Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse

The skies above Cubao were thick with smoke and static as the Quick Reaction Force thundered in from the west. Two Black Hawk helicopters, call signs Raptor One and Raptor Two, flew low and fast, slicing through the corrupted skyline like knives through wet cloth. Inside Raptor One, the rescue team braced themselves, rifles in hand, armor cinched tight. The command center had gone dark for nearly ten minutes—no signal, no vitals, no comms from Shadow Team. In a place like this, silence meant death.

But not for Shadow 0-1.

Phillip's voice cracked through the comms just seconds after the Warthog's strafing run disrupted the signal jam.

"Shadow 0-1 to MOA Actual—We're alive. Pilots are down, we've got heavy casualties on-site. Still holding perimeter, but we're running low. Infected swarming from the northeast and west. Request QRF and medevac—urgently."

Inside the command center, Thomas stood with his arms crossed, eyes locked onto the flickering drone feeds now returning to full clarity. The Colossal Worm stood motionless, but its presence bent reality around it. Even the clouds seemed to churn unnaturally above its crown of crimson plating.

"Get them out of there," Thomas ordered. "Raptor flight, you are green for extract. Touch down close, hot zone or not."

"Copy that," came the lead pilot's voice over comms. "We're four minutes out."

On the ground near the downed Black Hawk, Phillip and the remainder of Shadow Team were huddled around their wounded. Smoke trailed from the wreckage, and the air was filled with the scent of blood, charred plastic, and the sour tang of death. The horde was relentless—shambling figures and mutated sprint-types swarmed through the alleyways and over collapsed debris like insects.

Phillip slammed home another magazine into his rifle, then shouted over his shoulder.

"Shadow 5, get a signal flare ready! They need eyes on our position!"

"Already lit, sir!" Shadow 5 barked, throwing the bright green flare high into the open street. It hissed violently as it ignited, bathing the battlefield in eerie light.

"Keep your sectors tight!" Phillip yelled. "Hold the line until they're down!"

Rounds cracked from Shadow rifles, mowing down zombies as they closed in. They dropped in waves—heads burst open, limbs severed, but they kept coming.

From the sky, the twin Black Hawks dropped into view like descending angels. Their side gunners opened fire, tearing apart groups of infected with minigun bursts that churned asphalt and bone alike.

"Touching down in five!" Raptor One's pilot called.

"Move!" Phillip ordered. "Get the injured loaded first! Go!"

The Shadows moved quickly, dragging the wounded pilot and co-pilot to the extraction zone as the choppers flared into a landing. Raptor Two's crew jumped down with stretchers and covered fire, assisting the last of the injured onto the birds.

Phillip stood at the edge of the LZ, still firing bursts into the horde.

As the last of his team boarded, he turned to Raptor One's crew chief. "Take them back."

The crew chief blinked. "Sir?"

Phillip's voice was firm. "We're not done."

Moments later, he was on comms with the pilot.

"Raptor One, I need you to take us closer to the Worm."

Inside the cockpit, the pilot shook his head. "Sir, with respect—that thing's not just big, it's lethal. The beam—if it recharges again, we're all vaporized."

"It already fired once. It's not ready again. We have a window." Phillip's tone brooked no argument. "I just need one building. Closest rooftop to the base. Drop and go."

Silence hung on the line for a second.

"…Copy. Adjusting flight path. Hold on."

Raptor One peeled away from the formation, banking sharply left toward the looming spire that pierced the heart of the city like a blackened tree from hell. As they drew closer, the turbulence grew heavier—winds whipped unpredictably, and the static in their radios increased.

"Jesus," one of the Shadows muttered. "It's like flying through an EM storm."

Below them, the Colossal Worm stood silent and watching. Its plates glistened with residual plasma, and faint arcs of energy still danced along its sides. Around its base, the terrain was warped—metal twisted like taffy, vines hardened into spires, and the very earth had cracked into geometric patterns that made no natural sense.

"We're dropping!" the pilot shouted.

The helicopter dipped low over a mid-rise rooftop adjacent to the Worm's twisted root system. The rope lines dropped, and Phillip led his team down in a single smooth motion.

They hit the roof hard and fast, weapons up, forming a perimeter as the chopper peeled off immediately to avoid lingering.

"Clear!" Phillip called.

"Building's intact!" Shadow 3 confirmed, already kicking open a rooftop access door. "Stairs lead down!"

"Let's move! Get to ground level and close the distance! We're getting eyes on that thing!"

One by one, the Shadows filed down the stairwell, boots pounding concrete, weapons at the ready. Each floor was dark, abandoned—offices hollowed out, dust layered over long-dead computers and wilted plants.

Then the infected came.

Floor 6.

A zombie lunged from behind a shattered door, wailing as it threw itself toward Shadow 6.

"Contact!" he shouted, blowing it back with a shotgun blast that painted the wall in black-red spray.

More followed. They poured from side rooms, crawling out of vents and stairwells.

"Hold this floor! Clear and move!" Phillip barked.

It took them five minutes and nearly 300 rounds to clean the level.

"Keep going!" he shouted, adrenaline dulling the ache in his arms.

By the time they reached the ground, the Worm loomed just four blocks away—so close it filled their peripheral vision. Its hum was audible again, low and pulsing like a heartbeat heard underwater.

"Spread out," Phillip said. "Get footage. Thermal, structural scan, all of it. No one fires unless fired upon."

As the Shadows moved into recon positions, Phillip stood at the center of the street, staring up at the monolithic creature.

For the first time, he felt truly small.

But also ready.

Whatever this thing was—it was alive.

And now… it knew they were there.