Kill them a second time

When Nade and Sarah left the room they found two dead ghouls. Two soldiers had quickly taken care of them.

One was a man in his late thirties. He was bald, and his black beard was beginning to turn white. His black eyes resembled an abyss. He went by the name Rick.
The second soldier was a woman with long, brown-golden hair. She had a slender figure and stood as tall as Rick, who was about 1.90 m. Her light brown eyes shimmered with focus.

‘Emilia, Rick!’ Sarah called out. ‘I knew you two would still be alive—but we don’t have time right now. I’ll explain everything on the way!’

Meanwhile

Dean and the others were out of the city. Only a few cars dotted the motorway. Most people had taken one of the other three highways leading out—they were far safer. This motorway, in contrast, was considered old and under construction. In other words: fragile. Sudden accidents couldn’t be ruled out. Still—better than staying in the city. Hope was still asleep, a big grin on her face.

‘So,’ Sark began, ‘Jessie. Could you please enlighten us on who that person was? And how the hell she shot fire out of her palms?’ Jessie had leaned her head back, eyes closed. She sighed.

‘That woman appeared suddenly at the police station, talking about immune ones or something like that. I think she was referring to those monsters—or, well, you can also call them ghouls.’

‘Ghouls?’ Dean repeated, glancing over his shoulder at her.

‘Yes. After I left the police station, I encountered some people. All of them crazier than the last. But there were also a few who actually knew what was going on—people who were into conspiracies.’ Larah decided to join in:
‘And where are they now, if I may ask?’

‘Dead,’ Jessie replied coldly. Her face showed no emotion, as though she had grown numb. ‘Something big is happening. That’s why I want to go to Behills Hospital. You might not know it, but there’s a secret military base stationed there.’ Everyone rejoiced—until Sark opened his mouth, killing the joy almost immediately:

‘Well, only if that military hasn’t been overrun by those ghouls. And that woman—was she a ghoul too? Or how the hell does she have powers like that?’

‘I’ve heard a few things. If I put the pieces together right, she must be a dark priest. Someone who worships darkborns—that bitch. By the way, that child... are you her parents?’ Larah was the first to respond:

‘No, we aren’t.’

‘Then what happened to the parents?’ Larah bit her lips and her hug around Hope tightened. Dean stepped in:

‘The mother was bitten. So to save the child, we… well, I think you can guess.’

‘I see. Damn. But wait—’ Jessie eyed the child. ‘When the mother was bitten, was the child still in her belly?’ Silence fell. Jessie reached for her gun—and Sark was doing the same. The tension rose. Everyone knew what was about to happen. Sark had not grabbed his weapon now. His eyes bounced between street and rear-view mirror as he posed his question:

‘You would kill a baby, Jessie?’

‘I would kill a monster, no matter the appearance!’

‘She’s fine!’, Larah intervened. ‘Really! No bleeding eyes! No completely black skin. Look at her!’ Jessie wasn’t fully convinced but let go of her weapon.

‘Maybe,’ she said slowly, ‘she could be an immune one. I mean—the infection must have influenced her in some way. Well, if she is one, we’ll find out at the hospital.’ For a moment, Jessie felt an intimidating aura. It came from Larah, who had tightened her grip on Hope.

‘I won’t let anyone—anyone—experiment on her. You’ll have to go through me first. And believe me… that won’t end well.’

‘I’m not going to do anything,’ Jessie said calmly. ‘All I’m saying is—if we get to the hospital, we’re bound to be checked. And if something slips out, you’ll have to deal with them.’

‘No,’ Dean growled. ‘They will have to deal with us.’ His confidence made Sark grin, and Larah visibly relaxed.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered. (Jessie: If that child really is immune, then Nighyel mayl come for her one day. And when she does—I’ll kill her.)

In the Forest

Dae and the others had reached the forest. The trees towered high into the heavens, their branches thicker than a man’s leg. Because of the dense foliage, only small shafts of light made it through—leaving most of the forest in a dusky gloom. Dae turned around and spotted them—the five Legends, standing motionless. At the front was Adam, the Warlord. It looked like he was staring straight at Dae. But was he really? The soldiers were all around… or maybe Adam could see through them? Either way, Adam raised his arm high—and then brought it down in a slicing motion. Just then, the ghouls began shrieking—yelling—as if sending out one unified message:

‘The hunt begins!’ They all charged forward at incredible speed. Panic overtook the soldiers. Fear spread like wildfire. Rayshel, however, grinned. And then she let out a cry of her own. Dae seized control of the moment.

‘Man up! You came this far—so I assume you’re ready! My words were harsh, I admit it. But we’ll treat these motherfuckers even harsher, won’t we?!’ The soldiers roared. Dae took off into the forest.

‘Time to prepare! We’ve killed them once—we’ll do it again!’