Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 21

Erich and Paulus had just gotten to the main door of the Ark when they heard the sound of a door opening at the front of the exhibit. Erich held his hand up for Paulus to stop moving and placed a finger over his lips. They both stood completely still, their bodies flattened against the inside wall of the Ark and listened. The constant drone of the insects within the dome pulsated through the still air as they continued to listen for any sign of danger. Paulus moved closer to Erich and whispered to him as quietly as he could, "It could be Nagato, he is supposed to be meeting us here..."

"It could be," Erich whispered back, "or it could be Malik and his thugs. We shouldn't take any chances...wait here, I'm gonna go check it out." And before Paulus could object, Erich had slipped through the door and into the surrounding jungle. Paulus watched as Erich made his way along a line of giant trees that stretched out of sight above him. He kept to the shadows, silently stepping over roots and bundles of wires that stretched through the underbrush. Paulus was surprised that Erich could move so silently, then again, he realized that Erich had lived with Unta for quite some time, and had learned their ways. Not to mention that he had spent the better part of his life exploring the jungles in one fashion or another.

Paulus watched with trepidation as Erich slipped from his field of vision. He wanted to go out and follow Erich, but he knew that it would be dangerous. He didn't know the layout of the exhibit and knew that if the person at the door wasn't Nagato, but was actually Malik or one of his men, he would be risking Erich's life by going out there. He also knew that Erich could handle himself. He had heard tales of Erich's prowess in stealth and combat from the men at his village that had helped to train him. So, he waited.

As he stood in the darkened interior of the Ark waiting for a sign from Erich, he looked down at the book in his hand. He couldn't believe that after all this time, and all of the death and destruction that this book had caused, he was holding it in his hands. He ran his hand along the patterns of the sun and couldn't help but wonder what the book would reveal to them, what secrets it held. He opened the cover and by the faint light coming from outside the Ark could barely make out the strange symbols within. He turned to the next page but only found more of the strange symbols. Paulus continued to stare at the symbols so intently that when Erich placed a hand on his shoulder he almost shouted in surprise.

Erich quietly whispered to Paulus, "Three men are positioned just inside the door to the exhibit, although from your description of him, none of them appear to be Malik. I get the feeling they are either waiting for him to get here...or waiting for us, either way, it doesn't look good. They each are pretty heavily armed. From what I could see, they each have a couple of guns, a mix of pistols and automatics, and possibly some concussion grenades. We need to be careful getting out of here, I don't think we can risk the noise of your little trick with the door being ripped off the hinges again. What do you think we should do?"

Before Paulus could answer, they heard the door at the front of the exhibit hiss open again. Erich shared a look with Paulus, both of them clearly wondering who was coming in now, although they didn't have to wait for long. A voice rang out through the stillness of the exhibit, "Enough of this game. I have come to collect what is rightfully mine. The book belonged to my ancestors, and I want it. I am not leaving without it. I know that you are both in here somewhere, and I know that you are outmanned and outgunned. So, come out and show yourselves. Give me what I want and end this, now!"

Paulus stared into the darkness towards the front of the exhibit and whispered to Erich, "It is Malik. Our only hope is to escape through the service tunnels."

Erich was trying to figure out how they could escape and how Malik could possibly have found them in the Ark exhibit, "I don't know Paulus, I don't understand at all how they could have known where we are now," he whispered, "I feel like escaping isn't going to be much of an option. Maybe when Nagato gets here we can even the score."