Story 691: Blood and Betrayal

The battlefield was still smoldering, the air thick with smoke and the stench of the dead. Sergeant Darius "Hellhound" Rook pressed a bloodied hand against his cracked ribs, forcing himself to stand. The brutal clash between General Kruger and Baron Kane had left a trail of destruction, yet neither monster had fallen.

The dust settled just enough for Rook to spot a figure moving through the wreckage. A man in a red beret.

His heart clenched. It was Captain Adrian Wolfe.

Once a respected soldier, now a ghost from the past.

Wolfe’s eyes gleamed with sharp intelligence as he stepped forward, his black tactical vest dusted with ash. "Rook," he said, his voice steady, but laced with something... off. "You look like hell."

Rook spat blood. "Yeah, well… hell's got better company."

Wolfe smirked, but the expression didn't reach his eyes. "You shouldn't be here."

Rook’s grip tightened around his last combat knife. "And you should be dead."