The first thing I saw was Blight with his back pressed to the door of the nest to keep it secured. The gap of it had been layered in the sheets off the bed that were scattered with squashed bodies of what looked to be rounded discs with curled legs beneath them.
Was that what one of those Toxiorb looked like as it hatched?
"Switch" Carrion flicked a finger to Plague guarding Shie up on her bed "Blight, you'll be helping us."
I saw Resolve grimacing through the door at me, forcing a smile when I saw he hadn't moved.
"Hey, good luck" he whispered to me.
"You too" I smiled back "looks like you'll need it."
He sighed and shrugged when we both looked to Carrion taking charge over Blight who bit back.
"Resolve!" Blight snapped.
"Got to go" he mumbled "see you soon."
He closed the door behind him so that I could turn to Dashiell panting and splattering blood over the floor.
His fangs were buried into the shoulder of Stone. Stone had his snapped around the side of Dashiell's face. They both stood there, struggling and snarling to try and tear the skin from each other.
They were at a standstill. Neither wanted to let the other go.
"Hey! Don't worry! I'll get you out of there!" I called up to Rush who nodded gratefully while still trying to scratch his way free of the arms.
Something in Stone snapped when I left the door to approach both of them.
He snarled against Dashiell, ripping out his cheek to spit the thick flesh onto the ground while Dashiell stumbled back with wails of pain.
Blood spurted over Stone who bared his dripping teeth at me. His arms tightened Rush to his chest so that he could dart his eyes to the staircase; his exit.
"NO!" Rush squealed when Stone scurried for it.
I sprinted for them both, feeling my skin tear from my body when my fingers split away to stretch out my claws instead.
The very tip grazed the back of Stone's heel to cut it open. He dribbled blood down the stairs I threw myself down in the desperate attempt to snatch for Rush.
I pulled back on splitting from my body completely. If I did, I'd be stuck inside and Stone could easily escape.
My claw shattered and formed fingers that pressed to the wall as I dragged myself upwards.
Stone was relentless. He used all of his new arms to power for the door that was out of reach. The floor at the bottom of the stairs was flooded in a couple of inches of water still rocketing out of the bathroom.
It wouldn't be enough to halt him, but it did.
Stone dug in his arms at the bottom of the stairs, screeching out when it was obvious what was stopping him.
He hated water?
I raked my nails across Stone's exposed back to try and get him to drop Rush.
He turned when the skin split and dribbled over his body, snarling again.
Rush reached for me, but was still out of reach. Stone used his arms to stab through my shoulders and leg, leaning closer to really make sure they skewered me completely.
My blood burned like acid when it flooded the arms tearing from me. I snatched weakly for Rush who sobbed and screamed again as Stone stabbed his way up the walls instead to avoid the bloodied water.
I staggered, clutching for the torn wall beside me so I could dump myself into the water and frantically wade through it for Stone hissing at the towels he tore up and flung away.
The dragging water around me was almost past my knees. It sucked and heaved on my body fighting the pull to throw Stone under the surface.
He flung the door open enough to squeeze through. My fingers scraped the wood as the water spilled out across the level.
Rush couldn't scream for me. His mouth was silenced again when I slipped out and threw myself over the level to sprint after them.
Stone was making his dash for the tunnel. A dark space leading to freedom would be all he needed to leave anything behind.
He could infest the tunnel and claim many more victims other than our entire nest.
I wouldn't be able to stop him. He was already too much to keep up with.
But, I had to try stop him before he escaped!
I could already feel myself faltering as I ran and stumbled. The holes he had stabbed through me pumped blood across the floor. They sprayed my energy out with it, threatening to collapse me when I was so close.
Stone was too quick in this state. His new arms were snatching into every available surface to propel himself forwards at breakneck speeds.
I couldn't reach him. I was barely holding up my own buckling legs.
Dragging myself across the floor, I could only watch as Stone wedged open the tunnel and disappeared inside.
Rush's wide eyes and reaching arms were swallowed by the darkness until it was snapped out completely.
No-one knew how to react.
Stone had been so swift that there was no time to call out until he had already passed. With Rush gagged, nobody was warned of the oncoming threat they could have tried to stop.
He was too quick and quiet. He was built for this.
And I had let him go....
Screams rose up to pull my attention back to the flooding level spilling onto the floor.
The writhing bodies of newborn Toxiorbs cascaded with the water, writhing to be free.
Souls immediently panicked now that there was looming danger. Toxiorbs scurried across the floors, trying to swarm bodies frantically swatting and crushing them.
They were everywhere. The small creatures flowed from the walls and water itself. They screeched when they scurried, swarming to latch onto the napes of others desperate to escape.
Chaos flooded the room. It had Solonine storming out to see what the commotion was, before swearing and dissapearing again.
For once, I was glad to see him. He could stop this absolute madness.
I was already plunged into the chaos and swarms. My skin was slick, which made a few of the clinging bastards falter and tumble on thier climb upwards. They burst innards and black blood across the floor as I crushed the eager parasites beneath my feet.
There were so many! It looked like the horde was never-ending!
I had to find a way to protect my neck. There was no use being thrown into the fight if I was infected by the parasites in the end.
Even my disease wouldn't protect me from that. In a way, the ones that touched me could easily infect others. They'd be more dangerous than before.
Tearing off my shirt, I tied it around my neck like the others had done. Pulling up the fabric up the back of my hair, I had a little more coverage and time to protect myself.
Crushing and swatting the ones who tried to attach themselves to me, I didn't notice Solanine and The Second storm down to my side.
Solanine kept guard at my front while The Second squashed more squealling parasites behind me.
"I'm guessing you have something to do with this" Second snapped to me.
"Not me directly" I grunted back "but I was kind of dragged into it."
"Kind of" Solanine snorted back and rolled his eyes.
"After we kill these things, Eagle wants a word with your family" Second continued to growl "he is not happy at all."
"I wouldnt be either with all this mess" I chuckled nervously back "honestly, I was only trying to get Rush back."
Solanine paused, almost being thrown to the ground by Talow who appeared from nowhere.
"There's another one" Solanine snapped to him "the main one, I'm guessing?"
I nodded.
Talow groaned and held his head.
"He's not going to love that at all."
"Obviously" Second snarled back "just do your job and try and contain this shit show first."
"Kill the infestation, then we will hunt down the ones who have latched on."
"More work" Solanine huffed "not like I needed sleep today..."
Second scowled to Solanine and finished crushing the ones not currently drowning in the water around me.
"Turn off the water" Second pointed to the door it still spilled from "I'll help the others."
Solanine grumbled again and started to drag himself to the stairs.
It'd be good to stay close to him. I could use him as a shield to stop myself being infected by the parasites. It wouldn't be any loss to me if he was taken by one.
Better him than me.
I followed, keeping close to his feet crushing more trying to climb him while he stripped off his shirt to copy my method.
He paused, glaring at me.
"What do you want?"
"To help" I offered innocently "and to keep the Toxiorbs away."
Off me, at least. They could take you, fucker.
His eyes rolled again and he tied his shirt tightly around his neck, swatting off more trying to latch to his ribs instead.
He looked skinnier than last time I had seen him so exposed.
Were his ribs always pointing out like that?
"It's just a tap" he mumbled, climbing the stairs with me beside him to stomp as he went "its your fault anyway. They should make you clean up this damn mess."
"My fault?" I scoffed back and swatted at my own legs "I'm one of the people who wanted Stone out!"
Solanine paused, facing me slowly.
"Are you telling me that you knew you had a Toxiorb and you kept it?" he hissed "so, this IS all your fault!"
"No, but...!" I groaned back to each tut of Solanine shushing me "it's not like that!"
He shoved open the door fully with his shoulder and grumbled out again as he waded for the bathroom still spewing water.
Was Shie still here? Or was she being held upstairs until the infestation was killed?
I didn't feel the pain anymore. There was a niggling of fear, but nothing as crippling as it was before.
She would be here then.
"What were you bastards trying to do?" Solanine cried out from the bathroom I heard the plugged towels being dropped within "trying to drown us all?"
I looked at the floating corpses of the Toxiorb bobbing around me. Others clung to the dry walls while more laid upside down, struggling to snatch onto something when they floated past.
"The nest was overrun...."
"Nest?" he scoffed, growling "are you fucking kidding me?! Anything else you want to tell me you gave this damn parasite access to?"
"He didn't get Shie" I mumbled back when Solanine exited.
"Well, thank God for that" he laid on the sarcasm thick "one thing went right, hey? Show me."
He let me lead him to the stairs that were still sprayed in Sparrow's blood. I saw Solanine eye it cautiously, stiffening when Dashiell bobbed into view at the top floor.
He was crumpled into a corner of his own blood. The large wedge of skin was still laying on the floor, his arms curled in towards himself.
Why was he laying like that?
"Dash?" I inched towards him as Solanine split off to investigate the closed door more Toxiorb still squeezed under "hey, are you ok?"
"I've been better" he groaned out and forced a little laugh "I think I fucked up."
"You did good" I praised him and rested a hand on his leg "that's all you could do."
"Well, I could have killed him" he shrugged "or saved my brother."
I stayed quiet, trying to find the right thing to say.
"You said there was a nest in here?" Solanine interrupted us with a tilt of his head to the door he pressed an ear to "how big is it?"
"Shie used all the walls and roof in the back of the room" Dashiell heaved himself up now "with the others in there earlier, I think it'd be about cleaned out."
Solanine opened the door open a crack to have a stream of Toxiorb scurry out.
"Did you see them leave?" I looked up to Dashiell watching sadly.
His eyes darted to the door instead of me.
"I was in and out of it for a while, still am. I think I saw them leave, but I was all over the place."
Poor guy. He was struggling even to just stand on the spot.
Huddling back into the corner, Dashiell drew up his legs around him to shield himself.
Toxiorb swarmed his fur, but he didn't try to save himself.
Was he....?
"Hey, you've got some dead guys in here" Solanine poked back around the door "it's pretty bad."
My gut dropped and I glanced to Dashiell for some sort of indication as to what I was going to walk into.
The way he was so withdrawn and hopeless had me wanting to shuffle back down the stairs and forget the open door Solanine waited for me at.
The fact it was more than one really stabbed me in the heart. As far as I knew, it should have only been one of our fifteen who had died trying to stop the Toxiorbs at the source.
"Keep your shirt up" Solanine warned as I moved past him "they're hanging off the damn ceiling."
The parasites or the bodies?
Did I want to know?
"I've seen some bodies in my days" he spoke as he crushed more fleeing parasites around him "and I've been the cause of a few, but fuck...."
He pointed to the door at the left of the room that was the enterance to the nest.
I looked into it as I approached, gasping when I realised what exactly I was looking at.
"What a way to go" Solanine whispered beside me.
The nest was destroyed. Bundles hanging from the ceilings were split wide open and oozing onto the floor. The ones glued to the walls were also sliced and spilling half-formed bodies in yolks onto the paste.
The walls had been modified to house large holes along the bottom of them for the babies to scurry through. My guess was that it was between boards and up to the outside world. It made the most sense for the nest to flood into a place that it could thrive in right from birth.
The holes had been plugged with towels and paper. Beside those holes was the body of Havok swarming with the newborn parasites that had infested the nest. Developing beside and devouring the young inside the eggs, they now turned on hollowing out Havok's spine to reach the rest of his guts.
His skin was swimming in the ooze of the broken eggs clinging over his face to suffocate his limp mouth still wide in a frozen scream.
His hand was still smothered with a towel dropped right beside him.
Stepping into the ooze, Solanine picked his way through the door.
Spinning bodies of Toxiorbs dropped dead as he drained them of life. Each step, more screamed and writhed before drowning in the fluid.
"Fucking parasites" he muttered, pushing aside a hanging bundle that spilled more tiny bodies beside him.
I dodged around the chunky flow, stepping onto a hand.
Resolve stared at the door, half his body glued to the floor by the liquid now lapping up over his eye. His hand reached for freedom only a metre away while the other was spread beside him where a letter opener was submerged.
Was he the one cutting the hanging casings open? To try and kill them before they could spring to life?
I crouched before him. Tears rolled down my cheeks for the man who had been so unknowingly thrown into a role he never wanted.
He had done so well. His actions would have lessened the horde we were now trying to tackle outside the room.
"Shit" I choked out as I peeled up his head and pushed his body over so he was laying on his back "he didn't deserve this."
"I'd want to go out like that" Solanine stood over us until he spotted the letter opener he plucked out of the liquid and held out to me "nothing wrong with dying while saving others."
It shouldn't have to come to that. Resolve still had his silly crystals to show everyone and arguments to be had about how much they meant to him.
Sparrow. He'd be torn apart once he knew.
Hopefully he wasn't walking back into a room where both his family were dead. I still hadn't checked on how Tor had handled the waves of parasites that would have easily crawled into his room.
I rose, still grimacing down at Resolve I could do nothing else for.
Plague had been the one holding the door closed. He had to be here somewhere. He wouldn't abandon his position when he was already doomed.
"There should be one more" I sighed as I searched "he should have been near the door."
Solanine hummed as he squinted upwards and trudged through the slime to the back of the room.
"I don't see anyone else" he called out, stomping "just dead Toxi's and eggs."
Where was Plague?
We had to search for him, but I couldn't just leave this room like this.
"Leave it" Solanine sloshed a path past me to flick off his heels at the door "sort it out later."
I stood over Resolve and peered at Havok.
I felt like I was abandoning them just by leaving thier bodies to stew in the liquid and be torn apart by the remaining parasites.
"There's nothing we can do" Solanine shut the door so he could replace the bedsheet beneath it to smother the flow of Toxiorbs scuttering out.
Plague had to be around here somewhere. He's the only one who would have stayed behind when the others left.
Him and Dashiell.
"Dash" I piped up when we firmly closed the door to the bedroom, crushing more bodies on our way out "where is Plague?"
His eyes lifted and moved in the direction of Tod's room before dropping below his legs again.
"Thank you."
I hurried for it, seeing that Solanine was instead heading for the stairs.
"After you finish there, you should head to Eagle's office" he advised "rip off the bandaid so you can start cleaning up the mess."
He hesitated at the top and looked back to me with a little smile.
"Don't say anything about what you saw in there" he jerked his head to the door "not until you find out how many you still have left. We've still got to weed out the infected ones."
Right. Even if they survived, they could be doomed to die by the Base who would want to protect themselves from this happening again.
There would be no vote this time. We couldn't repeat this mistake ever again.
I slid open Tor's door that peeled back the webs plastered to it. Toxiorbs were tangled in the thick threads to form a lumpy black path through to the opening I fell into.
There were bodies glued everywhere. Tor was still in his smothered wall, feasting on the mounds of Toxiorb plastered around him.
Plague was here too. He sat limply against the webs pinning him into position. His head was slumped back, his arms hung down to his sides. His whole body was mangled from scratches and bites of the parasites he had been fighting off. They tore away most of the skin on his face to disfigured him.
The thing that had killed him wasnt the mangled skin stripped from his bones. It was the gaping hole straight through his chest that collapsed with the shattered bones. The blood had stained the webs around him a deep red that remained trapped in the layers Tor had woven.
Did Plague come here for a quick death by his own family? Chosing to help Tor when nothing else had worked?
There was no doubt the giant spider was the one to spear Plague. The sharp arms spread around him were the exact size to pierce someone in a way so horrifically.
Was this a better way to go than by whatever the Base had planned?
"Tor" I looked to the giant spider who leant forwards to drag me towards it with an arm "I don't know what to do."
Swallowing down the lump burning in my throat, I blew out my breath against the fur smothering me that I clung to.
"I should have made Resolve come with me" I blabbered to the comforting wall radiating heat through me "he's dead. Maybe he wouldn't have died like that if I have told Blight I wanted him with me..."
Tor stirred. A deep growl vibrated through his whole body that shook the webs tucked around him.
"They got Havok too. It looked like he was trying to plug the walls up before be died."
Tor's growling slipped through his fangs. It sawed out with his breaths, working up to a rattling moan.
"And now..."
I slipped my gaze to Plague, squeezing my eyes shut when I saw his collapsed chest.
I sniffled, biting on a sob.
"I don't know about the others. Dashiell won't leave the corner. It's like he's just given up. Im not sure if it's because of everyone else or if it's from the fight with Stone, but he's done."
Tor whined, long and low. With each breath the whine dragged longer and pitched upwards just a bit more. I was pulling myself from his arm when it started to pierce my eardrums and make me groan from the pain.
"Tor!" I snapped up to the spider snapping the threads of its webs as it pulled itself from them "TORTURE!"
The screaming was shaking through my blood. Tor rattled with every short burst that hyperventilated through the creature searching for something.
I dove into the tunnel to dig my way free. Barging open the door, I slammed it shut and sprinted to the stairs to escape the agony barely muffled behind me.
102Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IMJezLmg9
Eagle's office was already crowded with the rest of the family when I entered to take my place with them.
They all were steadily bleeding onto the floor or barely standing upright as they stood around Shie who had been given a seat opposite Eagle's desk.
"Sorry I'm late, Sir" I mumbled out when I shuffled to the wall "things were...."
I let my words drop, swallowing down the pain again.
"Are you infected?" he spoke up.
I heard the concern and was confused by it.
"No, Sir."
I looked around the room to the eyes glancing at me. They heard it too, but didn't react.
Thier main priority was just trying to remain upright.
"Who has been infected?" he peered at the others behind laced fingers.
He spoke softly and with remorse. There was none of his usual anger or snideness behind his words today.
"I'm infected, Sir" Arson raised his hand over the crowd.
"I'm infected, Sir" Noma wavoured on the spot.
"I'm infected, Sir" Talio grimaced down at the front.
His eyes turned to meet mine that refused to leave his face focusing back on our leader.
Talio.
Where had he been?
Why was he here?
Since when had he....?
No.
No!
HE COULDN'T BE!
HE WASNT!
"No!" I choked out, clawing my face as the tears ran over my cheeks I wiped.
I felt a hand on my shoulder that pulled me into it. I was too rattled to even see who was trying to comfort me.
"Rush has been taken by Stone" Blight informed Eagle as he tried not to bleed all over his desk "Stone is infected. He's the one who spread it all."
"Rush will be too" Carrion mumbled to him.
"Stone could smell Shie o...."
Carrion shook his head, folding his arms.
"Rush.... is trans. He's still...."
He waved a hand over the direction of his genitals with an annoyed sigh at being reduced to a vulgar gesture.
"His deadname is Winnie, Sir" Carrion explained to Eagle "he will be fully infected by the Toxiorb."
Carrion hung his head in shame and turned from the sight of Eagle.
Winnie. It wasn't just a whimsical name after all. His old friends knew him before the transition.
Poor Rush. He stood no chance against Stone after all. And we had all blown off the severity of it through assumptions.
"Misery" Eagle addressed Shie calmly "what would you like to do with the infected?"
Wait, Eagle was giving Shie the option? Why was she taking priority over his absolute word?
By the way he spoke and looked to her, he valued her highly.
As highly as his most important men in command?
Shie was quiet. Everyone looked to her for her decision. Talio placed a hand on her shoulder while Sparrow held hers in his.
I saw Ransom pressed against the wall, wiping his eyes quickly to try to avoid showing emotion before Eagle.
"I can't take the chance again" Shie spoke softly. Her voice was wavouring with pain "we.... lost so much already."
Three dead. Five infected. Seven barely holding on. Countless others wiped out in an instant.
My eyes lingered on Talio again before they were blinded.
"All the infected are being lined up downstairs" Eagle spoke gently, looking like he was trying to pick his words carefully "I can play it off like an example. It'll be quick for all of them."
Shie sobbed, nodding. I saw Noma tilt his head back to blink back his own tears.
"Our agreement still stands" Eagle reached out for her hand that she gave him "you still have a place here until something suitable comes up."
"T-thank you" Shie whispered back.
"I will allow you to keep searching to fill your fifteen" he smiled while stroking his thumb over the back of her hand "but no more Toxiorbs. If one is infected, you send them straight to me."
Shie nodded again, too shaken to speak.
"It..." she whispered "....it was my fault."
"We voted on it" I scowled to Eagle before he could even think about blaming her "we are all responsible."
There was agreement and mumbles back.
Nobody wanted Shie in a position of such vulnerability like this. It didn't look like Eagle would do anything, but it made me nervous at the chance he could suddenly snap.
His kindness was suspicious.
"I will do my best by them" Eagle reassured her "Talow will help ease them into it. He's quite gentle."
More silent agreement. Shie nodded again as she wiped her eyes and rose to her feet.
Everyone pressed to the walls to give her room. Shie moved between both sides, still quietly crying into the back of her hand.
Eagle followed her to the door to open it, coming outside first to stand beside Shie while we all gathered opposite her.
I didn't like the way he was so attentive of her. The affection and gentleness was a little close for comfort.
I could see the others thought the same. Carrion sneered when Eagle kissed Shie gently on her hand.
It made my skin crawl to see them close. Perhaps, I was a little jealous to see the one I had devoted myself to being fawned over by a man not bound to a family more than capable of keeping her happy and satisfied.
Eagle placed Shie's hand on top of his so he could slowly walk her from the office and along the level. He strolled with us hovering behind, watching his every movement murderously.
I hated the way he touched her. It was like he was only doing it to goad us into agitating him.
"I'll take the head, you pull his arms off" Noma leant down beside me with a grin.
I held back my laughter, saddening when I saw his cheerfulness falter.
He was literally marching to his death. Even jokes couldn't distract him from that.
"Make sure you get it when he's nice and close" I tried to lighten his spirits just a little as I searched for Talio.
I saw him shuffling along beside Blight who was muttering something to him.
I pulled up to make Blight promptly give us space.
Outside of the walls we were supposed to be nothing. I couldn't just let Talio drag himself to death without knowing how badly I wanted to snatch him away from it all.
I twined my fingers in his and held his hand tightly. My tears simmered with his when he looked down at my gesture.
"Thanks" he forced a smile.
"I don't want this to happen" I whimpered "I want us to have more time together."
Talio shrugged, snorting through his tears.
"Well, you know" his lip trembled "can't have too much of a good thing."
He was so scared. I could feel his hand shaking when I tightened my grip around it.
Eagle was placing Shie at the railing so she could wish her family thier last goodbyes before thier descent down to the others.
We only had a few minutes left.
"I never did teach you to dance" Talio lifted his head to smile at Shie pulling Noma close "I was looking forward to that."
"And seeing me trip over?" I giggled through the pain while grabbing Talio's other hand to hold tightly "I never did say how much I loved you. I didn't say it often enough."
Talio's lip quivered. He nodded.
"I know how much you do" he whispered back.
"No" I whimpered when I saw Noma getting a kiss planted on his forehead "it's more than just holding hands."
Talio ran a hand over my cheek that I snatched up to keep there.
It was so warm and rough. I wanted to ingrain the feeling there forever.
"I love you, Darven" I whimpered.
Talio smiled at the name and blinked back his tears.
"And I won't exist without you, Birdie" he whispered.
I smiled as he did, feeling his thumb stroke back the pain.
Arson was already pulling out of the embrace Shie smothered him in. Talio was next, then he would be walking out of my life forever.
I had so much I wanted to still say and do. Time was slipping through my fingers as freely as my tears.
"I didn't sleep with Oxy" I blurted out to him "the Oath, it wasn't about that."
"Philly, none of that matters now."
"It does!" I insisted "it does because you didnt get to know why I did it!"
I had to clear our minds. Talio had to know. He couldn't die thinking I was still betraying him.
"Oxalis had a family. If I kept them safe and secret, he'd help our food situation. I didn't cheat on you with him. I couldn't tell you when I really wanted to."
"I'll take your secret to the grave" he chuckled back "honestly, it's not the worst thing I expected."
His fingers traces over the skin the had healed in the knife wound of my palm.
"You could have pinky promised or something less dramatic" he snorted.
"That's what I said!" I gasped back.
"Talio" Shie called and waved for him to join her.
We had taken too much of her time. The others were getting nervous now that the weight of what they were about to step down into was laid out before them.
"I wish I had more time" I muttered when we made our way over.
"Who knows?" Talio grinned "maybe I'll come back as a demon? Then you'll never be able to get rid of me."
More jokes. He was terrified.
"That sounds good" I smiled back to fight the tears.
Maybe it was possible? He hadn't died yet.
"Talio" Shie sniffled and pulled him into a tight hug while I shuffled off to the side to let them have thier moment "you were so brave."
I didn't want to hear this. He was already being spoken to like everything he had achieved was already behind him.
I found Ransom and made my way to him instead. He glanced to me and dropped his eyes down. His hands wrung together in guilt.
I didn't remember seeing him at all when we were under attack.
"I came back as quick as I could" he mumbled to me "obviously, I wasn't quick enough."
Was he sent on a Mission? Or did he have poor timing when he took one?
"Figured I'd get a start on yours" he shrugged "I... should have waited."
Right. My mess-up with the Wall. He still had to deal with my original.
It had me feeling as guilty as Ransom looked.
"I should have been here" he whispered when we both saw Shie kiss Talio who was wiping his eyes.
"It all happened so suddenly" I muttered back "there was no way anyone could have known. We weren't even there when it happened. We were up in the office."
"Fuck" Ransom breathed "this is all fucked."
I agreed, watching the three men line up before Shie to wish her well.
"Come on" I tapped Ransom's side "we should be there."
He grumbled something, nodding.
None of us wanted to witness this, but none of us could just leave three of our own to die without us. Abandoning them when they were most afraid would be beyond cruelty.
"I don't want to watch" Ransom whimpered, turning from the lines below that Talow and Second patrolled "I can't."
"You don't have to" i placed a hand on his shoulder "you just have to be here."
"I don't even want to do that" he admitted.
Talio left Noma and Arson to rush back to me. He stood there, looking at Ransom trying not to cry as he turned his back on the others, and me who couldn't keep my lip from trembling when I saw Talio standing here.
"Keep him safe, ok?" Talio told Ransom "and don't let anything happen to him. He's an idiot, but he's our idiot."
I choked out a snort and saw Ransom's quivering lips curl up at the edges ever so slightly.
"I'll try to keep him from snatching up my Missions again" he smiled.
Talio returned it, wiping his eyes again.
"If something happens, I'm haunting you" Talio pointed as his voice cracked "I trust you. You have to take care of Phillius. He means a lot to me."
"Talio" Arson called from the stairs Eagle waited at "it's time." i
Talio breathed deeply, glancing back at the others.
"Philly's hands are delicate, and sometimes he needs cream on his burns" he blurted to Ransom "you have to be gentle, he's been through a lot. He hates nicknames, and likes to have his back rubbed to help him sleep."
Talio inched towards the stairs while still keeping his eyes on us.
"You have to speak clearly or to his face; don't talk behind him. Keep him away from Solanine, and make sure he eats properly."
He glanced to Eagle, then to us again.
There was so much more he wanted to say but couldn't. He forced a smile, choked down the pain, and followed Eagle down the stairs.
All of us lined the railing to watch the gathering below.
The levels on both sides were packed with onlookers. Even the floor surrounding the clearing made for the neat lines was choked with Souls.
Talow checked the handgun he held. Second stuffed in some earplugs, snapping back at Talow who jeered at them.
Solanine met Eagle at the bottom floor, leading Talio, Arson, and Noma into position in line with the others.
There were four Souls before them, but out of our family, Noma was fated to go first, then Talio, then Arson.
Ransom turned from them, letting out a cry and holding his head in his hands as he squatted down and hunched up.
I didn't comfort him. I wanted to be there for Talio who flashed me a small smile.
"Today, we witnessed a plague in our own walls" Eagle began, pacing the lines of Souls "a Cystic Toxiorb infected one of our own and took it's chance to try and destroy us all. We won this time, but at a cost."
He swept an arm to the lines, causing some Souls to bow thier heads and sob.
"Emotions do make us weak" he warned with a wave of a finger "but, emotions are something we can't hold back when we have to sacrifice our own to protect ourselves. Sometimes, weakness is all we have left after something so brutal."
Eagle turned, marching the other way while Talow planted himself before the first Soul and Second stood off to the thier side behind them.
"Years ago, I witnessed a parasite make it's home amongst us. In that time, kindness was also given to the creature. We were lucky that time, but we have to remind ourselves that once a disease has taken over, the person we once knew is also gone. You must make these choices to save not only yourself."
Eagke nodded to Talow who pressed the handgun to the forehead of the first Soul and pulled the trigger.
The piercing blow of the bullet firing from the chamber sent silence throughout everyone. Second's face was sprayed with blood and chunky brain matter as he caught the body and lowered it gently to the ground.
His boot crushed the Toxiorb unlatching from the back of the neck, breaking the bone.
None of the others in line reacted. They were all motionless and void of fear. Every pair of watering eyes stared ahead as they waited thier turn.
Talow snapped in another bullet and clocked the gun.
"We will find the host responsible and destroy it" Eagle spoke as Talow released another bullet "we will make sure this doesn't happen again."
The gun snapped. The parasite was crushed. The Second flinched.
Ransom had his hands over his ears and his eyes closed.
Sparrow was gripping the railing so tightly that his hands had turned white. His wide eyes couldn't move from what was happening.
"We will remember that there is life after death" Eagle continued on his slow weave down the lines "but this does not guarantee that these Souls will return to us. Darkness is not kind."
Another shot. The Second dropped this body when the brains sprayed in his eyes.
Talow crushed the parasite and swapped places so that Second could swipe the mess onto his shirt.
"Who knows how far the disease has spread? Who knows if every Soul has come forth to protect thier others. All it takes is one and we will be back where we started."
The Soul before Noma was killed. They were lowered onto the floor steadily growing darker with blood.
Noma stared ahead with his tearful eyes. He didn't even flinch when the metal was pressed to his forehead and Talow readied himself to catch his body.
Shie gasped, burying her head into Blight who rubbed her back before covering her ears.
Carrion hurried over to me, making me look to him instead.
"Don't watch" he pulled me against him "you don't need to see that."
He tapped Ransom who was instantly smothering his wails into Carrion shielding us with his massive arms.
The shot tore through the air and made my body jolt against Carrion's that tensed up.
He kept our faces pressed to him and wrapped his arms around us both. His agony slipped out of his gritted teeth above us.
I heard Sparrow's muffled wails matching Ransom's. Mine whimpered and rose when I heard the new bullet being snapped in.
Tslio was next. He needed to make sure I was there for him.
I tried to wriggle free, but Carrion kept me locked in place.
"Talio" I sobbed into him, pushing to no use "I need to see him! Let me see him!"
"Phillius" Carrion took my scratching nails and pitiful pounds that rolled off his ribs "he's fine. He won't feel anything. He's happy."
"NO!" I choked and trembled before hitting harder "let me go! He needs me! He needs to see me!"
Carrion tensed around us, squeezing my head tighter against him.
"Oh, God" he whimpered and tensed.
The shot ripped through my heart and froze everything inside me.
Just like that, Talio was gone. I heard him be placed on the ground before his neck was broken under the forceful boot.
"T-T...."
He had to come back! How was he going to come back with a broken neck? How?
"Ta-ah-ah..."
Every sob jerked through me like it was trying to kickstart a broken motor. Nothing felt the same. It was numb and dreamlike while I was still here, losing all sensation in my legs buckling beneath me.
"Phillius!" Carrion panicked and heaved me up, refusing to let my face turn towards the railing "hold it together a little longer!"
The bullet was already tearing through Arson before I had even realised it had been loaded. I could hear Eagle's muffled voice still preaching while my body was hauled up and sprinted away.
I felt like I was nothing. Carrion justled me through the door and onto the stairs where he bent over to snap his silent fingers before me.
All I could see was blood. It ringed the floor from Stone and glistened down the wall above from Sparrow.
I felt the sting of it in every breath dribbling out of me. I couldn't even see anymore. Everything felt strange all around me.
"Get her into a chair" Carrion barked "grab some pillows."
Thunder rolled last me and lifted somewhere behind. The only thing keeping me from slumping over was the two massive hands holding my head up.
"FUCK!"
There was a slam and gutteral scream that rang down my ears. A body slid onto the floor, screaming through my shaking breaths I forced in to try and feel human again.
The raw anguish of the scream snapped the fog from my brain. It rattled me into panicking and latching onto Carrion's hands still planted around my jaw.
"Hey, hey" he soothed through his own tears "it's OK. I'm here."
His arms smothered me again and let me release my own tearing wails for what would never come back.
"They're dead!" Blight's voice moaned above us. I heard him collapse at the top of the stairs and whimper "they're fucking dead."
"Resolve..."
Sparrow's voice was barely above a whisper before his pounding feet ran for the staircase. Carrion released me to latch onto Sparrow instead who he held by his middle to stop him rushing into the room.
"LET ME GO!" he kicked Carrion while trying to snatch for the stairs "RESOLVE! SAY SOMETHING!"
Sparrow struggled and tried to kick Carrion in the groin so he could be free. Carrion grunted as he held tightly onto the frantic Soul trying to reach his dead brother.
"LET. ME. GO!" he shrieked out every word that rattled down my ears "BEN! BENNETT! I'M HERE! I'M HERE! SAY SOMETHING! YOU'RE NOT DEAD!"
His voice shrieked louder and louder. Right beside me I could feel every letter bleeding through my head and dribbling out my ears in fire.
I didn't know Ransom had moved until I heard his fist crack into Sparrow' s head to knock him out. Now dangling in Carrion's arms, Sparrow's head was placed over his shoulder so it looked like Sparrow was resting against Carrion.
Ransom glared, checking on Shie who was sitting in one of the nooks.
Everyone's ears were bleeding from Sparrow's climbing distress. Even from further away, Shie was still affected by Sparrow. When I touched mine, I felt the blood trickle down the back of my jaw.
The uprise of noise stirred the muffled cries from Tor. Unlike Sparrow's they already sounded hoarse and strained, like he had been continuously mourning the whole time we were gone.
Our eyes lifted to it all at once.
We were broken fragments of what we were this morning. With just over half of us now dead, life seemed impossible to move on with.
But, we had to. There was nothing else we could do but try and pick up the pieces, one room at a time.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
