Chapter 10: Survival
Father David rushes towards a man covered in insects, his skin gradually being torn off and his blood aggressively drained. The priest’s brow furrows in anguish as the survivor collapses, dead before he even hits the ground. Henrick, meanwhile, gets a closer look at the insects before killing them. They seem to be a mix of common insects, simply larger, bloodthirsty, and heavily mutated.
The crinkle of the chip bag sends waves of sadness through Henrick’s heart, the thought of the little rascal’s death weighing heavily on his mind. Roaring in ager, Henrick unleashes bolts of electricity that indiscriminately attacks the insects and the survivors that are covered in them.
Electricity arcs off the recovering swarm, slaughtering dozens at a time, as Henrick unleashes bolt after bolt of electricity in his sorrow. The soldier spots Selene standing amidst the carnage, watching Bobby being drained and eaten, and decides to towards her direction.
"Selene, we have to go!" shouts Father David as they approach, his body slightly quivering from the exertion or perhaps from fear. Selene continues staring at Bobby’s rapidly withering carcass, completely oblivious to the duo’s presence.
The priest grabs her arm and gives it a firm shake, bringing her back from her daze. "What’s the point? My brother is dead. He was killed a long time ago. I have nothing to keep me going." she says, tears spilling as she collapses to her knees. Henrick frowns as he rushes forward and puts her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, stunning the elf-like woman.
A cacophony of animalistic screeches suddenly cut through the buzzing of the swarm, as a group of mutated monsters burst down from the manhole entrances. Abominations mutated to varying levels and types work in tandem with the insects to orchestrate a gruesome play.
The soldier starts sprinting towards a random sewer channel, the priest chasing after him with all his might. Father David winces as the tormented screams of dying survivors echo throughout the camp behind them. The group continue running through the sewer interceptor channels, only now realising that a lot of the pathways have been cut off and buried in rubble.
Selene remains motionless on Henrick’s shoulder as the soldier is forced to take another path. "The world above is screwed, and so is the underground. Where do we go from here?" he mutters as they finally make it to a manhole.
Henrick stares at the manhole above, and with a grunt of exertion, leaps straight up to the top of the ladder. He removes the manhole cover and swiftly climbs out, offering a hand and pulling David up faster. The priest places the cover back and puts his hands to his knees. "What now? Where do we go?" he asks, desperation evident in his voice.
Looking around, they realise that only broken buildings and abandoned cars surround them, safety is nowhere to be found.