Nash leaned on the wall as another explosion shook the hospital, a few soldiers running past him with grim expressions and their rifles ready to shoot. He gritted his teeth and continued on his path, pushing the door to the staircase.
'I need to get to the bottom floor, I can't stay here...If this whole thing crumbles, I'm as good as dead!'
The young man ran down the stairs, tightly holding his revolver in his right hand. An explosion shook the hospital once more, threatening to throw him off the stairs, but he managed to hold on by tightly gripping the staircase rail. He finally got down to the bottom floor, the main lobby emptied of its residents. There were operating tables that had been left abandoned, covered in blood, dry or fresh, but empty of their patients. Perhaps they had been Evacuated, or perhaps they didn't survive; it didn't matter anymore.
Nash ran outside of the hospital, a cacophony of gunshots and screams welcoming him. Posted on walls surrounding the facility, soldiers were unloading magazine after magazine, their faces filled with fear and despair. The young man was suddenly shoved to the side, making him almost lose his grip on his revolver, forcing him to turn and see a soldier grinning with relief.
"Hahaha, I'm saved—!" He disappeared into a cloud of blue powder, leaving nothing but a memory inside Nash's mind. The young man shook his head and pushed himself up, witnessing the officers he met a little earlier with Thomas getting out of the hospital, bleeding and covered in dust.
"Shit, we need a medic!" The baldie who intimidated Nash so much a few minutes ago screamed in fear as he pressed his hand on his bleeding waist to stop the hemorrhage the best he could. The thick, metal gate that protected the hospital suddenly rang with a sharp sound as something charged against it, indenting it inward. The soldiers fell from the walls, leaving them unprotected. One of them hurriedly stood up and threw a grenade blindly, aiming for whatever was behind it, but the walls exploded, leaving a herd of dog-sized insects to enter the perimeter through the crack.
"S—Shoot the bastards!" One of the officers shouted as he took his handgun out of his holster and shot the nearest insect, stopping it dead in its tracks. Nash aimed his revolver, his finger on the trigger, but after seeing the soldiers somehow managing to fend off the bugs, he chose not to shoot.
'I need to use my ammunition sparingly, I only have twenty-four bullets after all.'
Nash's eyes darted to the side, flinching when he saw the metal gate being rammed again, indenting even further inward. The gate won't be able to last for much longer, and God knew that if it broke, it would be done for anyone staying in the hospital's protection.
"Get the hell out of the way, kid!" Someone screamed at him from behind, and he instinctively obeyed, turning around to see a majestic tank position himself in front of the gate, followed by a few more to form a literal steel barrage. The cannons were all aimed at the gate while the mounted-machine guns were used by the soldiers to help defend the breach. Green blood flew in the air, catching fire with a well-aimed grenade, slowing down the insects' progression.
But even this seemingly good news didn't manage to get Nash's hopes up.
'They won't win,' he thought as he watched insects begin to climb over the walls before receiving flurries of bullets to shoot them down. The ground shook, and the metal gate finally gave way, letting a massive tank-sized insect with a thick carapace enter the hospital's perimeter, bringing with it hundreds of its smaller counterparts. A literal wave of insects rushed toward the soldiers who began to back down, throwing grenades and incendiaries as much as they could to slow their advance. The tank roared and charged toward one of the tanks, who stood his ground and coldly shot his main cannon at the thick carapace. It pierced right through, the giant insect sliding down to touch the tank without much strength.
Soldiers cheered at the sight, their morale rising, until they saw the walls collapse entirely, broken by similar tank bugs.
'I need to bail now!' Nash realized as he holstered his revolver and ran toward his bike that lay abandoned a bit further. He lowered his head as more explosions shook the ground, the shrills of insects and the screams of men mixing with the music of bullets rushing to hit their targets, creating the most chaotic concert. An insect ran past the soldiers, rushing all fangs bared at Nash, who dove to the side to avoid it. The bug's claws ripped through the ground, failing to meet the human's weak flesh. Nash rolled himself up and swiftly drew his gun out, shooting the fist bullet of his life at the insect.
Even though it was an old version, the Smith & Wesson was still chambered in a heavy caliber, or so it seemed. Nash was certainly no expert in firearms, and it was the first time he ever used one. Maybe it was the luck of beginners, or maybe he had a special talent with handguns, but the bullet shot right through the creature's throat, making it shrill in pain while stumbling on its legs. It collapsed to the ground, trembling as green blood flowed out of the wound, barely holding onto life.
Nash stepped closer to the bug, aiming the revolver at its head, when he shook his head and holstered the gun.
'...I need the bullet,' He coldly thought, before unsheathing his machete and plunging it with both hands in the insect's head. The creature heaved a last dying breath, before becoming entirely still. Nash pulled the machete out, not bothering to clean it as he rushed with the blade in his hand toward his bike. The tanks seemed to be able to stop the bugs for now, but Nash didn't want to stay around to see if there were more of them and bigger versions that would assault the hospital.
And so, he ran to the bike, lifting it from the ground and turning the ignition key. The motor struggled for a few seconds until it finally started, Nash grinning at the sight. He looked at the gate and the insect corpses that littered the exit, and swiftly chose to escape from the hospital's other side. Normally, there shouldn't be only one entry or exit point for such a large complex, hopefully, he'll be able to find another way out.
[Nash Dularfull - Evacuation spot:4 048 721 080]
Nash gritted his teeth and dismissed the blue window after a quick check, before turning on the gases and driving away from the hospital's gate. He sped through the ambulances, military trucks, and abandoned cars, noticing a few civilians hiding with their machetes in their hands, their large backpacks strapped to their backs. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who had the idea of fleeing the hospital, but no one seemed to have come with their motorbikes. A blurry figure held out their hand for him to stop, but he swiftly evaded them and sped past them.
'I'm the last one to evacuate, do you think I have the time to stop for you?!' He thought angrily, wiping away the tears caused by the wind in his eyes. He suddenly came to a stop when he found himself next to the west side of the hospital, witnessing the wall explode loudly, an army of bugs entering through it. The main forces were concentrated on the northern side, making the defenses weaker on the others. Nash shook his head and fled the scene, soon reaching the south part of the wall. The gate was opened widely, but a burning truck was blocking the way, keeping the insects from entering.
Dead soldiers were lying on the ground in pools of blood, their rifles not too far from them. Nash stopped his bike and laid it against a nearby wall, his mind racing to find a solution. He couldn't stay in the hospital, it would soon be overtaken, but he couldn't leave by the northern side either. From what he had seen of the western side there were no exits, so he guessed there wouldn't be any either on the eastern side. His only hope was to find a way out by the south side, but a truck on fire was blocking the way, making this option also null and void.
Nash's eyes darted to the side, stopping on a dead tank bug, its carapace riddled with holes bleeding green blood, lying not too far from the wall. His curiosity got the better of him and he took the time to observe it better since he hadn't had a good look at them due to all the action. Thankfully, the south side seemed to have endured the insect wave and was currently free from any attacks, the surviving soldiers drinking at their gourds with trembling hands and reloading their rifles with dark expressions.
If there was a time to observe the creature, it was now. Nash walked around it, all the while trying to think of a way to get the hell out of the hospital. The insect, the size of an actual tank, had six thick legs covered in dark chitin, that joined with a similarly armored exoskeleton that gleamed in the sunlight, its massive form resembling a blend of a beetle and an ant. The chitin was dark brown, to be easily confused with mud. The bug's head was a particularly fearsome sight, featuring a pair of enormous compound eyes that glimmered like multifaceted jewels, only they were riddled with bloody holes.
Nash walked next to the bug and touched the chitin, its texture reminiscing of stainless steel but in a warmer manner, more appropriate for a previously alive specimen. It was quite thick and looked also extremely heavy.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
'With that weight, it only makes sense the walls and the metal gate had to give way at some point. Those things could really be named tanks....'
Nash shook his head, before turning toward the soldiers. They were all patching up their wounds or filling their mags with more bullets, some arming themselves with belts of explosives to be thrown onto the next wave of insects. Despite the seemingly undefeatable and infinite enemies, the soldiers had a hopeful glint in their eyes, even though their faces were dark.
They all hoped to survive long enough to be Evacuated, but could only wait for it to reach their spots. A stressful game of survival, where time elongated infinitely as long as it didn't reach the awaited timer. And Nash was at its very end.
'The only way I could fasten this would be to...' Nash dismissed the dark thought that traversed his mind, slapping his cheeks to regain his composure. He couldn't think of such things, she would never approve of it. And if she was indeed gone, he certainly couldn't dirty her memory with such evil thoughts. Instead, his eyes stopped on a long wooden plank that was lying there, probably to be used for some renovation work. Nash looked back and forth between the wall and the plank, judging the size that would be required, before clenching his teeth and picking the plank up.
The young man brought the plank and created an unstable, thin platform that he'd have to drive over to jump up the wall with his motorbike. Since the walls were at least three meters high, that made quite the climb, and quite the long fall. But yet again, he didn't have much of a choice between that and remaining inside the hospital to hope the soldiers would be enough to hold back the unending armies of insects.
Nash climbed back on his bike, revving the engine as the soldiers looked on in bewilderment. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a few seconds, and then opened them again, along with his motorcycle's throttle. He clenched his teeth and drove over the plank at full speed, succeeding in not falling from it, before finally jumping over the wall. What welcomed him behind it was a veritable carpet of dead bugs, ready to help him land. Nash screamed as his bike fell toward a dead tank bug, almost slipping upon contact. He managed to still the bike somehow and drove down the carapace, landing on the ground with a loud noise.
He glanced behind him at the hospital's wall, before checking the Evacuation counter once again.
[Nash Dularfull - Evacuation spot:3 452 791 210/3 452 791 210]
'At this speed, I should be safe once the night has come. Let's go.'
Nash revved his engine and drove off, avoiding the carcasses on the way as he joined the road. There were practically no monsters on the way, aside from a few leftover insects, but they were unable to chase after him. After a few minutes, he arrived on top of a nearby hill, from which he could have a nice point of view over the city. He looked back to the hospital, his blood turning into ice when he witnessed a giant spider-like bug standing over the hospital, shooting webs all over the place.
The young man felt a cold bead of sweat pearl down his forehead, which he promptly wiped off.
'...I can't believe it turned into shit that fast,' He stared in awe, his heart racing at the thought of still being back there. Never had he made such a good decision in so little time.
'Thank the gods I didn't hesitate.'
Nash spent a few minutes resting, his eyes stuck on the blue window and his Evacuation Spot going down little by little.
[3 421 470 347]
[3 381 108 269]
"...Shit," Nash hid his face in his hands, sighing tiredly. It seemed quite safe up here, should he take the time to rest a little? It was true that he hadn't had the time to take a breather ever since the supermarket...
He quickly studied his surroundings, trying to see if there was somewhere he could hide. The hill was a famous tourist spot, but it had been closed due to some renovation, explaining why there were so many construction machines lying around. At least, it didn't look like there were any monsters or humans. If there wasn't the latter, there probably wouldn't be the first either.
It would only be logical to think that monsters are attracted by human concentration, seeing how big of an assault the hospital took on. The objectives of these creatures were very clear, and it was to kill every human they met.
"At least many people were evacuated...How did this all happen?" Nash couldn't help but ponder aloud as he clasped his head in his hands. The young man sat comfortably on his bike, enjoying the temporary peacefulness of the place to think back to everything that happened as well as every announcement the cold voice shouted through his head.
"If I remember correctly, Earth has reached Termination point, whatever that means...It's probably what this mayhem is called, Earth's termination..." Nash theorized, his head leaning backward as he stared at the sky. Soon, the night was going to fall. Hopefully, it would be safer to move around then.
"Human is getting Evacuated by some strange power. And that's assuming it's not just killing every human it's taking away. Heh, if that's the case, I might end up the last human alive on Earth at some point, if I survive until then..." He smiled wryly as he drew his revolver and replaced the single bullet he had used by taking one from his three speed-loaders.
"...I hope I won't have to use the gun. I was really lucky back then..." Nash thought back to said luck, when his mind derived toward Thomas, the friendly soldier that got crushed under the debris of an explosion. Nash still had no idea what the hell could have possibly shot those meteorites back then, and he doubted it originated from those insects. Unless there were some kind of Artillery bugs? Anyway, if his memory was correct, the cold voice had also rang back then, talking about some kind of will...
[Indomitable Will of a Lost World's Fallen Soldier]
A blue window appeared in Nash's eyes without any warning, startling him. There were a few words written in white, the window seemingly inviting him to touch them. Nash's nose creased but he still pressed the words, opening a new blue window.
[Indomitable Will of a Lost World's Fallen Soldier]
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Rank: Unranked (earned outside the Tower)]
[Effect: Barely enhance mind stability]
[Description: "The Fallen Soldier of the Lost World chose to stand up, once again."]
Nash rubbed his chin, lost in thoughts.
"...A passive skill? Is this like a game?" He asked himself since no one present could answer him. Nash, once upon a time, loved playing games, but once he began to work, he simply didn't have the freedom to do so. His energy and time were better spent on other things.
"And what's that? Earned outside the Tower. What does that mean?" Nash pondered aloud, tapping his finger on his chin as he began to find an explanation.
"...Maybe the Evacuation is taking us inside this "Tower", wherever that is? Then, for some reason, perhaps to help me survive until the end of the Evacuation, I earned that skill, Indomitable Will. I doubt it will be of much help, seeing how passive it is, but anything would be worth taking..."
Nash frowned and stepped down from his bike, pushing it to a nearby rock and making it lean against it.
"What I wonder about is how this "skill" is influencing me. Could it change my personality to make my mind stabler? How is this possible...?"
The young man didn't have the time to ponder much longer when a new blue window suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, with the cold voice of the announcer ringing in his ears.
[Warning: Noctus Plague released. Infection rate: 100%. Estimated human losses: 2 457 510 587.]
The warning shook Nash to the core, and he hurriedly pulled up the Evacuation screen.
[Nash Dularfull - Evacuation spot: [3 008 269 475/3 008 269 475]
The blue screen shook slightly, the numbers becoming blurry, before giving a new amount. Nash's eyes widened and he missed a breath, his heart stopping for an instant.
[Evacuation spot: [2 547 134 891/2 547 134 891]
In the instant that it took Nash to listen to the announcement, five hundred million people were killed or Evacuated. And Nash leaned more toward the first instead of the second option. Whatever the Noctus Plague was, it was deadlier than the monsters, or the bugs, or whatever humanity could have encountered since then.
'I need to find a safe spot quickly,' The young man thought, his eyes darting around. He needed to find either something deep underground, or at least something far away to not carry his scent. If the monsters relied on their senses to find humans, he had to find something far enough... He gazed at a nearby abandoned crane and the cabin waiting high in the sky.
"...Fuck me," Nash blurted out, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He shook his head and headed for the crane while pushing his bike, not wanting to risk the noise of the motor to attire any creatures. Before going off, he gave one last glance at the city, avoiding as best he could the giant spider that loomed over the hospital and the web cocoon it was creating around it. There were a few other gigantic monsters he was able to notice, all the sizes of skyscrapers. One was some kind of massive snake with three heads, its scales shining with a purple hue in the setting sun, while the other was a gigantic stone humanoid stone statue with four arms, each armed with hammers of an adapted size.
The city was pretty much lost at this point. Nash's best bet would be to flee to the countryside and hide in a hole for the Evacuation to happen. And that's hoping the countryside is not in an even worse state...
Nash sighed and looked at the crane.
"...It's going to be a long climb."
After forcefully breaking the lock of the ladder with his machete, Nash climbed up to the cabin, his arms burning and his lungs tiredly trying to follow the rhythm. He finally reached the top after twenty minutes of struggle, the young man sitting with his shirt wet with sweat. The sun had touched the horizon in the meanwhile, covering the whole city in a layer of deep, orange light, failing to take away the large clouds of black smoke, the different fires, and the giant creatures populating the city. Nash rubbed his eyes, his arms trembling with pain.
"...This truly is the end of the world," He muttered, before forcing open the cabin's door with his machete and sitting in the driver's seat. It wasn't comfortable, but it would probably be better than sleeping outside with the creatures lurking around. Nash's stomach grumbled with hunger, the young man thinking back to the bag filled with supplies he abandoned back at the hospital. In his confusion, he had taken only the machete and left the bag behind.
"..." The young man's nose creased as his stomach grumbled once again, forcing him to try and look around the cabin for something to eat. There was a small box attached to the wall that he opened to find a few biscuits and a bottle of water, a true lifesaver in his situation. He wolfed down the biscuits and drank the water only once he was finished, to give himself the illusion of a more filled stomach.
"Tomorrow will be another day," He whispered, before closing his eyes and crossing his arms. The exhaustion finally kicked in and Nash fell asleep on the seat, finally resting after all the chaos.
[Nash Dularfull - Evacuation spot: [2 004 109 329/2 004 109 329]