Erick explained to them that each time he was tasked with putting down a monster, he reached the same grim conclusion: humans are the worst monsters of all. "But these aren't just ordinary humans," he said, voice tinged with an unsettling calm. "These are humans with powers beyond our understanding. Imagine the threat they pose."
"Run that by me again," General Royer said, his tone carrying a mix of disbelief and frustration. "They're human," Erick repeated, locking eyes with the general. "What?" Royer yelled, clearly struggling to grasp the idea. "I know it's hard to believe," Erick continued, "but that's exactly what makes it true."
Royer shook his head, unwilling to accept it. "If you'd seen what they're capable of, you wouldn't say that. What they turned into when we tried to stop them… that's not human.", "I have seen them," Erick said, his voice firm and unwavering. "Then explain their power level," Royer demanded, his mind flashing back to the horror he had witnessed. "Explain what they became when we tried to fight back. It was a nightmare."
Royer's thoughts drifted back to that day, the day when everything changed. They had been holding a conference, discussing the sudden surge of criminal activity in California, when chaos erupted. "Out of nowhere, one of the guards went berserk, attacking the others," he recalled, his voice heavy with the memory. "We could hear the sound of bones breaking, but we couldn't see a damn thing.
I went to check, but all I found was blood splattered across the walls. When I turned back to the room, I saw the president's closest bodyguard holding a dagger to his throat while everyone else was being slaughtered by… something else. It looked like a mantis, but with the skin and body of a man, and legs like those of a locust, attached to its hips."
He paused, his face paling at the memory. "I blinked, and suddenly, there was someone else sitting in the president's chair. A long-haired freak. The president… he was just gone, vanished into thin air. I couldn't believe my eyes. After it finished with the others, the beast turned toward me. I fired at it, but the bullets just fell off its skin like they were nothing. So, I ran.
I saw soldiers outside, unloading every weapon they had, but it didn't matter. Those things just kept coming. And then, as if it had decided I wasn't worth the effort, it stopped chasing me. I turned back and saw the most horrifying, degrading sight of my life my comrades' bodies hanging from every flagpole, except one."
Erick listened intently, his face solemn. "Have you ever heard of the tales of the Overwhelm?" he asked, breaking the silence.
"We all have," Royer replied, his voice laced with skepticism. "Every grandmother tells those stories to scare their grandkids.", "For me, it was my grandpa," a soldier chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "Nobody cares, Gerry!" Royer snapped, before turning back to Erick. "What's your point?"
Erick took a deep breath. "Think about it. Those stories might have been fairy tales to keep kids in line, but what if there's some truth to them?"
Royer's expression changed as he began to see where Erick was heading. "Wait… You don't seriously think these things are ", "Real?" Erick cut in. "That's exactly what I'm saying. They're real now, and they're not just stories anymore. They're here, and they're trying to kill us."
Erick then turned his attention to the preparations the military had made. "This plan you think you've got under control? It's a mess. All those snipers you've stationed around the city aren't fooling anyone. The helicopters on the rooftops? They'll drop with a flick of a finger. And these huge trucks you've rolled in? They won't intimidate them; they'll just use them against us, tossing them around like pebbles."
He pointed out the flaws in their strategy, hoping Royer would see reason. But instead, the general grew angrier. "That's quite enough, Major!" he barked, his voice echoing through the camp.
But Erick wouldn't back down. He approached Royer, staring directly into his eyes with an intensity that bordered on anger. "I don't imagine things," he said, his voice low but resolute.
For a moment, the two men locked eyes in a silent battle of wills. Eventually, Royer's anger began to wane, replaced by a reluctant belief in Erick's words. The other soldiers, seeing their general's resolve falter, started to believe as well.
Royer walked to one of the military vehicles, placing both hands on its hood as if grounding himself in reality. "If what you're saying is true, that means… they're all American citizens."
"Correct," Erick confirmed, his tone as sharp as ever.
"Damn it!" Royer cursed, slamming his fists down on the car. The sound echoed through the still air.
"Easy, General," Erick said, trying to calm him. "It's not the car's fault."
Royer let out a bitter laugh. "No, you don't get it. We can't kill our own people."
"Well, technically, we can't," Erick replied, his voice steady. "But this isn't a typical situation. We're not dealing with ordinary humans anymore."
"What are you suggesting?" Royer asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.
Erick looked at him, his expression dead serious. "I'm saying that, just like any other human, if you cut off the head"
"The body falls," Royer finished, understanding dawning on his face. He knew what Erick was getting at and needed no further explanation. Without hesitation, he made the call. They were going with Erick's plan. The general trusted Erick implicitly, and there was no doubt in his mind that whatever Erick had in store would work.
"Listen up, all of you!" Royer yelled, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the soldiers. They immediately turned their attention to him. "We're going to draw the monsters out of the mansion. Erick and his brother will take care of the leader. And remember, keep your distance from the Overwhelm. They can sense human emotions, which makes them damn near impossible to predict. Don't give them the upper hand."
The soldiers' anxiety was palpable. Erick could see it in their eyes, hear it in their voices. Some had even started writing letters to their loved ones, fearing they wouldn't make it out alive. Despite knowing the stress he was putting them under, Erick remained focused on the task at hand. He had to prepare them for the worst, even if it meant scaring them.
General Royer, sensing the rising tension, decided to address his troops. "When your friend is the first to hit the ground, blood pouring out of his skull, your instinct will tell you that you're losing. But you stop that thought right there!" He bellowed, pacing before them. "Keep shooting! Because there's a chance that the next one to fall will be from their side!", "Yeah!" the soldiers roared, the fear in their eyes replaced by a fierce determination.
"They have size!" Royer shouted. "So what!" the soldiers responded, their voices growing louder. "They've got power!" Royer continued. "So what!" "They've got numbers!" Royer's voice was a thunderous boom now. "So what!", "But we've got an army that knows how to fight!" Royer declared, his voice ringing with conviction. "Yeah!" the soldiers shouted, raising their weapons high.
"We're the best at battle strategies!" Royer added, his own adrenaline surging. "Yeah!""Let's go give them hell!" Royer finished, and the soldiers erupted in a chorus of war cries, their fear replaced by a surge of unshakable resolve.
Erick, standing off to the side, watched as the troops rallied around Royer's words. "Well, that worked," he muttered under his breath, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
Guion, observing the scene, leaned in closer to Erick. "You scared them on purpose," he noted, his voice a mix of curiosity and admiration. "Why?"
Erick didn't hesitate in his response. "Because the ones who are afraid to die always come back. And right now, we need everyone to come back."
In that moment, Guion realized something profound about Erick: nothing he did was without reason.