Chapter 259:Attack.
Morning eventually arrived. Silver woke before Ravenna. For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling, then he remembered where he was. He slowly sat up.
Ravenna was still asleep beside him.
Silver smiled.
She looked peaceful, and he didn’t want to wake her yet; instead, he quietly stood and walked toward the window.
The first rays of sunlight were beginning to illuminate the valley but it was still a little bit dark. From this height, Silver could finally see how enormous it truly was.
The mountains stretched across the horizon,mist lingered between some of the cliffs,several enormous rock formations rose from the valley floor, and far in the distance, something moved.
Silver narrowed his eyes. It was a massive creature,too far away to identify. He watched it for several seconds, then it disappeared behind a mountain.
Silver stepped away from the window as a soft sound came from the bed. Ravenna opened her eyes.
"You’re awake."
"Yeah."
"What time is it?"
"Early, around six."
She groaned and pulled the blanket over her head.
Silver smiled.
"Want to sleep longer?"
"Five more minutes."
"That’s what you said yesterday."
"This time I mean it."
He laughed.
"Fine."
He returned to the bed. Ravenna reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Come here."
Silver laid beside her. She rested her head against him.
"Five minutes."
"Five minutes."
The peaceful moment didn’t last long. A loud alarm suddenly sounded throughout the observation centre. Silver’s eyes opened immediately and Ravenna sat upright.
"What is that?"
Silver was already reaching for his weapon. Outside, voices echoed through the facility.
"All personnel to the eastern gate!"
"Movement detected!"
"Prepare the outer defenses!"
Silver’s expression hardened. Ravenna immediately stood.
The peaceful morning was over; something had happened outside, and judging from the urgency in the soldiers’ voices, it wasn’t a small beast.
Silver looked at Ravenna.
"Stay close."
She nodded.
They quickly prepared themselves and left the room. The corridors were already filled with movement.
Soldiers were running toward the eastern side of the observation centre, contractors were grabbing weapons, and several people were moving toward the watchtowers.
Silver stepped outside.
The morning sunlight revealed the valley clearly, and for the first time, Silver saw why the observation centre existed. Beyond the walls, the wilderness was moving.
Birds were fleeing from the cliffs, small beasts were running through the grass, and somewhere beyond the eastern ridge, a massive plume of dust was rising into the sky.
Something was coming.
Silver stared toward the dust. His instincts immediately told him that whatever was happening wasn’t ordinary.
Ravenna stepped beside him.
"What is that?"
Silver tightened his grip on his weapon.
"I don’t know but something seems to be approaching."
Then the first roar reached them and the entire observation centre went silent. It was deep enough to shake the ground.
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
Whatever was approaching had to be enormous. A soldier beside them cursed.
"That’s not supposed to be this close."
Another soldier shouted from the tower.
"Movement on the eastern ridge!"
Everyone turned.
Silver looked up.
For several seconds, nothing appeared, then something enormous moved behind the ridge. A huge shadow, too large to be a normal beast.
The soldiers immediately began preparing the defenses.
Larry ran toward the group.
"Everyone stay inside the perimeter!"
Silver looked at him.
"Is it coming here?"
Larry didn’t answer, he didn’t need to. The expression on his face said everything. Whatever was approaching had entered their territory.
And if it continued moving in their direction, the observation centre was about to find out exactly why the military had built a fortress in the middle of Death Row Valley.
The alarm continued to echo through the observation centre, its deep, mechanical tone reverberating through the reinforced buildings and making the entire facility feel as though it had suddenly come alive.
Soldiers rushed across the compound carrying weapons and equipment, contractors emerged from their rooms already dressed for combat, and the watchtowers came alive with movement as personnel took their assigned positions. Nobody was screaming or panicking, but there was a sharpness to every movement that made it obvious this wasn’t an ordinary drill.
Ravenna stood beside Silver with her weapon already in her hands, her eyes fixed on the eastern side of the facility.
"Are we really getting attacked on our first night?"
Silver didn’t answer immediately. He was watching the distant ridge.
The enormous cloud of dust that had first appeared was becoming larger by the second. It rolled across the valley like a storm, swallowing the lower parts of the rocky terrain as it moved toward the observation centre. Every few seconds, something broke through the dust before disappearing again. Silver could see too many silhouettes moving together.
"What do you see?" Ravenna asked again.
"A lot of beasts."
Antony appeared behind them, still fastening the straps of his combat equipment.
"How many?"
Silver shook his head.
"Too many to count."
Antony looked toward the ridge. His usual smile disappeared.
"That’s not good."
"No," Silver agreed.
A soldier on the nearest watchtower suddenly shouted.
"Movement confirmed! Eastern valley!"
Another voice followed immediately.
"Estimate?"
"At least several hundred!"
The number caused several people nearby to pause.
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
Several hundred; that wasn’t a hunting group but a migration. A soldier turned toward the commander standing near the main gate.
"Beast tide!"
The commander nodded.
"Small-scale."
Silver caught the distinction immediately.
Small-scale?
He looked at the approaching mass of beasts. If this was considered small, he didn’t want to know what a large one looked like.
The commander raised his voice.
"All personnel, defensive positions! Lower-ranked contractors remain behind the second line! Nobody crosses the perimeter without authorization!"
Silver glanced at Ravennaa to confirm she had heard the same thing. They weren’t being told to fight but to stay back.
A part of Silver found that irritating. Another part of him understood exactly why.
They were in an observation centre controlled by the military, surrounded by contractors who had spent years operating in the Red Zone. Silver, Ravenna, and Antony were Rank Two. Even if they possessed abilities that allowed them to fight above their ranks, there was no reason for the military to throw inexperienced contractors into an organized defensive battle.
Silver stepped backward.
"Come on."
Ravenna followed. Antony walked behind them.
"Are we really just watching?"
"Apparently."
Antony frowned.
"I don’t like watching."
Silver looked at him.
"Then don’t."
Antony stared.
"What are you serious? We can join the..."
"Close your eyes."
Ravenna covered her mouth to hide a laugh. Antony looked offended.
"That isn’t helpful."
"It wasn’t supposed to be."
The three moved toward the second defensive line.
Surprisingly they weren’t the only lower-ranked contractors being moved back. Several others were being directed into the same area, while the stronger contractors formed a line closer to the walls.
Silver studied them.
There were dozens of Rank Three contractors, several Rank Fours, and the military personnel were clearly organized into specialized units.
Some carried rifles while others carried large weapons that Silver couldn’t immediately identify. A few were standing completely still, their eyes fixed on the approaching tide.
Those people worried him the most. They didn’t look nervous but prepared.
The ground began to tremble.
At first, the vibration was barely noticeable, then it became stronger. Small stones began bouncing across the ground.
Ravenna looked down.
"They’re close."
Silver nodded.
The dust cloud had now reached the base of the eastern ridge, then the first beast emerged. It was a large canine-like creature with dark fur and elongated limbs.
It ran on all fours and behind it came another, then ten, then dozens. The creatures poured into the valley.
Silver watched carefully.
Most appeared to be Rank One or Rank Two, while some were Rank Three. The tide wasn’t made entirely of powerful beasts; instead, it was sheer numbers.
The creatures weren’t charging the observation centre because they had specifically decided to attack it. They were clearly moving; migrating. The observation centre simply happened to be in their path.