Chapter 24: Darkness

To say the team was tense after seeing Jamie again would be a drastic understatement. Spencer felt unbelievably lucky that there were plenty of punching bags around for his engies to expend their energy on. Hellhounds fell, torn limb from limb as Spencer’s team carved a path away from the strip mall. 

Thirty minutes after their departure Spencer caught the sound of a helicopter buzzing in from the east. They were a fair distance away from the pizza place. Far enough away that Spencer never saw the military helicopter as it entered the area, hovered somewhere for a while, and then departed using the same path. 

Out of the trio of game characters Naomi seemed to be the least upset about the whole ordeal. Since her weapons of choice made a lot more noise than the two melee team members Spencer found himself walking close to her as they worked down side streets behind another commercial district listening to the departing helicopter blades in the distance.

“I’m sorry about earlier.” Spencer told Naomi as they paused by a dumpster to watch Sarah and Beatrice beat a hellhound to death with their bare hands.

They both still had their normal weapons, but chose to toss them aside for this lone hellhound. It seemed like a cathartic method of disposal so Spencer chose to not say anything as they walloped the dying monster.

Naomi raised an eyebrow at him. “What?”

“When we saved my friend. I wasn’t really thinking clearly at the time. I started shouting orders at you.” Spencer clarified. “You took time and effort to lay down ground rules for how you wanted our relationship to work and I stepped on it almost immediately. I’m sorry. I’ll be more mindful in the future.”

Naomi’s eyes widened considerably and her pale cheeks darkened. She adjusted her business suit while avoiding looking at Spencer directly.

“Well… I didn’t actually… mind that part.” Naomi admitted quietly.

“Don’t get me wrong!” Her voice picked up an octave and she waved her hands frantically between them. “It’s not like I want you to give more orders every time something comes up or anything, it’s just…”

Her gray eyes soften slightly. “You’re not as selfish as you should be.”

Spencer cocked his head to the side and frowned. “Selfish how? You’re not saying I should have left my friend to die right?”

Even as the words left his mouth Naomi lurched forward.

“No! That’s not-” She stopped herself and cleared her throat while attempting to regain some poise. “Every commander I’ve served under has always put his or her personal safety above everything else. They don’t fight their battles themselves and they certainly don’t order engies up ladders to safety while they remain fighting on the ground.”

Her face hardened to a glare while her hands clenched into fists by her waist. Spencer blinked.

“Wait, that’s why you were mad at me?”

“That’s why I’m still mad at you!” Naomi stomped closer to Spencer and grit her teeth down at him. “Becaused you promised you would be different. You promised those two idiots that you would take care of them.”

She gestured wildly at Sarah and Beatrice.

“Wouldn’t prioritizing myself just make me like all of your previous commanders?” Spencer shot back. “If I went up that ladder first I’d be going against my promise that I’ll never ask any of you to do anything I’m not willing to do myself.”

The contradiction Spencer pointed out hit her hard.

“T-that’s not…” Naomi’s eyes fell to the pavement. “It’s good that you are doing your best to keep your word in that regard, but…”

There wasn’t much space between them in the alleyway. In the distance, Sarah and Beatrice finished brutalizing the single hellhound and turned quizzically towards Spencer. He made a small gesture with his hand for them to wait to which they complied. Beatrice hovered nearby, but not close enough to eavesdrop while Sarah moved ahead to check the next intersection. Spencer wiped sweat from the late afternoon heat and waited patiently for Naomi to continue her thought.

“I saw how panicked you were… when your friend was in danger.” Naomi spoke softly and shuffled in place. “You threw yourself forward without a thought besides protecting him and his family. The desperation in your voice when you asked for my help…”

Her arms came up to hug around her own torso in a surprising vulnerable gesture.

“I’ve never been around someone willing to do that for someone else.” Naomi let out a lengthy sigh. “In that moment, I wanted to be the person you…”

The tall business suit wearing engie’s embarrassment finally hit a boiling point. She stomped her foot dramatically and threw her hands down.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Naomi hissed at him. “Look, the point was that you’re not bad enough to get yourself killed so just don’t put yourself in danger when you don’t have to.”

Spencer couldn’t help but grin at her reaction. There was an endearing quality to her denial that made a part of him want to tease her more.

Perhaps another time. Spencer held himself back and decided to try to keep this progress between him and Naomi going.

“I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

“Tsk.” Naomi turned away to face the opposite direction down the alley. “Yeah, well… you’re an idiot for taking so long to agree with me. I’ll watch our backs for a bit.”

“Hey, Naomi?” Spencer reached out to stop her from retreating. “Whenever you’re ready… maybe we can take some time to talk about why you’re so hesitant to trust me.”

She visibly stiffened and didn’t turn around.

“I’m sure you have a good reason, and I doubt it's very pleasant, but…” Spencer touched her arm gently. “If you ever do want to share, I'm here for it.”

The tension in her shoulders eased ever so slightly. Maybe it was the fact that he wasn’t pressing her for more right here and now, or maybe it was how gentle he put forward the offer, but either way Naomi clearly appreciated the gesture.

“You’re still getting ahead of yourself, darling.” Naomi cleared her throat and moved away from him. “I make no promises, but… maybe someday.”

******

The streets of Lancaster had undergone yet another transformation. Only a few days ago it had been a mundane place of everyday human activity. Then it exploded into a violent theater of blood where slaughter came to every street and inside every home. Three days after the apocalypse it settled into a silent ghost town. Now that their bountiful prey was almost non-existent, the monsters settled into far more territorial patterns that Spencer and his team made note of during their slow creep through back alleys, empty train tracks, and bloodied side streets. 

Hellhounds began patrolling unseen boundaries between packs. Their routes formed rough circles around nesting grounds in yards, parks, and open areas. The tall powerful faceless ones, on the other hand, disappeared inside of structures and only emerged once the daylight faded over the horizon. Abominations remained erratic. Their molded limbs carried them seemingly at random. The lumbering atrocities remained largely a mystery to Spencer, one he wasn’t looking forward to learning more about.

The final pillar of light led the group to the roof of a grocery store. A fortunate placement given what they now know about the monsters’ behaviors. The unfortunate news was getting up to the roof wouldn’t be as easy this time around. The exterior ladder had collapsed due to something massive breaking through the side wall. An abomination spawning judging from the blood trails and patches of that same egg-like membrane sticking to the broken bricks.

“Let’s hope there’s a staircase or another ladder inside.” Spencer whispered to his team. 

Sarah eyed the store’s dark interior apprehensively while Beatrice and Naomi watched their surroundings.

They crouched near a torn up tractor trailer right beside the gaping hole. Spencer removed his canteen and took a sip. It was getting low. Even though the sun had gone down it was still fairly warm out in the twilight hour. Hydration was important and the imminent threat of local water being turned off made him nervous.

“Three goals.” Spencer held up three fingers and spoke just loud enough for everyone to hear. “First, find a way onto the roof.”

“I could probably get up there myself, commander.” Sarah offered, eyeing the fifteen foot outer wall. “Then the others could toss you as high as they’re able and I’ll pull you the rest of the way up.”

Spencer shook his head. “I don’t want to split up. Besides, goals two and three are finding more food to add to our bag as well as bottled water. Canned goods, ready meals, anything that will last us a while.”

‘Your bag will get quite heavy.’ Beatrice signed out slowly.

“If you insist on being a traveling unit, darling, then it would do for us all to have bags to help carry more.” Naomi looked Spencer’s dusty backpack up and down. Her face said she despised the idea of wearing a backpack, though her words indicated a subtle determination to not let Spencer carry all of their supplies on his own.

Spencer grimaced. “Yeah, we should have grabbed a few at the mall. I thought we were smart, but I suppose it would have paid to think things through even further than I did.”

He rubbed the back of his head and glanced around. The grocery store sat on the corner of a quiet intersection next to a hair saloon and shoe outlet chain. Across the street was a burger place, some type of bar and smoke lounge, and a half constructed credit union.

“Right, well, there’s a chance this grocer has a school supplies section. Probably in the front corner. Keep your eyes peeled while we walk. Grab any sort of pack you can find.” Spencer checked his rifle and let out a long steadying breath. “Okay. We’ll keep the formation we’ve been using most of today. Sarah in front. Beatrice just ahead of me. Naomi you can be wherever you’d like to be. I’ll just make the same request that I made when we first left the pizza place. Only shoot if absolutely necessary. No need to bring any extra attention to ourselves. Fair?”

He looked expectantly at Naomi. She rolled her eyes, but nodded all the same.

“It’s rude to ask a girl to get her hands dirty, darling, but I’ll do it for you.”

Sarah narrowed her eyes slightly at their interaction.

“It should be expected for an engie to follow her commander’s orders.” Sarah noted sternly.

Naomi scoffed and turned her cold disdainful eyes towards the sword user. “I just said I would do what he asked, didn’t I?”

“Your foolish insistence on remaining outside of the chain of command will only serve to slow down and potentially harm the commander.” Sarah fired back.

Spencer stepped pointedly between them. “Save it, both of you.” 

Beatrice stepped up next to him and nodded sagely while mimicking Spencer’s pose of both arms crossed over her chest. The tension subsided momentarily, but it was clear that neither side would budge on their opinion. Spencer unslung his Winchester rifle and nodded to the hole.

“Sarah, take point.”

The sword wielder straightened immediately and turned to the makeshift entryway without hesitation. Naomi clicked her tongue loudly, but fell in behind Beatrice and Spencer. The group moved at a slow and methodical pace trusting Sarah to thoroughly scan the dark interior for threats every step forward they made.

“How are you handling things these past couple of days?” Spencer quietly asked Beatrice. “We haven’t really talked since that garage.”

Beatrice’s smile broadened. Spencer’s footing slipped on a loose brick and the mute girl caught him instantly with her floating shield.

‘I’m fine.’ Beatrice signed out slowly.

The situation wasn’t one where Beatrice could risk using the white board and marker. She kept her signing simple and exaggerated for Spencer’s benefit.

‘Dangerous. Heart pounding. The most fun I’ve had ever. All thanks to you.’

Spencer’s cheeks warmed at the praise. He reached over and pet Beatrice’s hair fondly. The girl preened under the simple gesture of gratitude. The short conversation dried up as the party entered the grocery store. The air was stale and nauseating. Like most of the city, the scent of death hung heavy in this place. Spencer made a point to breathe through his mouth to save himself from at least part of the stench. 

Directly to the right of the hole in the wall lay what remains of the store’s deli. The lukewarm freezers sat silently empty. A large grotesque fleshy patch of the floor marked where the abomination that originally broke through this wall had been spawned. Judging from the notably empty freezers, this particular creature might have been a mixture of beef, pork, and chicken remains rather than people. Sarah paused, her gaze also drawn to the deli section. She made eye contact with Spencer and nodded further back, behind the flesh circle to where the large meat freezer was near the back. A large hole had been dug into the floor. Spencer frowned.

“A lair for the pups?” Naomi whispered behind him.

“We saw what their nesting grounds looked like in that park earlier. That hole is too big for hellhounds and too small for the faceless or the abominations.” Spencer shifted in place as his mind raced through possible explanations. “Sarah, sneak up and look in. If anything jumps out we all get out of the building straight away.”

His vanguard gave him a crisp salute and lowered her stance way down to the floor. The space between the group and the freezer was a mess of broken glass and dust, yet Sarah managed to navigate it with silent ease. Beatrice, as was customary for her, shifted slightly to position herself between Spencer and the ominous hole. Naomi’s shoulder cannons lifted from their deactivated state and hummed quietly in the dark.

Sarah reached the hole and peered in. Given the fact that her sword never shifted from its low ready state Spencer deduced she neither saw nor heard anything dangerous. After a tense minute of silence Sarah turned and deftly returned to the group.

“It’s a tunnel.” Sarah revealed with a whisper. “There’s no telling how far it goes. I saw bits of rotting meat stuck on the rocks.”

Spencer winced. “Human or…?”

Sarah shook her head. “Probably the contents of that freezer. Whatever dug the hole took all the meat that was left.”

“Any chance it's a champion that dug it? Someone with mole-man powers or something?” Spencer half joked.

Sarah’s lips pressed into a thin line. “... Unlikely, commander. Scarring on the tunnel walls is from sharp teeth of some kind. I doubt that this is the work of a human. Mole-man or not.”

“Right, we’ll circle around the front then.” Spencer pointed behind them and the team rotated accordingly.

The front of the grocer was far less gory than the deli. Most of the windows were intact and much of the bagged or canned goods were still on the shelves.

“Commander.” Sarah lifted herself on her tiptoes to show Spencer what she had found in the next aisle over.

A red and black car themed backpack for grade schoolers.

“Great.”

Spencer, Beatrice, and Naomi rounded the corner. The first few feet of this aisle were dedicated to school supplies. Pencil cases, writing instruments, notebooks, binders, paper, and a few small backpacks.

“These will do for now,” Naomi sniffed and reached her hand out for the red and black backpack in Sarah’s hand only for the sword user to pull her hand away.

“I believe I’ve already claimed this one.” Sarah said pointedly.

Spencer watched in amusement as Naomi turned to the shelf to find Beatrice already selecting her own backpack.

‘Pretty.’ Beatrice signed happily as she slung the purple and pink, wolf themed bag over her shoulder.

The remaining two bags on the shelf were a drab brown bag with a dinosaur on it and a white bag whose front flap was designed to look like a toilet lid. Before Naomi could pick between the two Sarah leaned past and lifted the dinosaur one off of the wrack and offer it to Naomi.

“This one matches you nicely.” Sarah said with a straight face.

A vein bulged on Naomi’s otherwise perfect forehead. “Is that a comment about my age?! I’m only twenty. Thank you very much.”

After eyeing the unappealing toilet pack Naomi snatched the dinosaur one anyway.

‘How long have you been twenty?’ Beatrice’s whiteboard is difficult to read in the dim lighting for Spencer, but none of the Engies seem to have the same problem.

“What does it matter?” Naomi hissed. “Our cells regenerate so much we practically don’t age!”

“Commander, Naomi is turning twenty this year for the tenth year in a row.” Sarah reported with a salute.

Naomi flushed scarlet. “It’s not ten! It’s not even five!”

Spencer’s lips curled upwards before he could properly school his expression to remain neutral. Naomi whipped the backpack up over her shoulder and stormed off.

“I’ll go find the bottled water.” Naomi growled angrily.

As she passed Spencer thought he saw something flicker across her expression. A moment of genuine vulnerability that he hadn’t expected to see from some light teasing. Guilt dropped like a rock into his heart as Naomi disappeared around the corner.

“Commander.” Sarah called his attention to the center of the aisle.

Both of his team members remaining in the aisle pointed towards the back of the store. Directly in line with where they stood sat a broken set of employee doors along the back wall. A pile of what looked like carts that were used to stock shelves cluttered the entryway.

“Did you see something back there?” Spencer’s voice naturally grew quieter.

Beatrice shook her head, but Sarah was the one who answered.

“You probably can’t see it from here, commander, but there is a ladder further down that hallway.”

Spencer let himself relax at the unexpected news. “Oh, good.”

His eyes drifted back to where Naomi had stormed off.

“Go clear the way as quietly as you can. I’ll get Naomi and stock up on water. When you’re done, meet us over there and we’ll fill up the other bags.”

Beatrice nodded and walked back towards the doors. Sarah hesitated.

“Are you certain, commander? I could-”

Spencer waved her away. “Naomi has a lot going on. I think I’m making good progress with her. Just trust me on this. I’ll be fine.”

******

Sarah watched the commander jog off after the troublemaker. Though she maintained her calm exterior, inside Sarah seethed with injustice.

Our duty is to fall in line. To make life easier. To protect him. Sarah’s thoughts spiraled around her even as she followed Beatrice down to the doorway and began sorting the pile of hastily dumped carts. She needs to curb whatever baggage she brought with her and face our new reality. The commander cares for us.

Sarah’s hands gripped the metal handle of one of the carts so hard it buckled slightly in her hand. Beatrice paused and shot a wary glance her way. Sarah ignored it.

We have someone who actually cares and she’s risking it all. She shoved a cart harder than she needed to and it crashed noisily against the wall.

Beatrice made a frantic series of gestures, but Sarah continued her task anyway.

The self centered bitch. Sarah’s nostrils flared. She doesn’t deserve to be here. The commander needs assets he can depend on, not cry babies who refuse to even acknowledge their proper place as his subordinate.

Sarah grabbed the next handle and squeezed as hard as she could.

I should fix this problem myself…

Surprisingly this handle didn’t buckle like the last one. In fact, it felt strong to the touch. Too strong.

Why-

Beatrice’s whiteboard smacked Sarah directly in the face. Sarah reeled back in shock.

“What was…” Sarah’s anger slipped away as she read the words hastily scribbled onto the board.

‘Danger! There’s something in the rafters!’

Beatrice pointed up above. Clawmarks covered the ceiling. The same claw marks that had filled that hole they found near the deli freezer. Something shifted in the darkness between the metal support beams. Sarah’s carelessness had caused too much noise and awoken something curled up in a dark corner. Only this wasn’t near them. It was in the section directly above where the commander and Naomi had vanished.

Sarah’s hand dropped to her waist but her sword wasn’t there. 

It was already in her hand. 

Somewhere during her dark thoughts, her hands had not grabbed the next cart but the pommel of her blade. The fact that she didn’t even realize it shook Sarah.

Get it together. She chided herself.

“We should…” Sarah wanted to urge Beatrice that they should go after the creature, but the shorter girl was already moving.

Sarah’s heart stopped short when she saw why. The dark shadow of the creature had positioned itself silently above something. Wide dripping jaws opened wide and it shot down like an arrow from a bow.

It had found meat.

It had found the commander.