《The Second Impact》 I : HEaven has faLLen The sky was just like a thick blanket of ashes hovering approximate 6 to 8 miles or so from the frigid ground, leaving a few opening for the sunlight to sneak in. The sunlight shone through the irregular holes of the thick layer of ashes, lying on the tiled floor of the street like heaven''s light. The street is a skeleton, stripped of its flesh long ago by the despair that swarmed the world just like locust. All that remains was the concrete structures themselves, no glass, no wood, nothing the scavengers could use. Even the street-lamps had been cut down and dragged away along with the trees. The wind was howling like some horror movie opener and the surrounding that didn''t blessed by sunlight was as dark as night. There were no animals and no people. Newspapers tumbled around the asphalt as if caught in invisible laundry machines. ¡°Bang!!!¡± A loud sound broke the eternal silence. ¡° What''s that sound?! ¡± ¡° Get down! Do you want to get killed! ¡± Two cloaked men crouch down among the tangled foliage. One of them was armed with M4A1 mounting the M320 grenade launcher, another one beside him undid the flap of his holster and drew his revolver. ¡° Victor, give me the binocular, quick! ¡± said the man who was holding his revolver tightly as preparing to pull it out anytime and blow someone''s head. Victor passed the binocular to him. ¡° Pow! Pow! Pow! ¡± ¡° Bang! ¡­.....Bang! ¡± The sound following after the gunshots was the melody of echo circling the whole abandoned city. ¡° zzz...B....zz....Bla...z...Blake! Blake, can u hear me? Looks like someone is fighting straight ahead. I think it is best to avoid any face-to-face encounter with them. Over! ¡± The message was transmitted from Blake''s Walkie-Talkie. ¡° Roger that, heading north. Over! ¡± said Blake while putting down his revolver. ¡° Let''s meet up with Jayce. Move! Move! Move! ¡± The street laid before them was a river of abandoned cars, rusting out as time flies. They took cover behind a rusty yellow school bus after a short sprint. At this moment, a cloaked and masked man jogged towards them slowly and quietly. ¡° What took you guys so long? ¡± said the masked man. ¡° Analyze the path, sprint between covers, minimize exposure to snipers...come on....standard procedures, Jayce. ¡± said Blake confidently. ¡° Ok...ok, anyway, let''s keep moving. ¡± Jayce squatted down and moved between the vehicles that provided absolute protection from any possible gunshots. Blake and Victor followed him step by step with fully alert about the surrounding. ¡° Bang! ¡± The eternal silence was being broken once again as the bullet screamed out of the gun. ¡° Fuckkkkk! Ahhhh......ahhhhh! ¡± Victor was screaming in agony as the hard, cold, evil lump of metal penetrated in his chest. His scarlet blood spilled out like a fountain and soon he was lying in a pool of blood, moaning. ¡° Shit! Jayce, cover me! Suppressing fire! ¡± Blake rushed to Victor in the act of suppressing fire onto the enemy. Blake pulled Victor harshly towards the nearest car and helped him leant against it. ¡° There are enemy sniper on the rooftop! ¡± ¡° Bang! ¡± The bullet hit the front mirror of the car where Blake and Victor were hiding. ¡° Clink ¡± The mirror cracked, broke violently into small pieces. ¡° Pow! Pow! Pow! ¡± Jayce returned fire. Blake felt acute, short-term pain started suddenly on his shoulder, following a chronic pain lasted for a longer period of time. Through a small pellet of water spitting on his shoulder, the familiar sensation were brought to his attention. He lifted his head up just a bit. ¡° It''s raining! ¡± Blake shouted. ¡° Oh my god! Not now... ¡± said Victor weakly. ¡° We have to move! There is a supermarket in front of us! Sprint towards it at full speed! ¡± Blake commanded the other two. ¡° Give me your hand. ¡± Blake pulled Victor''s left arm around his neck and helped him to rise to his feet. ¡° Enemy in sight, two, 1 o''clock! ¡± Jayce shouted nervously. ¡° Ignore them! Let the rain do the job. Run! Run! Run! ¡± Three of them ran towards the entrance of the supermarket that seem had been blown up years ago, covered with overgrown creeper. The surrounding was gloomy due to the lack of sunlight, they can barely see the path in front of them to prevent themselves from falling down. The sound of gunshots never stopped. The blind and heartless bullets slipped through their cheek as in an action movie scene.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. They heard the sound of the rain impinging upon the earth as soon as they entered the supermarket. The rain was pouring down, soaking everything with its grey droplets. It sounded like the heavens were knocking on the door, roof and window panes. However, there was some noises disturbing the symphony of the rain, it was the terrible scream of people. ¡° Looks like they didn''t make it to a shelter. ¡± said Blake calmly. ¡° God bless them... ¡± mumbled Jayce while assisting Victor to deal with his wound. Two cloaked men were rolling on the ground almost 17 feet from the front door of supermarket they hid in. They screamed in agony as if the rain was swallowing them. Their clothes began to corrode, leaving their skin exposed to the rain, corroding, it took just a few seconds to make their skin melt like an ice-cream exposed under the sunshine of summer. Soon enough, no scream was heard, they laid there, face down, never moved again. ¡° May you find your redemption after the baptism of acid rain. Amen. ¡± prayed Jayce. ¡° Damn, why you feel sorry about them. They just tried to kill us! They even shot me! ¡± said Victor loudly. ¡° It is not their fault, I believe that they are also out of supplies, starving. They also strive to survive in this demonic world or...hell... ¡± said Jayce while continuing his prayer. ¡° So basically you are telling us to give them our food and water out of pity, sitting still waiting to get killed?! ¡± Victor said angrily. ¡° I didn''t mean that! I just want to say that everyone has the right to survive! ¡± Jayce replied. ¡° Maybe we can even save them if we lend them a hand! They don''t have to die! ¡± said Jayce desperately. ¡° Screw your logic, you still think you can save everyone? We are living in hell! It''s kill or be killed! ¡± Victor scolded Jayce. ¡° Saving someone will just end up digging your own grave. Remember how Janson died, he died saving your Carol! What has Carol ever done for us? She is such a burden! Her kindness kills Janson! Janson''s kindness also kills himself! Why does he sacrifice himself to save your Carol who just can''t let go of a dog! ¡± shouted Victor uncontrollable. ¡° Don''t you fucking drag Carol into this!¡± Jayce grasped Victor''s cloak tightly and was going to punch Victor in his face. ¡° Am I wrong? She is just a coward who just couldn''t face the reality! ¡± Victor continued to provoke Jayce. ¡° Hey! Hey! Stop this immediately! ¡± Blake came forward and separated them with force. Jayce released his grasp on Victor and walked away to another side of the supermarket. ¡° Screw that goddamn asteroid, why does all of this has to happen? ¡± mumble Jayce with tears rolling down his cheek. ¡° We shouldn''t blame anyone, no one is at fault in this manner. This is just a misfortune, a miscalculation. ¡± said Blake calmly. ¡° After all of this you still stick up for them? Miscalculation? Are you telling me this is our fate? To extinct like the dinosaur sixty-five million years ago? We could have avoided that! It''s NASA! NASA! That goddamn rocket they launched make all of us suffer in this hell! ¡± said Victor emotional. ¡° Can you make some sense out of this? The asteroid flies through space towards Earth. If we didn''t launch a rocket to intercept it, force it to change its orbit, it will crash into us directly. ¡± Blake explained resentfully. ¡° But it failed anyway, the asteroid blew up, scattered into small pieces, rained down like Heaven''s rage...destroying everything and spreading the sunlight-blocking dust and soot along with the unknown gases that cause acid rain. Is this the result they hope for? ¡± said Victor sarcastically. ¡° I don''t want to pick a fight with you, it will just waste my time. I''m going to... ¡± ¡° Freeze! ¡± A clear and high-pitched voice came from a dark corner in the supermarket. Just when Blake reached out for his revolver, a loud gunshot was spread throughout the whole supermarket. The bullet hit the ground in front of Blake''s toe. ¡° Drop your weapon and raise both of your hands above your head slowly! ¡± said the person in the dark corner. ¡° Do it now! I won''t say twice! ¡± ¡° Don''t worry, we won''t do anything stupid. What do you want from us? ¡± said Blake while slowly raising up his hands. ¡° Your food and clean water! Stuff everything you have into your bag and throw it to me. ¡± said the mysterious person. ¡° We can''t do that! It is all we have left, if we give you ours, we will surely......¡± ¡°Bang!¡± The bullet laid between Victor legs. ¡° ¡­...die.....¡± said Victor. ¡° Ok ok, we will do as you wish. ¡± said Blake while stooping to pick up his bag. At this moment, a gun barrel was pointing at the mysterious person''s head, following a sound of turning the safety off. ¡° Don''t move or I''ll shoot. ¡± Jayce emerged from behind the rack. The sunlight strike into the supermarket linearly at this moment. A ray of sunlight fell on the mysterious person. Her golden hair draped down softly curling along the ends. Her blonde hair tumbled forwards over her face, bleached whiter by the sun and looking more pale against the scarf she used to cover her mouth, leaving only her ocean blue eyes exposed. She was wearing grey long-sleeve hoodie and tight black jeans. In her hand was a loaded Glock 17 pointing at Blake''s chest. ¡° Drop your weapon slowly... ¡± said Jayce while keeping his finger on the trigger. ¡° Watch out! ¡± Blake suddenly shouted at Jayce. Jayce intuitively turned around, what come into his view was a robust man pointing his shotgun at him. The next second, the whole world turned scarlet red. He knew that he was falling to the ground but he didn''t feel anything, no pain, no sound, no thought, his mind was completely blank except a shadow of his lovely daughter standing in front of him waiting him to come home. The whole world turned black, sunk into eternal darkness. ¡° Nooo.....Jayce!!! ¡± Blake quickly picked up his revolver while the man holding the shotgun turned around and gave him a swift shot in his chest. The bullet passed through his body and splashed his blood all over the wall behind the man just like a child''s scribble. ¡° Bang! ¡± the blond girl shot Blake with her Glock but she missed. Blake quickly tumbled towards Victor and pulled him to the pillar beside them. ¡° She stops shooting us. ¡± said Blake while peeking behind the pillar. ¡° There are two more outside the supermarket. We have been surrounded. ¡± said Victor hysterically. ¡° No...the girl just grabs our bag and runs away through the front door. ¡± Blake replied . ¡° They are gone... ¡± Without wasting a second, Blake rushed towards Jayce. Jayce was lying in his own pool of blood. ¡° Jayce! Jayce! Wake up! Open your eyes! Look at me! ¡± yelled Blake. Suddenly, Jayce''s lip moves, slowly as it was so unnoticeable. ¡° What do you want to say? It''s all right, just tell me... ¡± two line of tears rolled down Blake''s face. ¡° Take care....of....Carol....for........me... ¡± Jayce mustered all his strength to finish his last word and breathed his last breath. The surrounding fell into complete silence. ¡° No....no....no.....please don''t leave me Jayce.....please don''t.....die... ¡± Blake sobbed. ¡° Why...why everyone precious to me has to die? Why them? Why not me? Why? ¡± mumbled Blake, covering his face with both of his hands. On this day, one more innocent life has been taken away under this tragedy, The Second Impact II : A Promise The flower that had been a tight bud only days ago had begun to open, already had a deeper blush of pink. The winter should still be in force but already spring had pushed it back to moderate temperatures and the kind of gentle breeze you don''t notice unless you stop and be present in the moment. I stretched out my fingers to touch the silky pink petals, they were cooler than I''d expected, smoother too. I tried to will it to open faster, to see the beauty I knew was inside. ¡° Ivan, why can''t these flowers blossom sooner? It''s already spring. ¡± ¡° Oh my lovely Kade, nature has its way, its timing, and it wasn''t ready yet. A few more days of warmth and it would bloom, you just had to wait. ¡± said Ivan softly. ¡° No! I want it to open now! These flowers are selfish, just keeping all the beauty to themselves. ¡± said I annoyingly. Although I was already twelve years old, I still acted like a child who was going kindergarten. Always hoping to get my elder brother''s attention, such childish thought. But I loved it this way, everyday playing with my brother, enjoying the beauty of the nature, running through the sunset... ¡° You can''t be stubborn, sometimes you need to let go, look around you, maybe there are things that can impress you, worth bringing to your attention. ¡± said Ivan. He started to look around the backyard ¡° Hmmm...see....the trees had resurrected, and were standing tall with bright green leaves resting on the branches. It was also beautiful. ¡± ¡° But I just want the flowers... ¡± ¡° Why you just can''t let go of your flowers! ¡± A demonic voice suddenly jumped in and replaced Ivan''s fairylike voice. The sky had been covered by smokelike substance and the surrounding had turned dark. I can heard a loud and ear-piercing siren sound throughout the whole area. My parents, neighbors, friends and Ivan, all of them had disappeared. I was spooked so deeply till I couldn''t even move my feet. I saw that the sky was falling down, split into many pieces, dropped all the way down just like a fireball. At the next second, the whole world was burning like a living hell. I was crying, kept running and shouting as loud as I could, but couldn''t find anyone... ¡° Wake up! Wake up, Kade! ¡± I opened my eyes abruptly and sat up from the cold marble floor. I was panting, breathing in and out the chilly air. I felt a biting pain in my lungs due to the lungful air that I just inhaled. It was so cold that I could see my breath. ¡° Having that nightmare again? Are you ok? ¡± asked Ivan. He was holding my shoulders tightly with both of his hands. I could barely feel that his hands were shaking, not from the frosty air but out of fear I guessed. ¡° I''m ok... ¡± ¡° Why is it so cold? ¡± said I while starting to rub my hands together. ¡° The Comfort Zone has shrunk. The climax changes faster than we had expected. Depending on the temperature, the Frigid Zone has already caught up to us over last night. We should start moving now. ¡± explained Ivan. What? For as long as I could recall, we had just reached here last night after a long long journey across the desolate prairie. Wilco even said that the temperature won''t go down more than three Celsius overnight. See, what was happening right now? This wasn''t logic?! Oh, maybe everything had gone beyond logic since The Second Impact occurred three years ago. I almost forgot that this world had already become sick, it wasn''t the previous one, that planet that was blue and green in color, full of vigor and life. Now it had become a planet that was grey in color, almost fully covered by an ominous mist, full of despair and suffering. It was too realistic to be called a living hell. Perhaps it was an unavoidable phase that the Earth must overcome, such as Ice Age, then our human race will extinct just like the dinosaur. After all of this, maybe a new species will emerge, with four legs five hands and a large head? It''s not impossible anyway. If all of this really was unavoidable, then I will name it myself, just like the Ice Age...maybe Dark Age 2.0? Wow, sounded good. Or just as they said, The Second Impact? ¡° Elrick just spotted a city in the south. Pack up all your stuff, we are heading there. ¡± said Ivan. ¡° Yes, Captain Ivan! ¡± I purposely said it in a funny tune to tease him. ¡° Stop joking around! ¡± replied Ivan. Hence, my lovely and attentive elder brother, musclehead Wilco, hacker Elrick and the gorgeous me, four of us started our long long journey to the city that was temporarily within the Comfort Zone. *** It wasn''t so long after we departed when we reached the edge of the city. Viewing from the borderline of the city, the city seemed already been abandoned, the buildings that was once so beautiful had become ruin, the streets that once thronged with life stood empty. Yet here I were too numb to even cry. ¡° Welcome....to....St.....George... ¡± Elrick read out the signboard word by word as it had already been covered by plants through and through. ¡° Where are we? ¡± asked Wilco. ¡° I know here, this city just laid beside Las Vegas. ¡± answered Ivan with confidence. ¡° St. George is a city in southwestern Utah. ¡± ¡° Hey guys, you have to see this... ¡± shouted Elrick from a distance away. We rushed to the place where Elrick standing and turned to the direction where he was staring. There was an enormous plant at the middle of the crossroad, it was nearly 5 meters tall and its roots writhed like snakes, intertwined, spreading out all over the surrounding roads. There were many big red flowers attached on its stem and roots, it was even several times larger than the Rafflesia. It also had a stinky smell that was more powerful than Rafflesia''s pervaded around the air near the giant plant. Above the flowers, there was a cluster of little black dots hovering around them, letting out a sound of ¡° buzz....buzz....buzz... ¡±. ¡° Get down! Lower your body! ¡± whispered Elrick. ¡° It''s the Killer Bee! If they find out about us, they will sting us to death! ¡± Elrick didn''t seem like he was joking around. ¡° Why do we have to scare them? They are just bee! Bee don''t attack people recklessly, do they? ¡± Wilco asked in reply.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡° They are not ordinary bee we see everyday, they are mutant bee due to the aftermath of The Second Impact. So was the enormous plant called Rainmaker. There is a symbiosis between the Killer Bees and the Rainmaker. ¡± explained Ivan. ¡° There is also one more species that involved in this symbiosis relationship. It is a kind of mutant ant called Stinger. ¡± Elrick butted in. ¡° The flower of Rainmaker has an ability to secrete a kind of corrosive liquid just like the Rafflesia, but the liquid will evaporate and be released into the air. The worst is that there is a kind of unknown substance in the gases released by the Rainmaker, it will react vigorously with the ozone layer and hence causes the intense acid rain that is powerful enough to crush everything. Besides that, the living of Killer Bees and Stingers rely on the liquid that Rainmaker secrete. It is their food source so of course these two deadly poisonous fellow will protect the Rainmaker at all cost. ¡± Elrick continued. ¡° How do you know all of this? Where do you get all this information from? ¡± I asked curiously. ¡° Hehe, of course the net, military classified deep web. ¡± responded Elrick with a smiley face. ¡° Anyway, lets take a detour. The Killer Bees seem to be a formidable enemy for us. ¡± said Ivan. We prowled around the buildings like an animal, hoping to find some food or weapon to defend ourselves. There were some people out here killing each others, plundered their resources in order to survive. It will be disaster if we accidentally bumped into them. This is because Ivan was the only one with weapon here. Not to mention that it was an old shotgun kept by our grandfather. After searching for almost half an hour, we rendezvoused in front of the dried up fountain as planned. ¡° There is nothing here, not even a bottle of clean water. ¡± said Wilco while panting. ¡° Me too. I can''t find anything useful. This place seems like already been scavenged by others. ¡± Elrick wiped away his sweat with his sleeve while talking. ¡° Hey look! There is a supermarket on the next street, maybe we can find something useful there. ¡± said Ivan while pointing at the alley which will eventually lead us to the supermarket. ¡° You are right! There must be some leftovers. ¡± agreed Elrick. Suddenly, a loud sound of gunshot was heard. At the same time, I could feel that something flied over my left shoulder, slightly below my ear. I stunned and was standing there as dumb as a wooden chicken. ¡° We are under attack! ¡± Ivan quickly pulled my hand and hid beside the fountain. Wilco and Elrick turned around and hid behind a SUV. ¡° Pow! Pow! Pow! ¡± the marble-made fountain endured the shots from the unknown enemy. The fragment of the fountain scattered all over the place as we being assaulted by powerful firearms out of nowhere. I was scared at the very moment. I was covering my ears with both of my hands and I can''t even open my eyes. I was kneeling on the ground, shivering, I felt helpless. I kept holding back my tears as if it will burst like a waterfall. Ivan held me tightly in his arms. Leaned my head against his chest. His chest was so warm. I felt so secured while being in his embrace. I hoped that this moment could become eternal. I had a vague flashback, back to the beautiful world before The Second Impact, he was holding me tightly when I was attacked by a dog, whispering softly in my ear, ¡° It''s ok, I am here. I will always be by your side no matter what happens. ¡± The 10 years old girl back then stopped crying, ¡° Really? ¡± The boy didn''t hesitate to answer, ¡° It''s true! I am your big brother anyway. ¡± ¡° Promise me... ¡± I held out my little finger. ¡° Yes, I promised. ¡± said the boy with a smile. *** The gunshots stopped after a minute or two. The city had come back to its eternal silence. Just when we were going to peep out from behind the cover, another gunshot has arisen, but far away from us. ¡° Looks like someone is here for the party too! ¡± whispered Elrick. ¡° Seems so. It''s our chance! Lets move out! ¡± replied Ivan. ¡° It''s too dangerous for us to reach you there without any cover. We will split up. ¡± said Elrick while hiding behind a SUV with Wilco. ¡° Ok, we will meet up at the supermarket. ¡± Ivan answered them with an OK gesture. Ivan stood up slowly after ensuring there wasn''t any enemy in sight. ¡° Come, can you stand up? ¡± I rose to my feet haltingly. I can feel that my limbs were still shaking. ¡° Great! We are heading toward the supermarket. Move between cover, come. ¡± said Ivan. We sprinted past the sea of cars and stopped behind a yellow school bus. ¡° Damn, that was tiring... ¡± I was quite out of breath. ¡° It appears that they are fighting here just now. ¡± said Ivan while examining the blood spilling all over the ground. I noticed that there was a gun under the school bus so I picked it up out of curiosity. ¡° It is a Glock! ¡± said Ivan with an amazed expression on his face. ¡° Where do you find it? ¡± asked Ivan. ¡° Under the bus. ¡± I automatically handed over the gun to him. ¡° No, no! You keep it! ¡± Ivan shaked his head. ¡° But... ¡± ¡° You found it so it is yours now. Plus, I already have mine. ¡± said Ivan while patting his shotgun. ¡° You still remember what I taught you, right? ¡± asked Ivan. ¡° Yes, Captain Ivan! ¡± After a few seconds of eye contact, we burst into laughter. *** We finally made it to the backdoor of the supermarket after a long sprint. ¡° Do you think they will be someone in there? ¡± I asked. ¡° Maybe....but don''t worry I will protect you if something happens, as usual. ¡± said Ivan. ¡° Huh? What do you mean by as usual? ¡± I stood there pouting. ¡° Haha, nothing nothing. ¡± Ivan opened the door and walked in carefully. ¡° Ceh! Never mind, I''ll forgive you as long as you keep your promise. ¡± I followed after him. ¡° I am sorry, what did you just say? ¡± Ivan turned around with a puzzled expression on his face. ¡° It''s nothing! ¡± I finished my word angrily and walked past him rashly. He grasped my arm tightly out of the blue and pulled me back. ¡° What are you doing, you idiot.... ¡± he indicated me to stay quiet by putting his forefinger on my lips. ¡° There is someone inside here. ¡± whispered Ivan. I looked outside the backdoor, it had started to rain. Oh god, what a great timing! ¡° We can''t escape now! ¡± said Ivan. ¡° Take up your gun. Hold it tight. I''ll go from left. You take right. ¡± ordered Ivan. I nodded in response. I tried to act calm but my heart keep beating vigorously. This great pounding, this great pressure; every beat. I couldn''t hear it, but I could feel it. I could feel that my burning blood was flowing through every inch of my body faster than usual. ¡° Ok, stay calm. Don''t worry! I got your back. ¡± Ivan comforted me. I swallowed down my saliva and started to move toward the rack in front of me where the sound came from. I could see two cloaked soldiers talking to each others through the crack of the rack. One of them was leaning against the wall, he seemed had been shot. ¡° ¡­...It''s NASA! NASA!....... ¡± I vaguely overheard their conversation. I strode over the obstacles on the floor carefully, moving closer to them. ¡° Can you make some sense out of this? The asteroid flies through space towards Earth. If we didn''t launch a rocket to intercept it, force it to change its orbit, it will crash into us directly. ¡± the soldier who was standing shouted. ¡° But it failed anyway, the asteroid blew up, scattered into small pieces, rained down like Heaven''s rage...destroying everything and spreading the sunlight-blocking dust and soot along with the unknown gases that cause acid rain. Is this the result they hope for? ¡± said the injured soldier. I stunned after hearing all of this. Was this the truth? It wasn''t as the news or government official announcement said, the asteroid split into pieces due to the friction with the atmosphere, and then bombarded our homeland. Were we being deceived? What the heck was all of this? Just when I was immersed in my own world, I accidentally kicked a tin on the floor. A clear sound ¡° Crik! ¡± came out, this sound suddenly pulled me back to reality. ¡° Oh shit, they must have heard it! ¡± I mumbled. I guessed I had no choice so I ran out from behind the rack and shouted aloud at them....... ¡° Freeze! ¡± III : The Sinner The flickering light of the torch illuminated the sewer ahead partially. The sewer was too dark that they couldn''t even locate their hands by pure sight. The surrounding seemed the same even after a long walk, everything was just like an infinity loop, the only thing that different was sometimes a portion of blood will simply mixed in the sewage they were walking through. ¡° Are you sure we are going the right way? ¡± asked Victor. ¡° According to this old waste system map, yes. ¡± answered Blake while looking at his iPad. ¡° Damn, this stink! This is already the worst, hopefully we wouldn''t bump into any mutant. ¡± Victor had flung himself in a pose of disgust. This time, Blake didn''t say a word. The sewer had backed to its silence. After a few minutes, they reached a ladder with some corpses lying beside it, which will eventually lead them to the surface. ¡° I think it''s here. ¡± Blake stuffed his iPad into his backpack. ¡° I''ll go up first. Guide the rear and wait for my signal. ¡± ordered Blake. ¡° Roger that. ¡± said Victor. Blake climbed up the rusty ladder carefully and stretched out his head to observe the surroundings. The manhole was in front of a small apartment block. There was nothing beside the manhole except for a few abandoned cars. ¡° All cleared. ¡± said Blake. They walked through the gate of the apartment block and came in front of its entrance. The entrance was barricaded with variety of furniture such as chairs, tables or even a leather sofa. Blake came close to the broken window at the corner of the apartment block and knocked on the plank that used to barricade it. A young woman came out from the corridor and removed the plank after a glance at them. ¡° Aren''t you suppose to locate the Rainmaker only? What took you guys so long? ¡± asked the young woman discontentedly as they walked down the corridor. ¡° You know I had waited here for how long, worrying about you? " Blake and Victor lowered their heads as they walked, didn''t say a single word. The young woman stopped questioning them as if she noticed something terrible. The conversation fell into complete silence, it was quiet till they could even hear their own breath. This moment of silence seemed forever when they stopped at the end of the corridor. What lay ahead of them was an iron door with scratches all over it. The young woman opened her mouth, ¡° ¡­..Hey.....tell me......does Jayce..... ¡± The iron door flung open. A little girl around 5 to 6 years old who was holding a crinkly paper ran out and rushed to where they were standing. ¡° Papa! Papa! Welcome back! ¡± shouted the little girl. The young woman quickly turned to the little girl and held her off. ¡° Papa is back, Kelly. I wanna show him the picture I draw! Where is papa? ¡± said the little girl excitedly. ¡° Carol, listen to me... ¡± Blake indicated Kelly to step aside and crouched in front of Carol, putting both of his hands on her shoulders. ¡° Your father......he won''t be coming back...... ¡± said Blake calmly with grief in his eyes. ¡° Why....? ¡± Carol hardly let out a word. She couldn''t believe what had she heard. ¡° Because......he is dead. ¡± Blake finished his words while looking directly at Carol who was all misty-eyed. The tears burst out from Carol''s eyes as if she couldn''t hold it back anymore. ¡° No.....No! You''re lying! It''s not true! ¡± Carol shook off Blake''s hands and slapped him in his face. Blake endured the slap directly. ¡° It''s true. ¡± said Blake emotionless. ¡° Your father is a great man. He died protecting us. He didn''t give up till him last breath. ¡± Blake continued.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡° No, it''s not! He promised me that he will come back! He will stay beside me! ¡± Carol kept shaking her head as to denied the truth and cried her heart out uncontrollably. ¡° No......You are lying! My father hasn''t died! He is still somewhere out there, carrying out his usual mission! Carol will be a good girl so that when he come back, he will..... ¡± shouted Carol with all her strength. ¡° Carol! ¡± Hasn''t waited Carol to finish her words, Kelly went forward and hugged Carol tightly in her arms. Blake and Victor just stayed there, didn''t say a single word. After a few seconds, Blake stood up and walked through the iron door. ¡° Why don''t you guys go take a bath? ¡± said Kelly with her back facing them. ¡° Maybe later....I gonna report to the HQ first.... ¡± replied Blake impersonally. Blake walked away as he spoke, leaving Victor behind with them. Victor was trying to say something to them, it was just on the tip of his tongue but he held back, turning around quickly to follow after Blake. Kelly didn''t hear a sound of his words but she knew what he was about to say by looking at his lips. ¡° We''re sorry! ¡± *** ¡° Here is Master Sergeant Blake from Special Operation Squad 13, reporting in! Over! ¡± There was no reply from the radio except the fuzzy noises on the line. ¡° Here is Master Sergeant Blake from Special Operation Squad 13, reporting in! Over! ¡± ¡° Bizz.......bizz.......Hereee......is HQ. Over! ¡± ¡° We have located the target location. Sending its coordinate now. Over! ¡± Blake entered the coordinate of the Rainmaker into the laptop beside the radio as he spoke. ¡° .....Coordinate confirmed.....received. Over! ¡± ¡° Listen, Special Operation Squad 13, you have a new mission. Eliminates all the target Rainmakers within the next three days at all cost. Over! ¡± ¡° But.....we don''t have enough hands and firepower to do that. Please reconsider......perhaps the HQ can send some reinforcement here. Over! ¡± ¡° You are on your own. There will be no reinforcement. ¡± ¡° Like I say... ¡± ¡° This is an order! I hope you know your place, Master Sergeant. ¡± Blake remained silence for a while and then picked up the handset. ¡° Copy that. Over! ¡± ¡° Acceptance confirmed. Anything else need to report? ¡± ¡° Jayce Wright, Sergeant 1st Class, Special Operation Squad 13.......KIA. ¡± ¡° I am sorry to hear that. The country will recognize his contribution. We feel deeply sorry for your loss, Master Sergeant. ¡± ¡° ¡­......... ¡± ¡° Remember, the time limit is three days. Good luck, soldier! ..... bizz ........ bizz ...... ¡± The transmission ended. Blake hung up on the radio. He sat there, kept silence for a few minutes just to grieve about what had happened. Again, he couldn''t hold back his tears that ran out like water from the tap. ¡° Squad 13 huh? I thought we were platoon before... ¡± said Blake sarcastically, with a wry smile on his face. ¡° It''s all my fault ¡­.. I ordered them to sacrifice for the sake of the remaining ....... my misleading, my incompetence made them died ....... it was me who killed them....... ¡± ¡° I am the murderer......the sinner....... ¡± *** There were five cloaked men taking cover inside a small coffee shop. Although the coffee shop was ravaged after The Second Impact, its appearance still remained cozy and lovely, reminded anyone that walked pass it about the previous world. However, they don''t seem like coming to reminiscent here. All of them held a serious expression. ¡° That''s it! ¡± said Hulk. ¡° Damn! It''s huge! ¡± Adam was grasped of surprise. ¡° It''s the biggest I have even seen! ¡± George agreed with Adam. ¡° It''s the biggest Rainmaker in this area. ¡± said Blake while checking on his iPad. ¡° How''s the surrounding? ¡± Blake asked Victor who was observing the situation outside the window. ¡° Not quite good! There are a handful of mutants, around 20 or even more. Such a troublemaker! ¡± said Victor. There were many people lumbering around the street directionless with unusual movement just like a zombie. Their crazy, diseased eyes could terrify a normal person just by a glance. They just looked like the beastly creatures crawled out from the caves of hell. Five of them could even hear them cracking bones and clamping their fangs on the shop next door. ¡° Seems like we don''t have another choice. A fight with these shitheads is unavoidable. ¡± said Blake while loading his M4A1. ¡° This is the best part I like about this job. Haha! ¡± Hulk patted his AUG rifle. ¡° Hey you battle demon, we are here to carry out our mission, not killing people. ¡± George reminded him. ¡° Shoot to kill! Don''t make them suffer any longer, they can still feel pain even turn into a mutant. ¡± ordered Blake. ¡° Roger that! Don''t worry, I''ll give them a headshot! ¡± laughed Hulk. ¡° Victor, Adam! Are you ready? ¡± asked Blake. ¡° Yes, sir! ¡± answered Victor and Adam. Seeing that his squad was prepared, Blake prayed in his mind, begging God for forgiveness on his murders afterward. Although the people had turned into mutants due to the unknown neurotoxin of the Killer Bees and Stingers which they gained from the Rainmaker''s secretion, they were still conscious and could feel intense pain, they just couldn''t control their body and mind. They didn''t want to be aggressive to others, they just couldn''t control it! ¡° Let me bear all the sin. I will finish you with a bullet, free you from this living hell. ¡± Blake murmured. Blake stood up and walked out the coffee shop. ¡° Squad 13, let''s move out! ¡± shouted Blake. IV : An Encounter ¡° Grenade! ¡± A loud explosion occurred among the swarm of mutants, blasting them off and turning them instantly into fiery ball of yellow flame. The noise had reverberated over the sleeping town as efficiently as a thunder clap. ¡° Forward! ¡± shouted Blake. Five of them charged through the street full of mutants at the same time as the signal of the big blast. They moved very fast down the street while keeping their battle formation, clearing all the hostiles along the path, leaving nothing behind. The mutants couldn''t even have the chances to realize what was happening when their heads were being blown up like a watermelon, spitting all the ''juice'' on the ground around the corpses. ¡° It''s it! ¡± Adam yelled. ¡° Killer Bees approaching! ¡± Hulk pointed at the top of the Rainmaker. A swarm of dark matter with a terrifying noise was hovering right above them. ¡° Shit! Victor! Smoke screen! ¡± ordered Blake hysterically. ¡° Smoke! ¡± Victor quickly pulled the pins of the smoke grenades and threw it out, one at their feet, one at the bottom of the Rainmaker. The white smoke gushed out from the grenade vigorously, filled the whole space. It swallowed them, smothered the greens of the grasses and the underbrush over the floor. It leached out their color, turning everything the same stony gray as the rock. ¡° Fire in the hold! ¡± a husky voice came out from the smoke screen. At the next second, a frag grenade flew out from inside the smoke, projected straight into the opening of the flower attached to the Rainmaker. Five of them rushed out from the smoke towards the nearest obstacles respectively. ¡° Take cover! ¡± shouted Blake while running from the Rainmaker. ¡° Boom!!! ¡± The enormous Rainmaker blew up in just a mere second. All of their stems and roots spilled everywhere along with its unknown corrosive liquid. The liquid that spilled all over the place let out a stinky smell and an unpleasant sound while corroding the substances they touched. ¡° SOS 13 to HQ, the target is eliminated, can you copy?! ¡± reported Blake using his Walkie-Talkie. ¡° I repeated! The target is eliminated! Over! ¡± ¡° Hey guys.......I think you need to see this....... ¡± said George with a trembling sound. A wave of Stingers gushing out from beneath the roots of the Rainmaker they just blew up. It looked like a non-stop water fountain but instead of water, it was ant. The Stingers that crawled out charged towards them in full speed just like a group of raging bull during the bull running festival in Spain. ¡° Fall back! To the rendezvous point! ¡± ordered Blake. ¡° 11o''clock! Incoming mutants! Approximates 20 of them! ¡± said Adam. ¡° Damn! They have block us off! ¡± grumbled Hulk. As they were figuring a way out, a wave of mutants suddenly rushed towards them from the bend in the street. ¡° No way! ¡± murmured Adam. ¡° They are way too many of them! We are cornered! ¡± Blake looked at the scene in front of him unbelievably. Impossible! Impossible! Blake didn''t want to accept what was happening right in front of his eyes, nor do his teammates. It wasn''t going to end like this. He couldn''t die without achieving anything, not when he hadn''t truly save everyone who were suffering in this living hell. ¡° Think, Blake Conrad! Think! ¡± mumbled Blake desperately. He accidentally glanced off a subway entry covering in plants, sitting at the middle of the street insignificantly. His eyes opened wide, just like a professor discovered the secret of the pyramid, stared at the subway entry while pointing at it. After a second or two of delay, he shouted ¡° All hands, take cover in the subway station! ¡±. Others turned their heads towards the subway entry following the direction of his finger at the same time. Without hesitation, all of them sprinted at full speed and went down the subway. ¡° They''re on our tail! ¡± shouted Adam. As Adam speaking, Victor halted instantly and tossed another smoke grenade at the subway entry, concealing the squad''s movement. The subway was as dark as the shades of night. The air around them felt like it had never moved the slightest since the Second Impact. Everyone could feel as if the breath of each other infused themselves far more deeply than it did in the light of day. The air in deep slumber started to move again when Victor spoke, ¡° I think we lost them. ¡±, the Killer Bees were hovering around the subway entry directionless thanked to the disturbance of the smoke screen. The lack of light that had bothered them so much at first just became normal. As people went into darkness for a while, they will start to accustom to it, despite the fact that getting control over it or being swallowed by it. ¡° Lights up! Boys! ¡± said Blake while turning on his tactical flashlight that mounted to his M4A1. ¡° We are going in! ¡± *** As they went deeper and deeper, the darkness surrounded them became more intense. Not even a single bulb in the subway was functioning normally as usual, but this was reasonable as most of the electrical supply had been cut off due to the Second Impact and the abnormal shrinking of the Frigid Zone. ¡° Something not right! ¡± said Blake in a low voice. ¡° Why? ¡± asked Hulk.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡° It''s way too quiet.......not even a single mutant wandering around here. ¡± replied Blake. ¡° Shoooooppp! ¡± George suddenly lost his balance and slipped, let his butt absorbing all the shock on impact with the floor. Others quickly went forward to give him a hand. ¡° Fuck! I think I stepped on something slippery! ¡± mumbled George painfully. A scream was let out by George suddenly, but it had been held back after a mere half second. ¡° What happen? ¡± whispered Adam. ¡° My foot''s burning!!! ¡± said George while trying to keep his mouth shut from letting out a yell of pain. Victor focused his flashlight on George''s foot. ¡° Damn, your foot is being corroded! ¡± said Victor by surprise on what he was seeing. ¡° It is the corrosive liquid of Rainmaker. ¡± said Blake. ¡° Come! Get up! ¡± Blake and Hulk helped George to rise to his feet slowly. Blake used his flashlight to find the liquid''s source. The ring of light finally stopped at a white wooden door which had '' Staff Only '' written on it. The liquid was seeped out bit by bit from the narrow slit at the bottom of the door. ¡° Seems like something major is in there! ¡± said Blake with a pair of serious eyes. ¡° We should go check it out! ¡± ¡° Seem so! ¡± Others agreed with Blake. The white door was being opened slowly without making a single sound. It was same with the outside, nothing can be seen with mere eyes, only darkness or even darker than that. Blake made eye contact to indicate Victor to throw in a flare. At that instant the blaze lighted up the darken space behind the door, all of them was shocked, standing still, couldn''t stop staring the scene in front of their eyes. A cluster of Rainmakers was in sight, at least four of them, with their roots adhered on the floor and wall or even the ceiling. This wasn''t the worst, what was the worst was that there were many pair of deadly eyes watching them simultaneously. ¡° Oh shit! ¡± said Hulk. ¡° We are doomed...... ¡± murmured Adam. *** ¡° Run! Faster! Faster! They are catching on us! ¡± I shouted. What''s behind me was a group of crazy mutants who thought us as their dinner that was running away. They kept chasing us without slowing down and sometimes let out a disgusting roar. ¡° I already told you that was a bad idea! ¡± yelled Elrick. ¡° But we can''t leave her alone! She will die! ¡± I replied intensely. ¡° Not she will die! Is we are going to die! ¡± shouted Wilco while carrying a little girl who was approximately 5 to 6 years old on his shoulder. The little girl was crying out loud, held her arms tightly around Wilco neck. Four of them kept running down along the gloomy hallway with aid of the sole torchlight in Elrick''s hand. The mutants behind didn''t seem to have the intention of giving up on chasing them. ¡° Look! There is a discarded train in front! We can hide in there! ¡± said Elrick. ¡° Good idea! ¡± agreed Wilco. Elrick took the lead and went into the train, Wilco followed up. And the last, me. The mutants almost got me when the swing door was slammed shut, keeping the mutants outside. The mutants who failed to get in still didn''t give up on us, they kept on scratching and slapping the door, spitting the blacken blood in their mouth onto the crackled window. ¡° I think.......we''re safe for now..... ¡± sighed Elrick while leaning against the seat beside him. The little girl still didn''t stop crying even though the manhunt had halted. I indicated Wilco to put her down gently and I leant forward. Her crystal blue eyes was parallel with mine, I stared and looked at her eyes with a soft glance. She stopped crying at that moment and started to breathe calmly. I waited for a few seconds before asking her name in a mild tune. ¡° I am Kade. What''s your name? ¡± I asked. ¡° ¡­....... ¡± The little girl stayed quiet. ¡° Come on! Don''t be afraid, I won''t hurt you! You are safe now! ¡± I added. ¡° ¡­.....I.......I.....I.........am Carol! Carol Wright! 6 years old! ¡± The little girl faltered out a few words after a short pause. ¡° Carol huh.....what a beautiful name. Nice to meet you! ¡± I said it with a smile on my face. ¡° It is dangerous down here. Why are you here? ¡± I continued. ¡° ¡­....... ¡± Carol returned to silence. I noticed that her pair of crystal blue eyes turned red again. Her tear was about to burst out. ¡° It''s ok, you can tell me. Maybe we can help you! ¡± I comforted her. ¡° Papa! I came out to find papa! He promised me that he will come home as soon as possible. ¡± said Carol with a low voice. ¡° Then.......do you know where he is? ¡± I asked. Carol shook her head vigorously. ¡° I don''t know! I don''t know! Papa don''t want Carol! Is it because of Carol is a naughty girl? ¡± Carol sobbed. ¡° No! No! Carol is a good girl! I believe your papa think so too! He love you. ¡± I said while patting her head. ¡° Your papa just have some problem when coming home. Let''s find him together. Ok? ¡± I promised her. ¡° Really? ¡± said Carol with a pair of hopeful eyes. ¡° Yes! I promised you! ¡± I said confidently. *** ¡° Run! Dammit! Run! ¡± ¡° Rrrrrrrrr........ ¡± The mutants chasing after them kept letting out a terrible roar non-stop. Five of them continued to run upstairs, evading the wandering mutants on the path, dodging all the obstacles that scattered all over the place. ¡° Where should we go? ¡± shouted Hulk. ¡° There should be a control room ahead of us! We can hide in there! ¡± Blake jumped across a rack lying on the floor. ¡° Shit! They are catching up fast! ¡± Adam turned around his head. ¡° Don''t shoot! You will get more attention! The sound will make mutants in the whole subway come to us! ¡± ordered Blake. ¡° There is it! ¡± shouted Victor. There was a room at the end of the corridor, with '' Control Room '' and '' No Entry '' written on it. All of them darted into the control room and locked the door harshly. Hulk quickly dragged the rack beside the computer and blocked it right behind the door, preventing the mutants outside from breaking through. George and Victor sat down on the floor, panting. Blake observed the room with a quick glance, nothing inside, just two to three keyboard on the table and a few goddamn blacken screens mounted on the wall. ¡° There is nothing here! We can''t stay here forever! ¡± said Blake. ¡° But how we break through their surround? ¡± Victor took a deep breath. At this moment, the terrifying sound outside stopped, followed by the distinct sound of footsteps, fading bit by bit, disappeared at last. The next second, a voice was clearly heard by them, ¡° It is the zombie! ¡± ¡° Oh shit! Run! Run! ¡± It seemed like the mutants had found their new dinner. ¡° There is someone out there! ¡± said Adam with a surprised face. Blake blocked Adam from moving the rack in front of the door aside with his right arm. He signaled Adam to stay put. ¡° Why? Shouldn''t we help them? ¡± questioned Adam. ¡° If we go out now, not only we can''t save them but we all will be killed together. ¡± explained Blake calmly. ¡° But...... ¡± The Walkie-Talkie attached at Blake''s belt suddenly let out a single '' bip '' sound. ¡° Excuse me! ¡± said Blake while picking up the transmission. ¡° Blake........Blake! Can you hear me? ¡± A woman voice came out from the other side of the Walkie-Talkie. ¡° Yes! Every word, Kelly. We have stuck in the subway, send someone to retrieve us now. Over! ¡± said Blake. ¡° No! No! Listen to me...... ¡± sobbed Kelly. Blake could feel Kelly''s anxiety even over the Walkie-Talkie. ¡° What has happened? ¡± asked Blake in tense. ¡° Carol.........I can''t find her in the safe house. She........she.......she is gone........ ¡± The Walkie-Talkie just slipped through Blake''s hand and fell hard to the ground. ¡° Blake! Blake! Blakeeeeee! ¡± V : The Chase The dark carriage was like a place out of time, a place to rest without consequence. The darkness in that way was a sanctuary, a place to recharge and forget the things the world said had to be done. It wasn''t that I couldn''t or wouldn''t, but rather that I needed that sense of stepping out of the craziness for a while. Therefore, in the darkness that stole even my own form, I was content to let the time pass and awake when conscious streamed in with its bold confidence. ¡° What has happened? ¡± I asked. ¡° You hear that too? ¡± asked Elrick. I nodded my head in response. ¡° It was so loud! ¡± whispered Wilco. ¡° That shit is definitely a gunshot! ¡± said Elrick confidently while pushing his thick-framed glasses with his forefinger. ¡° Pow! Pow! Pow! ¡± A few gunshots were transmitted from distance. The next second, only the steadied roaring of the mutants was heard. ¡° Boom! ¡± A loud sound was heard out of the blue, causing the ground and ceiling to shake vigorously, some debris even fell off from the ceiling. Elrick quickly instructed us to squat down and protected our heads with both hands. I held Carol to my chest firmly and protected her with my body from any incoming damage. The uproar ceased after the explosion of something. The mutants outside the carriage ran off to the exit following the mysterious sound of gunshots and explosion. ¡° What was that? ¡± I asked. ¡° I don''t know! Looks like we are not alone! ¡± said Elrick. ¡° Maybe it is those military guys! ¡± added Elrick guessingly. ¡° Anyway, I think we should go! It is clear outside! This is our chance! ¡± said Wilco while looking thoroughly the space outside the carriage. ¡° You''re right! We should get the hell out of here as soon as possible! ¡± agreed Elrick. The door was open gently, producing the only sound in the subway just like a pin dropped onto the floor during exam. Wilco stretched out his head partially to scout the surrounding. ¡° All clear! Let''s go! ¡± whispered Wilco. We stepped out from the carriage and walked toward the exit with light-heeled pace. Carol also cleverly acted in concert with our movement without making a single noise that can possible attach the mutants nearby. There was an opened door in front of us, what''s at the other side seem like a corridor leading to the subway entry. ¡° It is the entrance! That is no mistaken! ¡± said Elrick while pointing at the signboard on the bloodstained wall. ¡° We can get out from there! ¡± We walked through the office-like room while keeping our body low, silencing every footstep to avoid unnecessary attention. The door was about 3 meters ahead, I almost could smell the scent of the sunlight when we resurfaced. I bumped right into Elrick''s back while busy imagining myself shower in the mild sunlight, enjoying the heat spreading throughout my whole body. ¡° What''s wrong with..... ¡± Elrick stopped me from finishing my sentences by putting his forefinger on his lips. A female mutant dressed in janitor uniform stumbled inside the room. It was just in front of us, so near that I can feel her breath exhaling out from her mouth. I strove to hold back my breath and keep my heart from beating out of my chest. We all intuitively started to fall back, one small step back, left, right, left and so on. Wilco suddenly screamed out of nowhere. I turned my head back, seeing him scratching and slapping his neck, tried to get something off. A black creature that about the size of my palm being swiped away from Wilco''s neck, fell to the floor. Elrick simultaneously focused his torchlight on the unknown creature. It was a Stinger, a damn big Stinger. ¡° Fuck! ¡± shouted Wilco. Wilco stepped on the Stinger hardly as if it was a cockroach. ¡° Behind you! ¡± I was shocked when I saw the scene behind Wilco. The whole wall behind Wilco was being occupied by the roots of Rainmaker, just like the vine in the tropical rainforest. The most terrifying fact was that there was a swarm of Stingers crawling on it. ¡° Holy shit! ¡± murmured Elrick. A roar came from behind. The old crinkly janitor lady stared at us with her bleary red eyes. ¡° Oh crap! Run! ¡± shouted Elrick. We quickly turned around and ran through the door, leaving the retard old lady behind but she soon realized the situation and started to chase after us. At this very moment, I recalled Mr.Robinson classes back when I was still in middle school, he is our PE teacher. I used to thought he is a badass teacher because he always forced us to run many laps without rest around the field under the burning sun. But now, I regretted.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. My feet slipped outwards on the wet floor as I round the corner, the static moist air shocking my throat and lungs as I inhale deeper, faster. With each footfall a jarring pain shot ankle to knee, ankle to knee. Perhaps jumping that wall onto stairs wasn''t so smart. My heart beat frantically, all or nothing. Failed and my whole body would pay the price, ran and the damage is limited mostly to my shins and knees. I knew this estate better than anyone did. I could hear myself panting with the effort from five meters ahead of the mutant, that was how freaking noisy I was. ¡° We are almost there! I can even see the light! ¡± said Elrick. ¡° Hold on! Just a little more! ¡± I told Carol who was on my back, crying. We ran up the stairs at full speed toward the dazzlingly bright sunlight ahead. The next second, we were on the surface, running into a street full of abandoned car. We weaved our way through the sea of vehicles in the effort of trying to get rid of the mutant tailing us. However, thing wasn''t going well as we thought. As we ran down the street, the mutants wandered around at the roadside noticed us at their first glance and decided to join the hunt. The whole scene just looked like a mini marathon was being held on the spot, just more bloody than usual. Wilco fell down half way, holding himself up with both hands on the ground. He tried to push himself up but he lack the usual strength he had, his arms and legs seemed paralyzed, he fell down again as if his energy was being sucked away by something in his own body. ¡° Are you okay?! ¡± Elrick braked and turned back to Wilco. Wilco was panting intensely, even he didn''t speak, I could tell from his expression that something not right. Wilco seemingly endured the pain that continually bursting out from inside, he almost passed out right away. One of his hand was holding at left side of his neck, I could see the scarlet blood seeping out from between his fingers. ¡° Come on! Errrrrrrr! Get Up! ¡± Elrick pulled Wilco up and put Wilco''s arm around his neck. ¡° They are catching on us! ¡± I reminded Elrick. ¡° Not good! We won''t go far in this condition! ¡± Elrick gazed around the surrounding nervously. ¡° That is it! ¡± Elrick pointed at a building ahead with a big signboard written Red Cliffs Mall. We quickly headed to the entrance of the mall as fast as we could. Elrick picked up a broken stick that almost one meter long from the floor and smashed it right at the middle of the french door, scattered it into million pieces. ¡° Come, get in! ¡± Elrick picked up Wilco who leaned against the wall beside the french door and followed after me. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor, which was once aesthetically pleasing. This building that was once a mall of its age now resembled something that had been through a war. The stillness of the pillar inside the mall sent shivers down my spine. The mirthful mall, where once family shopped joyously, was now just a plant covered solitary place. There is water dripping from the roof, rhythmically, generating a melancholic melody. The shutter doors are all rusted and the glass windows are all shattered, shattered like people''s hope after the befallen of The Second Impact. Long ago this floor must have been a polished marble, even now there were patches that showed through the encroaching mud and leaf detritus. We walked into a small storeroom at the end of the corridor, just beside the toilet. We stayed low all the time to avoid attracting any other mutants nearby. I looked through the window of the wooden door, the mutants, who were chasing us the last second, were now calmed down and started their shopping in the mall. Seemed like they won''t go berserk if we weren''t directly in their sight. ¡° Slowly, sit here! ¡± Elrick put Wilco down tardily and leaned him against a rack carefully. Wilco sure sweated a lot, the sweat coming down from his hair as if there was a mini raining cloud floating above his head. And, his neck was bleeding, unstoppable. Elrick tore a piece of his shirt and pressed it against Wilco''s neck, trying to stop the bleeding. Apart from that, he also examined Wilco''s wound right away. ¡° Damn! He was bitten by Stinger. ¡± said Elrick desperately. ¡° You mean at the subway station?! ¡± I was shocked and couldn''t believe what Elrick said at first, but I understood the situation after I had recalled the event that happened at the subway. The two of us stayed silence except Carol who was pulling my sleeve, asking about Wilco''s condition. ¡° What has happened to him? Is he alright? Is he tired? ¡± asked Carol naively. ¡° Maybe, I don''t know. ¡± I lied. Elrick and I knew the answer very well. Although I always believed there was a chance that someone could survive it, but I don''t even trust myself now. I couldn''t even convince myself that there maybe a miracle. It was just a cruel fact that no one could deny it such as natural selection in the past. It was like a death sentence bestowed upon you. The tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face. I felt the muscles of my chin trembled like a small child and I looked toward the window, as if the light could soothe me. ¡° Why everyone has to leave me......why......Dad....Mom.....Ivan too.....and now.... ¡± There was static in my head once more, the side effect of this constant fear, constant stress I lived with. I heard my own sounds, like a distressed child, raw from the inside. I tried to hold it back but I just couldn''t. ¡° Why are you crying? ¡± asked Carol puzzlingly. ¡° Kade! Kade! Don''t worry! He will be alright! After we settle down, I''ll find some bandage outside to bind up his wound. ¡± Elrick comforted me. I knew that I shouldn''t depress at this very moment, but I just couldn''t control myself. The scene that Ivan got shot in front of my eyes kept flashback in my mind, it felt so real, so near, as if it just happened the last few seconds. The scene that Ivan moaned, motioned us to run, bleeding out, being left to died, kept hovering in my mind, just like a ghost that was haunting me. I was despaired, I hoped I could forget everything but on the other hand, I also wanted to remember everything, wished that Ivan wouldn''t fade away. I turned my head away from them to look outside the window, hiding my reddened face full of running tears. The sky outside the window was overcast. I could barely see some droplets falling down from the wicked gray cloud above. ¡° Oh......it starts to rain now. ¡± I spoke under my breath.