Lieutenant Freida on the road and walked to see who was the potential Young One. “Which is the one you are talking about, Sergeant Hass?” Sally asks. “This one,” Antoine points towards Erika. “She looks like a sixteen-year-old teenager to me. She is a suitable candidate to be a Fledgling.” .

“Let me find her identity card to confirm your observations,” Sally says as she searches Erika’s body for her identity card. With a quick search, Sally finds Erika’s wallet and scans through it for her identity card. “Here it is. Let me confirm her age number.” Sally says as she looks at Erika’s identity card. “Yeah, you’re right. She’s really…”

Before Sally can finish her statement, she hears several gunshots. To her horror, she sees blood coming out from the neck of Antoine’s. With quick thinking, Sally sprints off to a nearby vegetation growth for cover to avoid getting shot at.

‘Damn it! That Young Templar bitch ran away!’ Eleanora curses.

Quickly, the lieutenant rushes over to wake the unconscious Kodey and Erika before making their escape on foot. “Kodey! Erika! Wake up! The Young Templars are nearby! We need to move now!” Eleanora says in a frantic voice as she taps their shoulders rapidly. Awakened, Kodey gets up and carries his sister on her back as the trio tries to escape. “There’s a nearby house over there where we can hide! Let’s go!” Eleanora points to it as she tells Kodey. Out of nowhere, a bullet pierces through the lieutenant’s right leg. “Argh!” Eleanora screams in pain as she falls to the ground.

“Mom, NO!!” Kodey screams in shock as he can’t believe what he just saw. Before he can react further, a bullet pierces through his right leg. “Argh!” Kodey squeals in pain before collapsing to the ground while carrying his sister.

The fall of her brother awakens Erika from her unconscious state. As she lifts herself, her face turns into horror upon seeing her mother and brother groaning in pain on the ground.

“Mom!” Erika shouts as she dashes to check on her mother. “Are you two alright?”

However, several pistol bullets land near Erika before she can help the injured lieutenant further, which frightens her. “Stop moving, pathetic human! On the ground now with your hands on your head!” Sally shouts in an assertive tone as she approaches Erika. Not wanting to suffer the same fate, Erika complies with her order by lying flat on the ground with both her hands pressing on her head, shuddering in fear. Upon reaching where Erika is, Sally takes out several zip-ties from her Young Templars’ Quickstrike Chest Rig and then ties up Erika’s hands before tying up Kodey’s and the lieutenant’s hands as well.

After ensuring the trio can no longer run away, Sally hurriedly sprints towards her fellow Raven to see whether she can save him from his neck wound. However, it is too late for her as Sally sees her former scout partner, Sergeant Hass, lying dead on the ground. “No… No… Why did you have to die?!” Sally sobs as she mourns the death of her fellow Raven. To her, she regards Sergeant Hass as one of her trusted Young Templar allies in her Raven Section 10-A squad. During her training days to become a Raven operator, they team up as partners to ensure they finish the specialized course to become part of the powerful 88th Regiment. With him gone, it will be hard for Sally to find another trusted ally from the same squad again.

Angered by his death, Sally vows to take revenge on the trio later on. But first, she turns on her Communication Headgear and radios to her fellow squad mates for help. “This is Sharp Hawk. I have a fellow Raven operator, KIA (Killed-In-Action), and detained three surviving humans at my location. Requesting urgent help!”

Immediately, a fellow Raven from the same squad replies to her. “Shit. Who’s down, and what happened?”

“Sergeant Hass has fallen. I repeat, Sergeant Hass is dead.” Sally replies in a troubling tone. “An enemy US soldier shot him in the neck, and I couldn’t save him in time. As for the enemy soldier, I shot her in the leg as she tried to lead the other two human survivors to safety. Currently, they are no longer a threat as I fully tied their hands with several zip ties. Awaiting new orders.” .

“Roger that, Sharp Hawk!” The Raven acknowledges before giving Sally a new order. “Hold your ground till we come to you. Ensure that no one comes to free the three human survivors you captured. Fast Blitz out!”

“Acknowledged,” Sally gives a final reply before ending the communication. Then she walks towards where Erika is before pulling her head to ensure the young one looks at her. “Look what I have here,” Sally smirks at the poor human teenage lady. “A young one tries to flee with the deserting enemy US soldiers.” .

“Why are you doing this?” Erika questions with fear in her voice. “We did nothing against your kind, and yet you and your fellow Young Templars attack us and destroy our only home!”

“We did this for a reason.” Sally smiles as she explains. “Humanity has gone corrupt, and we are here to replace them with our civilization. Plus, you are a young one, and you will be grateful to us in the future after we give you our powers by turning you into one of us. You will come to detest humanity and accept our path in replacing them.” .

“Go screw yourself, you monster!” Erika objects in a defying tone. “I reject your evil gift from your kind and will never be part of your civilization!”

“What a pity, puny, bratty young one,” Sally says in a sarcastic voice. “Like it or not. We will convert you into one of us, and you will eventually accept our ideals and way of life. Time for you to leave humanity and embrace the wonderful gift of being a Young Templar!” After finishing saying her words, Sally uses her M45 pistol to knock out Erika, which causes the human teenager to faint on the road. ‘Mom, Kodey. I’m sorry if they take me away…’ Erika thought as she closed her eyes slowly.

“Sleep tight, young one. Upon awakening, we will convert you to become a Fledgling. From there, you will undergo a vigorous journey to become a full-fledged Young Templar.” Sally says in an enthusiastic voice as she looks forward to see Erika joining the ranks of their kind. Soon, she sees her fellow Ravens from the same squad rushing towards her to assist her in carrying the fallen Young Templar and the detained humans back to their dug-out trench.

After Operation NightStorm, the Young Templars overran the entire Grand Isle Safe Zone with zombies. They killed most of the New York National Guard soldiers, while a few got turned into zombies with their blood. While the adults met a gruesome fate, the Young Templars spared all children and teenagers under seventeen. They then rounded up these survivors and forced them to board their Stryker military vehicles, leaving their future uncertain as they returned to an unknown military base.

Ward 2-4 (Outside), 2nd Floor, 88th Regiment ‘Ravens’ Aid Station, Fort Drum, New York, USA, 13 November 2020, 0800 hrs

Days later…

“Remember not to show your anger or hatred towards him just because his travelling companions killed Sergeant Hass. Are you ready to meet him, Sergeant Flannery?” Alex questions her with doubt. “Yes, sir. I’m ready to face him, and I can assure you I won’t hurt him. I have some questions for him about his family.” Sally replies. “Good. Just do not answer him if he asks the whereabouts of his younger sister. I will answer that directly to him. Is that clear, Sergeant Flannery?”

Sally nods in acknowledgement, and Lieutenant Blair opens the door to a medical ward before ordering her to push a metallic cart into the room. As they enter the medical ward, Kodey is sleeping on the bed with both his hands cuffed to the railings of the hospital bed while his injured right leg hangs in the air for recovery.

“Rise and shine, Mr Zander,” Alex calls out to Kodey as he taps him to wake up. In an instance, Kodey opens his eyes and sees two Young Templars staring at him, which frightens him. “What the hell do you want from me?! Where are my sister and my mother?!” Kodey raises his voice uncontrollably. “So many questions,” Alex says in an amusing tone before continuing. “However, I can’t answer them all. As for your breakfast, my fellow Raven standing at the other site will feed you instead because of security reasons before talking to you further in this room. Are my instructions clear to you, Mr Zander?”

“Go to hell, you monsters.” Kodey curses in a soft voice. “I will not answer your questions until you tell me the whereabouts of my sister and my mother.” .

Furious by Kodey’s defiance, Lieutenant Blair pulls his pyjama shirt with his right hand and gives a threatening stare to the human guy. “Don’t try me, Mr Zander. I’m not in a mood to play mind games with pathetic humans like you,” Alex warns. “I can make things hell for you if you don’t comply with my instructions.” .

Desperate to know the whereabouts of his sister and his mother, Kodey reluctantly agrees to comply with the Young Templar’s demand. Unknown to him, he will soon find out the horrifying news of his sister during the interrogation later on.

To be continued...

End of Chapter 7

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