Florence dropped to the floor with her hands over her head. The bullets cracked through the air, shattering the glass wall behind her. Shards scattered down to the street below.

Screams rang.

One of the blankets lifted into the air, wrapping around Phonograph-Face. She stumbled backward, knocking into one of the beds where a patient resting on it whimpered.

Aisling aimed the pistol at Cluck Norris, aligning the front and rear sight to his head. She pulled the trigger. But an empty click echoed from the pistol in her hands. Her eyes widened, looking at the gun that she held.

Cluck Norris growled, jumping into the air. He tucked his hands under his armpits, flapping his arms. His talons stretched out, swiping it towards Aisling.

Aisling hopped backwards. The front of her hospital gown ripped. She tripped over her foot, tumbling towards a patient behind her.

“Watch it,” Florence said. She grabbed Aisling on the wrist, inches away from her, crashing into the patient.

A sharp claw shredded through Florence’s back. She groaned, gritting her teeth. Her nerves shrieked. Blood trickled down her skin.

Aisling leaned forward, slamming her foot on the floor. She enveloped her arms around Florence.

A gawk sounded next to Florence’s ear.

A yellow blur flashed past Florence, rustling her hair.

Aisling choked, coughing out loud. She clawed at her throat, trying to pull away the Cluck Norris’s toes around her neck. Florence and Aisling got lifted into the air, leaving their feet dangling. Aisling swayed her legs back and forth.

Florence glanced over her shoulder, staring into Cluck Norris’s gaping maw as he flapped his arms. She swung her elbow towards him.

He tilted his chicken head, dodging the strike. He growled, pecking her on the back of her skull.

She jerked her head forward, gritting her teeth.

“A… little help… here… would be kinda nice,” Aisling said. She smiled, sinking her nails into Florence. “Pretty please?”

“Pardon me, what does it look like I am trying to do?” Florence asked.

“How am I supposed… to know? Am I a mind—”

Cluck Norris smashed Aisling into the ceiling, shattering the light bulbs. The glass clattered across the floor, and the wires cracked with electricity.

Aisling coughed, slamming her foot on Cluck Norris’s beak. Cluck Norris jerked his head back, stopping the flapping of his arms.

Florence, Aisling, and Cluck Norris plummeted, slamming onto the floor. The bed next to them shuddered.

A hell of bullets ripped through the blankets wrapped around Phonograph-Face, flying over Florence. The lead thudded on any surfaces it came into contact with, shattering the remaining glass walls around them.

Florence closed her eyes, placing her hands over her head and nape. The shards scattered across the room.

A knuckle cracked on her face, sending her sliding across the floor. She blinked, opening her eyes.

Phonograph-Face tripped backward, falling onto the shards.

A muffled rustle sounded beside Florence.

She turned around.

Aisling sat on top of Cluck Norris, pinning down his wrist. She swayed side to side as he thrashed around on the floor. His chicken feet smacked onto the bed railing with a clank. He growled, pecking her on the forehead.

A scream escaped her throat. She retracted her arms from Cluck Norris, releasing her grip on him.

He headbutted her in the face.

Her body flew across the room, slamming into Florence with a thump.

Florence groaned, pushing the back of her hand onto her unkempt blond hair.

Phonograph-Face pulled the blanket wrapped around her, aiming at Florence and Aisling. Then Phonograph-Face kneeled, aligning the front and rear sight, pushing the butt of her rifle into the pocket of her shoulder. She inhaled and exhaled, resting her index finger on the trigger.

Florence gulped, raising her hands up.

Aisling grabbed Florence in her hospital gown. Together, they rolled out of sight, hiding behind one of the beds where the patient rested.

“Pardon me, what are you doing?” Florence asked.

Aisling tilted her head. “Saving our lives. Isn’t that kinda obvious?”

“You are put—”

“I know. I’m just making—”

A click rang.

“Yup,” Aisling said. “I’ll kinda deal with that phonograph, and you get that chicken.”

Florence raised her eyebrow. “But—”

Aisling hopped over the bed, breezing towards Phonograph-Face and tackling her down.

A gawk reverberated next to Florence’s ear. Florence bit her lips, turning her head toward that sound. Her heart jumped out of her chest. A chill ran down her spine. Inches in front of her face, she stared at the beak snapping at her.

Cluck Norris flapped his arms, ascending up to the ceiling.

Florence leaped back with her bottom thudding on the floor. She scrambled back through the fractured glass wall, sliding into the other patient’s room.

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A blur zoomed in, smashing into her. Cluck Norris’s talons sank into Florence’s shoulder.

Florence grunted, gritting her teeth. The blood leaked out from her fresh stab wounds, soaking into her hospital gown. Her vision blurred.

In a blink, Aisling appeared behind Cluck Norris. She held a rifle in her head, cracking the butt over his head.

His eyes rolled behind his head. He thudded onto the floor, lying flat with his tongue sticking out. His nails pulled out of Florence.

Aisling stretched her hand out to Florence.

“That was… how should I put this?” Florence asked. She reached for Aisling, grabbing onto her wrist. “Pardon me, what did you do this time?”

“You’re asking me that? You can kinda see it for yourself,” Aisling said. Blood flowed out of her nostrils. She helped Florence back onto her feet.

Florence turned her head.

Phonograph-Face lay on the floor in front of the metal door. The disc was smashed, leaving behind fragments on her body. Not a single finger or limb moved.

“Did you… you know?” Florence raised her eyebrow. She pointed at Phonograph-Face.

Aisling smiled, massaging her shoulder with a rifle. “Are you gonna tell anyone about this?”

“What if I do?”

“You know what would kinda happen?”

Aisling wiped the blood off her face. She laughed, cupping her mouth.

“I will absolutely not tell anyone about what you did here,” Florence said.

Aisling breezed out of the room, stepping over the broken glass. She entered into the corridor, dragging Florence along.

The lighting flicked on the ceiling.

Those snags shivered on the floor as the building shook.

Florence and Aisling stumbled, tripping over their own feet. Their heads smacked against the metal door.

A buzz rang in her ear canal.

Florence blinked, rubbing her temple. A tug on her arm pulled her onto her feet. She shook her head, clearing up her vision. She pressed lacerations on her shoulders, stopping the bleeding.

“We’ve gotta go, now.” Aisling coughed, clenching her chest. Her arm wrapped around Florence. “I… Which way is it again?”

“I see why you constantly refuse to come here,” Florence said.

“That’s not even the start of it. We still kinda have to pay nine quadrillion dollars for the healing serum given to us.”

“Terrible service… Pardon me, did you say something in quadrillion?”

“Yup, sure thing, grandma.”

Florence and Aisling tiptoed down the corridor. Gunshots sounded behind them.

They wheeled around.

An electrical blue and flashes of orange reflected on the glass walls. The air crackled.

Aisling stumbled back, dragging Florence.

“Pardon me, are there more of them?” Florence asked.

Aisling shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? Yup, of course, there would be more.”

She tugged Florence, breezing farther down the corridor.

Bang.

A bullet scathed Florence’s cheek.

Florence dropped on the floor with a thud, cracking her nose. Blood oozed out from the wound on her face.

Aisling kicked down one of the metal doors, pushing Florence into another patient room. Then, she hopped in and slammed the door shut behind her.

“What’re you doing here, pleb?” someone asked in a deep bloke voice.

“Nope, it should be me asking that,” Aisling said.

Florence looked up, rubbing her eyes. In front of her, Lucy rested on one of the patient beds as she patted Sam, who was sitting on her lap. Despite that, those burn scars ran down from her chin to her neck and forearms.

Sam hissed. “Wait a second, are you plebs trying to get me fired again?”

“You kinda got yourself fired last time.” Aisling pointed at herself. “So, why’re you blaming that on us?”

“How… How do you know me?” Lucy’s cheeks flushed.

“Pardon me, since when do hospitals allow patients to drink giggle juice?” Florence asked.

“Giggle, what now?” Sam meowed, licking his fur. “Did you escape an insane asylum or what?”

Aisling glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes widened.

Sam’s pupil dilated as his tongue stuck out.

Aisling pushed Florence onto the floor.

Gunshots rang outside of the room.

Lucy hugged Sam, rolling off the mattress away from the metal door.

The glass wall shattered behind them, scattering the shards into the room. Bullets whizzed over Florence, Aisling, Sam, and Lucy.

Florence and Aislingc crawled under the bed, hiding from the barrage.

The fragments cracked under the NPC’s goat hooves.

A click echoed.

Aisling jabbed Florence on the side. Immediately, Florence turned her head towards Aisling.

Aisling pointed at herself and then at Florence, swinging the rifle at the approaching NPC.

Florence shook her head.

The mattress squeaked.

Florence and Aisling froze.

From the corner of Florence’s eyes, the NPC… no… Holland crouched down, glaring at Florence and Aisling.

Holland bleated. She pushed the butt of the shotgun into her shoulder pocket, aiming the barrel at Florence and Aisling.

Florence and Aisling screamed, scrambling backward until the bed was no longer above their head. They shot up to their feet with their hands raised up.

Leads flew between Florence’s legs, thudding on the floor.

A shiver ran up Florence. She jumped, vibrating the bone within her body.

“Put that gun down,” Holland said.

Aisling threw the rifle onto the bed. “Well, it’s kinda—”

“I didn’t ask for your opinion.”

“Weren’t you supposed—”

Lucy hiccuped.

An eerie silence floated through the air. Florence, Aisling, and Holland turned their heads towards Lucy, who was cuddling Sam in the corner of the room.

“Hi… sorry,” Lucy said. She waved her hands.

“Apologizes, she is a bit drunk… I think,” Florence said.

Lucy yelped.

Aisling tilted her head. “Wait, what?”

“Okay, could all of you stop yapping here?” Holland held in the action release button, pumping the slide backward, then forwards. “So, any last words?”

“Pardon me, are you supposed to be getting those medical supplies?” Florence asked.

Cluck Norris limped through the corridor, stopping in front of the room that Florence was in. He heaved, pressing his palms on his knees. The shards cracked under his chicken feet.

Holland glanced over her shoulder. “What’s it now?”

“We’ve got to go now,” Cluck Norris said.

“Were you not trying to kill us a moment ago?” Florence asked.

“Did we get what we’re looking for, my fella?” Holland bleated, scratching her hooves on the floor. “Or is it really that difficult to find?”

“No, it’s even worse,” Cluck Norris said. “They’re—”

A ray of electricity burned through him. He fell onto his knees. His head thumped onto the floor. His pupils dilated.

Holland wheeled around. “Cluck Norris?”

But instead, an eerie silence filled with the stomping of metal boots followed within the corridor.

Aisling lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Holland’s neck.

Holland gasped.

Bang.

Bullets thudded onto the ceiling, smashing the light bulbs.

Other patients within the room screamed.

“Do not do it here,” Florence said.

“What are you going to do? Ground us?” Holland asked. She grabbed onto Aisling’s hooded shirt, tossing her across the room.

Aisling groaned as she slammed into the floor.

Suddenly, a company of pink androids rushed down the corridor. A few of them stepped into the room where Florence was. The pink androids’ rifle charged with energy aiming at her…