Wither With Me

CHAPTER 50 - ANARCHY

"Be careful with her, watch the step."

"Don't worry, don't worry." said Nora. "Come on, Lilian. Get down."

Lilian dropped her entire weight on top of Nora, making her stumble backwards. With a slight huff, Nora got her down from the truck.

A dense mist flooded the streets, almost completely hiding anything more than three meters away; it was the same kind of white smoke she had seen back at the hospital. Beyond the fog curtain, the gigantic black silhouette of Kurtis Tower stood out in the sky.

"Come on, we have no time to waste! There's no going back now!" said the captain as he got out of the vehicle. "Watch your step, miss! Our comrades have placed explosives on the streets leading to the tower. Follow our steps, and stay away from any suspicious object you spot on the ground."

"U-Understood..."

The captain grabbed the radio while giving signs to his partner. "This is Charlie! We've reached the boundary of the explosive field! We're approaching the evacuation point on foot! Over!"

Nora advanced blindly, dependent on the soldiers leading the way. Her left hand didn't let go of Lilian for an instant, pulling at her with gentle determination, prompting her to follow her closely. If she lost sight of her, it might as well be impossible to find her again in the mist.

From time to time, they passed in between small square-shaped objects fixated on the road's asphalt. Packages with numerical codes, with several wires protruding from them and laid out on the ground, disappearing in the tower's direction.

Although Nora was unaware of the exact nature of those objects, she knew the slightest spark could cause a disaster down there. The military had spared no expense.

There were some steps nearby. Soft, timid. Both soldiers raised their weapons and scanned their surroundings, spotting a lone shadow approaching them.

"H-Hello...!? Anybody there!?" said a female voice from the mist.

"Halt!! Identify yourself or we'll open fire!!" shouted the captain.

"N-No...! Wait, please, don't shoot!! I heard something about an e-evacuation...!"

"Stay where you are!" the captain grabbed the radio again. "This is Charlie! We've found a survivor in the area, she's been lured by the evacuation transmission! Over!"

"This is Alpha. Let her in, Charlie." said a voice on the other side of the radio. "She's not the only one, others have arrived. We're grouping them up on the middle floors, we'll perform a quick inspection before letting them ascend to the rooftop."

"Can we even get them all out!?"

"Colonel's orders."

"Understood, Alpha." he got his attention back to the silhouette. "Come on, let's go. Stay close!"

Swift on her feet, the figure of a woman joined the group. "T-Thank you!"

The closer they got to the building, the more visible its crystalized façade became, but Nora couldn't stop to contemplate it. She had other things in mind, like the strange noises she was perceiving in the distance. Many voices in unison, as if the entire city mourned the departure of a loved one.

'How much time do we actually have...?'

******

"Contact! A group in the corridor on our nine!" said Isaac, opening fire on the stingers.

"Reloading!"

"There's more ahead, watch out!"

"This is Echo, floor forty is clear! We'll seal it up and ascend to your position, Alpha!" said another soldier on the radio.