“Huh? The body isn’t there?” I ask. “But we were just here yesterday. Are you sure you didn’t miss it?”
“I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t miss something like that,” Maeve says. “Can one of you come over and confirm it?”
“I’ll do it,” Sako says, instantly standing up. “I don’t want Lily to have to see that again.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “I can go.”
“No, you’re hurt,” Sako says. “You should just stay here and rest, ‘kay?”
I still cannot fathom where she gets her energy from. How could someone who loved the world so much before not be more depressed? I mean, it’s the end of the world. Her parents are dead, for crying out loud. Maybe she believes there’s a cushy bed in heaven waiting for her after all of this, but that doesn’t explain how carefree she is, knowing that we could die painful deaths at any time. I get the idea that Maeve is similar, but more cognizant. She seems like the type to play around a lot, yet simultaneously has an air of maturity that can be switched on like a light switch. I guess that’s the difference between being a girl and a woman. Sako and I may be adults by an old-world technicality, but there’s a lot we don’t know.
When Maeve and Sako return from the other side of the room, Sako has a troubled look on her face. It seems that the body has gone missing, after all.
“This place isn’t safe,” Maeve says.
“W-what? Why?” I ask.
“After you two told me about this place last night, I did a search in the database,” Maeve says. “The holes in the wall are likely caused by ‘digger HET,’ a strain that digs through the earth searching for people in bunkers. Since they’re a newer strain, it’s unknown how they function, but I think I’ve got a pretty good theory.”
“Which is?” Sako asks.
“I’m willing to bet they find us using sound vibrations, just like moles,” Maeve says. “But that can’t be all there is to it. Otherwise, just being quiet would be a pretty easy counter. No, they’ve got to have some sort of smell as well. Think about it. You two were here the other day making a ruckus, which caught their attention. You also happened to blow that metal door open, which had a rotting corpse inside. When you left, they probably smelled the body, which is why it’s no longer here. It would explain why that corpse was left untouched all this time; it wasn’t making any sounds, so they were never close enough to smell it.”
“Holy crapamole, that’s a genius theory!” Sako says. “Wait, so do you think they’re blind too? Like moles?”
“Actually, most moles aren’t actually blind,” Maeve says. “But honestly, I don’t know based on the current information we have. It’s best to assume they’re not, and that-”
“That we should be quiet from here on out,” I say.
“It’s a bit too late for that,” Angel says. “There are multiple readings in the surrounding area, closing in.”
“W-what? HET?” I ask.
“I assume the digger HET,” Maeve says.
“We’ve gotta go back to the surface!” Sako says. “Now!”
“Do you not feel how intense the rumbling has gotten, child?” Titania asks. “The giant HET are surely right above us!”
“So, what does that mean?” I ask.
“That we’ve either got to go up there and hope the giant HET don’t see us, or fight the digger HET down here,” Maeve says.
“The digger HET each have readings that exceed all of your EP ratings combined,” Angel says. “If you fight, some or all of you will die. Seeing as how Lily’s strongest ability is a one-shot glass cannon, Sako’s not strong enough yet, and Riley’s ability is non-combatative, your prospects aren’t looking very good.”
“Well, we’ve got to make a decision!” I say. “I think… I think I can hear them.”
It sounds like scratching. It’s faint, but creeping ever closer. Little scurrying scritches, just like that man’s journal described. With the room shaking even more violently and the crawling diggers etching closer, I don’t know what to do. I know I should make a decision, but I just can’t. I want to run away, but there’s nowhere to run. There’s no way we’ll survive a fight with them, either. There’s just no way. We’ll die.
I’ll die.
“It’s okay,” Maeve says. “I want you two to take Riley and hide in one of the rooms. Lock the door and don’t make a sound. Only come out when it’s completely silent out there. I’ll confront them alone.”
“No, I’ll fight with you,” Sako says.
“You are not strong enough, child,” Titania says. “And… neither is she.”
“You don’t know that,” Maeve says.
“Use your enemy reader on her,” Titania says.
As quickly as I can, I pull up my interface.
[Skills]
[Stats]
[Enemy Reader]
[Database]
[A.N.G.E.L.]
I then shift to the enemy reader. The world gets darker than it already is, and I focus my vision on Maeve until there’s a glowing outline around her.
Human lv. 4
[Threat level: Low]
[EP gain: 1200 EP]
[Desc]
A survivor of humanity.
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Wait. She’s the same level as Sako and me, and we’re not nearly strong enough to be fighting HET. Surely she must have a super-strong ability, right? But then wouldn’t her threat level be at least moderate, like those guys?
“Angel, what are the levels of the approaching HET?” I ask.
“There are several of them that range from level 7 to 10,” Angel says. “Your finger bang will be ineffective. Your sniper shot might be able to take them out if you land a well-placed shot, but you can only use it three times. There are more than just three.”
“What did I tell just you guys?” Maeve says. “Go in the room and be quiet. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
I can hear the creeping crawls getting louder. They’re coming.
“No, we won’t leave you here!” Sako says.
“Stop it,” Maeve says. “If you stay out here, I can’t guarantee I can protect you.”
“But-” Sako starts. She stops when Riley tugs on her sleeve, pulling her away.
I hear a voice ring in my head.
“My sister is strong. She won’t die.”
I don’t recognize the voice, but it feels familiar. I’m almost certain it’s Riley, speaking to us through his telepathic ability. His mouth isn’t moving, but it can only be him. His voice is softer than I expect, almost girly.
When he says that, Sako looks at me, desperation glinting in her eyes.
“I think… I think we should do as Maeve says,” I say. It hurts to say it, but the truth is that I’m scared. I’m scared to die, and I don’t want Sako to die, either.
Sako pauses for a second, then rips her arm away from Riley.
“If Lily says so, then I guess… I guess we’ve got no choice,” Sako says. I can hear the reluctance in her voice. I know she doesn’t want to leave Maeve alone–frankly, I don’t either–but we don’t have any other options. I am painstakingly aware that if I try to fight, I will falter and I’ll die before having done anything.
I’m not a hero. I’ll never have some incredible valiant moment where I suddenly become courageous and save the day with powers hidden deep within me. My feet aren’t feet that instinctively run to save others when they’re in trouble, nor will I ever rise to become something greater than I already am.
No, when there’s a lost child crying at the store, I’m the type to awkwardly shuffle the other way and pretend I didn’t see them. If this were a video game, I’d be NPC B, or some other useless asset the programmers didn’t even bother to properly animate.
I don’t think I’m an evil person, but I’m not a world-saving hero, either. I’m girl A, forever in the background to people greater than I.
We slowly drag ourselves to the middle room and stow ourselves away inside. We shut the door behind us and lock it, as we were told. From the cracks beneath, I can hear Maeve’s parting words to us.
“Don’t worry, as long as I’m around, I’ll keep you safe,” she says. She sounds just like a hero in a movie. The kind of cushy, idealistic movie I would’ve despised before all of this.
I know what she intends to do, and I think Sako does as well. I don’t know about Riley, but it’s obvious when you think about it.
She’s sacrificing herself. She knows that they’ve already heard us, and they won’t leave until they’ve found something. She’s hoping that she will be enough to satisfy their hunt, and that they won’t smell us from behind the door.
Part of me is hoping that she has some unique ability that will allow her to kill anything, but I know that’s just not true. Energy expenditure requires equal exchange. Project AIGODS parameters make that clear. It’s not like she was out there killing HET and leveling up her abilities, either. She’s in the same boat as us and has probably only exercised to boost her EP. Plus the EP she gave to Riley to create his ability.
“It’s okay. My big sister will protect us,” I hear Riley’s voice assure me in my head. “She’s always there to protect me, and she’s never failed before.”
I wish I could have that kind of confidence in someone. Unfortunately, I just can’t. Not anyone and not myself. I shift my head to the other two, and I can see that they’re just as terrified as I am. Despite Sako saying she wanted to fight, and despite Riley’s confidence in his sister, neither of them looked composed. I think they only said what they said to make themselves feel better. If they were out there right now, they probably would have passed out from the anticipation.
Not that I’m any different.
It’s quiet. The silence lasts for ages. Sitting here, I just can’t stand it. I want to take a peek, but I know I can’t. Not yet. But what if they already took her? Swept her away so fast that we didn’t hear, and they’re already gone?
My questions are answered when I hear a loud thwip. It sounds just like a whip, striking the air, over and over again. I can’t tell if it’s the HET or Maeve’s ability, but it’s followed by a loud series of crashes and bangs. The sounds of pots being thrown from the countertop and boxes toppling down, scattering their innards all over the floor.
Riley has his hands over his ears and his eyes shut tight. Sako is holding her revolver pointed at the door. I can’t tell whether or not her hands are trembling because it’s so dark, but I’m sure they are.
On the other side, feet scuffling shift to the center of the room, then slow to a crawl. The treading is pacing around something. Around Maeve. The grunts of the beasts are reminiscent of snarling hounds, except deeper and full of wretched gargling in the throat.
Suddenly, scrambling and pounding bellows from the flip side of the door. The rumbling intensifies, and I am sure that the giant HET are right on the surface, mowing down the forests like gargantuan lumberjacks. Everything is vibrating now, and it becomes harder to hear what’s happening in the bunker’s main room.
Then, a shrieking yelp pierces the frigid air. Not of a creature, but of a woman. I hear her scream. It’s bloody and visceral, yet I can sense effort in it. She’s still fighting. Or she’s being eaten and mauled. I don’t know which. When this is all over, I want to close my eyes and run toward the stairs. I don’t want to see what’s left.
THWIP. Whatever that whipping sound is, it’s cutting something and chopping it up like a chef mincing garlic. It’s crackling, thundering in tandem with the snarls of the beasts, and keeps going for seconds. Minutes. Eternities.
Is she really still fighting them?
I start to think maybe she can do this after all. I mean, she was a Marine, wasn’t she? But wait, didn’t the Marines lose already?
The whip cracks stop, but the panicked shuffle of battle rages on. It turns into a pounding, like smacking a punching bag or kneading pizza dough. Is she striking them, or are they trampling on her? Is she still alive, or are they tearing apart her ravaged corpse?
For some reason, I continue to find myself rooting for Maeve. I want her to win. Maybe she can, after all. She seemed pretty confident. Or was it all a front? I don’t know.
Pow. Pow. Pow.
Like a wooden hammer raining down on mochi, the pounding continues. Some hits are loud. Some are soft. I hear breathing. Labored. Strained. Lungs gurgling, heaving asthma. I’m unsure whether it’s hers or the beasts’. Or both. It’s visceral. Slashing turns into pools of liquid flooding the ground.
Drip, drip, drip.
It’s like a leaky faucet at first, then gushes out as fiercely as Niagara. I hear more scurrying around, prowling. Something is being dragged. It’s getting quieter, but there are still footsteps out there.
Did she win? Did Maeve manage to chase them off?
The low growl grows even lower until it’s growl no more, but soundless air. Crawling creatures scurry to several different points on the other side and disappear from my ears.
Then, silence.
I look to Riley and Sako, who are both drenched in terrified sweat. Their breaths are as heavy as mine, but steady. Somehow, we managed to keep our lips hushed, despite our fear.
When the eerie quiet continues, we begin to glance at each other nervously. We’re not sure what to do. We don’t know how long to wait, or if we should wait at all. What if they’re still out there? But what if they’re not?
Riley moves first. He gets up from the floor and creeps slowly to the door. He places his hand on the knob, but he cannot bring himself to push it. His hand is trembling.
I hear him calling out in my head.
“Sis? Sis? Are you out there?”