"You ok?" Rachel asked, her eyes looked over him up and down.
Trying to speak, his throat closed up, unable to utter a word. He nodded instead, forcing his back to straighten.
Ollie stepped forward into the tight circle they had gathered in. "That was a Late-Corrupted, but I couldn't get a good look at it from where I was. Anyone got a clear view?"
Kyle and Clyde shook their heads in unison.
"Only saw its shadow," Clyde said.
Lily leaned against a crate, her legs also slightly trembling. "I closed my eyes. The pressure... that was worse than anything I've ever encountered."
"Rachel?" Ollie asked.
She shook her head.
All eyes turned to Gale, who still hadn't let go of Rachel's arm. His face had drained of colour, making the dark circles under his eyes stand out even more.
"Gale?" Ollie leaned in closer. "You had the best position. What'd you see?"
Gale's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. His free hand clenched and unclenched at his side.
Rachel shot Ollie a glare. "Give him a minute to calm down first."
"We don't have a minute," Ollie snapped back. "That thing could return any-"
"It's like the flesh warriors," Gale cut in, forcing out a sound and coming out as a hoarse rasp. "But bigger. Much bigger. Ten feet tall at least. No skin, just exposed muscle and metal. Its bones weren't bones. They were metal, dark chrome. And its arms... No hands. Just needles. Long metal needles as if it was jammed up into its arm like a kid playing with a toy."
"Fuck…" Kyle whispered.
"Its legs bent backwards," Gale said, "like a deer's. And its face... Human face. A real human face, but looked like the face was in a perpetual state of being shock. Empty eye sockets. Its throat had the same speaker grill as the flesh warriors. And inside its chest, there was this glowing red heart."
Rachel rubbed his back. "It's okay, Gale."
"It moved faster than anything I've ever seen," Gale said. "One second, at the 4th aisle. In a blink, it had already stabbed through the brick I threw. I didn't even see it move. And when it got to where I was… it stared at me like it knew I was there. I… I think it sees through scent."
"You think so?"
"Maybe, but not too sure... It saw through me completely. It knew where I was when its nostrils flared."
"Alright," Ollie said. "We need to be extremely careful moving through this power plant now that we know that thing is prowling around." He looked at Lily. "Scent masking sigil. You ok to do that?"
"Got it." Lily whispered inaudibly to herself, and a sigil appeared on everyone's forehead that glowed a dark green. She pulled out her phone and set a timer for 12 hours.
Ollie turned back to Gale. "You good enough to move?"
What choice did he have? There was nowhere safe in this entire facility. Even back in the Eclipsed, there was no time to wait for anything.
Gale nodded, finally releasing Rachel's arm. "I'm good."
"Space is narrow in the plant," Ollie said. "We move tactically from here on out. Single file, maintain distance, minimize noise. Everyone clear on that?"
"Good here," Kyle said.
"Good too," Rachel said.
Lily stood up straight, her legs no longer trembling visibly at least. "Let's just get this over with."
The group moved toward the entrance, keeping low and sticking to the shadows cast by the tall shelving units. Gale took point, stopping just short of the doorway.
"Gale," Ollie whispered from behind. "How's it look outside?"
Breath of the Void tendrils shot outwards, searching for any hint of the monster. Outside, there was nothing, though that wasn't very useful. The 100 meter limit didn't really let him see much, but it was good enough.
"Clear," Gale gave a short nod.
"Go," Ollie said.
Gale led them outside in single file, carefully pressing themselves against the pipes that acted as a wall. They walked through the clearing hugging the side of the wall away from the line of sight of the path up ahead that led back to the 3 way fork.
When they got to the path, they walked through the familiar narrow corridor, but this time, Rachel was up at front burning the flesh on the floor before they walked through the growth. The flesh walls they'd burned through earlier showed signs of recovery.
The third wall, closest to the fork, had barely begun to heal. The burned edges still smouldered slightly, the flesh blackened and crisp around a gaping hole large enough for them to pass through without touching the sides.
The second wall showed similar recovery, though slower. Tendrils of flesh reached across the burned opening like fingers stretching toward each other.
The first one had already regenerated enough to form a thin membrane across half the corridor. Rachel's fireball had left a black scorch mark in the centre, but fresh red-brown tissue grew around the edges, slowly and visibly already closing the gap as veins writhed onto the burnt surface.
They moved through each barrier silently, only walking on the burnt pathway as the wet metallic smell grew stronger as they passed. By the time they arrived at the three way fork, the fleshy growths had receded, no longer covering the metal pipes, floor, and surroundings. The left path was now behind them, leaving only the middle and right options.
"Well," Kyle looked at the middle and the right path. "Which way now?"
"Middle path," Ollie said. "No second-guessing this time."
Kyle opened his mouth like he was about to argue, then closed it. "Let's go. Don't waste time."
Gale nodded, leading the way through the middle corridor while scanning everything in a hundred meter radius. The middle path was narrower than the left one. Even Kyle and Clyde had to turn sideways at points to squeeze through. If the monster showed up now, they'd be mowed down in their single file. It'd be a wipe.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
A clicking sound of metal clanging against a gear came from overhead, causing Gale to snap his head up from where it came from. No threat. Just continue walking down.
The path twisted right at a junction where two massive pipes intersected. Gale paused at the corner, peeking around before waving them forward. Another turn, this time left, brought them into a wider space.
"Hold up," Gale signalled with a raised hand.
The space opened into what seemed like a hallway, but the view forward was completely blocked. Massive batteries stretched from floor to the sky in rows and columns of eight by eight forming a grid that extended beyond where Gale could physically see.
Tendrils shot out, spreading to map the space beyond. The batteries were in a perfect grid, but the pathways were narrow between each row and column. At the far end of the corridor, led a pathway that led deeper into the power plant.
"It's a grid," Gale said quietly. "Eight rows, eight columns. Straight path through the middle leads to another corridor. Nothing moving that I can detect within range."
"That's good to know," Ollie said. "We go straight through. Stay close to the centre. Don't touch anything."
The group filed into the battery array. Heat radiated from the power cells, causing sweat to drip down Gale's neck.
Fluid passed through the battery cells, audible enough that it was the only thing they could hear. Vibrations also spread through the grill flooring that seemed to come from the batteries themselves. The vibration grew as they neared the centre of the grid. Four rows down, four to go.
Fifth row.
Sixth.
Approaching the seventh row, the pressure instantly hit them once again. Not from behind, but from ahead. It was the same signature that the monster held, and it was walking in their direction.
Gale threw up his hand in warning, stopping so suddenly that Ollie almost collided with his back. Everyone froze in place, not daring to make a sound.
He pointed left, and everyone crept to the leftmost path and hid behind the batteries that took away their line of sight of the monster that would soon reach the middle path of the grid. The group formed a tight line against the same battery, each holding their breath.
The others looked to him, trusting him with their lives. Only Gale could see the monster coming in. Even in this situation, its steps were silent, an impossibility based on its size. When it got to the entrance of the grid, the pressure intensified as if he was several feet underwater.
It walked straight down the middle path, metal needles occasionally scraping against the grilled floor. But then, after passing a few rows, it stopped.
The monster turned its head slowly, as if noticing something, towards where they all sat.
It changed direction, moving directly toward their position. Each step brought it closer to the corner they hid behind.
A metal clang rang out. Its needle hit one of the batteries. In a couple more steps, it would be right in front of them.
Gale caught Ollie's eye. He pointed to the centre of the grid, then to the right side. Ollie nodded and passed the signal back.
The moment the monster rounded the corner where they hid, Gale slowly walked while crouched to the next battery. Others followed, steps silent.
They moved from battery to battery, using the massive structures as cover. Tendrils kept track of the monster's position. It had reached the spot where they'd been hiding, needles tapping against the metal grill flooring.
The group reached the middle of the grid and slipped into the right section, but they couldn't leave just yet. It was too risky to rely on it having no other ways to see them but through scent. Exiting this grid would put them in open space and allow it to have direct line of sight on them.
The monster paused. Its head tilted upward, nostrils flaring. It reversed course, returning to the centre. Gale flattened himself against a battery, not daring to move.
For what felt like hours, the monster stood motionless in the centre of the array. Then it turned and headed toward the entrance they'd come through. Its footsteps faded as it left the grid.
Still, no one moved. Gale signalled for everyone to stay put. Ten minutes crawled by, each second stretched as everyone kept their breaths as shallow as they could. Finally, he motioned for them to continue toward the exit opposite from where they'd entered.
They moved quickly, crossing the final section of the grid and reaching the corridor beyond.
The path widened slightly, but they still kept close to the walls. Gale's tendrils went ahead of them, revealing a gentle curve to the right.
The path opened into a clearing. Before them stood a building about eight stories high, smaller than the warehouse. Thick pipes stretched from its walls, connecting to the batteries they'd passed through and extending upward until they disappeared from view.
"Let's check this out," Ollie said, tapping Gale's back to go ahead and move forward.
They hugged the side walls again and made their way to the entrance of the building. The door slid open automatically as they approached from the side. Inside, the building consisted mainly of a central room filled with shattered monitor panels.
Ollie beelined to the main monitor. There was an indent beside it that fit the tablet. Materializing the tablet, he inserted it and a loading screen appeared saying 'Initializing Monitor Capture'.
Once it was finished, the tablet displayed 'ENERGY STATUS'.
"Look at this," Ollie said.
The tablet showed a power meter: '7/2500 stars' with a flashing warning: 'AUXILIARY POWER ONLY'.
Below that was a grayed out link that said: 'Controls locked by Main Control Unit'.
"What does that mean?" Lily asked.
700 years, Gale wanted to say, but that actually didn't mean anything since it wasn't a calculation of how much power was being consumed.
"Can't tell you, but it says auxiliary systems are the only ones powered," Ollie said. "Maybe that means turning this whole thing on would drain it faster."
"If the main control panel isn't here, it must be at the last path we haven't taken yet," Gale said.
"Right. This shit is a dead end," Ollie sighed. "Let's go back to the main fork and take the right path."
They exited the control room, stepping back into the open area outside the small building. They went back through the battery grid, carefully making no sounds as they entered.
Gale took point. Tendrils stretched out ahead of him, detecting nothing. He waved them a clear go sign and said, "Single file."
Rachel followed directly behind him, her footsteps nearly silent on the metal grating. Lily came next, her injured arm still held close to her body. Ollie, Kyle, and Clyde brought up the rear.
They reached the narrow corridor on the other side of the battery grid and continued through it. The narrow corridor forced Kyle and Clyde to turn sideways at the tightest sections.
After twenty minutes of tense silence, they emerged back at the three-way fork. Gale's eyes immediately spotted something different.
On the metal pipe along the left path, something had crushed one of the larger pipes that ran along the walls. The dent matched the shape of the monster's foot, the same impression they saw on the warehouse wall.
"It went back to the left," Gale said.
"Let's move. Right path. Now," Ollie said.
No one argued. They moved quickly to the right-hand corridor, which opened wider than either of the previous paths. The pipes that acted as ceilings rose higher, and the walkway expanded enough for two people to walk side by side comfortably.
The path stretched ahead, turning left at a sharp corner. They followed it, moving at a brisk pace, still hugging the walls.
After five minutes of walking, they reached another corner, this one turning right. The corridor continued, pipes running overhead and along both walls, but spaced far enough apart that they no longer felt caged in like the narrow corridors of the middle path.
Ten more minutes of walking brought them to a fork, splitting left and right with no indication of where either path led.
"Which way?" Ollie asked, looking at Gale.
Gale extended his tendrils as far as they would go, but both paths extended beyond his limited range. "Can't tell. Both go farther than I can sense."
"Right, then. We've had shit luck going left so far," Ollie said.
The group turned right, continuing down the wider corridor. Ten minutes into this new path, Gale stopped suddenly, raising a hand for the others to halt.
Ahead, in the distance, two hazy figures moved along the corridor. Their outlines created a hazy heat wave-like pattern, but it had a clear outline that the two entities walked upright on two legs.
The familiar sensation of watchers pricked goosebumps behind Gale's neck.
Watchers. Something was watching them.
The hazy figures turned around simultaneously. They held something that looked like a gun based on its outline, and from its barrel, a sharp pole-like object shot out from it, barely missing Gale's head. It hit one of the tankers behind him, and from that hole came out whistling blue steam.
"Contact!" Gale shot forward, Weber materializing into his right hand.
Ollie yanked out his phone, tapping rapidly at the screen. The hiss of steam, the clang of metal, the sound of their breathing, the pounding footsteps all completely deafened as if someone hit mute.
In the quiet, Ollie made a series of hand gestures: spread out, flank, eliminate.
Gale was already moving, pouncing on the hazy figure. Rachel slipped to the left, her hands already engulfed in flames. Kyle and Clyde had their weapons drawn while Ollie hung back with Lily.