We Who Aren't They

The Ruined Township of Lycoa - Aftermath

3rd Reconnaissance squadronThe battlefield...An ungodly sight. Ruin and destruction. Death and decay.I'll bet what once stood here was glorious. Now, in its stead, we have-"Sends a shiver down your spine, doesn't it?""Lieutenant?""Incredible..."The lieutenant was taking in the sights. Him and I both.In truth, regardless of experience, war is never something that you can get accustomed to. It can take so much from you, and give you very little in return...if anything at all. So, I wondered :"Is this your first deployment?" I asked the lieutenant."It is." He says disappointedly."It's best if you get started. We wouldn't want to drag this until nightfall...""Understood."The lieutenant was pulling aside debris, inspecting a body.He noted to himself:"Not here, either..." And continued surveying his surroundings. One cadaver, after another, he would look them over; searching.Piles of bodies yet remained uninspected. So many of them more: uninspectable.I noticed the sky taking on a grayish hue - was it about to rain? Do the heavens also weep for what they look down on? Would they ever even care?Suddenly, Central Command came through via the radio - the receiver clicked, followed by:"This is Overwatch...""..." I should've responded immediately, but in all honesty, I was lost in thought, and wasn't able to confirm reception in time. "Captain? I think it's about time you get to it. Kindly haul ass! Don't think I can't see you staring at the sky doing absolutely nothing!" The passive-aggressiveness was palpable...even from way out here."Wilco, Overwatch" I replied resentfully. My response was curt. The lieutenant snickered. Having picked up on my being the object of his entertainment, I darted my eyes in his direction. He immediately went back to surveying. If nothing else, I have a perceptive subordinate.How nice.I dropped from the rooftop of a nearly-collapsed house, and began parading the empty streets as well.The lieutenant was none too pleased with how things were proceeding:"Nothing so far...""We keep searching."My unit was tasked with retrieving dog-tags. Honest work, if not a little dangerous considering how recent the battle had been fought. Still, it's pretty odd how most of the casualties are charred to a crisp: This not only complicates our work, but makes you wonder some...The buildings around us were summarily destroyed, but none of the debris show the markings of wide-spread fire. What's more-"It's strange. The way these bodies are positioned, seemingly suggesting that-" The lieutenant opined. To which I followed:"-The corpses were inordinately placed across the entire avenue for some reason""Why do such a thing?" The lieutenant was pondering what this could imply: another way of saying he was getting distracting from his actual work."-Fewer questions, lieutenant, continue retrieval operations, if you will.""Oh r-right.""Overwatch." I opened up my channel. "Overwatch here.""Have you scouted the township and its surroundings, prior to our infiltration?""Affirmative. Not a soul in sight. Like I said before, this should be a simple retr-"The channel was cut-off. High-frequencies shorted the ear-piece. Damn thing fizzled into a few sparks before impairing my left ear.My head was ringing. I began hearing cries...screams of agony.They're here.