Chapter 49 – No Way Back

The battlefield was chaos. The red glow from the Syndicate's flare bathed the snow in a blood-colored hue, turning the night into something out of a nightmare. Smoke and fire mixed with the howling winds, and the air was thick with the scent of burning metal and blood.

I could barely hear anything over the gunfire, the screams, and the pounding of my own heart. But one thought cut through the noise like a blade.

Carter.

He had been right there, standing among the enemy. He had helped them.

And then he vanished, slipping into the storm without a trace.

Traitor.

I clenched my jaw, forcing my focus back to the fight. Carter could wait. The Syndicate was still coming.

Holding the Line

"James, they're pushing through the left flank!" Daniel's voice crackled over the radio. "We need reinforcements now!"

I pressed against a fallen chunk of metal, peering out toward the left side of our defenses. The Syndicate had regrouped, and their fresh reinforcements were pressing hard. Too many. We had caught them off guard with the EMP and the ambush, but they were adapting too quickly.

"Ray, take your team and reinforce the left side!" I barked into the radio. "Lily, I need medics ready—casualties are coming in!"

"Copy that!" Ray's voice was strained.

I pulled my rifle tight against my shoulder and took aim. A Syndicate soldier was crouched near a broken-down vehicle, trying to get a signal on his radio. Not happening. I squeezed the trigger, and he crumpled into the snow.

"James, you need to get back inside!" Lily's voice came through my earpiece, urgent. "You're still injured—"

"I don't have time for that." I ducked as bullets tore through my cover, showering me with snow and dirt.

She cursed. "Then at least don't do anything stupid."

No promises.

A Desperate Push

The Syndicate was relentless. Even without their tech, they were trained soldiers, and they fought like it. They spread out, using the storm and the terrain to their advantage. They weren't just attacking us—they were hunting us.

A group of them pushed toward the facility's outer barricades. If they breached those, the entire battle would shift in their favor.

I moved, sprinting through the snow while gunfire ripped through the air around me. My body screamed in protest—the wound from Carter's blade burned with every movement—but I forced myself to keep going. Pain meant I was still alive.

As I neared the barricades, I saw one of the Syndicate's officers barking orders, directing troops forward. Cut off the head, and the body follows.

I raised my rifle, exhaled, and pulled the trigger.

Click.

Damn. Out of ammo.

I dropped the rifle and pulled my sidearm, but I was already too late. The officer spotted me, shouted something, and three of his men turned in my direction.

I dove for cover as bullets shredded the air where I had just been standing. Snow exploded around me, and I hit the ground hard. Too exposed. I wouldn't last long out here.

Then a single shot rang out.

The Syndicate officer jerked back, a red mist spraying from his head before he collapsed.

Daniel.

"Got your back," he said over the radio.

I didn't waste time. The moment their officer went down, the rest of the soldiers hesitated. That was all we needed.

I pushed forward, switching to my knife. The first soldier barely had time to react before I drove the blade into his throat. His body dropped, and I turned to the next. A quick slash to the arm, then a kick to the knee—he went down screaming.

The third tried to run.

I raised my pistol and ended him before he got far.

The Battle Turns

With their command structure breaking down, the Syndicate's assault started to falter. Our forces pushed back hard. Ray's team flanked from the left, cutting through their scattered troops. Daniel and the snipers kept the pressure on, picking off anyone who tried to regroup.

"James, we're pushing them back!" Ray's voice was sharp with adrenaline.

I nodded, even though he couldn't see me. We could win this.

Then everything changed.

The Monster in the Storm

A low, guttural howl echoed through the battlefield.

It wasn't human.

The gunfire slowed. Even the Syndicate hesitated, their weapons lowering as they scanned the darkness.

The storm swirled, snow whipping through the air, obscuring everything beyond a few meters.

Then I saw it.

A shadow, massive and shifting, moving through the blizzard. Not quite walking—gliding.

Another howl, closer this time.

My blood turned to ice.

Void Stalker.

One of the Apex Predators. One of the things we weren't supposed to see until later.

And it was here.

The Syndicate soldiers closest to the shadow started screaming. One of them fired his weapon wildly into the storm, but it didn't matter. The darkness moved, and suddenly he was gone.

Just… gone.

"Everyone fall back! Now!" I shouted into the radio.

No one argued. The Syndicate was already retreating, breaking formation, abandoning their wounded as they ran.

We did the same.

The battle was over. Something worse had arrived.

Aftermath

We didn't stop running until we were behind the facility's walls, the reinforced doors slamming shut behind us.

Everyone was panting, wide-eyed, still gripping their weapons like the fight hadn't ended.

But it had.

And we had barely survived.

Lily ran up to me, grabbing my arm. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, even though I wasn't. "Check the wounded first."

She hesitated but didn't argue.

Ray stepped up beside me. His face was grim. "What the hell was that thing?"

I exhaled slowly. "Something worse than the Syndicate."

Daniel shook his head. "You think it'll come back?"

I looked toward the reinforced walls, listening to the wind howling outside.

It wasn't a matter of if.

It was a matter of when.

Loose Ends

The battle was over, but the war wasn't.

The Syndicate had been forced to retreat, but they weren't gone for good. They'd come back, stronger, angrier.

And Carter…

I clenched my fists.

He was still out there.

I didn't know why he betrayed us, but I would find out.

And when I did…

He wouldn't get another chance to run.

---

The battle is over… but at what cost?

Carter escaped. The Syndicate is wounded but not broken. And now, Apex Predators are entering the battlefield earlier than expected.

What do you think James should do next?

Let me know in the comments!