Alright everyone, time for the part where the 33rd begin to settle in at Falmart. This chapter is gonna be a bit of a background after they move out to the gate, then it moves to the 33rd building their base and another introduction of a new major character.

I'm also planning to add the perspective of the imperials when they discovered that the Inland region with the inland gate was now busting with activity from the otherworlders. Though not this time.

The name of the arc will also be revealed in the chapter too.

That aside, enjoy the chapter.

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Every civilian and all of the 33rd soldiers had moved out from Dubai to this wonderful land with all the available resources they could carry. The 33rd had brought all of their weapons and vehicles that are still fit for service. When the evacuation was done, the 33rd grabbed a good spare of explosives and placed it around the gate. They intend to blow it up so that the CIA would not track them down here.

Some were sceptical if this was a good idea. Blowing up the entrance of a portal the leads to another world could cause some problems. However, the rest of the battalion did not care of it as they stuck to the plan of blowing the structure up. The explosives were all placed as they backed away from the structure, before they blew it up to bits.

With the gate destroyed, the other side won't gain access to this place, means that the CIA cannot go after them anymore.

After that was done, the 33rd start to make plans. Their first priority is to try and find a good place for the civilians to settle in to the new world. The location surrounding the now-destroyed gate looks nice, but it wasn't a strategic position to build a settlement. So, the 33rd had sent out scouting teams to explore the land and find a good location to build a settlement.

In the meantime, a temporary camp place was built to keep the civvies at bay as they wait.

While that was ongoing, the 33rd decide to build their base in this very spot. The smooth landscape is a great spot to park in their vehicles without any problems. However they still need the materials and natural resources to manage the base. Fortunately, the landscape seems to be surrounded with forests and such.

The 33rd then got reports from the scouting parties. They were surprised they had found a bunch of objects and stuff from Dubai lying about in the region. Most of them were civilian vehicles, though broken. So there was almost no need to take them. Though its parts may be useful.

They had also informed that they found various camps that were left abandoned and destroyed. When they had searched the camps, they found nothing, other than particles of sand spotted.

Perhaps the sandstorm got itself in this region aswell and all the natives here had evacuated.

After a while, one of the scouting teams had reported that they found a good spot for a settlement to be built. They said that the location is between a forest and a river that leads to a sea. Hearing this, the 33rd informed the civilians to begin a departure from the camp to their new settlement, though not all at once. The 33rd still need their help with the base and handling all the resources.

To keep the location on their watch, the 33rd would bring about 200 civilians accompanied with a platoon of soldiers each day. Those that went first were workers that had helped to build the cities of Dubai. Some of them were sceptical to work for the 33rd, because they had once did it with the elites, and the latter had treat them horribly.

Of course the 33rd won't treat them the same as the Elites did, and promised that they'll help when in need. The workers were delighted and begin to trust them even more. They almost start to view the 33rd as their saviours.

Day by day, the rest of the 33rd watched as the civilians were leaving their camp with smiles on their faces. They are going to their new home where they all can start a new life, where all can be equal. Soon after, all of the civvies had left to their new location.

Some time later, the 33rd had finished constructing their new base. All of their weapons were being organized and were placed in the barracks. Their vehicles were parked perfectly by the field. Though they only finished the structures and the landscape for it, they still need to work on communications. Luckily, they had managed to bring a lot of radio equipment with them. The 33rd kept some of the engineers with them to assist on working on a radio along with the equipment for it.

Speaking of equipment, the 33rd had counted all of their available weapons, equipment, and vehicles. The first weren't really a problem. They had kept thousands of guns and ammunition that can arm a small army, so does their equipment like grenades and armor. Not to mention that the CIA had too brought weapons that they gave to the insurgents to fight against them, all were then confiscated by the battalion. Atleast that's one thing from the CIA that the 33rd liked.

However, their lack of vehicles can be a problem. The 33rd only manage to get a handful of their land vehicles and air vehicles that they recovered during Operation: Rummage. They have about 15 Humvees, 7 ICV Strykers, 12 AH-6J Little birds - some can be work for transport, and about 5 MH-60L DAP Black hawks. The rest were lost or destroyed beyond repair because of the storm.

Not just that, Fuel is also a major problem. During Rummage, the 33rd had recovered two dozen of gas cans. That seems like a lot, right? Well if you're fuelling 39 vehicles, it's not. This means that the 33rd must use the fuel cans wisely, but they could also try and find some kind of oil in this world. Some time though.

As another topic of the new world, they still need to figure out where in the hell are they. What is this world? Are there any natives around? Where in this world did the 50 supposed 'Cosplayers' came from? Are there anyone like them? So many questions raised in their heads.

For now, though - the 33rd are gonna enjoy this newfound peace. After six hellish months in Dubai, they deserved to finally relax. No more wars, no more deaths, and no more killings.

Surely this peace would last forever, no?

Arc 1: Damned in the new world

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 A lone merchant was wandering about the land with his pack full of stuff to trade, and a big stick on his hand to help him hike and walk. Though he was really having a bad day.

He once had a wagon that was filled with various and exotic stuff to trade in for his consumers. While also having a horse that was pretty energetic and never seem to be tired. The wagon was one of his precious treasures when he had been a merchant. But that all changed when he was ambushed by a group of bandits.

It happened when he went for a stop and rest as he exited his wagon and sat down near a river. Then when he heard a crashing sound, he quickly went to investigate. About seven bandits were ransacking his wagon and stealing his horse. He ran over there to stop them, but it was no avail since he had no weapon and the raiders were armed to the teeth.

The merchant pleaded for them to spare his stuff. It sort of worked. Apparently, the leader of the party was in a pretty good mood, and he said that the wagon was nothing too important to him, but it was for his goons - so they ransacked it anyway.

The merchant was left with his pack of a fraction of his stuff while every other of his items, his horse, and his wagon - we're all taken by the bandits. The merchant tried to plead with them again, saying that without the wagon - he could not go home. But then he was met with a nasty slice on his cheek by the sword of the bandit leader. He told him to get out not before tossing him the map.

Then he said "If you want to go home, go on foot." The merchant couldn't do anything to stop them. So, he grabbed the map and walked away, leaving all of his stuff he had worked hard to get to those stinking bandits as he then heard them laughing, possibly at him.

While trying to go home on foot, a strong wind suddenly occurred on where he was. The wind had caused the map to flew away from his hand. The merchant desperately went after it, but the wind cause it fly further from him. Eventually he gave up and went on without a map.

Of course, he got lost because of it as he began to wander aimlessly across the land. Now he was trying to find a village or a town that could help him, but he saw none so far. The merchant stopped and sat down on the ground, taking a short break. He didn't know where he was and he is out of food and water. Should he not hurry, he might collapse and die out here.

He won't allow that to happen to him. He still have a wife waiting for him in the Fatun Village - their home. He had promised to her that he'll be back for the month. Standing up, he continue on his path to find a village or town that can help and assist him with food, water, and transportation.

Unknowingly, he had crossed the land that the Empire had forbidden for anyone to enter. The Inland region.

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It was another pleasant day for the 33rd in their new base. Nearly three months have passed since they have entered to the new world, yet it felt like a very long time after they escaped the hellish place called "Dubai". The soldiers were doing their normal lives and their duties. Some were patrolling the outskirts of the area, some were doing their training, a few were tinkering with their vehicles and weapons, while most were just doing their own things.

Throughout the months, the 33rd and the engineers had manage to build a working radio tower. The tower can be used for their radios so they could communicate to the patrol teams outside of the base. And another thing is for some entertainment. With the radio tower on, the 33rd can have access to hear some good tunes that were put on by Robert the Radioman at the settlement. That way the soldiers won't get bored too easily doing nothing.

Speaking of which, the 33rd had also build a second one somewhere in the new settlement that was built for the civvies to settle in, said settlement had now turned to a small city and had already been given a name by the civvies since they had arrived to the spot.

They called it New Dubai.

The reason why it was called New Dubai is simple. They all had came from the old city of Dubai, the city that is now nothing but a wasteland. And now that all the inhabitants in Dubai immigrated to this new place, they'll name it just like the city but with 'New' in their name. Much like cities such as New York or New Delhi.

Not only that, the 33rd and the civilians are gonna try their best to make the city to feel better than old Dubai. The latter had its fair share of controversies before the storm happened. Such examples as: Their man-made islands sinking, the mistreatment of their workers, and their problems with their sewage system till they had resorted to fucking Poop trucks.

Because of that, the survivors will make sure that New Dubai won't be like that.

Meanwhile, The 33rd's current leader - David Harper, was at the command centre. He along with his Zulu squad and other high ranking officers were discussing on what to do to improve their base and the conditions for New Dubai, while also thinking that they should explore more of this unknown land and maybe encounter its natives. Though the latter was agreed upon for some, most were sceptical, that includes David.

David didn't want to risk meeting any of the natives here just yet. He feared that the battalion could cause some unwanted hostilities by the natives, because of their weapons and vehicles. Also David still thinks the 33rd still need a long time to recover after what had happened in Dubai. They had just been here for nearly three months and were slowly adapting to their new and peaceful life.

For now the 33rd are gonna be very cautious and careful of their surroundings. If they do manage to make contact with some of the natives, it's best for them to not intervene in any of their business.

Nevertheless, the soldiers of the 33rd are beginning to change. What used to be brutal occupiers are now slowly becoming normal, and they start to act of what soldiers supposed to be. Protect the innocents, those being the citizens of New Dubai.

Elsewhere at the base, the members of Bravo patrol were hanging out by one of the Strykers, along with three other soldiers. When Bravo patrol had moved to the new land, they were still in charge on scouting the area around their location. But after some time, Command decide to disband the old teams and replace them with new ones. So they're basically former members of Bravo patrol.

Though Benson appreciated the decision. The old teams had done all the work they could here and back in Dubai. They deserved all the rest they can. Even though that Bravo patrol is disbanded, Benson kept close ties with his squadmates, almost feel like they weren't disbanded at all.

Right now he is standing beside Dave while they chatted with Michael, Jose, and the other three soldiers. Michael was on top of the Stryker while holding his Roman-like helmet beside him. He still kept it as a trophy.

Benson then goes over to one of his pockets, searching for his gum. Though when he took out the packet, it was all gone. "Goddammit." He cursed, getting the others' attention.

"Woah, Benson. What's wrong?" Dave asked, surprised from his little outburst.

"All my gum's gone." Benson said, showing them his tic-tac packet that was empty. "I think Bradley stole them all."

"How can you be sure?" said Michael.

"I just know it." Benson then sighed before throwing the packet away. He saved those pieces for a while, and now they're gone.

"Don't feel down, man. They're just candies after all." Dave assured.

"Hey, they are my favorite! You don't know how much i loved them than myself." Benson exclaimed.

"Alright alright, fine." Dave rolled his eyes before they continue to chat some other stuff. Meanwhile, another 33rd soldier was heading towards them, albeit slowly. Jose was the first to notice as he glanced to the soldier.

It was Chuck, the driver of the Humvee that had guide the trucks to this new land. The dark-skinned man had one of his arm clutching his stomach as he kept limping towards the group whilst letting out grunts of pain.

Jose then told the squad that Chuck is here as they all then turned to the driver. "Hey, what up my N-word?" Dave greeted as he approached him.

Chuck stopped before looking at him with a frown. "Fuck you, man."

"What?" Dave asked, confused of his attitude towards him. "I wasn't being racist or anything."

"Yeah, but atleast say my name instead of that." Chuck then leaned behind the Stryker as he rested while still clutching his stomach.

"What the hell happened, Chuck?" Jose wondered about his condition. "Was it with the horses?" Chuck let out a grunt before he glanced to him and nodded.

A while back when the 33rd were doing their scouting patrol across the region, one of the teams had encountered wild horses wondering about. Numbering about 20. This was great news for the 33rd. Horses may not be that big of a deal, but for the 33rd - it was.

During Human history, Horses had been used for a variety of things, but mostly for transportation. Many militaries throughout history had also made use of the horses for war, when cavalry charges were still a thing, until in WW2 - where tanks and armored vehicles were mass-produced for war.

Because of that, cavalries had become obsolete and horses were no longer used that much for war.

Atleast they were still kept for logistical purposes - and that is what the 33rd needs. With Horses, the 33rd won't have to waste their precious fuel on their vehicles to go around the region or to visit the city. Until fuel could be found in this area, the 33rd are gonna stick with horses. Though, they would still use their Vehicles, because they still need to find more horses. 20 aren't enough to help an entire battalion of 672 men.

The 33rd had rounded up all of the horses and slowly lead them to their base where they are kept and placed at a fenced area. A few soldiers were stationed there to keep watch and to take care of them. Chuck was one of them.

"Yeah, one of those bastards manage to kick me straight to the stomach when i was just trying to help it." Chuck explained to Jose, still clutching his stomach.

"How hard did it hit?" Benson asked.

"Well, imagine it as a sledgehammer hitting your stomach." Chuck tried his best to describe it, which then cause the entire unit to cringe at that thought. "But hey, i'm still kicking!" He declared while standing back up, but quickly lean back when his stomach was in pain again.

"Eh, sort of." Dave remarked.

The squadron kept chatting on or relaxing. Some begin to discuss about the music they're currently hearing, which was jazz. Benson then felt a little bored about all of this as he begin to walk away from the group. He stopped when Michael called to him. "Benson, where you going?" He asked as all of them turned to the Staff Sergeant.

"I'm going to New Dubai, see of how the city is doing." He said, then proposed. "Anyone of you want to join? I could use the company."

"I'll go!" Jose spoke out as he raised his hand, accepting the offer to join. Benson seems delighted as he smiled.

"Great. Anyone else?" He asked to the others. Though they begin to exchange glances as they all shook their heads 'No'. Benson simply let out a shrug. "Suit yourself. Come on, Jose."

Jose starts to follow him as they left the Stryker. They were then heading over to the corral where the horses were kept. Benson planned on using them to travel from here to New Dubai. By his calculations, it may take about a few hours to get there. The two soldiers then head over to the entrance of the corral as Benson spoke to one of the guards that they need two of the horses. The guard allowed it and let them in.

Currently the scouting teams were using most of the horses, so there were only five horses in the corral. Benson head over to one of them as he then climbed up and sat down on the saddle. Jose then head over to another horse, though he was a bit hesitant.

He had never ridden a horse before, so this was his first time. He carefully climbed up the animal and slowly sat down on the saddle, trying to not fall from it. All while Benson watched over him with a smirk on his face.

"First time?" He said.

"Y-Yeah..." Jose replied, nervously.

"Hey, you'll get used to it." Benson waited till Jose was ready. When the latter had adjust himself, he glanced to Benson and give him a nod. "Now watch and learn, private." Benson turned to his horse. "Alright, big fella. Hiya!" He shouted while whipping the lead on the animal.

The horse begin to jog out of the corral, while Jose watched the entire thing. He then tries to imitate what Benson did for the horse to move. "Uh..hiya!" Jose shouted whilst whipping the lead. As expected, the horse begin to jog out of the corral, but Jose then hangs on to himself so he wouldn't fall off. Nevertheless, he followed Benson out to the exit.

Though they made a quick stop to their comrades by the Stryker, the latter now were staring at them as they were riding on horsebacks. Dave and the others begin to joke of how Jose is doing with his horse, but Benson then interjected.

"Hey, Dave! If Bradley's here, tell them that he's gonna get a good knock out from ol' Benny for stealing his candy!"

Dave nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "I'll keep that in mind!"

Benson nodded back and gestured to Jose to continue on. They commanded their horse as they galloped out of the base and on towards New Dubai.

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"Well, there they go." Dave said, watching the two galloped far away from the base until they were seen as little dots. He went back to the now six man unit that are still beside the Stryker. As per usual, they begin to talk about various stuff until they are now listening to another song that was put in to the radio.

Some let out a groan when the music was the one that has been overused in Helicopter scenes in movies. That's right, it was "Fortunate son".

It was argued to be the most Cliché song ever in war movies - most specifically Vietnam era ones, that many people start to despise just by listening to it. Some of the soldiers start to cover their ears until the music stops, Michael included. Where as Chuck and Dave were jamming to the song.

After a few minutes, the music stops as Michael and the rest breathe a sigh of relief and unplug their ears. After that, they resumed to chatting like always. Eventually, Dave got a little bored, now wishing that he should've joined with Benson and Jose to New Dubai.

He begin to think of something that could unbore him. And the first thing that came up to his mind - is to pull off a little prank on one of the soldiers. Obviously, he won't do Chuck, Michael and the other three soldiers, so he observed the area to find any victims.

There he saw a lone soldier just standing there aimlessly. He couldn't make up on who he was, but he could tell that he was a bayonet runner. Now locked on to this target, Dave then searched for a small stone that would work for his little scheme. This got the attention from Chuck and Michael, followed by the other soldiers as they wondered what Dave is doing.

"Check it." He smirked to them before turning to his target. The rest of the unit now noticed what he was about to do. Though Michael felt a bit uneasy that Dave was going to throw a stone at a Bayonet runner, but Dave didn't care. It's not like he was going to kill him outright.

He then took a stance then aiming the stone towards the bayonet soldier. He then shouted, "You over there! Think fast!" as then threw the stone. Like he expected, the Bayonet runner didn't had the time to react as the stone hit him right to the forehead when he was turning around.

Dave let out a laugh, while the soldiers chuckled a bit. Chuck didn't react at all where as Michael was concerned about the soldier. However, he gasped when he noticed who that Bayonet runner was. Chuck and the other soldiers did so aswell. Their eyes went wide as they stopped making a sound.

However Dave kept laughing with his eyes closed, unable for him to see who he actually hit. When he turned to his comrades and asked them if they saw what he did, he noticed that they were all dead silent.

Dave stopped laughing, eyebrows raised to them. "Yo, what's with the silent treatment?" He asked.

Michael glanced to him, with a worried look. Now he felt concerned about him than the Bayonet runner. This still didn't answer Dave's question as Michael kept silent about it. Then he heard Chuck spoke out, also in a worried tone.

"Dude. You just hit Curtis..."

"Wait, what?!"

Dave shifted to his victim, hoping that Chuck and the rest were just fucking with him by telling him he had hit that one person the whole battalion agreed to not mess with. Unfortunately for him, they weren't.

That Bayonet soldier he hit with the stone was the man himself, Kryo Curtis.

Curtis stood there, menacingly. He was wearing nothing but a green vest for his upperwear with a black tank-top under it, along with the standard AC pants for his bottom, and finally some shades. Along with a mohawk for his hair.

(I don't know what's with the invisible rifle, lmao)

He may look like the rest of the Bayonet runners, but what differs from him the most is those eyes underneath those shades.

His rare trait of yellow eyes that were like the windows to the souls, reflecting emotions that harnessed probably the devil himself. Though that didn't cause him to be the most feared person in the battalion. Back when he was in Dubai, during the civil war, his actions spoke louder than his words, mostly because he could not speak no more.

He's one of the finest soldiers of the Damned 33rd. Acting as a Bayonet Runner, he put his good bayonet knife to use. And with his speed and agility, him alone could take down a squad of enemies in close combat, just with a knife and his bare hands. Almost as if he no longer needed guns anymore.

Witnesses had report that the way he killed his enemies were drastic, merciless, even substantial. Not one person could bear the eye of what Curtis did. Not one of his enemies were spared from his grasp. He was even viewed as Jinn incarnate by the locals. When he was sent to quell any protests or riots, they all immediately stopped by his mere sight.

Out of all the soldiers of the battalion - and out of all the Bayonet runners, HE was the one that was hit hard from the storm. He had become feared upon to all of the soldiers of the 33rd, even to Zulu squad and David himself. It was agreed that they should not mess with Curtis on any occasions.

Yet, Dave had screwed up and pissed him off.

Curtis slowly marched his way to the now scared soldier. His angry expression glued to him. Michael and the three soldiers quickly retreated, where as Chuck slowly backed away. But Dave stood there, shaking in fear. He thought about running away, but he knows that would possibly be a death sentence. So when Curtis was approaching him, he stayed put, albeit still in fear.

Eventually Curtis stopped as he is now right infront of Dave. The latter let out a sweat while realizing that the scene is getting the attention from several more concerned soldiers around. They knew how dangerous Curtis is.

"Uh...H-Hey, Curtis..." Dave greeted him, with a nervous chuckle. "Look, bout that stone that just hit you...i didn't mean it, o-okay? I didn't know it was you." Dave explained, whilst trying to compose himself at the sight of the Bayonet runner. Curtis didn't seem to process the apology as he kept a chilling frown at Dave.

"So...we're cool, r-right?" Dave asked, stammeringly.

Suddenly, Curtis unsheathes his Bayonet and points the tip towards Dave's neck in a quick pace. The latter felt the world had froze around him. His eyes were focused on the knife pointing to his neck as his body shook in fear. He struggled to breathe properly, fearing that his neck would meet the point of the knife. He could even see that his Bayonet knife still has scars from the past. Most noticeably the dried blood that once belong to the Exiles and the Insurgents.

A few tense seconds passed - of what felt like an eternity to Dave, Curtis finally retracted his knife away from his neck and sheathed it. Dave let out a huge breath of relief as he no longer had to hold his breathing. However, Curtis then forcefully grab one of his arms before he placed something at the palm.

Dave noticed it was the stone that he threw at him. He raised his eyebrow in confusion before Curtis then starts gesturing to him about the stone and to himself. Since Curtis is mute, he now communicates by doing gestures or sign language, mostly the former.

Curtis pointed to the stone, then to himself before doing a gesture to his neck that definitely reads out "You're dead.". Dave now knew what he was saying. He said that if Dave threw the stone again at him, he will be dead. Understanding what he said, Dave quickly nodded.

"Ok, Curtis. I promise i won't do it again." Curtis then give him an eyebrow raise, which Dave thinks he was saying that if he was sure about it. Dave nodded again for good measure. The bayonet runner let out a huff before turning around and walked away.

Dave was left stunned for a moment before he regained to his senses and breathe another sigh of relief. When that was over, Chuck, Michael and the rest came back to him. The former then put an arm on Dave's shoulder.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I feel like shitting my pants, but I'm alright." Dave replied. Chuck then gave him a pat to his back after as they all regroup back at the Stryker. Dave then sat down on the ground, still couldn't believe how he survived that interaction from Curtis.

"Man, i can't believe you pissed of Curtis out of all of us." One of the soldiers remarked as another one spoke.

"You were very lucky that he left you off the hook. I wonder why?"

"Probably because he's in a good mood like the rest of us, after we moved to this fine place." The third soldier thoughted, getting nods of agreement from the two soldiers . They all then kept their eye on Curtis as he was heading over to the barracks whilst passing by a few soldiers that averted their gaze at him.

"Jeez. How the hell did he even end up like that?" Michael wondered. "He wasn't like this a while back ago, if i remember. And now look at him, feared by all."

"Well, i can tell you about it." Chuck spoked up. Dave then turned to him.

"So you know more about him?" Chuck nodded as he begin to explain of how Curtis became what he is now.

Before the events in Dubai had happened, Chuck met up with Curtis some time in Kabul. He had been good friends with him. They had spent some quality time together, allowing Chuck to know more about his background. Curtis was an expert in Martial arts long before he joined the military. This what made his CQC to be up the par than the rest. He was also the middle sibling of three brothers, whom he had loved.

Curtis was a pretty easy-going guy when Chuck met him, but he can be pretty fierce in combat. Back in Kabul, it was reported that he swiftly clear out a building and killed the five Taliban occupants with his knife and a flashbang. All thanks to his martial art experience and his incredible speed and agility.

When the 33rd were deployed to Dubai, he noticed a slight change of Curtis' attitude. Because of the constant storms and the deaths of the local populace, he felt a bit stressed and short-tempered. But Chuck knew he was still the same Curtis.

During the civil war between the Exiles and the Damned, Chuck wondered through the ruined streets, trying to find his comrades that were separated from an Exile ambush.

He found Curtis in a fist fight by one of the Exile soldiers, the latter having the upper hand and was going to beat him. Chuck tried to help him, but he got himself pinned down by two more of the Exiles, unable for him to help his friend.

When he took down the two soldiers, Chuck rushed to where Curtis and the exile soldier was. By the time he got there though, he was met with a disturbing sight.

Curtis had won the fight as he was seen sitting down with a bloodied knife in his hand. The dead Exile soldier laid lifelessly on the sandy ground. Though what disturbed Chuck is that the soldier was stabbed 28 times. From the chest all the way to his head, creating a pool of blood under him.

Chuck didn't think that Curtis would go that far. He then approached the bayonet runner until realizing that the Exile soldier had broke his vocal chords, causing him to cough out bits of blood. Chuck quickly help him up and left the area.

Now that Curtis had lost his vocal cords, that meant he couldn't speak no more. And that was when Curtis had completely changed, so does his actions and most of all - his appearance.

When Chuck gazed at him, he was creeped out of his face. It was filled with scars and dried blood with bits of sand caught in them. But the most important one was his eyes. His bright yellow eyes had changed to a dull yellow. The eyes seethed with rage and anger, because of the loss of his voice by the traitors. Anyone who gazed at him will feel creeped out because of his eyes.

This was why Curtis starts to wear shades.

Despite his very drastic change, Curtis was still a good soldier for the 33rd. He follows orders without question and had helped them to retain the order back in the city. As long as he was not messed with, he'll stay cool with them. Even then, he was still feared.

Chuck couldn't consider that if Curtis was his friend anymore. They didn't had a fight or anything. It's just that his drastic actions in Dubai along with his current appearance cause him to feel distant from him. They haven't hang out together like they used to, and when they encountered each other, the two only share glances before going back to do their own thing.

Having explained everything he know, the five soldiers stared at Chuck with mixed reactions.

"Damn." Dave spoke out. "I didn't know he suffered that much."

"He stabbed that guy 28 times? Man, he sure didn't leave him a chance." One of the soldiers commented.

"But why didn't you help him out, Chuck?" Michael asked.

Chuck sighed. "It's a bit complicated. But like you and all of us, i was scared after what he had become. After all, it seems like he still haven't gone through that hell even after we moved here. Only time will tell when he calms down like the rest of us."

The team stayed quiet after that. Neither would start a conversation after what happened with Curtis. Dave was still traumatized about it, remembering himself to not piss him off, and also not to do those kind of pranks anymore. They all stood there aimlessly while listening to the current music that was on.

"Hey, any one of you guys want to read some magazines? There are also ones with the nude stuff in it." Michael said with a smirk at the last part.

"Yeah, i think some porno can take off my mind from Curtis." Dave replied, causing everyone to chuckle.

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I'm gonna stop right there for now. As you know by the title of the first Arc, the 33rd are still Damned in this new world. Care to wonder why? It's obvious what's gonna happen.

Anyways, let me know in the comments what you think about this chapter and the introduction of the new Major character - Curtis?

Also please do leave a vote so can know that you really enjoyed the chapter. I'll gladly to make more.