NOVEL FROG Chapter 110: The Release
Right as the gunfire stopped, Nitro let out a sigh of relief, as it seemed like the enemies above were no longer trying to kill him. But the moment was cut short by one of the omens opening the trap door and getting inside. The space was already tight enough, but now that the omen snuck in with Nitro, they couldn’t even fight properly, only push each other around, with the latter trying to keep the enemy away from the explosives to not let him detonate anything by accident. They struggled for a while, but then the flat began moving once again, which only made Nitro panic, especially when he heard Frost’s call.
–We are almost there, get ready!– Frost yelled as the team returned to their positions now that Indie, Groovy, and Bones were providing cover fire again. They had an even easier task since the pile of rocks became the perfect cover spot to shoot from, and with the higher ground, they could shoot way past the float and prevent anyone from getting close. There were still enemies staying right behind to push against the guards, but while they focused on stopping the team’s advance at all costs, it proved to be difficult with Frost and Kiwy getting cocky and flanking both sides to attack the enemy head-on.
With the two coming at the omens instead of them coming to them, the team adopted a new formation to fend off the enemy. The omens couldn’t stay at the sides of the bridge any longer, so they began retreating, with most waiting until they reached the safe ground on the other side to continue shooting. Kiwy and Frost couldn’t expose themselves for too long as those enemies were able to shoot at them from afar, but they persevered and continued pushing through the sides to clear the path and help the guards push the float faster, which was now drawing the attention of the entire army surrounding them.
They picked up the pace now that the omens were falling back, and while their only obstacle was the dead bodies that got in the way of the wheels, that’s when Tricky and Candy came in after not being able to push anymore. They focused on pulling the bodies out of the way as well as pushing off the ones on top of the float. Kiwy and Frost pushed the ones they slayed off the bridge to save time, but as they were about to reach the middle of the bridge, they chose to push all the corpses to the front to create a barrier that could block some of the incoming fire since the float’s reinforcement was taking heavy damage.
–Wait for it!– Frost announced before taking cover behind the float with Kiwy, allowing the omens to flank again. However, after hearing his call and seeing the barrier of their dead teammates in the way, the enemy seemed too afraid to approach, so they only focused on the float itself, trying to shoot at it as much as possible while also trying to push it back away from them.
The guards struggled to keep the float moving, but with the help of Frost, they managed to keep it still for a while. But now that more omens were trying to push back, the team knew they couldn’t keep advancing, and despite not being in the exact middle of the bridge, they were far away from the gate and walls of the city. Since they couldn’t keep going, Frost decided to call it here and allowed everyone to retreat by gesturing for the guards to run back to safety.
Indie, Groovy, and Bones aided their escape, with Candy and Kiwy running back as well, though they weren’t at risk since the entire omen army was trying to destroy the float instead of attacking or gaining ground. With only Frost and Tricky staying by the float, the omens were able to push the float back until the two prevented them from moving it entirely by cutting and smashing the back wheels to stop it on its tracks. As soon as the float became immobile, the omens realized what the team was plotting and tried to back away, letting Frost and Tricky do the same, but not without giving Nitro the signal first.
–That’s it! Blow it up!!– Tricky at Nitro as she ran back with Frost as fast as possible. But only after a second, they turned around to see that Nitro hadn’t left the float yet, so they froze in place and waited anxiously for him to show up.
–Nitro! What are you doing? Do it now!!– Frost yelled with more impatience and even concern, but there was no response. He only got a reaction from the omens behind the float, whose worries were reaffirmed by his call, and continued retreating, with the rest on the other side of the bridge ceasing fire to let their teammates distance themselves from the float.
But just as everybody expected the float to explode at any moment, it only sat still in the middle of the bridge for a few long seconds, leaving Frost and Tricky confused as they looked at each other with increasing stress. Unbeknownst to everybody, Nitro kept fighting with the omen inside the float as he was trying to steal the trigger from him now that it was clear that his goal was to explode the float. Nitro tried to get him off him, but he couldn’t move in this confined space, only managing to wiggle around and push the trap door below, the one he should have escaped through a few moments ago.
But since he couldn’t get a foot out as the omen kept holding him and trying to steal the string to blow the float up, Nitro had to make a risky decision to get a chance to escape. It was only when he let go of the string that he was able to get out of the omen’s grasp, allowing him to reach for the exit while the enemy tried to figure out how to stop the float from blowing up. But with the decision being riskier than his whole plan as he now gave the power to blow the bridge to his own enemy, Nitro didn’t waste any time getting out before the omen accidentally pulled the trigger.
–What is he doing??– Tricky asked in a disquiet trance, becoming agitated without moving out of the way, just as Frost, who kept watching as nothing happened despite now getting an idea of what was happening. They could notice some movement inside the float, and while Nitro started making his way out of it, by the time Frost and Tricky tried to run back to help, it seemed too late.
The middle of the bridge evaporated in a large, fiery blast that blazed the sky, creating a flame that reached as high as the walls. Frost and Tricky were knocked all the way back to the destroyed gate, where some guards were able to catch the latter. But with the fire expanding throughout the bridge, they weren’t even safe around the entrance, which is why they had to take cover behind the collapsed gate. The omens on the other side were affected in the same manner, except for the ones closer to the float who were caught in the explosion. They either burned alive in seconds or fell into the moat with the remaining pieces of the float as the bridge collapsed.
Both sides were shocked as they watched the entire bridge crumble down, starting in the middle and trickling down to both ends until the destruction reached the gate or the grass on the other side. It was all gone in a matter of seconds, with the dozens of dead bodies now floating in the moat and getting crushed by the falling debris. The ones that got off on time weren’t safe either, as they couldn’t see anything through the smoke, and even when they looked up, they didn’t get time to react to the bridge falling on their heads.
Many drowned or couldn’t put out the fire consuming them in time, but out of all the people seen dying down there, there was one missing. The smoke cleared up quickly, and the explosion was more of an instant burst that destroyed everything in its vicinity, not even leaving a burnt float behind. But as the fire dissipated, no matter how hard the team looked, they couldn’t see any sign of life near the bridge, with their enemy on the opposite side struggling to identify any teammates they could save as well. And while it was clear who had perished as they floated back up, one had just completely disappeared, and Nitro was nowhere to be seen.
They weren’t the only ones left in doubt, as before they even got a clear answer, Ace and Chappy were startled by Panda’s sudden movement. He held his shield to the front until the enemies came running at them before running back to the fire, but not without Cookie buying them some time. He stayed behind the shield while reloading the machine gun, but he resorted to his fists to defend himself, punching and unarming a few antipunks to distract them and let Panda and the rookies run to the back of the room. Ace and Chappy were dazed, watching in shock as Cookie stalled the enemy without getting shot for some reason, all while Saint tried to pull them to run with Panda.
They all kept looking back, only to see Cookie following them, dodging a few bullets as the antipunks gathered at the broken shutters to begin shooting through the smoke. They were able to outrun them as the destroyed furnaces continued burning, blocking the antipunks’ path and even getting in the way of their own team, but they kept running without thinking about the potential burns. They soon disappeared in the midst of the smoke, heading to the assembly room, and while the enemy wasn’t too far behind, they had to slow down to figure out the next approach to their escape.
–So this was the plan??– Saint asked in confusion, but was slightly relieved to have gotten away from the enemy. He looked at Ace and Chappy in disbelief, who looked just as perplexed as him, but they started laughing nervously while glancing back at the antipunks chasing them.
–Yup, we have a clear way out now. We just have to find where the others ran off to…– Panda replied with a rather nonchalant demeanor, not even bothering to look back as they reached the assembly room, only gesturing for Cookie to return his machine gun as he caught up to them. He reluctantly handed it back to him, but he immediately pulled out his large sword to have something to defend himself.
But unlike Cookie and Panda, who shared a deranged laugh to taunt the antipunks struggling to make their way through the burning furnace room, the rookies were worn out by all the running and injuries. Only now was Saint feeling the exhaustion and pain of his fight with Trash as he noticed the several bruises on his stomach, arms, and back. It hurt to even move, which his friends felt as well, but as their legs were relatively intact, they chose to put away their weapons to only focus on running.
Panda picked up the pace, leading the group to the cargo bay and the office, heading towards their freedom as they jumped over the conveyor lines before the antipunks could even enter the room. But it looked like they would only be able to escape through the office as more enemies were coming from the front, charging through the three gates of the cargo bay to search for them. After spotting the group heading in their direction, the antipunks opened fire immediately, forcing them to duck and take cover behind the multiple conveyor lines.
–Crap, they are everywhere…– Cookie exclaimed but didn’t show much concern as he dodged all the bullets and continued running while keeping his head low. Ace and Chappy were too scared to follow, but as he was the first to reach the office, they stayed right behind to get to safety as soon as possible.
Panda was a bit slower as he carried his machine gun on his back, and his shield was still deployed. He tried hiding, but his size gave him away immediately, so he could only crawl behind the conveyor lines with Saint, who stayed close to him but was one turn away from reaching the office. With the rest of the squad leaving, he didn’t have to think twice about running for it, expecting Panda to be right there with him, but he was struck with fear when he suddenly heard Panda groan in pain; he had been hit.
–Damn it…– Panda grunted but kept quiet to not draw more attention to him despite being the sole target of all the antipunks around. He didn’t even call out the bullet he had caught in his right hand to the squad, who was just about to leave through the office’s shattered windows since all the antipunks were charging through the cargo bay.
They didn’t even notice he was hit and had dropped his machine gun; only Saint saw him as he stopped to make sure he got back up. He stayed in cover as the antipunks were flanking from both sides of the room, cornering them between two conveyor lines parallel to both fronts. With the ones at the furnace taking longer to catch up, Panda still had enough space to run for it and rejoin the group. However, he didn’t even get up; he wasn’t moving.
–Panda! Are you okay??– Saint shouted as he watched with increasing worry how Panda didn’t show any movement. He remained low, staying covered by the two conveyor lines, but with the enemy well aware of his location, it was only a matter of time for them to get to him. It looked like he was deliberately letting them approach as there was no response, but Saint could see that Panda was trying to lift both his shield and machine gun to protect himself, which appeared impossible due to the tight space he was trapped in. And it was finally when he decided to go back to get a better look at his situation that Panda turned to him and looked him in the eye.
–GO! LEAVE WHILE YOU STILL CAN!– Panda shouted tenaciously, sounding too convinced in his decision to stay behind for Saint to believe him. He was pinned down; it was clear there was no escape for him, but Saint couldn’t help but stay next to the office’s door and wait for Panda to save himself and escape with him. However, the more he stayed, the more anxious he got as the antipunks only got closer to Panda, and he was seemingly just waiting for a last stand. But since he continued watching, Saint began worrying about his friends, who were now noticing that he was way behind while they were already outside.
–Hey! What are you doing?? Get your ass over here, let’s go!– Ace shouted at Saint from outside in frustration, trying to climb back up through the shattered window to point out the fact that the quarry outside was completely clear.
At least one side was viable for their escape as more antipunks were coming from the west-north, with the ones outside the diner trying to reach the source of the gunfire as well. But as little time as they had to leave, and as much as Ace tried to emphasize it, Saint just ignored him and began running back, heading straight into the enemy’s line of sight. And since Ace and Chappy didn’t dare to go back to help, they just followed Cookie as he ran to safety in the other squad’s direction.
–Throw your shield to me!– Saint yelled to Panda as he ran to the middle of the assembly room, where the latter was hiding. He immediately drew attention from both sides of the room, and he only got a couple of feet without being shot at, as he was now fully exposed to half of the antipunks locking their sights on him.
They began shooting, but just as he was about to be gunned down, Panda actually listened to him and trusted Saint with his shield. He tossed it from behind cover in his general direction, and luckily, it was close enough for Saint to grab it mid-air after jumping off one of the conveyor belts. He jumped over bullets, and before landing on his feet, Saint held the shield tight to his torso to begin blocking the bullets that would have otherwise perforated his chest and skull.
But despite having the shield to protect himself, the enemy was shooting from two opposite directions, and since he wasn’t in a corner, Saint couldn’t find an angle to block all the bullets and resorted to alternating each side to block as much as possible. His tactic worked for a while, but instead of backing away to have a bigger angle to protect himself, he continued pushing forward, getting even closer to Panda until he could provide cover for him to get up and escape.
–Come on, let’s go!– Saint shouted at Panda as he slowly approached his location with the shield in one hand while trying to reach for him with his other. He found him hiding low to the ground, breathing heavily, and holding his machine gun close to his body as if he were bracing himself. But as soon as he saw Saint come back to help him, Panda came back to his senses and became courageous once again in a last attempt to fight back and try to stay alive.
He now depended on Saint’s ability to defend him, and he did as he was able to block most of the bullets from both sides, prioritizing the left side as the antipunks from behind were eager to kill Panda for all the trouble he caused them. But just as Panda got on his feet, they began getting overwhelmed by the enemy as they were flanking the office, blocking their exit, and distracting them to allow the antipunks from behind to shoot at them. But with Saint covering Panda’s back, the latter cocked his gun and opened fire back on the enemy without a second thought.
Saint was caught off guard, even scared to look back in case Panda was being shot. But when he glanced back, he was pleasantly surprised to see Panda blasting the antipunks behind, scaring the ones coming from the cargo bay with his heavy rounds. He was completely exposed, so he pulled the trigger harder than usual since it was a matter of killing them before they got the chance to kill him. But his bullets were faster than the antipunks’, and not even his injury seemed to bother or impair him as he continued clearing an entire wall of armed enemies with a few rounds, decimating every enemy that showed up in his sights.
–YEAH!– Saint exclaimed in euphoria, cheering to the sounds of Panda’s bullets striking the surrounding antipunks, but also the ones he was able to block and allow Panda to continue shooting. But he couldn’t afford to lose focus and kept defending the back while Panda cleared the front, and while blindly following him with his back against his, they made their way back to the office once again.
Panda casually obliterated any antipunk near their exit as they approached the office, and Saint kept laughing in joy as the thrill of clearing the room combined with the hope of almost reaching the office. But he couldn’t get too excited as Panda suddenly ran out of bullets. The harrowing click of the empty barrel left both of them stunned, even surprising the antipunks, who took a moment to stare at them in confusion and look at each other to figure out what to do next.
They shared one nervous stare that lasted a brief but tense second, and with the enemy deciding to continue shooting, Panda and Saint knew it was the moment to escape before they were overwhelmed by the gunfire again. Luckily, it only took them a leap of faith to jump out of the office’s windows and be released to the freedom of the quarry, though they couldn’t stop running, not until they were sure they were far away from the enemy.