Chapter 34 – Hope Severed, Resolve Remains
Morning began with thick tension even the air felt heavy inside the rundown building. The remaining team members sat around a folding table now covered with maps, supply notes, and a list of those still alive. only remaining team members sofia and altair. there no team member from military.
Altair stood in the corner of the room, clutching the communication device with an unreadable expression. He had been trying to reach HQ for the past two hours. His voice had once sounded loud—angry, disappointed, even near despair—but now, only silence remained. The screen of the device showed static before finally going dark.
"...Sorry, but central command cannot provide further support. All troops are being pulled back to defend the primary zones. You’re on your own until the situation changes," came the last message from command.
Altair stared at the device in silence. His eyes didn’t blink, his jaw clenched. Then, with a swift motion, he hurled the device at the wall.
CRASH!!
It shattered into pieces, the sound echoing sharply through the room.
No one spoke. A few glanced over instinctively, but no one dared say a word. They had suspected the answer... but hearing it directly still hurt.
Altair took a deep breath and lowered his head for a moment to calm himself. When he turned back, his face was composed—though his eyes still burned with unquenched anger.
He looked at them all and slowly shook his head. "No backup. They don’t see us as a priority."
Sofia rose from her seat, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. "Of course not. They’re afraid of losing more troops just to save us. Humans always give up quickly when numbers are involved."