"I won't let you die."

He tousled my hair before pushed me out of the building. It was beyond terror, but why did he doing this?

"Open the door, Jerry! Please! We can find another way!"

"There's no other way, Mrs. Hope. This is my duty after all."

I heard a radio transmission chatter, but it's inaudible. He replied shortly, "The package has secured!"

Something droned from the far distance. Sounded like thunder and bees in distress. Nevertheless, it's gradually clearer as i looked up to the pitch black sky. A glint of military helicopters flied toward me.

"Hey, i know it's not the right time to say this, even if it was just a brief, i think you were right, Mrs. Hope."

"I don't wanna hear that. Just come out. I beg you."

"It's too late for me. Way too late, i can't risk the mission."

"What do you mean, Jerry? You saved me. We are supposed to leave this hell together. Then why?"

"Don't cry, Mrs. Hope. It just about time i'll turned into something else. I don't want you to remember me as that thing in our last moment."

"I don't understand. What do you mean by that thing? I could careless about it. We can get this through together. Just open the door!"

At the same time, a dozen of heavily armored soldiers scurried toward me. The helicopter has landed on the blood splatter concrete floor. I could hear some of them shouting to the other soldiers. Some sort of military commands.

"Before you leave, Mrs. Hope, i want you to remember. You are our last resort. No, it's beyond that. You are the only hope this world has."

I wanted to ask him the reason why he said that, but the soldier took me away before i even had a chance to say a word.

"He's inside. Please save him," i begged.

"It's too dangerous here, Ma'am. We have to leave now."

A soldier took my briefcase while the others carried me on a stretcher.

"Tell the medic to get ready," a soldier spoke through the radio.

"How bad?"

"I don't know. Looks like GSW."

"Copy."

They took care of my wound inside the helicopter. Somehow i didn't remember what happened afterward. My sight blurred and gradually bleared. When i woke up, i wasn't there anymore. The chaos, the scream, the gunfire. They're all gone.

Contrary to the extemely loud cabin of the helicopter, this room was pretty quite. Almost like an anechoic chamber. It's so soothing. Only peculiar ticking sounds that was beeping through my ears. As i looked up to the left, a flickered green light temporarily blinded my sight.

"At last you woke up."

"Who are you?" i asked.

A man in black opened the curtain around my bed.

"Definitely not that thing. I'm here, Lady."

"You are not a doctor."

"It doesn't matter. I've been waiting here for three days. My God, i thought you're dead."

I was confused. There were lot of questions i wanted to ask and lot of things i'd like to know. I had to hold those questions when a nurse walked in.

"Thank you for calling us, Sir. Could you please leave the room?"

"Not a problem," he said.

The nurse looked at me. "Can you sit? Just lay your back against the bed."

"Can you give me a hand?" i replied."

"Absolutely "

She looked gorgeous and caring, but in a matter of second, the man in black smothered her from behind. He twisted her head and put her slowly on the floor. It happened so fast. Only her cracking neck that reverbed in my head. I was shocked. Literally i wanted to scream at the top of my lung, but he shushed me.

"Do you really think a nurse or a doctor would ask their dying patient to sit down after three days unconscious?"

I shook my head.

He took something from the nurse's dead body. "Look at this. This is arsenic. She wants to kill you."

"How do you know it's arsenic? Could be something else."

I was a bit incredulous.

"Look. I've been watching this place for days. Apex Predator is hunting you at the moment."

"What? Why?"

"I'll explain later. It's time to renounce your relationship with Pandora. I know, you are feeling dizzy, but you have to follow me."

I tried to stand up, but my knees trembled.

"Don't worry I can do this."

"Are you sure?"

He brought me to the garage. There's a black van not far from the exit, but in a split second, the van exploded into pieces before we got in there.

"Goddamned! There goes our luck."

He dragged me back inside. "Your existence is a disruption for them. All they want is your corpse."

"What do you mean? You keep saying ridiculous thing. I'm sick of it!"

We ran toward another corridor. There's a vaulted passage before we entered an arched door. It's a morgue.

"They won't catch us here. It's our chance." He murmered. "Go hide over there!"

"Nobody is after us. Why should we run?"

"Duck!" he said.

I crouched as fast as i could. He's right. Somebody was chasing us.

"Who are they?" i whispered.

I heard steps running around as if they tried to find someone. Slowly i peeked through the window and saw a few men with advanced military suit with guns scurried around.

I knew who they were even if i rarely saw them in Pandora's facility. It's Apex Predator. That's what we called them. A special trained unit with advanced military technology. Created to protect Pandora's facilities, assets, and officials.

"I know what you think right now, 'if they were created to protect us, why they tried to kill me?' that's what on your head, right?"

"How did you?"

"Just a lucky guess. Listen, i don't know everything. Can you at least tell me what exactly you were doing in Pandora's research lab?"

"I can't tell you, but, well, actually we made--"

"Hold on a second." He answered his phone.

"Alright, i understand. Make it fast."

He peeked through the window and looked at his watch. Just in a mere second, a huge explosion buzzed through the air. The windows were quivering. We slid off the morgue from the back door and ran into the woods as fast as we could.

"What was that?" i asked.

"It's a decoy to distract those Apexes."

Suddenly he stopped.

"What happen?"

"Just run along the river. You'll meet my buddy there. To make sure you are alive is my top priority right now."

"What? Then why you let me alone?"

"It's, uhmm, irresistible. We've been spotted. Go, now!"

I ran as quick as a flash. The last thing i heard was a gunshot. I kept running and running. Even though i felt like i was running at the speed of light, they gradually getting closer to me.

I could say it's a damnfool luck that made me still alive, but for how long?

I heard another gun shot. A bullet flew just an inch near my left ear and slammed into a pine tree.

"Oh my God. Help me!"

It's horrid. They tried to kill me just now. What should i do? Would they commiserated me if i surrendered? If only i could hide somewhere. I couldn't think of anything. It's getting worse. I fell and flailing like dried leaves. With fear as the spur, i leaped to my feet and keep running even though my elbow and knee were bleeding.

They unstintingly firing me.

I was extremely tired. I couldn't keep running like this. This was my last catch of breath. I stopped and threw my self on the ground. I'd just let them do anything to my supine body. Maybe a direct bullet through my forehead. Fast and painless. Peace at last! I closed my eyes and covered the sight with eingengrau. I could feel a flock of them stood around me. This was a predicament end for me. Who would have thought i would die like a wild boar in the middle of nowhere.

"Wake up!"

Why? I couldn't run anymore. They should've just shot me. Why bother asked me to stand? When i opened my eyes, an unpreccedented feelings engulfed the fear out of me.

"You are not them. Oh my God help me. They tried to kill me," i cried in relief.

"Pull yourself together. You're gonna be fine."

He helped me to stand, but at the same time, the Apexes emerged from the dark of the woods and bushes like a hungry leopard. Their goggles reflected the komorebi which made them looked even terrifying like a real predators at night. One of them walked toward the strangers in front of me.

"She is under our protection. Kindly to hand her over to us."

"I'm afraid i have to refuse. To forestall the recent incident. The Cemetery Wind will take this woman. She is the only witness and the lone victim of that incident. I hope you understand the situation as for now."

His gesture expressed exasperation and revulsion. He glared at me before left with the rest of the Apexes. I couldn't stop the anguish cry even though i knew i was safe and under the protection of these unknown group of people.

Who are these people?

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