No Name

Chapter 4 - IV

Matt stepped out of the doors and onto the main citadel wall. He had often been posted here before the accident, when he had been a part of the guard, and the view from the wall was a familiar one. He recalled the hours, standing at his post with Jacob, chatting while time rolled by. Jacob walked over to greet them, the crowd below screaming obscenities up at the emotionless guards. Jacob was the only survivor from the squad that had been with Matt when he discovered his powers, the monster they had been fighting absorbing the burst of power that often releases when a warlock first uses their powers. The resulting power boost had turned it into an unstoppable force, and it had easily ripped through the squad. "Welcome back." He said, brown hair waving in the cold breeze that often hit the top of the wall. "How's it been?" Matt asked, rolling his shoulder back in a stretch and pushing the goggles from his eyes. Jacob shrugged, looking mournfully down at the mob of people. "They're trying again." He replied finally. "Infected?" Holly asked from behind him. "Hm." Matt sighed, looking down at the mob. The infected were possessed by strange entities that had been emitted from the portal. Nothing was known about them accept that they occupied a host body, but couldn't survive long without one. They let their hosts have control when it was unnecessary for the portal-spawn to have it, so the hosts had massive blank gaps in their memories, and had no clue they were possessed. And no clue why they weren't allowed inside the citadel. Of course, it had been explained to them. But, whenever the citadel guards tried to talk to them from their safe perch on the wall, their faces would go blank, and they would stare up at the talker with horrible grins etched onto their faces, the entities taking over so their hosts would remain ignorant. So, they had an annual 'get into the citadel attempt.' Of course, they could only travel a short distance, so the general populace would remain un-infected as long as they stayed clear of them. Jacob brought his rifle casually to his shoulder, and turned away from the infected. "Well, I'll see you after my shift." Jacob said. He absently stroked Geoffrey's head as he talked, deep in thought. Matt nodded, quickly planning his route though the citadel. "I'll go get rich, then meet you around here." he said with a parting smile. Jacob gave him a good-natured punch on the shoulder, and muttered something like "all the luck..." and they descended down onto the opposite side of the wall, into the grand plaza.

The walk through the plaza was embarrassing. To say the least, they attracted curious eyes from the various market stall owners and their customers. The plaza was basically a massive open-air crack down the middle of the citadel that formed a makeshift central highway. It was about the size of two eighteen wheeler trucks sitting end to end in some places. Around this time of day, everyone was heading home from their jobs, young men, women, and even the occasional rare adult passed across the square. Holly's heart gave a momentary leap at seeing home again. The small bookstore stood proudly, set into the wall of the plaza. Her mind drifted to the cosy little back room, housing all the rare and valuable artefacts, the small fireplace sitting in the corner and the comfy red chair that sat next to it. Then the main room, rows and rows of books lined the shelves, priceless titles and rare books. It was hard to get a complete series of anything nowadays. But, the bounty hunter pressed on towards the Terminal. The Terminal was where the governor resided, with his council of twelve along with the librarian and other high ranking officials. Matt led her up the spiral staircase towards the library. Dread began to grow in Holly's stomach. Usually she met with the Librarian on equal footing, but being dragged in by a bounty hunter? She highly doubted this was going to go down well. For her at least. The library was a massive circular chamber with a raised central platform in the middle of the room, the upper level accessible by staircase, large rows of shelves holding a massive number of books. The Librarian herself sat on the platform at her desk. Holly thought she had it up there because she loved to look down on people who came in. no matter what rank, what status; they still had to look up at her. "Holly." She almost flinched at the words. The librarian looked down at her. She was tall, and sported attractive grey eyes and long dark hair. Matt coasted to the side, and leant against the wall, seeming to blend with the shadows. She suddenly felt very alone. "So, why did you pay for Mr Sunshine over her to come and get me?" she asked, crossing her arms. Matt cleared his throat. "Speaking of paying...-" Soon." The librarian said soothingly. "Holly, you and I really got off on the wrong foot." Apologies from the librarian? What was this witchcraft? "You actually managed to just about kill my brother." Holly reminded. "That was a misunderstanding." The librarian said, her voice rising a little, in that arrogant posh way that was so infuriating- "But, I have reason to believe that the portal is opening once more." "Huh?" Holly said, hostility replaced by shock and confusion. The portal was dormant. "Readings from the receptors are reporting changes. Far too much power is emanating from the Apex ring, and the electricity is going mental. We had so many shattered light bulbs you could barely walk without hitting a clean-up crew." The librarian said, and for the first time, Holly thought she saw actual concern in her face. Or maybe it had been a trick of the light. "Therefore, we need a crack team of citadel guards, experts and Warlocks to run a journey to the Apex ring and perform some tests and reconnaissance." The librarian finished. "And you want me on the team?" Holly asked. "Why else would I waste money on freeing you?" Holly nodded in understanding. "And by the way, what were you doing anywhere near Dexter's compound?" Holly shrugged. "Found an old cave system with a town that had collapsed into it. Plenty of un-looted relics." That, technically, was not entirely a lie. The librarian nodded, seeming disinterested. "You have a week to prepare." The Librarian said. Holly exited the Terminal, and made her way across the plaza, only now noticing the broken lights and burst electronics. Holly completed the trek to her store, and let herself in. Good to be back. She thought glumly, and immediately began to pack again.