LINKAGE (boyxboy)

CHAPTER 2: THE DARKEST AURAS

Walking in moderated speed, the duo haven't faced any surprises yet, but the uncomfortable feeling of the possibility of finding it was still there. The ambient was moist and stinky. Isaac and Lola were there for almost one hour already, following the direction shown in the PAD. They didn't know how deep in the ground they exactly were, but based on how many steps they walked down, Lola thought that it would be the same as an eight-floor building.

Soon, they found a wall that determined the end of the tunnel. A metallic vertical stair was standing in front of them and still, they didn't see any light besides the flash they brought. Isaac looked up, trying to see if the hatch was visible from there, while Lola was covering his back, in case something suddenly appears. "We are going up, Lola. " He started climbing the stairs. Pyotr followed him right after.

Once they were already climbing for almost 10 minutes, Isaac slowed his pace and raised his hand above his head to check in advance the hatch upwards. His hand touched something cold, dusty, and watery, some drops even fell on his face. Isaac knocked slightly, just as his mother advised. Once, then twice - but no answer. He tried again, with more strength applied. Once, then twice. Still no answer. Isaac already started feeling a bit uneasy and Lola experienced the same.

Probably the man that Angelina contacted had to leave before they got there, or he simply wasn't listening. Isaac wouldn't risk punching the door to attract unwanted visitors. Actually, he didn't have to. The hatch was already open. Before pushing it slowly, Isaac was expecting to see a bright white ceiling with voices coming from everywhere, but when he opened it, it was like they never left the tunnel. The place was dark as the deep end sea.

Isaac walked up fast this time, increasing the brightness of his floating flashlight, and holding the gun in hand. Lola did the same but quite faster than him. She did some years of fighting classes and if you wanted someone who fights like a robot and has a fast visual reflex, that's Lola Pyotr you needed.

So here they were, inside one of the most remote research bases in the country. The duo was shocked at how easy it was getting inside. They could swear to the Goddesses that Kye would be stricter than he already is on military camps like this... but he was. Anyone that dared to get 10 meters close to the base entrance would get shot without a second warning; the place was surrounded by cameras and automatic guns that would shoot if they detected unauthorized people walking around - if the guards didn't do it first. Shocking shields also protected the entrances.

But Kyedoth never thought about getting another type of invasion - never thought of monsters invading it.

No one knew by then, but things were changing and Lola and Isaac were the first people to witness it.

The room was white and had shelves with boxes everywhere, like a storage room. The air in there was cleaner, so there was still energy somewhere in the camp because the conditioner was on. Lola traveled with her flashlight through the room, looking for a door to leave, which she found with no trouble. It was an electronic door that would only be opened with a keycard, fingerprint or simply the presence of an authorized person, and since the energy was still on, they wouldn't be able to break it even if that was their want.

Something was odd about the door, it wasn't all white just like the other parts of the room. This door had a big part of its composition covered in thick blood. "Isaac." She called, walking to it and getting the boy to go after her.

"We were late for something, I guess." Isaac got closer to the door, touching the blood. "It is fresh yet. Whatever happn-"

Isaac was interrupted by a painful moan coming from his side. The duo looked to the direction of the sound and visualized a man sitting on the ground wearing the Opus uniform. His body was entirely bloodied and had a hole that crossed his body from his abdomen to his back - the most disgusting part of it was that worms surrounded his wound, making the skin putrefy and turn black.