Wither With Me

CHAPTER 42 - BOND

Nora's legs wouldn't stop shaking. Failing to hold herself up, she fell to her knees, grabbing her head with both hands. She clenched her teeth and closed her eyes tight, trying to endure the pain. Her never-ending headache, which she had begun getting used to, had suddenly intensified to an unbearable magnitude.

[Scared. Help. Scared. Help. Scared. Help.]

Pounding from the depths of her mind, every perceived word caused a burning sensation; like a parasitic signal frying her brain.

"Aaah...! Aaaah!!" she was unable to keep her voice down.

'Stop...! Please, make it stop...!!'

She vaguely opened one of her eyes, in an attempt to remain aware of her surroundings. As much as she struggled to keep up with the current events, she knew they were in trouble. The loud crash. Debris flying in all directions. A bright blue brilliance coming from somewhere within the dust cloud. That thing's breathing.

Someone rushed to her side and grabbed her shoulders.

"Nora! Nora, what's wrong!!?" said Claire.

"You two, get back!! Quick!!!" William grabbed both of them and pulled them back, away from the cloud.

"Contact!! Captain Isaac, this is Erik! We've found the target! The praetorian is here as well!! At the exit, in the southern outer hallway! Switching to armor-piercing munitions! Requesting immediate reinforcements! Over!"

Lilian cowered against a wall, about three meters ahead. Nora felt her distress call, looping over and over; yet her sister didn't seem to realize how close to her she was. She didn't even attempt to look in her direction.

'I'm right here! Right here!! Lilian!!'

Behind the girl, the dust started to settle down, exposing the creature hiding within. It was too big to stand upright in the corridor. The monster's eyes were fixated on Lilian. The glowing cysts over its body pulsated with wild spasms, reminiscent of beating hearts, emitting enough light to illuminate the entire hallway.

[He's coming. Help. He's coming. Help. He's coming. Help.]

After emitting a low-pitched growl, it began moving its hulking body towards her, ignoring everyone else on the scene.

The noise of gunfire interrupted the monster's advance. The soldiers, after deploying another canister of white gas, opened fire indiscriminately. Against all odds, it caused a significant reaction. Each bullet lifted splinters of skin and bone from the creature's body. Several glowing nodules were hit and burst open, oozing a disgusting, brown substance. Instead of charging its opponents, the thing flinched and growled, in apparent pain.

On the opposite side of the hallway, somewhere behind the monster, Nora saw a flash of light. A flashlight? She heard someone coming up on the radio of one of the nearby soldiers.

"This is Captain Isaac! We have visual on the target! Cease fire, Erik, Jameson! We'll grab his attention; protect the queen!"

The soldiers stopped shooting. At the same time, a barrage of bullets rained on the monster's back. Now enraged, it turned around among shrieks. Finding itself cornered, it roared and bolted towards the newcomers. Its body scraped the walls and the ceiling in the process, leaving a trail of rubble and dust behind.

The soldiers attempted to approach Lilian, but they stopped in their tracks, alerted by something outside.

"C-Contact!! Stingers!!!" said one of them, raising his rifle and opening fire.