Henrick wakes up with a start. Hands sweating, throat dry, and eyes wide open as he recalls the dead faces of the survivors. He looks around the room, noticing the snoring Selene and Leo curled up next to him. The elf-like woman stirs at the soldier's violent rise, her green eyes locking onto his blue ones.
"You snore." Henrick says crisply as he sits up, hands clenching while his body still aches from prior events. "Asshole." Selene returns, chuckling at the soldier's shocked face. Henrick simply shakes his head and laughs along with her.
Father David enters the room, widening his eyes at the scene and smiling to himself. He sets down three bottles of water and sits on a chair. "Veronica the water woman, her words not mine, said that Kevin has been stabilising."
Selene and Henrick breathe out a sigh of relief at those words, thankful that they didn't lose another ally. The trio sit in comfortable silence as they sip on their bottles of water, preparing themselves for future challenges yet to come.
"You know I never asked, but what was life like for you before this all happened, Selene?" asks David, settling onto his makeshift bed and turning towards her. "Hard, but happy. My brother and I were thick as thieves. That's all gone now, though." she replies, wiping off a stray tear
Henrick feels a pang of guilt as he remembers what he did to her. "I'm sorry for your loss." Selene says nothing and looks to the soldier, clearly asking for his life story. "Marines. Went to some bad places. Killed a lot of bad people. Some good ones too." he says, drinking deeply from his bottle and refusing to elaborate.
The priest coughs into his hands and claps them together to relieve some of the awkwardness from Henrick's answer. "Ehem, well, I used to be a delinquent in my younger years." Selene scoffs at the revelation and looks at him disbelievingly.
"You're pulling my leg, aren't you?" she says, sitting up and staring at David with a challenging gaze. "Honest. I swear. Used to get in and out of juvie for most of my teenage life. Thought jail was gonna be my path, until a kind old woman bonked me on the head and gave me a reality check."
Father David's face takes on an almost wistful look as he reminisces. "That woman ended up adopting me and taught me the power of God, and how he can heal even the most broken of souls." Selene's face hardens at the mention of God. She motions to speak but is stopped by a glare from Henrick.
Noticing the silent reprimand, David raises a hand in a placating gesture as he addresses them both. "I understand that my words offer no comfort, but I truly believe that God is watching over us." Henrick nods at David and the conversation abruptly ends.
The awkward silence is punctuated by distant howls of unseen creatures outside the building. Their anguished screams forever a reminder of what the world has lost and become, despite the priest's beliefs.
Father David looks down at his hands in shame once more, lips trembling at the lives lost. "It's not your fault, you know." David perks up at Henrick's words but grimaces as he clenches his jaw in denial.
"It is. It's my fault that all those people died. If I didn't hesitate. If I just...killed...her. Then none of this would have happened!" Henrick merely chuckles at David's words, a sense of sympathy creeping into his laugh.
The priest clenches his fist and snaps his head towards Henrick in a fit of rage. "Is this funny to you?!" The soldier shakes his head, a sad look on his face. "You were faced with an impossible decision for a man of faith. And you made it. This won't be the last time, Father."
Father David clasps his hands in prayer as they tremble, seeing only blood and hearing only the snap of Amanda's neck. He prays for forgiveness, but is brought out of his frenzy when Henrick places a hand on his shoulder.
Henrick says nothing, but the action alone makes David cry as he remembers all the people that died. "It's not your fault." The words ring hollow in David's ears, but he nods as he takes a deep breath and gathers himself.
Henrick suddenly stands up, face set in a worried expression as he walks to the door. "I'll check on Kevin, see how he's holding up." he says, prompting David to stand and follow along.
"Henrick!! Help!!" Veronica suddenly shouts from the opposite office room, her voice laced with desperation. The soldier accelerates abruptly, entering the room, only to pale at what he's seeing.
Kevin stares lifelessly into the ceiling as Veronica tries to rescucitate him with CPR. Henrick stares blankly as he slowly makes his way to the water user. "Kevin! Don't give up!!" she shouts, even as the soldier's hand clasps onto her shoulder.
He looks at the earthen spike protruding from the boy's neck and chest, electricity arcing off his body as his voice takes on a menacing quality. "Where is that son of a bitch?" he asks, itching to kill someone.
Veronica stops the chest compressions as tears pour out of her eyes. She glances at the rage in Henrick's eyes and points to the window. "I threw that...that thing... out of the window." Henrick nods in appreciation and looks down from the shattered window.
Selene, Leo, and Father David enter the office, eyes wide in disbelief at Kevin's corpse. A choked gasp escapes from David's mouth as Selene scowls at the earthen spear piercing through his heart. Leo whimpers and licks Kevin's hand, laying down next to the poor boy in mourning.
"Dominic's not dead. I don't see a body down there." the soldier says, as he scans the streets below for any sign of the malignant tumor of a man. Veronica openly sobs as blood pools around Kevin's body.
Alex enters the office space and notices the tense silence, but quickly addresses Henrick. "The elevator went up. It went to the 102nd floor and is coming down now." The soldier rises from the floor, body tensed in anticipation for a battle.
Only when Henrick exits, does Alex see the corpse. A hand flies to his mouth as he sees the brutal method that Kevin was killed with. "Dominic!!" he roars as flames fly out of his hands.
Father David, Leo, and Selene follow behind Henrick as he makes his way to the elevator. Silence dominates the scene as the group tenses, ready for whatever comes through the door. As soon as the door opens, Henrick leaps forward with a snarl and grips an old man's neck with bruising force.
"Wait!!! Wait!!! I'm just the messenger!!" the old man screams as he raises his hands in a panic. Henrick stops his fist inches away from the elder's face, muscles bulging in an effort to halt his momentum.
The old man gulps down heavily, his eyes wide in shock at the electricity flowing on Henrick's body. He tries to speak, but his mouth has become too dry to speak coherently.
"I...um...Eric..." the old man stammers, clearly shaken by Henrick's sudden assault. "Talk!" Henrick shouts, pressing his hand deeper into the elder's throat. "Eric wants to talk to you!!! Dominic came to us and told Eric about you! Don't kill me!!"
Father David bristles at the mention of Dominic, concussive waves building in his hands as he steps closer. "Is Dominic still there?" the priest asks in agitation, the sight of Kevin's lifeless body seared into his mind and making him tremble.
The old man shakes his head, his words hurried and sharp. "No! He left right after! I swear!" Henrick feels that the elder isn't lying and drops him roughly onto the ground.
"Shit." Henrick swears as Alex exits the office room and arrives next to to him. "Heard everything. What's the play?" the fire user asks, clearly deferring to Henrick's judgement.
"Let's pay Eric a visit. I'm curious what a child killer looks like." Henrick spits out, venom dripping from his voice. The old man blanches at that but chooses to say nothing in favour of struggling some more, indicating that he's running out of air.
The soldier scoffs and drops the old man bodily on the floor of the elevator. "Let's go." Alex shakes his head and steps back from the elevator with a shameful expression. "I'll stay here with Veronica. I'm scared that someone will come to this floor and use her as a hostage." he says, fear clearly on his face at the thought of fighting Eric.
Henrick simply frowns and nods, while Father David, Leo, Selene, and the old man enter the elevator. "Tell me what Eric's weak points are." the soldier demands as the old man cowers in a corner.
"I don't know. He's become something else." the elder replies truthfully as they approach the 102nd floor. Henrick merely raises a brow at that and prepares himself, muscles coiled and electricity licking hungrily off his skin.
"Now that I think about it. Why would Eric choose the 102nd floor? Wouldn't it be a hassle to gather resources for all his people?" Father David asks, scratching his head to drive home his confusion. Selene scoffs at the question. "No doubt to fuel his ego."
"DING. You have reached the 102nd floor. Please enjoy your viewing experience."
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END