After a while, they finally reached the last checkpoint. Since they left, Zuno noticed the terrain changed magically; the closer they got to the frontlines, the more overgrown the world became, the complete opposite of the lands Zuno grew up in. Pavee was surrounded by dunes, with no plant life in sight, and the grass that survived there was yellow and dry. It seemed that Michael wasn't lying about it being a whole new world at the front.
As Zuno stepped out of the vehicle, he was nearly blinded by the green that encircled him. It seemed that the invasion of the Arachtoids allowed nature to run its course with minimal human interference. A sudden curiosity shrouded his mind, but as the others exited after him, there were more important things to attend to, and soon enough, he would be able to explore this new world and the dangers that lay inside it.
" We're finally here. "
Claire muttered; she had a glimmer in her eyes that resembled the curiosity Zuno had, as her body moved in a 360, fully taking in this new world.
" Enough chit chat, we have little time until day breaks. "
Derrick said in a stern tone, resembling how one of the higher ranks would speak. He was acting completely differently from before, with his chilly composure turning ice cold; it seemed like he was done playing a character, since his squad knew who he truly was.
Derrick stepped away from the Humvee and started to walk towards the exit of the checkpoint. The rest of the squad quickly followed. Derrick spoke to one of the guards stationed there, and they were quickly allowed to leave. When they started walking, they were about 25 klicks away from the frontlines, which meant that the area they needed to reach would be painfully long.
A few minutes have passed since they left, and the checkpoint is already a significant distance behind them. The squad didn't talk much during their walk, with them being too paranoid in this new environment, but Zuno had an important question that had been digging in his mind ever since they left the tent, and he needed an answer.
Zuno picked up his pace, eventually reaching the front of the formation before beginning to quietly whisper to Derrick.
" Were we even friends? "
He knew this was a stupid question to ask, but he felt betrayed and lied to; he needed to know if even a fraction of their friendship was real. Derrick didn't respond and continued walking; it seemed that Zuno's question was answered until he felt a hand pat him on the back, a feeling he couldn't forget.
" What? Of course, we were? We still are, idiot. "
Derrick replied in a confused tone as his hand stopped patting Zunos's back. It looked like Zuno overreacted a bit. Of course, he had to lie; if he and the others had known early, it might've messed some things up. From the looks of it, this whole assignment was a secret... but why? It gave Zuno another question without an answer, which frustrated him. He decided that maybe he would get some answers if he continued their conversation.
" So, why are we even out here, stumbling through the woods? Are we searching for something? "
Zuno asked, his pace now completely in sync with Derricks.
" Weren't you listening? They said it was just recon and to report back anything of interest. I don't think we're looking for anything in particular. "
Derrick snapped back towards Zuno, his eyes focused on the area ahead of him.
" But don't you think there's a reason behind this? They couldn't just send us out here if there wasn't something to find? "
Zuno responded; he knew deep in his mind that there was definitely a reason they were sent out here, he just wasn't sure what it was, maybe Derrick knew something, anything about it.
" Weren't you told as a kid that curiosity killed the cat? "
Derrick responded, his eyes still stuck to what was in front of him, and his pace picking up slightly.
" No..... "
Zuno answered, which caused a chuckle to escape Derricks' cold persona. Which embarrassed Zuno a little, he wasn't lying since his parents died when he was young, he basically had to grow up without any guidance, it was a miracle that he could read and write at all.
The area around them as they walked was close to a forest, but resembled a jungle more than anything. The trees were high and full, which caused barely any light to peak in from the rising sun, obscuring the group and anything else that was under them. There was green foliage enveloping the group, with the only thing visible being the path they were walking on, and although Zuno could barely see his surroundings, it was better than being out in the open.
The squad's pace has fastened quite a bit since Zuno's and Derricks' conversation ended without a clear reason why, their surroundings seemed normal, and there was no reason to rush. The formation they were currently in had Derrick and Zuno leading while Claire and Sarah were a couple of feet behind them.
" Why are we walking so fast? What's the rush? "
Zuno questioned Derrick. The exhaustion of walking for almost two and a half hours, slowly getting to him, and as he looked behind him, it was getting to the girls quicker than it was to him.
" Keep silent... Just keep moving as normal. "
Derrick quietly answered with a strong seriousness in his voice. Zuno looked towards him as he whispered it and could clearly see sweat starting to form on his forehead. Derrick sped up a little more after he spoke, with the group's pace getting closer to a jog than an actual walk.
Zuno's face turned pale. What could be getting Derrick so worried? So many questions, unfortunately, this one would be answered soon enough. Zuno did as Derrick said, and with Claire and Sarah not being in their conversation, passed the message on to them by looking behind him and pressing his pointer finger onto his lips, but as he did so, he saw something in the distance behind them, slowly moving through the scrubs. Shortly after, a snap of a twig would make its presence known, the sound of it booming through the silent jungle. Derrick looked behind him as he heard it, provoking one word to escape his mouth.
" RUN! "