Above her head, William and Claire were leading the ascent. The gunshots from above were gone, replaced by a tumultuous rumble of human voices, muffled as they traveled down the elevator shaft. Some kind of big argument was happening up there. And Lilian was in the middle of it.
Nora could only imagine what her sister could be going through. Alone, surrounded by people she didn’t know or felt comfortable with. Roaring firearms, violent screams… It was a world of hostility, one where she didn’t belong.
Perhaps her mind wasn’t even able to process any of it. The voice Nora was hearing inside her head kept fading in and out, incoherent and dizzy.
She steeled her resolve, and kept climbing up, one rung at a time. Some seconds later, her forehead bumped against something. Claire had stopped climbing.
“Ow!”
“W-What’s that sound…?” asked Claire, looking towards the elevator doors by her side.
“I hear it too.” said William, further up.
Nora noticed what they were talking about. Banging, coming from the deep darkness of the hospital, along with lethargic, sorrowful wails.
“It’s the nest!” Marcus’ voice came from somewhere near the bottom of the shaft.
“N-Nest…?” asked Nora, confused. “What is he talking about?”
“Keep climbing up, hurry! The basement won’t be safe for long!”
“I fucking new it!” William’s voice sounded angry. “I knew this would happen!”
They resumed climbing, at an accelerated pace. A nest? There was a nest inside the hospital? Nora hadn’t heard about such a thing, and for some reason, it felt like she was the only one who didn’t. She felt her heart sinking with dread, beating faster and faster with every rung she climbed.
However, she wasn’t willing to sit down and cower. Not anymore. She had reached a conclusion, she had a goal in mind. It was too late to turn around.
‘Sis, I’m here…! I’m coming. Don’t listen to the noise. Listen to me instead. Focus on my voice. I’m coming. It’s gonna be okay.’
…
As the group reached the top floors, the ongoing argument became louder and clearer. They followed the source of the voices through the hallways, until they approached one of the hospital’s many waiting rooms.
William lifted his hand, prompting the group to stop just before reaching the doorframe. Nora watched as he pulled out his pocket mirror and used it to take a peek inside. Meanwhile, the altercation continued.
“Would you please lower your weapons already!?”
“Like hell I will!! Keep getting in the way and you’ll get a bullet too!!”
“Enough!! This infighting will get us nowhere!”
“Matthew’s head is in fucking pieces out there!!! And these retards want to stay still!?”
“I’m telling you, this has to be a misunderstanding!!!” Nora recognized Stella’s voice among the bickering.
“T-The truck…!! One of the military trucks is headed right towards us!!!” another voice, which sounded more distant than the others. “They’re coming!!”
Panicked screaming filled the room, followed by more gunshots.
“Aim for the tires!! Don’t let them get closer!!”
William withdrew the mirror and turned around towards the rest of the group, concerned.
“I could describe the scene to you, but I think you get the idea already…” he whispered. The sound of the firearms masked his voice. “What do we do now?”
“I’ve had enough!! Stop!! You’re putting us all in danger!!” shouted Stella.
“Don’t you dare point that at me, bitch!!”
“Stop this…!”
“I said, don’t aim at me!!”
“Don’t make me shoot you! You better believe I will, asshole!!”
*Bang!!*
“Aaagh…!!” Stella let out a pained squeal.
…
“What the fuck are you doing!!? You shot her!!”
“I’m willing to bet she’s with them! Fuck you!!”
“You motherfu—!!”
In a matter of seconds, all hell broke loose. With her back to the wall, Nora could feel the vibrations from the bullet impacts. People fled the area in droves, seeking safety. Stella’s comrades abandoned all subtlety and stormed the waiting room, weapons in hand, driven by their fierce loyalty.
“You guys…! What…!?” Stella’s voice could barely be heard over the noise.
Marcus ran forward, stepping out of hiding and exposing himself. After a quick visual inspection, he saw something that made him enter the room in a rush. William made eye contact with Claire and Nora, and gave them a sign to stay put.
“Stella!! Are you alright!?” yelled Marcus.
Nora kept listening.
“Marcus…! Damn it… I’ll be okay. Listen, the Army is here! One of our own got killed and a fight broke out, but something feels wrong about it…! Ugh…!”
“Shut it, we need to stop this bleeding!”
“Leave me be, I’ll be alright!”
“No way! Hang in there for a moment!”
Marcus came back out of the room, narrowly dodging a stray bullet.
“I don’t get it…! Why are they shooting each other!?” asked Claire, crouching behind Nora.
“They are in complete panic, that’s why!” said Marcus. “Listen, I’ll stay here to try and get things back under control. You guys go on ahead, Lilian should be somewhere on this floor. Nora… Can you find her?”
She nodded.
“Then go. She probably needs you, doesn’t she?”
“Yes…”
“Hurry!” he said, before rushing back into the waiting room.
Claire and William stared at her. Neither said anything, but it was clear they were both waiting for her lead.
…
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
‘Okay, breathe, focus… Lilian, can you hear me? Please, say something…’
[*mumbling*]
‘…that way.’
******
“Graaaah!!!” with a decisive kick to the chest, [Donovan] pushed his opponent away.
The man was sent flying by the force of the impact, towards the elevator doors behind him. Not meant to withstand such forces, they gave way.
He stared as the man disappeared into the darkness of the shaft, with a distressed scream that faded away into nothingness in less than a second. There were some echoing noises as his body plummeted down, ending in a loud, distant thud.
[Donovan] was panting. With the fight over, adrenaline was quickly replaced by exhaustion. He held his damaged left arm, bleeding from a deep gash. He was bruised all over, but his arm had taken the worst beating.
‘Shit… I need to apply first aid…’
He sat down in a nearby room, and grabbed some bandages from one of his pockets. While he worked on the wound, he got to thinking.
He had heard the gunshots coming from the other side of the hospital. PT-01 had given the order, which meant they now took him for dead.
His loyalty to the mission was unwavering. As mercenaries, they had a job to do, and they had been paid an absurd amount of money for it. In that sense, their lives held little to no meaning. However, that didn’t mean he was willing to give up on living for no reason.
‘I’ll finish my part of the plan, and then I’ll meet up with PT-04 and 05. They should still be on standby in the vicinity…’
He finished treating his injuries, stumbled back up, and hurried in the direction of Julien’s quarters.
…
He pushed the door open. There was nobody inside, at least not in plain view. Julien himself must had gone somewhere else, which was actually a good thing. His absence would make everything easier.
He walked into the room, and soon spotted what he was looking for. Laying on the bed, in a visible daze, covering her ears with her hands.
‘She seems to be overwhelmed and stressed, and it’s no wonder why. She must be hearing the crowds approaching her from all directions. Things we can’t even comprehend or perceive…’
“It sure sucks to be you…” he said, sitting in a nearby chair.
…
Before long, the door opened again, and a very anxious Julien barged in.
“You…!” he said as soon as he saw him.
“You seem to be having a rough time.” replied [Donovan], which was ironic, since he was covered in bruises himself. “We told you this would happen, didn’t we?”
“…what are you doing here?”
“My job, as simple as that. The girl must remain safe at all costs. I thought you’d understand that already.”
“Yes… but I’m afraid that responsibility doesn’t belong to you.”
“…excuse me?”
Julien composed himself, and almost looked unsettlingly arrogant and confident when he grabbed something from the pocket of his jacket. A mobile phone, clearly modified with electric components.
‘…!?’
[Donovan]’s eyes opened wide, and he lunged towards the girl. He lifted her hoodie, revealing a belt of tubular containers strapped around her abdomen. The tubes were crudely interconnected with wiring.
‘This is… an improvised explosive device…!? Is he insane!?’
“I’d advice you to step away from her. Hand her over.” ordered Julien.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“You were right, you know? We all share similar goals. I want to get out of this mess alive, and you want to get the girl out alive. I’m just making sure you keep your end of the bargain. Now, I hope you can read the situation. It’d be a shame if something startled me and I accidentally turned this phone on…”
Without breaking eye contact, [Donovan] stepped back, away from Lilian, allowing Julien to approach her. The girl let herself be pulled out of the bed, then out of the room, offering no resistance.
He followed them outside, keeping a cautious distance.
‘Shit… This is a problem. I need to find an opening to get him…’
“I hope you’re aware there’s nowhere to go right now. You’re trapped in here, like everyone else.” said [Donovan].
“Nonsense. You people surely have a way to get the girl out of the city. And if you can get her out, you can get me out as well. We’ll leave this hospital, then you’ll lead the way.”
Wrong. There was no way they would be able to escape the hospital without the Army noticing. The whole idea behind the operation was to thin their forces as much as possible and then let the girl fall into their hands, along with the remaining survivors. Everything else would go smoothly from that point onwards.
Julien played no role in the final outcome. He wasn’t meant to survive the incident in the first place. Unfortunately, he had taken preventive measures.
Julien walked backwards towards a nearby lobby, headed towards the hospital’s entrance. He didn’t take his eyes off [Donovan] for even an instant.
There were some people around, but nobody intervened. Scared gazes, keeping a low profile in order to stay away from the ongoing spree of violence. They weren’t a threat, which was convenient.
As Julien was halfway across the lobby, a new group of people emerged from one of the doorways.
“You…!!! Stop right there!!” screamed a male voice. Short black hair, beard, decent physique. He wore civilian clothing, but [Donovan] was able to spot a protective vest under his jacket. He carried an assault rifle.
He was followed by two women, one of which was also armed.
‘Those are a threat.’
Julien gasped when he saw them, and he raised his cellphone. At the same time, he lifted Lilian’s hoodie, exposing her explosive belt.
“Wha—!?” the newcomers seemed to get the idea.
“Aaah… Mr. William, was it? And of course, the ladies as well… Somehow, I figured you’d still be around. It was too good to be true. But it makes no difference. I’m out of here.” said Julien.
“C-Coward…!!! Let her go, you sick bastard!!” one of the women, the smaller one of the two, aimed a gun at him. Her shaking limbs indicated severe hesitation. She didn’t look willing to open fire.
“Lilian!! Sis, I’m here…!!! Can you hear me!!? Leave her alone, please…!!!” said the other woman.
Julien momentarily let go of Lilian, and reached under his clothes, pulling out his own gun. With his other hand still threatening to detonate the explosives, he opened fire on the group. His aim was disastrous.
“Watch out!!!”
The group took cover behind nearby furniture.
“I’m afraid I couldn’t care less about your requests at this point. As I said, I’m leaving this place.”
“Do you even understand what’s going on!? There’s shamblers converging on this building from all over the place! And you plan to go out there on your own!?” yelled the man from behind his cover. “Besides, if the shamblers don’t get you, the soldiers will! You have no chance of getting out of this one, Julien! And if you kill her, you’re dead too! You’re fucked no matter what you do! Stop this bullshit already! What do you hope to accomplish!?”
“There’s no point in reasoning with him!” one of the women attempted to peek over her cover, only to be met with more gunfire.
Julien was still keeping an eye on [Donovan], but his attention was now more focused on those strangers. They were a blessing in disguise. At some point, that gun was going to run out of bullets. That single moment might be all he needed to get his hands on the detonator.
“…nnnnhng…” a subtle moaning was audible among the rest of the voices.
Lilian was starting to groan, as if in pain. She stared at the floor, with a scared look on her face.
“…mmmngh…! …mmnnmmh…!”
“What’s the deal with her now…?” Julien was confused. Without letting go of the gun, he placed his hand on her shoulder and gave her a slight shake.
With languid movements, she turned around to face him, and went directly for his hand.
“Ah!!!” Julien reacted quickly, barely avoiding her bite.
His retaliation was immediate. He bashed her head with the back of his hand, with additional inertia thanks to the pistol’s weight, knocking her down to the floor. She began weeping bitterly, without moving.
“Little shit!!” he cursed.
“S-Stop!!! Leave her alone!!!” “Lilian, no…!! Please, don’t hurt her…!!!”
“Silence!!” he opened fire again.
‘This… is bad news.’
It wasn’t aggression, but self-defense. The girl’s negative reaction had probably been caused by the stressful situation she was being exposed to. However, no matter how badly she reacted, there were lines that shouldn’t be crossed.
Of all the instructions Prometheus had been given, there was one rule that stood above all others: never harm the queen.
******
The voice of the queen was loud and clear.
For what seemed like an eternity, they yearned for her attention. They yearned for her guidance. They yearned for her love.
But what they heard was none of those things.
It was pain. Fear. Distress.
[Help. It hurts. Help. It hurts. Help. It hurts.]
The colony was drawn to the disturbance, slowly dragging itself towards it. Disturbances in the order of the hive wouldn’t be tolerated. However, this wasn’t a disturbance anymore. The threat was now tangible, more real than it had ever been.
The sun shined down on them with full force, but the colony didn’t care. Feeding could wait.
The queen was in danger. The queen was suffering.
The colony screamed in silence, as their veins lit up in ominous blue.
******
“Prometheus, this is PT-04!! This is an emergency!! Do you copy!!?”
“This is PT-01, what’s happening?”
“The praetorian is acting up!! What’s going on over there!!?”
“We have the enemy following our tracks, and we’ve got no intel on the hospital. PT-04 and 05, you were supposed to keep the praetorian on standby, under sedatives and inhibitors.”
“W-We did! But they aren’t working anymore!”
“What do you mean they aren’t working…?”
“Oh, shit!!! It’s breaking free!!! 05, r-retreat!! Fuck!!! Aaaaa—!!!”
All that remained was radio static. PT-01 sighed.
“HQ, this is PT-01. We have an issue.”