//------------------------------// // The Truth Behold // Story: Survival of the Fallen Race // by Immortan Joe //------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Truth Behold My head throbbed, my vision blurred and swayed. My body was sore, what happened? Why am I in so much pain? Why am I not in the truck? I attempted to move my arms but some reason my limbs wouldn’t comply, finally trying to focus on my vision I was finally able to comprehend my surroundings. I was in the middle of the street right in front of the southern exit of the hospital. Fire roared all around me, did the military drop a bombshell on us? I tried to move again this time pain flaring through my body, what the fuck why can’t I move!? Tilting my head to the side I realized I was pinned under some rubble, oh this is just fucking great! Using all my strength I attempted to lift the rubble off myself, only being able to push a little bit off me in the process. Screaming in agony I dropped back to the ground, gasping trying to regain my strength, I blacked out... :[-]: Do not give up young one... It is not your time to die. “What the Hell?” I was in a black void, all around me I heard the voices of people as if I could hear all of humanity. But this time the voices were anger, sad, and scared, “Who are you!? Where am I!?” I shouted into the dark abyss. In time, child of man. You shall learn the truth, in time you shall learn the truth of your past... “Stop speaking in riddles! Just tell me who you are!” I turned around looking behind myself, I looked to my left, right, up and down, trying to find whoever was speaking to me. “Show yourself!” I commanded. I’m afraid I cannot do that just yet. The voice actually replied to my command, and I could no longer believe that this was some kind of dream. “Why not!?” I shouted, my voice ringing in the endless void of oblivion. I received no reply this time, instead I heard all the voices around me begin to drift away. A million voices in a million languages blended into one man’s voice. A voice that was shouting my name. Soon I felt as if I was being pulled at million miles per hour back into the waking world. My eyes flew open I was back in the middle of the road, still covered in rubble. “Isaac! Fuck, Isaac answer me!” shouted Rooker. I tried to move but the striking pain in my back returned. All I could do to reply was moan in agony. “Shit! Isaac you’re going to have to figure out a way out of there! I think something blew up a portion of the hospital I don’t entirely know what it was but... shit! It did a pretty good fucking job blowing up the place! There’s some debris separating us I’ll try and figure out a way to get over to you but for now try to seek some shelter. I saw something moving around out there so be careful!” I groaned and tried moving the rubble again this time I succeeded in pushing a large portion of it off my back. “What about Sarah!” I gasped through the excruciating pain. “What? You’re going to have speak up!” “What about Nurse Cares!” I shouted out. “Don’t worry, she’s fine, she’s just slipping in and out of consciousness. But we have to get moving now. Isaac, if you can, get to the evac point in Central Park, see you on the other side!” With that Private Rooker went silent, and I was alone. I gasped in pain as I shifted the rest of the rubble off me. In the process of removing the rubble something caught my ears. My eyes snapped to the left, to my left laid a pile of rubble and debris. On top of it all some pieces of rubble began rolling off the side as if it was disturbed. Instantly Rooker’s warning quickly ran through my mind, I began working my way out even faster ignoring the pain. My heart raced, whatever was out there it was stalking me and I don’t like being stalked! With one final push and cry of pain I threw the last cement block off me, I laid back, finally being able to stretch out all my limbs I sighed with relief. But then another wave of excruciating pain shot through my body. Instantly my hand shot to my side which is what seemed to be the source of my pain, instantly my hand was coated in liquid bringing my hand back to my face to inspect. It was blood... MY BLOOD! Instantly I felt woozy... I wanted to puke. The world was spinning in a horrible torrent of gut-wrenching agony. The floor felt like it could fall away at any moment, and with the blood freely running down my leg and pooling on the ground, I saw a blur begin to work its way into my vision. I was in shock, I was scared and helpless, like the time when I broke my arm out in woods back at my parents house in Bluffton. I had the bright idea to try and climb a tree in the woods in the middle of the winter. I made it about twelve feet before I slipped on a icy branch and fell. Breaking my arm when I hit, I was alone and I felt helpless, miles from home with no help and the worst agony I had ever known making me weep like a newborn. But that day in the forest, I didn’t I have anything stalking me. But here, outside the comfort of solid walls, in the middle of an abandoned street in New York, the predators that had haunted mankind’s ancient past had once again decided to regain control over our fears, and each shadow could have contained a slavering beast, waiting for me to succumb to my wound. Taunting the instincts that had been born from thousands of generations of being prey to more powerful animals, the beasts that lurked in the shadows made my heart freeze with fear. There was only one option, I needed to get out of here! I decided to attempt to climb to my feet. I started off well but by the time I made it to my knees I instantly crumpled to the ground. Gasping for air, I knew that I could not stay on my feet. “Okay, walking is out of the question,” I gasped in pain. But how about crawling? I sat there for a few minutes trying to regain my breath my composure, I tried calming myself by telling myself everything is going to be okay. After that I rolled onto my stomach and began to pull myself along the concrete, making a few inches every few minutes before having to stop and rest. Blood seeped out of my open wound causing a small trail of blood to form while I began to move. The pain began to become unbearable for me, sweat began to drip off my face and onto the pavement. I was heading towards the nearby carry out store across the street from the hospital, which by the way is at least thirty to forty yards away. I stopped at the sound of panting, not my own but something else. This sounded like... “Shit!” I exclaimed. I turned to my right to see three Siberian Wolves all looking at me with hungry looks in their eyes. A surge of adrenaline poured through my veins, and my hand dove into my pocket, seeking out the only weapon I had ever wielded. Thank the lord I still had my M9! Thankfully the gun hadn’t been damaged in the blast, and was still loaded with a few rounds. Raising my handgun I readied myself to fire, but I was too slow. The first wolf was on me in seconds, a blur of silver-gray fur that leaped across the gap in a flash of shining fangs and snarls. His long fangs sank into my wrist, and the wolf shook my arm like a rag doll. A stream of my own blood escaped from the wolf’s iron-gripped teeth to spray on my face. I screamed in pain as the beast turned me into his personal chew toy, taking the pistol in my other hand, I began to slam the butt of the pistol between its eyes. But unlike any person I had ever seen get pistol-whipped on television, the wolf didn’t show any signs of passing out, or even that it noticed my frenzied attack. Bringing the gun back I jammed it into the wolf’s eye and pulled the trigger, the back of it’s head exploded flinging parts of bone and brain back in a spray of gore that painted the pavement red. The two wolves that had stood back while growled and charged me. I screamed and began firing shots randomly, praying that at least one bullet would strike true. One bullet zipped by, striking the wolf on the left in his back hind leg sending it head over heels into the ground. I aimed at the final wolf getting ready to pull the trigger but when I did the slider flew back but no bullet came out, only leaving me with a lousy click signaling I’m out of bullets! And for a moment, I cursed Rooker. The man may have given me a gun, but he never gave me an extra magazine! The wolf sailed through the air, spreading apart its lips to bear all of its dagger-like teeth. And with the adrenaline pumping through my veins, it was as if the world slowed down to a crawl, and I reached for the nearest thing by me that I could use as a weapon. My grasping hand closed around a metal pole, and I turned to face the wolf which was only a few feet away from me. I raised the pole in the air like a spear and planted the other end firmly on the ground. Preparing for the worst I looked away. Shunk... Blood splattered my face followed by a shriek of pain, but not from me. I opened my eyes above me laid a wolf with metal pole puncturing his chest. Blood gushed from the open wound, the wolf spasmed and shook, sliding down the pole and snapping at my face, trying to end my even in its final moment. Finally, the beast’s body went limp. I dropped the makeshift spear causing the wolf to crumple to the ground lying right next to me. Clutching my wounded wrist I layed back watching the wolf that I shot earlier in the back leg climb back onto it’s other three legs and limp away. Despite how much pain I was in I laughed, I laughed not only because I survived but by the fact that this was the third wolf I killed in the matter of two days. Isaac A. Ridgewood, Wolf Slayer. It rings like a bell, and it beats the shit out of employee of the month by a long shot! :[-]: I don’t know how long it took for me to pull myself up to the curb, but when I started, it had been the small hours of the morning, and by the time I made it the sun beat down on my broken body and bruised flesh. Holding back the urge to scream, I rolled onto my back. Panting like a hot dog on a warm summer day, I used my sleeve to wipe the sweat off my head. Cursing, I rolled back onto my stomach and made my way to the doorway of some small cornerstore, and by the time I crossed the stoop the sun was high in sky. It took me hours to cross that street, now marked by a trail of my own oozing blood, and though I was still bleeding, it wasn’t as bad as before. The corner-store was a mess. It was mostly looted, and trashed as if a tornado ran through there. Whatever shelves remained that weren’t bare were full of things that were either inedible or too heavy to easily carry away. Breathing heavily I attempted to climb back up onto my feet, placing my knees on the ground I pushed with all my might. Trying to ignore the pain I reached up and grasped the door for support, more blood began to ooze from my open wound. Gritting my teeth I climbed onto my feet, gasping for breath between the rolling waves of pain. I leaned on the door and tried to catch my breath. After a few moments the pain began to subside, I opened the door and stepped in, making my way through the corner-store I began looking for anything that could help me. I made my way behind the counter, opening shelves and looking for any type of aspirin or something that would help relieve me of this unrelenting pain. What was I doing? Was it wrong to rifle through someone else’s possessions? Was what I was doing considered stealing, though the man who may have worked this counter in days since past, in a world that wasn’t topsy-turvy, may now be just a greasy smear on the street thanks to some ravenous monster that had come only a few hours ago? No, it couldn’t be stealing. Stealing was something that people did when they merely wanted something. I needed this. I never knew I would stoop that low, but I needed something to relieve me of this pain. After a few minutes of searching I found what I was searching for. Opening the bottle of aspirin I took two tablets and shoved the lid over the bottle, I knew it wouldn’t relieve all the pain but it would help. After searching the rest of the looted corner-store, I filled my stomach with a sumptuous feast of chips and other junk food that they sold there. I was never a man with a complex palate, but right then a meal of cheese Combos and a side of Doritos, and I felt as grateful for the food as I had at any Thanksgiving. The rest I just shoved in my jacket, after that I was on my way to meet up with Nigel and get to Central Park as fast as I could. :[-]: The city felt as if it was deserted, empty streets, no one to be seen, quiet save for the few street wars I heard in the distance. The sounds of gunshots and explosions, sounded like a distant war was raging like two armies clashing head on. Even with my nasty wound I kept at a decent pace, climbing over a nearly full block of taxicabs was straining the ragged wound on my side, and I clambered over each derelict vehicle slowly and with no small amount of pained grunts. I climbed on top of the taxicab overlooking a sea of vehicles that lay before me. Cars that were flung over like children’s toys rested on top of each other. Some bodies of unlucky civilians and soldiers laid scattered about. The sight sickened me to the core. These were men and women that I might have known, people that had lives and families. And it made me angry, whatever was going on just didn’t seem right. Nothing could have driven these animals over the edge like that, nothing could’ve given the animals the ability to organize, to mobilize! And most important, nothing could have given them the intelligence that I saw in the eyes of that mare in the hospital, the speech that she so eloquently riddled me with about my fate. I stepped down off the ruined taxi and made my way through the see of destruction, again as I limped my way through the destroyed street paranoia began to take over. Every few seconds I would glance over my shoulder to see nothing was following me. My hand rested on my gun, even though it wasn’t loaded I still held onto it. But no matter how many weapons I could have placed upon my person, I knew that they would not drive away that terrifying insecurity that plagued me, nor fend off the unseen eyes that haunted every street and alley of the broken city. The sounds of the distant street wars began to grow quiet, just to pick up again moments later. In the distance I heard a loud explosion as the ground literally shook below me causing me to stumble into a nearby car. And moments later I knew the source of that ground-shaking explosion as a jet fighter screamed over the buildings of Manhattan, firing another of its deadly missiles at some other target. Moments later a second explosion erupted and the sound of machine gun fire followed and the screams of soldiers shouting commands. I needed to get off the street, looking around I found an alley way. Quickly I began to hobble my way over to it, to my right I heard the sound of a horn. Not a car horn though, something you would hear in Lord of the Rings or something. Something that signals a charge... Oh no! Looking to my right I saw a large group of animals, most of them being ponies, but there was also elephants, apes, and an entire pack of big cats. Above me, another jet screamed in from the horizon, letting loose another missile, colliding with the center of the animal forces. A large ball of fire flew into the sky, obliterating the entire street and everything in it. Chunks of asphalt and pieces of torn flesh rained down from the dusty sky, but the creature force had only been stunned for a moment. Tracer rounds flew over my head, the sounds of tank treads going over cars wracked my ears. The sound of metal being crushed and scraped caused my ears to burn in pain. The line of soldiers wasn’t advancing, but the line of creatures down the street was very quickly thundering down the street of broken asphalt. To avoid getting caught between the crossfire of my own people and the rending teeth and claws of the animals, I limped my way down the alleyway as fast as my fresh wound would allow me. My heart pounded and more blood leaked from my open wound, and with every minute I began to grow weaker due to the lack of blood. My feet began to grow numb and cold, and I decided that I very quickly needed to find a safe place to hide until I could walk. I found a nearby hotel to take shelter in, pushing open the back door I made my way through the abandoned halls, hoping to get away from the coming battle which grew louder and louder as the screams of men and animals joined the cacophony of gunfire. The building shook with each explosion, pieces of the ceiling fell as the very foundation shook in protest. The windows creaked, and moments later the building released a daunting groan. I needed to get out of here right away before the place comes crashing down, I began limping towards the lobby. Cursing with every step the lights began to dim, the groaning becoming louder and louder. Gunshots and the screams of the soldiers began to reach my ears, and instantly I was filled with even greater dread. We were being beaten back. The creatures’ charge had overwhelmed their line, and now the US Army was being beaten back by a bunch of escaped zoo animals and police horses! Next thing I heard was thunderous bang of tank firing it’s main cannon, moments later multiple thunderous bangs followed after. I entered the main lobby, making my way towards the door every step it growing closer my only chance of escape. But something really unsettling caught me by the ear, the sound of a helicopter's rotors, when it’s going down. Next thing I knew that white light that was coming from the doors was overcast by a shadow. A loud bang shook my ears and the ground heaved causing the windows to shatter and pictures to fall off their mantles. A black mass that was outside was growing closer and closer, I attempted to run but I was too late the downed helicopter tore through the main lobbies doors the blades destroying the walls causing the ceiling to cave in itself. The twirling blades of the downed chopper sliced through the steel and wood structure of the building like a hot knife, and I only saved myself from being filleted by ducking down as quickly as I could. The whirring blades of death whistled inches from my head, and ground to a halt as the chopper lost all power and came to a rest against the back wall. I had missed death by a mere inch or two, but I could not dodge the collapsing building that was right above me... :[-]: I slowly opened my eyes, which didn’t help considering the entire area was dark. “Am I dead?” I murmured to the darkness. No, I couldn’t be dead, this felt like all the other times I had been on the brink of unconsciousness in the past few days. The air was dusty with debris, and the pain from my wound was real enough. Reaching into my pocket I pulled out my phone, pressing my numb finger against the power button and hoping that it would turn on. Thank God I charged it last night. The light flashed in my eyes practically blinding me, which was the opposite of what I wanted it to do. As I expected, there was no signal to be had, but that wasn’t what I wanted it for. Turning the phone’s screen away from me I shined it around the new area I was in, I was in what looked to be cave made of cement, wood, and glass. I was in the fucking debris of the collapsed hotel! Aiming my phone up I found a large steel I-beam above me, easily holding up thousands of pound of rubble, thank the lord that was there to save me! If not I would be a pancake, giving a nervous chuckle I stood up, keeping a hand pressed on my side trying and to ignore the constant pain. I didn’t really see any sort of light besides that small crack in the wall down over by where the doors should be. And then I heard it, a noise that managed to sneak its way into my sanctum of debris. A voice that was melodic. And laughing... What the Hell? I looked around the almost pitch blackness, another round of laughter caught my ear. It was coming from the hole in the wall, pulling myself towards the hole I brought my eye up to it and peeked through. I could see Saint Catharine’s Park. But the most thing that caught was there was ponies everywhere, all were scattered around the small park. They were all chatting and laughing with each other. How was I going to escape! Was the next thought that came to my mind, looking around the rubble I found a metal pipe the tip of it flattened by the incredible force that was dropped upon it. Retrieving the pipe was a bit difficult due to it being crushed under some debris, after a good ten minutes I managed to wriggle it free without causing too much noise. Panting, I sat back up against the wall leaning my head up against the opening, I heard two distinct voices approach the destroyed hotel. One male and the other female, “Wow...” said the female voice. “Did that flier really cause all this damage?” “Heh... I am surprised the birds were able to take it down,” the male voice said. “Sapphire! Falenix! You’re suppose to be scouting the area in case the routed demons return!” “Yes Commander Kuntchra! Deeply sorry!” Kuntchra! That was the ape from back the hospital! Leaning over I peeked through the small hole, seeing two ponies dressed up in poor excuses of armor. Most of it looked like trash can lids bent and beaten flat, while the bigger creatures wore pieces of car paneling. One was blue and the other was a dark shade of green, both were looking at a large silverback gorilla, a chillingly familiar brute who had a large makeshift metal spear strapped to his back. “You do not need to apologize,” the large ape said, as he himself seemed to be slightly mesmerised by the crashed helicopter and the carnage it had wrought. “Just go do your jobs, the elementals tell us that we need to move on the human encampment by dawn. Only after we drive them from the city can we unite with the others and prepare for the next push against their armies.” I heard a gasp from the female pony. “But-but Commander Kuntchra, that’s suicide! We barely even won the last skirmish!” The gorilla growled and pounded the ground with his huge right fist. “Do not question me, young one, these are not my commands, but commands from on high!” he snapped, the female pony flinched and took a few steps back. Kuntchra sighed and began to amble back towards their own camp, mumbling to himself frustratedly. Moments later the two ponies shared an uneasy glance and walked away, sighing I stepped away from the wall. Looking back at the metal pipe I began to inspect it, seeing that the other edge of it was flattened due to being crushed. I began to think, I could possibly use this as a shovel and dig my way out of here... Okay that’s a fucking stupid idea! I can’t dig through concrete! I sighed and sat back on the ground wincing I clutched my side. My wound was getting worse and I was getting weaker, I needed to figure out how to patch myself up... Thinking back to the old shows I use to watch on television about how to survive in the wild, I stripped off my jacket and took off my white work polo. Ripping the sleeve off the shirt I took the torn piece and brought it down to my wound. Gritting my teeth I wrapped the torn sleeve around the wound, instantly drenching the sleeve in blood turning it from a bright white to a dark red. Holding back the scream not wanting to attract some unwanted attention, I finished wrapping my wound. Taking two aspirins after I finished, I laid my head back against the wall of debris breathing heavily, I passed out. :[-]: I was laying in a open field, the sky was clear and the sun shined brightly in the sky. The field was filled with flowers of all kinds of colors and beauty, the birds chirped and the bees buzzed. Everything was so peaceful and tranquil, I smiled while climbing to my feet. I stretched out my refreshed limbs, and I noticed I didn’t have my nasty wound and my clothes seemed to have been restored. I looked to my left, on the horizon, at the top of a hill was a lone oak tree. It was full of luscious green leaves, and the view looked wonderful and inviting. I began to approach the tree, walking through the nice tall grass and slowly ascending the hill. In the distance I heard the laughter of children, I stopped dead in my tracks looking around for the sound. I couldn’t see anything, save for the open field that seemed to stretch for miles until ending upon a forest in the distance, and beyond them, a cool stretch of rolling mountains. Shaking my head I turned my attention back towards the tree. The thick bark of the oak felt rough under my fingers, and even in this surreal place, the tree seemed to exude an aura of power, of majesty, and of life. But something was wrong, the tree’s leaves began to change colors, they went from green to orange and then to sickly yellow, then withered to black. Can leaves go black!? They then one by one began to fall off the branch, slowly drifting to the ground. The bark on the tree also began to change color, going from a dark brown to a nasty pale white. I touched the bark of the once mighty tree, and it crumbled into ash under the gentle brush of my fingertips. The tree was dying, all around me the grass and flowers began to wilt. The soil cracked and became dry, and the world itself seemed to succumb to the spreading poison that had felled this once eternal symbol of life. The sounds of the children I heard earlier were replaced with the sounds of crying. And the cries of the children turned to agonized screams. And once the earth itself had been tainted by the spreading veil of death, the sky began to change in color. The pleasant and ever cheerful pale blue began to change as fingers of red tainted the sky in streaks of blood. Yet the sun wasn’t setting on this land of death, a pale, distorted moon rose and shrouded the decaying world in an eclipse of silence. In the distance, I heard the sound of a horn. The same horn I heard back in the streets, and to my left I heard another horn yet this one sounded like something from a semi-truck. Turning back to face the field I saw a horrifying sight. Two opposing armies, one army consisted of human men and women, and the other consisted of ranks upon ranks of ponies standing side by side with creatures that I could only conceive of from my wildest dreams. To my right was Man’s machines; tanks, helicopters, artillery guns, anything that could be used to fight. And to my left stood the army of ponies, clad in golden armor, and wielding shining spears and swords. The creature army stared at the army of Man, their eyes full of pure determination, and that feeling was just as imprinted upon the faces of the human army. They too had the look of hatred, and with a unknown cue both armies began to charge. The tanks fired their cannons, soldiers unloaded their guns into the opposing army. And in their unrelenting volley of lead, entire ranks of creatures fell to the lifeless ground, their blood feeding the parched earth. Ponies chucked their spears, impaling dozens of soldiers, while the others rammed into the human forces. Clashing into massive melee battle, I screamed at the two armies to stop fighting! The once peaceful field was turned into a massive battle ground. The once luscious grass was replaced with mounds of bodies and flowing rivers of blood. Craters formed in the ground due to the exploding tank shells, I continued to scream and yell, shouting for the fighting to stop. Dropping to my knees I cupped my hands over my ears, trying to shut out the sounds of battle. “Stop it! Stop it!” I screamed, desperate for this horrendous slaughter to end. “It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream,” I whimpered. “It’s just a nightmare, that’s all, it’s just a nightmare!” A nightmare indeed. Said a familiar female voice, a voice I knew all too well from my previous dreams. Everything stopped, literally everything just stopped. As if someone hit the pause button on their T.V remote, all the fighting stopped. Soldiers and armored ponies stopped in mid combat, their embraces of mortal combat frozen. Tank shells, missiles and bullets hovered in mid flight. And everything gone silent, opening my eyes and taking my hands off my ears, I looked around, mesmerized by the image that laid before me... pure chaos. “Why... Why are you tormenting me with this? Why are you doing this to me!” I shouted to the frozen world. I do not wish to torment you, child, only to show you the truth. “What truth? What is there to know? Why is this happening? Who are you?” I began to blurt out questions one after the other. Confused, frightened, I wanted to know the truth but what was the truth, what is this, but what was this? All these questions I wanted an answer to, yet I never got those answers. Whatever was speaking to me seemed to have left, the weird presence I seemed to have felt just moments before seemed to have vanished. Leaving me to the ungrateful sight of a battle which resumed just moments after... What truth could be found here? Only the truth of the slaughter, of the merciless bane of life and love that glowed in the face of every soldier on this field of battle. Perhaps the truth was not directly here, not in the screams of shells, but in the screams of the children that I had heard so joyously laughing what seemed like only moments ago. And as the battle turned in the favor of the humans, as the booted feet of my kind trampled down the pitiful revolt of the creatures of the Earth, I no longer saw the faces of men, but the frenzied faces of demons reveling in their victory. Perhaps that was the truth.