Rifle

Chapter Fourteen

She had gone to and fro from different places that were open and her apartment to get food. Most times, she avoided going out in public. She stocked up her fridge a little bit with food from the stores. It wouldn't be a long time, she resolved, because for one she couldn't take care of him forever. Second, she couldn't leave him in that cellar forever.

So far, she had been lucky; she had not once been there the same time HAZARD was.
Maybe it was just pure luck- she thought maybe she was being protected somehow. Overall, she didn't know what was causing her streak of fortune, but she sure was thankful for it.

He was feeding her information he overheard, found out, or already knew. Catching her up farther and farther with each short stay that she visited him. She considered it a hassle- to have to take care of him so much. Part of her, though, enjoyed it.
But even that part of her would never admit to that. Ever. Being happy to be around Kyle was like nonsense to her. Complete nonsense. Nothing good will come out of this. Pointless. He's going to get his hopes up again- then where would I be?

Something, though, tugged at her to keep going- to keep striving on towards the end. She had no idea where the end was supposed to be, though. Whether it was then or the next day or some years later in the future. Maybe it would never end.
She didn't even know what type of end she was looking for, either- an end to bringing Kyle meals- an end to the Pry and the HAZARD- or an end to her life.

As the Pry slowly ate away at her- what would become of them. The Pry was taking him, too. They had had it for maybe months. She was surprised it hadn't turned them into lost souls already- or did it. She felt like a lost soul with how she wondered about- shooting Flood that jumped at her in the streets- walking everywhere in the shadows to not be seen- for what, Surviving a few more months?

Maybe it was as pointless as it seemed- maybe it was as pointless as Elizah thought it was. Maybe it was so…pointless…that they were all wasting the last minutes they had together trying too hard.
Maybe their effort would prove true.
Or maybe it would cost everybody's lives.

Once again she used that secret entrance. She checked every corner behind her carefully, making sure she was alone before moving the TV. Just incase though, she kept her sword nearby. The sword was very handy- it was infinite and never wore down. Plus, the whole no-bulletsthingwas so much easier to keep track of. The Flood stood no chance to her shining limb-taker. She had to be careful, though, not to let the Pry get to her- it would steal her energy at random times and cause her to collapse. So, even with the assistance of the glowing blue, it was best to avoid the fleshy creatures in general.

She moved the TV forward and plopped down behind it. She removed the rug like she had done for a lot of times that week- like she had done once earlier that day. It rolled back the same way it always had.
That dark stone passageway that she slipped into seemed more menacing every day. If she were caught once, they'd both be doomed to die.

Regardless, she stepped down the stairs in a sequence of threes and stopped at the bottom. She waited until she heard three taps and rattles of prison chains.
It meant he was awake, alive, and more specifically- he was alone.
She sighed and with a glass container in tow, she walked down the dark corridors- she had started to get used to it. The stone and moss and eerie disgusting smell hadn't changed, though.

She found a spot next to him to sit down and started to get the forks out of the shoulder bag she brought.

"What's for dinner tonight, darling?" He joked, smiling at her.

It made her angry that he would joke while she had risked her life to bring him food two or three times each day. The gripping pain was bad enough; she didn't need him to act so …himself… at a time like that. She hoped he would be a little more serious.

She knew how to mess with him though, and she did. She sighed and started to put everything back- the forks back in the bag, the container closed again. She got up.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart." She turned around and started to strut off. He didn't think she was serious until she got to the stairs. She stopped.

Footsteps.

She had to run- to scramble- to find a hiding place. Where could she hide from it, she wondered, as she tried to silently sneak around. The footsteps were coming down the stairs. She heard the chains rattle once- the signal that there's someone else there. If she could have glared at him, she would have.
I already know that, you jack.

She almost started running. The figure coming down the stairs was slow and heavy. She continued down a pathway past Kyle and found a weird dugout room. There was a desk, a random basket of blankets, and a table in the center of the room as if to decide war plans. She found a blue blanket, and, being as small as she was, she slipped behind the computer desk moved a little from the wall. The desk was like a huge brick in shape, she wasn't even sure if it was meant to be a desk. The steps got louder and louder towards the room she was in.

The steps stopped.

"Where is the artifact?" It spoke in a loud, evil voice: the voice of a monster. It was scratchy and hoarse, and just horrid.
Aron could only hear their conversation from where she was.

"I don't know." The chains rattled. She could only assume he shrugged.

"You don't know now." The monstrosity laughed and was sounded like a gargle.

"What did you do?"

The thing let out a maniacal laugh. "One of your little friends has it…but not for long…"

She heard rattling of chains, Kyle seemed a little angry. It sounded like an escape attempt, almost, but it seemed staged. He was trying only to distract the monster for her. To make it leave.
For one, so he could eat. Also because the only person he cared about all that much was somewhere farther down the hall.

"Are you enjoying your slow death?" It asked, sarcastically. The words felt like nails along a chalkboard- a screeching and bitter ear-burning sound.

"Yes, actually. I enjoy it so much." Kyle responded, enthusiastically nodding his head.

"I bet."

"Monstre mauvais" Kyle executed his French with precise accent. He smiled, taunting the beast that stood before him.

The creature did not understand French, but caught the hint that it was an insult.
Aron heard an unearthly growl before Kyle was punched in the stomach. She could hear him take the hit- she could hear him coughing. She almost gasped, but she didn't- she was trained to be silent and silent she would be. She was an assassin…snuggled up in a blanket and hiding behind a computer desk.

"Count your blessings." It scoffed in an angry and ugly tone. Before starting to continue down the corridor towards that dugout room that she was hiding in. The creature stomped and breathed heavily.

She was trying to maybe envision it, the monster. She wondered if it was scaly or slimy. Well, she thought, it must resemble the Flood in some way. Or, being an 'advanced' Flood- would it look different?

Kyle stayed silent. He couldn't stall it any longer. Even if he were ready to take a million punches for her, she'd kill him for doing that. If he held the beast there long enough, but any longer and HAZARD would have been suspicious. It could just prove worse for both of them. Aron, I hope you had enough time to hide…

It made it to the room and walked around.

Is it looking for something? What will it do if it finds me? How am I supposed to defend myself? Will bullets work on it? Will my sword work on it? Shoot. Shoot. Shoot. Darn. Darn. Darn. Dadgummit. Go away. Go away. Go away. It can't find me here. No. Stop it. Stop walking towards me. Stop. No. Stop.
She stayed as still like the trunk of a strong, strong tree. Her only thought when the monster stopped in front of the desk was a hope that it wouldn't hear her heartbeat, feel her presence, or whatever it was supposed to do to detect prey; she hoped that system would happen to malfunction. She tried to breathe as quiet as possible, but she felt like she couldn't take in the air without making it sound like typhoon winds. She hoped it would be over soon.

The creature started typing away, and, after ten minutes stopped again.
She could hear its breathing- it sounded constricted. She hoped someone was strangling it- but she knew that not to be true. It was too illogical- it was too impossible. The monster made a 'tsk'-like sound with an elongated hiss before hitting a single button violently and the footsteps soon started to fade deep down the passageway.

Thirty minutes passed with the footsteps gone before she emerged from behind the desk. She got out her sword. He couldn't stay there. She had to take him out of the chains. Who cares if HAZARD gets pissed, I'm not leaving Kyle here any longer.

She walked up to him, and stared at the bonds that held him back. He glanced up at her and smirked a little.
"Staring? You think I'm cute already?" he chuckled.

How could he take a hit in the stomach like that and still crack jokes to me? Isn't he in pain? She felt like crying. She wouldn't admit it, and wouldn't let ears fall, either. Her sad eyes bore a shade of sky, and, without losing eye contact; she cut straight through the chains on the wall.
She put her sword away and reached out her hand to help him up.

He hesitated. He wondered what would happen if the monster came back. It would be angry- all hell would break loose- who would the horrid beast take it out on?
What was there to do but stay there? He could only wonder. His thoughts that delayed his answer soon came to a halt when he took her hand and pulled himself up. He couldn't doubt her. There had obviously been a plan in those blank eyes.

The only uncertainty as they left was why the monster left the entrance to the under ground tunnel open, instead of closing it as it always had done. She wondered if it noticed it was open when it got there.

She marched into the building, slicing creepy little monsters before she got to the door. It was almost impossible to get in with the Flood running around outside and the extra security cameras and doors blocking the path inside.

The white floors looked the same as they had the last time she was there- dull. The whole hospital was dull. The whole hospital was dusty.

The hallways hadn't changed, either. Everything was in the same place. She needed to find the lab; they would all be there, most likely. She turned a few corners before seeing shocked faces.

"Aron!" Elizah ran up as fast as humanly possible into an embracing hug that almost knocked Aron off of her feet. She stumbled backwards at the full force of her friend who weighed a bit more than her- If she hadn't been a Spartan, that hug would have probably knocked her out cold. Elizah pulled back and smiled a worried smile, but it was a smile all the same. She was so happy to see her alive and well.

"We have so much to tell you that we found out-"

"Good, then I wont have to fill you in on anything." Aron interrupted her, and she wasn't smiling. It made Elizah step back once more, confused. Bant decided it was his queue to join the conversation- something was wrong.

"Huh?" Elizah barely let out, it was almost as light as a whisper.

"We'll start with what I know and work backwards…first…" She trailed off and looked intently into Elizah's eyes for a few seconds, then into Bant's. Checking for a yellow flash of any sort. Nothing. They were still themselves. Neither of them were the HAZARD. Both of them needed to hear- both of them needed to know.

"…The artifact mission was a setup by HAZARD itself."