Chapter 22

“H-h-h-hello! I am YOUR fr-fr-fr-friendly-”

CRASH

With one swing of the berserker’s massive blades, the machine’s shell shattered like a porcelain vase that was knocked aside.

SMASH

The creature, while running, recovered its form and swung again, sending more of the machines onto the ground. Holding its blade in front of itself as a makeshift ram, the berserker charged and plowed through everything that stood in its way. Behind the creature, the infester followed with Anya riding on its back.

“VioLAtion of c-c-ciTY ORDinance 3-3-3-3-3-p-proceeding t-t-to Im-m-m-mediate aPPrehenSION.”

The blue hues of their faces blinked before shifting to a bright red as the machines began their chase. Arms swinging rigidly, they sprinted at a speed matching that of the berserker’s.

UUUUUUUURRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGG!

Having noticed that the machines were gaining ground, the berserker roared as it quickened its dash.

The group was able to distance themselves from the horde, but that proved to be short-lived. Exhausted, the group’s pacing steadily slackened. In the distance, a stampede quickly came into view. While the creatures panted and huffed, the machines remained unwavering as they sprinted across great distances.

“W-What do we do?!” Anya voiced, panicked by the metal tide that rapidly approached.

The berserker glared, both at the impending flock and at Anya. Then, it motioned its head and let out a soft growl.

Anya stared with confusion as she did not understand what the creature attempted to communicate, however, the infester knew. Without a moment of delay, the infester darted away from the machines while fastening the little girl onto its back. Seeing as the berserker did not follow, Anya called out to the creature.

“What are you doing! Run! I command you, RUN!”

The girl was too far by the time she gave her order and thus the berserker could not hear. As the creature turned itself to the encroaching mass, it stuck its blades into the ground and primed its legs. It oriented its trajectory toward the crowd’s center of mass, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Without warning, the creature launched itself at ludicrous speeds.

Like a pair of wings, the berserker’s blades were spread to its side, ensuring that it collided with the greatest number of opponents.

uuuuuuuuuuuurrrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

CRASH

The creature rammed into dozens of machines head on, devastating their rigid shells as well as their internal contraptions.

“S-S-System ERroR-R-R-R. P-P-ProceED to-TO-to-”

CRUSH

Using its muscular legs, the creature stomped on the machines’ heads until they were rendered mute.

CLACK

With a stern swing, its blades intercepted several of the attacking hostiles, severing their feebly protected necks and fragmenting their ‘skulls’.

More machines came within range and prepared themselves to strike. Before they could, the berserker had angled its blade and speared the lot of them, piercing through each of their torsos. Lifting its arm, the creature scoffed at the dangling frames.

UUUUUUUURRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGG!

The creature gave a fervent roar while tossing the impaled machines to the side. Propping its blades as rams once more, the berserker charged right into the crowd, trampling all that tried to hurdle its advance. As it proceeded with the assault, the creature surveyed its surroundings only to find that the numbers had not dwindled. With each carcass made, dozens more arrived to fill their place. Endless was the machines’ onslaught, but the creature’s stamina was proving to be limited. The berserker hastily reviewed its options and opted for the one that would deal the biggest blow. Spotting the weakest link within the encirclement, it charged and broke free from there. Then, the creature ran, creating an admirable distance before the machines began to follow. Stabbing one blade into the solid ground, the creature’s course arced until it again faced the horde. After jamming its other bladed arm into the ground, the creature primed its legs and leaped, this time at an even more devastating velocity.

uuuuuuuurrrrrrrrRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

The pack clustered together as they chased -- a fact that the creature took full advantage of. With its hefty physique, the creature’s collision was akin to that of a tungsten shell pounding into the side of a ship. Unfortunately, for the creature, the hull was not made of wood but of densely packed metal.

The creature knocked over dozens of the relentless machines, spewing wreckages and fluids everywhere. Despite its success, the berserker did not come out unscathed. The repeated impacts had inflicted large gashes on its head, shoulders, and anywhere else that made contact with the jagged metal. Having suffered a concussion, the berserker was stunned. With its mind swallowed by a haze, the creature pried itself up with both arms, threatening to tip over at any moment.

“You a-a-a-are INjured-d-d! P-P-P-Please head-HEAD to the N-N-N-Nearest MEDical cenTER.”

The pain had forcibly unhinged the creature’s focus, allowing the machines to jump onto its back. Even with all its convulsion, attempts to dislodge the pests proved to be unsuccessful. Rapidly, the machines tightened their hold around the berserker’s neck, strangling the creature. With its attention preoccupied, several machines snuck within arms reach and delivered their powerful jabs, prompting gagging and coughing. Angered by its own failures, the berserker delivered forceful blows to the attackers, shattering their heads before they fell lifelessly to the ground.

The parasitic machines drained away at the creature’s life, tightening their grip with each coming second. Unable to breathe, the berserker still refused to yield as it continued to fight with all its might. Soon the creature’s vision blurred while its strikes weakened. Unable to balance itself any further, the creature tumbled to the ground as more and more machines piled atop. The berserker gaped open its mouth, yearning to relish in one final clamor with its surrendering voice.

Yet, only silence answered its call.

“We have to go back!” Anya shouted, but the infester continued on its path.

“What are you doing?! I command you, go-” It was then, Anya noticed something strange. No longer could she hear the mighty roar of the powerful beast, but instead the uneasy quiet that resonated through the chilly air. The little girl lowered her head and grasped onto her chest.

“Stop… I command you, let me down…” Soft and sorrowful, the little girl mumbled and the creature adhered. Gradually and gently, Anya was lowered onto the ground. Her face remained fixed, gazing at the pavement below.

“Why…” she whimpered, “Why… does this keep happening…?” The girl brushed her eyes as she sat on the ground with knees huddled to her chest.

“It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have made us come this way…” Though she tried, Anya could not fully hold back her tears. “It’s all my fault… Everywhere I go… I just cause trouble…”

“If only I didn’t exist… if only I had-”

Suddenly, the creature embraced the weeping girl and pressed her face against its chest. Bewildered, Anya’s eyes opened wide, temporarily pausing her sniffles. Although the skin was leathery and hard, the warmth that she felt consoled her. Thus, she gave in and did not struggle.

...

Moments had passed and the little girl’s tears had partially dried up. Wiping away at the remnants, Anya then stood up and patted her cloak.

“Thanks…” After expressing her gratitude, she continued on her way. “I think we should keep moving…”

Clonk…clonk…clonk…

The sound of the machines’ footsteps was near, but their bodies were not yet visible.

“We need to go!” Anya began to panic. She had seen how the infester struggled with just one of the machines, but now they were presented with a horde. If the formidable berserker could not hold its ground, then they stood no chance.

Gah!

As she attempted to saddle the creature, her body was afflicted by a sharp pain. The various stress she had suffered caused the reserve cells within her body to be completely diminished. Furthermore, it had been a while since Anya last feasted on living flesh.

“I-I can b-bear it!” The bumping and twisting motion of the creature’s back would further exasperate the girl’s affliction. However, in this situation, they did not have the luxury of choice. As tenderly as the creature could with the given tools, it seated Anya on its back. The infester crawled steadily toward a large nearby building. When they arrived, the machines were still nowhere to be seen, but the two knew that they were closing in.

Drawing near, the door slid open on its own, prompting the two to jump back. Within an instant, the door closed again.

Carefully, the creature approached and, like magic, the door slid open.

In awe by the mysterious occurrence, Anya questioned, “How…?”

She shook her head.

Now’s not the time.

With caution, they entered the structure with the door automatically closing behind them.

Unlike the outside that was orderly and well kept, the inside of the facility was in chaos. Wheeled seats, mobile beds, and various peculiar devices were scattered all about. In what seemed to be the reception area, remnants of a horrifically one-sided battle scarred the furnishings. Smears of dried blood covered the tiled floors and walls while many of the seats were dyed completely in a dark red pigment. With all its outlandishness, what stood out to Anya the most were the bodies. Or to be more precise, the lack thereof. Hand prints and skid marks were clearly visible, and yet not even a bone could be traced.

“What happened here?” The girl asked, faced with the unwelcoming sight.

As her eyes nervously swept across the area, Anya trespassed further into the structure with the creature closely behind her. Out of nowhere, a loud and slightly static-ridden melody rang from the ceiling, catching the girl off guard. Anya searched above to find an object she believed to be a speaker next to a large cracked screen.

Suddenly, a woman’s hospitable voice, despite being marginally distorted, began an ever so eerie announcement.

“Now seeing patient number forty-six. Now seeing patient number forty-six … Please head to the reception as soon as possible. Please also note that a late fee may be applicable.”

Anya faced the nearest counter and saw that it was empty with several bloody scratches carved into the light blue surface.

Shaken by the broadcast, Anya hurriedly marched past the counter and deeper into the building.

“C-C’mon,” she said with a fretful stutter, “T-They might see us through the windows and doors.”

…

The halls were in no better condition. A few of the rectangular lights that were imbued into the ceiling seemed to be crushed, with their wires producing an occasional spark. Peeking into the various rooms, she spotted the same persistent disorder along with more of the unusual apparatuses, and yet no bodies.

Distracted by the rooms she passed, Anya accidentally slipped on a thick plastic bag. The girl toppled into a nearby door, knocking the already damaged doorknob loose. A slight slit opened and instantly her nose was assaulted by a pungent stench.

Whilst retching, Anya covered her nose with a part of her cloak.

“What is that?!”

With her free hand, she pushed the door open and found the origins of the wretched scent. A corpse, nearly fully decayed, served as a grand banquet for the countless maggots and flies that dined upon it. In the other corner of the room was a pile of excrements, still moist judging from its appearance.

Blargh

Having overextended her tolerance, the girl vomited all over the ground and continued to do so until her stomach was completely empty. As she wiped her mouth, Anya noticed a small white device located in carcass’s hand, presented in a way as if it was being offered. Quickly, she snatched the device and left the room.

...

The two had continued on with their exploration. Once far from the reaches of the awful smell, Anya pulled the recently acquired device from her satchel and inspected it. Several buttons lined its surface, she recognized them as the same buttons found on a tape recorder she had seen before. After pressing what she deemed to be the correct button, a recording played.

“Hello… If you are hearing this, then… then I finally did it…”

With a tired and raspy voice, the man continued.

“I am Doctor… Cough-Cough… I am Doctor Johnson with the Sixteenth Ward’s medical center. If this is the rescue team… then please… don’t tell my family how I died. Tell them that… I bled out on the stretchers or something, just… just not like this… Cough-Cough-Cough… If you aren’t the rescue team… then what the hell are you doing here…? Cough… But that doesn’t matter to me anymore. I’ll try to give an account of… everything that’s happened in hopes that… it’ll help sort out this mess somehow… Cough... The robots… They all went haywire about a week ago. I don’t know what happened, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t those fucking Purists… Cough-Cough… At first… all of the units seemed to just shut down for no reason… After they had rebooted.... God… the nursing bots… they started crushing the newborns. We tried… but we couldn’t stop them… Cough… Who the fuck designs a nursing robot with that sort of strength…?! And EIDI… Ah hell. We thought she was on our side when she started attacking the other robots… but... she just wanted us all for herself. She hacked into our systems before detaching herself from the surgery room. All the doors… they were locked. We couldn’t break through the reinforced windows… Cough-Cough... Doctor Gray and I hid in this room. Once we ran out of water, she left to get help… I thought… I thought she made it… until… until I started hearing the screams… the goddamned screams… Hour after hour… Cough-Cough-Cough… Hour after hour, she screamed for help… Oh God… those screams… What the hell happened to her…? I was too much of a coward to leave this room… and now… now look at me. Stuck in a room with nothing but this tape recorder and a fucking pen. Is this some sort of sick joke…? Fuck, I’m so thirsty… but… I’m a doctor, damnit. Like hell I’m going to drink my own piss… Cough-Cough... I… I tried to off myself yesterday… but I just couldn’t do it. Maybe today… Cough… Maybe today I’ll have more luck. If not… well, there’s always tomorrow.”

The recording ended. Anya stood there frozen as a chill went down her spine. She turned to face the infester for comfort, but found the creature to be quietly concentrating.

“You-you’re scaring me…” The girl tapped the creature’s shoulders.

Immediately, the creature wrapped its tail around the little girl and dashed away. Confused and in pain, Anya struggled against the creature’s will. And soon, they stopped abruptly.

“What’s gotten…” She now knew the reason that the creature had stopped. They were at a dead end. Her ears, suddenly picked up a faint noise.

Clink-Clink… shuffle… Clink-Clink… shuffle…

The girl’s face turned pale, remembering the details of the recording as her body trembled nonstop.

Clink-Clink… shuffle… Clink-Clink… shuffle…

The noise came closer. Out of time and options, the creature dashed into a nearby room and tossed Anya to the floor, prompting her to cry in pain.

Ah! “What’s gotten into you!”

Without warning, the infester sliced open its own abdomen with its blade, allowing its intestines to fall out.

Stunned, Anya watched with a blank expression.

With its claw, the creature extracted a fist-sized organ from its body and shoved it into the dazed little girl’s mouth, forcing her to swallow. Within seconds, the pain in her body began to dissipate.

Still gagging, Anya stared at the creature with uncertainty but did not speak. The creature, with its blood-drenched claws, began scribbling on the tile floor, struggling with every stroke. Its writing was barely legible as the characters were rigid and all clustered together. That did not stop Anya, however, as she sounded out the word as it was being written.

“S-su… no.” She frantically rummaged through her memories, attempting to match the messy patterns on the ground with familiar words. “S-Sa…rah?

“Sarah?!”

The creature nodded and opened its mouth as if it wanted to speak. Sadly, it could not manage a single sound.

“Are you… Sarah?!”

Before the little girl could finish her question, the creature had already left with the door shut behind it. Stupefied, she sat unmoving, her eyes focused on the door.

Clink-Clink… shuffle… Clink-Clink… shuffle…

The clatter moved closer, becoming louder and faster with every iteration. Among the various noises, the girl could hear the shattering of glass and the peeling of the walls.

Clink-Clink-shuffle-CLINK-CLINK-SHUFFLE…

EEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

The infester screeched and hissed with belligerence, but failed to hide the underlying fear that surfaced in its wavering voice.

CLINK-CLINK-SHUFFLE-CLINK-CLINK-SHUFFLE

BASH

“Eeek!” An unintentional shriek escaped from Anya’s lips as she heard the abrupt splatter. Quickly, she covered her mouth, desperately trying to remain undetected.

Eeeiiiii… eeeeiiiiiiiiiiii…

The creature voiced a soft and pain-ridden whimper as the swishing of thick liquids reached her ears.

Eeeeeeeiiii….eeeeii-

CRUSH

"..."

All became silent.

Clink-Clink… shuffle-shuffle… Clink-Clink… shuffle-shuffle…

As the unseen monster left the premise, an announcement broadcasted throughout the entire building.

“Now seeing patient number forty-seven. Now seeing patient number forty-seven… Please head to the reception as soon as possible. Please also note that a late fee may be applicable.”