Zeus pushed Phil behind the display as the shots started to ring out, then he dived behind with her. The bullet pinged and zinged off of the metal in front of them.

"Zeus, what are we going to do? That's the only way out." Phil said.

Zeus peered around the corner to get his bearings. Marcella and Minnie were behind a display in the store across the way, and Junior was hiding in the fountain with his head as far down as it could go without drowning him. The Alliance marines were being pinned by gunfire as they tried to protect the civilians and fire at the incoming Wights at the same time.

"Who's build a shopping district with only one exit?" Zeus muttered, then retreated back before getting shot in the head. "Alright, Phil, I need to get over to Junior. You need to get over to Marcella. Alright?"

Phil nodded, and readied herself for a sprint. Zeus rose his hand, counting the bullets and the seconds between them flying. Zeus sprang forward and rocketed towards Junior at high speed, then hit the statue with his back. He watched Phil leap over a bench and roll into the store with Marcella and Minnie.

"Are you alright, Junior?" Zeus asked. Junior looked up at him, a little afraid, but he nodded. Zeus smiled reassuringly to him. "I need you to keep being brave. I'm going to distract them, and you're going to go over to Marcella. Keep your head down and don't stop running. Promise?"

"I promise."

Zeus slid up the statue to stand, then turned around into a Wight. The Wight pushed Zeus into the statue again with one hand, and pulled it's other hand back. Zeus headbutted the Wight, but it only had the effect of harming Zeus.

"Ah... metal, right..."

The Wight's fist connected with Zeus's ribcage, and he felt some of them crack. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then pulled his handgun from his holster and fired a hat trick, point blank into the Wight. The Wight fell out of the fountain, and Zeus fell into the water of the fountain.

"Ugh... Junior..."

Zeus looked over the fountain's edge and saw Junior in the store with the others. Then he fell on his back and his vision blurred.

Phil saw Zeus go down in the fountain. If he had fallen face first, they didn't have long before he drowned.

"Marcella, Zeus is down! We need to help him!"

"I'm busy!" Marcella said, firing at the Wights with her rifle.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Minnie shook her head and looked at Zeus in the fountain. She pushed the button on her wrist so she could speak. "He can be re-cloned, we cannot. We must focus on-"

"NO!" Phil said, then ran outside the store. As she ran, her arms started to ripple and bulge from something her emotions was letting out. The Wight over Zeus's body looked at Phil as she ran over.

"Threat detected: Kl-"

It said nothing more as Phil rammed into it and smashed through the fountain. Phil's arms grew protruding parts and her arms clawed, then she sliced through the Wight's armour and flesh. She felt bullets on her skin and she ignored them. Phil picked up Zeus and ran back towards the store. She slid into cover as her body reverted back to normal, and she passed out.

Marcella was the only one not reacting to what Phil just did, firing at the Wights. "Stop gawking, we need to move!"

"Marcie, I can't carry them," Junior said. "I'm not strong enough."

"Merde" Marcella muttered, then tossed the gun to Junior. "Then you're covering us, kid. Only option. Minnie, pick up Zeus, I've got the mutant."

Marcella lifted Phil over her shoulders like a pig, and Minnie lifted Zeus up with his arm over her shoulder. Junior looked down at the gun, then started tweaking the gun's settings, adding pieces from his toolkit.

"Come on, kid!" Marcella said as Junior dropped the gun. A jet activated and the gun, floating, flew out and started firing at the Wights outside. Junior started leading the way, and the two women behind him carrying the tired and wounded ran after him.

Enyo and Tartarus rounded the corner as Junior, Marcella and Minnie ran past them towards the ship.

"Oh, good, they escaped," Enyo said cheerfully. "Time to go then."

Tartarus noted the unconscious bodies of Zeus and Phil. His HUD gave him the diagnosis for Zeus. Cracked ribs, a little internal bleeding... He'd be fine if they could get him to Epione, wherever she was.

"Time to go," Tartarus agreed. Bullets came from the direction Marcella and the others had run from, and Tartarus knelt down and fired back.

"Take them to the shuttle bay, now!" Tartarus said.

Epione crouched behind the car with Dionysus and Riley. Ahead was a single Wight, and they were not prepared for it. Gunn was unconscious, their gun had very little ammunition left, and none of them were particularly combat-ready. Epione's eyes hardened as she held on to the rifle.

"You two need to get Gunn back to the ship, now. I'll distract it."

"Epione, it will kill you," Dionysus whispered.

"It won't. You need to move once I have it's attention. Ok?"

Dionysus nodded sadly. Riley was tuning this all out and running on autopilot.

"Now."

Epione stood up and fired at the Wight with one of her last bullets, running to the office nearby. The Wight focused on her and fired it's gun automatically and started walking towards her. As it moved, Dionysus and Riley hoisted Gunn and went in the direction of the hangar bays, hoping that Epione would be alright.

Epione flipped a table and sat behind it as the Wight entered the office. It knew where she was, it knew she couldn't win. But she had something it didn't know.

Epione stood and fired again, this time aiming at it's throat. The bullet pierced the Wight's jugular and it fell back, choking on it's own blood. It fired a volley of bullets as it went down, but it was very dead. Epione felt a bullet graze her cheek, and she felt the tears burn her eyes from the pain.

What did she know? She was a medical professional. She knew anatomy.

"I'm so glad I made that shot," Epione said, her voice cracking. "Thank you, Gunn..."

With that, Epione ran after Dionysus and Riley.