"Were 5 minutes out, get ready, we'll be landing just next to the affected area on a rapidly deployed medical camp. Whole city is walled off and nobody is allowed in apart from mercs who stepped up and soldiers sent in, get any civilians you can find be it on the street or in the buildings, some might still be alive, held up in their homes." The staff who was talking brought out what looked to be metal ammo boxes. "They contain gas masks and medication. Grab one and ready up, were nearing the camp already." One by one, we grabbed a satchel which was closed. "Your tanks have about 8 hours worth of air stored inside em, don't spend much time in the zone." As he finished, the ship landed, feeling the gear hit the ground.
"Good luck and make your way to the disinfection tunnel. Oh, and don't forget to turn on your oxygen tanks." He returned to the cockpit through a door, leaving us. The ramp descended down to a chaotic horrifying sight.
Outside, a cloudy day, people in hazmat suits like ours ran around, bringing supplies or entering makeshift tents made on the road. In front of us, beyond the camp was a large cloud of green gas shooting upwards, hitting the clouds. People were being wheeled around on gurneys to the tents while others were being carried by the shoulders. Their bodies were burnt and their clothes were stained with blood. We stepped outside, fully geared up, our weapons holstered, and the ammo boxes locked and filled with what can be given.
"Alright these things are ready." Marcel's voice spoke to my ear while we were walking. Passing by victims of the attack as they coughed violently being brought to the tents, in front of us was a white tunnel with an entranceway blocked by a transparent door that split apart. Some exited, bringing in civilians afflicted with the same injuries to their bodies. Blood was spilled about on the concrete tarmac road. As we approached, people in suits stepped in the tunnel from the other side, next to them were gurneys with something black on them.
Once finished, they stepped out of it, pushing the gurneys with them. Body bags, it's body bags piled on top of one another.
"Check check comms." Sebastian spoke into my ear. After, we responded back, loud and clear.
"Marcel, have a map on our location?" He asked.
"Yeah, just putting it in now."
We got inside the tunnel with other mercs. On the sides, square slots were placed with a sign above them reading "PUT IN EQUIPMENT WHEN ENTERING AND EXITING THE AFFECTED ZONE!" In red.
"What kind of gas caused all this." Sebastian asked while we inserted our things inside the slots.
A clear mist splashed all of us for a few seconds. After, we grabbed our things. Heading out to the other side. Through the thick layers, a barren street laid in front of us, in the distance was the gas, engulfing anything in it, making the area unrecognizable if it was even a city beyond it.
"Do you think anyone is even alive in there?" Lennox asked, doubtful. We all marched forward, into the gas with our oxygen tanks on. I could hear my muffled breathing while we walked onwards.
A black truck sped past us, is that where those gurneys and bodies come from?
We were now close to the gas, buildings around us were already spewing out the gas from any window and crevace present.
Entering inside, our vision was slightly blinded by the colored fumes pumping all around.
The city was consumed by the gas while we wandered around the area.
"Alright, we'll try to check out the area deep into the city for any survivors. They'll most likely be staying in basements or sealed up rooms. Probably about 10 or so buildings, then we'll head back to the outer area again." Sebastian explained.
Walking more and more, the city looked more destroyed, rubble scattered around, corpses were buried under them or around the street, lifeless. Their skin covered in blisters of red or peeling off while a pool of blood was streaming down from their heads.
"What the fuck kind of gas are we dealing with?" Mary asked, irritated but keeping composure.
The buildings were partly destroyed, portions of them were already down on the street, furniture strewn around. Looking up, the gas nearly blocked out the clouds.
The teams who were wandering with us split up, their groups walking to different streets while we kept wandering forward, deeper and deeper into this hellscape.
In our walk, i noticed that the gas seemed to be blocking more of my vision than before. But we were unaffected by any of it thanks to the suits.
"Over there, tha building doesn't seem too destroyed and engulfed in gas, maybe we can start our search there." Thalia pointed at a building, through the gas, it didn't seem as if the windows were spewing out the noxious gas.
"You think anyone is still alive in there?" Lennox asked.
"Doesn't seem too destroyed, and the windows aren't shattered, maybe someone sealed them up there." She explained.
"Alright, let's check it out." Sebastian ended the short talk, from walking aimlessly forward, we moved towards the building, a glass door stood in front of us. A quick pull and we all got in. Inside, what looked like a reception area, seats, a desk on the side. A few corpses were lying on the ground, lifeless. Alina approached one of them, turning it over to check.
"Alina, it's a corpse, what are you looking for?" Sebastian asked, confused.
"Checking the corpse for injuries, wanna see if there's anything else they got other than this blistering skin and blood coughing."
"Well the windows are not on the ground, around 2 or 3 floors up. Let's head up, Alina you can continue later. For now we gotta search why these windows are destroyed." Sebastian ordered. Alina left the body as we started going up a flight of stairs.