Cecilia
Cecilia scanned her team with her eyes, their faces hardened by battle, each one transformed by the war. Soldiers who were once just civilians, now formed part of the elite squad she led. A squad forged not only by brutal training but also through a genetic process that made them faster, stronger, and more resilient.
She remembered the day they arrived, five years ago. Jhon and his group, their faces marked by despair, loss, and uncertainty. They had survived the initial chaos, but they were broken. Cecilia knew that to turn them into more than just survivors, she would have to forge them a new identity: not just as soldiers but as relentless wolves capable of taking down their target quickly and efficiently.
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Flashback: Recruitment
The hangar echoed with the sound of boots hitting the metal floor. A group of men and women, still covered in dust and ashes from their destroyed homes, was led to the center of the room. Among them, Jhon stood out due to his height and the emptiness in his eyes.
"Listen carefully," Cecilia began, walking with firm steps in front of them. "From this moment on, your previous lives are over. The world you knew no longer exists. What's left are two options: survive or fight."
She paused, her voice cold and calculated: "Now all of you belong to me. Your lives only have value if I assign one to them. You are tools for my use. If a tool fails me, it's broken. And if it's broken... I discard it. Understand?"
"Yes, ma'am!" they responded in unison, though fear and uncertainty echoed in their voices.
"What are you?" Cecilia asked, her eyes scanning each one of her future soldiers.
"We are tools, ma'am! Your tools!" they shouted, this time with more conviction.
She knew that to mold them into true warriors, she had to strip away what remained of their previous identities. It wasn't an easy process, and many wouldn't make it through. But Jhon and a few others did.
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The Training
The first days of training were designed to break them. The lack of sleep, the hunger, the constant pain from the endless exercises. Each step was an internal battle, fighting against their exhausted bodies. Under Cecilia's watchful eye, they were pushed beyond their limits.
The physical training included running through rough terrain, climbing with their bodies weighed down, and combat simulations under extreme conditions. There was also advanced tactical training: infiltrations, team operations, and using the latest technology in weaponry. But what really set them apart from the rest were the genetic modifications.
The medical procedures enhanced their capabilities: greater strength, accelerated regeneration, improved reflexes, and the ability to endure extreme temperatures and hostile environments. However, the genetic modifications carried risks. Many bodies couldn't handle the change. One after another, they fell, succumbing to adverse reactions. But the strongest survived.
Among those few, Jhon stood out. He wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but his perseverance was something Cecilia hadn't seen in years. Every trial that crushed others, he faced with brutal tenacity, as if the only thing that mattered to him was moving forward.
One night, after the squad had retired, Cecilia found Jhon hitting a sandbag. His knuckles were bloodied, but he kept punching with a ferocity that intrigued her.
"What motivates you? Why do you push your body to the limit?" she asked, surprised by his almost inhuman endurance.
Jhon paused for a moment. His eyes met hers, but he said nothing. He returned to hitting the bag with more force, his gaze dark and determined. Cecilia didn't need a verbal answer. In his eyes, she saw an abyss of pain and an unbreakable determination.
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The Elite Squad (Crimson Wolves? I'm still thinking of the name)
Five years later, the few who remained were no longer the same as when they started. The genetics and training had shaped them into something more than human. They were weapons, designed to face the worst imaginable nightmare: the horde. Lethal, coordinated, relentless.
"Today, your training ends," Cecilia announced at the graduation ceremony, her voice sharp and firm, filled with a mix of authority and restrained pride. "You have been subjected to trials that would destroy any ordinary person. You have been required to be perfect, with no room for mistakes or weaknesses. You have bled, you have cried, and you have endured pain beyond what you thought possible. Each one of you has proven that not only can you survive in this hell, but you are willing to destroy whatever is necessary to save humanity. From today, you are no longer who you were. You are weapons, the deadliest we have, and the world will depend on you to not fall."
Her gaze lingered on Jhon, standing in the front row. She knew that, although he would never admit it, Jhon had found something more in this fight. Maybe, just maybe, he had found a purpose beyond the simple desire to survive.
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Present
Cecilia returned to the present, pushing aside the memories of those early days of training. It had been so long since she had last seen Jhon. Communication with him was impossible due to an electromagnetic field surrounding the city where he was. No one knew if he was still alive or how many of his squad remained standing. Only the storm remained.
That storm was a phenomenon generated by portals that hadn't been closed in time. Once a portal remained open for too long, the storm unleashed, destroying everything in its path. Machines failed, planes fell, and any human who tried to pass through it died instantly. Only the scavengers could survive in that chaos, continuing their invasion without rest.
The portals had begun to appear more than twenty-two years ago, just before the attack that cost Jhon his family. At first, governments tried to cover them up, but over time it became impossible due to their appearance in busy places. Special devices were developed that could close them, but not all portals responded to this technology. Some remained open, generating the feared storm.
Cecilia knew that Jhon and his squad were trapped in one of those storms. The cities and small countries that couldn't protect themselves in time had been wiped out. The scavengers didn't just emerge from those portals, but kept expanding, destroying everything in their path.
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The reality was harsh. Facing the scavengers was only part of the challenge. The storms and portals represented a greater threat. There was something beyond those portals that they still didn't understand, something that, if they didn't stop in time, could mean the end of the world.
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(I have decided to name the creatures that emerge from the portals 'Scavengers.' The term 'The Horde' will be reserved to refer to a massive wave of Scavengers that arises when a portal gets out of control and wipes out everything in its path. If you think the name isn't suitable, feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.)