The rain came down in sheets, hammering the warped metal hulls and fractured spirits of the armored column as they trudged forward into the choking swamp. The forest was alive with shadows, the howling wind drowning out all but the strongest of radio signals. Still, they moved – bruised, bloodied, but not broken.
Big Betsy creaked forward at the head of the battered line, its thick Sherman armor gleaming with rainwater and battle scars. Freya, voice calm and firm as always, keyed her radio:
"📻 Convoy, this is Betsy-Actual. We're pushing north through grid 4-F. Visibility’s trash, but we’re still rolling. Eyes open, hearts steady."
Casey, despite the dull throb of her head, managed a chuckle from the driver’s seat.
"📻 Gonna need a chiropractor after this road, Commander."
Hannah, curled in her bow position, whimpered quietly, her helmet tilted forward.
"📻 I… I don’t like this forest. It’s too quiet..."
Janice, ever hot-blooded, barked from the loader’s compartment:
"📻 Pipe down, Hannah! Quiet means we’re winning!"
Trailing behind in the ruined hulk of Deborah, Hellen forced herself to sit upright despite the sharp stabs of pain in her arm and face.
"📻 Deborah-2 here… still mobile. Barely. Avery’s driving with one eye and half a brain, Valery’s out cold. We’ve patched up best we could."
A weak groan came from Avery, her voice strained but present.
"📻 Still here… just don’t ask me to steer straight."
The commander winced, her eye shut and bleeding, yet her words carried weight.
"📻 We’re not dying here. Keep your faith, girls."
At the rear, what remained of Grace sputtered through the muck, black smoke belching from its torn rear. Cristina, lacking a commander, leaned on her optics—shattered and smeared—struggling to see.
"📻 Grace-3 reporting… what’s left of us. I got one round left and barely any eyes to fire it. We’re blind, we’re broken..."
Renee, the driver, chipped in with a forced giggle.
"📻 But hey! Still breathing, huh?"
A lightning strike lit up the twisted trees ahead, followed by an eerie silence. The forest loomed, heavy with unknown threats. Yet, even under a dying sky, the steel beasts rolled on.
