I sit upright looking for John.
Then, I’m hit with the realization that it was a dream.
“It felt so real though. John, are you out there somewhere?”
I rub my eyes and stretch.
I check the time and it’s been 3 hours since I fell asleep.
Just then, Kuo starts to call me.
“Okay, he’s on the move. Stay out of sight,”
I stand up and dust myself off.
“Once I find where they’re keeping Wolfe, how are we gonna get him out?”
“I’ve ‘appropriated’ one of the Militia’s trucks,”
“Special Agent Kuo, isn’t stealing cars illegal?”
“Section 150 of the Federal Penal Code states that a law enforcement officer is authorized to commandeer a civilian vehicle in order to catch a suspect, escapee, or prevent a crime,”
“Heh, Penal Code..”
I follow closely above Wolfe’s interrogator. Every twist and turn.
He ends up going into a house along a canal.
“Kuo, the interrogator’s heading into the tan house on 8th street,”
“Getting a vehicle outta that area won’t be easy. The Militia set up roadblocks all along the canal,”
“Okay, you head in and get Wolfe. I’ll break up the roadblocks,”
“Got it. Work fast,”
I lob a grenade into the militia blockade and it destroys the blockade.
“That fast enough?”
“Yes. That’s what I need actually. Now do that for the next blockade further down,”
“Yeah. I knew that,”
“I’m almost in the house. Now this is going to move fast, Cole, be ready,”
“I will be,”
I head further down the street towards the militia blockade. When I get there, the blockade is..destroyed? There were cracks all along the ground, destroyed cars, and dead militia.
“Something really fucked this place up before I got here”
From beneath my feet I feel intense rumbling, dust bellowing from the cracks. Then a huge figure bursts from beneath the cracks.
“Cough, cough So you’re the one who destroyed this place. You friendly? That could really lighten the load-”
Before I can finish my sentence, it starts to charge towards me. I roll to the side to dodge it.
“Ugh, I knew it. Hey man, I hate the militia too!”
I use my kinesis to pickup a nearby car and smash it into the beast. It staggers and burrows underground.
With more intense rumbling, it burrows all around me and suddenly emerges in front of me and pins me to the ground by my hands.
When I hit the ground all the air is taken from my lungs.
“Gah! You pack one helluva punch. I can too!”
I lift my legs to my chest and kick the creature off.
It stumbles then burrows back underground.
“C’mon! Help me, help you!”
It tries to pin me again but I suspect as much. I dodge it’s attempt, unstrap my amp, and lodge it inside the monster’s mouth. I charge my amp with electricity and fry the creature inside out. It lets out a painful howl as it goes limp.
“Huff, big ass mole mole monsters. For once I’m not the biggest freak in town,”
I get a call from Kuo.
“Cole. I got Wolfe, we’re moving for the truck,”
“Perfect timing, I’ll see you there,”
“You might want to hurry. I think we tripped an alarm on the way out,”
“Thought you were stealthy,”
“I had to escort an elderly man out, things aren’t going to go smoothly,”
I run as fast as I can back towards the truck. I hop in the bed and lean in the window.
“Dr. Wolfe, glad you’re still in one piece,”
He clears his throat.
“More or less. Bertrand’s interrogation methods can be quite…creative,”
Kuo looks at him concerned.
“He tortured you? What did you tell them?”
I speak.
“Hey, we need to go. Plenty of time to talk later,”
We pull off just as a rocket flies by the truck. Suddenly, Bertrand speaks through a megaphone.
“Stealing from the militia. That’s a hanging offense in New Marais,”
I yell out to Bertrand.
“You’re not laying a hand on anyone here!”
“We’ll see about that, demon,”
I turn to Kuo.
“Floor it, we’ve gotta lose them,”
Kuo goes full speed as I hang onto the back of the truck.
Bertrand speaks to me again.
“You won’t like how this ends, demon. If you cooperate then maybe we’ll let you see the blade that cuts you down,”
“If you stop following us then maybe I won’t blow your ass to hell and back,”
In the passenger side window I see Bertrand shake his head and pull out a walkie talkie.
I turn to Kuo and Wolfe.
“He’s calling in backup, get ready for some resistance!”
As I’m saying that, I hear a truck honking from my right side. As we reach an intersection, a truck comes speeding towards us and hits the car.
I fly off the back of the car towards the shoreline.
When I land I end up impaling myself on a wooden stake.
I clench my teeth in pain.
Bertand’s truck slows to a halt and militia surround the car.
One of the militia turn and speak.
“The bitch is alive and the old shit’s dead,”
My eyes widen.
Bertrand speaks.
“Oh really? I’ve got an idea for her punishment. Take her and the body,”
“What about the demon?”
“Let this serve as a lesson as he bleeds out”
The militia gather Kuo and the now dead Wolfe and head off.
I trudge my way into a storm drain and attempt to rest.
I call Zeke.
“Hey brother. How was getting Wolfe?”
“It went to shit. Kuo got kidnapped and Wolfe’s dead. Without him to guide me to more Blast Cores, I won’t be far behind. The stake in my side ain’t makin’ it any better,”
“Damn it man. Need me to come pick you up?”
“Yeah. I’m in a storm drain off the shore on 8th street,”
“Alright, I’m on my way,
I hang up.
I take deep breaths as my eyes slowly close.
As my eyes are closed I feel a presence nearby.
I open my eyes expecting to see Zeke, but infront of me I see..
“..Trish, h-how..?
She smiles and speaks softly.
“Hey Cole. Don’t believe in spirits?”
My tone lowers when I speak.
“I’m..sorry that I couldn’t save Empire City,”
She puts her hand on my shoulder.
“That’s fine. More importantly, you haven’t lost yet. He’s still out there, and once you come face to face with him, I know you’ll win,”
Trish’s eye gaze down to the stake sticking out my side.
She reaches down, grabs the stake, and looks me in the eye.
“Count to three,”
I take a deep breath.
“One, two, thr-”
She yanks the stake from my side, sending a sharp pain through my body.
“Agh, damn it!”
I look over at Trish as she speaks.
“Cole, will you promise me something?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
“Defeat the Beast and end the suffering of those with the plague. As a nurse it pains me to see them in such a horrible state,”
“Of course, that was the plan from the start,”
I reach out and grab her hand.
She smiles, and as she does she emits a bright light.
The light enters my body and starts healing me.
After a few seconds the light dissipates and I feel invigorated.
I reach down to where the stake was and the wound was gone, like nothing happened.
I stand up and dust myself off.
Just as I do, Zeke appears at the entrance of the storm drain.
He looks confused.
“Was that bright light a second ago you?”
“Uhh, in a way, yeah,”
He looks even more confused.
“The hell does that mean?”
“I’ll sound crazy if I say it. But basically, that light helped,”
“So the whole ‘stake in your side’ thing ain’t a issue anymore?”
“Yeah,”
“Well, that’s good for me. I don’t gotta carry your ass back. Now, let’s talk about gettin’ Kuo back,”
He waves me over.
“Sounds like a plan,”
I follow Zeke out of the storm drain.