After the gunfire settled down, the Phasewalkers have taken full control of the town. 37 locals laid dead. 40 more were taken prisoner. As for now, Ryan was reporting to Captain Hemley.

“We confiscated 18 rifles. According to the locals, these are gauss rifles.” Ryan explained as he held a gauss rifle in his hands. “They use electromagnetic fields to accelerate a tiny metal nail into astonishing velocity. One of these shots punched through one of our Humvees with ease.”

Hemley nodded. He knew what this meant. If some random locals could get access to these advanced gauss rifles that Earth and Section X has never seen before, then what could the governments and the military of this world have? And what type of monster could crush them and turn this nation into a wasteland?

“Sir,” Ava walked up from the side. “the five women we saved. They need immediate medical attention. I don’t have the equipment to provide that here. I suggest,” She paused. “I suggest we bring them back through the Portal. We bring them back to Earth.”

Hemley frowned. “Do you know what you are suggesting, Ava? I need authorization from the Section X High Command to do something like that.”

“We don’t have time for bureaucracies!” The medic exclaimed. “If we wait, at least two of them will die before we can come to a decision! I...I take full responsibility of whatever consequences there may be.”

Captain Hemley sighed. “Fine. We need to report what happened here back to Section X anyways. Christian!” He turned to one of the infantry that acted as the driver to the third Humvee.

“Captain?”

“Prepare a vehicle for transport. Dismount the Minigun and change the back of the car to more seats. You need to take six passengers.”

As Christian nodded and started moving, Hemley turned back to Ryan and Ava. “Ryan, interrogate the locals we captured. I want to know as much about this world as possible.” He froze for a second. “Use any means necessary.”

Ryan nodded and left.

“Ava,” Hemley returned his attention back to the medic. His tone softened. “You did well, Ava, and I appreciate it. I admit, I was a little doubtful to add you into the team, but now I can see my doubts were unrooted.”

Ava grinned, slightly impressed by Hemley’s compliments. “Thanks.”

“Prepare the patients for transport. You will be going along with the Humvee to keep the women alive during the trip back. Good luck.”

Ava nodded and walked away. Suddenly, she stopped in front of Caity, who was sitting on one of the steps in front of the mansion. She had a little smile on her face of unknown cause. “Caity,” Ava said slowly. “Captain Hemley allowed me to go back through the Portal with the women you saved. Are you sure you don’t want to go back with us? You are injured.”

“Well, you did treat to my wounds.” Caity looked up and smiled. Her face was a little pale from the loss of blood, but her spirit didn't seem to have been hit. “I feel better already!”

“Well, you still have a hole on your shoulder, and you lost a lot of blood.” Ava replied quietly. Deep down, she marveled how calm and collected Caity was after a brush with death. “But yes, you will live.”

“Then there’s no need to go back now.” Caity shrugged. “With one less Humvee and two less guns, Captain Hemley will need all the support he can get.”

Ava nodded in agreement. Indeed, the Phasewalkers were short on numbers. Caity was injured, but she could still fight. All the medic could do was hold out her hands. “Good luck, sister.” She said slowly. She knew very well that while she got a chance to go home and perhaps, if she was lucky, remain there, Caity and the others would remain in this hostile ground. One mistake, and they might no longer live to see their homeworld.

Caity grinned. “Good luck to you too, Ava. Have a safe trip.”

By the time the medic was leaving, Caity could see one of the three Humvees was already modified. The Minigun mounted on its back was replaced by three extra seats. As Christian got into the driver’s seat, Ava started helping the women onto the ride. Suddenly, one of the women stood up and approached Caity. Katherine.

“Thank you,” She whispered as she hugged Caity. “thank you for saving us. You have no idea how grateful we are.”

“You’re welcome.” Caity allowed the girl to wrap her arms around her before patting her on the back. “You have gone through hell, but now, you are safe. My comrades will take you to a place where no one, and I do mean no one, can hurt you anymore.”

“Thank you.” Katherine repeated again before suddenly leaning forward and giving Caity a kiss in the lips. She pulled away before Caity could do anything.

“What was that?” Caity was attempting very hard to cover the blush on her face.

“A show of appreciation.” Katherine smiled, as if hinting something. “I will be waiting for you. Please, stay safe.”

“Katherine,” Ava called out from beside the Humvee for the last passenger left. She had no intention with breaking the moment, but there were two women who were wounded very badly. Time was an essence here. Katherine nodded, gave Caity another warm smile, before leaving.

Ava turned back to Caity for one last time before getting on the car herself.

Caity watched as Christian started the Humvee and drove into the horizon. Its carlights being the only thing that shined in the dark night.

Ryan walked into a dark room inside the mansion. In the middle of the room and tied to a chair, sat an unconscious Jeffrey. Ryan raised a glass of cold water and poured its entire content across the man’s face to wake him up.

Jeffrey slowly opened his eyes. As soon as he was awake, his lies started spilling out. “You demons! We welcomed you into our town, and you answered our hospitality by slaughtering us! Your imbeciles!”

“You attempted to kill us and steal our belongings. That’s hardly what I call hospitality. Now, we will play an interesting game.” Ryan pulled out a revolver and loaded a single bullet inside. He gave it a whole spin before aiming it at Jeffrey’s head. “What’s your name?”

The man stared into Ryan’s eyes. “I will not be intimidated...Holy shit! Jeffrey! My name is Jeffrey!” The cause of that drastic change in tone was a simple pull of the trigger from Ryan.

Ryan smirked. The most important part of this Russian Roulette interrogation style was its uncertainty. No one, at least as far as Jeffrey could see, not even Ryan knew where the bullet was. Perhaps Ryan didn't want to kill Jeffrey, but even he had no control over where Jeffrey would live or die.

“Huh, Jeffrey, huh?” Ryan grinned. “Which year is this?”

“Are you kidding...2045! It’s 2045!” Jeffrey’s confusion over the simple question quickly disappeared when he saw Ryan tap the revolver in impatience. “You know,” He started again. “torture is a bad idea to get information. I may just be telling lies to save my own skin.”

“A correction.” Ryan replied quietly. He made no attempt to write all the confessions down because his camera was recording this. “This is not torture. Torture is when I cut your wrist open and watch you bleed out. This is intimidation. Plus, torture is a bad idea when you’re the only source of information. I have 40 of your people to question. At the end of the day, I’ll compare the confessions I get against each other. Unless you can all come up with the same lie and stick to it...good luck!”

Jeffrey bit his lips.

“Where are we?”

“Kaneton!” But Jeffrey knew Ryan wasn’t after that quick answer. “Uh...the United Earth Confederation. The District of North America.”

Ryan frowned. “I see...give me a whole overview of your history.”

“What?”

“Just give me a history lesson. Start with the year of 2020. Tell me everything you know.” He tilted his revolver. “Now!”

As Jeffrey started talking, Ryan’s frown darkened. After the man was done, he went to interrogate the other locals. With their words, he managed to come up with a whole story of what happened.

At the year 2020, things were pretty much the same here as they were back on Earth, but the technology here were a bit more advanced. In the year 2031, technology progressed to such a degree that space travel became a viable option, and different countries rushed to send out spaceships into the stars.

In the year 2040, the locals have constructed colonies across the Moon and Mars. In a surprising turn of events, in 2042, almost all the different countries across the world suddenly announced that they would join together into a single political entity known as the United Earth Confederation. The Confederation was divided into ten Districts.

The merging came with barely any conflict or bloodshed. No one knew what the driving force behind this was, but most celebrated. Many saw the first time that the world was united under a single banner as a sign of unprecedented unity and prosperity.

Peace remained for 2 more years before all hell suddenly went loose. At first, there was nothing but a few rumors here and a few whispers there, but in the course of several months, reports came in from all over the world that a strange virus was getting spread across the colonies. Supposedly, this virus turned every living thing it touched, from men to animals to plants, into vile, mutated monsters whose only intention was to slay anything around them that didn't contain the virus and devour on their flesh. With powers beyond anything mankind has seen, they spread like wildfire, scorching a path through any resistance.

The Confederation resisted, but it didn't take long before all the colonies were lost. Soon after that, somehow, the entire Confederation Space Fleet burned in space. Mere days later, mutation ripped through the orbital defenses and reached Earth.

The entire thing felt like a nightmare that zapped across mankind before anyone knew what was going on.

The police and the military were sprung into motion, but they were fighting an uphill battle. Millions of human beings, mostly children and elderly who had more vulnerable immune systems, were directly converted by the virus, which somehow reached Earth despite all precautions. Claws replaced hands and fangs took the place of teeth. They were quickly joined by the millions they killed in just seconds as they tore down whatever order the military tried to uphold.

Yet, ultimately, Mutated Human were nothing compared to the greater threat.

Animals and plants were mutated as well. A single Mutated Dog could rip through an entire unsuspecting motorized squad. Trees came to life, tearing open armored vehicles of the Confederation. Even swarms of ants were turned to hundreds of times their size. With superior teamwork and ferocious tenacity, they laid waste to entire divisions of Confederation troops.

Soon, the Confederation forces charged with protecting Earth were overran.

After that, the town lost contact with the rest of the world, and the locals, led by Katherine’s father, created a militia to protect the townspeople. Jeffrey’s rebellion soon followed and led things to where they were now.

Strangely, after the defeat about one year ago, the town was mainly left untouched. In fact, there has rarely been attacks on the settlement. That was how a small town with a few gauss rifles stood while the best of the nation collapsed.

Ryan was frowning for a reason. There were many issues with that story. First, how the hell did the world just come together, just like that? No war? No conflict? It was as if all the politicians suddenly willingly gave their powers away. Second, where did those mutations come from? The official report was they were alien, but Ryan felt like that was a bit too easy. And how the hell did they take down the space fleet of a civilization that has reached the stars. Could Mutated Cats and Dogs bite through the armor of spaceships?

He didn't think he was mislead because everyone he interrogated told a similar story. Likely, the local townspeople didn't know the truth either. Ryan’s last person to question was the man who went after Caity and got shot by Ryan. Needless to say, the man had no good words for Ryan. His curses never stopped pouring out of his vile lips, not even when Ryan threatened to shoot him.

Ryan glanced at between his legs, and action that was the final straw for the man.

“You know, we should’ve just let you stayed out there in the roads for the night and died!”

Ryan tilted his head. “What?”

At this point, the man was already driven mad by the pain and the humiliation. His words came out in the form of screams. “If we didn't take you in, you and your peers would’ve died! You think your guns and cars can save you, you sons of bitches! No! Those things would rip you apart!”

“We didn't meet a single one of those Mutated Animals on the way here.” Ryan declared. “Your lies are meaningless. I know this town has been untouched for the past year.”

Indeed, that was another strange part. Despite the horrors the townspeople told about the mutation, the Phasewalker convoy didn't see any sign of mutation on the way here. Neither animals nor plants came in their way. Only wrecked cars and skeletons on the road testified of their existence.

“You don’t know…” The man’s mouth hung open in shock. “You don’t know! Haha...you people really know nothing!”

Ryan wasted not a single more second on him. Instead, he snapped around and ran out of this room and into another room, where another local was held.

“Why is it dangerous to be on the road at night?” Ryan was practically screaming. If Caity was here, she would be shocked. “Tell me now!” He waved his weapon frantically.

“Because…because there’s a pack of wolves out there. This is their territory. You know...wolves are nocturnal...they sleep during the day and hunt during the night….I am so sorry! I thought you knew….” The local’s expression turned to fear as he saw Ryan turn red in anger. “we only knew this after they wiped out a convoy we sent out…”

The local kept on talking, but Ryan was already out of the room. As he ran, all he could do was pray he discovered this information in time.