Shattered Republic (Part 3)

"You have got to be kidding me," Hamilton muttered, pressing the elevator button again. It stayed dead.

"That creature," Jack said, pacing as he glanced nervously around. "It messes with the electronics—lights exploded in the washroom the moment it appeared."

"Nearby then?" Linzy's voice was barely a whisper. "You think it's here, stalking us?"

Jack paused, the grim possibilities stacking in his mind. "It could be. Or maybe it just passed by not long ago. Either way, we're not safe."

"We're only on the second floor," Timothy interjected, shifting Cynthia's limp form over his shoulder. "I can manage the stairs."

"Jack, there's a real chance we'll run into one of those things in a narrow stairwell. It's suicide." Linzy's voice trembled, but she struggled to keep her composure, holding down the rising panic.

"Time isn't on our side, Linzy. The longer we stay put, the higher the odds that thing will find us," Hamilton snapped, barely restraining his own fear.

"Can you still use your fire attack?" Jack turned to Hamilton, ideas beginning to shape in his mind.

Hamilton hesitated, a grim look in his eyes. "One more shot. I can manage one without it killing me."

Jack nodded, his mind settling. "Then one shot is all we'll need. We need anything that can serve as a weapon—anything sharp and sturdy. Hamilton, help us gather what we can."

The group moved quickly, risking a sweep of the offices for anything they could wield. Armed with staplers, scissors and bits of sharp broken furniture, they gathered by the stairwell, where a dimly flickering light cast their faces in an eerie glow.

The staircase descended in a tight, cramped passage, with three sharp turns before the first floor. The narrowness was stifling as they moved down, every sound amplified in the echoing silence. They were halfway down the first turn when the haunting wail of the beast echoed above them.

Linzy closed her eyes and focused, a desperate attempt to silence her pounding heart. Her teammates' fear weighed on her; she had to stay strong. If she broke, the fragile hope holding them together would collapse. She glanced back at Cynthia, still unconscious. Hamilton's eyes were blazing, barely containing his impulse to charge into whatever lay ahead, even if it meant dying in the jaws of a monster.

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"Timothy," she whispered, "are you alright?"

Timothy moved beside her, pulling a wallet from his pocket. "If I don't make it, find my wife. She's at the Army headquarters, in the medical corps. Mention the date Jack was hired if she doesn't want to talk to you."

Linzy took the wallet with trembling hands, barely having time to respond before Hamilton threw a hand in the air, signaling everyone to stop.

The final corner of the stairway loomed ahead. Hamilton edged forward, checking the hallway on the other side. He could just make out the dark figure of a monstrous, wolf-like beast tearing into a body sprawled across the floor. It was too occupied with its kill to notice him, but he knew better than to count on its distraction.

He backed away, breathing hard. "It's out there," he whispered, "right at the end of the hall. Same kind of beast as before."

Jack was silent, staring at the flickering light above them, his mind racing. Then, the familiar voice spoke inside his head, urgent and impatient.

"You have a System, Bossman—use it already!"

Jack stifled a gasp, but his voice came out louder than he intended. Hamilton's eyes widened as he shot him a fierce look, his pulse skyrocketing as he peered back around the corner. The beast had stopped eating the human corpses, its head raised, sniffing the air. Slowly, it began to move toward them, every step closer unleashing waves of terror.

Luckily for the gang, one of the people that it had been eating tried to move. The noise was enough to draw in the monster and it forgot all about them.

The voice in Jack's head persisted. "Without your System, you're all going to die."

The translucent screen flickered before him.

[

Personal Attributes:

Strength - Level 2 Speed - Level 3 Durability - Level 1 Stamina - Level 1

Talents:

Rejuvenation - Stage 1, Level 1 Perception - Max Level

]

Jack's hands shook as he quickly assessed his abilities. "We need a plan," he said, forcing his mind to clear. "I'll draw it into the hallway. The passage is narrow, and if we time it perfectly, Hamilton can take it down with a hit right to the head."

"Are you insane?" Timothy's voice was a hoarse whisper. "You'll get yourself killed, and we'll be trapped."

"You will take cover behind the desks at the far end of the hall," Hamilton suggested, the desperation in his voice tinged with a sliver of optimism. "If you're careful, you might slip past."

With silent dread, they watched Timothy half-carry Cynthia and lead Linzy behind the row of desks. Hamilton clapped Jack on the shoulder, a glimmer of grim determination in his eyes. "It's now or never. We either win or die trying."

Jack felt a rush of determination fill his chest as he and Hamilton took position. Timothy stumbled slightly under Cynthia's weight, but they reached cover unnoticed. The beast was too busy dragging its latest victim closer.

Jack took a deep breath, his voice barely a whisper. "One chance."

Hamilton nodded, his hands charged with the smoldering energy of his attack, ready to unleash Raging Furnace. If they failed, the beast would tear them apart.

Every second dragged as they watched the creature, its jaws snapping at flesh, every sound it made tightening the noose of terror around their hearts. Jack braced himself. It was do or die.