Eve was the first to wake up in his squad - even though he stayed up later than the others -the anticipation of sharing the kill woke him up the earliest. He clicked open the lock and checked inside the emptied ammo box, the one thathe had stashed the corpse in. The demon was still there as he had left it during the night, neck missing and body crumpled. He made his way to the dugout/sleeping area, locking the crate before he left.

  Eve had been too worried about the kill being stolen and had fallen asleep next to the crate. Originally starting out as a group of ten, Eve's squad had suffered loss after loss until there were three left total, including him. Four died due to demons, three slain by possessed. All of these deaths had happened during the previous offensive, killing Eve's commander and leaving him in charge as the highest-ranking member still alive. He tried to upkeep morale the best he could, but there was little he could do when the unit suffered a 70% loss rate. Reinforcements were set to arrive in a few days, from what Eve could gather, but chances are that his unit would be deemed too depleted to reinforce, and since they hadn't been consolidated into another squad yet, the likelihood was they would remain at 3 men strong up and during the next offensive. Despite this, he was determined to make sure that no one else died, and the demon flesh was the first part.

  Eve had reached the dugout and saw his two sleeping comrades. John, who was on the shorter side of the height spectrum, with black hair in a buzz cut, brown eyes, and wearing a tan uniform, was sleeping at an angle to the ground as if he had fallen asleep sitting and slid off during the night. Next to him, lying flat on his back, was Steve, also with black hair, but his eyes- currently closed- were hazel. He also wore the same tan army uniform that John wore, but had additional stripes proclaiming him to be a higher rank. But rank had long ceased to matter as everyone, even officers, were expected to charge headfirst into the demonic swarm. The only ones excused from that fate were the ones at the stratagem, dictating when and where soldiers would die.

  And though humanity was winning and slowly pushing back the demons, people were also growing more insane by the day, and casualty rates kept increasing. Most countries that were still standing had implemented a draft to conscript more unfortunate souls into the front lines of the incursion. Yet, many volunteered as well, being lured in by the promise of greatness that the demonic flesh brings. Eve was one of the few who were in the army when the demons first arrived. He was one of the only ones left. Most had long since perished in the opening stages of the invasion, back before humanity knew it could eat demonic flesh.

  Eve smiled and took out his water canteen.

  "Oh, what the fuck?" yelped John as he was rudely awakened by cold water being splashed on his face. This was quickly followed by a similar exclamation from Steve, who was also woken up in this fashion.

  Grinning, Eve shushed them.

  "Come see what I got!"

  "Does what you got need me to wake up this damn early?" Steve interjected.

  "Yes, now follow me," replied Eve, ushering John and Steve to follow him with his hand.

  Heading back into the trenches, Eve led his squadmates a short distance before ending up in front of the ammo crate.

  "Yay, we finally received ammo," said Steve sarcastically, "Now, can I go back to sleep? We've still got an hour before wakeup."

  "Can you wait a fucking moment while I get this shit opened?" replied Eve.

  "Fine, but this better be worth it, or I'll be complaining to your ass the entire day about it."

  Eve knelt down, inserted the key, and then turned it. Slowly opening the lid, and revealed to Steve and John what was inside.

  "Holy fuck!" exclaimed John, smiling. "Where the hell did you get this?"

  "Fuck me, so you weren't lying after all," added Steve.

  "Killed it last night. Should last us until the offensive begins. We'll likely be on the front lines again. Make sure to leave enough for when that begins."

  "Understood."

  "And of course, keep this secret, lips tight." Eve mimed himself zipping up his mouth. "If word gets out, we'll lose the kill, and I'll get in trouble for disobeying direct orders. Might even get demoted."

  "Of course." Both John and Steve said simultaneously, saluting at the same time.

  "Now help me drag this to a better place, so no one sees it."

  —------------------

  I knew it was close. It must be. It had to be! I can sense it, feel it nearby. And yet- I do not see it.

  "They are hiding it from you," Lucy whispered into my ear once again. "They are keeping it from you."

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  I must find it. I can smell the scent lingering in the air. It was definitely here. The ground is disturbed. They must have moved it.

  They must have… known I was coming and hid it from me. I hold Lucy tightly, gripping her by her barrel. Sticking my finger in, I could feel the familiar rifling beneath my fingers. My other hand slid down across the polished wood, hovering over the trigger.

  "I won't let them, I will find them, I will find it. Isn't that right, Lucy? Together we will get what is ours."

  I hear my name being called. The Major must be looking for me. He’s probably in on it with the rest of them. In on it like the other two… another call interrupts my thoughts, if I don't report soon, they will get suspicious.

  "Everyone is against me, everyone but you, Lucy," I say to her.

  "They are lying to you. Only I tell you the truth. That's why you did what you had to do. You can trust me."

  "Only you, Lucy, I can trust only you."

  —----------------

  7:01 am, Adam was not looking forward to what would happen next. He got assigned the roles and tasks he was expecting. Keep track of casualties, notify the general if there is a weak link in the advance, and in general, pass on information deemed important. He was the secretary. Which resulted in him holding a meeting with the church at 8:47 am, and was why he spent all of his time yesterday drinking. The meeting meant he had to endure the company of Cardinal Joseph, or as he was known by everyone else at Stratagum, a giant sack of shit who actively got in the way of fighting the war. The Catholic Church was currently the strongest religious power, at least for gates 1 and 2, as well as the European forces as a whole. Adam had no idea if this was the case for the other alliances, like the Consolidation of Independent Post Soviet States, which surrounded the 3rd gate, or Western Russia, in charge of the 4th.

  And though the church, as well as Christianity as a whole, had used the gates' opening as a confirmation of its religion, the different sects within it and other orders outside it couldn't agree on anything. Some said the demons were a test by God of humanity's resilience and that humans have to wipe them out. Another division said it was divine punishment for sins that were committed and that humanity should not fight back but rather accept its verdict. Protestants blamed the church, and the church blamed them back. Yet, every single Christian order preached that the consumption of demonic flesh should be a sin, and taking the power of hell goes against God. This caused tension with the armed forces and various gate divisions, who were only still holding on to their positions as a result of the consumption. The only reason the military even had to endure the church was that it had grown too powerful as a political faction back at home. Completely ignoring it would lead to greater consequences, and so the meetings and talks were held.

  Adam's job was simple- make sure the status quo doesn't change and waste as much time as possible until the cardinal's patience erodes and he gives up. Alternatively, Adam could convince the cardinal to stop trying to interfere outright, but no one has yet succeeded in that to date. The church was nothing if not stubborn, and it has shown on numerous occasions that it is not willing to give up trying.

  Adam sighed in preparation for the day ahead and made his way to the mess hall. He made it there at his usual time of 7:31 am and got the exact same thing he did yesterday, a serving of scrambled eggs, 2 boiled eggs, and a piece of bread, leaving the demon meat alone. Today, he ate alone. Sam wasn't around, clearly having something else taking up his time. With the upcoming meeting taking up his mind, Adam didn't particularly want conversation and so sat alone. 20 minutes later, Adam had finished eating and headed to his desk to at least get some tasks finished before the meeting. Looking down at his desk, he saw the reports from Gate 1. No skirmishes reported, demon activity remains low and has yet to show any signs of increasing. A few soldiers have gone missing sometime during the night, likely a case of demon hunting gone wrong. The reinforcements were set to arrive the next day, just in time for the big push. The frontline officers were to be notified today and ordered to make preparations for tomorrow's advance. Gate 1 seemed to be fine with no corrections required, so Adam shifted his attention to the reports from Gate 2. A recent demonic attack had left the southernmost lines weakened, and a new frontline dogish creature has started to be employed in frontal assaults against entrenched positions.

  A new menu item, Adam thought to himself as he continued reading. Ammunition reserves were running low on the northern perimeter, and morale was at its usual low. The lines as a whole didn't falter, and still held with minor advances on the western perimeter, amounting to 8 inches before a wave of demons’ fire — in this case, quite literal fire — forced them to dig themselves in. Adam wrote a note to remind himself to request reserves and resupply to Gate 2 after the meeting with Joseph, and at 8:35, headed out to the meeting room.

  As expected, the cardinal was 15 minutes late, and as per usual, he didn't bother apologizing. This would mark Adam’s 4th official interaction with Joseph, having been assigned this exact same task before. Cardinal Joseph was a tall man, around 6'5" with a thin build and pale skin. He wore a black mozzetta with red stitching, a red rochet, and on his head a red biretta. Around his neck, he wore a golden cross hanging from a silver chain.

  "Hello again, Adam," he said in a smooth voice, "it is so nice to talk to someone who hasn't committed the sins of greed and gluttony by consuming the damned flesh."

  "It is a pleasure to have you here, cardinal, " Adam replied in a similarly diplomatic tone, while silently gritting his teeth in anticipation of what would come next. "What can I- and the stratagem- do for you?"

  "The church's decree of sinhood has not been followed," Joseph said, talking very slowly as if stopping to think of what to say next after every word. Dragging out the sentence and syllables made listening to him a chore.

  "It is very bad to go against the church, you know…" he said, prolonging the last word. "Eternal damnation is what we are trying to prevent, and allowing soldiers to eat tainted meat is very bad for the soul."

  Adam could not stand the way he spoke. Each time he had a meeting with Joseph his speaking pattern got more and more infuriating to listen to.

  Breathing in deeply, Adam replied, "As you are well aware, the powers obtained from consuming demons are the only thing keeping us on top; without them, the front lines would fall, and humanity would likely be doomed."

  "Be that as it may, but… if we have to commit a grave sin to live, shouldn't the moral thing be to stop living? Besides, this is a test by God, which you are currently failing, dooming humanity more than death by demons would. Heaven is a way better place than hell after all."

  "The military's job is to protect humanity and not consider moral quandaries. If this is a test by God, then what if by dying we fail it? For, why would God make demons edible, if they weren't meant to be eaten?"

  "A test, as I've stated before, to see if humanity will fall into temptation and away from his light."

  "The only temptation here is life, and isn't suicide a sin? God gave us the tools we need to fight back against the horde- their flesh- and we thank him for that."

  "The damned substance is a spawn of Satan, literally coming from hell; God did not have a hand in making it."

  "Spawn of Satan or not, I don't care, because as long as it works, we will use it. There is no alternative. Last I checked, your holy and pious army, that of the Catholic Church, all died. Not a single soldier is still alive. Shouldn't God have saved at least one if they were following his will?!"

  "God works in mysterious ways, and in order to be saved, we must first prove our devotion. They were martyrs, blessed be their souls, and if humanity followed suit, we would all be by his side in heaven. This is punishment for our sins, and we must not stray from his path."

  "The ONLY path anyone is straying from is the church, from the path of REASON. You can do as you like, but we won't let soldiers' lives go to waste because a church that has yet to receive any divine blessings tells us to. Hell, we don't even know if heaven is real, so far only demons have appeared. Where are the angels? Where are the blessings of the faithful? Where is God? Because by the looks of it, he has abandoned us!"

  "You just committed blasphemy, Colonel Adam Zabdeil, and the church will be hearing of this. As you are representing the military, I will take it as the entire armed forces' view. Mark my words, Adam. The day of reckoning will come, and God won't look upon your soul with a smile. It is never too late to repent. Jesus forgives all. Goodbye."

  Adam watched Cardinal Joseph leave. Adam fucking hated the church and all that came with it.