The two men and a single robot scouted the 2nd floor of the apartment with haste. Loud footsteps echoed through the deserted and shabby halls.
As they were running, a buzzing noise vibrated from the robot. Immediately following the buzzing sound from the robot, a tired, but sassy voice rang in everyone's ears. It was a call from Cecilia and the information she provided only quickened their search.
In the middle of the 2nd floor lay a long carpet with a homely design that resembles the old capital within the 1st planetary system. The carpet led to a big room with a much cleaner atmosphere.
The two men walked in silently and the robot stood outside as a guard. Both men tiptoed with their leather boots gently pressing on the decaying hardwood floors.
Tiptoeing into the room, they saw the houseware decorated neatly around the room. There was a makeshift shelf containing books of a different language and a tower of neatly stacked pots.
Suddenly sensing movement, the man with the hoarse voice immediately pointed his pistol at a dark corner. He powered the flashlight that was attached to the pistol and narrowed his eyes.
There in the dark corner stood a girl with a surprised and worried expression. She was around 14 years of age and wore a plain grey sleeping gown with a pale white sewing apron over it. Her face was very delicate and had a hint of rosiness, while her eyes were as bright as the stars.
"Who are you?" said the man with the hoarse voice cautiously.
The girl was shivering, and her mouth was agape unable to let out a sound.
"Captain, please calm down. Let me speak." suggested the burly man.
The burly man then spoke in a different language.
"We're not here to hurt. I just want to know if there was anything strange that happened here." said the burly man calmly.
The girl hesitated and she was constantly gasping for air.
"I-I-I don't k-k-know anything.." said the girl shyly.
"Ask her who she is or else we can't trust her." said the captain as he stared at the girl with absolute caution.
"Eh... Ahem, my superior here wants to know your identity. Can you tell us who you are?" said the burly man.
"My name is Aurora, I came all the way from the 2nd planetary system because we were forced to evacuate." said Aurora weakly.
"You're from the 2nd planetary system? How are you able to understand the language of the 1st planetary system?" asked the burly man out of curiosity.
"Eh... I was born in the capital planet of the 1st planetary system. That's how I learned the language." said the girl with a hint of proudness.
"Are you here alone? Where are your parents?" asked the burly man.
Silence ensued.
Suddenly, the girl's eyes dulled and started to fill with unshed tears.
"Ahem... what I meant to ask was who else is here beside you?" asked the burly man hastily as he tried to soothe the conversation.
The girl tried to answer, but her tears flowed endlessly down her rosy cheeks like the dew slipping down a lily flower.
"We-we-we came here as a family... But, my mother and father had long passed away. The 2nd planetary system's government decided it was best to transfer all the refugees away because we were considered potential hazards. I came here with my grandmother and two of my younger siblings." Aurora wiped her tears with her pale hands.
"Where are they?"
Aurora slowly shuffled towards a dimly lit room and the two men followed. "My grandmother and my siblings had fallen asleep, but I couldn't wake them up." said Aurora with worry.
"Hmmm? Ask the girl if she also fell unconscious." said the captain as if he suddenly thought of something.
"Have you fallen asleep as well?"
"Yes, but I was able to wake up." Aurora nodded.
"This might have something to do with the influx of unknown energy. Bring the robot here to scan their conditions, I'm afraid they might already be dead." said the captain in a cold tone.
The robot immediately stepped into the room and scanned the two makeshift beds made from ragged blankets.
"Phew, it turns out that they're just in a small coma. Just wait a few days and they'll probably wake up." The burly let out a big sigh with a sweet smile on his face.
"So it's just you and your family? Do you know anyone else within this building?" asked the burly man once again.
"No, there is another group of refugees. However, we don't know any of them. They followed us here and asked if we would like to hear about their beliefs. After they found out that the building was abandoned, more of them moved in. They occupy the third and fourth floors, and sometimes they would come to the second floor to nag us about their beliefs. They also kept telling me that I was an apostle of the 'god of magic'." Replied Aurora with an embarrassed smile.
"Interesting...You stay here and take care of the girl's family. I'll personally check the upper floors." The captain quickly rushed out of the room.
"Oh, also bring that robot to the first floor to treat the old man's wounds."
....
The captain rushed up to the 3rd floor with his leather boots repeatedly striking the concrete steps in the stairway.
The third floor was awfully eerie and gloomy. There was a slight scent of rotten meat combined with the scent of fire.
Walking further into the 3rd floor, many melt candles and junk could be seen scattered across the floor. Soon the scent of blood filled the air, and the captain immediately found out that he was stepping on blood. Pointing the flashlight at the trail of half-dried blood, the captain slowly followed it.
The half-dried blood trail led to the staircase to the fourth floor.
Giving the third floor a final quick check, the captain found nothing unique or anything affiliated with the influx of unknown energy. Thus, he quickly followed the darkish red blood trail to the fourth floor.
Walking into the fourth floor, the smell of blood and rotting flesh collided with the captain's nose. The smell was so strong that the captain was suffocating in it and had to cover his nose with his left hand.
The captain immediately cautioned by the smell, walked with absolute silence like a cat sneaking up on its prey. He kept his footsteps in sync with the striking sounds of rainwater, ensuring that no sound he produced could be detected.
The captain moved further only to discover a sight that came straight from someone's nightmare.
In front of him was not the corpse of one person, but the corpses of many unfortunate people. The corpses were littered across the hall in a position of genuflection, but every one of their heads was squashed like a pumpkin. Brain matter, cerebrospinal fluid, and blood were spilling from the corpses' skulls which formed small puddles.
Further in the hall, the captain saw dismembered pieces of human body parts arranged in a pattern. The pattern was a 4-pointed star and blood was used to outline the whole design.
The captain was too shocked to even blink as he was horrified by the scene. Forgetting to take a breath, the captain choked and coughed lightly. He immediately cleared his throat and sent a signal to headquarters for backup.
The stunned captain took another look at the 4-pointed star pattern with his narrowed eyes and saw a big wicker basket in the center. Lying within the basket was a baby with jade-like skin and smooth dark hair.
The baby slept peacefully unbeknownst to the horrifying scene surrounding him.