Mein Liebling

Untitled Part 41

A dark, smoke-like fog billows out, swirling along the ground, staying just around knee height as everyone cautiously makes their way into the building. The sun barely penetrates past the open bays, leaving flashlights to be the only means of visibility in the pitch-black warehouse.

Power had been cut, there was no use in trying the switches, the only thing that would work in here was the machine – having its own power source entirely. There were a few small, free-standing light towers that you may be able to flip on, which seems to be the shared opinion of the men as a few temporarily stray from the group to do just that.

They don't go far, just flipping the closest lights, allowing some greater field of view as you move deeper in. You'd never realized quite how expansive this place was until you were inching forward, clearing it little by little, unsure whether the scuffing sounds were that of your group, or something lurking along the peripheral.

You should be getting close to the machine now, but again, this all feels way too easy...

A low growl rumbles from Gaius, his fur prickling as he widens his stance and lowers his head. Everyone readies their weapons, forming a bit of a circle to watch all sides. You all wait a moment before shuffling again, keeping a wary eye on Gaius, relying on his senses to alert everyone.

His ears twitch, as if picking up noises you couldn't hear, his paws padding along just as cautiously in step with the group before he goes rigid.

Everyone else stops again, almost holding their breath as the eerily silent warehouse erupts into a battlefield.

They swarm from every direction, a hellhound tackling Gaius and dragging him away by his vest. You can hear them scuffling, your heart pounding against your chest as you move to follow but get ambushed by problems of your own. The group can barely hold them off.

You headshot a zombie as it's about to grab Zack, who turns in surprise for a brief second before reloading his own gun.

"Gaius?!" You call out, unable to hear anything other than the zombies at this point, taking out any that get near you, but unable to move from your spot through the thick masses of undead. "GAIUS?!"

With a sting in your eyes, you have no choice but to shift your attention to the machine. You would be of no help to anyone dead, and there would be no Gaius if the entire world ends. Begrudgingly, you vow to find him as soon as the machine is on.

You can see the outline of it now, backlit by the now dimly glowing fog as it thickens and pools around the machine.

"They're trying to move it," Zack makes his way beside you, "I need to get to it before Monty shows up, we have to be ready, we can't let him take it."

You nod and motion to the group, everyone forcing their way forward, clearing the path slowly, inching forward painfully slow, but making steady progress.

The minute Zack touches the machine, all hell breaks loose.

The entire warehouse glows with a pulsing blue hue, more zombies swarming in, countless dogs barking in the distance as you swing your rifle around.

They need to be drawn away from the machine, but you can't leave it defenseless either. You unclip a grenade and throw it to the far side of the facility, grateful for the dim light as your aim reaches the bay doors before the explosive detonates. It takes out a large chunk of the hoard, but they're quickly replaced as more funnel in.

"We can't hold here for very long," you glance to Edward, who nods in agreement. "Where the hell is Monty?"

"Looking for me, dear?"

His breath tickles your ear, as if he whispered directly into it. You whip around to find only the machine, and Zack looking at you in bewilderment.

"I heard him, he was just..." you look around frantically before you realize it had been in your head. You have a connection with the Aether, he could've been using that somehow. "We need to leave the machine?"

"WHAT?!" Edward, Dempsey, and Zack all protest immediately, the group still mowing down approaching zombies before they can get too close.

"We're getting low on grenades already, and the ammo won't last forever," you pull Zack closer, the noise in the warehouse growing louder, "stay hidden, but close, we'll make Monty think we've left the machine and then you can flip the switch to draw him in."

He nods, finding a perch nearby out of sight and out of reach of the swarming hoard.

"Let's move," you motion to the others, hating to leave Zack, but having no other choice than to risk it. Monty wouldn't approach with all of you standing here like this, not when he could just wait it out and let the hoard do his dirty work for him.

"We can't just leave him like that," Dempsey growls, helping to clear the path away regardless.

"We don't have a choice," it's no surprise, but the hoard is much easier to clear the further away from the machine you get. "Monty is concentrating everything he has on that machine, he knows if he can take us, or it out, that he has this world and the Aether to do with as he pleases."

"If lure is successful," Nikolai glances over his shoulder briefly, unable to see Zack anywhere, "I will procure round of Vodka for everyone."

"It will be," you feel a shift in the air, knowing in your gut Monty was about to appear, and hoping with every fiber of your being that this would work... that Zack would be safe... that Gaius is okay, wherever he is.

"There!" Edward shifts his gun towards a glow near the machine as Monty materializes.

Zack makes his move, flipping the switch and ensnaring Monty. He grabs onto Zack, clutching for dear life and preventing Zack from running away before being sucked into the machine and trapped inside.

But it's too late...

You scream out, rushing forward but unable to move as someone holds you back, left only to watch as Zack is overwhelmed. You struggle against the arms around you, locking eyes with Zack as he shakes his head, accepting his fate.

"Let me go!" You yell vehemently, begging to retrieve your friend.

"He's gone," Edward tightens his grip on you, pulling you to his chest as you feel warmth running down your cheeks, "he's gone, I'm sorry liebling, zhere is nozhing you can do for him."

"No," you feel your head throb, reality spinning around you as the group struggles to clear the remainder of the hoard.

They seem to be thinning in number now that Monty is gone, and you have to concentrate on what's directly in front of you. 1: clear the hoard. 2: avoid losing anyone else. 3: search for Gaius and prepare a proper burial for those who fell... including Zack.