The designation was "Ex-Load Leech." Officially, it was a classified parasitic entity, a biological weapon engineered in a forgotten war. Unofficially, it was the last thing a soldier felt before their luck ran out.
The smell of rain on asphalt. Erased.
The first time he fired a weapon and hit the bullseye. Faded to a beige blur. ex-load leech
But Kael Voss had one thing the other soldiers didn't. The designation was "Ex-Load Leech
A cold press against the back of his neck, like a drowned man’s fingertip. Erased
Sergeant Kael Voss knew the name well. He’d seen the aftermath—a tank crew found perfectly intact, their faces frozen in mid-laugh, their bio-signs flatlined as if someone had simply unplugged their souls. The Leech didn’t kill with claws or venom. It killed by attaching to a host and draining the one thing no armor could protect: the will to live.
He squeezed.