They bolted down the hallway, searching desperately for another hiding spot. The building was only four stories tall — and they were already on the third.
Going down the stairs wasn't an option.
They had to go up.
As they climbed the stairs, a bone-piercing shriek echoed behind them. One of the degenerates had caught their scent.
Kiah struggled to keep up. Her side throbbed, every breath sharp and painful. Anwyll kept glancing back at her, even pausing now and then to let her catch up.
It irritated her — he was risking himself for her — but part of her was quietly grateful. At least someone had her back in his waking nightmare.
On the top floor, they burst into a dusty storage room, and they boarded the doors with things around, but it wouldn't hold long.
Anwyll headed straight to the window, carefully sliding it open before poking his head out. After a moment, he waved them over.
"The street is clear," he said in a hushed voice. "But we can't stay here. They'll track us. And we're in no shape to take three of them at once."
Kiah asked. "What do you suggest we do?"
Anwyll pointed.
"Cross over to the other building."
Kiah frowned.
"How?"
"There is a rope. It connects this building to the next. If we cross one at a time, it should hold."
Kiah stepped over and looked out. The rope was old, sagging slightly between the two buildings, barely wide enough to grip. One wrong move and it was a long way down.
A fall from this height wouldn't kill them, but it would surely break a bone or two, which would slow them down. And slowing down meant death.
Behind them, another shriek rattled the air.
Time was of the essence.
"Who wants to go first?" Anwyll stepped to the side.
The three of them shared reluctant glances. No one wanted to try the dusty rope first.
Finally, Naya exhaled and stepped forward.
"I'll go first, then."
She climbed out of the window, gripping the rope with trembling hands. One hand over the other, she began inching forward, upside down, legs wrapped around the cord.
Kiah and Anwyll watched her anxiously.
The rope wobbled under her weight, but it held. When she finally reached the other side and climbed in safely, they both let out a breath they didn't know they were holding.
"You go next." Anwyll urged.
Kiah nodded, offering no resistance. She gripped the rope tightly. Its rough texture scraped her palms, and a sharp pain flared in her injured shoulder as she swung out.
Every motion sent tremors through her body, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on. Finally, she reached the opposite ledge and pulled herself in, her breath shallow and fast.
She turned just in time to see Anwyll climb out the window and grab hold of the rope.
That was when the door to the storage room crashed open. Three degenerates burst in, snarling.
Naya let out a startled squeak, and Kiah's heart leapt in her throat. Her eyes locked on Anwyll, who was moving as fast as he could across the rope.
One of the creatures lunged to the window and let out a shriek. It reached out and gripped the rope, shaking it violently.
Kiah's breath caught as Anwyll lost his grip for a split second, but caught himself just in time.
"Faster. Faster," she chanted under her breath. She stretched out a hand toward him. "Take it!"
Just as one of the degenerates swiped its claws across the rope with a screech, it snapped.
Anwyll lunged forward and caught her hand at the last possible second.
"Good. You're not dying today, Brownie." She said, gritting her teeth as she pulled him up with all her strength.
"Thanks," he panted once he rolled into the room beside them.
"No problem."
On the opposite side, the degenerates snarled from the broken window, their red eyes locked on the trio. Saliva dripped from their jagged teeth.
The degenerates were staring at the from the window, salivating.
"Let's go," Anwyll said quickly, rising to his feet. "We need a better room. If we hold out a little longer, we'll survive the night."
They slipped out of the room and crept down the hallway. Anwyll checked every corner before they passed.
This building was another apartment complex, but much better maintained than the last. The floors were intact, and some of the lights even flickered weakly overhead.
It looked like it was probably an upscale condominium before the degenerates ran it down.
Such a pretty place, now crawling with monsters.
"Didn't buildings like this have panic rooms?"
Naya suddenly asked.
Anwyll stopped. "You're right. They should. It would be the perfect place to hide." he said, then darted into a nearby room and started searching for something.
"Panic rooms?" Kiah asked.
"You see, Rustpoint used to be an expensive neighborhood before the degenerates ran it down," Anwyll began. "It was mostly inhabited by elites and children of the noble houses before the construction of the Wall."
"Noble house? I thought they were all stripped of their titles after the Fall." Kiah said.
"They lost most of their political power to the Overseer, sure. But wealth and prestige, those aren't so easy to take away. Even after the Fall, the driving noble families still held influence. Of course, since the public blamed them for society's collapse, they became targets. That's why apartments like this often have panic rooms built in. For protection in case of home invasion."
Anwyll paused, his expression darkening.
"My mother told me the riots against nobles were one of the reasons the Wall exists. They pushed the Overseer to build Veloria City because they didn't feel safe anymore. And once it was finished, they locked the rest of us out."
"Some nobles didn't make the cut, though," he continued. "Once the Wall was sealed, traffickers hunted them down one by one. The ones who survived had to hide their identities and live like commoners, afraid of being discovered."
His explanation fit too well. It explained why the original host had grown up in seclusion. She must have been one of the last survivors of her bloodline. It also explained why the traffickers had been specifically targeting her. They must've found her hiding place.
But it wasn't fair. Kiah hadn't even been born when this crisis started, yet here she was, paying the price.
"Found it." Anwyll announced, revealing a hidden panel behind a bookshelf. "But it needs a code."
"It could be anything. How are we going to figure that out?" Naya groaned.
"We don't," Kiah said calmly.
She knelt by the panel. A code lock could be bypassed or short-circuited easily. And she was very knowledgeable about such things. After all, she was a straight-A student with a remarkable record.
Using the edge of her labrys, she pried the casing loose and began rewiring the exposed circuits, manually bypassing the lock to simulate the correct code.
A few minutes later, a click was heard, and the wall slid open with a hiss.
A room was revealed beyond.
They stepped inside.
It was still in very good condition.
A single bed sat in the corner. The lights worked, casting a faint glow over the space. A sleek, high-tech mini fridge stood beside the bed, though it didn't seem functional anymore. There was even a couch.
The door closed behind them with a soft click. They were safe. For now.
"Wow. Impressive," Anwyll said, brows raised. "Where did you learn how to do that?"
Kiah scratched the back of her neck. Her original host couldn't know how to bypass a panic room lock. And wasn't she supposed to be playing amnesiac right now?
She sighed inwardly. This place had shaken her so much that she jumped at the first chance to prove herself, just to feel capable again.
"I learned it from a mechanic at the base," she said quickly.
"You've been to the base?" Naya's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Yeah. The rebel who helped me out brought me there. Three days later, they sent me here."
"Oh, you're lucky! The rest of us only get to go to the base after the test. I can't wait. I heard it's very pretty."
"Sure," Kiah murmured.
Naya skipped over to the bed and collapsed on it with a satisfied sigh. "I can finally get some sleep."
Kiah moved to the fridge and opened it. The stench of rotten food hit her like a brick wall.
She snapped it shut immediately.
Instead, she settled in a corner and began re-wrapping the blood-soaked bandages around her shoulder. The wound ached, but the fresh wrap helped.
By the time she was done, Naya was already snoring softly.
Across the room, Anwyll shook his head. "Isn't she a ray of sunshine?"
Kiah nodded.
Naya reminded her of that girl in school who was always smiling, seemingly carefree, the kind of girl everyone liked. But Kiah had learned not to trust such facades. People who smiled the brightest often carried the heaviest burdens.
"You can go to sleep," Anwyll offered. "I'll keep watch."
Kiah glanced at her watch. 07:01:19
"What happens if we oversleep and the capsule leaves?" She asked.
"I don't want to find out," he replies. "That's why I'll stay up and make sure that doesn't happen."
She sighed.
"If you get tired, wake me up. We'll take turns."
She climbed into the bed next to Naya.
Before she fell asleep, she raised her head and narrowed her eyes at Anwyll.
"Don't try anything when we are asleep. I'm a light sleeper, and I'm not afraid to use my labrys on you."
Anwyll chuckled.
"I won't."
And oddly enough, she believed him.
But still, she threw him one last skeptical glance before finally letting her exhaustion take over.