Ch. 39: Alaska: Plague House

A.N.:

Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long. I spent a bunch of time to get my new Bioshock story off the ground. Two huge chapters in less than a week! If you feel like it, you should check it out. It has Subject Delta as the main character! Yay Delta xD

Anyway,

So, I felt like this story was turning into Military Porn again so I am bringing back the creepiness for two chapters.

I will get The Broken Goddess and Inferior Soldier updated as soon as I can.

I will also try really hard to update this story as soon as I can.

The honeymoon thing is ongoing. Don't fret xD Alma deserves something F.E.A.R.-ish.

I appreciate all the feedback that I have been getting! :) it means a lot.

Read and review if you want.

"Michael?"

Without opening my eyes or unfolding my arms, I replied, "Hmm...?"

From where she was beside me in the passenger seat, Alma asked, "Were you serious before when you said that you would make it up to me? Our honeymoon? You don't have to, you know, if you don't want to."

I smiled slightly before I replied, "Of course, Mother. Your little Michael just wants you to be happy."

My wife said, "Great! Because, I've been thinking..."

I asked, "Hmm...?"

She continued, "I want to go somewhere...special."

Still not opening my eyes or uncrossing my arms, I assured her, "Name it and I will make it happen." Though I could not see her, our bond allowed me to sense that she was smiling. Even if we did not have our psychic bond, we had spent so much time together that I doubted that either of us could imagine being apart. Without our link, we could just know what the other was thinking and feeling.

She explained, "There is this place...I...remember seeing it...when I was a child." I opened my eyes. The sight of the shiny red interior of Christine met me. I was reclining in the driver's seat while the sentient vintage vehicle drove for me. Outside her tinted windows, I could see the snow flurry-like ash wrapping around her sleek form as she thundered her way towards our destination. Behind us, the rest of the convoy, led by Dark Signal's APC, followed in single file.

I rolled onto my right side to look over at her. She looked back at me with the innocent face of her child form. The red glow of Christine's interior reflected onto her pale face, giving her an almost blushing look. I smiled at her before I asked, "So, where is it?"

Her smile faded before she replied, "I...I don't know...it was so long ago...I don't even know if I actually saw it in person or if it was from a memory that I saw in one of the Armacham Origin Scientists' minds. It was very pretty...the sun was reflecting off the water and was all sparkly and orange...I remember a huge waterfall...it wasn't too hot or too cold...it is like...I know where it is but the name is just beyond my ability to remember."

I assured her, "Once this is all over, I am sure that we will find it."

Behind us, Alpha 1 commented, "We are already booked for a world tour...who's to say that we will not find it before we finish?"

Alma's smile returned as she looked between the two of us. After a moment, she said, "I would be lost without you two...you know that right?"

I smirked before I replied, "Yeah...we are pretty awesome."

Alpha 1 said, "Right on, Brother." I twisted around to face him before we fist bumped. Turning back around, I returned to trying to catch some rest as we made our way to Anchorage. After reclaiming Fairbanks, we had staged an assault on the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field. However, we had found that it had been abandoned by the group of Akira's Forces that had been garrisoned there. Ishimura's sensors indicated that the remaining bulk of Akira's soldiers had retreated to the fortified port city of Anchorage.

Akira's influence had warped the entire city into a fortress that was reminiscent of the ancient fortified cities of Europe. A thick, turreted wall surrounded the city. Inside, the garrisoned 6,000 troopers of Akira's Forces were waiting with heavy armor, machine gun emplacements, artillery pieces, and fortified bunkers.

The reinforced concrete wall surrounding the city was five stories tall and around three hundred yards thick. Not even Athena's mighty guns could penetrate the wall's thick hide. However, the battleship and the supporting destroyers had been blasting their way through the harbor's defensive perimeter of shore batteries. The World War II-era "God of War" had cemented her reputation for fearlessness against enemies of superior strength and number as she led the charge through the batteries, literally blasting and plowing her way through the defensive lines with her 18.1-inch guns and armored bow.

Now, she and the destroyers were anchored inside the harbor blasting away at the fortress with their guns and tomahawk missiles. The carrier-based aircraft of the First and Second Fleet were strafing and bombing the enemy positions inside the wall as well. Persephone had also taken up station in the harbor and was unleashing her payload of guided missiles into the interior of the fortress.

Meanwhile, the American Military had chipped in to reclaim Anchorage by providing us with the USS America and her lethal cargo of an entire Marine Expeditionary Unit. She sat inside the harbor alongside Athena with her 2,200 strong battle-hardened 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit just waiting for the signal to storm ashore and assist us in reclaiming the occupied city. Their Colonel had, bitterly, agreed to a joint-operation with us instead of reclaiming the entire fortress himself.

Incidentally, said Colonel owed me a few drinks due to some certain actions during a Black Ops during my time in Delta Force.

"Oh...what did you do Daddy?" Amara asked with comically huge eyes filled with curiosity.

I sighed before I replied, "It is called a Black Ops for a reason, sweetie."

She pouted before she said, "But I wanna know!"

I groaned before I said, "Amara..."

She asked, "Pleeeeaaaaaassssssssseeeeeeee?" As I looked at her where she sat in her mother's lap, she flashed me her adorable grey puppy eyes.

I said, "You're lucky that you're so cute sweetie...like a little anime girl."

Amara giggled before she commented, "My eyes aren't that big, Daddy."

I laughed dryly before I said, "Okay...there was this outspoken anti-American war lord that the higher ups had decided needed to be silenced. We went in...did our thing...and started to leave. We got a call from command and they asked us to look into rumors of a black market in the area. We stormed the place, killed the locals, and gathered Intel for command."

"What does that have to do with the Colonel, Daddy?"

I replied, "Patience, Amara. When we got stateside, we were debriefed. Turned out that the Intel that we had gathered indicated that a high-ranking U.S. Colonel had been targeted by a group of terrorists because of certain actions of his that had caused interference in their affairs. By the time that the Colonel had been warned, the terrorists had already kidnapped his wife and daughter. However, intelligence indicated that they were holding them in separate locations. My mentor took half our team and I took the rest. He went after the wife. I went after the girl."

Completely enraptured, Amara asked, "Did you save her?"

I continued, "Intelligence had tracked them to this abandoned warehouse in Detroit. I led the charge as we stormed the building. We cleared it out, but the last two terrorists grabbed the girl and took off in a stolen police interceptor before we could stop them. We went after them in our APC while command used satellite recon to monitor them. We cut them off on a bridge over the Detroit River. I was on the turret and I hit them with an EMP round. The terrorists lost control of the vehicle. It ran into the guardrail and flipped over the side of the bridge. I jumped off the turret and then jumped into the river."

Amara gasped and I looked over at the roaring fire in the fireplace as I continued, "The girl, little skinny blonde thing that was maybe five at best, was unconscious in the backseat of the flooding police interceptor. I believe that they drugged her...they usually do. The doors for the backseat were locked and I couldn't hit the windows hard enough to break them. So, I went around to the front. One of the terrorists was still alive and tried to shoot me with his handgun, I thought that it was a Glock .40 but the river was so dark that I could have easily been mistaken. Anyway, the shot cracked the driver-side window enough for me to completely shatter it with my knife."

Amara asked, "Yo-you sav-saved her...ri-right?"

I continued, "I slit the insurgent's throat and then used his weapon to shoot out the back window. By the time that I swam back around, the car had completely flooded. I reached in and grabbed the girl. I could see the air bubbles exiting her body and knew that I had to get her to the surface. Of course, by then, I was in need of air myself. By the time that I saw the foamy surface of the river, I had tunnel vision and could feel my body trying to get me to open my mouth so that I could breathe. I don't remember the last few feet...just remember thinking that the surface looked like a portal to some alien world...a beautiful sunlit world where children were not treated so horribly. The next thing that I do remember is performing CPR on the girl on shore of the river. She was so pale...there wasn't any color in her face. I did everything that I could before my body gave out from exhaustion. I managed to get her to breathe just before I blacked out."

Staring in the fire, I paused before I finished my story, "I woke up in a hospital about a day later. The girl was alright...the doctors said that she might have problems with advanced math and stuff but that otherwise there was no permanent damage. She was going to grow up like any other girl. My mentor patted me on the back and a certain government agency stepped in to ensure that none of it reached the media. The Colonel and his wife thanked us and he promised to buy me drinks someday."

Amara said with a happy tone, "Yay Daddy! You're a hero!"

I looked back at my daughter as I frowned sadly. I sighed before I informed her, "Your Dad isn't a hero, Amara. A hero wouldn't have endangered that little girl like that. I fired the EMP round too late...hesitated. They swerved to try to go around us. Before, they had been in the center of the road but when I fired the round, they had been trying to go around us on the left-hand side. As a result, the EMP round disabled the car but its momentum carried it into the guardrail and flipped it over the side. No...I'm no hero...I almost killed that little girl."

Alpha 1 said, "Brother, if you had deployed that round earlier, they would have likely crashed into the side of your APC...they would have all died, including the girl, on impact. I would imagine that is why you waited...you weren't hesitating, you were waiting for them to swerve away from the APC because you knew that it would kill them to collide with the armored side of your vehicle. Besides...those EMP rounds are never perfect. What happens after you hit a moving vehicle with them is never predictable. You saved that little girl, Michael. Even if it was your actions that sent that vehicle over the side of the bridge, not very many people would have jumped in after her. Even fewer would have been able to kill the armed insurgent, shoot out the back window, grab the girl, and make it to the surface on one breath."

Alma added, "You are a hero, my love."

Not any more convinced than I have been before, I replied, "I guess so...anyway, Amara, that is why the Colonel owed me some drinks. Now...back to the story."

Despite my desire to get some rest, my HUD activated. The voice of Holiday caused me to open my eyes as he asked, "So, super soldier, how is it that you plan to get past the wall?"

Groaning, I replied, "Are you familiar with terminal ballistics, Holiday?"

With a confused tone, he said, "Not particularly, no."

I explained, "Every object has something called terminal velocity. All objects drop at the same rate due to the force of gravity. Eventually, the sum total of the forces acting upon a falling object will equal zero as the acceleration due to gravity and the force of drag equalize. This is when the object has reached its terminal velocity. Objects traveling at their terminal velocities pack a lot of energy upon impact...much more than they otherwise would."

Jin's image appeared in my HUD as she said, "I get the feeling that you planned something crazy again, Becket."

I smirked slightly before I yawned. I informed everyone, "I will explain when we get there." Then, I closed my eyes and rolled over.

What felt to me like seconds later, Alma said, "Michael, wake up. We are here." Groaning, I opened my eyes to see that we were indeed there. After stretching and yawning, I moved the seat back up to its upright position. We were around fifteen miles from the walled city. In the air above the fortress, I saw various aircraft attacking the enemy positions inside the walls. I reached up and grabbed ahold of the Fury's steering wheel with my gloved hands.

My com link activated as Holiday's image appeared in my HUD. He remarked, "I'm waiting to be impressed."

I retorted, "Patience, Sergeant." Then, I contacted the Marines, "You boys ready to rock?"

The seal of the United States Marine Corps appeared in my HUD as a Marine replied, "Just try to stay out of our way, Spartan."

I sighed before I asked, "So, it's going to be like that then...in that case, first one to the finish?"

The Marine replied, "If you want to embarrass yourselves, be our guest. We'll cheer you on from the finish line."

I smiled before I said, "Hooah!"

The Marine replied, "Oorah!"

The seal left my HUD and I contacted Ishimura, "Ishimura, status report."

The orbiting platform replied, "Yes, sir. We have the target locked. Awaiting authorization."

I said, "Authorization code: Sierra-tango-five-five-seven-five-Bravo."

Ishimura announced through all the friendly channels, "All friendly units, clear the deck. Orbital Drop Strike inbound. ETA: one minute."

Holiday asked, "Orbital Drop Strike? What the Hell is that?"

After yawning, I explained, "Think MOAB...except ten times bigger...replies upon raw kinetic energy...and dropped from orbit."

Alma asked, "Why can't I just open a portal through the wall?"

I shrugged before I replied, "Well...we've never had a chance to test the ODS system yet. Come on, it will be fun to watch."

She sighed before she said, "Fine..."

Moments later, two gigantic fireballs appeared in the sky. As they powered their way through Earth's atmosphere, a few tiny chunks flew off the main objects and burned up completely shortly afterwards. The artificial meteorites, as big as Caterpillar 797B dump trucks (380 tons), screamed through the air as they traveled towards a different section of the wall at their terminal velocity. I heard Alma sigh and looked over to see her strapping herself into her seat. I laughed for a moment before I remarked, "I love you so much." She winked at me. I faced forward just in time to see the two massive fiery objects collide with the top of two opposite sections of the wall.

Throwing up huge clouds of debris and shaking the ground so violently that it felt like my bones were going to vibrate out of alignment, the objects unleashed their stored energy into their targets. The city disappeared temporarily as the clouds of debris obscured the area. Moments later, the shockwave rattled Christine violently but the sentient Plymouth Fury stood firm. Seconds after that, a debris-filled wave roared past us. For those tense seconds, all we could see was the interior of Christine as the dust and ash covered the exterior of her tinted windows.

After the drama appeared to be over, Alpha 1 asked, "Did it work?"

I replied, "Not sure..."

Putting Christine into drive, I slowly pressed down on the accelerator. As we crawled towards the obscured city at 5mph, I spoke into my com link, "Spartans, form up." I received replies from the vehicles in the convoy. It appeared that we had not lost anyone. After traveling for a few minutes, I remarked, "It would be nice to be able to see."

Alma replied, "On it." She dissolved into a cloud of rose-petal colored particles. As we continued forward, the dust suddenly withdrew from obscuring our vision. Looking towards the city, I saw Alma slowly walking down the road as a crimson aura surrounded her child-like body. Her hair moved as if it were in a breeze as the dust and debris continued to lift up into the air above the city. There, it collected into a ball about a hundred yards in diameter.

As we approached, I saw that it had indeed worked and the section of wall had been annihilated. All that remained was a massive bowl shaped crater that Alma was filling back in with some of the collecting dust and debris. Upon seeing that the way had been cleared, I spoke into my com link, "All units, attack!" Gunning the V8 engine, we roared towards the opening. Alma finished filling in the crater and collecting the debris. As I neared her, she launched the ball skyward at a staggering amount of speed. She had just turned to look back when Christine's front grill met her. Instantly, she appeared in the passenger seat.

She cried out, "Hey!"

I smirked at her before I replied, "Excellent work, sweetie."

She giggled before she said, "Oh...I am going to enjoy making you pay for that, you dirty little boy."

I gulped before I asked, "Wh-what did yo-you have in mi-mind?"

She smirked at me before she replied, "I'm going to enjoy it and you are going to hate yourself for enjoying it."

Having a good idea about what she had in mind, I replied with a distressed tone, "Please no..."

She giggled darkly before she said, "It doesn't count."

I replied, "It does to me."

She huffed and then said, "Don't be a baby, Michael."

I begged, "Please, anything else other than that."

She rolled her eyes before she relented and said, "Fine...be a prude."

I whined, "There are some things that should not be done on the basis of human dignity and wholesomeness."

Alma replied, "That's a load of crap and you know it."

As we drove through the hole in the wall, overhead, five Black Hawks roared past us while their gunners unleashed their miniguns into various targets. Just on the other side of the hole, I saw a large empty space. As I carefully navigated towards the far end to park Christine and leave the convoy enough space to park as well, I saw three Hell soldiers appear. Stepping on the accelerator, I drove towards them. Seconds later, their bodies dissolved into ash as her front grill made contact with them. Afterwards, I found a spot and parked.

After turning her off, I rubbed Christine's dash affectionately before I opened the door and stepped out. The hot ash covered ground crackled beneath my boots as I put my weight on it. I turned back to the sentient Plymouth Fury and moved the seat forward to let Alpha 1 out. Meanwhile, Dark Signal's APC parked beside us. Behind the APC, multiple Replica APCs began to form a kind of train as they drove in a circle. When an APC reached the point closest to us, it would halt and offload its twenty Replica Troopers. Each load was a standard load out: 15 standard troopers, two officers (Replica Heavy Troopers) in case one fell in combat, two snipers, and one Heavy Armor.

After Alpha 1 got out of Christine, I moved the seat back and closed the door. I was locking her when the rest of Dark Signal and the First F.E.A.R. Team approached me. I finished locking my car and turned around. Upon seeing them, I addressed the soldiers, "We are on the clock, my friends. We have to beat the Devil Dogs to the finish line at the central spire. It won't be easy but we are Spartans. Okay, Hannibal-3 Sat. recon indicates that these buildings are set up in five rows. So, I want them cleared out with each group sweeping their own row. We will provide covering fire for each other as we move forward. Remember, if things get hairy, call in an airstrike. Jin, Stokes stay here and organize the incoming reinforcements to take the fourth and fifth rows while also backing up the rest of us. F.E.A.R. Team, take the second row. Morales, Juggernaut take a team and sweep the first row. Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, Bravo 2, form up on me, we are going to run the gauntlet of the third row. Questions?"

They replied, "No, sir!"

I nodded as I raised my rifle up to point skyward. Then, I said loud enough for everyone present to hear, "Spartans, let's kick some ass!" Everyone, except for the Heavy Armors and Point Man, let out a war-cry that shook the area. Fueling their resolve, I roared, "CARRY ON!" Letting out a cry, we all moved towards our respective rows.

With my Patten PK470 at the ready, I took point for my team as I made my way towards the entrance to the third row. If you have ever seen a grocery store, imagine that but instead of long rows of consumer products, old medieval style stone buildings shaped like cubes. In its entirety, the third row, like the other rows, was five buildings long on both sides. The closest place that I could compare it to is the old part of the ancient city of Edinburgh. At the far end, I saw the towering central spire of the main bunker. At the very top of the spire, I saw the, literally, blood colored flag of Akira's Forces. If we tore that down, Alaska would be ours.

The first building on the left was partially demolished during one of the earlier bombardments. Its second story innards were strewn across the street. As I neared the entrance to the row, a flash up in one of the narrow second story windows of the second building on the left caused me to activate my reflexes as I yelled, "Take cover!" As I dove forward to get behind the cover of a large chunk of the partially demolished first building, the sharp echoing crack of a sniper rifle filled the air.

I deactivated my reflexes once I was behind the piece of cover. I rolled over onto my back to look behind me. Alpha 1 was directly beside me to my right as we curled up as much as we could to fit behind the four foot high chunk of stone. Bravo 2 and Foxtrot 813 were taking cover behind the first building on the right. Foxtrot 813 went to signal me but jumped back behind cover as a high velocity round tore a channel into the side of the building just inches from his face.

I telepathically said, "Nobody move! Sniper! Second floor of the second building on the left."

Beside me, Alpha 1 suggested, "If we suppressed the shooter, Bravo 2 could take him out."

I nodded before I said, "Agreed." I used hand motions to signal Bravo 2. He replied with his own to acknowledge the plan. A chunk of the stone right next to my head exploded as another crack rang out. Gripping my rifle, I yelled, "Suppressing fire!" Alpha 1, Foxtrot 813, and I began to discharge our weapons wildly into the second floor of the building in an effort to flush out the sniper long enough for Bravo 2 to take him down.

There were five windows. I aimed through my rifle's scope as I fired five rounds into each window. I saw Alpha 1's spread shot pepper the window frames and Foxtrot's rounds explode against the wooden frames. When I reached the last window, I saw the flash of the enemy sniper's scope. Through our link, Bravo 2 learned the target's location and honed in. As my rounds distracted the sniper long enough, a loud, piercing, roar of thunder cut through the air. The big heavy .50 caliber round from Bravo 2's Barrett hit its mark as it pulverized the sniper's scope and continued up into his shrouded head.

A cloud of ash indicated that the threat was neutralized. However, I did not want to leave anything to chance. Reloading my rifle, I said to my Brother, "Let's get in there." He nodded in response. I stood and ordered the Lead Replica Heavy Trooper of the incoming group of reinforcements, "Trooper, take your team and clear out the first building."

He replied with his distorted voice, "Yes, sir." He turned to his men and said, "You heard the Commander. Double time, let's move it."

As they made their way to the first building, I led Alpha 1 and Foxtrot 813 over to the building that the sniper had been occupying. Bravo 2 remained back towards the rear to cover us. As I approached the suspiciously old looking wooden door, suddenly, a large red cross appeared on the door. The sound of the locking mechanism for the door being turned to "lock" position filled the air but I neither saw the individual locking the door nor did I see a key being inserted into the slot. On the other side of the door, I began to hear the sound of people crying out for help and sickly coughing.

I turned back to see that only Alpha 1 and Foxtrot 813 were left in the street. Everyone else was gone. It was nighttime and the light of the moon was obscured by storm clouds. I activated the flashlight on my HUD to investigate my surroundings. A faint chill was in the air as a layer of fog hovered just above the surface of the cobblestone street. Looking around in confusion, I asked rhetorically, "What the Hell?" Clutching my rifle tightly, I tried to wrap my head around what I was seeing. In the distance, a church bell rang but its melody was of the somber notes of a requiem bell. The bell was faint enough for me to hear the sound of a pack of wolves howling to each other.

My two allies quickly grouped around me as the creepy atmosphere took its toll. I could hear the rapid thumping of my heart in my ears as my breathing began to quicken. "Hello there." We cried out in fright as Alma materialized before us. Our cries caused her to give us a questioning look for a moment. As she turned around, to look out towards the street, she commented, "Michael...what is..." She stopped as she saw the drastic change in scenery.

She squealed with delight before she said, "How delightfully morbid!" The loud, proud neigh of a powerful steed filled the chill air and seconds later, the sound of a horse's hoofs hitting the stone street began to grow louder and louder. Finally, like a ghost, a black horse pulling a simple wooden cart appeared through the fog further down the street. A figure in a black cloak carrying a lit lantern mounted to the top of a tall pole was walking beside the cart. As the bizarre figure neared us, I fought to restrain the gasp as I saw his face. Well, it was not his face exactly.

Securely strapped around his face was a white bird-like mask. The beak-like snout was about half a foot long. Upon closer inspection, the beak was hollow and appeared to be stuffed with herbs as if to filter the air as the individual breathed. The large round eyes were actually glass spectacles upon examination. The figure was wearing gloves, boots, and a brim hat as well as the heavy cloak that seemed to have a wax layer on it. Though frightening in appearance, there was something about him that almost wanted to say for everyone not to be afraid and that he was here to help.

As I took in his appearance, I realized what was happening. We were in Europe and it was the time of the Black Death. This individual was a "Plague Doctor". Knowing better than to dismiss this encounter as simply being a chance encounter, I moved away from the front of the building and made my way to the doctor. As I neared him, I heard him make a click noise. The noise must have been for the horse because the steed halted.

In retrospect, my physical appearance was probably enough to frighten away most people of that time with my glowing Hellish eyes, skull mask, combat armor, and assault rifle. In a strange twist, Alma probably looked the most human out of all of us. However, the plague doctor was unaffected by my appearance as he addressed me with a muted, accented voice that was full of fatigue, "Ah, in these dark times, I see that even the Devil's messengers are hesitant in entering the marked houses. Careful demons or you too will end up in my cart."

I turned my head to the right and looked into the cart. I held back the cry of shock as I saw the bodies stacked up like planks of wood. It was not the bodies that disturbed me. It was the fact that I recognized the top few. My mother and father, Spencer and his brother Redd, Griffin, Keegan, Fox, and my old squad stared up at me with blank, milky white eyes. However, seconds later, they were gone and the sore-covered bodies of people that I did not know had taken their place.

When I turned back to face the man, he remarked with mild curiosity, "Tell me demon, why do you waste your time here on Hangman's Lane? The houses, they are all marked...no one dares enter or leave them. You'll find nothing here for..." He paused as Alma walked up into view beside me. After examining her for a moment, he said, "Wayward child, I am glad that you have found a path of stability. I know that the temptation for your old ways is great but you must not give into them."

Then, facing forward, he made another clicking noise and the horse began to pull the cart forwards. As he moved past me, the doctor said, "Becket, what you saw in the cart...these shadows that you carry are not your own. Cleanse yourself, my child. Evil may surround you and give you strength, but it does not rule you...the path that you follow is not easy, but it never is. Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom in the days of Jerusalem; who said, Raise it, raise it, even to the foundation thereof. O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be, that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us. Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones."

Shocked, I called after him, "Who are you?"

As he faded into the fog, he replied cryptically, "When I do things right, people won't think that I have done anything at all."

We all exchanged uneasy glances for a moment. Then, I motioned back to the house and we returned to the marked entrance. On the other side, I could still hear the sound of people crying for help and the sickly coughs that struck a dormant, primal fear inside of me. When a population loses 30-50% of its number, the survivors are forever marked with a primal fear that only makes itself known when certain coughs erupt from those around them.

Alpha 1 asked, "Brother, what is this?"

I explained, "This mark...it was placed on the homes of the victims of the Black Death. I don't know what is on the other side of the door, but I do know that everything beyond it will try to kill us. We have no choice though. Akira isn't going to make it easy on us...we will have to play along."

He replied, "Got your back. Let's do it!"

I nodded in response. Then, my body became shrouded in a red aura. With a single, powerful kick, I sent the thick wooden barrier flying back into the pitch-black house beyond. With my rifle at the ready and my HUD mounted flashlight activated, I entered the house.

The interior of the house was deathly silent. Not even the scurrying of rats could be heard within its walls. The sound of the floorboards creaking beneath our feet had an alien quality as it echoed through the plague house with our every step. This place was not for the living anymore. Just beyond the doorway was an impossibly long, narrow hallway. The majority of the doors were locked from the inside, and I intended to keep them that way. As we moved deeper into the building, the air turned foul. There was a quality to it that I did not like: sick, unhealthy, almost moldy.

As we passed the doors, inside, I could hear crying, coughing, growling, shuffling, and all manner of uneasiness. Ten sets of doors into the hallway, we came to another set of doors. This time, giving off a pronounced creaking noise, the door on the right slowly opened. My flashlight was unable to penetrate the darkness inside of it. From somewhere inside, I heard the sound of children laughing. Behind me, I heard Foxtrot remark, "I'm not exactly burning with curiosity to see what is inside."

I turned to look at him but upon seeing what was behind him, I muttered, "Shit..." He turned to see that the end of the impossibly long hallway that we had been going down had inexplicably shortened to be just behind him. In addition, the exit was now gone. We were sealed inside the plague house.

Akira's voice echoed through the house, "Hello Father."

I called out, "Akira! Show yourself!"

She giggled for a moment before she said, "All in good time Daddy Dearest, but, first, I want to play a game."

I replied, "I really don't have time for this! I need to beat the jar heads to the top of the spire to prove my superiority as a man!"

She giggled again before she assured me, "Play my game, and I will send you there."

Lowering my rifle, I replied, "Fine...I'll play your game."

She squealed happily and then said, "Yay! I've always wanted to play with you Father, but the other you was too much of a jerk to play with me. Okay..." She lowered her voice to sound more sinister as she continued, "Right now, you are breathing in a deadly nerve gas..."

I sighed before I said, "Akira..."

She replied, "Aw...you're no fun. Fine...the way out is on the third floor, but you will need three keys to open it. The door is always there, but the house keeps changing. Don't get lost. Careful of the other tenements, they don't like living things. Oh, and you are breathing something in...let's just say that it will slowly make you more...responding...to my advances. Good luck!"

Alma remarked, "She is creative...you have to give her that, my love."

Turning around, I found myself before a giant, ornate staircase that led up the second floor of some luxurious mansion. I sighed before I replied, "Yeah...creative...lucky us." Raising my rifle up, I said, "Alright, we need to find those keys." Leading the way, I began to make my way up the stairs.