The first piece of concrete shifted beneath Evelyn's foot.
She froze. For a moment, she was certain the entire pile was about to collapse, burying her beneath the rubble before she'd even made it out of the laboratory.
Nothing happened.
She waited another second, listening to the distant alarm and the muffled sounds of fighting somewhere beyond the ruined doorway. Then she carefully moved her weight forward.
The concrete held.
Okay.
She reached for a twisted section of metal protruding from the debris and pulled herself higher. Her burned wrist immediately protested.
"Fuck."
She released the metal and caught herself with her other hand. The pain was sharp enough to make her eyes water.
She'd almost forgotten about the injury. Almost.
Her body had become so accustomed to returning from death completely restored that the idea of an injury simply remaining there felt strangely unfair.
She looked at the red, blistered skin around her wrist.
Of course.
Of course this one doesn't heal.
A distant explosion shook dust from the ceiling. Evelyn flinched.
Right.
Complaining could wait.
She climbed.
The gap above the rubble was narrower than she'd thought. A broken section of the doorframe pressed against her shoulder, and a length of exposed wiring hung from the ceiling.
She avoided the wires. She'd had quite enough electricity for one lifetime.
Several lifetimes, apparently.
The thought came and went before she could decide whether it was funny.
Evelyn twisted sideways, pushed her uninjured arm through the opening, and dragged herself forward. Her borrowed grey trousers caught on something.
She tugged. The fabric tore.
"Seriously?"
She wriggled again. This time, she slipped through.
Her hands struck the floor on the other side. Pain shot through her burned wrist, and she bit back a cry.
For a few seconds, she remained crouched among the debris, breathing hard.
Then she lifted her head.
And saw the corridor.
***
It looked as though someone had taken the clean, brightly lit hallway she'd walked through earlier and smashed it apart.
A section of the ceiling had collapsed. Broken pipes hung overhead, dripping water onto the floor. Several lights were gone entirely, while the remaining ones flickered between white and the dull red glow of the emergency system.
Smoke drifted through the air. There was dust everywhere.
And people.
Evelyn saw the first body near the opposite wall. A man in a white coat lay facedown beside an overturned equipment trolley. His arm was stretched toward a tablet that had shattered against the floor.
A little farther away, another researcher was sprawled beneath a fallen ceiling panel.
Neither moved.
Evelyn stared. She recognized the first man.
Not his name. She didn't know his name.
But he'd been in the testing room. He'd stood beside the monitors while they prepared the equipment.
He'd watched.
Now he was lying on the floor.
Evelyn swallowed. She didn't know whether he was dead.
She wasn't going to check.
Then she noticed the guard.
He lay near the wall, half covered in dust. His uniform was torn, and blood had spread across the floor beneath his shoulder. A broken piece of metal protruded from the wall above him.
He wasn't moving either.
Evelyn stared at him. Her first instinct was to back away.
Then her foot shifted.
Crunch.
She looked down. Broken glass.
A thin red line had appeared along the sole of her foot.
"Oh, come on."
She lifted it carefully. Another piece of glass lay nearby. Then another.
The entire corridor was covered in it.
Evelyn looked at her bare feet. Then at the guard.
More specifically, at his boots.
Black. Heavy. And, most importantly, intact.
She hesitated.
The guard didn't move.
Evelyn glanced toward the ruined laboratory. Then down the corridor.
Nobody.
She looked back at the boots.
I need shoes.
It was an obvious observation. Almost embarrassingly obvious.
She couldn't run through a building full of broken glass barefoot. And the guard certainly wasn't using them.
Evelyn stared at him for another moment. Then she crouched.
"Sorry," she whispered.
She wasn't sure why.
She reached for his boot. It took considerably more effort than she'd expected.
The laces were tight, and her burned wrist made every movement awkward. She loosened them with her uninjured hand, then pulled.
The boot refused to come off.
"Come on."
She pulled harder. Finally, it slipped free.
Evelyn nearly fell backward.
She stared at the boot in her hand. Then at the guard's other foot.
"One down."
The second boot was easier.
She sat on a relatively clear section of floor and slipped them on.
They were too large. Of course they were. The guard had been considerably bigger than her.
She tightened the laces as much as possible, wincing whenever her burned fingers brushed against them.
Then she stood. Her feet shifted inside the boots.
She took a step. Another.
Not ideal. But better than glass.
Evelyn looked down at herself.
Oversized grey trousers, a plain shirt, borrowed boots that were probably two sizes too big.
She looked ridiculous.
She looked alive.
At the moment, that seemed more important.
Her gaze returned to the guard.
He won't miss them.
The thought appeared so naturally that she almost smiled. Almost.
Then she noticed the weapon lying beside him.
A short spear. Or perhaps some kind of security weapon.
It had a dark metal shaft, a narrow pointed head, and a grip wrapped in black material. It was shorter than the spears Evelyn had seen adventurers carrying on television, but still long enough to make her wonder how anyone used one indoors.
She stared at it.
A weapon. An actual weapon.
She'd never held one before. Not unless kitchen knives counted.
Evelyn looked toward the corridor. The alarm continued to sound.
Somewhere beyond the next junction, someone screamed.
She reached for the spear.
It was heavier than she'd expected. She lifted it awkwardly, nearly striking the ceiling with the tip.
"Okay."
She adjusted her grip.
"Maybe not like that."
The weapon felt strange in her hands. Unbalanced. Dangerous.
She had no idea how to use it.
But holding it made her feel a little less helpless.
Not safe. Definitely not safe.
Just less like someone waiting to be killed.
She looked at the guard one last time. Then turned away.
***
The corridor continued past the ruined laboratory before splitting in two.
Evelyn approached the junction slowly. The emergency lights flashed at irregular intervals, leaving the hallway in alternating patches of red and darkness.
She could hear fighting somewhere ahead. Metal striking metal. A distant shout. Something that sounded like a gunshot, though she couldn't be sure.
She stopped beside the corner and listened.
Footsteps. Several people. Running.
A moment later, three figures rushed across the intersection ahead. Two wore dark combat gear. The third carried a long weapon that glowed faintly blue.
"Move!" one shouted.
They disappeared down the opposite corridor.
Evelyn held her breath. Nobody had looked in her direction. Nobody had seen her.
She waited.
Five seconds. Ten.
Then she cautiously leaned around the corner.
Empty.
She exhaled.
Okay.
She had no idea where she was going. That was becoming a problem.
The facility was larger than she'd realized. Corridors branched in several directions, and most of the signs she'd passed were either damaged or written in abbreviations she didn't understand.
She needed an exit. Preferably one that didn't lead directly into whoever was attacking the building.
Evelyn glanced at the nearest sign.
STAIRWELL B — UPPER LEVELS
Her heart gave a small jump.
Stairs. Upper levels.
That sounded promising.
She followed the sign.
***
The stairwell door was hanging crookedly from its hinges.
Evelyn pushed it with her shoulder. It opened with a metallic groan.
She froze. The sound seemed impossibly loud.
Nothing happened. No footsteps approached. No one shouted.
She slipped inside.
The stairwell was dark except for narrow emergency strips running along the walls. Dust covered the steps. A section of railing had collapsed between two landings, leaving twisted metal jutting into the open space.
Evelyn looked upward.
The stairs continued. And continued.
She couldn't see the top.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
She started climbing.
The borrowed boots made each step awkward. They were heavy and slightly loose, and she had to concentrate to keep from tripping.
The spear was worse.
She tried carrying it upright. Then sideways. Then tucked against her shoulder.
Nothing felt natural.
Eventually, she settled for holding it close to her body, the point angled upward.
Her breathing grew heavier.
One flight. Then another.
She passed a door marked LEVEL 2.
Locked.
She didn't stop.
Another flight.
LEVEL 3.
The door was open a crack. Voices came from beyond it.
Evelyn froze.
"...east corridor is compromised!"
"Then fall back!"
"What about the containment teams?"
"Forget containment! We're losing the entire section!"
Footsteps thundered past.
Evelyn pressed herself against the wall. The voices faded.
She waited until she couldn't hear them anymore. Then continued climbing.
Her legs were beginning to ache.
That surprised her.
She'd gained attributes. She'd even received an evolution.
But apparently climbing stairs in oversized boots while carrying a spear was still exhausting.
Wonderful.
She reached another landing. A cracked sign read LEVEL 4.
Evelyn leaned against the wall.
Her burned wrist throbbed. The cut on her foot stung inside the boot. Her head still hurt from the explosion.
And she was beginning to feel dizzy.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Just keep moving.
That was all she could do.
One step. Then another.
She pushed away from the wall.
And climbed.
***
By the time Evelyn reached the next landing, she could hear something different.
Wind.
Not the ventilation system. Real wind.
It whistled faintly through the stairwell, carrying the smell of smoke and something colder.
Outside.
Evelyn stopped. Her heart began beating faster.
She looked upward.
At the top of the next flight stood a heavy security door. A small rectangular window was set into its upper half.
Beyond it, she could see daylight.
Actual daylight.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she hurried up the remaining steps.
She stopped halfway.
There were people beyond the door.
Guards. At least four of them.
They stood outside in a concrete access area, weapons raised toward something Evelyn couldn't see.
One was shouting into a radio. Another stood beside a damaged security barrier.
Evelyn crouched instinctively.
Shit.
She couldn't go through them.
Even if they were Northstar guards, they'd recognize her immediately.
And if they weren't—
She tightened her grip on the spear.
No.
She wasn't fighting four armed people. She wasn't fighting anyone.
She backed down one step. Then another.
Maybe there was another exit.
Maybe—
A flash of light filled the window.
Evelyn flinched.
For a fraction of a second, she saw one of the guards turn his head.
Then the explosion hit.
***
The security door vanished.
That was the only way Evelyn could describe it.
One moment, it was there. The next, an enormous force tore it from its frame and hurled it into the stairwell.
Evelyn screamed and threw herself against the wall.
The door shot past the landing. It struck the opposite wall with a deafening crash, sending fragments of concrete flying.
The entire stairwell shook. Dust poured from the ceiling. Something heavy collapsed outside.
Evelyn crouched with her arms over her head.
For several seconds, she couldn't hear anything except ringing.
Then came the distant roar of fighting.
Shouts. A scream. Another explosion, farther away.
Evelyn slowly lowered her arms.
The security door lay twisted against the wall below her. A deep crack ran through the concrete where it had struck.
She stared.
"Oh, fuck."
Her voice sounded very small.
She looked toward the opening.
The doorway was gone. Beyond it, daylight streamed into the stairwell through a cloud of drifting dust.
She could see broken concrete. Twisted metal. And something that looked like part of a collapsed barrier. Get faster updates on novelping.com.
No guards.
Not standing, anyway.
Evelyn swallowed.
She stayed where she was for another moment. Then cautiously climbed the remaining steps.
***
The opening was partially blocked.
Chunks of concrete had fallen across the threshold, and a bent section of metal railing lay diagonally against the frame.
Beyond it, Evelyn could see the outside.
A concrete service yard. Damaged vehicles. Smoke rising from somewhere beyond a low wall.
The sky.
She hadn't realized how badly she wanted to see the sky.
For a moment, she forgot to breathe.
Then another distant impact reminded her that she was still in the middle of a battle.
She crouched beside the rubble.
The gap was narrow. Too narrow for someone wearing armor. Probably too narrow for a large guard carrying equipment.
But Evelyn wasn't wearing armor.
She had a loose shirt, grey trousers, oversized boots, and a spear she barely knew how to hold.
She looked at the weapon. Then at the opening.
"You're going to be a problem, aren't you?"
She pushed the spear through first. It clattered onto the concrete outside.
Evelyn winced.
Nobody appeared.
She waited. Then she lowered herself onto her stomach and began crawling.
The concrete scraped against her elbows. Her burned wrist screamed when she put weight on it.
She shifted awkwardly, using her other arm to pull herself forward.
A sharp edge caught her shirt. The fabric tore.
She gritted her teeth and kept moving.
For a moment, her hips became wedged between two pieces of debris.
Panic surged through her.
"No, no, no—"
She twisted. Pulled. Her boots scraped against the concrete.
Then she slipped free.
Evelyn tumbled onto the other side. She landed hard on her shoulder.
"Ow!"
She rolled onto her back, breathing heavily.
And stared upward.
The sky was pale grey. Clouds drifted overhead. Somewhere nearby, birds were calling.
For one absurd moment, everything seemed almost normal.
Then a distant explosion rolled across the grounds.
Evelyn sat up.
Right.
Still not safe.
She grabbed the spear and scrambled to her feet.
***
The service yard was in chaos.
A vehicle burned near the far wall. Another lay overturned beside a damaged security gate. Smoke drifted across the concrete.
Evelyn could hear fighting beyond the buildings, but she couldn't see the people involved.
That was probably a good thing.
She crouched behind a low concrete barrier and looked around.
The facility was larger than she'd imagined. Several buildings stood around the yard, connected by covered walkways and security fences.
Some of the structures were damaged. Others appeared untouched.
Farther away, beyond the outer buildings, she could see trees.
Real trees. A wooded slope.
Evelyn stared at them.
There.
She didn't know where she was. Didn't know how far the forest extended. Didn't know whether there were roads or houses beyond it.
But trees meant cover. Cover meant somewhere to hide.
And hiding was something she had at least a little experience with.
She glanced toward the sounds of fighting.
A group of armed figures rushed between two buildings in the distance.
One carried a glowing shield. Another raised a weapon, and a streak of blue light shot across the yard.
Evelyn ducked. An explosion followed.
She pressed herself against the barrier.
Not my problem.
The thought came so quickly that it startled her.
People were fighting. People were dying.
And all she wanted was to get away.
She tightened her grip on the spear.
Then she moved.
***
She kept low as she crossed the service yard.
The oversized boots slapped against the concrete. She tried to move quietly, but every step seemed far too loud.
She passed a damaged maintenance vehicle. Then a stack of storage containers.
The sounds of fighting grew louder for a moment, and she crouched behind a metal bin until they faded again.
Nobody called her name. Nobody shouted for her to stop.
Nobody seemed to notice the girl in grey clothes slipping between the buildings.
Evelyn reached the edge of the yard.
A section of the perimeter fence had collapsed beneath fallen debris.
Beyond it, the ground sloped downward toward thick bushes and trees.
She stared.
An opening.
An actual opening.
No guards. No locked door. No restraints.
Just a gap in a fence.
Her throat tightened.
Please.
She approached carefully.
The ground was uneven, littered with broken concrete and fragments of metal.
She stepped over a fallen section of fencing.
Her borrowed boot caught on a wire.
She stumbled. Caught herself. Then scrambled forward.
The bushes were only a few meters away.
She could hear shouting behind her. Another explosion. Someone screamed.
Evelyn didn't look back.
She reached the bushes and pushed through them.
Branches caught at her clothes. Leaves brushed against her face.
She stumbled down the slope, nearly losing her balance.
Then the ground leveled out beneath the trees.
Evelyn stopped.
She looked back.
Through the branches, she could still see smoke rising above the facility.
The distant sounds of fighting continued.
But nobody was following her.
Not yet.
She stood there, breathing hard.
Her wrist hurt. Her feet hurt. Her head hurt.
She was covered in dust, blood, and scratches.
She was wearing boots taken from a guard who might be dead.
And she was holding a spear she had absolutely no idea how to use.
But she was outside.
Outside.
Evelyn looked at the trees stretching ahead of her.
She didn't know where they led. Didn't know how long she could keep moving. Didn't know whether Northstar would come after her once the fighting stopped.
Probably.
Of course they would.
But that was a problem for later.
Right now, there was only one thing she needed to do.
She tightened her grip on the spear.
And ran.