Slatewell Safe Zone Orphanage

Granite City

Isabelle was floating in darkness. She was conscious. Only, she couldn't see nor could she think straight. She laid on the roof of the orphanage, spiraling. She could hear the fighting around her. She could smell blood and death all around. Yet, she couldn't focus on any of it.

The only clear view Isabelle had was of three bars in the upper left of her vision.

The green bar was half full and rising consistently. The red bar was a third full and sitting steady. And the last bar was empty and the only reason she knew it should be there was because it used to be blue.

The empty bar blinked with a red light repeatedly.

A familiar window opened in her vision repeatedly, but she could never focus on it.

Isabelle didn't know how long it was before her vision came back. Before it had, someone had pulled her onto their lap and was cradling her head gently.

As her eyes opened, Isabelle saw a blonde woman looking down at her.

"Are you awake now?" The woman asked softly.

Despite the fighting around them, Isabelle could hear her. She nodded.

"You...you're Kit, right?" Isabelle asked.

The woman smiled as softly as she spoke and nodded. "I am. Did you watch my stream before, or?"

Isabelle sat up, a shot of pain coursing from her brain and down her body. She pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Careful now. You froze and began to fall. A Monster almost crushed your head before we got it off you. It was a close one." Kit said.

That explained why Isabelle's health points were so low. It took her a minute but she spoke, gritting her teeth.

"I bottomed out my mana and took too many mana chips today. I'll be fine."

Are you sure?

"Are you sure?"

Cody and Kit asked at the same time.

Despite the pain, the devastation, and the panic, Isabelle laughed.

"Yes, you two. I'm fine. I promise." Isabelle gestured to her own forehead and Kit nodded knowingly.

"Great minds think a like." Kit said and smiled.

Isabelle took a deep breath and made herself relax. It was a full minute before she could stand again. Kit helped her up.

They watched as Brick and Joy downed the last Monster on the roof for the moment. They would have gotten in the way if they tried to help, so they used the down time to catch their breath. Isabelle was starting to feel a bit better every second.

Note for later, Cody. Never bottom out my mana after consuming so many Chips. Isabelle thought.

Cody's chat box popped into view once more.

It has been noted. We do have Lore on the matter. However...

Locked, right? I could have guessed.

The window disappeared as quickly as it came. Isabelle and Cody had agreed early on to keep her vision clear while Monsters were nearby. She briefly opened the countdown timer.

00:36:24

"I don't know how we have survived this long, but damn, we are good." Brick said, cutting through Isabelle's thoughts as the others closed in on her.

The three others on the roof were each watching different edges of the building. No Monsters moved nearby.

"Hell yeah, we are!"Joy said loudly. She raised an open palm.

Brick turned and gave her a high five. He smiled widely.

"Are you sure you don't know Jut better than you say?"

Joy giggled. "No. I only met him today. I've been...casually seeing his friend for a while though." Joy said, her cheeks turning a soft pink.

Kit spun on Joy, looking excited. "How long exactly?"

To Isabelle's surprise, she was curious too. She didn't even know anyone here very well. They were all tangentially connected by Jut in some way. She put that thought on the back burner too as she listened.

With the group's attention all turned to her, Joy blushed harder.

"Pre-System. We had gone on a few dates. That's all." Joy waved her hands defensively. Then she smiled. "He's always giving high-fives though."

"So is Jut." Brick said. "Nerds." He added with a laugh.

Then everyone laughed too. Isabelle was pretty open about liking nerdy people and those who also liked them. Heck, she was a nerd at heart too.

"Alright, let's all rest and keep watch. More Monsters could show up at anytime. We could try to leave but I barricaded the stairs. It'll be safe to stay here until the lock down." Brick said, once again cutting into the moment.

They all fell silent and watched around them. The screams and sounds of fighting around the orphanage had disappeared. They each went to a different edge and looked out, keeping an eye on things.

Isabelle was looking south. She could barely see the smoke in the night that came from bright fires around the Safe Zone. Corpses of people and Monsters were scattered everywhere she looked. She had to turn away. It was just too much.

The view Isabelle turned to was almost worse. At least, it was more confusing.

Kit was directly across from her. The flicker of a fire a few buildings away illuminated her. Her long blonde hair fluttered behind her as she carefully watched the street below. She was very beautiful, even disheveled and battle worn.

That's when Isabelle asked herself why. Why did she harbor any negative emotions towards this woman? Why was she green with envy and jealousy? She didn't even know Jut very well. So what if they were dating now? Sure, he was a brave man who had saved her life. But, hadn't she saved his at least once too? While good looking, he was the kind who didn't care about his appearance which was in complete opposition to her own personality. She didn't even really know what he did for a living before the crash.

Isabelle wasn't even supposed to be here. She had only been in town for a three day photo shoot. This wasn't where her life was. Why did she let it get to her so badly?

Isabelle looked away just before Kit glanced back at her. She had probably felt her stare.

The world ended. I would think acting out of character is acceptable during traumatic events.

Isabelle blinked and read Cody's message again a few times.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

That's true. Thanks, Cody. Isabelle thought. She made up her mind then and there. She would head West and find Annabeth. Her twin. Isabelle missed her deeply. After things settled down, she would figure out what she would need to do to get to her sister.

If it meant learning to fight and killing Monsters, Isabelle would do it. She had until the end of the lock down to make a plan and start executing it. Maybe Brick, Jut and Kit would teach her if she asked?

"Are you doing better now?" Kit asked her, standing right in front of Isabelle.

It made Isabelle jump in surprise. The woman had just appeared out of nowhere. Maybe she had just lost herself too deeply in thought.

"I'm sorry. Didn't mean to spook you." Kit said with a chuckle.

Isabelle smiled and nodded to Kit. "You're good. I was just...thinking." She glanced at the street for movement. Seeing none, she looked back at Kit. She was standing loosely nearby, also glancing at her own edge of the building every now and then.

"Need to unload? Or is it about something better saved for during lock down?" Kit asked. She sat next to Isabelle on the edge of the building.

Isabelle shrugged. "It's nothing important now. Thanks though." The next few minutes were awkward for Isabelle. Why is she sitting so close to me?

Cody's window appeared.

Maybe she's just nice?

Maybe... Isabelle thinks back. After the silence becomes too heavy, Isabelle looks over at Kit.

"So... how are things... you know, with Jut?" Isabelle asked, hoping she didn't sound awkward or nosy.

Kit lit up like a Christmas tree, smiling. "Great. Well... as great as they can be during the end of the world, at least. We somehow always get interrupted whenever we plan to go out though. Today was supposed to be our first date. It was... fun. Until all of this..." Kit said, gesturing around them.

"I can see why that would suck. I'm sorry you had to come out here to rescue us." Isabelle said, honestly feeling a little bad that their date had ended with a Monster wave.

"Oh, it's not your fault. Even if you were still at your regular station, Jut would have sent us out here anyway."

Isabelle felt her face turn incredulous. "Wait. Jut sent you all out here, not the Safe Zone staff?"

Kit nodded. "Yep. It was the very first thing he thought of, the orphanage and Ms. Magatha. He would be here but he said he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the mission, or some such none sense." Kit explained with a small embarrassed chuckle. Kit looked at Isabelle, still blushing. "How do you know Jut?"

Before Isabelle could process the question, she let her thoughts turn dark. Why would the Safe Zone not send help to an orphanage full of children? Why did it take a hunter, on their own volition, to organize the rescue effort? Wasn't that Adam Slatewell's job? Once her mind managed to trip on Kit's question, the woman was looking at her curiously.

"Oh. Well, we met at the mall..." Isabelle said before she gave Kit a lightly detailed summary of how she met Jut.

"Pfft. Figures that man would be an unsung hero." Kit said, shaking her head. "Brick did go over that a little during the awards assembly."

The two continued to talk, the conversation changing to Prime, streaming, and a little about what they wanted to happen after the lock down. Despite her desire to hate this woman who had swooped in a scooped up the first man Isabelle had been interested in over the last few years, she found that she enjoyed talking to Kit. The woman was a great listener and easy to get along with. It made Isabelle partially mad, but mostly happy. It had been a long time since she had a woman to talk to who didn't either work for her, or was her sister.

"I don't know. I'm normally very confident. Somehow, whenever I'm around him though, my tongue gets mixed up, it feels heavy and my thoughts get jumbled up." Kit said after the conversation had swung back around.

"Well. As his friend, and hopefully yours now too, I am glad you two were able to reconnect." Isabelle said, trying to not feel defeated.

"Aww. Thanks. And yeah. We are friends now." Kit said, giving Isabelle a side hug which made Isabelle tense up for a moment. "You know, Jut told me all about you."

"He did? What did he say?" Isabelle squeaked, her face burning.

"Oh, just how you're like the best healer on the Zone and how you always berate him for his lack of self care." Kit said with a reassuring smile. Then her face went serious and she leaned in and hugged Isabelle fiercely.

"What... what's this for?" Isabelle asked, hugging the woman back.

Kit's voice was low, soft, and filled with gratitude. "I wanted to thank you. I remember Jut saying you saved his life shortly after he arrived here." She pulled back and smiled warmly at Isabelle, still holding her hands lightly. "Without you, I would never have been able to meet up with him again."

Before Isabelle could say anything, Brick's voice cut through to her. "Head's up ladies, we have incoming."

Both Isabelle and Kit stood and looked around for the Monsters they knew were coming.

Over Brick's side of the building, a Cat Monster landed on the edge. A Scorpion Monster climbed up over Joy's edge of the building, and with a rumbling sound that was followed by the stack of corpses by the door exploding outward, a couple Minotaur rushed out. They were surrounded. It took only a few moments for all four of the humans to gather around each other and cover each other's backs.

The other three seemed to pin Isabelle between themselves. She wanted to be angry, but she didn't have a weapon and at best could fire one, maybe two mana bolts at the Monsters before she would bottom out again. She started to regret her manic healing episode from earlier in the day. She vowed she wouldn't be useless here.

Brick stepped forward and took on both Minotaur at the same time. Every time they tried to step past him, Brick would strike at them with his shield or club.

The Cat Monster leaped at the group of women, but Joy was faster. Her fist started to glow before she smashed it into the cat in mid-air. The force of her strike sent the Monster back over the edge. They could hear a bone shattering crash a moment later.

Kit had disappeared. Isabelle looked around for her frantically as the Scorpion rushed at her. Then, Kit reappeared on the Scorpion's back, both of her kitchen knives sinking deeply into the creatures carapace. Before the Monster could fall to the ground, Kit was gone again, disappearing into nothing.

Joy took over fighting one of the Minotaur. She would weave in and out of the beasts attacks before landing a blow on the Monster's middle.

The Minotaur Brick was fighting had gotten the upper hand on the man. It's club clipped the edge of Brick's shield and knocked it out of the way.

Oh no you don't. Isabelle thought. She lined her right palm up with the Monster's face and activated her attack skill.

Skill Mana Bolt Rank Basic Type Spell Cost Low Mana Cast Time 1 Second Cool Down 5 Seconds Duration Instant Range 5 Meters Effect You concentrate your mana into your palm then fire it it forward with force, dealing magical damage to the target.

The blue bolt of condensed mana rocketed forward and struck the Minotaur who was about to kill Brick in the face. It roared and stopped moving, clutching its face in pain.

Brick laughed aloud. "Thank you, healer lady." He said before he landed a club strike against the Minotaur's jaw, knocking the creature down. He moved forward and proceeded to finish off the Monster.

A feminine scream made Isabelle spin around. Joy and her Minotaur had moved outside the edge of the Safe Zone and were on the far edge of the building. Joy was on her back, one of her hands raised as if she could catch the incoming club strike that would surely crush her to death.

Isabelle raised her palm and concentrated, but her hand only flickered. The cool down was over, but she just didn't have enough mana to fire the blast. Her vision was swimming and clouding over. Cody's chat box appeared.

You need at least four more seconds to fire another blast. Maybe six.

Damn it all. That will be too late. Isabelle screamed at herself mentally as she tried to move towards the fight. She knew she wouldn't make it. Neither would Brick.

In a ripple, Kit appeared on the Monster's shoulders before she sank her knives into the beast's neck. The Minotaur reared back and swiped at Kit. Unlike before, she was unable to get away. She did vanish, but the Minotaur caught her by her arm and flung her forward and over the side of the building.

Isabelle didn't even notice she was screaming as she ran across the roof. The Minotaur bent forward as Joy struck the Monster in the gut. Then, instead of anything else, Isabelle shoulder checked the Minotaur. It was off balance enough that her tackle forced the beast off the edge of the building.

Isabelle watched it fall as she looked around for Kit. She found her and almost let out a breath of relief. Kit was hanging from one of her knives which she had rammed into the wall with all of her might. Even as Isabelle saw her, the knife slid down and Kit almost fell.

"Take care of him for me, will you?" Kit said, defeated. She was unable to pull herself up.

No way is she going to fall! Isabelle roared to herself as she leaned down and managed to grab Kit's wrist. "Oh no. He is your problem now." She said breathlessly.

Despite the peril, both women chuckled. With all of her strength, Isabelle managed to pull Kit up just far enough that the woman could grab onto the edge of the building.

Isabelle fell onto her butt, panting deeply. Kit was no better as she managed to get over the edge of the wall. She too slumped near Isabelle.

"Thanks." Kit said. "You're everybody's hero now."

Kit's eye widened at the same time as Isabelle's when the latter received another popup message from Cody.

GET OVER THE BARRIER LINE NOW! LOCK DOWN IS MOMENTS AWAY.

Isabelle scrambled and rushed until she felt the Safe Zone barrier pass over her. She allowed herself to collapse. When she looked up her breath hitched. A mana blue wave was tracing itself down the barrier, making it solid. The rush of magic passed by until all Isabelle could see was blue. There was a darker blue shape on the other side. It had to be Kit. She hadn't made it.

Isabelle stood and pounded against the very solid and impassible barrier. "No! No! No!" Isabelle screamed and pounded on the barrier more with both fists. Each time she connected, the barrier sparked and hissed.

All Isabelle could do is watch as the shape that was Kit disappeared before an even more monstrous, dark shape took it's place before disappearing as well.