Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
All the Light we Cannot See
Chapter 14
“Andrew! Georgy got words from the Americans. They said they’re sending in some planes to pick you and Andrew up.”
Max rubbed his eyes awake and saw Kostya standing in front of him. Max looked outside the truck, still in the desert. But the name “Andrew” shook him awake.
“Wait, Andrew is alive?!” Max couldn’t believe it, there was a huge crack in the medic tent. Surely he couldn’t have survived that.
Kostya nodded, “The other Soviets that survived were able to take him out before the crack. But unfortunately we can’t locate them.” A large rumble happened outside, the truck shook with so much force that an unfortunate soldier sitting near the open fell out.
“Ostanavlivat'sya!” The officer banged on the driver's back window. The truck then pulled to a heavy stop, having the other truck behind them almost hit them. Max was too weary and confused to say a thing as he hugged his vest tight. Max heard the officer shouting to the rest of the troops and they got out of the truck, Max assumed he might as well follow Kostya.
“What’s happening?” Max asked as he looked at the unhappy dark sky.
“Sir Aleksandr told us to get out, but we do not know why.” Kostya replied back as he cocked his rifle ready. The other soldiers did as well.
“PRIKHODIT!” A large explosion came down on a truck, the pieces flying around in pieces like a strong tornado. Max pushed Kostya down to the sand before they could get hurt, he clinged to his helmet as he laid flat next to their truck.
“We gotta get moving!” Kostya said, then ran off to get into the truck along with other soldiers. Max was about to get in as well when he saw a wounded Soviet soldier crying for help. He quickly ran toward the soldier and dragged him back to cover for the medics to help. Help quickly arrived and Max got back on the truck. Unfortunately the horror wasn’t done yet. Shots rang around them, Max could hear creatures roaring in the distance but close enough to hear.
The truck suddenly roared awake as it sped up in the sand. Max could see the T-34 mercilessly fall behind to the explosion and dinosaurs. Max then felt like something had knocked him out.
“Is this what you want Max? Death and terror?” Max tried to say something but something was holding him tight. “You leave me no choice. Max Lain.” The whisper came back, “Don’t worry, once you wake up your misery will end, so will your “Russian” friends.” Max wanted to shout, Russian? The Russian Empire was overthrown by communism during the first Great War, according to his father, who was also an American soldier who fought in it. Then suddenly he opened wide awake.
“EVERYONE! OUT!” Their officer shouted in English. Everyone with confusement, poured out, in the distance Max could see a large snowy whatever creature coming their way. As Max took a step back he felt his foot was on a different texture. Snow. The Snow Titan, it came out of nowhere in Max’s mind. And plus if it was the name for that large creature it surely didn’t look or sound nice. The Ice Titan threw a large icicle at them which unfortunately hitted a T-34 that wasn’t fast enough to shoot back. The uproaring flame seems to upset the Ice Titan even more.
“UKROYTES'!” Shouted their officer. Everyone scrambled and ran for cover, Max dived into a foxhole with Kostya right next to him. “OTSTUPLENIYE! Nam pora idti!”
Max kept his head down until all the explosions and shouting lowered. Kostya was the first one to peek out of the foxhole, who then looked at Max with a nod. When Max peeked outside the foxhole he could see the Ice Titan looking down at them, satisfied with everything destroyed. All their vehicles and tanks were destroyed, and they were all stranded on traveling on foot.
The Ice Titan took its last look and grumbled before turning around and jumped behind the mountains, which shook the ground. Soon after it left soldiers came out of its foxholes, some were injured while the rest were fine. Medics were scrambling around the place, doing their best to keep the injured and wounded alive. Max’s Officer was telling orders to his men while he talked to the radio man. The officer cursed and looked at the mountains, which left the mark of the Ice Titan.
The blazing fire provided a source of warmth to the cold soldiers, who were gathering around the fire, trying to get as much heat as possible. Kostya nudged Max on the shoulder and pointed to a group of soldiers lined up by rows while their commander shouted something to them. As Max walked closer he could hear the commander speaking, while Kostya translated for him.
He said an unknown base lay a few miles away from here, which the commander would send a handful of soldiers there, including Max. The last two surviving trucks which were still badly damaged were being loaded up by machine gunners, infantry, medics, and assault. There were no tanks to escort them safely through the snow as the minor damaged ones were being repaired. Max looked outside of the truck, a pack of wolves was following them, out of sight but fast enough to catch up to them. There were around 10-13 of them, but the sizes of the wolves were unusual.
Max ignored the wolves as he looked at the soundless soldiers, still traumatized by what just happened. In the distance Max could hear screamings of wounded soldiers, crying and saying prayers. When they finally arrived and got unloaded, one soldier cried aloud.
“AAAAH!!”
“W-what's happening?” Max asked, as he looked around. Suddenly shots rang out through the air, and more screaming came.
“Run… RUN!!” Kostya pulled Max by the arm and ran off into the cave with the rest of the confused men.
As Max and the rest of the confused men ran into the cave, growling and bangs were heard behind them. Max didn’t bother to look back, cause if he did he might as well be dead. Finally they all took cover behind two large boulders and aimed out into the open. Meanwhile a wounded soldier was crying and shouting over his bloody leg while the medics treated him.
All the other soldiers tried not to make any noises, while one man scrambled to the front of the group and made an animal-like gesture. A predator was eating something, and it seems like there were more than one. Suddenly a loud shot rang through the room, and the standing soldier fell as blood spattered around him.
“Aufladung! Für den Führer!"
More war cries echoed through the cave as Max saw German soldiers charging toward them, with swords ready at their hands while the wolves that Max saw earlier were also running toward them as well.
Max and the other soviet soldiers started firing upon the Germans, but they were slowly approaching them. One wolf jumped onto an unfortunate soldier and started biting him until he lay motionless. It was so big it was almost the same size as a Jeep. Because of that, so many soldiers fled and some surrendered to the Germans, but were either slayed or eaten by the wolves.
As the lucky ones were able to flee deeper into the cave, they stumbled upon a fortress with a number and words carved into the entrance - 1915, English territory, Fort George.
“Get in! Come on!” Max shouted to the other terrified and confused soldiers. “It’s an ally territory.” Kostya was able to translate what Max had said and they all rushed into the fort. The only unfortunate and damaged part of the fort is that the entrance was left empty, with no gates or objects to block it.
Max counted the number of soldiers still alive, out of the 35 soldiers that first came here, only 16 were left alive. The walls were placed with machine guns and artillery cannons back in the rear, luckily, the troops were already preparing and reloading the machines with the rest of the ammunition that the English had left them, whether it was the British or American. The commanding officer of the platoon was fortunately alive, but had no idea what to do nor tell his comrades what to do.
In the distance there were shouting and barkings, as well as hooves banging on the ground and echoed like an alarm. With the five machine guns and the three canons, they all fired at once when the Germans came within sight. One by one they were being picked off, as Germans fell from their horses and the wolves fell to the ground. There was a machine gunner behind the entrance, ready to fire at anything that dares to come through. Everything was going well besides one thing, ammunition.
The first cannon went empty as the one beside it did as well. Luckily, the Germans seemed to not know their problems and were retreating, grabbing whatever they could out of the dead bodies. Soon after the shooting lowered, engines were heard outside the cave and fainted. Max guessed that the Germans had stolen their trucks. He grabbed his rifle and ran to the cave entrance, stepping over and on top of bodies. Their trucks were long gone, and blood streaks swept across the floor.
“Gospodi, chto nam teper' delat'?” Muttered their officer as he sat down on a rock, taking his cap off. The other soldiers soon surrounded around the cave entrance, some guarding the area.
“Direwolves, I believe they’re called.” Kostya said as he sat down next to Max. “Lieutenant said we have to walk at least thirty miles if we want to get back to base, it will take around 7-8 hours. We’re moving out in a few minutes.” Then he got up and walked away.
But Max didn’t hear anything Kostya had said, the images of men being shot and ripped apart horrified Max. He didn’t want to live anymore, he didn’t want to suffer in this mysterious place full of dinosaurs and weird creatures. Soon after their officer had ordered a move out, a little whimper came from behind the bushes. As the rest of the soldiers marched Max broke away and went to investigate.
Soon enough a little “Direwolf” pup laid there, shivering and whimpering. Max picked it up and looked at it closely. It was blueish and white. But before Max could do anything else somebody called after him.
“Max! Max!”
Max quickly put the pup into his coat pocket and hurried back to the platoon and marched off again.
-SandmasterXD
Note: Story is in the Island ABC order, hope y’all enjoy this series so far!