Silence of the Apocalypse

Chapter 13: Sighted

Silence and mist masked the hills beyond the safe haven, not once broken since earlier that night. A fawn feigned away from its mother to graze on a raspberry bush. As the young deer knelt down to devour the first berry, the bush moved.

The young fawn looked quizzically at the bush; unlike most bushes it'd seen, this one had eyes. The fawn's mother pranced towards her child, and together they sprinted through the trees.

A sharp but quiet exhale came from the bush. As the scout crouched, others emerged from the forest brush. Slowly, they descended the hill, the fortified compound looming in the distance.

Haruto, the leader of this squadron, halted. His men did the same. Cautiously, he pulled out a small mirror from his left breast pocket.

As gently as the breeze, he maneuvered the mirror to the large redwoods around the complex. Some minutes later, similar flashes were returned.

We are ready, He thought. We are fearless. We are the Senshi Rengo.
It would only be a few more minutes before the guards changed. Their chance was coming very soon...

Rifle in hand, the commander's interface lit his face. The scope scanned for all heat signatures around the immediate area, recorded wind conditions, and mapped his team's exact vantage points. Oddly, he set his sights on a large body of heat; two people, sleeping on a park bench.

So, we meet again, Yuraēi.

Curiosity bloomed in the mind of the commander. As the sun rose, the faded symbol of a golden Japanese flag was all that was visible as the group enclosed their prey.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I want you readers to be involved in this story too! So please let me know where you'd like the story to head, because I'm starting to run out of ways to continue it! Thanks in advance, and stay awesome 😎