Clair de Lune

45. Losing

"What? What's wrong?"

"The bomb isn't remote detonated," I squeaked, "Margo, they set the charge before we even got in here."

"What do you mean?!" She shrieked.

"We have seven minutes and fifty seconds to get out of the building." I stood up, backing away from the device with fear clouding my vision. "W-We don't have enough time..."

I'll make time. The Operator spoke from his mind, two inky tendrils leeching out from his back and wrapping around us. I felt strangely safe within his grasp, and he sprinted towards the only door in the room as he grew in size. The being ripped the door from its hinges with another pair of tentacles, and after ducking through, took large strides to get us back to the top floor.

Everything on the level below seemed to be empty, but once we reached the main floor, it was nothing but chaos. Bodies were strewn everywhere, hidden within the smoke and placed where their mangled positions could be obviously seen. I held back even more bile as I turned my attention away, just as I saw a figure darting toward us in the darkness. I was able to fire off a single round before a Basilisk struck at us, and The Operator dropped us to the ground while he fought the beast off.

Go! You'll make it out!

"What about you?!" I screeched, ducking as the Basilisk's tail swung over my head.

I've survived many a disaster, my child. Now go!

I nodded, grabbing ahold of Margo as we sprinted towards the main lobby. I know the doors must've been wide open, or at least, I'd hoped that they were. We had a long way to go though, and the entire time Margo was screaming that the place was going to blow.

I rounded a corner and ran smack into a PASCI agent, only to realize after we'd both fallen that they were possessed. The moment he sat up and blinked to focus, his eyes widened, and a hand flew to his lips. Confusion struck me hard and I was about to say something when he beat me to it.

"Agnes...my God, you're..."

"Necro? Is that you?!" I asked, getting to my feet.

"Yeah, there's only a few of these guys left." He whispered. "You look just like...like..."

"Like what? Necro, spit it out, we don't have a lot of time." I snapped.

"Her." Necro gasped suddenly, the body shaking its head as he let out a scream and clutched the sides of his skull. I went into a panic and attempted to get his attention, but it was all to no avail.

"Necro, talk to me!"

"I-I r-r-rememb-ber-!"

"Oh shit." I hissed, getting back to my feet.

"Agnes, what's going on?!" Margo shouted, and I took her arm and hauled her towards where they'd designated a safe spot for Necro.

"Something's wrong with Necro, he's never seen me before." I explained as I wheezed, the smoke beginning to get the better of me. "He's getting his memories back, I just don't know why seeing me would've triggered it."

"We better hurry then."

I ran harder than I had been, attempting to get ahead of the timer. I knew we had less than five minutes left at this point, and every second counted. The screams of the dying were growing softer and more distant, the remainder of the souls in the building most likely on their way to Seth. I was dearly hoping that everyone else had gotten out in time, but just as I approached another hallway, I found one of my worst fears confirmed.

"M-Marshall...?!" I squealed, dropping to my hands and knees.

The man was propped up against the wall on the inside of a cell, the only thing alerting me to his presence being the rifle sticking out of the doorway. He'd been ready to aim and shoot whoever came to finish him off, but when he saw us, he dropped his weapon with a loud, metallic clank. Even through the ash and smoke, I could see how pale his face had grown. There was blood everywhere.

"Hey there, Spitfire..." He chuckled, blood welling up and over his lips. "Did you get the job done...?"

"No, no Marshall, they had an automatic timer on the bomb." I wheezed, kneeling down and getting closer to him. I peeled his vest away to find that his side had been torn open and my hands flew to my mouth to hold back a sob.

"I knew we couldn't trust them..." He growled, taking a moment to reach up and grab ahold of something. My face fell when he pulled A necklace off of his chest, a vial at the bottom of it. It was filled with ashes.

"Marshall, no..."

"This is all I have left of my family." He wheezed, a tear streaming down his face as he smiled. "When this is over, scoop me into there so I can be with them."

"No, Marshall I'm not going to let you die!"

"Agnes, he's too far gone." Margo whispered as she dropped beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"I...I can't just leave you here." I wept, watching as he began to fade.

"Take care of the little princess for me...she reminds me too much of Amelia..." He whispered, his eyes closing as he said the words.

"No...no, no NO!"

"Agnes, we 'ave to go!"

"NO! I WON'T LEAVE HIM!" I screamed, thrashing wildly as Margo pulled me away from him. Eventually she was able to throw me over her shoulder and I collapsed, sobbing hysterically as I reached for the spot. I clutched the vial close to my chest, doing my best to calm myself.

Eventually Margo put me on my feet again, and I found that we were in the main lobby. The smoke had cleared slightly, only because half of the front of the building was missing. I sniffled and tied the vial around my neck tightly, ensuring I wouldn't lose it, and gripping the tassel with all my might as I steeled my nerves. I took a deep breath before running over to a door, opening it to find that Necro was propped up in a chair while a PASCI agent tended to him.

"Hands in the air!" I held a gun up, trying to hide the shakiness in my voice.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt him." He said, raising his hands up. "I'm not an agent. I'm Crowe."

"You mean, the soldier of Hell Crowe that possessed me back at the bunker?"

"The very same."

"How are you still in control?"

"The owner of this body...let's just say he was evicted." Crowe spoke, no sense of regret in his tone. I nodded and re-holstered my gun.

"Pick him up and take him out of here, this place is about to blow and I still have people to find." I demanded, and he didn't hesitate to follow orders. He threw Necro over his shoulders, and it took me until now to realize that he was unconscious.

I backed up and watched as Crowe carried him out of the building and out into the open air. That's two people accounted for, only five more to go. I wanted desperately to run back into the depths of the building, but I knew if I did that I'd never see the light of day again. Just as I glanced back towards the outside world and I considered my options, an image appeared out in the grass. I hadn't heard the sound of the tracks over my own thoughts but I froze in horror when I watched a tank park right in the driveway of the facility. The gun raised in the air, and my heart did a little pitter-patter in my chest when I realized I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and I wasn't going to make it out alive. I clenched my jaw and gripped my tassel, more tears streaming down my cheeks as I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.

"I'm coming, Nolan."

"AGNES!"

A large force barreled into me, just as the sound of cannon fire echoed around us. Explosions went off in my head and in the air, pieces of debris flying here and there. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it all to pass, for the pain to end and for death to come.

It didn't, though.