The Elim Conspiracy

Chapter Seven

//WARNING: this chapter contains scenes of violence and gore, reader discretion advised. Tilly, if you're reading this, skip this chapter!

The sky turns a sour red, shifting from late afternoon to early evening. Selene suggested we stop for the night, so we found an abandoned town house to camp out in. I gaze out at the passing clouds through the upstairs window, breathing softly to myself.

"It's real pretty"

Ben announces, visibly startling me. I turn around to face him as he walks further into the room, his hands inside his pockets. I shuffle closer to the wall so that he could sit down beside me at the window and take in the amber sunset.

"It is"

I agree quietly, resting my head on the off white window sill. He does the same, mimicking me, as he closes his eyes. He lets the gentle breeze caress his face, warm red light illuminating his skin. I smile to myself before closing my eyes too.

"Mai?"

I nod, my eyes still closed.

"I'm sorry that you've been through so much"

"It's okay, Ben, it's just how the world is these days"

"I think you're really strong"

I can't help but chuckle softly, thinking back to when we first met.

"You met me laying in the middle of the woods, screaming and crying"

I let my eyes flutter open slightly, so that I can just make out the blurs of his face. He stares intently out of the opened window, focusing his eyes on the dim roads and rows of trees. I watch him for a few moments, silently, wishing I had a pen and paper so that I could draw him, or a camera so that I could take a picture.

"I think you're a good person"

"There aren't any good people Ben, just people who do good things"

I sigh, closing my eyes once more. I had stopped trying to find good people after the world ended, that's when I realised there were none. Because no person is inherently good. It's against human nature.

"Well, then you're a person who does a lot of good things, Mai"

An echoing bang comes from downstairs. My eyes shoot open in an instant. Bens face is in panic. I press my finger to my lips, telling him to stay quiet. He nods frantically, still fear-struck. I slowly reach into my pocket, pulling out my handgun. Within a second I'm loading up the bullets, flinching at ever little sound.

I love away from the window, treading lightly on the floorboards. The bedroom door creaks when I push it open, hopefully not loud enough for anyone downstairs to hear. Ben follows close behind me, his breath hot on the back of my neck. My ears are on full alert. I try to listen closely to where the sound had come from, concluding that it likely came from the kitchen.

Voices sound from downstairs. I recognise Selene's, but there are others. Deep, threatening voices. I slip out through the small crack I had made with the door, crouching around to the top of the staircase to hear them better. I feel Ben's uneasy breaths, a slight whimper in his voice. My hand reaches behind me and finds his, holding onto it tightly.

"I told you already-"

"I know what you told us, but that don't mean it's the truth!"

"I'm alone, I just needed somewhere to rest for the-"

"Well your rest is up, Nico! Take everything valuable from her. Then kill her"

Selene screams out, begging for mercy. Tears well in my eyes as I try to figure out what I can do to help her. Before I can collect my thoughts, Ben charges straight down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Ben, no!"

I scream after him, feeling him tear away from my hand.

"Leave her alone!"

He yells, shoving one of the men onto the ground. An uproar of voices begin shouting all at once, all saying different things. My head pounds against my head, voices becoming muffled, vision becoming blurred. I grip the bannister for balance, almost toppling over and falling down the staircase.

"Nico, kill them both. Brody, search the house for anyone else. Tom and I will go outside to get the van ready"

I try to listen as two sets of shoes step across the wooden floorboards, exiting through the back door of the house.

Someone begins to tiptoe up the staircase, the floorboards creaking underneath their weight. I duck behind the bannister, my heart thumping rapidly against my chest. I fumble, pushing my gun into my pocket as I clutch my switch blade in my sweaty palm. A plump, white, bald man makes his way onto the upstairs corridor. As he turns down the hallway, not noticing me behind the wooden pole, I take the opportunity to pounce on to his back. His hands flail around, trying desperately to catch hold of me, but it was already too late. I slide my blade across his throat. He gurgles on his own blood before collapsing to the ground with an all too loud 'thud'. I jam the knife into his temple to make sure he doesn't turn. My heart beats quicker against my chest. I grip the edge of the bannister for balance. His blood soaks my hands and shirt. I stand above his body in shock, eyes wide and afraid.

"Brody?"

The man from downstairs shouts. I flinch hard, being knocked back into reality. I turn away from the mans body, trying to focus my attention on helping Ben and Selene.

"Brody, goddamn it!"

Hesitantly, I sneak down the staircase, stopping just before the turn into the kitchen. I don't dare to breathe. My eyes meet the reflection of the microwave, able to see what was going on. Selene and Ben are tied up on two dining room chairs, with a lanky man pacing in front of them. The sound of a van starts up outside, forces me to cower further against the wall. I can see two men through the kitchen window, and if I make a move, they'll see me too. I don't know how I can take out the lanky man without alerting the others.

"You two better stay put. Brody! Brody!"

The lanky man appears in front of me. Before I have time to think I shove the knife straight into his stomach, completely panicked. He doubles over, clutching his wound. His mouth drops open, trying to yell out and warn the others. My hands act without hesitation, slicing his throat the way I had the other man. I kick his body on its side and jam the knife into his temple. I feel bile rise in my throat as I look at what I'd done. I retch, quickly covering my mouth with my arm. I don't have time to stop now, I had two more people to deal with.

I sneak into the kitchen, cutting Ben and Selene free from the ropes. I press my finger to my lips, telling them to stay silent. I begin making my way to the back door, ducking behind counters and chairs. My gun shakes in my trembling hands, as I lift it up to the window. I aim at the first mans head, having a clear and easy shot. I take it, squeezing my eyes shut at the deafening ringing. I take the last shot, dropping the gun to the kitchen floor after the bucket is released. Their bodies drop to the floor.

I slide my back down the counter, feeling the cool metal handle against my sticky skin. My hands continue to tremble in my lap, feeling each the murders I had just committed. Tears well in my eyes, streaming down my bloody skin. My eyes meet Ben's and then Selene's.

"Are you two okay?"

I ask, breaking the dense silence. My voice is rough and unsteady as I speak, but they don't seem to care. They nod in almost perfect timing, keeping their widened eyes fixed on me. Silence engulfs us once more.

"We should go. We should take the van to Harlow Street"

Without another word from anyone, we all leave the house and it's events far behind us.