Man, am I glad that none of The Six Hunter's communication devices got destroyed over the course of three days! If something were to happen to their watches and I had no way of contacting them, I would think the worst-case scenario had occurred, but thankfully that danger had passed. Mr. Reed had notified us he'll be arriving here personally with only the best superhumans to evacuate the Six Hunters and the civilians. The President of the United States of America issued a martial law in these dire times, and so did many other countries. Mr. Reed gave a quick rundown on the situation and informed me that superhumans stationed all around America are doing their absolute best to subdue the monster threat. Mr. Reed also mentioned he will tell me more once everyone has regrouped, including Chen Ling, Laila, Isaac, and Iris after I told him who I had with me. He'll be arriving here first in a few minutes.
We were currently at the Rosenberg Library. When you entered from the front, the left side of the building was the book room. Shelves were divided into neat rows on the sidelines while the middle of the room was where the chairs and desks were for reading. The right-side composed of two adjacent rooms that I call the relaxation area. Beanbag chairs and desks were spread out for your leisure. The second floor had bookshelves too, but the most notable part was the computers. When I went to check it out, I noticed that a lot of them had cracks on the screen and the shelves had been knocked aside. I figured the chaos happening outside must've rattled the readers and caused the ruckus.
"Hey," Darion called out to me while I was off in my world.
He was perched on the stony steps of the front entrance, his gaze unfocused and distant as he studied the clouds in the sky. The boy's armor had been worn down from all the monsters he battled, with scratches and minuscule dents visible all over. Darion's black gloves had dry blood on the leather palms. At Darion's side was his new spear- a weapon made entirely of adamantine. The spear exuded a dark gray color, and its jade tint gave it a mysterious allure. The spearhead had an angular blade with a small red ribbon tied at the top portion of the shaft. Darion had told me that a Cyclops named Thonthos made him and Sophie new weapons when they were inside the Labyrinth. I doubted his words for a split second, but remembered that Darion was no liar. He's an honest and blunt kid who'll tell it to you straight. It's like he's allergic to sugar-coating his words, yet I still find that to be an admirable trait to possess in these hard times.
As for why Darion was sitting on the steps, we decided it'd be best to wait for Mr. Reed outside while Camila protected the civilians we rounded up on our way here, and Leo. I have yet to tell Mr. Reed the bad news about Leo. I thought it'd be best to tell him straight to his face than through a watch. Once we get out of here and get to a safer place, we can hold a funeral for Leo…
"…Old man?" Darion shouted with even more force. This time, he was curiously observing me.
"Y-Yea? What's up?" I stammered somewhat.
"How long until Mr. Reed gets here?"
I checked the time on my watch. It was about 1:21 pm. Mr. Reed said he would be here at around 1:23 pm.
"In about two minutes. He said we'll know he's near when we see a helicop- and there he is right now."
Towards the northwest, I could hear the persistent whirring of military transport helicopters. I counted about seven in total. In the middle of the swarm was one much bigger than the rest, and the other six equally flanked its sides as if they were protecting it. Behind us, the automatic sliding doors opened, and Camila came strolling outside.
"I heard the helicopters and rushed out here. Has Mr. Reed finally arrived?"
"You think those copters are just for show, Camila?" Darion snickered.
Camila rolled her eyes. "I don't remember asking for sass, Darion dear."
"Yes, that should be Mr. Reed," I cut in. "Camila, gather the civilians and Leo and meet us out here."
"Sure thing," Camila agreed. I waited until Camila was out of ear range and spoke to Darion.
"Did you really have to patronize Camila?"
"Not really," Darion shrugged. He was quiet, keeping an eye on the helicopters. I followed along and observed the big military helicopter touching down slowly. The blades of the helicopter spun, scattering leaves and rubbish in their wake.
"Guess our ride is here," Darion grumbled.
We both stood up, ready to go meet Mr. Reed, when we felt a prickling sensation on our backs. The hairs on our arms rose, and our instincts were practically howling at us to prepare for a battle. It was a feeling I knew all too well. A feeling I felt when I first gained the powers of a superhuman and was transported to The Tutorial where the Enforcer lay in wait. A being with a piercing glare that denounced humans as mere maggots. An organism that was revolted by us breathing the same air it did. An individual that instilled fear in everyone's hearts when it first showcased its cruelty…
Darion and I rotated our bodies around and pointed our weapons at the source of this discomfort. Peeking down from above the Rosenberg Library was a woman wearing a black biker jacket, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and leather boots. The stranger looked to be in her late teenage years- maybe 18 or 19? The teen had smooth, pale blonde hair in a ponytail. If you squinted hard enough, the hair color changed to vanilla. She also had long eyelashes and striking gray eyes that bore a resemblance to a typhoon. A single glare from the newcomer could cause natural disasters if she so wished to. Maybe that's why I was fearing for my life the longer I stared at her.
The teenager cleared her throat. "Hello there, hu- I mean strangers. My name's… Lana. Care to bring me along?"