Zuno's gaze detached from the sky and locked onto what was in front of him. He and the others continued maneuvering through the woods, reaching nearly to the path they had walked on before, but staying to the side of it so they wouldn't have a repeat of the situation that had happened before. The Squad was in a more organized formation, resembling a staggered column, which allowed them to cover both sides of the group with the least amount of casualties. The experience they went through taught them to be more careful and to put trust in their training.
The group's pace was steady and thoughtful, avoiding twigs and anything that could let their position be known. Their gazes shifted from the front of them to the sides of the jungle periodically, hoping to see anything before it sees them, and their breathing was slowed and calm as were their minds. No more fuck ups, no more wasted bullets.
After a couple of miles, the group found another decent enough spot to settle for a couple of minutes, with mainly Sarah and Claire resting while Zuno and Derrick stood guard nearby.
" How much longer do wehave? "
Zuno asked Derrick, while shrugging his shoulders in a circular motion once, trying to get some relief from his heavy rifle. This was the longest Zuno had ever walked in his entire life, but his body didn't feel as sluggish as the others did, except for Derrick. It looks like the training he did at boot camp really paid off for him, not so much the ladies, though.
" Not much longer, just a couple more miles, I'm pretty sure. "
Derrick replied, he was leaning against a nearby tree to support his body weight. It seemed the exhaustion was slowly getting to him, also.
" Alright... Why didn't you rest when we had the time? Your body's gonna drop dead before the arachtoids even touch it. "
Zuno conveyed, his face having a worried look on it. Even though Derrick was more than a powerhouse in terms of the squad, he could tell when a man was pushing his limits.
" Sit down and rest with the others, I got it from here, plus, my hair is basically a dinner sign with how bright it is... I don't need to protect you while protecting myself. "
Derrick scoffed before turning his head towards Zuno and then back at the woods, shaking it in disagreement a few seconds later.
" I'll be fine. My life is in more danger with you being the lookout than anything else. "
Zuno lifted his finger off and aimed his rifle towards Derrick, jokingly, and gave him a shooing motion with it.
" I wasn't asking, go sit down before you make me use this fella! "
Derrick looked at Zuno and raised his hands, letting his rifle sling from his shoulders before sliding his back down the tree and sitting down.
" That's not the way to treat your squad leader, soldier. "
Derrick muttered as he sat, his gaze now towards Claire and Sarah, and the back of his head resting on the bark of the tree.
" Squad lead, my ass. "
Zuno spoke while chuckling, his hands now off of his rifle and reaching into his nearby bag, grabbing something out of it, and unwrapping it before sticking one of them into his mouth and biting off a chunk of it.
" These crackers they gave us are kinda stale... ain't the military supposed to eat good? "
Derrick scoffed and shook his head once more before looking towards the ground.
" You're a really trusting guy to believe some bullshit like that. "
Zuno shrugged before eating the rest of the cracker and taking another out of the wrap. The taste of it was salty and bland, and the texture was even worse, with each chew feeling like biting into a piece of cardboard. Zuno continued eating them, almost finishing the whole pack before something in the distance caught his eye. The area they rested at was somewhat on a hill, which gave them a clear vantage point even in the darkness.
" Yo... You have some binoculars in your pack, right? Take a look at this, just to make sure Iain't going crazy. "
Zuno asked, his eyes squinted as he tried to see better in the dark, and his body lowered to make sure he didn't get spotted by the thing he saw. Derrick reached into his bag, which was also nearby, and grabbed the binoculars out of them before turning his body around towards where Zuno was staring and looking through them.
" I don't see anything?..... Wait a minute.... What the hell?! "
Derrick put down the binoculars and turned his body back to face Claire and Sarah before grabbing a rock to get their attention, and as they glanced towards him, he put out his palm and pushed it down to signal them to quiet down. Before using the same hand to reach into his bag and radio command.
"It's Squad Zeta. Did you send someone else with us? Over. "
Derrick said into the radio, and when he received an answer, his face shifted completely from confusion to worry. He quickly put the radio back inside his bag after he got the answer and picked the binoculars back up, his gaze following the figure closely.
" I can't see donkeyshit, but... it looks like a human. "
Derrick said, his hands slowly moving as the figure walked through the trees. Zuno, without hesitation, moved from his position to the side of Derrick before lying prone, his rifle pointed to the area where the figure was walking.
" What do you mean it's a human? You sure it ain't a arachtoid, we're supposed to be the only humans around here? "
Zuno whispered in disarray, What was another human doing wandering so close to the frontlines, and how did they even make it this far? Another question piled up on the mountain of unanswered ones.
" I don't know... It doesn't have any of the features an arachtoid would and... it looks like it's wearing civilian clothing... and I'm pretty god damn sure those things don't wear clothes. "