A few moments. That's all it takes. A few seconds of let up and Mark would find himself in a position he wouldn't dream of recovery. He stood looking around on the rooftop of the cab. With nothing but A candlelight to guide his path, Mark couldn't see a single thing. The entirety of his hundred and eighty degrees view was covered in total darkness. A little mistake is all he needed to be put six feet under and the place he was currently located and the position in which he remained there put all odds against him. From time to time his candlelight would make a whooshing noise as in an attempt to go off. He knew his main priority at the moment was to save all those inside the cab and that he must put first, however, his realization of the fact that should this candlelight be put off by this whooshing winds, he would be left in utter darkness. He knew the light being emitted from the cab wouldn't be enough for him to even see his sword should this candle be put off. It was a battle against the unknown. The struggle with what couldn't be seen. You could only guess its' direction. Mark was in a total disadvantage here. If only Greg was still alive to tell Mark exactly what he'd saw before passing. "Greg, a good life he led. Such a shame he had to die in a place as this. I can't even guarantee his memories would stay forever with me." Mark thought as he looked around, trying to pinpoint the location of this sound he's hearing. The sounds we're being made from time to time. He'd know where it was. But as soon as he turns to that direction, he'd feel it coming in from the opposite to switch off the light. Mark wasn't having it and so with time, he put the candle in front of him. the next whoosh that came in, he swung his sword in that direction. He felt something, but didn't see anything there. even his sword wasn't covered in blood. After this particular swing, He realized he needn't focus for this whooshing sound had gotten even stronger and began to bang his eardrums from all directions.He couldn't find out where this sound was coming from. Confused, he began swinging wildly towards the air. This movement of his was short-lived as his shoulders began to ache. Turns out the weren't fully healed after all. "Ah, not now" Mark said as he looked at his shoulders that ached with pain. In this moment if his vulnerability, there came the largest gust of wind he's heard so far. It came in an instant as it successfully switched off the candlelight in Marks' hands. The worst had taken place. What he feared had finally come to pass. This mistake he unwillingly took on has yielded its' rotten fruit. Mark was in complete darkness. He wasn't seeing anything. He wasn't hearing anything also. The gust of wind had stopped. The sparkles of light that came from all directions from time to time stopped, as in a choirmaster signalling to the choir to end their songs of delight. This time, Mark hadn't no idea who the choir or choirmaster was. He only knew the tone of the song. The song he once heard was the song of death. Still looking into the dark, he had a loud bang at the rear end of the cab. He stood at the fire front. Followed by this were several other tiny bangs as things he had no idea of began falling on the cab. Mark turned back and looked, but he couldn't see anything. The light from the cab could at least show him what it was, or so he thought. As he took the first step, He felt his stomach rip open from his waist all the the up to his chest. As he felt this happening, he took a step back in an attempt to make a dodge but the damage had already been done. He was bleeding. Luckily for him, the cut wasn't deep. This was when the normal whooshing sound of wind came. He could hear it clearly. It was coming towards him from one direction. He couldn't see it, but from the intensity of this wind, if it gets closer to him it might just push him off the cab into the darkness unknown.
Theodore had immediately began fixing up Milana as Mark went up to the ceiling. He wasn't sure about the reason for Milanas' let up. He changed her bandages a while back. "She shouldn't be convulsing, not like this" Theodore thought. It was at this moment a thought hit him. "It has to be it. The bacteria. It came from a Halos' body. God knows what it has been feeding off because It's spreading, and fast. Why didn't I think of this?" Theodore let his thoughts overflow as he kept wrapping the bandages around Milanas' torso. Aria laid still on the floor. She wasn't sure of what was going on. She didn't care. She was in a state of Trance. She didn't want to have anything to do with whatever creature killed Mr. Greg. "It must be a halo. Yes, those filthy bastards did it again. I can't wait to get my hands on one. I can't wait!" Aria said, as her initial state of crying changed into a maniacal smile. She was so angry at that moment that all she could do was smile. You could call this her defense mechanism and you wouldn't be wrong. As Theodore was about finishing up with the last wrap if bandages, he heard a loud bang on the rear end of the Cab. Aria heard it too. She raised her head to see what it was. She couldn't understand why the sound was so loud. Theodore also looked at that area. He didn't know what it was but he knew one thing. It meant for them all to be dead. He didn't want to worry much about it though. He knew Mark was up there with that thing and if anything, that thing should be worried about Mark. Not wasting much time looking, He went on ahead with the final wrap up and was ready for whatever should he be faced with in that moment. He looked round and wanted to seat when he saw Aria about heading out of the cab. "Oh no" Theodore said, as he moved in the nick of time to stop her from falling off the cab. He did stop her, but she kept struggling to go up there and kill that which disrupts her peace. "It's a halo! let me go. I must to kill that thing! I can't let it run around any longer. It should die. It must!" Aria said, as she struggled to escape Theodores' monster grip. She couldn't, but it was pretty much worth the try. After which, she got tired and slowly went into hibernation, her eyes still filled with tears.
"Rest little one. Not now. Mark will definitely bring us Victory. All we can do is pray for him. There's no other way around this. Going out there would only add to his pile of problems right now. Best we remain here." Theodore said to Aria who was fast asleep at this moment. "I hope you are up to this task too, Mark. You have done so many things that a normal man cannot wish to comprehend. This shouldn't be a problem for you. You can pull through this. You must. We're all counting on you." Theodore said, as he looked towards the ceiling. After saying this, he looks at Milana and then he began feeling a hot sensation in his hands. He couldn't make out why until he looked and there, he saw Aria. She was burning up. Aria was having a fever and he had to do something quick. He knew he had to do something but he had no idea what to do. He hadn't the equipments necessary for cooling down a fever nor did he have herbs for curing one. He was left with two people on deaths' door and should either one die, Mark would have his head. Theodore tried looking round for clues, anything he could use to calm the fever but he couldn't find anything. He decided to peek into the drivers' seat and there, he saw Gregs' head still on the floor on the right. His face couldn't hide the disgust any further but this wasn't what he peeked to see. He kept searching for something, anything at all to cool it down. He began feeling sweaty. He noticed the cab was heating up. He looked round to find out why and that's when he noticed Aria was the reason for this. The amount of heat being emitted by her little body was so much that it made a giant as Theodore feel the impact. "Is this even possible. How can someone as small as this let out heat enough to warm up an entire apartment? Is this even normal? I better find something to cool her down and quick" Saying this, he began searching every nook and cranny of the cab for something. Anything to cool down her fever. It was only getting worse with every passing moment. Theodore knew what he had to do and knew he had to act quick. The people his lifetime hero entrusted him with were about to die and he couldn't stand by and do nothing. Besides, his life was literally on the line because of Marks' threats. He didn't have any intention of dying by whatever was out there or by Marks' hand for that matter. The gentle giant hadn't the slightest moment to waste. His battle was ongoing inside the four corners of this cab and he wasn't certain of victory. Only fate could determine the outcome of this endeavor.
Marks' vision was already blurring from being in the dark for so long but not long after the attack on him, he began loosing blood and fast. He could feel every ounce of energy flow through his blood dripping on the roof of the cab. He could slowly feel his eyes giving in to the lack of energy. The cut wasn't as deep, considering who was cut, but it was more than enough to make him continuously lose blood. This slowly made blood flow up his throat to choke him and therefore he would cough it out from time to time to stabilize his breathing. He knew he had to patch himself up and fast but he chose to bear it as the thing standing right in front of him wasn't giving in any moment soon and he knew that it wouldn't stop until it has consumed everyone on the cab. He kept staring at the dark where this creature stood. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. The intense bloodlust oozing from the creature was insane. It made no animalistic noises, but you could tell how wild it can be just by the sheer feel of its' presence. Mark was already weakened at this point. He had never experienced this type of pain. No, he had never been in this type of situation since he could remember. He was never the one on the losing end. He always vanquished his foes with a single slash of his sword. Before the could attempt a counter or even an initial attack, he strikes twice as fast. He had never seen a creature faster than him. Well, this scenario was different. Although he could feel its' presence, there was he could see to be vanquished. He could only depend on any other sense apart from his eyes and currently, all of them had been badly weakened. His ears were suffering from vertigo and his legs couldn't carry him properly. It was a miracle that he remained standing after all that. The blood loss was so much that some of it began dripping slowly into the cab but Theodore was so busy that he didn't notice it. Mark was literally hanging on a lose thread and he had to find a way to at least land an attack on this thing. He just needed the correct timing. He needed the right timing. All that was required of this moment is just a slip of chance and that is what this creature refused to give him. He didn't know what was happening, but the whooshing winds stopped and he wasn't sure if it was his imaginations this time, but the creature was staring him straight into his eyes. Mark looked back at it. The stared at each other for sometime. Mark knew this would be his chance. Let it get a little bit closer. Just an inch, a millimeter, anything. He needed to close the gap between them even if it's just by a little. He couldn't move due to the blood loss he was experiencing at the moment so he needed the creature to do so itself. With his senses failing, and with every last bit of energy left in him, Mark closed his eyes. He needed to focus on his entire senses to pinpoint the location of this monster. He wasn't sure of where it was, but he knew one thing. Should it move towards him at this moment in time, he will cut it down for sure. He was so concentrated that he forgot he was bleeding out. He let his blood flow. "The predator has cornered his prey and would take his time. This is what is happening. I just need it to come closer. Then we'll know if the roles reverse." Mark thought, as he closed his eyes with his hands on the handle of his sword. He was ready for this. It was all or nothing. He was prepared to strike at the slightest hint of movement. The creature fell directly into his trap. It took the first step and nothing happened. It stood looking at Mark. His eyes closed. The creature, feeling even comfortable, decided to get closer and closer, till it was looking directly into Marks' face, that was just an inch away from its'. The moment of truth had began. Mark was still standing there with his eyes shut. The unknowing creature had fallen deep into the trap, head first, literally. Mark opened his eyes and what he saw he couldn't make out, but he heard a loud thump. The monster was on the floor. Not visible, but it was definitely there. Mark couldn't see it, but he could feel it. What happened in that moment? No one knows. We know this much though. Mark was brought to his knees by fatigue and a lack of energy. He couldn't sense the bloodlust anymore. It was gone. The whooshing sounds stopped. The sparkles also. All that could be heard was the cable clanging with the cab as it moved through the darkness. With this sense of safety and satisfaction, Mark carefully laid down and as he turned his neck towards his right, there it laid, dead. The monster was looking directly into Marks' eyes. Its' head was at least three times the size of Marks'. Its' eyes were closed shot with its' tongue sticking out of its' Wide mouth. A mouth so wide he could fit Marks' entire head into it. Mark wasn't bothered. If anything, he was sleepy. He wanted to sleep. He needed to sleep. His wounds were still left opened and he kept losing blood. Slowly, his eyes shut and so Mark passed out.
Theodore completely took charge of the situation he was tasked with, as he was able to not only cool down Arias' fever, but also stopped Milanas' seizures. He was still looking at Aria and tending to her, when he felt his legs were becoming a little bit slippery. He looked down and what he saw shocked him. It was blood. Where it was coming from her had no idea. He looked around Milana but she was tightly covered and she wasn't bleeding. Looking at Aria, he couldn't find any wounds or cuts. It was at this moment he thought of Mark. He immediately rushes out of the cab and skillfully climbed to the top of the roof only to see Mark lying helpless next to a creature he had never seen before. He was in a state of shock and fear. He couldn't make out how to feel about this situation. All he knew was that he needed to help Mark and quick. He couldn't watch him die. He dragged Marks' Lifeless body into the cab and thus he sprung into action with his bandages.