Chương 17: 9B. The Smiling Man

Sam did as told, gripping the handcannon tightly in both hands. His eyes shot between the anomaly and the Inhuman. The man shot a finger gun at the boss, and the digit flew free, growing into a bloody bone javelin before flying away at blinding speed. The projectile resembled the spines growing out of the horde's back. A mass of grotesque muscles and fungi also grew around him, catching the boss's beam. It regrew just as fast as she destroyed it. The attack's silence, smoothness, and speed terrified Sam.

He was sure the Inhuman had a lot more in his arsenal. His heart dropped when the man reached into his suit jacket with his free hand and pulled out another finger gun. The Inhuman looked between it and Sam with a look of mock surprise. He wasn't taking it seriously. The suited man was having fun.

"Where did this come from?" The man seemed to mouth as he aimed and fired. Sam dove forward, just about avoiding a direct hit. A scream burst from his lips as it grazed his right outer thigh, ripping his jeans and opening a shallow gouge in the flesh underneath. A second javelin came as he rose, inflicting an even shallower wound to his right deltoid.

Sam didn't know if the Inhuman was trying to slow or cripple him, or blocking the boss's beams while also simultaneously firing at her demanded too much concentration. A third javelin flew at Sam, but the familiar crimson blur appeared, knocking it aside.

"Keep moving!" She screamed.

"I'll cover you." Dropping the handcannon might've helped Sam move faster, but there were far too many creatures between him and the anomaly. The boss's beams were weakening. They moved more slowly and had also lost density, appearing less concentrated and failing to cut all the way through the creatures they struck. Sam had to pause every dozen or so steps before firing the hand cannon, ripping through one or two monsters before advancing.

IEF gave him the strength to keep going, and he relied on Feather Step to avoid projectiles and lunges. Each shot left him feeling weaker. The metallic taste in his mouth intensified. It felt as if Sam's heart was going to explode out of his chest and take his lungs as it exited. But he was committed now. There was no going back. It wasn't just power and a purposeful life that lay ahead, but also survival. Stopping now would mean certain death.

In fact, Sam couldn't imagine life if he were to survive only for things to return to how they were before. The Call of the Abyss had also intensified. He couldn't feel most of the stimuli with everything going on. However, the distant whispers beckoning to him had grown louder. Their intensity increased when he made eye contact with the anomaly and continued to scale with every step he took toward it. Whatever lay within was calling to him; Sam was sure of it.

The decay was swifter and more intense on the ground floor. Sam worried it would affect him, too, and was relieved when he and his boots were unaffected as he ascended the steps. He froze when Iris's scream reached his ears. She flew into the building Sam was about to enter, crashing violently into the decaying wall. It crumbled, and she fell through. Sam spared the suited man a glance. His calm expression was no more. A pike of calcified blood kept him attached to the roof.

Iris had successfully impaled his right thigh and also shredded his suit. The Inhuman no longer fired finger guns. He shot much larger projectiles straight out of his palm, targeting the wall Iris had fallen through. A roar burst from his lips, shaking the world as his eyes fell upon Sam. He redirected his aim. Sam just about dodged the barrage, throwing himself through the decaying and regrowing building's entrance. Love what you're reading?

Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. A pair of the spiny mutated humans broke through before the entrance closed. Sam took one out with the hand cannon. Much to his horror, the weapon didn't fire when he retargeted and pulled the trigger a second time. A clawed hand swung down at his face, and he could do nothing but throw up the hand cannon in defense. The claws screeched on metal but failed to break through the geometric plates around the barrel.

Unfortunately, the blow ripped the weapon from his hands, and he had no choice but to catch the follow-up attack on the pan lid. It warped under the force of the attack, claws penetrating the point of contact. The space within the anomaly was far more energy-dense than the exterior. When Sam pushed IEF's limits, far more entered his system, granting him a sudden burst of strength and energy. However, he also felt a strain on his heart similar to when he used Feather Step for too long.

Sam launched a Pulsing Palm, relying on instinct and adrenaline to control the energy sphere and its recoil. The attack was far from perfect. He felt half of the energy dissipate uselessly, but the rest rippled through the mutant's body as the palm struck its chest. It staggered backward, giving Sam valuable space. He dove for the hand cannon, rolled onto his back, and fired, taking a massive chunk out of his opponent's abdomen. It decayed and vanished within seconds of collapsing.

The whispers grew louder but remained unintelligible. An invisible force beckoned Sam deeper into the structure, which he now recognized. It was a food court attached to the Wembley Central station. Sam and his father visited it to satisfy fast-food cravings or when their preferred eateries were packed during the Saturday lunch rush. The regeneration gave him a glimpse of the world before the cataclysm.

He couldn't help but smile when he spotted one of the tables he and his father often occupied for the pleasure of people-watching. Whatever was calling to Sam waited below, likely on one of the platforms or the tracks in between them. The decay-and-regeneration effect intensified around the escalators leading down. One stream of whispers intensified when he looked directly at it, muting all the others. Before advancing, Sam checked his rear. The horde stopped pursuing and fell silent.

The Inhuman had also stopped attacking. His unintelligible screams and roars continued. The language sounded familiar, likely Spanish or Italian. Sam couldn't be sure. It was as the boss had said. The Inhuman couldn't enter the anomaly. He was safe for the time being. The entire party had sacrificed themselves to get him safely to the anomaly. Fred had certainly perished. The Inhuman had sent a javelin through his head.

Sam doubted that the boss survived for long after her defenses fell and the light beams ceased firing. The bone javelin through the stomach looked lethal and would've made short work of most mortals. It wouldn't surprise him if the Inhuman took out his anger on her, making the woman suffer as he killed her. They were a cruel bunch.

"Iris," Sam whispered. Instead of descending, he ran up the stairs to the floor above. Much to his relief, the underfoot surfaces didn't decay all the way before regenerating; there was no danger of falling through. Sam found Iris lying on the floor just above the building's entrance. The wall she had fallen through had repaired itself before continuing the anomaly's seemingly endless cycle. No rubble remained on the ground around her. Not even dust remained on her clothes.

Sam found it interesting how anything brought from outside appeared exempt. A bone spike jutted from Iris's abdomen. Her blood had calcified around the entry point, creating a tight seal. Sam checked her eyes and was relieved to find her pupils reacting. Her breathing and pulse were both slow but present. Unless Iris exaggerated her healing prowess and ability to shake off almost any injury, she'd be fine. Moving her was likely a bad idea, but Sam refused to leave her behind.

"I'm sorry if I make things worse," Sam told Iris's unconscious form, checking her neck and chest. He found no lacerations. Nothing felt broken.

"I certainly hope Vlad put you in some sort of recovery hibernation." The pan lid was useless now. Sam unbound it, then used the belt as a sling for the hand cannon. He let it hang from his left shoulder, then carefully scooped up Iris. She was surprisingly light. He carried her down the stairs to the anomaly's source, hoping it wasn't all a wasted effort.