Cytronica

Forty

Hunter stared over the ledge, watching the commotion below. He was high up on the mezzanine balcony of the library, away from any immediate danger. No one had noticed his presence yet.

"Look at them," he complained.

Casey lowered his gaze to the ground level. "What's wrong?"

"They're just sitting there, doing nothing. What a complete waste of time."

"You did suggest they should hide," Justin pointed out. "So, here they are."

"Yeah, but ... it's not the point. I didn't want them all in one place. It looks like they're having fun."

He was right. The students below were chatting amongst themselves, lazing in the library chairs, throwing things at one another. There was laughter in the room, in stark contrast to what was happening outside.

"How many do you think there are?" he asked.

"Roughly?" Justin did a quick scan of the library floor. "I'd say about 120."

Hunter glared at his wrist. "120 down there. And there are 317 of the Legion still active. Great," he murmured.

Casey frowned. "I don't understand what the problem is though. You want to win this thing, don't you? It's a smart idea for them to all be hiding here where they're safe."

"Two problems," Hunter said, holding his fingers up. "One, I put a lot of effort into this game. I don't want them all just sitting there, wasting this opportunity. If I wanted to spend my Saturday in a library, I could've done so back home." He continued scowling at his troops below. "And two, I don't want them all in one spot. They'll be eliminated way too easily. They should be spread out."

"How are they possibly going to get eliminated?" Casey pressed. "The doors are locked."

Justin scoffed. "The doors won't stay locked all night. We're just getting warmed up here."

Casey's face slowly fell. He swallowed hard. "Really? What else do you have planned?"

Hunter noticed what looked like an employee of the centre lurch into the room. "You'll see."

Some of the students down below noticed the stranger and jumped to their feet. Some of them laughed and tried to push their friends toward the corpse in a joking manner.

One of the boys grabbed a thick book and threw it hard at the body, knocking it to the ground. The crowd cheered and applauded the easy efforts.

"I guess some of the staff here are infected," Justin noticed. "We should be careful."

"See?" Casey said, glancing over the edge. "They're fine. There's a hundred people down there. They'll be alright."

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Trust me, they won't. That door won't stay locked much longer."

"He's right," Justin nodded. "Things will get a lot worse soon."

Casey tried to comprehend how the realm could possibly get any worse than its current state. "Well, if that's the case, shouldn't we warn them at least?"

"No," Hunter quickly dismissed, his face serious. "I don't want them following us. The best they can do is stay there and keep the bots busy."

Casey paused and searched his feelings. He didn't quite agree with the plan, but nor was he willing to argue with it. After all, he wanted to win the game as much as anyone. And while Hunter's ambivalence to his faction's well-being was a little worrisome, he did make a good point.

"Come," Hunter said, beckoning the other two to follow. "Let's find a safe place to hide."

Casey took a final glance at the mass of students below. If Hunter was right in saying their deaths are inevitable, then whatever was coming must be big, he thought.