Chapter 14

“Wait!” The light blue player shouted. “Please don’t shoot, we just want to get away from the Crimson Regiment. They’ve already killed our friends.”

Luca had many thoughts jump into his head. Alone if we run into the Crimson Regiment we will never survive, but maybe together we stand a chance.

Luca slowly lowered his gun and motioned for his team to do the same. The other players also lowered theirs.

“Thank you,” The player in the lead said. “Where’s my manners, I am Paul, we are from Sweden.”

“Luca, be careful.” Ana whispered.

“I am Luca, we have to be quick, they will follow us into the forest and definitely have more firepower than us. Come.”

He turned around and expected Emile to have some objection but he kept quiet and fell in line.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are!” There followed laughters as the Crimson Regiment started searching for them.

They could them cutting through the bushes, and instinctively Luca and team lowered down. Paul followed his example. Luca pushed deeper into the forest, looking back every few moments to make sure they were not in sight yet. Luca counted their party. 7 if he counts himself and Paul’s party is 4.

“Paul, we have to make stand at some point. We can’t run away from them forever. This forest is not big enough.”

“Maybe we could climb trees and shoot from above?” he suggested.

Perfect, that could definitely work. Luca thought.

The party clambered up into the trees and waited. They could still hear the bushes crushing underneath and then the Crimson Regiment revealed themselves. 6 players with red jackets and assault rifles walked underneath them. Luca could see Ana next to him wanting to cry with her lips pressed together.

As he raised his gun and took aim, he saw Emile and Carlos do the same. He looked over to Paul’s party and they had also taken aim at the players underneath them. “Now!” Everyone fired at once dropping 5 of the 6 players below. Luca withdrew his knife and jumped down on top of the last survivor, knocking his weapon from his hands.

“Don’t kill me, please, don’t kill me.” Luca could hear fear in his voice as he held his knife to the players throat.

“Who is your leader? Where are you guys hiding?!” He yelled, starting to cut slowly towards his jugular.

“Ryan, Ryan Horne, he is son of the Elite’s CEO. He is in Torat.”

That doesn’t make sense, why would the Elite have family members inside here. “You’re lying to me! Why would the Elite have some of their own family members in here?”

“Because we don’t die in here like you do!”

“What do you mean you don’t die like us?” Ana asked from behind Luca.

The man took a deep breath as Luca relaxed his arm around his neck. “The Elite are treating this like a game. They have thousands of camera’s around here and are broadcasting this to themselves. We are probably being watched right now. So when we die in game, we don’t die in real life like the people from the rest of the world.” He rambled quickly. Before he could get another word in Luca drove his knife through his jugular, feeling warm blood spraying over his hand. The man went limp in his arms and disintegrated into smoke.

Paul looked in shock at where the man was. “You killed him Luca, just like that.” Luca’s party looked at Paul.

“You heard him, they don’t die like we do.”

Luca turned to face the party. “From today on, we are going to hunt these filth, and we are going to bring them down to our level. Anyone who does not want to kill the Crimson Regiment, feel free to leave, those who want to make a statement, you are welcome to stay.”

———

The next two weeks were spent in the surrounding forest, they waged a guerrilla war on the city of Torat, luring Crimson parties into the forest and when it worked, mercilessly killing them. They studied their movements and post changes on the walls.

They had gathered the weapons they could, and hid the vehicles in the forest.

“Luca, we are counting 15 rifles, 9 assault rifles and 20 pistols. We have all got a decent amount of experience the last few weeks. And upgrade our personal weapons with attachments. Maybe it is time we start looking at grenades?” Carlos asked.

Emile had kept his distance from Luca but as long as he was following orders Luca did not want to press him.

Luca opened up his shop interface,

Total spendable experience: 21 000

He had been killing a lot of the players himself when others were too scared to kill them. Letting no one get away. He wanted to send a clear message to the Elite.

He had removed thoughts of his family from his mind, only allowing himself to miss and think about them at night before he falls asleep.

He had forced his mind into a state, where he does not allow himself to feel. Not for his family, not for his party, not for Ana. He had one goal. Obliterate the Elite.

At night he dreamt about facing Ryan, and what would happen if he succeeds in killing him. He was obsessed, determined and driven and he had his party with him.

That night, as he laid beneath the stars, he looked at the timer. It felt strange thinking they had been in this hellhole for over a month now.

Ana whispered, “Luca, I am coming off watch now, your turn.” He hadn’t fell asleep yet and groaned.

“Okay Ana I’m coming.”

They had setup a sort of base camp in the forest, lining it up with vehicles and rocks to provide protection should they wake up into a firefight.

Luca took his post on one of the roofs of a pickup truck. They had a clear view through the forest of the gates of Torat, always making sure they knew the movements of the Regiment.

He unslung his AK from his shoulder which he had looted from one of the Regiments men and laid it across his lap. His party was sleeping all around him and he could hear their movements in the night.

———

The next morning he gathered his team, he had spent a good amount of time deciding what the next move it. They are not burning through the crimson regiment fast enough or making a big enough impact. They gathered their gear and got into the two trucks which they have stolen and made their way south towards Everport.

They got onto the main road and Carlos floored the truck, they needed to make good time and he preferred not encountering another team in a vehicle on the road. It was still early morning and Luca could feel the cool breeze blowing in through the window. He had come up with plan to recruit players to help take down the Crimson Regiment. Luca held onto the roof as they sped over the bumps in the road. He glanced in the side mirror to make sure Emile was following with the others. He had put Emile, Ana and Tahashi with some of Paul’s party on the other truck. While, Carlos, Asaka, Sumisu and the rest of Paul’s party on theirs.

As they drew closer to the bridge which crossed the Mistbrook channel, Luca could make out barricades on it. “Whoa, slow down,” he told Carlos. “They barricade the road, probably a checkpoint to introduce some kind of control.” On either side of the bridge were two large machine guns mounted on top of pick up trucks aimed at oncoming traffic. Men poured out around the trucks with their weapons raised. They all had different colors and Luca spotted one or two blue players between them as well.

“Lower your weapons!” A purple colored player in front shouted. Luca showed his companions to lower their weapons, and he slowly got out of the car. “You are now under the Rule of Hussein. All weapons to remain unloaded, if you are found with a loaded gun you will be shot on sight.”

The other party members looked at Luca, and he slowly unloaded his AK and his pistol on his side, stashing both magazines in his belt.

“Upon entering Everport you agree to adhere to all rules set by Hussein and should any of the rules be broken, they will be punished by death.” He continued.

“Understood,” Luca responded.

Slowly two men started moving the barricades and he could see on the other side of the bridge more barricades were being moved.

They two trucks slowly made their way across, and once they were waved clear Carlos sped up again.

“Seems like Everport is exactly where we will find what we need. Lots of bodies to take care of our Crimson problem.” Luca said.

They entered the large city gates which were guarded by more mounted machine guns, and inside was a sprawling city, players trading and going about as if it was a normal day.

His party had fallen into line behind him and he started walking down the road, amazed that it could such a different atmosphere in their deadly game. On top of the modernized building Luca could make out armed guards, keeping the fleeting peace inside Everport. They made their way to a square in the middle of the city, and the group was in awe of what they created. But at what cost.

A crowd had gathered in the square, and Luca pushed through until he could see what was going on in the middle. Four men were kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs and with bags over their heads. A large man was standing in front of them talking to the crowd.

“… These four men decided to not uphold the peace, and were found guilty of carrying a loaded firearm. Which we all know, and have democratically agreed to is punishable by death.” Luca could see two blue players amongst the group. “Please, if you will remove the bags.” The large man drew a M1911 from his holster, while another came and removed the masks. It revealed a light brown haired boy which suddenly looked very familiar to Luca. He started skirting along the crowd, panic rising in his throat and he tried to get a better view. As he walked along the crowd, the young face revealed a bloodied face, with deep gashes on the side of his head. But familiar features peeked through and that is when Luca realized.

Jose.