As the HC touched down, Brad and Millie were met by several emergency teams and, men in 'division' attire. He walked straight up to them, and after a hushed conversation walked away shrugging off attention, and pointing towards his pregnant wife.
Millie was still in a Daze, she allowed herself to be led by the medical unit towards the stretcher, yet, when one of the medics touched her stomach, and she lashed out. She caught the offending medic with an uppercut and sent him sprawling to the ground. She felt a sharp jab and turned to see a syringe. An empty syringe. The world slowly went dark.
Brad watched as they put her under, watched in sorrow as they strapped her to the stretcher. Finally he turned around, he had a job to do, a creature as powerful as the shadow shouldn't exist, and he was going to get rid of it, even if he had to kill Jared. As he moved on in silence, he was met by an enforcer.
"Sir, the demolitions team needs you to guide them to the exact location."
"I'll be there. Just have to restock"
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When Millie woke up, there was no Brad sitting next to her like before, but Angie was outside, arguing with a Medic. Millie pressed the button on the right hand side of her cubicle, a sharp shrill pierced her ears. Outside, Angie fell to the floor, screaming silently. Then, as quickly as it came, the pain was gone, replaced by a dull thud in the side of her head. The nurse facing Angie backed away, and when she turned to faced Millie she could see why. Angela's eyes were black, with black tendrils, reaching out from her eye socket.
She held a pained look, like someone or something, was constantly torturing her. "Save me". The sound she made was barely human, a faint whisper and a deep struggling voice. Millie felt like 2 large speakers had been placed by her ears, in her mind's eye, she saw Bradley, dressed in new combat gear and holding a square holo-pad and shouting out instructions to a ground crew. "I'm still alive". The nurse on the other side of the room fell to the ground, holding her ears. Just as quickly as it came, Angie's eyes turned back into a cool blue and, the dull ache receded.
With ease, Millie jumped off her bed and quickly dressed, she dragged the unconscious nurse into her room. She tied her to the bed and took her key card, along with a set of car keys. Jared was still alive, she had to save him.
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Bradley's feelings were conflicted, Jared was a creep, but he was human. Was, whatever he had become, was not his fault. Yet, he had a job to do, with a heavy heart, he began the final demolition process, he was going to eliminate the shadow.
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Millie drove as fast as the vehicle would let her, she seemed distracted, in her own world, interrupted only by the angry sounds of drivers swerving out of her way, or her daughter's startled cry at each near death experience. Finally they reached the first marker that they were on the right track; a large, yellow sign giving civilians a reason for a demolitions team, they were going too fast to read it anyway.
There, just ahead, was a checkpoint, they didn't slow down, despite Angie's desperate screams. Millie approached the Barrier at full speed. As they split the pole in two, Angie had time enough to see the guard speak into a phone. As if on cue, sharp metal spikes rose out of the ground, and they were approaching it fast. Millie didn't see it coming. The tires were punctured, and the spikes destroyed the brake system. They were moving at 90 miles per hour. they swerved out of control, Millie spun the wheel right, and the car turned left. They were accelerating down a hill, they felt weightless. The engines whine became higher pitched as it felt no resistance. They hit the ground headfirst. The car bounced and spun, jarring its now unconscious inhabitants even further. Multiple gashes along their faces pulsed with blood.
Angie was floating, there was white everywhere, it was peaceful. Something disturbed the white. A figure appeared; it sported khaki trousers, and a black top. She knew who he was, her dream guide. He glided over to her slowly, as he got closer, he changed. He looked like he was experiencing pain.
"You have to stop them Angie, the shadow can only be killed by a wielder of light, or light itself."
"Your father is in grave danger"
He was closer than he had ever been. He reached out to her, they touched for a brief second before she was jolted back to reality.
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The car was upside down. Her arm throbbed, it was turned the other way around. Slowly, she unbuckled her seatbelt. She opened the door and rolled out, the site was a kilometre from here, she turned back towards the car, and her mom wasn't there. She walked towards the site.
As she neared, she could see the large fence, shielding them from the blast's full force. She saw her father dressed in all black, shouting out orders to several people, and gasped at the sight of her mother, battered and bruised, slowly walking behind him, with a piece of shrapnel in her hand. It happened like a dream, officials rushed towards her, Millie increasing her pace, and finally, plunging the shrapnel into Brad's neck. She turned around to face Angie. Her eyes were red.
She then noticed the dull ache that was slowly becoming a pounding headache. You can still save me. The voice was more desperate now, she broke into a run, easily passing unnoticed by the officials, tending to her father or, strapping her mother to a stretcher while she struggled and fought against it.
The building was eerily silent. Every corner was lit, light touched everything. However, it still held a malevolent air. A cold chill ran up her spine, she pulled her jacket close and pressed on.
As she made her way through the stone maze, she became painfully aware of the fall in temperature, her breath became shallow, and hot air turned itself into mist on contact with the outside. Soon she began to shiver, her eyesight became blurred, and she relied solely on the pull she felt.
She rounded a corner and, even with her limited sight, she could make out the outline of a door. She groped for the handle, large and circular with several rods sticking out it, like the wheel on an old ship. She struggled with it, the cold had numbed her fingers, and her mother's exceptional strength had jammed it shut. She strained and pulled, her veins bulged out of her skin. Finally, it came free. She was launched back with a colossal force, and as she entered unconsciousness for the second time, she noted the noted the figure, a mere shadow against the light behind him, it chilled her more than the steadily dropping temperature.
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She was there again, she saw the figure in the door, she saw long tendrils reaching for her, she felt the cold, she felt the terror envelop her, and then, a calm. The tendrils shrank back. The figure cringed in pain and, as Angie looked on, she saw the boy in her dreams, blue eyes, albeit his usual grey or recently, red. Save me. Before her dream world collapsed on itself.
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When Angie opened her eyes, she was staring at a monster. Its large mass was huddled against the wall of its former prison. She got to her feet,
"closer"
She could hear him now, in her head. She walked hesitantly towards it. It shrieked. It tried to move back, to press itself closer to the wall. It was afraid of her! She moved faster, closer, until it was eye to eye with her, the back walls strained from the creature's futile efforts. It stopped. It sneered at her, and in her mind, she saw what she was to do.
She embraced the human mass of the creature. It screamed, trying to tear Angie's mind apart, yet she held on and, as the pain subsided, she felt its waning voice in her mind.
"I WILL RETURN."
She saw a boy, about her age, with sparkling blue eyes and an awkward grin.
"You saved me."
Angie passed out, exhausted.
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Brandon heard the scream, or rather, felt it. It ripped his mind apart like paper and, with his final breath saw the truth, he had played his part, and now, he had one final act.
'C... c... cancel it'
The official let go and ran to tell the others. The demolition was cancelled. Brandon slept. Forever.
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Millie also felt the scream, it felt like freedom. Short lived. Her womb constricted. The medic saw the sign and ran to tell the others, she was having a baby. It wasn't possible; she had at least 5 months left. She looked at her stomach. The bump was bigger. She too saw the truth, she was just the pawn, and now, she was leaving Angie alone with it, the hybrid.
"I don't know how to say this but ... miss Harris?"
Miss? It wasn't possible, Brad was dead, and Angie was alone with him. the medic finished his sentence.
'You're having a baby.'
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Jared wasn't good with girls, he was living proof that looks wasn't everything. When he was quiet he looked innocent, shy and maybe, kind. But when he spoke, it was a different matter. Shy Jared turned into creepy Jared, or as the boys used to call him, the "anti-babe magnet", it irritated him. But Bradley, overlooked it, befriended him, gave him a sliver of hope for himself. And then the cursed shadow took it away. But in the last 20 years, he had learned, faster than any human could, become wiser beyond his years, his knowledge had helped him reach out to Angie when her powers were undeveloped, to make her the cleanser, to save them all. Yet, he still felt uneasy, it wasn't over.
She stirred in his arms, she was beautiful, she looked like Millie, and ... Brad. It was too bad though, given time, he and Millie could have been a couple. Time was not on his side. He propped her on his shoulders, 20 years of exposure to the entity had granted him with incredible strength, among other things. The room was getting warmer, but it was still too cold. Angie couldn't die, not yet. He ran, as fast as the icy floor would let him.
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The baby was beautiful, despite its need of incubation, it was stunning. The medic couldn't take her eyes of him.
'Susan, stop staring and put him in the chamber!'
She hurriedly placed the premature baby in his incubator, she hated herself for thinking it, but now that his parents were dead, he would be up for adoption. Him and his big sister of course but she could just separately adopt them.
NO.
The voice was loud, and firm, it made her wince in pain. Just then, Jared sped out of the building, holding an unconscious Angie on his shoulder, just as the building exploded in a fiery inferno, it seems Bradley's last requests were ignored by those who could afford to ignore it.
He placed her by Susan's feet before backing away and letting her examine Angie. She spoke the words out loud. 'Hypothermia, frostbite, I can barely hear a heartbeat!' she turned to the personnel beside her and began a headed argument. They didn't notice when Jared knelt by Angela and closed his eyes. They did, however, notice when he gave a cry of pain and collapsed. They rushed to him, but he was already getting on his feet. On the floor, a healthier Angela slept a peaceful dreamless sleep. Later on, they would find that her hypothermia was gone, and her frost bite was non-existent, a medical miracle.
They were led towards a large transport vessel resembling a train and, as the doors closed behind them, Jared felt less than happy, they were safe, but for how long?