Another Auditor!
The person was watching them from the rooftop.
Eli stopped, staring at the distant figure.
Marcus noticed. "What's wrong?"
"Someone's watching us."
"Where?"
"Rooftop. Three o'clock."
Marcus squinted. "I don't see anything."
"They're there. Another Auditor."
The figure didn't move. Just stood there, backlit by the red sky.
Then, slowly, they raised one hand.
Eli instinctively knew that was the sign of acknowledgment.
He raised his hand in return.
The figure turned and disappeared over the edge of the roof.
[AUDITOR DEPARTED]
Marcus looked at Eli. "What was that about?"
"Don't know." Eli started walking again. "But at least now I know we're not alone."
*******
They reached the police station ten minutes later.
It was a squat, brick building with barred windows and a chain link fence. The front doors were closed but not barricaded.
The parking lot was full of abandoned squad cars, most of the doors left open.
[WARNING: HIGH REVENANT CONCENTRATION DETECTED]
[ESTIMATED COUNT: 18-22]
[AVERAGE CORRUPTION: 38%]
Eli felt his stomach churning. "There are at least eighteen inside."
Marcus's head snapped at him. "Can you handle that?"
"Not all at once." Eli stared at the building. "We go in quiet. Avoid them where we can. Find the armory. Get out fast."
"And if we get spotted?"
"Then we run."
Marcus swallowed hard. "Fine. Let's do this."
They approached the front doors.
Eli pushed one open slowly. It creaked, sounded louder in the silence.
Inside was darkness.
Eli and Marcus stepped inside, and the door closed behind them with a soft click.
*******
The police station smelled not just the metallic tang of old blood or the musty scent of abandoned buildings. Something rotten.
Eli and Marcus stood just inside the entrance, letting their eyes adjust to the darkness.
The lobby was a mess. Overturned chairs, shattered glass from the reception window, papers scattered across the floor. Someone had tried to barricade the front desk with filing cabinets, but they had been pushed aside.
And in the darkness, they could see the blue eyes glowing.
[CORRUPTED SOULS DETECTED: 19]
[AVERAGE CORRUPTION: 38%]
[PATROL PATTERNS: RANDOM]
[THREAT ASSESSMENT: HIGH]
Nineteen.
Not as bad as twenty two, but still too many to fight head on.
"We go quiet," Eli whispered. "Follow my lead. Don't make noise."
Marcus nodded, gripping his bat tighter.
They moved slowly into the lobby, crouching low, using the overturned furniture as cover.
Three revenants shuffled past them, maybe ten feet away. All wore dark blue police uniforms, their badges still pinned to their chests.
[CORRUPTED SOUL: 35%, 32%, 39%]
They were all below fifty percent. Still docile unless provoked.
'These were cops once. People who swore to protect others…' Eli thought distantly.
Now they were just shells, just trapped souls wearing dead flesh.
They passed through the lobby without incident.
A hallway stretched ahead, with offices on the left, holding cells on the right. Red emergency lights flickered overhead.
"Where's the armory?" Marcus whispered.
"Basement, probably. Most stations keep weapons locked up below ground."
"How do we get there?"
"Find the stairs."
They moved down the hallway, checking each room carefully.
The first office was empty. Just desks, computers, and stale coffee in mugs.
The second had a revenant standing in the corner, facing the wall, motionless.
[CORRUPTED SOUL: 41%]
[ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL HOSTILE: 8 HOURS]
Eli and Marcus backed out slowly, and the revenant didn't move at all.
Third office clear.
Fourth, two revenants, both were shuffling in slow circles.
Fifth clear, but there was a stairwell door at the end.
"There," Eli pointed.
They approached the door carefully. Eli reached for the handle—
Suddenly a hand grabbed his shoulder.
Eli spun.
A female revenant, maybe mid thirties, wearing officer's uniform, stood just inches away.
Her eyes glowed bright blue, her jaw hung open, revealing blackened teeth.
[CORRUPTED SOUL: 44%]
[THREAT: MODERATE]
She opened her mouth wider, a low moan started building in her throat.
'Shit. She's about to alert the others.'
Eli acted on instinct. He reached out with his mental grip and grasped her soul.
The revenant froze mid moan, her eyes went wide. Her body didn't move at all.
[SOUL GRASP SUCCESSFUL]
[CONSUME? Y/N]
Eli hesitated.
If he consumed her, he would lose 2-3% humanity. He had just cleansed. He didn't want to burn through his buffer this fast.
But if he let her go, she would scream, and would alert all nineteen revenants. They would be swarmed.
No choice.
Eli pulled.
The soul came free in one smooth motion, then the body collapsed.
The corrupted energy rushed into him.
Officer Rachel Maines, 34, died during the first hour of the Death Surge, trapped in the station.
[CORRUPTED SOUL CONSUMED]
[+90 EXP]
[HUMANITY INDEX: 72%]
Eli gasped, catching himself against the wall.
"You okay?" Marcus asked.
"Yeah. Fine. Let's keep moving."
They reached the stairwell door. Eli pushed it open slowly.
It was pure darkness below, with concrete steps descending into the basement.
And the faint sound of shuffling feet.
The remaining six revenants.
"Stay close," Eli said.
They descended the stairs.
*******
The basement was colder than the upper floors.
The emergency lights here were dimmer, just one bulb every twenty feet.
Eli could see storage rooms lining the corridor. Evidence lockers, a break room, and at the far end, a heavy metal door with "ARMORY" stenciled across it.
The six revenants were between them and the door.
Four were clustered near the break room, shuffling aimlessly.
Two stood directly in front of the armory door, almost like guards.
"We can't sneak past those two," Marcus whispered. "They're blocking it."
"I know."
"So what do we do?"
Eli looked at the revenants, then at Marcus. Then at the armory door.
"I'll distract them," Eli said. "Draw them away from the door. You go for the armory."
"What? No, that's—"
"Marcus."
Eli met his eyes.
"This is the only way. I can handle a few revenants. You just need to get inside, grab what you can, and signal me when you're done."
Marcus's jaw tightened. "And if you get swarmed?"
"Then you run."
"Eli—"
"You run, Marcus. Get the guns back to the safe zone. Protect your sister."
Silence.
Finally, Marcus nodded. "Don't die."
"I won't."
Eli then stepped into the hallway.