Alister
We move quickly through the hallways of the underground facility. The shrill blare of the alarm still echoes in our ears, a constant reminder that we're on borrowed time. Every step feels like a countdown.
The gun in my hand is still warm from having to shoot down three staff members we encountered on the way. But atleast we got a few more guns and ammo.
Zach moves faster than I've ever seen him, despite his usually carefree nature. Scanning every corner and checking every shadow.
"Monster...everyone's a monster." Simon mumbles close to me, looking as pale and traumatized. His wide eyes dart around like a deer's at every sound. He did manage to shoot someone in the leg back there—surprised himself more than the guy he hit—but he looks like he wants to drop everything and curl up in the nearest corner.
I told him if he does, I'm going to let Steph take care of him. So naturally, he's pushing through the fear and discomfort because the girl who shoved a metal pipe down someone's throat while grinning is not someone you want handling your breakdown. He'd rather brave a firefight than her version of comfort.
Steph brings up the rear with a smirk on her lips, betraying how much she's enjoying everything. Her eyes are wild, constantly looking for another excuse to sink her fists—or a pipe—into someone. She walks like a wolf at the edge of a hunt, twitchy with energy and hunger. Crazy antics aside, she holds her own just fine.
The hallways stretch endlessly. Identical cold, gray walls making it easy to lose track of direction. Pipes run along the ceiling like exposed veins, hissing occasionally as they release bursts of hot steam. There are no signs. No maps. Just a maze built to trap us.
"Let's grab someone and force them to tell us a way or find a control room of sorts." Zach suggests, looking back at us.
Simon's eyes dart around the corridors, thinking fast. "Well, security rooms are usually somewhere central. Near a hub, where they can monitor everything at once."
As we round another corner, I catch sight of the cameras—damn it, they're still watching. Cameras are at every intersection. They'll guide the staff right to us.
We can't let them.
I raise my gun and fire. The first camera shatters, sparks flying as it dies. I pivot and take out the second.
"Isn't that just telling them exactly where we are?" Simon shouts between breaths.
"They already know we're here." I reply, reloading. "Now they don't know which way we're going."
Without live footage, security will have to spread their forces out to cover multiple hallways instead of tracking us directly. It's a risk, but it's better than leading big numbers straight to us.
We sprint down the hallway as we hear shouting and footsteps. Coming fast.
"Behind us!" Simon yells.
I whip around just as a group of three staff rounds the corner—armed and ready.
They open fire.
I dive sideways as bullets whiz past. The others scatter. Steph yanks Simon behind cover behind a wall. Zach dodges and surges forward like a human battering ram.
I shoot one in the leg while another ducks behind a crate, trying to line up a shot.
Zach reaches the third guy and barrels into him. Smashing his fist into the man's face. The man, blood trickling down his nose and lips, collapses unconscious before he hits the ground.
I shoot at the hidden guy, aiming his gun at Steph but end up missing. However, the bullet hitting the wall mere inches from his face was enough to momentarily rattle him.
And that was all Step needed as she moved fast and closes in. The guy swings the pistol at her, but she sidesteps, grabs the attacker's wrist, and twists. The man screams as he drops his weapon. She then pierces his chest with the metal pipe she seems to prefer over the gun at her waistband.
Once it's over, I grab a radio his belt and switch it off before reinforcements can check in.
"Ugh, where's the damn control room?" Steph demands before looking at Simon.
He frowns. "I don't know! I haven't exactly been given a tour of this place!"
She walks over and kneels next to the guy I shot in the leg, grabbing his collar and pressing him against the wall. "Where's the other girl being kept? And here's the exit?" she demands.
The man lets out a weak laugh. "You're dead. You know that?"
Behind us, the sound of boots pounding against the floor grows louder. They're almost here.
Simon curses under his breath. "We need to move."
Zach glances down the hallway, then back at the struggling man. "Storage room." he says urgently. The room we inspected on the way here.
Without hesitation, Zach grabs the man by the shirt and drags him along with us towards that room. We haul him inside, and I slam the door shut behind us. The small space is lined with crates and shelves stacked with supplies. I shove the man up to a stack of boxes, leaning him against the wall. "Now, where's the control room?"
His eyes narrow defiantly. "Go to hell." he spits.
Zach steps forward, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You're only making it harder on yourself. Just tell us." Steph grabs the man's injured leg and presses down. Hard. He lets out a strangled cry, jerking against the wall.
The sound of boots approaches from down the hall. I can hear them—closer. Too close. The man tries to make a noise, but Zach covers his mouth with a hand, holding it tight to stop him from yelling out.
I reach down, finding a wallet in one of his pockets.
Inside, tucked behind his ID badge, is a photo. A woman and a little girl, smiling. The edges are worn, like he keeps it with him all the time.
I hold it up so he can see. "Nice family."
He stares at the photo, and fear bleeds into his features.
I lean in, lowering my voice. "If you don't start talking, I'll make sure your kid grows up without both parents once I get out of here. Assuming I won't kill her too that is."
His eyes dart nervously around, but he's still holding out, refusing to speak. I can hear Leora chuckling in the background, but I ignore her.
Then, after a long silence, his shoulders sag. "Two straight hallways, one left. Past the medical ward," he says in a defeated tone. "Reinforced doors, but there's an override panel outside."
"Where's the other girl? A blond one, brought in with us." I press.
He shakes his head. "I—I don't know." he stammers. "I don't know where she is. I—I heard she was in the torture room 8A in the northern wing, but she escaped, okay? She escaped! I don't know anything else!"
Zach's gaze flicks to me, and I catch the discomfort in his eyes.
Zach presses on, trying to regain control of the situation. "Where's the exit?"
The man swallows hard. "The freight elevator, West sector." he says quickly. "But it's locked down tight. Too many security measures."
Zach and I exchange a glance. The west sector is in the opposite direction of where Clara's supposed to be.
I toss his wallet onto his lap. "We're done here then." I say stepping away.
Zach grabs the man's collar and slams his head back against the wall with brutal efficiency. He slumps, unconscious, before he even hits the floor.
Simon pushes past us and opens the storage room door. "The coast is clear." he calls, and we slip back into the hallways.
"There's a camera ahead." Leora warns as I look towards the end of the hallway. I close my eyes for a second, feeling if my energy is back. If I'll be able to use my power again.
It's there. I need to preserve it for later.
I shoot the cameras and they they shatter, but the sound of my gunfire is like a flare going off in the dark.
"They're coming." Leora warns. We push forward, feet pounding against the floor.
The last hallway stretches ahead. My pulse is steady, but the moment I step out, I see them—at least ten staff already waiting outside the control room, rifles in hand.
They were expecting us. Of course.
I subtly gesture behind me, telling the others to halt, to stay hidden in the hallway's cover.
"Drop the guns." the woman in the front orders. My fingers loosen around the weapons, letting them drop, and I raise my hands.
"Fine, I surrender."
But they don't lower their weapons.
"Where are the others?" one of them barks.
I close my eyes, taking a slow step forward. The power inside me stirs, like something alive, coiling and twisting beneath my skin.
"Taking care of the guys in the back."
"Move out!" one of them orders, and just as a few of them begin to shift, I open my eyes.
Their movements stall. I know what they're seeing. One of them inhales sharply. "Your eyes..."
That's all he manages to say before I tilt my fingers back, like plucking invisible strings in the air. The weapons rip from their hands in an instant and hover for a fraction of a second in midair.
My fingers tighten. The triggers pull and gunfire erupts.
Bullets tear through them before they can react. Their bodies jerk, collapsing to the floor one by one. Blood splatters against the grey walls, staining them deep crimson.
And then, silence.
The acrid scent of gunpowder lingers in the air. I exhale, but the moment I do, a sharp pain lances through my chest. My body stiffens, and then comes the familiar coppery taste. I wipe my mouth with the back of my sleeve, ignoring the throbbing in my ribs.
"It's clear." I call over my shoulder.
"How have you not fainted yet?" Steph steps out from the hallway, eyeing the blood on my sleeve. "You've been throwing up blood like a damn water fountain."
"It stops working whenever my body reaches its limit." I mutter, watching Simon kneel and rummage through one of their pockets. After a few tense seconds, he pulls out a keycard.
"This is it!" he exclaims, stepping up to the control room's security panel.
He swipes the card. The panel blinks green, and the door hisses as it slides open.
A sudden bullet whizzes past Simon's head, close enough that he flinches, eyes wide with terror. It slams into the wall behind him.
He stumbles backward, nearly dropping the keycard.
"Shit!" Zach runs over, pulling out of the open doorway.
I move too and raise my gun, aiming for the guard inside.
I fire, but the shot misses, hitting the wall behind him. The guard flinches but doesn't stop. He pivots, his gun already locking onto me.
I use my ability again and pull the gun forcefully away from his grip, throwing it back over my head into the hallway.
This time, my aim is true. The bullet punches through his chest. He gasps, slamming against the console before crumpling to the floor.
But there's still one more. I barely throw myself aside in time before the other guard shoots at me. Bullets rip through the air where I stood a second ago. When it goes quiet, Steph rushes inside in a flash. She slides across the floor, kicking the gun out of his hands before slamming her foot into his stomach. I raise my gun again and shoot, causing his body to slump to the ground as red blooms from the hole in his chest.
"Hurry and block the door." I swallow the coppery taste in my mouth.
Simon does so before moving towards the main console. The security feeds fill the wall of monitors with vivid footage of hallway intersections, important rooms, and certain corridors. His fingers move fast, bypassing restrictions and checking the screens.
While Zach drags the guard's bodies to the side, Steph's gaze flicks to his arm. Blood seeps through a tear in his sleeve. The place where a bullet grazed his skin. She exhales sharply before crouching beside the dead guard, yanking his tie free.
"Arm." she says, holding the tie out.
Zach blinks at her, then the tie before waving her off. "Relax, it doesn't even hurt. It'll seal up—"
"I wasn't asking." She grabs his wrist before he can protest. He tenses but doesn't pull away as she lifts his arm and starts wrapping the tie around his bicep. "And there's something called an infection, flower boy." she smirks, securing the knot. His eyes twiches, and he frowns at the nickname, clearly not fond of it. His gaze, anywhere but at her.
"Do you see Clara?" I ask Simon. His eyes dart across the different feeds, switching cameras at a near-frantic pace.
Then, he stops. "There! Northern wing, Hallway C-10."
I squint at the screen, my blurred vision making the image hazy—but I can still make out the shape of someone scurrying in a hallway. The familiar light hair peeking through a blue cap and the figure that's burned into my memory.
Clara.
She moves with purposeful strides, pistols clutched in both hands, looking tense and alert. She's also wearing the staff member's clothing.
Then, suddenly, she pivots, raises a pistol, and fires. The screen bursts into static.
Simon flinches. "She just shot the camera."
I let out a short chuckle. A slow grin tugs at my lips along with warmth flooding inside me. "Of course she did."
"She's heading west." Simon continues, eyes darting between feeds. "Looks like she's trying to find a way out, but—" He pauses. "There's a group sweeping in from Hallway C-12. If she keeps going, she's gonna run straight into them."
Before I can say anything, he reaches for the radio on the fallen guard's belt and a scrap of paper from the desk. Scribbling something down, he pushes it towards me. "Say this exactly."
I take the note, clear my throat, and press the button. "All units, urgent. This is the security unit. The escapees have been spotted in the eastern sector, Hallway E-4. Move all available staff there immediately."
A voice crackles afterwards. "Copy that. Moving now."
We watch from the screen as the staff move away from Clara's location and away from the exit.
Simon smirks, rolling his shoulders. "Alright. Let's erase everything." His fingers blur over the keyboard. He starts disabling the security system and alarms. Then, one by one, the cameras across the facility go dark, their feeds cutting out until the entire grid is nothing but black squares. "It's too bad our flash drive got taken away. We were going to get all that juicy information about them."
I push away from the desk. "Once he's done. All of you get out of here."
Three pairs of eyes snap to me.
Steph frowns. "Wait, what?"
"I'll go get Clara," I say firmly. "The exit's clear now. You, Simon, and Zach need to leave while you still can before they realize something's wrong."
With the state I'm in, It's becoming difficult to keep Simon safe AND keep an eye on everyone. Too many people to look after. If they can get out of here, get our stuff from the cabin, and get the car ready, that'd be better.
Zach's eyes darken. "That's a dumb plan."
"No, it's the safest one." I tighten my grip on my guns.
He crosses his arms. "Okay, but who's gonna save you?"
I narrow my eyes. "I don't need saving."
"Yeah? Could've fooled me." He smirks, gesturing at my bloodstained sleeve. "You're barely standing, Alister. You think you can keep fighting like this? I'm coming with you. Don't try to stop me." His tone is just as stubborn as he cracks his knuckles. "One punch is all it'll take for me to knock you out. Is that what you want? To stay unconscious through all this?"
The heck is he talking about? How would knocking me out help in anything? It'll just be more weight to carry, and it's gonna slow them down. Does he seriously think he sounds intimidating?
I groan and roll my eyes. "Fine. You can tag along."
Stephanie still looks furious, but she gives in. "You two better not die."
Zach grins. "Wouldn't dream of it.
We listen carefully as Simon explains the directions, before picking up the guards guns.
"Wait!" Steph yells. I freeze as she picks up the pipe and swings it toward the nearest monitor, with a big smile. The glass shatters, sending fragments flying across the room.
"What the hell are you doing?!" I shout.
Once she's done, she wipes the sweat off her forehead. "We can't leave anything for them to use. If we're gonna clear our tracks, we have to make sure they can't recover anything."
As soon as Steph and Simon leave, Zach and I break into a sprint into the opposite direction.
The corridors stretch ahead in a seemingly endless maze of overhead lights and identical steel doors. "Slow down," he says suddenly, grabbing my arm and dragging me to a corner.
I open my mouth to question, but a second later, heavy boots echo towards the hall we were just in. Shadows stretch across the walls as a group of armed staff members strides past, guns at the ready. Then, just as quickly as they came, they disappear down another corridor. Zach nods, and we're moving again—turn, hallway, another turn—until the sharp clang of a door to our left slams open.
An armed staff stands at the threshold, eyes widening the second he sees us. His hand flies toward his sidearm.
Zach doesn't give him the chance.
He launches forward like a released spring, slamming into the man's chest. They hit the floor, the air leaving their lungs in synchronized grunts. The gun falls out of reach as it skids across the tiles.
They roll twice with Zach landing on top. The man lashes out, fist catching Zach in the side of the jaw, causing him to twist the man's wrist until it cracks and screams erupt. Zach hand clamps down over the man's throat, not hard enough to kill, just enough to hold. The man gags, struggling under the weight.
And then I see it. His mouth parting, just slightly. Eyes darkening as he stares at the man's neck. I see the moment instinct kicks in. And it's taking everything in him not to give in. It's then that I know for certain that everything Lev found out about him was true.
"Don't you dare." I snap, stepping toward them. Zach doesn't look up. "I don't care if you're a cannibal." I continue coldly. "But at least have some common sense to remember that people investigate bite marks."
The moment I shoot the man, blood splattering all over Zach, he jolts, blinking hard like waking from a fever dream. He begins to stand up with clenched fists. "I'm not a cannibal." He wipes the blood from his cheek. "I've never eaten a human."
I stare at him for a moment, then usher him to move. "Then keep it that way." Seeing as how he was holding himself back there, I might believe him. But then again… I don't believe he's never tasted human flesh. You don't crave something like that unless you've had a bite. Just one. That kind of hunger isn't theoretical. It's remembered.
And Lev's description of him, devouring raw flesh like he'd been starved for days, with blood covering his mouth, didn't exactly paint a positive picture.
After a few moments of silence, Zach glances at me. "I figured you knew. Saw a crow watching my place a while back. Should've guessed you sent them."
I don't answer and grunt as he chuckles. "I think Steph undersold it when she called you weird. I mean, who keeps acting normal when they think their best friend is a cannibal?"
"For the last freaking time. We are not best friends." Also, Stephanie is the last person who should be calling anyone weird.
We slip into the shadows of a narrow alcove to the left as two armed staff, deep in conversation, pass. When I realise they are talking about heading to the exit, I raise my gun and quickly shoot them both in the back.
Once the coast is clear, Zach tilts his head. "By the way… does—"
"I don't care about your personal problems." I cut him off as I move. "I just want to get Clara and leave this place as quickly as possible."
He doesn't respond. Finally. I need him focused. And more importantly. I need him under control.