Location: Second Thomas Shoal
Date: June 17, 2024
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The midday sun cast a glaring light over the turbulent waters of the South China Sea, reflecting off the rusting hull of the BRP Sierra Madre.
This ship, more of a decaying relic than a proper naval vessel, had stood defiantly against the azure expanse since it was deliberately grounded on Second Thomas Shoal in 1999.
A handful of Philippine soldiers, resolute and weary, manned the ship, their eyes perpetually scanning the horizon for the inevitable approach of Chinese boats.
In recent months, the once silent stalemate between their countries had turned perilously violent.
Chinese vessels, brazen and aggressive, had taken to ramming the Philippine supply boats, or dousing them with high-powered water cannons. The latest incident, however, brought an unexpected horror.
It started aggressively as usual. Reporter Angela Reyes of the Philippine Daily Tribune was aboard a supply ship, her camera man, Carlos, was capturing the tense resupply mission. She narrated live, her voice steady despite the undercurrent of fear.
"We're currently approaching Second Thomas Shoal," she reported on a live Tv broadcast, the camera focusing on the silhouette of the Sierra Madre. "Tensions are high as Chinese coast guard vessels shadow our every move. The Philippine Navy remains resolute in their mission to resupply the outpost, a symbol of our sovereignty in the contested waters."
Suddenly, a Chinese vessel drew closer to their ship, water cannons aimed and ready.
"Incoming hostile vessel, stand your ground, secure the supplies!" A soldier shouted urgently.
They have received reports and experienced being pressured of such instances numerous times during their supply runs in the past few months, but this time, unknown to them, the jets of water carried a sinister secret.
The cannons from the hostile forces were used indiscriminately, soldiers aboard the supply ship were immediately drenched against their will, their skin was slowly showing signs of irritation and swelling.
With shouts and curses from the supply team, they scrambled upon the deck looking for cover against the pressurized water cannon amidst the burning sensation they felt across their body.
Panic slowly ensued as the realization dawned that this was no ordinary water.
Angela's voice was tight with urgency as she continued with her report, "We're under attack, the Chinese are using high-powered water cannons, and our soldiers are being drenched. But from the looks of it, this isn't just some regular water– something is wrong!"
At first the soldiers were simply soaked, the force of the water knocking them back and soaking their uniforms. But, as the water soaked through their clothes, it became clear that something was terribly wrong.
Angry red patches began to spread across their skin, initially as small, scattered spots before merging into larger, more alarming welts. The skin, blistered and swelled, as if scalded by boiling water. The faces of the soldiers contorted into one in pain, making them instinctively try to wipe the liquid away, their hands shaking at the very moment.
"Carlos, get this on camera!" Angela directed, her voice trembling. "Look at their skin! It's blistering– something is in that water!"
The camera zoomed in on a soldier whose skin was rapidly blistering. His face was a mask of pain as he clawed at his arms, trying to wipe away the toxic liquid.
"What's happening to us?" One soldier cried out, his voice breaking in panic. He clawed at his skin, trying in vain to alleviate the burning sensation that was spreading across his body.
Within minutes, the first signs of the bio-weapons true nature became horrifyingly clear. The irritation and swelling they were feeling was just the beginning. Soldiers began to scream in complete pain as their muscles began convulsing, their body spasming uncontrollably as they fell to the ground.
Their eyes already bloodied and wide with fear, took on a vacant, predatory stare. One by one, their bones crackled as they stood up, it was as if the bones were realigning itself with their every movement, their head instantly turned on their comrades that was lucky enough to avoid the contaminated water.
"Ragh!" The infected screamed unnaturally with their monstrous voices, their movements jerky and unnatural as they began to pick up their pace and jumped their comrades, pinnimg them to the ground despite their pleas, shouts, and word of comradeship.
Carlos kept filming, capturing every horrifying moment. The Philippine soldiers, now in a desperate fight for their lives, opened fire on their zombified comrades. The sharp cracks of gunfire echoed across the waters as they struggled to maintain control, bullets tearing through the air in a futile effort to stem the tide of the infected.
"We're seeing... oh my God, they're turning into... they're attacking each other!" Angela's voice was frantic, the terror palpable as she crouched down, her head barely visible. "This isn't just an act of aggression, it's biological warfare! They're turning into... Some sort of zombies!"
"A-All in line!" shouted a soldier with the rank of a sergeant, one of the lucky soldiers that was missed by the earlier contamination, his voice trembling with urgency and fear.
"We can't let this thing's overrun us!" The chaos and confusion were palpable as he tried to rally the remaining troops, his commands barely audible over the cacophony of gunfire and screams.
But the situation was deteriorating rapidly. The infected soldiers, seemingly impervious to pain, continued their relentless assault. The deck of the supply ship became a battleground, the living fighting desperately against the dead.
The infected soldiers, their movements jerky and unnatural, lashed out with appendages that seemed to contort and stretch in grotesque ways, adding a nightmarish quality to the mind of those who are present.
At this exact moment the ship's captain sounded, his voice filled with urgency as he equipped his Glock 17 and provided cover towards his crew. "Angela, Carlos, we're under attack, find cover below the deck!" "This isn't just water—they've weaponized it!"
Angela, her voice shaking but determined, provided a harrowing commentary towards the camera, Carlos who was across, paled in fright. "This is Angela Reyes, reporting from what has become a nightmare scenario. Our soldiers are fighting not just the Chinese aggression but an insidious bioweapon turning them into mindless attackers. We need immediate help..."
Carlos despite pale and frightened to his core, swung the camera around, capturing the chaos as soldiers fell one by one, either to gunfire or the horrific transformation. The air was thick with the sounds of gunfire, screams, and the unearthly groans of the infected.
Unbeknownst to both sides, the Chinese soldiers were not immune to the effects of their own weapon. As the infected Philippine soldiers spread chaos within their ranks, the Chinese quickly withdrew their forces, unaware that one of their own, the soldier operating the water cannon, had been exposed to the contaminated liquid. He stumbled back, his skin showing the same ominous signs of infection.
The withdrawal was hasty and disorganized, the Chinese boats retreating to a safer distance as the situation on the supply ship spiraled out of control. The infected soldier aboard the Chinese vessel was quickly isolated, but the fear of the unknown bioweapon had already taken hold.
The implications were catastrophic—an armed conflict in the South China Sea was terrifying enough, but the introduction of a bioweapon turned it into a nightmare scenario. As everyone held their breath, questions abounded. What was in the water? How far would the contagion spread? And most critically, would this event push the UN (United Nations), and China to break their ties bringing them into the brink of war?
The shadows of conflict loomed large over the South China Sea, and with it, the specter of a new, horrifying warfare that could reshape the global order. The stakes had never been higher, and the world watched, fearful of what it's consequences could bring.
Angela's voice was strained but steady, not knowing that this was the start of a new world order. "The Chinese forces are retreating, but the damage is done. The bioweapon has turned this deck into a war zone. This is Angela Reyes, signing off. We need help... we need..."
Her voice cut off abruptly as a stray bullet shattered the camera lens. The last image broadcasted was of the carnage and chaos, the feed going dark as the country and a few parts of the world watched in stunned silence.
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Word count: 1400