The humid air hung heavy, feeling like a suffocating blanket clinging to their skin. The vibrant chaos of the city was replaced by the oppressive silence of the jungle, as they snapped into formation and began to march out, the silence broken only by their footfalls and the incessant drone of insects or the rustle of unseen creatures in the undergrowth. This was not the war they had anticipated, the meticulously planned battles they'd rehearsed countless times in boot camp. This was something else entirely –uncontrolled, unpredictable, terrifying.They moved in a tight formation, their boots sinking into the mud, the oppressive heat sapping their strength.The air was thick with the smell of decay –rotting vegetation, damp earth, something else…something metallic and sickening that clung to the back of their throats. The jungle itself seemed to be alive, a malevolent entity intent on swallowing them whole.