Snowdon Research Facility. Mount Snowdon of Wales, Great Britain.
"All personnel evacuate to the Peak immediately. Level five quarantine is now under effect. This is not a drill." The speakers repeated, echoing down empty, dark halls. Blood and dead bodies littered the floors, the walls, and every room. The whole place was a slaughter house, and she was the only one left alive. It was up to her now. She was the one who had to make it to the door in time and close it before anything got out. It was meant to close automatically when the alarm was activated, but somehow it didn't work, so she'd have to seal it manually. The fate of humanity could be on her shoulders right now, so she had to plan it smartly and do it right the first time.
It was a good run from here, so she'd have to be quick. There was no staying, for she would be found by one of those creatures eventually and they would kill her, or worse. For all she knew they could be waiting right there, waiting for her to jump out. The thought frightened her senseless. Oh, she was utterly terrified, literally trembling with fear and eyes wide from the horrors that had taken place. Perhaps that's a good thing. She thought. It will make me run faster. It wasn't an encouraging thought, but what did it matter. It had to be done.
Closing her eyes tightly and counting to three, she opened them and leaped out of her hiding place, running as fast as a cheetah cat toward the exit. She knew all those years in track would do her some good one day, only this sprint wasn't for first place, but for her life. Only moments later a tiny winged demon jumped down from its perch on the ceiling and pursued her, squealing in delight. She heard the sound and began whimpering as she ran, sensing the creature gaining on her from behind. The door was so close now. She might actually make it.
With one last burst of speed, she leaped over the threshold and swung round, whimpering desperately as she tried to punch in the code for the door. In the darkness of the bloody hall she came from, she could just see the creature flying at a frightening speed toward her.
"Come on." She pleaded, trying frantically to keep her hands from shaking so much so she could punch in the right numbers.
"Emergency seal activated." The computer said, and she stepped back and watched as the massive, three meter thick door dropped down, sealing Hell behind it. The small creature chasing her squealed angrily and flew under it, but not quick enough. There was a sickening sound as the door crushed the demon under its weight.
She stopped and leaned against the nearest wall, gasping for breath and laughing while tears of relief came to her eyes.
"Thank you God! Thank you so much!" She praised, looking up before sliding to the floor. Nothing could get through that door. It would withstand a nuclear blast, and any of those monsters behind it. She was safe, the only one to get out alive. Now she had to warn UAC of the outbreak. This mountain wouldn't hold those things for the rest of eternity. Something had to be done.
After a few minutes of calming down, she stood back up and made her way to the Peak. The creatures never got into this part of the facility, so the halls were clean and didn't stink of death. If the train was working, she could take that to the bottom of the mountain. If not, then she'd have to walk all the way down and to the nearest village, which would take an hour and a half at the most. She'd have to call UAC, and then apply for an early retirement. A really early retirement.
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Immokalee, Florida, United States of America.
My body shot up in the bed, hot and sweaty, gasping for breath. The same fucking nightmare. Looking next to me, I found that John still wasn't home. When I looked at the clock it read 10:00. He should be home soon. He called me saying he'd have to stay at the school a little late because one of his kid's parents hadn't arrived yet to pick him up after the basketball game. Still, it was a little late to be waiting for your parents to pick you up. With a sigh I threw back the blankets and stepped out of bed.
I walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet, letting the water run cold before leaning down and splashing it on my face. For a moment I stared down the drain, thinking about the dream. Like all the others it seemed real, and like all the others I woke up feeling hot and sweating like mad. How could it go on this long? It had been months since Olduvai, so why did I keep having these nightmares ever single night? Not once have I had a peaceful night's sleep. Every time I seem to relive the experience, death to death. Even Goat and his duel in the holding cell with the large demon I came to know as my brother. I was supposed to be dead when that happened, but in these dreams I witness every second, and feel every ounce of pain. The nightmare always seems to linger the most around the glass case containing Lucy and her child. Why?
Maybe these dreams were trying to tell me something. I'm reliving it because I keep missing some important detail, and my mind won't let me rest until I see it. I didn't think there was anything else to know. Grivok explained everything to me during his sacrifice, but there's always the chance he lied. There just aren't any clues. Nothing that I haven't seen before or don't already know. These stupid nightmares are just meant to torment me!
I angrily yanked the towel off the rack and pressed it against my face, taking in a deep breath before wiping away the water. The wash cooled me down a little and I tossed the towel to the floor. For a few seconds I continued to stare down the drain, then averted my eyes to the mirror to look at myself. Instead I saw someone else in the reflection. Someone that shouldn't even be walking on the face of this earth anymore. I screamed and jumped, turning around to meet the eyes of the dead man in the mirror. There was nothing.
Putting a hand over my racing heart, I relaxed slightly. It's just my mind playing tricks on me.
"Kyra."
I went still again and stopped breathing, listening intently for a voice I swore I heard. It was a faraway whisper, and it echoed off the walls.
"Kyra."
"John, is that you?" I shouted at nothing.
"Kyra. Kyra."
"Who's there?" I turned around in circles, trying to find the source of the voice. It kept calling my name over and over again, and eventually I rushed out of the bathroom and closed its door, hoping that it would block out the sound.
"Kyra."
I jumped again and backed away from the door, the back of my legs hitting the bed, making me fall onto it. Quickly I sat up and looked around the dark room, scared senseless of this voice that I couldn't identify. It continued to say my name, and then it sounded like there was more than one voice. They were all around me and I put my hands over my ears to block them out, closing my eyes tight.
"Stop it! Please!" I screamed.
"Save me, Kyra."
I opened my eyes at the sound of new words and looked up. Screaming I scooted back until my back hit the headboard. It was Will, standing in front of me and looking like he did almost seven years ago. He was seventeen then, and he was staring at me with a solemn, hurt expression on his face. I couldn't pull my eyes away from his unnaturally grey pupils. Somehow it didn't look like him, but I knew it was.
"Save me."
I shook my head and a tear ran down my cheek.
"Save me."
"I can't!" I screamed again.
"Save me."
"You're dead! I tried to save you and I couldn't! Leave me alone! Please!"
His image suddenly changed until he was as bald and naked as he was when he changed back. I looked on in horror, wondering what this was.
"Save me, Kyra."
His image changed again to a thirteen year old boy, dirty wet cheeks, scruffy dirty blond hair, and unwashed clothes. It was a likeness of him that I remembered well after Mom's death. He never changed his clothes or brushed his hair, but I never recalled seeing him shed tears.
"Help me." He said in a young, childish voice.
"I tried." I whispered, shaking my head and taking the sheets in a firm grip.
"No." He answered flatly.
"I did. I tried to help you but you seemed alright." I almost pleaded.
"No."
"Yes, I know you weren't. It was a mistake. Can't you forgive me?" The tears flooded from my eyes.
He never answered, but his image took the cleaner younger form of a ten-year-old. I saw that he had a purpled, swollen eye from when he got in a fight with some boys at school. I was there when that happened, and earned my fair share of black eyes and bruises.
"You always fought for me."
I nodded and leaned forward, wanting to touch him but somehow knew that he was just an illusion.
"Yes. You could always count on me back then." I answered.
"Yes. Save me."
"You're dead! There's nothing else I can do!"
"No."
"Then what can I do? Tell me and I'll do it!"
"When they come, remember that it is your responsibility."
I looked at him in confusion. "What? Who will come? What's my responsibility? Tell me Will!"
"Remember." His voice echoed once again, and he repeated the word over and over, morphing into different forms of my brother each time. Eventually he stopped in his twenty-four year old figure, the one I had seen in the pictures he sent me. His hair was spiked and swerved off to the side slightly. He had broad shoulders and was dressed in uniform, looking as handsome as ever. To see what he used to be brought me to a weeping wreck on the bed, and I watched his image fade away. My wails reverberated down the halls, and the front door to the house opened.
"I'm home." John announced, waiting for a reply whilst setting his gym bag down on the living room couch. When no one answered he went into the kitchen, seeing if I was there. It occurred to him that it was late and that I'd be asleep, so he went upstairs. Then he heard my cries and rushed to the bedroom, opening the door to the dark room and seeing me curled up on the sheets of the bed. He quickly approached and sat down on the bed, gently taking me into an embrace. It had to be another nightmare, he thought. So he did what he always did and just tried to comfort me in his arms till the horrors passed. I buried my face in his chest and gripped his shirt, grieved and confused as to what I just experienced. It was like nothing I'd seen before. Maybe I was finally going crazy, and seeing dead people. Who knows when I'll start seeing people from my squad again, like Kid, Goat, and Mac. How much longer could this go on?
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It was an early Monday morning, and I was cooking breakfast in the kitchen. I usually didn't get up early to cook, but today John was going to the airport in Orlando to pick up Sam. She was coming to visit for a few weeks. It's a long drive, so I wanted him to have a full stomach. I was also in a good mood, for we made love again last night. Soon enough I heard him coming down the stairs.
"What's this?" He asked, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waste. He took a good sniff. "Smells good."
"I figured you'd want something filling for breakfast today instead of cereal. There's scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and sausage. I wasn't sure which you'd prefer, so I cooked both."
"Then I will have both." He kissed my shoulder and started going up my neck, hitting my ticklish spot. I smiled and he turned me around. "And more." He leaned in and covered my mouth with his in a deep kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck in response, and a few seconds later he pulled away.
"Mmm, is there a main course with that?" I asked. He grinned and attacked my neck, speaking in between kisses.
"There's… always… a main… course." He raised his head and looked at me. "Tonight."
"While your sister is in the house?"
"Hmm, ever thought of soundproofing the rooms?"
"I'm sure we could find a way to keep the noise down." I laughed.
"Uhuh, you're burning the eggs, sweetheart."
"Shit." I cursed, breaking out of his hold and returning my attention to the food. I picked the pan up and scraped the eggs onto a separate plate, saving them just in time.
I served the food and we sat down across from each other, discussing plans for the day.
"So what's the game plan?" I asked, taking a mouthful of bacon.
"Well, I'll pick her up at about twelve o'clock, eat lunch, then drive back and be home at about four. Depends on traffic. You?"
"Clive is sponsoring a rock climbing trip today and needs someone to watch the shop, so I'll be there from about 8:00 to 3:00."
"Uhuh…" He hung suspiciously. "Clive asks you to do a lot of things. What else to you do for him."
"Jonathan Kelly Grimm!" I pointed my fork at him with a scolding look on my face. He quickly dropped all eating utensils and raised his hands.
"Alright, woman! I'm just yanking your chain, and don't even mention my middle name. I hate that name."
"You are so goddamn territorial and paranoid sometimes. So if you continue to act that way then I will use your middle name, Kelly."
"Kyra." He warned.
"Kelly, Kelly, Kelly."
"Keep it up and you'll get nothing tonight."
"You and I both know that your testosterone will not allow you to restrain your sexual impulses. Not if I can help it." I laughed.
He leaned in and said calmly to avoid anything further being said on the subject.
"I didn't… mean it."
I returned my fork to the sausage and softened my features, returning to breakfast without another word. We had these light, teasing arguments a lot, like we always have really. That certainly hadn't changed in our relationship.
It had been almost a year since Olduvai. About ten months ago we'd bought a house out in the country near a town called Immokalee. It was pretty close to the middle of no where, and the residents could care less who we were and what our backgrounds were. John was the basketball coach at their local school, and he got a luxurious pay check out of it. I worked at the Outdoor Recreation center, sponsoring outdoor trips like kayaking, hiking, rock climbing etc. In all, we lived a normal, average lifestyle out in the country with no ties to our past whatsoever. When in public we were Karl Hamilton and Alex Moore from Alabama. No one questioned it, no one cared.
Duke and Destroyer both lived in New York. They were still in the military, but had months of R&R to recover from the Mars incident. In that time Destroyer sent us news that he and his wife were going to have a baby. He seemed extremely excited about it. Duke lived close to them in his own apartment, still healing from the wounds he suffered. Only recently they had returned to action. Sam was a professor at the University of Maryland, and had been planning to come and see us in Florida once she could get time off. I had spent some money turning the spare room into a guest room for when she came.
I kissed John goodbye, and he got in the black pickup truck and drove out of the long, dirt driveway. For a moment I leaned against the door and watched him disappear behind the house. Then, feeling a little tense, I turned to go back into the house. At the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of something shining across the field. Curious, I looked toward it and saw a white car parked on the road a good distance away. That was strange. No one in town drove a fancy little car like that, and why would it be parked out in the middle of the countryside.
I stared at it for a while, waiting to see if someone stepped out. Though my eye sight was dramatically improved after the mutation, the car was still too far to see properly. However, I could see that it had black tinted windows, making it impossible to see what was on the inside. Now that certainly tweaked my instincts warily, and I decided to keep a suspicious eye on the car. Slowly I went back into the house, deciding to clean the dishes and head straight for work.
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Tucking the red dirt bike helmet under my arm, I slipped the gloves on and stepped out of the house, heading for the shed in the backyard. I was fully dressed in Red Fox motorcycle wear, specifically for riding dirt bikes and quad bikes. Once stepping into the shed, I slipped the helmet on and pressed the goggles down, pushing the dirt bike out and onto the road. I leaped onto the bike, sticking the key in and stomping down on the starter. The machine came roaring to life. I warmed the engine by pressing the gas a few times, and then kicked the gear up and shot forward.
As I flew past the road with the white car parked on it, I turned my head and watched it for a few seconds before pressing the gas even harder and going at an illegal speed to town. Of course, when I neared, I slowed down. When I arrived at the Outdoor Rec. building, I saw Clive outside strapping a few kayaks to the trailer behind his van. Parking and leaning my bike against the building, I took my helmet off and approached him, and he gave a welcoming smile.
"You don't plan on kayaking up that mountain do you?" I asked with a grin, running my eyes along the boats.
"Nah, course not. Same ol' people are coming along, and they all know how to kayak, so I'm going to take them down the river after the rock climbing."
I grinned and eyed him suspiciously.
"You overestimate your guests, Clive. You know that it'll take them forever to get up that mountain and you'll have no time for kayaking."
He gave a snort and crossed his arms over his chest. Clive was a small man, but with a lot of muscle. He was the ultimate outdoorsman, who could run up 23 miles of mountains in six hours and camp out in the wild on his own for weeks. The man had more stamina than a horse, and the stubbornness of a mule. If he started the mountain, he was going to finish it. Being more than equally fit and good at toughing things out, he hired me as an excellent accomplice on these hard hikes and difficult climbs. It kept me in good shape, and I've learned more survival tactics than I ever did in the military. John also joined on these backpacking challenges whenever possible.
"If they couldn't handle it then they shouldn't have signed up." Clive continued, tightening the strap to secure one of the boats.
"You're supposed to influence people to do more outdoorsy stuff, not scare them away from it." I laughed.
"That's why I make it look easy."
"Ok, however you wanna do it. Anything you need help with?"
He put his hands on his hips and sighed while looking around, as if trying to find something worth doing.
"Well, one of the canoes needs repairing. It's in the back. Other than that, all I need you to do is keep an eye on the shop while I'm gone. Maybe give it a clean up if you get bored or something."
"Will do." I saluted, already heading to the back.
"Hey, and Buck needs a good exercise! The old boy is getting fat!" He shouted after me, and I waved my hand in reply, disappearing around the back of the building. Suddenly a bark sounded and I heard the sound of four big, pawed feet running toward me. I stopped and waited for a blur of gray fur to slide around from behind the storage shed, and soon enough it came, slobber, wagging tale and all.
"Hey Buck!" I called, putting my hands on my knees and grinning at him. He barked again and charged, jumping up and into my arms, where I caught him. The dog really shouldn't be doing that, for he's quite big. He's a gray Siberian Husky, and an old one at that, but still fit and oiled enough to run a few miles. He whined excitedly as he tried to lick my face, and I quickly put him down. John always complained when I came home and my face smelled like dog drool when he kissed me.
"Settle down boy." I soothed, kneeling down and roughly rubbing my hands along his back and strong neck. His legs jumped around anxiously, and he began going round in circles. Then he dropped down and rolled onto his back, begging for a belly rub, which I gave.
"I've only been gone a day. You can't have missed me that much."
He didn't acknowledge my words and hung his head back lazily as I scratched his tummy. Soon his leg began moving back and forth very quickly, and I softly chuckled at the sight. He was the most adorable thing, and I couldn't get enough of his energetic, friendly behavior.
"You wanna go for a walk!" I said excitedly, and he leaped up and barked. He certainly knew what 'walk' meant, and it was probably the only word in the human language that he understood. "Come on." I urged, walking into the shop to retrieve his leash. Immediately after I took it down from the hook, he took the rope in his jaws and began tugging. I kneeled down and easily dragged him back, then hooked the clip on his collar.
"Alright boy, let's go."
With the leash still in his mouth, we walked out of the shop and into the front, where a group of five people were standing around Clive. When he saw me he nodded his head.
"I'm heading out, Alex. I'll be back around 2:00, ok?" He called, and I waved back at his words.
Buck started tugging at the leash again, begging me to move, and I started walking again. The dog sure had some pride. He walked around with his nose in the air and the leash in his mouth like he was walking me.
People greeted me as we passed by. Everyone knew me, and I knew them. It was a small town, filled with old timers and youngins at every age. I had walked through it twice already in twenty minutes, and was heading back to the shop when I saw a white car drive passed me. My pace slowed and I watched it go, parking outside Mary's diner. A moment later two men stepped out in black suits, and I stopped in my tracks. Buck continued to tug impatiently, but stopped when his backside hit something solid. He turned around looked up into the dark shades of one of the men. For a few seconds the man just stared down at the dog. Then he followed the leash and looked at me. It was along time of silence. Just me and him staring at each other, and I got a very suspicious hunch. Something about him screamed danger, and I trusted my instinct.
"Nice dog." The man then said flatly, before walking into the diner with his partner.
"Come on Buck." I quickly urged, looking behind me frequently. There was something about those men that I really didn't like, and it was obvious that well-dressed folk like that had no business being in this old town. Something was wrong. I could sense it by the sensitive hairs on the back of my neck. It was a relief when I finally reached the security of the shop.
During the long hours I patched up the canoe, tended to three customers, and did find myself bored enough to clean up the shop. I dusted, swept, and re-organized everything, finishing just in time for lunch. Buck and I then went down to the Diner and got our food. The white car wasn't there anymore.
When Clive finally came back, I helped him put everything away. It was almost 3:00 by the time it was all done, and I said goodbye before getting on my bike again and heading home.
I was speeding at over a hundred miles per hour down the dirt road, leaving a thick trail of turned up dust in the air. The house appeared in the distance, a white jewel against the golden fields of grass around it. Secluded and peaceful, away from the rest of the world. I suppressed a smile when I noticed something else. On the adjoining road, in the same place, was that white car, gleaming brightly against the sun. It was the same that passed me in town, and I was a little tired of this. If someone was following me, I wanted to know who and give them a piece of my mind.
I prepared to make the next turn and stop beside the car to knock on its window, but then I thought better. That wouldn't be such a smart idea, especially if I wasn't armed. If the car is following me, the person driving it obviously wants something, so I better go prepared if I'm going to go at all. So, I skipped the road and went straight to the house, dropping the bike quickly and going inside. I went upstairs and into the bedroom, heading for the bed. There I got down on my knees and reached under it, sliding a leather black box out. Typing in the combination, it popped open and I pulled the lid up, revealing a neat array of knives. Randomly picking one, I slid it into my boot and relocked the case, sticking it back under the bed.
Angrily muttering to myself about having a fucking stalker, I stopped and forced myself to think about it. Who on earth would be stalking me? UAC and the military. That thought didn't sit comfortably with me, and I slowly went down the stairs and peaked out the window by the door. If it was UAC or the military, I'd have to ditch everything and make a run for it. Maybe I should call John.
I went into the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing his cell. Putting it to my ear, I went back to the window and continued to watch the car. The phone rang a few times before he finally picked up.
"Hey."
"It's Kyra."
"Hey sweetheart. I'm almost home, maybe about fifteen minutes out."
"Ok, but could you hurry?"
"What's wrong?"
I hesitated and spoke my next words in an intense tone of concern.
"There's a white car that's been following me around all day. It's parked across the field right now, and I haven't seen anyone get out just yet. I'm a little… concerned about it. It could be UAC. They're the only people that could possibly be looking for us."
"It's been following you?"
"I think."
There was a pause.
"Are you sure it's UAC."
"No, I don't know who it is, but you have to trust me on this John. I've got a really bad feeling."
Suddenly there was a crash, like breaking glass in the living room, and I jumped. Old habits kicked in and the knife was in my hand in a second.
"What was that?"
"I think someone just broke into the house." I answered anxiously, my heart abruptly starting to race in my chest. My eyes were fixed on the kitchen door, waiting for someone to enter. I could hear footsteps coming down the hall, and a moment later two men in black suits rushed in, pointing silver pistols at me. They didn't hesitate, and fired. I gasped and dropped the phone, my hand suddenly going numb. Then my legs collapsed and I hit the floor, paralyzed from head to toe. I could hear John's voice shouting through the phone on the floor. The two men took my arms and chained them behind my back, and then my ankles. One then turned me over and put a needle in my arm. It was all over almost as soon as it started, and I could hardly register what had happened. A sudden wave of drowsiness possessed me, and a few seconds later my eyes drooped shut, and I blacked out.
School will be starting back in less than three weeks for me, and I will do my best to get as much done in that time before schoolwork consumes it all. I have already decided to commit all my free time to writing this story, for I really have nothing else I'd rather do after school other than homework. So, updates may still be weekly. I will do my best. This is a quick start to the story because I didn't want to bore you all with a chapter based on their daily life after Olduvai. I think what I put in this chapter was just enough to update you all on how they coped. Things will pick up very quickly in the next chapter, and you can count on a few surprises in this story. It will be more affiliated with the actual game than before. Already I have small thoughts about a sequel to this story. We'll see.
Well, please review!