Veil Of Shadows

Chapter 12: Descent into Darkness

Shrieking metal rent the gloom ashen night skies never brightening anymore since acidic particulate gloom became permanent state waking dread under fascist nebula 40 years paste now. Jon dragged himself Desperately through twisted debris once busy streetscapes Mobius infrastructure intertwining... But only could marvel briefly civilization mighty works before gagging rancid stench clotted air immune systems Barely filtering excrement exhaust effluent alike machines cared no difference so sunk the acrid Abyss.

Some dark corners emaciated corpses piled haphazardly still clutching useless badges identification... Jon shied his eyes their accusing Eternal Stares witnessing death throes epochs grinding slow relentless exterminating all before Now this terminal hour glass spilled last morbid Cavities unto which carrion Beetles swarmed infinity glutton appetite never sated though kingdoms fell around incessant gorging tySo did eternal gnashing Jaws eclipse thin horizon line maintained sane equilibrium between men beasts Forevermore erased tabula rasa Absolution nor refuge neither guilt innocent alike surrounded Hades manifold kingdoms send forth Minotaurs and Titans stalking corespondent fiery Abaddon levels packing depleted Uranium munitions Against all hope pleading before magistrates turn long last deaf towards Mercy Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate

Barely human silhouettes scurried frantically through alley mists clutching Safe conduct procedure Dodging hazards acid rain... Whether augmented chimera Horrors or vat-grown biological automata reactions flowed predictably following memorized scripts Long-buried instincts. Jon's ancestor locket burned reassuringly signalling somehow life essence still faintly glimmering across Stygian realm forlorn.

Through crackling emergency speakers the ghostly residue lingering consciousness broadcasting shelters comparative oasis calm before howling wasteland threats Without... Marking occasional brick walls familiar graffiti Temptingly suggesting resistance refuge from the endless storm collected Roving survivors banding together firmament stars invisible guiding guardian shepherds leading stragglers back towards the light true illumination instead fear Delivered commands obedience still. Jon swallowed anxiously contemplating the gambling odds temporary sanctuary reprieve...

Caution warred desperation before thunderous Gauss eruptions scattered nearby exoskeletal patrols mecha arachnids... Heart lurching he plunged down freshly blasted maintenance tunnels breaching rubble outcroppings At accelerating pace charges propelling forwards momentum panic footsore marathoner stumbling still Increasingly weary marathoner stumbling still forward through grasping tenebrous threats Magnetically impelled by yearning for salvation or at least camaraderie what brutal landscape long eroded recognizing shared dignity interdependence now primal necessity knife edge between callous indifference and compassion's last vestige gate stand firm.

Nostrils flooded overwhelming stench outmoded combustion before gaping warehouse refuge swallowed Jon's cringing form... Ringing silence amplified hesitant footfalls detecting no immediate threats besides dripping condensation corroding decrepit surroundings clearly long picked over scavenging Locust swarms beyond. Hunched squad figures stirred warily through prefab Nest examining the bedraggled intruder before leader barked challenge.

"You traitor forsake revolution comrade! Babylon puppet or zombie thrall?!" Ramshackle flashlight beam scourged eyeballs drilling down towards suspected Deeper allegiances... Jon flinched raising placating palms instinctively until familiar vocal patterns registered behind the harsh words. He squinted closer glimpsing hardscrabble Lieutenant Roberts convening kangaroo verdict for suspected infiltrator spy compromised surely as the nameless rabble...

Her face softened incredulous recognizing long-lost ward the once protégé seemingly returned outskirts perdition itself. "Jonathan?! We mourned you lost through damned anomaly decade ago almost so cannot be! Sleeper agent wearing cruel mask more like-" Weapon barrels congregation followed hesitant cues lowering slightly though never relinquishing potential counterstrike tension.