So, how's you're day doing peeps? This was a doozy to write, but for good reason. Things are getting a bit busy on this end, plus this chapter has a lot in it and so happens to be part of the turning point in the story, so I'll quickly get to it and hope you all enjoy it. 😊
Chapter 40: Haven's Fall pt.1
If Ariel had learned anything from Raynor and his Raiders, it's that they're bold, they're willing to fight the zerg just to get some minerals and then the technology advanced Protoss to retrieve another piece of a Xel'naga artifact. She looks up to watch the now three segments of an ancient device that she still holds no answer for its intended purpose float around within their containment field. These people certainly like to pick a fight with others, especially for such mysterious devices.
Her eyes gaze back down at her tablet and she directed them to the top right of the screen seeing that it's time for her to check up on Thyme and the colonists of Haven again. She navigates through the device and into her contacts where she clicks on her associate's name for their schedule call, and after waiting for a few seconds her device registers that it didn't connect. Her face turns that of confusion since she could've sworn that her tablet could connect by using the Hyperion's own transmitters to boost her own signal, and that Thyme is never one to not pick up out of schedule. It's probably because of a different frequency being used over at their end, so she accessed the communications settings and changed the values they both use before returning to the contacts and tries again.
Again, no signal. Her eyes furrow in response as she goes back to change the frequency.
Another attempt is made, but the dreaded message appears yet again.
The values are changed again and again, but they all come out negative making the brunet scientist now worried, they made all these frequencies in the case one doesn't work or been compromised, but none of them are working. She assumes that something's wrong, with the war going one right now and the colony being near Protoss space, she just can't risk it, she needs to find out what's happening over there.
She decides to quickly exit the lab and make her way through the ship's many hallways, her heart now racing as the anxiety ramps up in her mind, completely ignoring all the crew members she came across, but in her mad dash to get to Raynor she slams right into a woman, but before she could fall down two hands grab both her shoulders keeping her upright.
"Seriously, again?" A familiar voice calls out as she was held still by two strong hands. The scientist looks up to make eye contact with the face of Tiva who's looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Mabey you should get those glasses checked, miss." The woman gives a small smirk before giving a chuckle to try to pass the joke through, but it does nothing to ease Ariel's fears.
"My apologies again Tiva, but I'm in a bit of a hurry to see Jim." She responds in as calm of a manner as she could.
"Well, I just saw him in the cantina just a minute ago, it's usually best not to disturb him right now." This news brings the woman even more distress which is visibly displayed by an increased fidgeting of her fingers, something that the pilot notices. "I can bring you to the bridge to wait for him there if you don't mind." She releases the brunette a took a step back.
"I can make it on my own, sorry to disturb you." She was moving past Tiva before she notices the other woman following behind.
"I don't mind, I was going to see Matt anyways for a scheduled briefing." Ariel turns back around in response and lets her companion join in the walk.
A few minutes has passed since Tiva had join Ariel on their journey to the bridge, but throughout this trip there had only been an awkward silence between the two throughout the whole trip, and the source of this awkwardness if from the scientist's visible anxiety shown by a constant fidgeting of her fingers and jolting of the head from time to time.
"So, you seem to have something on your mind, you okay telling it?" She asks while moving her black bangs to the side hoping to start something up. At first the woman was hesitant to answer as she stayed silent and even adverting her brown eyes away for a split second. This made Tiva reassess her attempt to look into her side of the situation before she suddenly got a response.
"It's about my people, they're not responding on any frequency and it's having me worried." Ariel's voice trembled a little as she spoke.
"Perhaps they're just late on their schedule?" She shrugged her shoulders in hopes of leveling out the tension.
"No, Thyme's always on time, and we had contingencies in case one failed. But no one had responded no matter how many times I tried." She could hear her voice further agitate when describing the answer.
"Oh, I see." She gave a sympathetic look as the conversation goes on.
"I know people there; I grew up with them. Since my graduation from the Tarsonis Academy, I went back to Agria and later inherited the colony from my father. I take my responsibility as seriously I take my work, and if everyone died under my watch, I just wouldn't forgive myself."
"I get ya'. I feel the same about Tina, if anyone laid a finger on my sister, I wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in their head." This causes Ariel to raise her head just a little which tells the pilot that her words have gotten through to her.
"That reminds me, how is your sister doing?"
"Good actually, the docs said that she'll be back up and going by tomorrow." This is when she sees a smile on her face, causing her to grin in return as she could tell that her companion is having higher spirits. "Honestly, after everything you've done for us, I'm sure Raynor is willing to help your people if it comes to worse. That's the kind of guy he is."
"I'm sure of it, he hadn't let us down yet." With that the two women enter an elevator in which the pilot enters the digits on the console next to the door causing the two metal frames to come together before the left began its ascent up.
Fear, nothing but fear ran through Isabel's mind as she and May run through the burning settlement, the woman holding her hand with an iron grip she never knew was possible. Screams of panicking colonists and gunfire of scarce marines trying to hold off the infested humans fill the chaotic air while the two try their best to avoid any and all contact with the infected. But no matter where they go their taint could be seen.
The moment they turn the corner of a building, they see an infested woman tearing apart an unfortunate man who is screaming for someone to help him, but they could only watch as the infested tore into his flesh with its claws like it was wet paper, letting blood and gore spill out onto the dirt below. Her eyes where quickly averted from the gruesome scene by May as they push themselves back towards the way they came before the creature could set its sights on them, but as they went down the dirt path something else stops them.
A large hulking mass stumbles from around the corner, blocking their way out, before slowly turning to them reveling orange, piercing, glowing eyes against a dark silhouette, and within the darkness something was moving. As their eyes take in the sight, they realize what they were looking at: an infested marine. The thing that was moving were fleshy brown tendrils that have replaced the soldier's mouth and writhed around like a bunch of worms smelling the air. With a haunting scream the tendrils and the flesh they could later see slathered throughout the armor pulsate aggressively before its arm raises to point a gauss rifle, which has also been wrapped around by the flesh, and aimed lazily at them.
May pushes the two of them to another alleyway right before a hail of bullets went their way, and the two slam to the ground before her guardian forces her back up to continue running. At this point the dirt-blonde legs begin to feel weak from all the changes in directions and running but she pushes through as to not slow them down. However, this encounter had shown that the infestation is growing wide and fast with local resistance not being enough to halt the carnage, they need to get away quickly.
She could feel May having the same idea and they continue to run on through the burning colony, as they come upon a building in flames, and the girl could feel her skin heat up as they approach on the blazing infernal. Intruding on their path is a thick cloud of smoke emanating from the windows of the burning structure, but with the infested right behind them, they have no choice but to go through it and prey that nothing is waiting on the other side.
They take a deep breath before running right into the cloud of ash. Her eyes quickly begin to water as the smoke enters her eyes forcing her to close them and put all her trust in May's guidance. The dark dust washes over her skin like a black ocean as they make their way through, her lungs already begging for air due to the running. She tries to block out all of the screaming and conflict, but they continue to invade the fearful girl's mind, but something else began to make itself known.
"Come on, keep going!" A voice echoed through her mind, but it sounded distant, and familiar.
"This way, move!" This voice sounded just like her father.
"Stay close Isabel!" She nearly gasps as this voice sounds just like her mother. Where are these voices coming from?
She was so focused on these voices that she barely notices that they're out of the smoke cloud, and she only found this out when she was forced to take a deep breath and felt fresh air fill her lungs, but some residual ash made it into her throat causing her to cough.
"Are you okay?" Her eyes open to see her and May still running through the buildings before she gives a nod and an affirming grunt.
Far ahead of them however are three infested colonists block their path, and right as they notice, the leading member of the group does as well, turning to them before letting out a horrific shriek to alert the others. They all begin running towards the pair causing the two to panic and look around for any way out. Isabel's ruby eyes quickly land on a set of doors to a nearby living complex.
"Over there!" She yells while pointing at their destination.
May quickly diverts their path towards the building nearly tripping the girl in the process as her legs become weak again from the strain, but she continues to bear with it. Her breath was heavy when they reached the door, and she could hear the footsteps of the quickly advancing infested causing her panic as May bursts open the door. She looks back to see the whole group of the monsters charging towards them with glowing, orange eyes fixated on them with animalistic zeal.
The brown door was slammed shut and locked by May in a speed that surprised even her.
"Find something to barricade with!" The two dart their eyes around to look for anything that could be used to keep their pursuers at bay.
She eyes the green couch next to them and calls to the redhead for help. The two quickly ran to the object and each took an end to lift with May on the pulling end and Isabel pushing it.
"Ready. Go!" The two begin moving the furniture with Isabel giving everything she's got into pushing the heavy couch to the door with May doing her part as well.
It scrapes across the wooden floor as they make progress, but as she pushes, the blonde looks out the window and sees the infested nearing the house causing her to grow anxious.
"Don't focus on them. Keep going were almost there." May's words bring her attention back to the task at hand as she give one last hard push which puts the couch into position, and right on time. A second later the frightening crash of an infested slamming against the door was heard, but the door held with the addition of the couch. "That won't hold them forever, we need to move." The woman's right, the wooden door can only take so much punishment before it gives in, then there's the possibility of them going through the windows.
They begin to navigate through the living room then through the kitchen, their heads constantly swiveling around to look for any oncoming threats, and after taking a right they come across a backdoor that would lead towards the garage. Upon its white surface though seems to be a bloody handprint smeared across the surface, and it looks fresh.
May tries to open the door, but the handle doesn't budge indicating that it's locked. This is when the woman begins knocking on the door.
"Hey, is anyone in there, please let us in." There's no response. "Com one, anyone in there?" She yells, but still no answer. Isabel on the other hand follows the blood trail from the smear all the way towards the floor and there she traces another trail of blood all across the floor, away from the kitchen and supposedly through the front door. They've been so busy running that they didn't see this trail right below them. "Come one, anyone in there!?" May continued to call out with a hint of desperation in her voice.
"May, I don't think they'll come out." The girl grabs her shoulder with a voice laced with a realization. "I'm not sensing anything from the other side, and this blood trail, I think they bled out."
"We should at least find a way in and barricade ourselves inside until help arrives." This is when the distant sounds of glass shattering along with the dreadful sound of the infested's groaning filling the house.
"No time, we need to run!" Isabel's hand was taken again and they begin running through the kitchen to encounter the infested that was first to enter through the broken window getting up. She watched as the others are climbing in behind it and even from the other window on the door's right side. She froze in fear as they begin to rise up one by one, setting their mindless glaze on her.
She was suddenly pulled to the side as May drags her to the stares leading to the second floor, but her sight was kept locked at the infested as they stumble towards her. Her lungs couldn't catch breath as fear overcomes her mind, the suddenly, images began flash before her. Dawning skies, towering buildings, panicking people, blood and bodies.
Orange eyes and snarling teeth.
Her heart rate spiked, breath growing ragged and tears forming in her eyes. Psionic energy begins to form at her fingertips and quickly creeping up her arms like snakes. She took one last breath before letting all of it out.
"GET AWAY!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as a wall of pure psionic energy erupts from her body like a vengeful wave scorching everything it touches and bathing the whole room in blue light. All the infested were consumed by the wave while their twisted forms are also being pushed back by the shear force of the energy.
Once the wave hit the wall it dissipates harmlessly leaving a dark scorch mark across the surface and the room in complete silence. Isabel just stands in place in complete shock as to what she's done, the corpses of her former hunters now all charred and sizzling on the ground motionless. Her senses eventually recollected themselves and her body jolted back to life from the paralyzing shock causing her to shake her arms to get the feel for them, but something was off, wasn't May holding on to one of them?
She looks over behind her, and what she saw made all her blood freeze.
The loud cries of sirens echo across the air, confusing every colonist who could hear it, one of them including Isaac who is among the people that were handling the physical labor of constructing new homes. He looks around in confusion like everyone else around him as he wonders as to why the alarm is blaring out its cries, he could also hear the people around him murmuring questions about it. This was when they saw a pair of marines running down the newly paved dirt road with a frantic pace earning even more of the man's curiosity causing him to walk in on an intercept course before eventually forcing a marine to stop in front of him.
"What's going on here?" He asks the marine.
"Some sort of trouble going on in sector 4B, we're going to check it out. Stay in your sector until further notice." The solider responds in their stoic matter before setting off to their destination again leaving an even more curious Isaac behind. But one thing troubled him, the sector described by the solider is where Isabel and May are working in causing him to worry, and without the communicator he uses to contact both them and Ariel, he can't assess the situation adding more stress to his growing anxiety. He needs to know their situation.
The man runs off to the direction the marines ran through only to be stopped by the hand of the woman supervising their operation in the area holding against his chest.
"Where do you think you're going?" She asks in a cold curiosity as her eyes stare into his.
"I have family in that area, I need to find them." He tries to bypass his superior but was stopped again by her surprisingly fast reflexes.
"Didn't you hear the marine? He told us to stay here, I'm sure they'll bring your family back." She counters, but Isaac's having none of it.
"Last time I left things to chance I lost my son, now move!" He shoves her arm away and begins to go into a full sprint.
"And how do you expect to help them? You're certainly not a decked out marine." This causes him to stop in his tracks and turn his head around to make eye contact with her.
"Mabey, but I'm not leaving them behind." With that answer he continues running out of the area ignoring the resulting calls of the woman as he makes his way down the ramp, never looking back as he keeps his sights solely on the distant smoke pillars.
His heavy boots dig into the green grass beneath him with every step as he runs towards the distant chaos with vigor only a worried father could possess. He completely ignores the people in the next settlement as he speeds past them and makes his way across the earth bridge left untouched by the nearby excavator cranes. Nothing going to stop him from saving his family, but the woman had a point, what is he going to do if he faces trouble? He doesn't exactly have any weapons on him right now. Even so he just can't stay still knowing that their lives are at risk.
His legs carried him a couple dozen more meters across the grassy plane until he comes upon a rather familiar marauder with a few marines.
"Whoa there civvi, this whole colony is under… wait a minute, you're that guy that came with one of those hybrid things. What are you doing out here?" Hunk asked.
"My family is working in the affected area; I need to find them now." He explained to the towering solider.
"That's what we're doing, to assess the situation and bring back any survivors we find. You should head back, it'll be dangerous."
"As I said, I've got family in there and I'm going to find them, or die trying." The man retorts defiantly against the towering solider, not moving a single inch as he believes if he does, he'd lose this argument.
"Are you sure, you'll be neck deep in trouble if you come with us." The normally light-hearted voice of the marauder turned stern with concern, but Isaac does not budge.
"Wouldn't be the first time that I was. Just give me a weapon and I'll make myself useful." The marauder stared at him for a few moments, unsure as to weather or not comply with his request with the only sound in the air being the blaring horns close by. The helmet then turns to the marine next to him.
"Thomas, hand him your pistol." The solider hesitaters briefly but complies regardless.
"O-okay." Thomas sounded rather unsure about handing the man they see as a civilian a weapon, but receiving the order form his superior gave him little in the way of options as Isaac would relate to. The large robotic hand of the marine reaches over to the side of the left leg and unsheathe a handgun out of a leather holster. The gun was flipped to be held by the barrel before being handed over to the man.
Isaac grabs the gun and it felt heavy, but that's to be expected, and inspects the pistol's barrel and trigger guard while making sure that his finger was never on the trigger itself a per safety protocol. He looked pleased by the weapon and shows it with a affirmative nod before looking back up to Hunk.
"Lead the way."
"Alright everyone, get moving!" A gauntlet was raised towards the smoking settlement and they all head off to investigate the situation with Isaac following right behind despite their height difference.
With a good minute of jogging they reach the natural ramp leading up to their destination which they do not slow down for. Upon reaching the top of the ramp they all stop and form up in an arc formation to secure the area, a formation the father quickly falls into due to his engrained training. They search the area for any hostiles or civilians, but nothing came up, aside from the distant alarm blaring its cries, it is completely silent as the building they could see seem empty. This unnerves the veteran who was expecting to be caught in a firefight as he continues to scan the area.
"Alright, let's make this quick, spread out into two teams. Tom and Isaac you're with me. Mark, Damien, and Sow, head to the East side. We'll converge back here within ten minutes, make them count." In a professional manner comparable to an actual military the group splits in two and head out in a forking formation to continue their search.
As orders Isaac follows Hunk and Tom through the quiet ruins of the settlement, still wondering as to why it's all quiet. Could his family have made it out? Or are they among the dead of this place?
He shook his head as he drives these questions out of his head, he needs to keep focus on the mission, regardless of their fate. He looks over as they pass a building still burning with the embers glowing from within the charred interior, it's hard to believe that this was once a lavishing home for the common people. His eyes refocused on the two soldiers taking front with their weapons raised at all times much like him, it may be quiet now, but like many battles this is just the calm before the storm.
They soon come upon another house with just one story, and this time it is still intact.
"I've got your exit, you two go inside and look for anyone still alive." The two nod and they pass by their commander with Tom taking point and approach the door.
With a surprisingly gentle force for such heavy armor, the marine opens the door by the handle and slowly swings it open while they both bring up their weapons in preparation for any trouble. They scanned the dark, silent room as they move forward with Isaac checking the down the hallway, but found it to be blocked by debris made from the collapsed roof. Something catches his sight, and he looks down to see a large patch of dry blood surrounding the unmoving corpse of a man crushed under the debris. He shakes his head in sympathy for the poor man, seeing it as yet another life cut short by this galaxy.
"Nothing on my end. What about you?"
"No, we should go." He responds coldly before he makes his own way to the exit where Hunk is waiting with his comrade right behind him.
"We got nothin'; we should keep moving."
"Got it." They continue to follow their leader in their search for survivors, but all stood silent for the exception of the heavy footsteps of the other two's power armor.
Such a silence still left Isaac concern and confused as there's still no sign as to what caused this destruction. Barely any bodies, blood, or any recognizable elements of the enemy, it's like the battle of Trentos II during the Guild Wars all over again, and it was a bloodbath that will never leave his mind. He silently prays to God that his family is alright.
After treading through the silent grounds for a minute that felt longer than it should, they come across another intact building, this time standing at two stories and with two broken windows as signs of a struggle here.
"Same deal guys, get in there." Once again, he and Tom approach the door with the latter getting ready to open it. But when he twists the handle they quickly find out that it is locked, but the marine just responds with an annoyed grunt before taking a couple steps back, and charges into it using his shoulder as a battering ram. The force of the charge broke through the door, but he nearly trips over on something that was placed on the other side.
Tom recovers just in time while Isaac inspects the object seeing it as a green couch that he no doubt thinks was an attempt by the inhabitants to keep their aggressors out. Tom was still frustrated at nearly falling over thanks to the piece of furniture and just moves it out of the way with one strong push of an arm allowing them access to the structure.
"What the hell?" The sight before them was a surprise to them, in front of them lay four corpses of what seems like infested humans, giving them the grim answer as to what silenced this settlement. These bodies looked charred with any flesh that remained just barely hanging on to the malformed bones of these former people. Isaac also notices that the carpeted floor had been singed into an oily black surface that he traces back to the adjacent wall where it was also scorched in the same way, showing that whatever happened here was rather violent. "It seemed that some civvies were putting up a fight."
"Mabey, perhaps there's hope." Despite saying this he still has doubts that anyone is actually alive inside seeing as how the infested made it through.
They continue to inspect the house anyways just to make sure with the two inspecting their respective sides before coming upon a staircase.
"Go search up there, I'll keep lookin' down here."
"Right." They split up as Tom goes into the kitchen area while Isaac heads up the stairs, his comparatively smaller frame allowing him to transverse this terrain where his compatriot cannot.
He kept his gun raised as he climbs the stairs, not taking any chances despite the silence, but he does notice a blood trail that was leading either up or down these steps. Upon reaching the top of steps he looks down a hallway with a window leaking sunlight at the very end, and on the sides there are two doors on his left and a third to his right, a layout reminiscent of his old home on Agria. He treads carefully, making sure that his footsteps remain as silent as possible as to not alert any potential hostiles.
He follows the blood trail which leads him to the first door which was partially opened before leaning near it putting an ear against the door to listen for anyone or anything inside, but it's silent. He slowly opens the door, and as it creeks, he points his pistol through before looking inside himself, his eyes and gun both scanning the trashed bedroom. The room looked like it was ravaged by a storm with clothes, sheets, and pieces of furniture all strewed about the area along with claw marks across the walls.
Among the trash is another body of an infested woman lying on the floor near the bed, and with a pistol raised towards it, he inspects it seeing that someone shot a bullet straight through the head ending this poor woman's life. Probably a lover or relative did this but was injured in the process hence the blood trail. He doesn't know the fate of this person, but he doubts that it was good.
He catches a whiff of a horrible stench emanating from it forcing him to exit the room and continue down the hallway to swiftly and silently approach the next door. He leans in to listen, and this time he was hearing something on the other side, or more like someone. It sounds like the muffled cries of someone, a girl maybe, lightly reverberating in his ear. He leans back and knocks on the door lightly before speaking.
"Hello, is anyone in there. This is Isaac Kalalski, I'm here to get you out." He spoke softly for the sake of the person on the other side as well as to not attract attention. The crying ceased before a series of footsteps approach the door before stopping right in front of it.
"Dad?" His eyes widen, he recognizes that voice.
"Isabel, is that you?" His voice trembled with excitement as the person on the other side is who he was looking for.
"It's me dad. Let me get this open." He could later hear the sound of something heavy being pushed out of the way along with the grunting of the girl before hearing the lock click and the door opening revealing his daughter standing before him.
In a flash she comes up and embraces him tightly with him quickly returning the hug just as tightly with one hand on her back and the other behind her head. The two embraced each other for the next few seconds with the dirt-blonde sniffling against his shoulder and with his own tears on the verge of dripping out of sheer relief. Out of all the death and destruction that had happened here his own family had survive yet again and is just grateful he could hold her again.
"I-I was s-so scared. I-I though no one w-would come for u-us." Her voice quivered as tears continue to run down her eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm here sweetie." He kept his embrace firm as he continues to indulge in the delight of his daughter's survival. But someone was missing. "Where's May?" He breaks the embrace and brings Isabel in front of him, only to see that the whites of her eyes were a light red making the ruby-colored iris hard to see showing that she was crying for a while now. The girl's face turned that of dread as her head turns and an arm being raised towards the back corner of the room farthest away from them, and as he follows their directions, his heart sank at the sight.
In the farthest corner is a bed sitting in the shadows with only a sliver of sunlight hitting its white sheets and laying in it with a chilling stillness is May. He walks over to her to get a closer look with his daughter in tow, and upon reaching the bed, his heart stops. Before him is the redhead woman just laying on the bed with her eyes closed, the half of her closest to him looked normal, but the other was hard for him to look at even with everything he had seen in his life. Her normally smooth yet sturdy skin is now black as coal and wrinkled as if it aged by decades with the clothing on this side looking burnt and ruined revealing some more affected skin that would normally be covered by the fabric.
His gaze was moved to her head to see it was just as bad. Despite his lack of sexual interest in the woman, he still saw the attractiveness in her facial features, but now that is marred by the scorched half that had also left the skin black with patches of red irritated skin peppering the surface. The affected portion of her lips looked like they were sapped of any softness in them, and the hair was seared clean off leaving a smooth half that completely contrasts with the unaffected scarlet red hair.
He heard her groan as she struggled to turn her head towards the man before her one good eye opened to have her emerald green iris stared into his own blue ones.
"Isaac…" He mouth forced out that one word with a gravelly voice that made him hold his breath while she slowly reach out to him her good hand. He takes it with both of his own letting them softly grasp each other. His head then turns to Isabel.
"What happened here?" His voice was filled with despair as he stares at his daughter.
"I-I did this." His eye widened at the response before she continued. "I couldn't control m-myself, they were just s-so close." Her voice begins to falter, and her breath grew heavy as the guilt in her heart breaks through. "I-I did this t-to… h-her." She finally breaks down sobbing with her hands covering her face while the weight of her grief bringing the girl to her knees. This sight hurt Isaac just as much as seeing May's dire condition.
This also gave the revelation to what he and Tom saw downstairs, and a part of him is in disabled that his own child is capable of doing such damage. But now's not a time to dwell on that. He reaches out with a hand and cups Isabel's chin causing her to stop and remove her hands to look up to him.
"Look, I know you're scared, but we need to get out of here. Can you to carry May for me please?" His gruffy voice became gentle as he looks into his daughter's tear ridden eyes. She only breathed heavily for a couple seconds before she composed herself and nods at her father's request. As she gets back up Isaac looks back to his partner. "Alright you're getting you out of here."
"Can't…slow…you…"
"Don't finish that, save your strength. We don't leave family behind." He interjects with defiant care before looking around the room for something to support her. He then spots a white piece of clothing that he can use at the foot of the bed. "Isabel, get her leg." The blonde complies and grabs May's bad leg by the shoe while he goes for her good arm and shoulder. "Get ready May. One. Two. Three." They pull on the woman in unison causing her to hold in a scream of pain as they get her to a sitting position.
After that he grabs the white, long sleeve shirt and lefts up her right forearm with it to her chest earning more winces of pain that he had to ignore.
"Hold her arm up while I wrap a sling." He waited until Isabel put her hands under the shirt. There he wraps the sleeves over her shoulder and ties them up tightly to ensure their security before nodding to the girl for her to let go. The sling isn't enough, now he needs to cover her to prevent any more contact to the afflicted areas.
He looks behind and quickly grabs a blanket off the bed before wrapping that around May's torso and tying it up behind the back while leaving the right arm free.
"Now get the other arm and be ready to lift her." She does exactly as told while he gently puts a hand on he shoulder. "Now. One. Two. Three!" They both move her again, but now the wails of pain were more pronounced as they lean her towards Isabel who stabilizes the suffering woman and wraps an arm around her waist. "You're doing great May. Just hang in there." He comforts her while cupping the cleaner side of her face with a hand. A tear caused by the pain was going down her check which he gently wipes away with a thumb before going back to the door.
He gestures an arm for the two to follow him which they do, but May's injury made this difficult as Isabel had to help her hop with every step which was tedious process and is taxing the poor woman on the account of her heavy breathing. They eventually make it out the doorway with Isaac taking up the rear to act as further support for her before limping their way down the hallway as quickly as they can until they made it to the stares. He knew this was going to be the tricky part.
He encouraged May to leap down to the first step, which she does with a loud thud while they helped brace her for the impact, but she lets out another pained wail that was still difficult to listen to. They repeat this with each step until they were near the bottom, that's when they hear the heavy footsteps of the marine as he approach the stairs, probably attracted from the commotion made by May. Once in view the soldier's visor raised up to show his face.
"Hey, ya' found some people." His gaze was sent on May. "What happened to her?"
"Same thing that happened down here." They took the last step down towards the floor and stopped in front of the larger man. "Can I ask you of something?"
"Say it."
"We won't get far like this; can you carry May for us?" His eyebrow raised, but he doesn't look hesitant.
"Alright." Tom moves towards Isabel's side, hands the gun to his other hand, kneels down, and lowering a hand just under the height where her hips are. The girl guides the woman towards the hand and sits her down on his hand before backing off allowing the marine to lift her up and have her lean against his armor with her healthier side. "I'll keep the ride as smooth as possible."
"Thank you." Isaac said.
"Don't mention it. But we still have some more houses to check out." He states as he rests his rifle on his shoulder pauldron.
"Agreed, stay close Isabel."
"Right." Now the party of four head out to the exit to rejoin with their remaining member outside.
Hunk watches as Isaac, a girl he remembers to be Isabel, and Tom carrying a third member who is a woman covered in a sheet who he also believes is May. There's a lot of people with similar names. None the less he's glad that they found some people in this mess.
"You guys ready to go?" Hunk asks.
"Yeah, let's go before we're neck deep in infested." Thomas replies while subtly adjusting the woman in his arm. This is when he hears his comm unit chime its call to him before a voice comes through.
"Hunk, we have a problem!" A male voice belonging to a marine of the other team speaks in a panicked tone.
"Go on." He replies.
"We've engaged infested, and they just keep coming!"
"Alright, just fall back to the ramp and hold that position until we arrive. We've got some civvies that need medical attention."
"Roger that." After the message cuts off, he looks over to his group with a grim expression under his helm.
"We gotta' go everyone, or else we'll be neck deep in Infested." He could see that the family, especially the girl, were reacting negatively to the news before Isaac steps forward.
"Understood. Lead the way." He could hear that man's determination in his words, but the echoing roars of the infested reverberate throughout the air reminding them of the situation.
"Then let's go. I'll take point. Tom, you're right behind me, Isaac, you take the rear. Move out!"
The group take their places and quickly head out to rejoin with the other team as the groans grow louder and louder around them. Suddenly the twisted form of one bursts through a nearby window getting in their way, but Hunk's not going to let it stop them. He fires a punisher grenade right at it, and though it doesn't outright right kill it, it was staggered long enough for him to get close and with one hard swing of his gauntlet he sent the infested colonist flying to the side. More began to emerge from the darkness in their drive to consume the humans.
"Keep moving!" He swipes another infested out of the way while more gather to chase them.
As they continue he hears something squish under his boot making him give a quick glance to see a grey substance that had replaced the dirt and grass they treaded over just minutes ago, creep. The Zerg's influence is spreading fast, they need to get out. This was made worse as numerous infested are clumping up to block the path ahead, too many to for him to just charge through.
"This way!" He makes a sharp turn into an alleyway which the others quickly follow.
It's tight and narrow for his large frame, but years of practice had made it where such sizes are not too difficult for him.
"Keep up Isabel!" He heard Isaac encourage the girl while he looks ahead. There seems to be a fence as tall as him in their way, but there's no time to stop, but luckily he never does when lives are on the line.
With a loud grunt he charges as fast as he could even outrunning the others creating louder stomps as a result, his eyes close out of habit as he grows close, and like a ram his armor bursts through the wooden wall sending splinters flying out in many directions.
He opens his eyes and spots through his visors the rest of the team all holding the line against a swarm of encroaching infested just as ordered.
"We're almost there!" His joyish voice was replaced with a blind panic as he feels something leap on his side with a sickening screech. "Just keep going!" He exclaimed as he tries to throw what he presumes is an infested off of him, but it crawls around him to stare at him face to face with glowing eyes before splitting its upper lower screeching in his face spraying dark spit across his visor.
A gunshot boomed in the air before a bullet pierced right through its head spraying a mist of blood in its path and causing the creature to fall back down. He looks over to see Isaac pointing his smoking pistol with both hands, he wasn't laying when he said he'll be useful.
"Thanks."
"Not until we're out, come on!" He nods and the two catch up to the rest of the group who are now passing the marine line.
"Fall back to the next settlement now!" Upon him waving to the others they start to run behind him leaving the gargling howls o the infested behind as they make their way to the nearest settlement to fortify.
"Sir, look up!" A marine calls out making him lift his head up to see something that made their day even worse: a group of Protoss carriers and their escorts flying over the colony.
Now he's starting to prefer the infested.
Told you it was a dozy, but again its a turning point in the story and things are going to change.
"Hey why wasn't I invited!?" ＞﹏＜
Because it would take too long, so lets see what fact I have available now.
Coast Guard SAR teams are expected to be ready for action within 30 minutes of notification by the National Distress and Response System (NRDS), with a two-hour total response time from the time they're notified to their arrival on the scene (Charles W. Bryant) ( adventure. howstuffworks . com)
Nothin happens instantaneously, but they get the job done none the less and I respect them for that. 👍
"And that's why I like it here, as crazy as the world is now, you guys always seem to pull through in the end."
As long as there's good people in the world, we will always make it, even if a little roughed up. I'm more of a science guy but a little faith can go a long way, and I have complete faith in all of you having a great day or night wherever you may be.
"And stay safe out there!" ヾ(￣▽￣)