A sleek white SUV surged down the black asphalt road, its tires humming against the pavement, as a convoy of identical vehicles accompanied it from both in front and behind.
These were no ordinary SUVs; each bore the unmistakable gleam of state-of-the-art engineering, reinforced to withstand even the deadliest of encounters.
The armour plating, tinted bulletproof windows, and embedded defence mechanisms made them more akin to mobile fortresses than mere transportation.
While this would seem overkill to the average person, these were, in fact, the bare minimum modifications needed to accomplish their intended purpose.
Inside one such vehicle, a blue-haired girl let out an exasperated sigh, her fingers tapping idly against the polished surface of her seat's armrest. Her bright white, blue, and gold uniform starkly contrasted the dark expression on her face.
"Just our luck..." Jenna muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
Next to her, a young woman with fiery red hair sat cross-legged, absentmindedly twirling a small tomahawk between her fingers. Marilla's piercing green eyes flicked up, narrowing in mild irritation.
"Complaining about it just makes it worse, Jenna," she said matter-of-factly before shifting her attention toward the sleepy-looking young man seated behind them.
With his head leaning lazily against the cushioned seat, James, a black-haired soldier in the same uniform, seemed utterly unbothered by the tension crackling in the air.
Unlike the two ladies, James had the entire back row all to himself. A luxury he thoroughly took advantage of.
Marilla pointed her tomahawk at him. "Look at James over here. The idiot's still half-asleep. Do you see him complaining?"
Jenna wrinkled her nose in displeasure. Just by looking at her expression, it was obvious that being compared to him was the greatest insult.
"You said it yourself, Marilla… The guy's an idiot. Who the hell feels sleepy when their life could very well end in an hour or two?"
Feeling wronged for no apparent reason, James opened one eye and gave them a wounded look. "Ouch. If you're going to argue, do it with each other. Why drag me into it?"
"Because looking at you annoys me," Marilla shot back.
"Me too," Jenna added without missing a beat.
James's eye twitched in annoyance.
"I'm sitting behind both of you! If looking at me annoys you so much, don't crane your necks to turn around in the first place!"
Just as his words left his mouth, the SUV lurched to an abrupt stop, slamming James face-first into the seat in front of him.
A dull thud echoed through the vehicle, attesting to the force of the impact.
"Mack, what the hell?" he groaned, rubbing his forehead as he turned toward the driver.
The young man behind the wheel, Mack, turned around to face them.
"Sorry, but it seems there's an issue. The cars in front of us have stopped as well. It might be better to get out for now," he wearily sighed.
Jenna narrowed her eyes, gripping the hilt of the dagger strapped to her belt.
"Is something wrong?"
Mack nodded before turning toward the woman sitting beside him.
"Kaylen, try to contact HQ. I'll take James and go ask around."
James groaned. "Why me? I'm in the back seat! Bring Jenna or Marilla instead. It's much more of a hassle for me to get out than the two stooges sitting in front."
Mack shot him an unimpressed look. "If I leave you here, you'll probably fall asleep again. Maybe you shouldn't have spent all night playing video games instead of using it for it's intended purpose… Sleeping."
James chuckled sheepishly. "Ah... Busted."
Feeling his companions' judgmental stares, James sighed in defeat and followed Mack out of the vehicle. The rest of the convoy had similarly ground to a halt, and several soldiers were already emerging from their respective SUVs, tense and alert.
A woman holding a sleek black tablet approached them, her dark brown hair tied in a tight ponytail. Recognizing Mack, she gave him a nod.
"Fine day, isn't it?" she quipped, though her voice lacked genuine mirth.
Giving her a small smile, Mack decided to skip the pleasantries and ask her the question he wanted to know.
"Why did we stop? Is there something wrong?"
The woman exhaled slowly before tapping her tablet's screen a few times, showing the screen to the nearby people.
It was a map of their current area, and their current position was also marked.
However, a small red 'x' appeared plotted not too far from their current location.
"We just got intel… That a 'Tear' is about to open near our position."
The air grew thick with tension.
James muttered a curse under his breath. "Jenna's going to lose it."
Mack clenched his jaw. "Forget Jenna. Even I'm pissed. We were only supposed to suppress a few low-class Rank 1 Magical Creatures, and now we're dealing with those abominations?"
"What's the rating?" Mack pressed.
The woman's lips thinned. "Rank 2."
James grimaced. "Not as bad as a Rank 3... but still bad enough. People are going to die today."
The woman gave a solemn nod. "The Captain is contacting headquarters, but until then, we're on our own."
Mack exhaled sharply. "Great... We'd better hope whatever's coming through can't breathe on land."
Nearby, an older soldier shook his head in resignation. "I was supposed to retire next month. Just my damn luck."
A young woman beside him clutched a golden ring on her finger. "My boyfriend just proposed last week… If I don't make it, at least I know he was serious about me."
The grim reality of the situation weighed heavily on them, but they had little time for regrets. Soldiers scrambled to form a defensive perimeter, maneuvering their vehicles into a circular blockade. Turrets and heavy artillery were aimed at a single point in the distance… A singular patch of grass above which a strange distortion shimmered like a mirage.
The air seemed to ripple and twist, as though reality itself were being ripped apart.
The sight evoked a creeping, unshakable dread in the onlooking soldiers.
James glanced at Jenna, who was manning a turret beside him.
"Hey, on the bright side, we responded in time. And we're not in a populated area, so at least there won't be any civilian casualties."
Jenna gave him a blank stare, somewhat surprised by his words.
Shaking her head, she mumbled to herself, "If you lock enough monkeys in a room with typewriters, eventually, one of them will produce Shakespeare."
James blinked in confusion. "Huh? Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."
Jenna sighed, deciding to ignore him.
However, a shrill siren blared through the air before James could press the matter.
The Tear was opening.
Weapons were primed, breaths were held, and silent prayers were whispered to gods who never seemed to listen, desperately hoping they'd make it out of this hell and live to see another day.
However, deep down, they knew… Their chances weren't high.