Grey: Monsters

Hokkaido Base

Exactly three weeks after the completion of the Kyoto water reservoir repairs

***

"Calling all units! Calling all units! Squad five and squad four survivors, and any other surviving ranger units, make sure your indicators are on! Squad two and three rescue teams are on the way. I repeat: make sure your indicators are on—rescue is on the way!"

"That's from the control room," a man exclaimed.

"Thank goodness. I thought I was going to die," another said. Both men, rangers on duty, were taking refuge in an abandoned building in the residential area.

"But surviving today doesn't change a thing..." One of them pulled himself up, peering outside through the window at the swarm of Nephilims swarming the streets. "...Every day is another battle. Shit!"

One of the Nephilims turned and locked eyes on him.

"We need to leave!" he urged.

"What?"

"I said we need to get the fuck out of here, damn it!" He stood, ready to make a run for the door. Then a barrage of gunfire echoed, lasting for seconds before silence crept in.

The two men exchanged weary glances. Their eyes, once full of fear, now flickered with a glimmer of hope. Those gunshots could only mean one thing.

The door of the house swung open, and a woman stepped inside. Her fair skin wasn't the typical Japanese tone, more like a foreigner. Her blue eyes locked on them, and her blonde hair was tucked neatly into a tight suit that revealed her well-built, feminine figure.

"Lieutenant Mayu!" The men shouted in unison.

"Are you the only two here?" she asked.

"Mm-hmm." Both men nodded furiously.

She pressed her headset. "Two rangers in my wing, come in." She walked up to them and squatted. "Medic will be here soon. You both fought well," she said with a smile before leaving the building.

Outside, two vehicles awaited—a Land Rover and a medic bus. In front of the Rover stood a man in his early thirties, his short dark hair unkempt, and bloodshot eyes with dark circles beneath them, signs of sleep deprivation. He held a long assault rifle, standing poised as he gazed at the carcasses of the Nephilims.

Mayu approached him, saluted, and waited. "I found two survivors. Your next orders, Captain Furahashi?"

The man took a moment before turning to her. "Any injuries?"

"None, sir."

His expression softened at her response. "Check the radar for other active indicators. We have to rescue everyone—no one is left behind, not even the bodies of the deceased."

"Roger." Mayu glanced at her wrist device. "Next indicator is northwest from here."

"Any Nephilim signals in that area?"

"Yes. Quite a few, sir."

"How many indicator signals?"

"Just one."

Furahashi mounted the back of the Land Rover and cocked his rifle. "One life to save and over a hundred obstacles. What a day."

The edge of Mayu's lips curved as she boarded the vehicle. The engines roared to life, and they moved.

"Squad Two, Group B, how's it going at your wing?" Furahashi asked through his headset.

"It's going well, Captain. We successfully rescued the survivors at the west gate. We'll be heading back to the docking point now," a voice replied.

"The dock won't be open for another two minutes. Are you sure you can hang around?" Furahashi asked again.

"We're not sure, Captain, but it's better than staying outside the walls."

"Hmm... Stay strong. We'll be done with ours soon." Furahashi ended the call.

"Captain, a group of Nephilims spotted ahead," Mayu signaled, her eyes glued to the binoculars.

Furahashi moved to the front, readying his weapon. They began shooting, the sounds of gunfire echoing as Nephilim bodies dropped to the ground.

The firefight continued until they approached an old, rusted car.

"Is this the place?" Furahashi leapt from the Rover, his bloodshot eyes scanning the area. He stopped at the car door and knocked on the window, but the glass was tinted.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a man stumbled out, blood oozing from his side.

Furahashi whistled, signaling the medics to take him.

"Any other rangers with you?" Furahashi asked.

"No, sir." The man was carried into the medic bus.

"The dock is open, Captain. Sixty seconds before it closes—we need to move," Mayu announced, locking her gaze on him.

Furahashi stood, still looking around as if the area held a familiar memory. Then his watch began to beep.

"They're coming," he muttered, before walking toward the Rover and boarding it. They drove off.

As they put distance between themselves and the rescue site, the horde of Nephilims began appearing from every alley and corner. Countless D-ranked Nephilims swarmed out.

Furahashi's gaze remained fixed, stoic, as he watched the oncoming mass with no visible emotion. Suddenly, his brow furrowed. He squinted, focusing on something in the distance.

"There's someone there," he said suddenly, grabbing Mayu's attention. She stepped up, peered through her binoculars, and shook her head.

"I don't see anything, Captain."

"Look again—there's someone there." Furahashi stood, ready to leap from the Rover, but Mayu grabbed his arm.

"I see him, but it's not worth the risk," she said, her voice trembling.

"What do you mean, Mayu? Someone's in danger, and—"

"Captain! The dock will close in thirty seconds, and we can make it there in less than twenty with the Rover. If you go back, we'll have to wait for you too, and we all might not make it back. You're not just risking your life, but the lives of the people we just saved too, all for one man."

Furahashi clenched his fist, covering his face with his other hand. He opened his eyes and watched as the man fell to the ground. The Nephilims descended, ripping him apart, limb by limb, his screams filling the air until, finally, silence.