<div style="text-align: justify;">Gasping, Ashley’s eyes popped open and she sat up with a start.  A sound came from her left and she froze, listening intently.  After a moment, she realized it was just a tiny rustling and heard a small squeak.  Turning on the flashlight she’d clutched in her hand while sleeping, she shined the light in the direction of the sound and sighed.  It was nothing but a rat, no doubt rummaging for a warm place to sleep or perhaps attracted to the food in her bag.  <br/> <br/>Shooing the rat away, she stood, stretching her tired muscles from the cramps she’d gained while sleeping on a hard, concrete floor.  She was sure there were beds and running water above, but it had definitely been safer here.  A soft mattress was a fair trade for her life.<br/> <br/>Still, she did make use of the running water, finding a bathroom on the ground floor where she was able to clean up a little before heading out again.  As she stood in the bathroom, drying her face with a paper towel, she considered her next steps.  Now that she was topside and in a fairly safe location, she should see if she could contact any of the military in the area.<br/> <br/>From her bag, she extracted a small device which she curled in and around her ear then adjusted the small extension against her neck.  She then dug out her COM pad and tapped a few keys to connect it to the ear piece before recording a message.   <br/> <br/>“Uh…Mayday.  Mayday.  Mayday.  This is Ashley Foster…PFC Foster.  I’m en route from Grand Central in Manhattan across the bridge to the bunker Middle Village.  I’ve not come across any hostiles yet, but any help would be appreciated.”<br/> <br/>A few seconds later, she’d looped the recording to play back on all frequencies.  Now she only had to wait and hope for a reply.  <br/> <br/>In the meantime, she had to get out of here.  Pocketing the COM pad, Ashley shrugged on her pack and retraced her steps to the entrance of the building, careful to make as little noise as possible and to scope the area before exiting onto the street.  The sun was starting to set and she wasn’t sure how far she’d get, but she wanted to keep moving and get to the bunker as soon as possible.<br/> <br/>With the sun dipping down behind the buildings, she was debating if she should have stayed where she was for the night or continue on and pull out her night vision.  The bridge she needed to cross was only a few blocks away and she wondered if it was being manned by friend or foe.  She’d have to be careful and keep on her guard.<br/> <br/>Turning the corner, she froze her in her tracks, her eyes widening as she stared.  Sure, she knew what it was, logically, but her brain wasn’t quite firing correctly.  As much as she’d seen of their enemy, it had all been on vid screens.  In real life, it was even scarier.  <br/> <br/>She watched as the grunt before her turned its head.  Ashley could tell the exact moment he saw her as he burst into action, causing her to do the same.  Raising the M7 with trembling hands, she cocked the first round and fired.  A spray of bullets emitted from the weapon, some hitting the grunt’s left leg while the others missed their mark.  <br/> <br/>Instinctively, Ashley ducked back around the corner as the grunt reciprocated, blasting multiple shots of blue plasma fire into the wall inches from her head.  The  Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm her racing heart before leaning out to assess the situation.  The grunt was making its way toward her.  She could almost hear her brother, Damien, in her head, his calm, even toned voice whispering advice and encouragement.  In reality, she was just remembering all the training she’d done with him, but she’d take what she could get if it helped save her ass, even the disembodied voice of her older brother.<br/> <br/>She again raised the M7, her grip steadier than it had been.  Inhaling and gathering her courage, she quickly side stepped and fired.  This time her shots were more on target and in seconds, she could see pale blue liquid seeping from the holes in its chest in the fading light before it collapse face first onto the ground.  <br/> <br/>Ashley held the gun at the ready for another few moments, wanting to make sure it was dead.  She then scoped the rest of the street she was on.  Grunts moved more in packs, she recalled, so there were more than likely others nearby.  She had mere seconds before they’d show, she surmised, and when they did, she wanted to be in a more secure location.  <br/> <br/>The best she could think for the moment was to get inside one of these buildings, so she darted into the shop just a few yards from where she was.  It was some sort of convenience store.  The windows were blown out and the place was a mess, but she was able to duck behind the counter for some semblance of cover.<br/> <br/>It was only a few seconds before she saw a pair of grunts lumbering down the street, their massive arms swinging and helping propel their movement toward their fallen comrade.  Swallowing hard, Ashley debated if she should stay hidden or attempt to kill these as well, but when she saw what turned the corner behind them, she made her decision.  <br/> <br/>An elite, or so her brothers called them, had joined the pair.  Much taller than the short and stocky grunts, she knew they were much harder to kill.  They had better armor and shields than the grunt she’d taken down; making her wonder if she could do it.  <br/> <br/>Shifting slightly to get a better look, she felt her leg brush against something before the sound of something falling to the floor touched her ears.  Cursing, she glanced out and yep, the trio had heard it and came to investigate.  Wasting no time, she popped up from behind the counter and let out a burst round, aiming for the two grunts, before ducking again behind her cover.  The sound of her own firing was quickly echoed by the enemy’s as they reciprocated.  Thankfully, her cover held and all they’d done was kicking up a bunch of debris as they hit the items surrounding the counter. <br/> <br/>Popping up again, she sprayed them again, noticing one grunt had gone down while the other limped, but the elite was still rushing at her.  Yelping as he fired right on her, she saw she’d nailed the other grunt in the upper torso.  She quickly hit it again, emptying the clip into it to make sure it went down.  It started to fall just as she dashed behind cover again, refreshing her ammo amid a shower of debris.  She knew a few of her rounds had hit the elite, but with its shielding, she wasn’t sure how much more it would take.  <br/> <br/>Her next burst gave her hope, though.  Her aim was true and she littered its chest with bullets, at least one having hit home as she noticed the creature jerk back on impact.  Unfortunately, this seemed to send it into a rage and it leaped at her position.  Screeching in fright, Ashley curled herself into the corner and continued to fire.  It landed with a loud crash, busting the counter in two and smashing its head into the paraphernalia on the wall display.<br/> <br/>Ashley froze.  She was against the wall, legs curled under her and weapon up, ready to fire again if it moved, but it didn’t.  She couldn’t see or hear anything.  The entire area went eerily silent.  Choking on a sob, she lowered her weapon, hands trembling as she stared at the body of the creature she’d just killed.</div>