Frozen Flame of Dawn - Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Chapter 18: Training for the Hunt_2

Still lost in her thoughts, as she watched the forest roll by. Her fingers tapped a slow, steady rhythm on her knee, eyes half-lidded in thought. Her mind lingered on the new tactics she’d just laid out for the team.

Small teams. Precision shots. Test out the powers. Learn to control it. It was a good strategy, but good strategies had a habit of breaking apart the moment something unexpected happened. And something always happens.

The trees looked thicker, older, and their roots bulged out of the ground like veins on a clenched fist. She noticed it, but she didn’t say anything right away. Because she felt like she was being watched and had to think about tactics and backup plans all the time, she couldn’t clear her mind.

“Captain?”

The voice cut through her thoughts like a sharp whistle. Her eyes blinked, focusing on the road ahead. She glanced to her right, where Ralph, her driver, sat gripping the steering wheel. His eyes stayed on the road, but the tension in his jaw made it clear he was thinking hard about something.

“What is it, Ralph?” she asked, straightening in her seat.

He hesitated for a moment, brows furrowed, before glancing her way. “Permission to speak freely, Captain?”

Amira raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “You don’t need permission, Ralph. Just say it.”

Then he let out a breath and nodded. “Alright, it’s just… doesn’t this road feel… different to you?” He looked quickly back and forth between the road and the trees. “I’ve been driving this highway for years, and I swear it wasn’t this wide before.”

Amira shifted in her seat, leaning forward with narrowed eyes on the road ahead, noticing it looked slightly wider than before, with fresh cracks along the surface as if the ground itself had been stretched apart.

“Go on,” she said, her eyes now more focused.

“It’s not just the road,” Ralph continued, his fingers tapping the steering wheel. “Look at the sides. Used to be saplings and shrubs between the trees, right? But now those ‘shrubs’ are full-blown trees. And the trees that were here before? Look at ’em.” He pointed to the side with a tilt of his head. “They’re double their size, Captain. Look at the branches. They’re so long, they’re casting shadows across the road. They didn’t do that before.”

Amira’s eyes tracked his gesture, her gaze narrowing with realization — he had a point. The trees ahead was thicker, wilder, with tangled branches arching over the road and blotting out patches of the red-hued sun. It felt as if the forest itself had grown overnight.

“Yeah… you’re right,” she murmured, leaning back but keeping her eyes on the shifting treeline. “The plants and vegetation are syncing with this energy surge faster. Makes sense, though. If it’s affecting everything, they’d be the first to react — maybe even faster than us.”

Her gaze drifted back to the road, eyes squinting at the widening cracks in the pavement. Her jaw tightened, a new idea clicking into place. “As for the road, I think it’s not just the plants that are evolving.” She rubbed her chin, thinking out loud. “If everything on this planet is evolving, then maybe the planet itself is too. The ground’s shifting, expanding. Probably why the road’s splitting like that. It’s stretching.”

Ralph gave her a sideways glance, his lips pressing into a small, skeptical smile. “You telling me the whole planet’s getting bigger, Cap?”

Amira shrugged, eyes still locked on the widening cracks. “Why not? We’re evolving. Beasts are evolving. Trees are evolving. Why not the planet?” She glanced at him, one brow raised. “You think it’s just gonna sit there and watch us change while it stays the same?”

Ralph let out a low whistle, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Alright, fair point, Captain. But if the ground’s shifting like you say, what happens to all the bunkers? We’ve got bunkers all over the world. If the ground starts stretching, won’t they crack apart?”

Amira glanced at him, eyes squinting with mild amusement. Her lips tugged into a grin she didn’t bother hiding. “Ralph, you been living under a rock?”

He frowned, eyes darting her way. “What?”

“Bunkers aren’t built like houses, you know,” she said, waving a hand at him like a teacher scolding a clueless student. “They don’t just dig a hole and slap some concrete in it. Modern bunkers are self-contained compartments. Free-floating structures underground. They’re designed to shift with the earth. Earthquake-resistant, ground-shift-resistant. The only way they break is if you drop a bomb on ’em—or if you ask something really stupid like you just did.”

Ralph blinked, his lips pressing into a thin line. “Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don’t you.”

“Oh, I will,” she said with a grin, glancing out the window again. Her smile faded as her eyes tracked the growing trees on the roadside.

She rubbed her fingers together as her mind shifted gears, thinking of the bunkers. Not all bunkers are modern. Some of the older ones were built in the old-school style. Solid concrete slabs buried underground. No shock absorption. No self-sufficient chambers.

Her gaze flicked back to Ralph. “Still, you’re not wrong. I’ll have someone check on the bunkers. If any of section are built on old designs, we’ll reinforce them.” She glanced out the window, eyes scanning the treeline. Her voice dropped in volume but stayed sharp. “No one survives if they’re buried alive.”

The two of them fell into silence after that, the only sound being the low hum of the convoy’s engines. The shadows stretched longer now, darker with every mile.

The Village Border – Few Hour Later

The road veered left, twisting into a narrower path lined with even thicker foliage. The convoy slowed slightly, tires crunching over loose gravel. Ralph adjusted the steering wheel, his brow furrowed in focus.

“We’re close, Cap,” he said, his voice low but steady. “Twenty minutes out from the village. Should see it once we clear this next bend.”

Amira sat up straighter, tapping the radio on her wrist. Her fingers moved fast, switching channels until she hit the right one. Static buzzed for half a second before her voice cut through it.

“All units, this is Amira. We’re twenty minutes out. Gear up, eyes sharp, and stay ready. No one goes in relaxed. Assume the worst until I say otherwise. You see movement, you call it.” Her voice was calm, cold, and sharp.

“Yes, Captain!” came the chorus of responses from each unit.

Amira flicked off the radio and glanced at Ralph. His eyes were focused on the road, hands steady on the wheel. He didn’t look nervous, but she could see the tension in his grip.

“Don’t worry, Ralph,” she said, resting her elbow on the window frame. “What worst could happen. Did you see me panicking?”

But the smell of burning wood and acrid smoke hit them before they even saw it. The sharp, biting scent forced its way into the jeep, making Amira’s nose wrinkle. The glow of distant orange flames licked at the sky like a warning beacon.

Ralph’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. His eyes flickered toward Amira, searching for a reaction. He didn’t need to say a word. She’d already seen it. Her gaze was locked ahead, sharp and cold, like she was looking through the flames themselves.

“We’ve got company,” Amira muttered, her jaw tightening. Her hand hovered over the radio console. With a sharp twist of her fingers, she dialed into the common channel. Static buzzed for a second before it cleared.

“All units. Smoke ahead. Village is either under attack or just got out of one.” Her voice was calm but sharp, like a blade cutting through fog. “Expect anything. Your orders are simple—save as many as you can, but don’t be stupid. Stay alive. We don’t die here.”

A string of acknowledgments followed. “Yes, Captain!” echoed from the comms, a chorus of voices laced with nerves but steady resolve.

Amira leaned forward, checking her sidearm, tugging the strap on her shoulder holster, and patting the two combat knives secured at her thigh.

The moment they approached the edge of the village, it was like stepping into a warzone. Men, women, and children ran for their lives, clothes torn, eyes wild with terror. Their screams cut through the air like sirens, sharp and raw.

But it wasn’t just the people running. Something was chasing them.

“Stop the jeep! Stop!” Amira barked, eyes locked on the scene ahead.

Ralph slammed the brakes, tires screeching as the jeep skidded to a halt. Amira was out before it even fully stopped, boots crunching on the dirt road. Her eyes locked on the beasts charging after the villagers.

Hares. No, not hares. Mutated beast.

They were five feet tall, their hind legs bulging with muscle, their eyes wide and wild with an unnatural glow. Their fur was matted, and their teeth were sharp like razors. They moved like wolves, not rabbits—fast, coordinated, predatory.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ralph muttered, eyes wide as he stared at the incoming beasts.

“Nope, no jokes today, Ralph. Get everyone in position!” Amira’s voice cut through the noise like a whip. She hit the comm on her wrist. “All units, dismount! Armored jeeps, keep patrol on the outskirts. Everyone else—on me!”

Her squad moved fast, jeeps screeching to a halt, soldiers pouring out with rifles and blades at the ready.