Before walking briskly away, throwing one last warning glare, ensuring neither moved.
As they went, the strange emotion bubbled once again in his chest.
Anger boiled internally.
He wanted answers, an explanation of what Erojium is, as his veins throbbed furiously against his temple.
"Get a grip Ser." The girl scolded harshly, slapping him square across his right cheek, sending him staggering forward dazed and stunned.
"You aren't alone in this." She hissed bitterly while clenching her tiny fists, slamming the sides of her forearms across his ribcage, drawing out a strangled groan and gasp, and he fell backward against a pillar, nearly tumbling down.
"Listen to what I am saying damnit, please listen." She implored tearfully, lowering her tone now. "Everything will be fine."
"So," Seren paused for a moment, licking his dry lips nervously.
"We should probably get ready to leave for that lab, right?"
"Yeah, probably." she muttered sarcastically and smirked lightly, showing the slightest glint of amusement.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed sharply around them.
Followed by several others.
Soon, shouts and screams sounded off from the other side of the courtyard.
"What's going on?! What's happening?!" Seren demanded, reaching for his blaster instinctively, holding it steady in one hand while keeping the other on his hip.
Another bloodcurdling wail pierced their eardrums.
"Fuck!! Hurry, we have no time." The girl urged him, gripping him by his collar, urging him along the path.
Seren cursed loudly, hurrying along the narrow stone bridge.
Behind him, a sudden rustle of leaves caught his attention, causing him to whirl around.
A tall figure clad in a black coat emerged from the foliage.
"Who the hell are you?! Answer me!!"
"Salvation." The stranger cackled insanely, unsheathing a wickedly curved blade from beneath his robes.
"Ser, keep moving!"
"But... all these people, we cannot leave all of them." he growled through gritted teeth, turning his attention back towards his pursuer.
"Now is not the time, run!" Anne begged, grasping his arm and pulling him onward.
The two raced along the uneven cobblestones and rubble, panting raggedly and sweating profusely, occasionally glancing over their shoulders to check on their assailant.
"Shit. We need to find Marcus quickly!"
"Do not worry, I'm here. You both were late, so I searched for the two of you instead,"
he quipped, his broad features creased in a concerned frown, raising an eyebrow and then eyeing the approaching specter with unease.
"This man seems unhinged. Are we going to run, or confront him first?"
Marcus weighed his options carefully and chose the latter.
"No time! Just hurry."
"Wait, shouldn't we defend the camp or something? Protect those who cannot defend themselves?"
Then, they all heard a bloodcurdling scream, a second cloaked individual appeared. They began to make their way over to Lana's cabin.
"Fucking bastards." Marcus huffed.
Anne froze, her heart pounding fiercely, and her pupils constricting until her irises resembled tiny specks against the whites of her eyes. She could hear a low, guttural snarl emanating from behind the cluster of trees where she had last seen the creatures.
"LANA! THEY ARE GOING AFTER LANA!"
The stranger charged straight ahead, his wicked blade whirling gracefully in his left hand, his long cloak fluttering wildly behind him, creating a dramatic flourish.
Her movements were jerky, her knees knocking together, and her jaw clenched, trying to remain calm. But deep down, she couldn't suppress the panic and fear rising in her throat, threatening to escape in a series of uncontrollable sobs.
She tried to breathe normally.
"CALM DOWN, SER. Please stay here. Stay alert."
Her body trembled.
"Keep your breathing even. Stay focused."
"FROZEN CATACLYSM!" One of the figures cried out as a wide-area of ice spikes erupted around the area, impaling multiple survivors, including Lana.
Blood spurted.
"I will create a new world in my image."
Anne gasped, the sickening realization hitting her, her arms splayed stiffly at her sides, a mixture of surprise, disbelief, and sheer terror evident upon her delicate features. She scrambled desperately away from the scene unfolding before her.
It couldn't be true.
She shook her head vigorously.
"NO, IT CAN'T BE..."
Seren's expression darkened, his chest tightening and a burning rage rising within.
"WE CAN'T FIGHT WHATEVER THAT IS; WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE GUYS!"
He glanced frantically at the stranger's retreating figure.
"Pity. Those fools, always clinging onto their miserable little existences. Don't they realize that there is no freedom that lies beyond their tiny, petty imaginations?"
He snorted derisively, as he ripped a book off of Lana's body and began to walk away.
"How ironic, yet utterly poetic, that the universe itself would be the ultimate test for these insignificant beings."
"Not that it matters anymore, not after their dear planet becomes a forgotten relic."
The stranger's words were cryptic and filled with a kind of demented malice, twisting Anne's innards like a knot of despair and agony.
She felt like vomiting.
In that brief flash of agonizing confusion and revulsion, Seren snapped back into action, grabbing Anne's arm and beginning to run away.
And just as suddenly as the attack had begun, the stranger disappeared, leaving behind a trail of destruction and devastation in its wake.
Anne turned, her cheeks flushed red with fury and disgust. Her fists curled tightly, digging her nails painfully into the soft flesh of her palms, and a vile taste rose in her throat.
The scene before them was utter chaos, littered with corpses.
"Oh my god."
Seren and the rest had frozen in absolute horror.
The three of them ran over to Lana, their faces pale with the shock and horror of what had happened.
"Is she dead?" Anne asked hesitantly.
"Yes, unfortunately."
Anne gazed sadly at the motionless form of Lana and felt her entire being fill with a dull ache, a sharp, piercing pain that clawed at her heart, her soul.
With a shuddering sigh, her shoulders drooped, and her muscles gave out, collapsing on the ground, staring vacantly at the crimson sky.
"What did she do to deserve something like this...?" she questioned weakly.
Seren laid a reassuring hand on her trembling shoulder.
"She was an innocent, trying to help us survive."
His gaze flickered briefly between the fallen scientist and their surroundings.
"We have to remember what they've done. This is not a place to mourn. There are still threats. We must continue to move forward." Marcus commanded.