Chapter 14: A Game of Wolf and Pegasus.
Tires spun on the bitumen surface, while lights shot past my vision. A dark cloudy sky hovered low above us as we drove, the city descending into twilight. I revved my bike harder, weaving recklessly through the gaps in the traffic. I would not stop, I would not slow. Nora's life hung in the balance, I had to get to her in time, to warn her. Holo clung tightly to my waist. What was going through her head right now?
'Did she care for Nora's safety?' I thought, before spotting the exit to Sector Five along the Skyway. I indicated my turn off, before speeding down the ramp, the bike's engine roaring as I sped down into the city of shimmering lights. The streets were becoming packed with the afternoon rush, yet I managed to shimmy the bike through the gross amounts of traffic and pedestrians. It didn't matter, so long as I got to her in time, I had to keep her safe. None of this was her fault, if she died on my account… I'd never forgive myself.
Soon the Baptist Shelter came into view, I pulled the bike onto the sidewalk, stopping it dead before leaping off of it. Holo nimbly jumped off the bike as I let it fall to the ground.
"Hey! Lawrence, calm down!" She griped, but I didn't care, I had to make sure she was safe. I ran up the flight of steps and to my horror, the door was ajar.
'No…' I thought in dismay, as I removed the pistol from my holster and ran into the shelter.
"NORA!" I screamed as I scanned the lobby with my gun.
"NORA!?" I hollered once again, moving deeper into the lobby. Holo appeared in the doorway and entered the lobby, her ears shifting beneath her hood.
I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye. I spun around raising my pistol, ready to fire. My eyes shot open at the sight of Nora, wide-eyed and frozen with fear.
"L-Lawrence?" She whispered, dark red marks beneath her eyes. Had she been crying?
I let out a ragged sigh of relief, lowering my gun and slammed the door shut behind us, locking and latching it. I rushed over to her side and wrapping my arms around her. She let out a small squeak of surprise as I hugged her.
"I thought I'd lost you…" I whispered to Nora, before she roughly pushed me away. A furious scowl on her face.
"N-Nora?" I mumbled in confusion, before I felt her hand violently strike me across the face. I rubbed my cheek in dumb shock, she'd never lashed out at me before.
"Lawrence! You idiot!" Nora seethed, a mixture of relief and anger flashing across her face.
"You head out to run an errand for me, you were going to come straight back. The next thing I hear is that you were killed half way across the city, suspected of… of terrorism. Now you show up covered in... in blood!" She exclaimed hastily.
I cringed at her words.
"Lawrence, just what is going on?! Talk to me!" She shouted, seemingly at her wits end.
I holstered my gun and rose my hands in a placating gesture. "Nora… I didn't want you to get caught up in this… But you need to listen to me..."
"Caught up in what?! What have you done?!" She wailed, becoming more distressed.
"Nora, Nora please listen. I don't know how much time we have... but we need to leave this place, get whatever essentials you can, and group up with us in the lobby." I replied in a low toned voice and Nora stared at me in disbelief.
"I will do no such thing Lawrence, there are people here who depend upon me. A shepherdess will not abandon her flock. Just tell me what's happening, I can help you." The sweet girl retorted, starting to calm down. I felt like I was pushing against a wall, if only she wasn't so stubborn. I opened my mouth to press my point, when Holo intervened.
"I think it would be better if I explained..." Holo interjected, before stepping towards Norah. She turned to face her and my eyes widened as the wolf flicked back her hood, revealing her two triangular ears atop her head. Norah's puffy brown eyes widened at Holo's unveiling, she glanced at me before returning her gaze back to Holo.
"As you can see... I am not exactly human. If I had never crossed paths with Lawrence... I would most likely be dead, or worse by now." She explained in a cut glass accent, before shifting her gaze over towards me.
"I owe him my life..." She said with a small smile.
"However, because of Lawrence's actions. He has made many enemies and these enemies will not be dissuaded until they capture me. I have seen the way they act, and they will use any means to achieve that end." Holo continued, now refocusing back on Nora.
"Even murder." She stated icily, her crimson eyes narrowing at the young shepherdess.
"So... knowing this. Do you really think you are prepared to help us?" The wolf asked, as Nora's face fell dramatically. Her shocked gaze now fixed upon the floor as she started to understand the gravity of the situation.
Holo sighed, "I can't say I blame you, you're only hum-" she was cut off as Nora stamped her foot down sharply before glaring defiantly at Holo.
"I can!" The shepherdess affirmed, taking a stand against the wolf.
"If you linger here, you could die." Holo insisted, pressing her point.
"I'm not afraid of dying. What frightens me is that I can't make a difference." Nora retorted as she squared off her shoulders, looking Holo directly in the eye. Holo blinked in surprise, before the Shepherdess continued.
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew page nine, verse thirty-six. We live in a harsh and unforgiving world. A world that no longer sees the downtrodden and forgotten... they are without a shepherd. But, I thought maybe I could help, maybe I could make a difference. These people are in my care and I will do anything in my power to help then." Nora then looked over to me, her brown eyes now gazing at me with a soft stare.
"Lawrence was once in my care... and I will do anything I can to help him." She said somberly with that heartfelt smile of hers.
My jaw dropped slightly as Nora's words reached my ears, memories flooding back to me when I turned up on her doorstep begging. So much had changed since then... we grew apart with time... but she still cared and looked out for me.
Holo frowned in thought, her ears twitching slightly before speaking.
"I see... very well, you've made your decision." She said before looking over to me.
"I will need to speak with Lawrence alone in order to determine our next course of action. We'll be in our room." She said curtly before heading up the stairs, leaving Nora and I alone in the lobby. Silence lingered for a moment longer before I tried to muster the words to speak to Nora.
"Nora... I... I don't know how..." I spluttered, nothing in my head seeming right to say.
Nora simply smiled at me, before coming to stand at my side. "You don't need to say anything Lawrence." She murmured sweetly, before standing up on her tiptoes and giving me a light kiss on the cheek. I felt a flush of red come over my face before Holo called from upstairs.
"Lawrence, I need you up here!" She called, an icy edge to her tone. I glanced up the stairs and back to Nora. I let out a long drawn out sigh.
"Nora… I'll... I'll be right back." I muttered, before rushing up the stairs of the lobby.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I felt Holo grip me firmly by the hand and pulled me along the hall.
"Holo, what are yo-" I was cut off by the wolf.
"We need to leave, the building is already surrounded." She muttered sternly.
And my eyes widened with horror. "W-what!? Let's grab Nora and get out of here!" I stressed, feeling panic rising in my gut.
"No time, there at the front door." Holo retorted calmly, heading for the stairs that lead to the rooftop of the shelter.
I turned my head back round. "Nora…." I whispered in terror as I heard a solid knocking from the door. I tried to pull myself out of Holo's grip, no good.
"Let go!" I growled.
I heard Nora unlocking the door.
"Lawrence, they're after us, not her! If we go no-" I cut her off as I drew my pistol on her.
"I said let go…" I muttered coolly, staring her dead in the eye.
She froze, staring back at me with a mixture of emotions. The door opened with a low creaking noise that echoed throughout the shelter.
Holo glanced towards the direction of the door and back to me. I slipped my index finger into the guard to rest on the trigger.
Holo stared at me a moment longer…
"Idiot." She uttered, letting go of my hand.
Without a moment's notice I bolted down the hall, it seemed to stretch on forever as adrenaline surged through my body. I heard Nora speak from the lobby.
"Y-yes? Can I help you?" She asked in that soft sweet tone of hers.
A dreadfully familiar voice responded. "Nora Arendt? I'm a friend of Kraft Lawrence and I heard he was staying here, do you know where he is at the moment? I'd like to see him." She said in a light, approachable tone, vastly juxtaposing her stern murderous demeanor from before.
I neared the end of the hallway and gripped my pistol tightly.
"You're… you're a friend of Lawrence?" Nora asked a little skeptically.
There was a short pause before the woman responded. "You know he's alive… don't you?" She muttered, her voice becoming icy.
My heart sank at her sudden change of tone, I rounded the corner to see Nora standing by the door, turning around to look at me. A look of sheer terror on her face. We stared into each others eyes, fear and uncertainty shimmering in her dark brown irises. A lean dark cloaked figure stood behind her.
"LAWRENCE RU-"
Her scream was cut off by a gut wrenching sticking sound. My silver eyes widened as blood erupted from Nora's mouth with a coughing splutter. The young shepherdess weakly tilted her head down to look at the shiny metal blade that now protruded out of her chest. I watched in numbed horror as the shepherdess gave me a final pleading look, before the blade retracted back through her chest, leaving a dark patch of red and torn clothing behind it. Her lips trembled, and she breathlessly tried to say something. Her dark eyes, once filled with laughter and kindness, glazed over. She fell to her knees, before swaying and collapsing face down against the floor. A thick pool of red forming around her body, staining the floor.
I looked on, unable to speak, unable to react. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. 'Not her…'
My mind whimpered. 'Anyone but her.'
I felt my hands shiver involuntary as I stared at Nora's dreadfully still body. Her face hidden behind her golden locks as she lay crumpled on the floor.
"Oh, Lawrence…" I heard a voice say nonchalantly, snapping me back into the present moment.
It was her, the pale mahogany haired Chloe, her violet eyes gazing up at me as she brandished the bloodied knife.
"…this makes things much easier." She muttered as she shrugged off the black cloak that she wore, revealing the advanced skintight suit. The symbol of a winged pegasus upon her shoulder. She was indeed an Agent… Faster than I could even register, she drew and primed a sleek compact pistol, aiming right for my head. I couldn't react, my mind scrambled over Nora's death, I didn't even look at the agent, I just couldn't stop staring at Nora's lifeless body.
The Agent went to squeeze the trigger, but out of the blue a black and white blur lunged at her, it's fangs bared. It was Enek, seeking revenge for his master. However, despite how quick the automaton was, she was quicker. Twisting her wrist Chloe thrust her blade into the dog like machine's neck, before brushing it aside like a broken toy. Enek's programming caused him to simulate a painful whine as it lay twitching by the lobby desk, Chloe didn't hesitate to fire a single round through the machine's head. With a loud 'BLAM' the machine's CPU was blasted in two.
I felt a hand grab me by the arm and pulled me sharply to the side, I flew into a stumbling run as Holo pulled me along with her inhuman strength. Chloe noticed this all too late, firing off several rounds in my previous direction, each missing as I was pulled to safety by Holo. The shock began to wear off and my instinct for survival took over. As we ran down the hall, I heard the Agent's voice come from the lobby.
"This is Agent Chloe… All units move in and commence sterilization of building, over." She said with an even tone, before the sound of gunfire and screams of dying men echoed throughout the shelter. The place dedicated for sanctuary had become a slaughterhouse. We raced up the stairs and onto the rooftop of the shelter, my mind and heart racing with fear and the agony of losing Nora. Images of her golden hair and winning smile flashed in my mind, her angelic laugh echoing in the recesses of my consciousness. We stood alone on the rooftop, the adjacent buildings looming above us, city lights flashing from every direction.
"Oh god…" I whimpered in a cracked voice. "Oh god Nora, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry." I babbled as I buried my face in my hand, sorrowful tears splashing against my palm. It was all my fault, I should have never stayed at this shelter. It was my fault Nora now lay face down in a pool of her own blood. I felt two soft hands press against either side of my face, causing me to look up to see Holo's small frown.
"Lawrence… I know this is hard, but I need you to focus. What do we do?" Holo asked, her low voice cutting through the sound of gunfire below us. It wouldn't be long until we were followed. My breath hitched rapidly, as I tried to take deep steady breaths to calm myself.
"We…we run…" I muttered in a shaky voice.
"We fucking run…"
Holo lightly bit her lip and nodded, before she stepped back from me. I gazed at her curiously before she spoke up.
"We're not alone…" Holo muttered, looking up at the building adjacent to us.
I turned to see a lone man atop the building, nearly seven stories above us. He was dressed in a similar tight fitting suit as Chloe, but his head was covered by an odd helmet. Three tube like apparatuses were situated where the man's eyes should have been, they swiveled around as he got a better look at me. Without any hesitation or fear, the man stepped off the building. He pin-dropped down to the Shelter's roof, landing on its surface in a low crouch. He quickly stood and drew a pistol, pointing it directly at me.
Holo quickly positioned herself between the two of us, her crimson eyes narrowing at the gun in the man's hands. The man hesitated, his tri-optic sights swiveled yet again and I caught the sight of the Pegasus upon the suit's shoulder.
I furrowed my brow at the sight of the Agent's hesitation, before it twigged in my mind. They wanted Holo alive and unharmed.
'But why? Why was she so important to them?' I thought before sighing, it didn't really matter anyway.
I grabbed Holo by the arm and spoke in a low voice. "I'll distract him, you get out of here." I said clenching my pistol in hand.
Holo turned her head around to look at me.
"What?!" she exclaimed in protest.
"Listen, just get the hell out of here! You want to be free right? Then run!" I shouted, forcing past the catch forming in my throat. I raised my gun and fired at the agent, who quickly darted to the right, avoiding my fire with ease and got into cover. I shoved Holo away from me, intending on gunning down the agent. Holo remained at my side, stubborn to stay with me. I kept my pistol trained where I last saw the Agent.
"What about you!" She retorted with a scowl.
"I'll… I'll catch up later…" I lied, before turning to look at her.
"Just get out of here!" I shouted once again.
She stared at me forlornly for a moment longer, before turning tail and running towards the nearest ledge.
"Don't you dare die on me!" She called out behind her.
"No promises." I muttered beneath my breath.
I started to fall back, my gun scanning the rooftop for any movement from the Agent. My eyes darted around the air-conditioning units and ventilation ducts, as I backed up away from where I thought the agent was. I suddenly saw a grey flash coming from the right of me. Something hard hit me directly in the gut, causing me to stumble and drop my gun. It was the Agent's knee. Feeling winded after the man's blow, I lashed out with a wild punch to the man's left. The agent blocked my attack with ease, before chopping me sharply in the throat. I gagged and fell to my knees. The agent un-holstered his pistol once again, leveling it to my head, his optical device whirring mechanically. The world slowed down for me as I stared down the barrel of his gun. I had possibly mere seconds to live. This was it, I would die here.
However, a certain wolf had other ideas in mind. In a blur of motion, Holo appeared at the man's left before punching him hard in the chest. The man gave a gurgled grunt, convulsing violently as he flew backwards. He smacked into an air conditioning unit with a loud bang, before limply collapsing at its base, an impressive dent left on impact. Holo reached down and lifted me up onto my feet.
"Fool." She muttered, worry and frustration clear in her tone.
I didn't respond to her comment, rather focusing on the downed Agent. The man slowly lifted himself off the ground and onto his hands and knees. My jaw dropped open as he slowly recuperated, steadily rising to his feet. Even after a massive blow like that, the Agent shrugged it off like it was nothing. Holo also stared at the rising Agent before his mechanical optics swiveled around once again, focusing on us.
Without hesitation, I went and retrieved my gun, firing upon the Agent. He sprang away into cover once again as I ran to the nearest ledge. I looked down the side of the shelter, seeing the hard concrete ground below me. Suddenly, the door to the rooftop burst open and two more men appeared, both Agents. Chloe was not far behind. She walked confidently onto the roof, her steely gaze never breaking from the two of us as the other Agents took to her flank, pistols drawn and at the ready.
We were left with little choice.
"We've got to jump." I stressed to Holo.
The wolf glanced down the side of the Shelter, her crimson eyes studying the drop. Before giving a wild cheeky grin.
"Age before beauty." She stated, before sharply shoving me in the chest. I fell backwards Feeling my stomach drop as I toppled over the ledge and began tumbling towards the ground. I let out a sharp shout in surprise, before I spotted Holo kicking off from the ledge. She shot past me and landed somewhere in the alley below me. I continued to fall for a short while, before I felt two skinny arms catch me.
Holo let out a light grunt at the sudden increase in weight, before she set me down lightly.
I didn't know whether to thank or snap at her. Regardless I felt her hand grip tightly around my wrist before she started to pull me along once more.
"Come on! Let's get back to the bike and get out of here." She said hastily, while pulling me towards the alley's exit.
"Wait Holo, we should-" I was cut off as an Agent suddenly stepped off the edge of the building, landing ahead of us in the alleyway. The tri-optic goggles focusing on their target.
I cursed beneath my breath, before calling out to Holo. "Other way, now!"
Holo released my wrist, before running at the Agent. She was going to attack him. I bit my lip and tightened the grip on my pistol, just in case. Holo leapt towards the Agent, her fingers stretched out like claws before swiping at him. However, he had prepared for her attacked. The Agent grabbed Holo by the wrist and twisted, before sharply jabbing her in the stomach. Holo stuttered and buckled under the Agents counter blow, before he released Holo and kicked her diaphragm, causing her to tumble back into the alley.
Holo coughed and wheezed as she lay on the ground, shock etching her face. She had been utterly thwarted. Her hood had fallen back in the scuffle revealing her two wolf like ears, which quivered each time Holo took a wheezing breath. The entire optic mechanism covering the Agent's face, swiveled and focused upon Holo's wolf like ears. I ran to Holo's side, hauling her up to her feet before pulling her down the alley as we broke into a run. The Agent gave chase, shooting after us with alarming speed. I fired a couple of wild shots in his direction, but to no avail. The Agent changed path, jumping from the alley floor and began spryly running along the wall of the adjacent building, still bolting towards us.
Holo flipped her hood up as we ran out the alley, firing a couple more wild shots off as we ran out into the crowded street. People were backing away from us, the sound of gunshots alerting them to us and the Agents. We intended to make a right and run. However, we were quickly thwarted as another agent dropped from above, landing against the pavement with relative ease. I gritted my teeth and pulled Holo across the near gridlocked road, with a strained.
"Come on!"
Holo and I ran through the crawling traffic, shimmying through the gaps in the cars and trucks, desperate to get away. Holo and I eventually made it across to the other side of the street, with now a clear view point of the rooftops opposite to us. Gazing down on us were the two Agents from before, one of them Chloe. She now wore a similar optical mechanism as the other Agents, covering her piercing violet eyes, her mahogany plats flowing freely in the breeze. She simply glanced at the agent next to her and muttered something, well out of earshot from us. The other agent stepped forward upon the roof before a long steel wire shot out from one side of the man's suit. It flew across the street before sticking into the side of the nearest building. The Agent then leaped off the ledge, the wire retracting back into his suit as he glided across the street to land perfectly upon the building's wall. The two of us stared in absolute awe, while the agent stared back, his tri-optics swiveled to closely observe us.
My attention quickly snapped back to the sound of light footsteps upon metal, as I watched the Agent from before quickly dart across the slow moving traffic, jumping lightly from car to car as he headed in our direction. I felt Holo tear out of my grasp before calling my attention to another, much tighter alleyway.
"Lawrence, down here, quick!" She called, before running down the alley. The two of us ran, the Agents closing in on the alley entrance. Holo's ears rustled beneath her hood, before she quickly doubled back and flung us both down a tight side alley, just to the right of us. She pressed my back up against the nearby concrete wall, covering my mouth with her hand. I noticed the gleam in her eyes, as she spoke in a harsh whisper.
"They've surrounded us again, two of them just flew over onto the next street, while the remaining flush us out from here." Holo hissed as I deliberated what to do next.
We were trapped, the Agents had put us in a corner, we had nowhere to run. I knew I was dead, the Agents would simply shoot me on the spot. But, for Holo...
They'd probably trap her back in that lab. She'd never be free from that dark place. She'd die there, alone… Nobody deserved that.
"I'll lead them away…" She muttered softly.
My attention snapped back into the present. "W-what?" I retorted.
"They're after me… right? They're after their wolf… their… their monster…" Holo sighed.
"If I lead them away, you have a chance of getting out of this alive…"
"Holo, if you get caught they won't hesitate to lock you back up!" I exclaimed, possibly a little too loudly then I should have.
"I'm touched you care." She cooed with a teasing smile.
"Don't do this on my account." I snapped back, I had enough guilt on my plate already.
"You were willing to sacrifice yourself for me… I intend to repay in kind." She stated frankly, seemingly insulted.
"This isn't some petty joke!" I growled softly.
"Neither is throwing your life away!" She retorted, agitated now.
Suddenly, there was a soft buzzing sound that cut through the argument like a knife. I felt something vibrate on my person, and reaching into my pocket I realized it was Zheren's palmtop computer. Someone had messaged it. I checked to see the address, only to find it was spoofed. The message itself was blank, save from an attachment. It was a short audio file that read 'play'. I gazed at the file for a moment before I reluctantly opened the attachment.
There was a small hiss of static, before a clear and refined voice emanate from the computer.
"Hello Lawrence." The voice said, distinctly female and strangely familiar.
My eyes widened at the sound of my name.
"If you want to live, you will do exactly what I instruct, when I instruct. Understand?" She asked curtly.
I glanced at Holo, who was just as confused as I was.
"Now, approximately ten feet away from you is a manhole cover." She said, her indifferent tone never changing, yet somehow maintaining a polite and formal front.
Holo and I looked down the alley we were in and sure enough, there was a round metal disk situated on the alley's floor. The file continued to play.
"Enter through the manhole and follow the tunnel approximately one hundred meters left. You'll come to a piping junction. Make a right. Follow that tunnel for another ten meters. You'll come to another manhole, exit through that. I'll contact you again after you leave the tunnels." The female instructed, before the audio file cut itself off, leaving Holo and I staring dumbly at the device.
Holo's brow suddenly furrowed. "It sounds like a trap…" she murmured.
"We don't have a choice…" I retorted, striding over to the manhole and prying it open.
I looked down into the blackness of the sewer system, wondering if the agents would pursue us into the inky darkness. I figured their mobility would be reduced at least. Holo joined me by the hole and looked into it.
"Will it be safe?" She asked.
"Safer than what we're dealing with." I muttered forlornly.
I tore my gaze away, looking up at her. "You first."
Holo glared at me, before pin-dropping down the hole, making a small splashing noise as she hit the bottom. I heard the sound of steady, calm footsteps echo from the alley adjacent to me. I gave one forlorn look to the alley around me. Her face flashing in my mind….
"I'm sorry Norah…" I mumbled to myself.
I made my descent, covering the manhole with the lid as I went.
I made a sharp hiss as I felt the rancid smelling water drench the hems of my pants. I squinted in the darkness, unable to see anything in front of me. When suddenly, two crimson eyes faded from the blackness. I nearly jumped back in surprise, if I hadn't heard Holo speak through her cupped hands.
"Ugh! It smells so foul In here!" Holo mumbled as she clamped her hands down on her nose. I turned up the brightness of the Palmtop computer, illuminating the linear tunnel that we now found ourselves in. Holo flinched slightly at the sudden source of lighting. We looked around the tunnel, nothing but blackness either side of us.
"Left or right..." Holo thought aloud. I was silent for a moment longer as I peered into the blackness a head of me.
"Left... I guess" I mumbled with a sad frown, setting a slow pace down the tunnel ahead of me. Holo kept pace, keeping silent for a while as we walked down the tunnel, the only thing breaking the silence was the sound of sloshing water. Thoughts of Nora clouded my mind, I tried pushing them back... now was not the time to mourn, not when her killers were searching for us. However, I couldn't help myself think of her pleading expression in her final seconds, it was as if it ingrained into my mind. Holo decided to break the silence that had fallen between us.
"What is this place anyway?" She asked softly, her voice echoing dully off the tunnel's walls. I was grateful for her question, it helped take my mind off things.
"I think it was once apart of the old LA's sewer system... Not sure really..." I mumbled in a low voice, continuing down the tunnel ahead of me. Holo didn't respond, instead I heard a faint snuffling sound coming from behind. I decided to ignore it, I just wanted to get out of here and forget this place. As the light of the computer shone up ahead, an intersection of piping faded out from the blackness. I heard Holo inhale sharply before she was suddenly in front of me in a flash, her arm outstretched as to hold me back.
"Holo, what are y-" She cut me off with a worried tone.
"Something doesn't smell right." Holo cautioned cryptically as she peered into the darkness of the tunnel. Slowly she stalked her way through it, graciously sniffing the air as she moved. She stood in the intersection of the two pipes, sniffing once more. She began walking down the tunnel ahead of us before stopping dead in her tracks.
"I see..." She muttered, almost to herself, while I was still in the dark.
"What did you find?" I asked nervously, edging closer towards her, where I now stood at the intersection of the tunnels. Holo was silent for a moment longer, before quickly retreating back to me, a look of deep disgust on her face.
"Don't go down that way, there's a body... it smells... wrong..." Holo muttered, straining to think of the best way to put it.
"Body?" I repeated, before moving up ahead into the tunnel. Curious to investigate this 'body' of hers. Suddenly Holo grabbed me from behind pulling me away from the tunnel.
"Don't go near it! I don't know what it is but... it doesn't seem right..." Holo stressed, clinging onto my jacket.
I glanced at her before looking into the dark tunnel ahead. Nothing but blackness as far as I could see. I rose the palm top computer, it's light reaching further into the tunnel beyond. And slowly the light revealed a figure, slumped against the side of the wall, from it's shape I figured it was a man. He'd been sitting there for quite some time, rats had started their feast long ago. The cadaver was dressed in a tattered gray suit, that had frayed over time, and was stained with the muck of the sewer system. However, what sent shivers down my spine was the state of the corpse itself. The body reeked of decaying flesh, the man's lips and eyes missing entirely, leaving empty hollows and sickeningly green gums. However, what remained of the flesh was composed of putrid scaly clumps that festered and oozed on the remainder man's face. Images of the dead bum resurfaced and I covered my mouth, lowering the palmtop computer to hide the hideous visage before me.
"Let's... Let's just get out of here." I mumbled. Turning right, as per our mysterious guide had instructed and began sloshing through the tunnel once more. We continued in silence, using the light of the palm top computer to guide us through the darkness. As we waded a little further, ladder rungs appeared, imbedded into the tunnel wall. Upon looking up I spotted the small man sized disk beyond the last rung.
"Is this it?" Holo mused, now looking up at the manhole.
I frowned up at the round disk. "I guess so... I'll go first" I sighed, before putting the palmtop computer away and taking the runs one step at a time. I reached the top and with a solid shove, pushed the manhole up, before moving it to the side. I poked my head out of the hole and look around, we had ended up in the basement level of some parking complex, various cars and other shabby vehicles lining the walls. Nearly thirty meters away from me were two men, leaning against a white van. They conversed idly, ignoring me as I heaved myself up and out of the manhole, before reaching my hand down to Holo.
"It's clear." I whispered, extending it downwards. Holo rapidly climbed the ladder, before reaching out for my hand. Her eyes suddenly widened in surprise and horror as she stared at something behind me.
"LAWRENCE LOOK OUT!" She exclaimed, right when something metal struck me on the back of my neck. I gasped at the impact, my vision fading as I collapsed to the ground. Holo was shouting something at me, but her words were dulled as the world dimmed. I watched helplessly as a blurry figure roughly grasped Holo by the arm before pressing a device to her neck. She fainted almost instantly.
'Shit... they got us...' I thought before losing consciousness.
Author's Note:
Hey, I'm back! Sorry I was away for so long, my short two week hiatus turned into a two and a half month hiatus.
But with all the IRL drama and the minor case of writer's block out of the way, I'll be returning to my bi-weekly updates.
Also, got some other things I'm working on currently, but finishing Wolf and Cyberpunk will be a high priority for me.
That being said, sorry once again for being so absent and not telling anyone about it. WHOOPS!
Enjoy the rest of your day.
-RRR