Final Crisis

Chapter 20

The group hurried inside as they heard the engines get closer.

At this rate, Finn had hoped to be hit with a confetti bomb and congratulated for reaching their destination. Perhaps he and the others would be given a giant cake and be covered in slime, laughing the whole time. And maybe both he and Juliet’s parents would come out dramatically and show themselves.

However, the sight he actually beheld made his heart sink even further.

The entrance was littered with bodies full of bullet holes. It appeared that some kind of fight went down, with people on opposing sides of the room. It was a mix of adults and teenagers, slumped on the walls or splayed on the ground. Despite all the bullet holes and casings on the floor, no guns were in sight.

The room itself was dim, only being illuminated by white strip lights that ran across the edges of the walls and windows, giving the room’s all a slight blue hue. It was a common design choice across the campus. The windows were all covered by thick, blue curtains.

The room was circular in shape, with three separate hallways; one on the left, the right, and in the middle. At the top of the room was an unlit chandelier.

Juliet did hesitant checks of each person, verifying that it wasn’t anyone she knew.

“I wonder what the hell Bruce has to do with those guys…” Raphael muttered.

“We…we saw lights, didn’t we? Ceiling lights, ceiling lights…bright lights…” Russell muttered. “I think the left side of this building? Or maybe the next one.”

They nodded and headed down the left hallway, passing by more bodies along the way.

At some point in the hallway, they encountered a pedestal with a thin sheet of glowing glass erected from it. The screen depicted a map of the campus.

Finn tapped the screen, sliding his fingers and moving the map around. He pinched his fingers and zoomed in on the left side of the map to the building they were in. He tapped on a button that toggles between the floors, going to the third floor.

“I think it was the library that we saw,” Finn leaned back, “I barely remember this place from that tour we did.”

“Yeah…” Raphael muttered.

The faded sound of a gunshot stirred them up, and they turned their heads around.

“Oh shit, was that Bruce?” Merin asked, his voice filled with concern.

Bill put his arm on his back, moving him forward. “Just keep moving. Quick.”

The group started running, with Juliet slowing down every now and then to inspect a body or two slumped on the floor.

An infected bumbled around a flight of stairs. Raphael dashed forward and hurled his machete at its head, the blade landing dead center in its face. It collapsed to the ground, twitching.

He kicked the infected’s face as he retrieved his machete, spotting another one making its way down the stairs. He sliced at its foot, making it fall. He grabbed it mid fall, lifting it over his head and slamming it to the floor. He grunted angrily as he smashed the blade of the machete through its skull. Dark blood spurted out once he removed it.

He exhaled loudly, seeing his friends looking at him in concern. He ignored the looks they gave, circling around to scope the area for more infected.

“All good,” He said, lacking emotion in his face. He raced up the steps.

The others followed, looking at the decorations. Strip lights lined the wide set of steps, as they did everything else. Lining the walls were glass boxes that preserved plants and had floral patterns carved into them. The stairs were separated by an unmoving escalator.