The dropship didn't crash all at once.
It started with a crack.
A deep, tearing sound ran through the hull as the damaged engines failed mid-descent, The entire structure twisted under its own weight, unable to hold together.
Then—
it split.
Right down the middle.
The rear half broke away first, dragged downward by the destroyed engines, The front half—the section Akane was in—jerked violently in the opposite direction.
For a brief second—
everything separated.
Then both halves fell.
Akane was thrown hard against the interior wall, Loose crates slammed past him, Metal panels tore free and spun through the air.
The front section hit the ocean at an angle.
The impact shattered what was left of the structure, but the front half didn't sink completely. Air pockets trapped inside kept it barely afloat as water rushed in through every opening.
Coldness swallowed everything.
Akane's body reacted late.
His armor dragged him down.
Too heavy.
His hands moved instantly to the locks.
This wasn't the newer type.
No quick release.
No system assist.
First-generation.
Manual.
Each part had to be removed by hand.
He forced the chest plate loose first.
It resisted.
Then gave.
The weight dropped slightly.
Not enough.
Water filled the compartment faster.
He tore off what he could—shoulder plates, parts of the harness—anything that slowed him down.
Not all of it.
No time.
He grabbed onto a torn section of the hull and pulled himself forward.
The ship shifted.
Then stabilized.
Barely.
He broke the surface.
Air hit his lungs hard.
He coughed, gripping the jagged metal as the broken half of the ship sunk beneath him.
"I-im... Still alive" he muttered.
The wreck floated unevenly.
Half-submerged.
Unstable.
The ocean stretched around him.
Dark.
Endless.
Above, debris fell from the sky—burning fragments of the ship that didn't survive the split.
Akane pulled himself tighter onto the wreck.
His breathing slowed.
Then he checked.
His body.
No tense injuries.
Only cuts and small wounds.
fragments of armor still clung to him.
Too damaged to matter.
Too heavy to keep.
He tore the last piece off and let it fall into the water.
Gone.
His rifle—
lost.
His gear—
gone.
Only one thing remained.
His pistol.
Still strapped to his side.
He pulled it free.
Checked it.
Two magazines.
That was everything.
The wreck creaked beneath him.
Shifting.
Sinking slowly.
Akane looked up.
The shore was close.
Closer than it should have been.
Rocky.
Reachable.
Then—
the water moved.
Not waves.
Something else.
Shapes formed beneath the surface.
Fast.
Too fast.
The crash had called them.
The first one surfaced.
Its movement was sharp and unnatural, cutting through the water instead of flowing with it.
Then more followed.
A swarm.
They circled the wreck.
Closing in.
One climbed onto the metal.
Akane didn't hesitate.
He raised the pistol.
Fired once.
The creature dropped back into the water.
More came.
The wreck tilted harder because of the weight
It was sinking now.
No time left.
Akane shot the remaining infected down.
He looked at the shore again.
Then took off.
It felt-
Cold.
Heavy.
He moved forward immediately.
As he reached the land closer-
The waves became stronger.
The shore was right there.
Harder to push—
His hand hit rock.
Solid.
He grabbed it and pulled himself forward.
Another step.
Then another.
Out of the water.
Onto land.
He didn't stop.
He moved further up the shore before collapsing.
Breathing hard.
Alive.
Behind him—
The ship finally gave up and submerged itself.
Akane rolled slightly, gripping the pistol tighter.
"3 bullets and 2 magazinesleft" he said quietly.
That was all he had.
The wind moved across the empty shoreline.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Then—
that feeling again.
Faint.
Close.
Akane pushed himself up slowly.
Unsteady.
But standing.
He looked at the ocean one last time.
Then he turned away.
And stepped inland.
Alone.