Jen gasps weakly as blood flows out of her chest wound in spurts, her hand reaching out towards the building where Jacob's body lies. "Ja...cob..." she weakly mutters, her face quickly becoming more pale as she rapidly loses more blood.
Father David turns to Leo, his face set in determination. "Can you heal her, boy?" Henrick frowns and inspects the wound as the good boy approaches, waiting for instructions. "We'll have to remove the rebar. Though, I'm not sure if she can survive the shock of it." says the soldier, ripping Jen's shirt at the site of the wound.
Selene climbs up the side of the apartment building where Jacob's body is, and cuts off the tongue tendril pierced through his head. She lift his body and walks down the stairs in solemn silence, her thoughts drifting to her own brother.
Alex watches her, unable to look at Jen's dying form. Henrick grip the longer side that's sticking out and looks into Leo's eyes as he comforts him, seeing a small sense of panic in the canine's expression.
"When I pull this out, you'll probably have to lick her as much as you can. Are you ready, boy?" Leo nods, tongue hanging out in preparation. Henrick then pulls the rebar out in one swift motion, grimacing at the fact that some blood made it to her face and Leo has to lick it.
A green aura appears on Jen's body as the good boy desperately wills all of his power into her failing body. Kevin approaches, tears in his eyes as he holds the speedster's hand, praying to whoever is listening to keep her alive.
Dominic pops up from the ground, his voice shaking as he steps up to the group. "Got some bad news. I'm feeling tremors a few minutes away, more corrupted are coming." Alex clenches his fist at the news, hands covered in flames as he looks up.
"We've got fliers too!!" he says, unleashing a torrent of flames that washes over a few dozen mutated insects and birds. Henrick carries Jen to the lobby while Leo continues to use his healing abilities. The others provide covering fire as they retreat.
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief as Dominic erects another earth barrier at the entrance. Henrick gives him a look and a reluctant nod of acknowledgement at his invaluable help. Selene places Jacob's corpse next to Jen, a worried look on her face.
"She's...not getting better." Selene says, her frown deepening at the blood still pouring out, and at Leo's slowing licks. "She's lost too much blood." Henrick sighs and stands, weary from his fight and subsequent skydive. Father David places a hand on his shoulder in quiet support and then crosses himself in prayer.
Jen musters up all of her remaining strength to hold her brother's hand. "You...idiot... should've let...big sister...die...see you...soon." she mutters as the last signs of life leave her eyes. Her last breath echoes through the lobby, a grim reminder of the nature of their new world.
Alex's hands start shaking as he watches two of his friends pass away. Tears stream from his eyes, but do not stay long as they evaporate from the growing heat of his rage. He kneels beside them and smiles as a thought goes through his mind.
"You guys don't have to live in this fucked up world anymore. Get some rest." A lone tear falls from Father David's eye before he wipes it off and continues his prayers for the fallen. Selene makes her way to a blank faced Kevin, her hands on his shoulders as she tries to comfort him.
Kevin turns away from both corpses and hugs Selene as his shoulder start shaking, tears pouring freely from his face. "Why do we have to suffer like this? Did we do something wrong?" asks the little boy, pain and grief heavy in his voice, his fingers clenching Selene's shirt desperately.
Selene says nothing, for she doesn't know the answer. All she can do is hug Kevin back and be a solid presence. Henrick watches in concern as dark purple liquid pours out of the siblings' bodies.
This liquid seems to shimmer faintly, hinting at the immense power within. Alex pulls back in horror, disgusted at the idea of absorbing what is essentially his friends' essence.
Alex looks to Henrick, a determined look in his eyes. "You should be the one to absorb it. We'll need you at your strongest to fight Eric. I...can't do it." Dominic scoffs and steps forward, defiance oozing from his body.
"Why can't I do it? I'm strong too." the earth manipulator says, crossing his arms, reluctant to let more power slip through his fingers. Alex blocks his path to the dark purple liquid as he shakes his head in denial.
"Eric can fly, and electricity is much faster than the earth. Henrick's our best shot." Henrick nods at those words and approaches the two bodies. Like a vampire seeking blood, the purple liquid leaps onto Henrick's body almost ravenously and seeps into his very being.
Thinking that this would be a normal absorption. Henrick is unprepared at how pure and intense the energy is, grunting in pain as the liquid violently alters his biological makeup.
The soldier's bones become denser, his muscles expand and retract continuously as his skin tears and heals. "What's...happening?! AHHH" Henrick shouts, his body ripping itself apart before being put back together in a seemingly unending sequence of pain.
Selene rushes to his side, her face a mask of confusion as Henrick contorts and writhes in agony. "Leo! Do you have anything left?" she asks, her voice becoming a whisper as she sees Leo doing his best to crawl towards Henrick, more than likely exhausted from trying to keep Jen from dying.
Five minutes go by as Henrick's body continues breaking and reassembling, the crunch and crack of bone echoing off the walls. Dominic stares with a gleeful expression, one that is caught by Alex.
Henrick's screams turn into muffled grunts as he stubbornly refuses to allow the pain to affect him. His hands clench aggressively into fists, blood starting to seep out from the wounds that his fingernails have made on his palms.
David and Selene stay by Henrick's side, mindful of their surroundings and any potential attacks. Leo sniffs the air and perks his ears as he whimpers, the sound of the soldier's suffering no doubt causing the poor boy an immense amount of grief.
As suddenly as it started, however, Henrick's suffering ends. He stops convulsing, his muscles now retracting to their normal size, and his bones no longer breaking every second. Father David helps him up and tilts his head at how much more solid the soldier is.
"You look the same, but it's like you became...denser?" the priest finishes unsurely as he leads Henrick to a wall to better support him. Selene props him up and calmly checks his body. "Its like I'm touching plexiglass when I push his skin."
Henrick waves them off and regains his balance, noting the increase in his perception. Everything seems to be more detailed and vibrant as he looks around. Sounds are sharper and even faint ones are audible as if they were right next to his ear.
The most obvious difference, however, is the power now present in his body. The soldier's muscles coil with an almost burgeoning power, threatening to jump right out of his skin. "Damn. I feel..." His words are cut off as an arc of electricity leaps from his hand and electrifies the wall.
Selene and David hurriedly leap away, eyes wide in awe as they witness the electrical energy spread for a distance then dissipate. "Stronger. You've become a lot stronger." says Selene, her own magical energy threatening to manifest when faced with Henrick's aura.
The fire user lights the two corpses on fire and closes his eyes. Father David crosses himself, and Kevin's sobs become even louder as he watches them burn, never to be seen again.
Alex coughs into his hand and winces as his shoulder creams in protest. "We should get some rest. It would be bad if Eric and his crew found us in our current states. Come on." The group pick themselves up at those words and make their way to the elevator.
The doors close, and the last thing Alex sees are his friends turning into ash. The elevator ride up to the 28th floor is silent, save for Kevin's sobs. David clutches the cross on his necklace, his own thoughts turning dark.
A surprise greets them when the elevator doors open. The ordinary survivors huddle and sit on the floor in a rough circle as three unfamiliar people surround them.
"Ah! Just who we were looking for. I'm Timothy! This is Amanda and Denise. Eric sends his regards." says Timothy, a rather average looking man with brown hair, brown eyes, sunken cheeks, a pointed nose, and thin lips.
Denise, a black haired woman with chubby cheeks and small eyes, snaps her fingers causing immense pain to Henrick's group. They all take a knee except for Henrick and Father David, who stand defiantly despite their nerve endings firing off warning signals.
Amanda, a pale skinned, green eyed, and red-haired beauty, smirks maliciously as her eyes glow an eerie green. The normal survivors seize up and stand rigidly as their eyes reflect the same green glow. With a flick of her wrist, the survivors charge towards Henrick's group.
"Go on. Tear them apart. I bet you don't have the guts."
.
.
.
.
.
.
END