E

Oz was the first to see signs of the infection break out over Atlas.

It was a wonder to him how there were fluids splattered on the ceiling, something he didn't even think was possible, even for the likes of Atlas. He was used to cleaning the floors, the windows, and even the walls in some cases, but the ceiling? Really? He stood, groaning that his night would probably be longer than what he had anticipated.

He was used to seeing the fluids and chemicals of the bio-weaponry lab, which is where he was stationed for maintenance. It always reeked something awful, and he always had to wear special suiting and face masks in order to even step foot inside. B Holding, however, was always left locked after six o'clock. No one ever told him to clean that room, and it was never open or available for him to clean anyway. As far as Oz could tell, that meant less work and more pay for him.

But the night that everything went to hell was the one night that it was left unlocked.

Oz figured he might as well give it a look. No one ever told him anything, and for all he knew, this was the one night he'd be allowed inside.

So, he peered inside, immediately taken aback by the rancid odor that was emanating from the hallway. He was used to the smell of chemicals and burning materials, but he had never smelled anything like that before. It smelled like something died.

He noticed the unmistakable red-brown hue of blood on the walls next. Oz blinked, a feeling of uneasiness creeping into his gut. Something was wrong, here. Something was very wrong. That was blood he was seeing on the walls, and the very sight made his stomach turn. What the hell was going on?

A moment later, he heard it; the ungodly shriek coming from the end of the hallway, echoing off the walls like the screams of a madman. He whirled around and saw what appeared to be a humanoid monster, it's eyes bright and luminous, half-lurching, half-running down the hallway and straight for Oz.

Kahn didn't hear about the infection until almost thirty minutes later after Oz was attacked. He had received a phone call that night, someone's panicked voice shrieking into the receiver, saying there was monsters in the testing labs and that they were making their way up to the first floor. The woman sounded like she was crying.

Numb, Kahn hung up before she could say another word. His hands shook. As head executor of Atlas's research facility, he knew he would soon be faced with questions to which he had no answers for. Atlas was under attack.

He picked up the phone again, and began to dial.

"This is Kahn," he said, his voice steady as he spoke into the phone. "I need the full security unit to initiate Evacuation Plan C. Now."

Jim Decker had received the second call from the head of security when the outbreak hit. On his desk were several mugs of coffee, scattered papers (several of which contained his psychiatric profile upon applying to be an Atlas field agent), and a notebook that contained his more private writings. Decker had enjoyed keeping a journal, if a crude one at that. It helped him keep his thoughts in order.

His phone rang several moments later. His head advisor spoke quickly, clear panic in his voice. Decker struggled to make out what he was saying.

"We need evacuation now. Get everyone out immediately. Call in every unit we have."

"What the hell is going on?!" Decker demanded. But the line was already dead.

Decker wasted no time. He leapt to his feet, adrenaline in his veins and began sounding the alarms.

"Everyone out!" he yelled. Grabbing his weaponry, Decker ran out into the hallway and saw people shrieking and screaming, tripping over one another in a mad attempt to reach the exit doors. Decker froze, gun in hand, frantically scanning the crowd for any sign of what was going on. He yelled at them to find the exit, wishing he knew what it was they were running from. As they managed to clear the hallway, Decker ran to assist a smaller group of people who had fallen behind, rounding the corner in a panic.

Decker was immediately hit with a rancid, odorous stench that left him gagging, causing him to nearly drop the pistol in his hand. His eyes grew blurry as the smell burned his eyes, but before he could react, he watched as two things lunged around the corner and attack the remaining people. Decker had never seen anything like it before. The things, he knew, were not human.

Not even close.

Decker fired, once, twice, and then again, but it was no use. As the creatures collapsed onto the ground, he saw that the people were already dead, their throats torn open in a gruesome display. Decker ran, and he didn't look back as several dozen more of the creatures rounded the corner and came right for him.

Lilth Swann was forced to evacuate with the rest of IT when the alarms sounded. Much like everyone else, nobody knew what was going on until they reached the hallway and were mobbed by shrieking, sprinting, panicking employees. She had been one of few that had grabbed a gun before evacuating. Although she was only an IT worker, everyone who worked for Atlas was required to take basic weapons training, even the janitorial staff. She was no expert in weapons handling, but even so, she felt better knowing she was armed.

As they made their way out to the hallway, panic began to ensue throughout the other departments as they made a mad dash for the exit. Something was coming for them, but Lilth couldn't see above the crowd, and twice was nearly trampled. So she ran, a rising fear in her gut as a rancid, rotting odor assaulted her nose and eyes. People were coughing and gagging, causing them to fall behind. Caught in the crowd, she tripped and fell, landing face-first onto the marble ground, tasting blood. She couldn't see, couldn't move. As the crowd made its way frantically towards the exit, she dragged herself to her feet, feeling a hand on her wrist yank her into a standing position. Some security guard, young and scared-looking, was yelling at her to run or she would die. Behind them, she heard inhuman shrieking and growling as the odor grew stronger. Something was coming for them.

She didn't look back. Together, they ran, the man's hand gripping deathly tight onto her wrist. She wanted to tell him that she was fine, that he had a job to do, but the shrieks of the things behind them drowned out anything she wanted to say.

Outside, people were dropping like flies. The things that were causing the emergency had flooded the outside area, slaughtering people left and right. Lilith watched in utter horror as men and women were tackled onto the ground, their throats ripped apart. Some who had weapons tried to fight back. Others made a mad dash for the helicopter landing area. Off in the distance, a rescue Warbird was making its way to the facility. Lilth fired rapidly, dropping almost a dozen of the creatures as they came her way. The guard beside her kicked over one, and plunged his knife into the skull of another.

Decker, she thought wildly. In her state of panic, his nametag seemed to shine like a beacon on his uniform. His name is Decker.

"Behind you!" Lilth screamed. The security guard named Decker whirled around and shot a creature right in the skull, a long scratch ripping the arm of his uniform.

"We need to go."

The Warbird was landing. But what Lilith witnessed next, she would have sworn wasn't real.

The creatures turned away from attacking the Atlas employees, and in a mad rush, ran straight for the landing chopper. They jumped and leapt, crawling over each other as they swarmed the Warbird before it could even land. Lilith watched as it tried to ascend again, managing to gain altitude again, before lurching to one side as the creatures invaded the cockpit. All at once, it crashed in a roar of thunder, sending Lilith flying off her feet. She felt a scorching heat across her skin as something exploded in her ears, before her vision flickered to black.