Amber Deen Leska

I’m going to stay and fight! Amber Deen mentally shot back at Gabe.

Her Guardian Angel had been blaring nonstop at her to escape. It only yelled when there was an extreme emergency; given its tone, Deen knew that her death was a possible future.

All the more reason she shouldn’t run. For if she, a superhuman with future-seeing powers, was in grave danger, what chance did the others have? Erind was sick and fainted; the other three were only humans.

More importantly, Deen didn't want to leave Pino behind. The Greaves android told her that it might be able to wake up Erind.

To save everyone, only one choice remained—she had to defeat this enemy from the Tea Party!

But after seeing the Adumbrae who had just removed Pino's head, Deen's heart wavered.

"What's this supposed to be?" the towering lion man rumbled in a guttural voice as he held up Pino's headless body by its feet. He dangled it in front of his face to examine it. His disproportionately massive back muscles, partially covered by his crimson mane, caused him to hunch forward. He was so tall that the roundish ears on the top of his head touched the ceiling. “Not working anymore?”

Her Guardian Angel had fallen silent. Did it abandon her because she wouldn't listen to its instructions?

Deen’s heart started beating faster. Or did I reach a Dead End?

A 'Dead End' was what she called a situation where there was no going back—all future possibilities led to her death. She disobeyed her Guardian Angel. Maybe it wasn't talking now because it had no more to say. That can't be...right?

She tried to steady her breathing. She hugged Pino's unexpectedly warm chrome head close to her chest. It was strangely comforting.

Finding courage in the fact that Pino was still functioning, which meant that she could heal Erind, Deen set her eyes on the gun a few feet away from her. She had dropped it when she caught Pino's head. The humanoid lion was still preoccupied with dismantling Pino's body.

'Let's kill this guy,' Pino had told her. Deen wasn't sure if they could do it, but she had to.

It didn't matter if her Guardian Angel wouldn’t help her. Allowing herself to grow reliant on its instructions was a huge mistake. She had to be proactive. She had to do things on her own. Most importantly, she had to be brave.

For herself…and Erind.

Erind saved her when she was about to get killed by the Adumbrae at the Sanders Mall parking area. Her best friend used herself as bait to draw away the Adumbrae. It resulted in Erind inadvertently becoming an Adumbrae herself, her desperate pleas to survive attracting the malevolent beings in the worlds beyond.

Deen was far from paying her debt to Erind, but she could chip away at it now. Tucking Pino's head under her left arm, she crawled toward the gun.

"Is this made of toy blocks?" asked the lion man. Only Pino's torso remained in his palm; the pieces of its limbs were scattered on the floor. "Where's the wiring? The machinery? How does it move?" With a throaty growl, he slammed the metal body against the wall with so much force that it punched a hole through it.

The Adumbrae turned to her, baring his teeth. He made grunting noises, his massive shoulders heaving. He's chuckling at me, Deen realized.

She hurried forward to grab the gun. Pino’s head slid from under her arm and rolled across the floor.

Oh no! She couldn’t get Pino back! The lion man was near.

Instead, she yanked away the severed arm still grasping the gun. Peering down its sights, she aimed between the lion man's eyes. The head, the weakness of Adumbrae. Her arms were shaking; she'd undoubtedly miss.

"What do you think you're doing, little girl?" The lion man leisurely approached her, continuing to chuckle. His bare clawed feet scraped the floor, making a grating noise with each step. "You're not going to kill me with that. Shoot if you dare!"

Deen's finger was on the trigger. Still no message from Gabe. She frowned as she internally yelled, stop relying on it!

"If you run away now, I won't chase you. A few more minutes, an hour, you'll eventually die...but until then, you live."

"That's how living works, you overgrown cat," Pino quipped from a couple of feet away in front of Deen. "You're alive until you're not."

What is she—? It dawned on Deen that Pino was trying to distract the Adumbrae. The lion man halted and looked down at the talking head. Deen collected herself so she could steady her aim. If she could land the perfect headshot, she could kill this Adumbrae.

[The head.]

Deen's eyes widened. Her heart fluttered hearing her Guardian Angel. She mentally responded, yes, I'm aiming for the—

[Throw Pino's head.]

"That scrap metal is still talking?" The lion man snarled. His claws outstretched, he stomped closer to Pino, reaching for her. "Now, I'm very interested—eh?"

Deen dove for Pino's head. Then she threw it with all her might up at the lion man. He caught the head before it hit his face. His view partially covered by his massive hand, Deen slid between his legs as instructed by Gabe.

"That felt too strong—hey! Where did you—?" Lion man looked down just as Deen passed beneath him. She pulled the trigger. Bullets hit his groin. The lion man roared as he instinctively closed his legs and knelt from the surprising pain.

[Don't pick up Pino. Keep running.]

Deen was about to reach for Pino's head the Adumbrae dropped.

I hope you can save Pino, she thought to Gabe as she clenched her fist and pulled her hand back. She was also tempted to shoot at the Adumbrae while it wailed in agony but stuck with Gabe's instructions. After scrambling to get up from the floor, she dashed down the hallway. Just moments ago, I told myself I was fine without Gabe.

"Your dick got blown off?" Pino yelled. Even if just a head, she continued to help Deen by diverting the Adumbrae’s attention. "Get neutered, you stray cat!"

"Shut up! I'm going to destroy you!" roared the lion man. Deen looked behind her and saw the lion man stomp on Pino's head. The sturdy android didn't get flattened. Instead, the head cracked the flooring, burying itself partly into the concrete.

[Prepare to shoot.]

Deen dropped to the floor to stop her momentum. Her knees and feet skidded along the smooth tiles as she turned around. With her left hand, she grabbed onto a door frame.

The lion man again brought down its foot on Pino's head which was continuing to heckle him. Deen fired her gun, hoping she was following Gabe's instructions correctly. She didn't know what happened, but she must've done whatever it was because the lion man's foot hit Pino's head at the wrong angle.

"You blasted—!" raged the lion man as he lost his balance and fell back against the wall.

Deen continued to shoot even though most bullets weren't hitting their mark. Pino jeered at the Adumbrae who stumbled. Deen couldn't clearly hear what it was saying because of the gunfire and frustrated roars.

The Adumbrae jumped back on its feet, causing a small quake. "Shut up!" He stepped hard on Pino's head.

The floor gave way, and Pino's head fell through the hole. The lion man's foot followed, sinking to his knee, causing him to lean forward suddenly. His head slammed against the wall. Curses punctuated his roars.

The lion man angrily punched and clawed the wall in front of him. With his superhuman strength, he effortlessly broke down a part of it. "To hell with all of you! I'm going to tear you all to shreds!" He turned to Deen. "And you, little girl! You'll pay with your life for annoying—! Rraogh!"

A tentacled creature—someone mutated by a parasite—slithered out of the hole in the wall and latched on to the lion man. More monsters followed, squeezing themselves through the opening to join the riot.

Deen's gun clicked empty; she threw it away. She now understood that its purpose was to annoy the Adumbrae so that he'd lash out in rage and accidentally free the mutated creatures in the room beside him. To what end? She still didn’t know.

"Disgusting wretches!" The lion man tore the monsters attacking him like water balloons. Black goo and blood covered his fur. Through the mass of mutated flesh, the lion man locked eyes with Deen. "You're next, little girl!"

The lion man ripped the parasite monsters off his body and then charged. Deen froze like a deer caught in headlights at the terrifying sight barreling toward her. In a couple of blinks, the Adumbrae was already halfway to her. She regained her wits and sprinted away as fast as she could.

[Lie down.]

She immediately obeyed, not even bothering to stop first. She rolled across the floor like a log with her body straightened out. A gigantic red comet passed over her and crashed several feet further ahead.

"You puny human!" The lion man spun around and leaped to attack her.

[Stick to right wall.]

[Duck.]

[Roll forward.]

[Shift left, then jump back.]

A flurry of claws, flying splinters, chunks of cement, and ear-splitting roars! It was like she was in the middle of a tornado. Deen couldn't comprehend what was happening around her. Everything was so fast!

Gabe was a machine gun, rattling off instructions for her survival. She had to focus on everything it told her. This was the most concentrated she had been in her entire life.

Follow Gabe, follow Gabe, she coaxed herself as she was somehow able to do a mini-somersault by complying with its directions. The lion man's claws harmlessly passed above and under her.

Faster, faster, faster! The attacks relentlessly came. In the next second, blood and black slime were added to the blender. The parasite monsters from the other side of the staircase had reached them. Or this could be monsters from rooms nearby. Deen didn't know and had no time to check her surroundings.

On top of avoiding the fangs and claws of the lion man, she also had to be watchful of the tentacles and other disgusting limbs trying to catch her. An incredibly thick tendril, almost the size of an anaconda, was about to close in on her body. She escaped just in time, jumping out of the constricting coil before it tightened. Then she pushed the fleshy mass into the lion man's mouth as he lunged down to bite her.

How long can I last?

She had to fight back!

But this Adumbrae was far stronger than her that she might as well be a normal human. Even Gabe didn't tell her to be on the offensive. Was this going to continue until she reached an actual Dead End?

The weakness of her power was starting to creep up on her. She found it harder and harder to follow Gabe. The instructions jumbled together; it sounded like more than one voice was talking.

(Think protect self.)

[Tuck head, push off wall.]

(Think armor.)

[Watch front. Next from above.]

She didn’t imagine it! Two voices were talking to her! Gabe must be working on overdrive to keep her alive. She strove to follow them, thinking of protecting herself even though she didn't know what that was supposed to do. Suddenly she felt heavier; her movements slowed down. It was only because of Gabe's instructions that she avoided the lion man's palms trying to flatten her head.

She felt something close around her chest. A white material was covering her torso! She pushed down her shock as she focused on staying alive. Half her mind wondered what it was while the other kept following everything Gabe said to a tee. She wanted to remove it, but her hands were busy as she parried attacks and clambered all over the walls, even reaching the ceiling, in her valiant crusade to survive.

(Think protect self. Think armor.)

And she did. She felt her body become heavier again. The white armor thickened and weighed her down whenever she thought of protecting herself. Was it a new power of her Guardian Angel?

[Brace for hit.]

This is it. Her Guardian Angel couldn't see a future where she could evade. Through the swirl of debris, of flesh from the parasite monsters, Deen peeled her eyes. What is going to—?

WHAM! A strong impact on the left side of her body slammed against the wall. She tried to steady herself; another strike came. She rolled down the hallway. She was jogged by the hits but was surprised it didn't feel as painful as she expected.

[Don't stop.]

Deen let herself continue to slide. The lion man bounded after her, the ground shaking with his heavy but quick steps. As she slowed down, she looked at her surroundings and tried to get her bearings. She stopped right next to a room with a destroyed door. It was the same as others but still felt seemed familiar to her.

Is that our original room?

"Dratted creatures!" Even more parasite monsters attacked the lion man from nearby rooms. "I'm not supposed to kill you, but you leave me no choice!"

A large form blotted out the lights on the ceiling. Lion man stared down at Deen. His eyes blazed with anger. His fangs were on display, gritting against each other as he heaved. Parts of his fur had been ripped out; its red color was obscured by black goo from the parasite monsters.

"End of the line, little girl!" He raised his hand with straightened fingers. His claws were a line of spears, the row of spikes at the bottom of a castle portcullis.

[Don't use arms.]

Deen was about to cross her arms in front of her chest. The claws came down. No hesitation in following Gabe; she stuck her arms to her sides. The claws hit the bony covering on her chest. Her body shook inside her new armor. She descended an inch into the hard floor. Cracks of the tiles and the concrete were like gunshots.

There was pain, but, again, not much. She looked at her chest. The claws didn't penetrate her armor. The lion man's eyes widened in surprise. Before he could process what just happened, the side of his face was peppered with bullets.

"I'm back!"

"Pino?" The Greaves android had somehow managed to piece itself back together. But it was missing both lower legs and couldn't stand. It crawled through the dismembered body parts of monsters while firing a gun.

"You scrap metal!" The Adumbrae stood straight. Deen tried to scoot away, but he held her down with his foot. "How the hell are you back?"

[Break his toes.]

Deen grabbed his sausage-sized pinky toe and bent it upwards. The lion yelped in surprise in pain. His foot lessened its pressure. She pushed it up and rolled away before it came back down. As directed by Gabe, she entered the room where they were held.

She picked up a monster corpse and flung it at the window, making sure it hit the remaining unbroken pane at its far side. The corpse crashed into the glass, pivoted, and dropped outside the building. The incredibly sturdy glass had cracks on it but remained intact.

Next, she gathered more bodies, or rather body parts, and dove under the table. The lion man barged into the room, squeezing his colossal self through the small door.

"Little girl, you can't escape me!"

Deen stared at his feet through the tentacles she covered her body with.

"I can smell—! Window?" Furry feet hurried to the window side of the room. "That crazy girl jumped out? The hell—?!"

An explosion followed. The room violently shook. The conference table above her was torn away like a roof peeled off a house by a hurricane. Heat and winds buffeted everything.

White. She could only see bright light as the explosions continued.

Deen closed her eyes and hugged the floor. Her Guardian Angel wasn't saying anything. But this time, she knew that she wasn't at a Dead End.

She was confident she wasn't going to die.