Heroes Within (Novel)

Chapter 2

"Uhh...Is this the right place?" asked the mercenary, hesitantly.

Before long, they had arrived at what looked to be a rundown clinic. It was only two stories high and some of the windows seemed to be boarded up while others were destroyed or pumped with bullet holes. The door lay on the ground in pieces and the inside had no lights.

"Yes, it looks worse than I thought...but is this all because of the bandits?"

As the two precariously walked in, the sound of broken glass cracked under their feet.

"Hello! Is anyone in there? We need a doctor!" yelled Kizu.

There was no answer. Kizu continued to walk forward into the darkness until they were in what used to be a lobby. There was a broken window on the far left end that brought some light into the room, revealing some rugged seating and disorientated files on the floor. In front of them was a receptionist desk, empty and dim, and beside it was a large metal door left ajar. On the other side of it was a dark corridor leading into the hospital rooms, but there was a faint smell of something vile in the area.

"Hold on. Why don't you stay here with your mom and I'll go find a doctor."

"What, why? Can't we search together?"

"...you're just going to get in my way," answered the mercenary bluntly. "It's better not to move your mom so much anyway. So stay here and look after her, that's all you can do right now. If something happens, you'll at least have a chance to run to the exit, got it?"

"But-"

The faceless mercenary looked down menacingly at the little girl.

"...fine," pouted Kizu, arms crossed.

"Good."

The mercenary carefully laid down the injured woman on the lobby benches. Kizu sat beside her as she watched the mercenary head into the darkness ahead.

"Actually, here, take this knife just in case."

The mercenary turned back and took the simple combat knife from their left pocket. Bending down to face the little girl, it was the first time Kizu could directly see the masked character in front of her. With its twisting wave-like design on the mask, one could not help to look into the single eyehole, like a vortex. For a moment, the warm emerald eyes of the little girl met with a lone dull one, until the girl looked away as the cold metal of the dagger touched her hands.

"I'll come back, don't worry."

"..."

Kizu nodded quietly, clenching the knife tightly.

~~

"Well. This is going to get messy," the mercenary sighed.

The masked individual walked through the dark hallway with the occasional flickering lights and countless dead bodies lay scattered on the floor, some in pieces, and dry blood painting the tattered walls black. It was evident that the patients and staff of the clinic had been brutally murdered. The smell of rotting flesh was much stronger here than the lobby room as well. However, there was no evidence of bullets or the use of firearms; rather, they were torn apart by something like a beast or wild animal. It was a gruesome sight to say the least.

Since there's only one hallway leading to the lobby room, if anything attacks it would have to go through me first...right? Dammit this is why I don't do escort missions.

The mercenary continued to look for any survivors, though the chances were slim due to how late they had come to the crime scene. By now anyone left inside would either be dead or escaped on their own.