Chapter 1: January 15th, 2012?

Darkness. The twinkling starlight continued as it had been for countless eons on Earth. However, this was no relaxing night. If anything, the last year had been anything but calm...

The sounds of echoing gunfire filled the air. The great city of Paris had seen better days. Countless destroyed buildings and skyscrapers filled what could be seen. There was no electricity, and only the occasional burning building provided any illumination.

An explosion rocked a street as a bomb detonated near a column of soldiers. The chaos of war made it difficult to decipher who was who. Only the sounds of screams and bloodshed had been all but common.

It was the war to end all wars. A battle for Earth for which humanity was on the brink of annihilation. However, none of it seemed to make sense. How did it reach this point, and why? History does not record such events ever transpiring, nor was it supposed to happen.

Yet, there it was. The metropolis was a warzone. An artillery shell landed on a nearby building on Rue Rouelle Street. The flash was enough to reveal the Seine River, but only briefly. More gunfire could be seen as a pair of humans are seen running. Overhead, a jet fighter flew over high in the sky. Its destination was unknown.

As we get closer to the pair of humans, the moonlight starts to settle in. Another explosion riddles a destroyed car. The blast was enough to lift the vehicle high in the air before it smashed onto the street.

The two humans are a man and a woman. Both individuals are dressed in paramilitary attire. They both appear to have a light mixed skin complexion, black hair, and facial features reminiscent of a person born in northernmost Africa. Each one carried a FAMAS rifle. The bullpup weapons, green and tan attire, and a French flag badge on their shirts all reveal more of who they are.

However, they ran at a rapid pace as another explosion hit the street, cracking asphalt and producing a small shockwave that staggered the woman. The man grabbed the woman’s arm as he helped hoist her back up. Their panting was extraneous.

“Lina, Desplacer!” The man yelled in French. “Nous serons secourus. Allons-y ... Let’s go!”

“Ne peut pas suivere,” Lina replied back in the same language. “Laisse-moi ... leave me. Leave me be, Abdelkader.”

“Go! Go!”

Lina barely had a chance to react. Her lungs were gasping for air as the sounds of artillery shells began to die down. Overhead, a tank began to pull around the street. The familiar colors of blood were slapped onto it. The former German vehicles had been raked by continuous machine gun fire, but it still kept coming.

Both of the individuals kept running as they were not far from the nearby gunboat.

“Shit!” Lina said. “Only ... one left!?”

“Three sent in...,” Abdelkader replied. “Two lost past ... bridge.”

Lina knew that this day was getting worse and worse. Both river bridges had been destroyed for a while, sabotaged to stop the impending horde from spreading further through Paris. The ruins of the Eiffel Tower rested behind the pair. As Lina turned her head, she could see one of the disgusting creatures operating the tank. He was so huge that his stomach must have glued him to the machine gun turret. The snickering pig-like face and tusks made them all but monsters.

“Almost ... almost...,” Lina cried as her legs were buckling. She almost debated dropping her rifle just to give her more speed, but things got worse.

“Not going to ... not going to!” Abdelkader grunted. He could see it.

A cannon shot echoed. Both Lina and Abdelkader could see the four crewmembers operating the small gunboat. One of the men’s hands was waving at them to close in when the tank fired. The single shot of the 125mm gun was enough to slam into the small ship. An explosion riddled outward as the craft was momentarily tossed out of the sea. Bodies and wreckage were thrown about. The flash and sound were deafening. It disoriented the two.

“NO!” Lina yelled. “Our recovery team!”

“Keep going!” Abdelkader yelled.

With the gunboat destroyed, the two had no choice but to continue running. The tank appeared to slow down some. The gunner that operated the machine gun only seemed to heckle a little as if his life didn’t matter. Both the man and woman were gasping for air. A small barricade of wrecked cars was ahead of them. It didn’t take long for the two to run past it. Finally, Lina collapsed near the right side of the front wheel.

“Can’t ... can’t...,” Lina wheezed. “Too much...”

“The tank...,” Abdelkader collapsed near the woman.

“We can’t ... run it ... fucked.”

They could hear the tank in the distance, but it continued to slow down, almost as if it had given up its pursuit.

“They ... have ... most of ... Paris,” the man said.

“I know...,” Lina replied. “If ... that tank comes...”

“Catch our breath. At least ... a minute.”

More explosions rocked the interior of the city. The artillery bombardment didn’t seem to be doing much from across the river. All it was doing was leveling more and more of the great city. The smell of wreckage and smoke filled the air.

“Our home...,” Lina said as sorrow filled her eyes.

“I know, cousin,” Abdelkader replied.

“Not letting them ... capture us. Won’t turn us ... turn us into...”

“We won’t...,” the man held his rifle for her and gestured the barrel to be pointed to their heads. “We won’t become them...”

“Or be used ... as their breeding stock. The ogres ... must die.”

Lina’s radio activated. A male’s voice came through it.

“Any team from Beta Squad? Do you read me?” The radio was giving a lot of interference.

“Soldat Lina, reporting...” Lina replied.

“Lina, I read you,” the man on the other end explained. “Anybody else from your squad?”

“Just me and Soldat Abdelkader.”

There was a pause on the line. “ ... We lost contact with our boats. Head to rendezvous B.”

“What about NATO forces?”

“They’re withdrawing in an hour, Soldat. We’ll try to get you out. Vive La France.”

“Vive...” Nina almost broke down as the radio signal broke off. “ ... Paris.”

Abdelkader reached over and gripped the woman’s hand. The two were still breathing hard as Lina looked up. A fireball broke over the sky. The fighter craft had been destroyed and was going to hurdle down somewhere in the middle of the city.

“The United States never ... never came,” Lina said.

“I know,” Abdelkader remarked. “China is losing ... US can barely keep up.”

“The Ogres can’t be stopped.”

It was like a nightmare that came true. Lina remembered the first days when the reports came in. Entire cities began to transform. Populations of people started to mutate, growing more massive. Their bodies became pig-like, either fat or muscle-bound, sometimes both. They stood on digitigrade legs, their feet being hooves, tusks from their pig snouts. The stories even stated that Africa was the first to fall. Scores of vicious monsters gathered into hordes. From there, they spread into the Middle East. Then, European nations reported the same epidemic. It spread like a virus, but Lina shook off her thoughts.

“If ... God is up there...,” Lina said. “Please ... help us.”

“I’m sorry, cousin,” Abdelkader told her. He turned to look over the hood of the car. The tank was still there. Finally, the gunner had the intelligence to turn on the tank’s main searchlight. The man lowered his head and looked back at Lina. The hint of the main light hovered near Lina. A single shot from the tank was all it needed to end their lives.

“We can’t ... stay here,” the man said.

“I know. Their main ... army is going to keep pushing west.”

Another explosion echoed in the distance. Lina practically slapped her head against the car door.

“Come on...,” she commented. “Just come and save us ... they’ll come.”

“Our forces can’t make it,” the man reminded her.

“No... ‘them,’ we aren’t the only one fighting the ogres.”

“Not this again. It’s just wild rumors.”

“Is it?” Lina looked at her cousin. “Something has to be true. Japan said that they saw reports of rat people fighting the ogres. Russia ... dragons. US ... thought they saw a werewolf.”

“Just because the people turn into pig people doesn’t mean ... that every fable has come to life. Besides ... doesn’t sound like there would be enough ... to stop them all.”

Lina had to face reality. The ogres were winning this war. Europe would eventually fall and, eventually, the entire world. She grimaced as she practically slapped the stock against the pavement. Another explosion hit near the tank. It was enough to cause the main searchlight to veer towards the river.

“Now’s our chance!” Abdelkader said. “Let’s go!”

“Yes,” Lina remarked. The woman looked ahead of the main road. More wrecked cars destroyed military vehicles, and blast marks filled the scene. It was a graveyard of death. Most of the main population had already fled, with only a few scenes of rotting corpses. Men, women, and children, the ogres spared no one.

Both the man and woman charged forward. The new bound energy, combined with a continued surge of adrenaline, drove the two to a high pace.

“Not blown away yet,” Lina said.

“Keep going,” the man replied.

The two leaped over a corpse before the tank’s lights were focused back onto the main road. In an instant, the two humans were lit up. Lina’s heart skipped a beat. The tank began to start moving again. The main gun adjusted and pointed directly at the two.

A concrete barricade was just ahead. The man grabbed Lina as they leaped over it, just before the machine gunner opened fire. 50 Caliber rounds began to shower the scene. The browning machine gun was relentless, but the concrete barricade had become a reliable cover for them.

“Damn it!” Lina yelled out. In an act of frustration, she waited for the rounds to stop before she leaned over and fired a set of burst fire from her rifle. At least one of the bullets hit the tank but did not damage it.

“Lina, no!” Abdelkader told her. “We keep...”

The turret rotated a little bit as the sound of laughter continued to fill the air. The ogre operating the machine seemed to yell into the tank. Abdelkader had only half a second to respond as he lifted his head.

It was as if destiny had stepped in. The man only had a fraction to respond as everything had fallen silent. Abdelkader looked over to Lina. Her actions were of desperation but carelessness. His hands grabbed and pushed her to the side, out and away from the concrete barrier. It was done with perfect precision. In half a second, the tank’s main gun fired. The 125mm shell slammed into the concrete barricade with an unrelenting force. The barrier smashed into multiple pieces, splintering in all directions.

Lina could only feel her body shoved away from the explosion. The sound was deafening as the round continued past it before smashing into a nearby car. Her mind couldn’t make sense of anything.

“Ahhh!” Lina screamed as she felt flung to the pavement. Her body rolled a little bit before coming to a stop. When she came to, her ears were ringing. She couldn’t make sense of anything. Her hands went to her head before she knew she was out in the open.

About 50 feet away from her was the tank. Lina knew that she was staring death in the face. The ogre stuck his tongue out to her, mocking her. Then, he slapped his hands onto the turret’s hull before he aimed the gun at her. It was here that Lina knew that her time was up. It was better to be gunned down now rather than be made into that creature’s plaything. She closed her eyes and let fate decide for her.

Suddenly, an artillery shell slammed into the tank. An explosion rang outward as the wreckage was flung about. The ogre on top was engulfed in flames. A shockwave echoed in the street. However, even in all of this, the ogres were almost immune to the raging burning fires. But it wasn’t exactly the most pleasant of experiences. They had their own problems to take care of.

“They got them...,” Lina gasped. “Cousin ... they got them.”

There was no response as she turned her head to him. It was here that Lina realized that she had survived an almost direct hit from a tank shell. The side of the barricade was the thickest section that absorbed the impact. The explosive and concussive shockwave had been diverted safely away from her.

However, not all were so lucky...

“Cousin?” Lina’s eyes widened. “No ... no...”

She quickly moved over to look at Abdelkader. Upon crawling up to him, she could see that the man’s body was limp. He wasn’t moving, nor was there any response. His eyes were open, staring blankly at nothing. Lina was shaking her head as she quickly checked his pulse. There was none. Further investigation also revealed concrete and metal slivers embedded in the man’s body. It was clear that he was dead.

“No ... no ... cousin ... get up...,” Lina whimpered. She released the man’s body. A hint of a tear appeared on her face. She could hear the sounds of the ogres as they were climbing out of the destroyed tank wreckage, flames engulfing and burning their hair. It would be a matter of time before they dispersed and found her.

“Fu ... fuck...,” Lina tried to say. She began to fish out the spare magazines that her cousin had, quickly stuffing them into her cargo pockets. With one last gesture, she used her fingers to close the man’s eyes before gently placing his hands together, splaying them over his heart.

“Farewell, cousin,” Lina said. With that, she grimaced and took off on a hard run. Her rifle was held close to her as her boots gripped the pavement. The ogres were too distracted, dousing themselves, to give notice of her departure. She vanished into the darkness as the artillery fire continued...

Lina had been running for what felt like hours. By now, the woman could see she was somewhere further southeast, putting some distance between her and the river. The explosions were less concentrated in this area, where the artillery had been focused on the main formation of the enemy.

The woman’s run had turned into a jog. She could no longer maintain her fast pace. Her breathing was heavy, but her eyes had been well-adjusted to seeing the remaining buildings around her.

“Ah ... ah...,” Lina panted as she slowed to a walk. She hugged the sidewalk and tried to gather where she was at. “Almost ... almost there,” She said in exhaustion. “Just ... need a few minutes to pause.”

She looked closely at the remains of Paris. She recognized this as Rue Cauchy, but the slim street was plagued with rubble. The scene remained out of friendly control. Her rifle was held close to her, ready to engage, but even then, it was a matter of time before the ogres would show up.

“Have to stop...,” she said. She turned her head to look at one of the buildings. Perhaps it was an apartment at one point, but now, it had been seemingly long abandoned. The civilian population had been long evacuated and now became a ghost quarter.

Her heart was pounding. Not even raw adrenaline could keep her running forever. She proceeded into the structure. The door was broken by its hinges. She considered turning on her rifle’s flashlight, but doing so may draw attention to herself. However, when she did, she momentarily turned on the lights and flashed the interior before shutting it off.

In the distance, more explosions could be heard as the battle continued. The interior first floor was empty, most likely a lobby or reception area of some sort. There were cracks along the walls, but the place seemed secure for the most part. Lina walked over to a table, flipped it onto its side, and formed a concealed enclosure. The elevator was broken down, but a set of stairs were not far from her.

“Good...,” she said. From her position, she could see the entrance while keeping an eye on the stairs at the same time. A part of her told her that she should go and check the higher floors, but exhaustion weighed down her thoughts. She sat down by the table and remained hidden.

“Ah...,” she moaned. Her head was tucked down while the butt end of her rifle would serve as a crutch for her beleaguered frame. It was the first time that she was able to weep.

Lina’s thoughts had gone everywhere. Why did it have to come down to this? It was as if the world had been turned inside out. Good people had been mutated into monsters, and they, in turn, would wipe out more good people. There was no reason why it happened. Perhaps someone flipped a switch and declared that Earth be made into a living hell. Even the nights almost felt longer now than ever before. Maybe God had proclaimed that humanity was unfit to live.

She simply had no answers.

“I’m sorry, Abdelkader...,” Lina whispered. “Maybe ... we’re meant ... to see each other soon.”

A tear hit the ripped carpet. It was difficult for her to see, but as she opened her eyes and looked around, the calm chill of silence became ominous. It was eerie. The artillery was nonexistent, silent as the death-filled landscape. For a while, the woman tried to hum a rhythm that had become her favorite musical piece. If she had a lute or classical guitar, she would play it to raise her spirits. However, the need to remain silent was beyond necessary. She did her best to keep the musical theme as low volume as possible while her feet would tap the carpet.

A sound echoed. Lina stopped as her head turned in the direction of the sound. She swore she heard voices, and it was getting louder.

“Fuck...,” Lina whispered. Her body tensed up. She could make a run for it, but it could only draw attention to herself. The enemy was relentless, too many to fight and too strong to take down. Her eyes went to the stairs. She could try to head up there, but it was dangerous. She could be heading to more of them by accident.

The voices had gotten loud enough that Lina could recognize who it was. It consisted of the grunts and snarls of deep male voices. This was followed by the hooves that impacted the pavement.

“Gren thought little woman go this way,” one of the ogres said in his butchered English.

“Not many of us here,” the other one said in a lighter tone. There was another grunt, similar to a hog. “Many places to look.”

“She got away. We go home.”

Lina’s head was poking out from her concealment. It was here that she could briefly see them. Both ogres were horrid and terrifying enough that Lina lowered her head immediately. She swore that one of them might have been looking at the interior buildings from only their entrances. She still didn’t know how good their ability to see in the dark was.

“See anything, Benga?” The deeper voice said.

“Notin,” the lighter voice replied.

The hint of a fart sound could be heard from one of them.

“Whoops...,” The deeper voice said.

“Don’t stink the places!” the other mocked him. “If she hidin, she drop dead from your shit.”

“Sorry, Jedjed. Learn to cover that snout of yours.”

“Eh ... I let off a good one.” A snorting sound could be heard.

Even now, Lina could smell a hint of the ogre’s flatulence. Her nose cringed as she showed a level of disgust. The ogres were anything but cordial. They couldn’t sneak if they tried.

“Ugh...” Benga questioned. “We going to just stand here? Tired ... tum tum is hungry!”

“Ergh!” Jedjed grunted. “Humans like rats ... no fucking courage to fight.”

“Not worthy, ogres. Best to kill her ... see if she make good soup.”

Lina remained quiet. They hadn’t seen her. The table was doing its job. However, if they saw her, she would likely be done for. For a few seconds, she thought of using the gun on them or herself. Ogres didn’t hesitate to torture their victims.

“Smell anything?” Benga asked.

“Just the fart,” Jedjed replied. “Tum tum need better food. Last man didn’t agree with me.”

Lina almost cringed. She was hoping that they weren’t referring to her cousin. A distant big explosion rocked a few streets over. The woman remained quiet, but in a few more seconds, a piece of plaster from the ceiling fell down and made a thump on the floor.

“What that!?” Benja asked.

“Eh ... eh...,” Jedjed entered the room. His attention was away from the table and to the source of the disturbance.

“Just another big boom?” Benja replied.

“Big boom,” his companion answered.

“Let’s leave human weakling.”

“Chief tell us to hunt, and we hunt.”

“She could be anywhere.”

“So we sit. Tum tum hurting bad.”

“Eh ... fine, but we go upstairs. I want to be high ... see if she comes down the street. Then we grab her and make soup. This time ... I make it.”

“Benja smart,” Jedjed commented as he sniffed. “I can almost smell her right now...”

Lina’s adrenaline was in full swing. She didn’t know if the ogre’s sense of smell had caught her scent. However, she did notice the two large silhouettes as they began to head toward the stairs. She inched further and further to help keep her concealment. The heavy footsteps of their hooves pressed against the wooden stairs. Lina could see a further hint that both of them were armed with huge crude rifles. A single shot by one of these could end her quickly.

Lina was debating about making a run for it, but the ogres were correct. They were nearby and most likely going to stay near a window. Any sound that she made right now could alert their presence. If she did move, she needed to hover near the walls. She would wait a little bit. Above her, she could hear the weight shift from their large masses as they pressed against the 2nd floor. More of the plaster would fall and slap the ground near the woman. Lina could still hear their mumblings but at a much lower volume.

“Heh...,” one of the ogres said. “Building ready to fall down.”

“Benga, you going to rump with Kendra?” Jedjed asked.

“Rump ... I rump Kendra and Fendug.”

“Two ogres! No fair.”

“Maybe you need bigger dick ... heh, heh...”

“Ergh...”

The sooner that Lina could leave, the better. Their level of disgust would reach all levels for her. Her nose scrounged as she slowly made a walk out of the door. She could still hear them mumbling above. As she reached the entrance, she looked out into the street. She could still listen to them above her. She took a quiet breath and inched along the wall.

“Anybody out there?” Jedjed asked.

Lina quickly went back inside. She managed to do it just in time as one of the ogre’s heads poked out of the windowsill. The pink pig-like face, tusks, droopy ears, and snout were unmistakable. The eyes scanned the street.

“No ... nutin,” Benga replied. The ogre’s head looked away from the window.

“Heh ... boring here,” Jedjed said.

“No action. Want to target practice the wall?”

Lina grimaced. These ogres didn’t hesitate to make as much noise as possible.

BANG ... a heavy gunshot echoed in the building. Lina was momentarily startled, but she already knew that the ogres were wasting their ammunition.

“You missed that painting, Jedjed.”

“Sights are off,” Jedjed complained. “Damn tank explosion!”

The woman peeked towards the windowsill. That ogre was still making routine observations towards the street. She got lucky that the monster didn’t look straight down at her, but she knew she was trapped.

“Hmm...,” Jedjed said. “Try to make better...”

“Here,” Benga replied. “Try my gun. See if shoots good.”

“Ok...”

There was a pause as Lina heard another gunshot. It echoed through the building.

“Gun works...” Jedjed answered.

“Here, I fix your gun while you shoot,” Benga replied. A big snorting sound could be heard.

“Thanks, Benga. Good for once.”

“Good to smell another one ... heh ... heh.”

“What? Oh ... oh ... that ones bad.”

Another gunshot echoed in the building. Lina knew that the ogre by the window was distracted. The sounds of a barrel being slammed into the windowsill could be heard.

“Your gun is fun,” Jedjed said. “Mine still better.” There was a thumping sound that echoed above Lina. It sounded like something hit the floor above her and started to roll. “Oops ... my bad. Dropped my bullet. I go get it.”

The woman could see the round rolling as it hit the stairs. The brass casing would hit each step like a rubber mallet. Lina knew it was now or never. That ogre was going to come back down the stairs and might spot her. The moment she heard the first hoof hit the steps, she bolted. Her adrenaline picked up as she ran as fast as she could.

Her footsteps echoed in the streets. It was enough for the ogre to look out of the window.

“HEY!” Benga yelled. “I see one!”

“Go shoot it, Benga!” Jedjed replied. “Tum tum be happy!”

Their mocking words burned into Lina’s brain. Her fear factor was at its peak. She was halfway to the nearby building before the ogre’s bolt action rifle was aimed at her. Benga had a clear shot at her as the barrel stuck from the window.

BANG ... a 50 caliber round bounced off the payment about two feet from Lina. There was a light crack in the pavement as the woman was nearing the entrance of the nearby building. The road had become a death funnel.

“Ah!” Benga yelled. “Sights are still off!” The ogre pulled the bolt on his gun to load up his next round.

Meanwhile, Lina turned her head to see the other ogre walk into the street. There was enough light to reveal much of his frame. He stood on digitigrade legs. The ogre had dark skin, floppy ears, huge muscles, and a jutting snout. He wore tattered clothes consisting of what looked like military uniforms of prior human soldiers stitched together. He had a short curly tail protruding from his rear end. His rifle was at the ready, loading a new round in place.

Lina took quick aim and fired a burst of auto fire from her rifle. A spray of bullets flew at the monster. Only one of the rounds struck the ogre, where it bounced off.

“Ha, ha,” Jedjed said with a snort. “That tickles!”

The woman had no choice but to dive into the nearby entrance of the adjacent building. She managed to do it just before the ogre took a shot at her.

“She’s running!” Jedjed commented. “Benga, move down!”

Lina had wandered into another reception area. Unlike the adjacent building, this place looked like a possible clothing store. Various clothes had been tossed about, knocked loose from the explosions. There was a set of stairs that led up, much like the prior building.

“Got to ... keep going,” Lina said. She charged up the stairs, almost tripping on debris. It was so difficult to see.

“Come out, little human,” Jedjed replied. “Make your death quick. Quicker to go into my tum tum!”

By the time she hit the top of the stairs, the ogre was reaching the entrance. Most likely, he wouldn’t have seen her go up. Lina saw the next set of stairs and kept going. It was tricky, but her foot folly had to be quiet.

“Hmm ... where she go?” the ogre asked. “Go upstairs?”

Lina’s legs were burning from the run. By the time she reached the third floor, she had to mark what was there. The building had also served as a small makeshift apartment complex. Some doors were open or left closed. She chose the 2nd room, where she ran inside and quietly closed the door.

“Ah ... ah...,” the woman quietly wheezed. She locked the door and observed the interior of the room. It consisted of a single bedroom, kitchen, and living room. Much like most of Paris, this building had seen better days. The windows were cracked, Furniture had been turned over, and the refrigerator stank of rotten food. However, there was a metal balcony to escape from the window.

“Useless,” Lina whispered to her rifle. “Just like before ... can’t stop them.”

Lina had no choice but to evaluate where to go next. It was possible that the ogres would just give up. This building wasn’t the biggest, but there were too many hiding places. Even if they were determined, finding her would take a little while.

“Urgh...,” the mumbled voice yelled past the closed door. The hint of frustration was something for Lina to comprehend. She managed to evade her pursuers, for now. Once again, she was exhausted from the constant running and dodging. She knew she couldn’t keep this up.

“God...,” Lina mumbled in her breath. She practically tossed her rifle to the carpet, almost in the woe of defeat. The very fact of seeing that ogre able to withstand a rifle bullet without any hint of damage was alarming. The ogres were little more than a tidal wave of invincible meat where they ground down all resistance that stood in their way. All had fallen quiet again. Before she sat down behind the counter, she approached the window.

“Damn it,” she whispered in aggravation. The window that led to the balcony had been damaged. She might have been able to get on it to climb down, but the hinges were knocked loose. It was apparent that trying to get on it would warrant it crashing down with her included. She was trapped in this room. If the ogres broke down the door, they could likely find her.