Lyfers: Amnesia

Chapter 53 - Just Hold On

 – Down! Everybody get down!

Venom's deep voice resonated among the hostages' screams, who immediately obeyed, laying flat on the ground, hands behind their head, but suddenly got covered by gunshots; Sphinx and Fang fired at the surveillance cameras, breaking them to pieces. Claw and Phase were holding the people at gunpoint, while the others looked around.

– Second floor, commanded Blaze, we're going up. C, you stay on guard here.

– Understood, Boss.

Claw nodded, and the seven jogged towards the staircases, climbing the steps in a rush. They'd have to be fast; Kalei estimated the arrival of police forces in approximately four minutes. They attained the first floor quickly, and continued their ascension until they reached the second one. Dusk entered first, bursting through the door with a kick and aiming in front of him, rejoined by the rest of the team. Some nurses present in the corridor began to shriek in fear and tried to run away, but Fang and Phase had been quicker, arresting them and hurriedly tying their wrists with plastic shackles.

– Don't move and we won't hurt you, said Phase, rearranging his hood.

– Hey, over there, called Blaze.

She had some advance and nervously waved at them, then pointed at a door, with Room AB written on it. No, she hadn't hallucinated earlier; it really existed. They caught up with her, and the second they spent observing the writing could've felt like an hour. Kalei broke the tense silence that installed between them.

– Three minutes.

– Alright, declared Venom. Sphinx and Blaze are taking the entire setup, we don't know enough about her state to move her without precautions. Everyone else, outta the way.

– 'Kay.

The two got in without wasting any more time, but when he saw the unconscious woman on the medical bed, the mint-haired man had to stop, thunderstruck; the resemblance was troubling.

– She... She looks like... he stuttered.

– I know, cut Blaze. Hurry up.

He acquiesced and came back to his senses, grabbing a side of the bed while she seized the other. They leaded it outside of the room, and the team resumed their operation. However, they had to part; they couldn't move Taro through the stairs. Sphinx, Blaze, Kalei and Phase entered an elevator, while Dusk, Venom and Fang got down by the emergency exit. The two groups met at the first floor, all giving an anxious look to Kalei as she checked her watch.

– Two minutes.

They had to hurry up, and they were aware of it. They started to run through the hallway, heading to the entrance. But when they arrived there, their heart leaped into their ribs; all the hostages disappeared. The only one left was Claw, laying face down, knocked out. His brother had to refrain to cry out his name as he was about to dash to him; four people were aiming guns at them. Four people they all perfectly knew; Ether, Veil, Kiss and Abel. They were blocking the exit, grinning from the victory they anticipated.

– My, my, there's even more of you little shits than I expected, snickered Ether. How nice of you to make my spring cleaning easier.

None of them could hide their astonishment; Ether, the Ether Sadaaki was truly betraying them. Venom stepped forwards and took his hood off, enraged.

– How can you do this, Ether?! You had been like... Like a mother to me!

– Sometimes, in order to survive, mothers have to eat their younglings...