"Hey... hurry!"
"Billy, we found it! The key is here!"
Rebecca wasn't a delicate girl, so she was not bothered by the disgusting smell of the wastewater pool. She worked with all kinds of chemicals every day, so she was used to unpleasant smells. She waved at Billy and excitedly told him that they had found the key.
Billy quickly caught up and saw the key on the ground, enclosed in a thick iron cage. He wasn't stupid. He knew something was wrong. Who would throw the key to a research facility into a dirty pool? And even if they did, why would they cover it with an iron cage? It was a clear trap, but it was so ridiculous. If they didn't want anyone to find the key, why not just destroy it? They were clearly using it as bait to trap anyone who tried to get in. It was a dumb plan, but it was something a bunch of nerds would come up with.
"Rebecca!"
"Wait, don't go down there yet! It might be a trap!" Billy yelled, grabbing Rebecca by her tactical vest. He looked at the wall of the pool and saw a chain device that was similar to the one on the elevator. But this one didn't need a crank. He guessed that this was used to lift the iron cage in the pool.
It seemed that they had to split up again.
"There might be a trap down there," Billy said. "Don't rush to get the key. Rebecca, you take this shotgun and cover me. I'll go and crank the chain."
Billy handed his M1887 shotgun to Rebecca and told her to wait while he checked if anything happened when he lifted the cage.
"Click!"
Rebecca nodded, loaded the shotgun, and pointed it at the pool, just in case any traps were triggered.
"Clink... clink..."
Billy pulled the chain, and the rusty gears started to move. The iron cage in the pool slowly rose, revealing the golden-red key. Rebecca was excited and wanted to go down and get it, but she remembered Billy's warning and held back.
Billy was relieved when nothing happened. He then pulled out his handgun and fired a few shots at the pool's corners, the iron cage, and the key. Nothing happened after all three shots, and Billy started to doubt himself. Was he just being too cautious? Maybe there was no trap after all.
Any trap would have been triggered after those three shots. But what if it was a motion-activated trap? That would be too advanced for 1998. It would also be a hassle to set up.
But while Billy was thinking, Rebecca couldn't wait any longer. She had been waiting for a long time, and no trap had been triggered. She was sure it was safe. She grabbed the shotgun, jumped into the pool, and ran toward the key. The smell was horrible, and she wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She quickly grabbed the key.
"Hey! Billy, there's no trap here. We were just overthinking. Look, I have the key! We can go and meet Javier now."
Rebecca was too focused on getting to Javier that she forgot all her caution.
Billy was relieved to see that Rebecca was okay. He was about to scold her, but he realized that he had been overthinking. As long as she was safe, it didn't matter if there was a trap or not.
But what they didn't know was that a pair of blood-red eyes were watching Rebecca from a dark gate in the pool. It was a "gentleman" who was drooling with greed. He had been waiting for them to jump into the pool. The virus had not dulled its mind. On the contrary, it had honed its predatory instincts. It wouldn't attack until its prey was within its reach. It didn't even react to Billy's gunshots.
After all, has a spider ever given up on its hunt because of the rain? When the rain stops, its web will still be there, waiting for its prey.
And now... "Bang!"
"Clang—!!!"
With a loud bang, the iron gate was violently pushed open and crashed into the wall, turning into a twisted piece of scrap metal. The dark gate was now filled with a crimson light, like the greedy eyes of a beast in the night.
"Hiss!!!"
A loud hiss echoed in the pool. A huge black shadow shot out from the gate. It was dozens of meters long, with a pair of sharp mandibles. Its antennae swayed wildly, and its body was black with a red back. Its steel exoskeleton looked like red shields on its back. The lower part of its body had hundreds of legs, and its steel legs stomped on the ground, making it look like a train.
It was a huge Centipede.
"Rebecca, run!" Billy yelled. If it caught her, she would be torn to pieces in an instant. This centipede was a terrifying meat grinder.
But Billy didn't know that the giant centipede was a "gentleman" who liked to give "hugs." It would never kill a girl instantly.
"Hiss!!!"
Just as Billy had feared, Rebecca was too stunned to move. The centipede was too terrifying for her. It quickly lunged at her, and its front legs grabbed her arms. It then lifted her high up, holding her tightly as if she was a toy.