Chereads / Hunt the mate / Chapter 8 - Tick-Tick 8

Chapter 8 - Tick-Tick 8

INTRUDERSMasking fear, the Chief of the museum marched headfirst and strode down the orange hallway tailed by his employees and two little civilians. The air went hefty with inaudible roars of the invaders, shrill enough for Mysty's hearing. She alerted Chief, who concurred to lift an iron rod from the male restroom after unbolting the door."Take the baseball bat," Chief pointed down the bat to Newt and moved across the restroom to seize something else for weapon. "Grey, Metal pipe. Mysty and Odette, I hope you know how to load a bullet and shoot. Liliane, you have your knife.""What about us?" Riruru asked. "We need weapons too for defense."Chief snorts but in understanding before opening his night coat to bring out a taser gun and small dart rope. "Girl. You have good aim?""I hope so." Riruru grabbed the end of the rope with one hand and the other one carefully handled down the attached dart. Hael attempted to jump out of Liliane's hold to take the taser gun but it turned futile as the hold was firm."Let me go." Hael scoffs as Liliane delivers the taser gun to him before examining it for defects and derides the Chief. "You need a taser gun. Who is going to molest you in streets.""World is unpredictable," Chief remarks as he instructs Riruru how to use a dart rope. "It needs great deal of patience and practice. You might hurt yourself badly kid because it can be perfectioned by a martial artist. It is really dangerous so don't use it, we are here to protect you and your brother.""I know sword dance, Chief. I can protect us without aid." Riruru assures as she caress the dart rope, gently with precaution. Chief heaves a sigh, thinking once again before continuing to coach some key points to use the weapons."Guns are dangerous. Use them only if the situation is out of control. Dart ropes are out of control so just avoid using it-""-Why a restroom have dangerous weapons like guns?" Liliane scoffs with puzzlement which received a glare for interrupting in the middle of the conversation."I used to be in military.""That doesn't explain, it's illegal-""Do you want to die when thieves broke in. After the predator incident, arranging these weapons for safety was a must. That's why this restroom is shut down for no one to find out. Who knows what can happen in Northpass. Unpredictable is not uncommon-A growl disturbed the surrounding as the team of eight gulped down hesitantly, contacting and relaying the plans to take down the strangers firstly through their eyes. Chief nodded with approval for attack and instructed to clutch down their weapons tightly to face the intruders. "Odette, run away if things go south and contact the police and mayor office, first. They should've taken extra care of our territory after that recklessness that nearly endangered the museum. We really have careless authorizations with no doubt.."Chief signals to move forward as he walks in the path of unknown. After the bend down the hall, the intruders will come into light. Calling for help can be only possible if the identities of the trespassers is known. The rules doesn't sanction help until and unless things are clear. That's how things are handle in Northpass. One can't do anything when it comes to alter the constitution of Northpass. What the ancestors said, should not be changed or bent even slightly. There rules are always righteous.Down the bend the group circled left and came across the nauseating sight of the mob of ten abnormal existing creatures with distorted limbs and crooked bodies, lighted down by the flickering tube lights on the ceilings . The apparels they wore were teared and in scraps as they let out a heart-stopping sound from their uncleaned mouth, renting out a repulsive stench similar to rotten eggs and foreign garbage. Their hairs were disheveled with some of them were bald and missing teeth as they growled again with jaws wide open and tongues hanging out like hungry abnormal beings. Their skin was unfamiliar with shades of green, blue and purple, adding some places with dark hues. Two of them were reeking unbearably than others with broken movements as there black rotten bodies loosened towards the group."They are... corpses. Moving one on top of that," Newt said with indifference and his grip tightened around the baseball bat, followed by a trail of sweat from forehead to down his neck. Hael covered himself by veiling his sight away from the intruders as his head was pulled down against the chest of the person carrying him by Liliane herself."Zombies?" Hael gulps as he flinched in Liliane's arm with his breath's rhythm jagged and heartbeat running miles at the uncomfortable spectacle.Liliane explains after taking a last glance at the trespassers who let out a disturbing sound from their wide-open mouth lacking teeth and inner-lining of flesh, along with one of them missing tongue as if it being rotten for a long time and fallen down. "Zombies are fiction. But moving corpses are the sign of vamp-""-Talk later!" Chief yells as he steps forward and takes position, shrouding everyone behind him from the distorted sight. A military soldier is experienced and trained rigidly to examine inhumane sights but the occurrence of moving corpses like zombies is something the Chief wasn't accustomed with or qualified to deal with. With a deep breath in the hectic foul atmosphere, Chief instructed. "I will make a way for you all to reach the reception area. Odette run fast like there's no tomorrow. They will surely attack for your blood like the predators from a year ago.""That's very reassuring, sir." Liliane's smiles cracks off as she clenched her jaw and said loudly, "I'll call the police, sir!""They won't listen and take it as a trick call," Liliane exclaimed. "Take Hael with you.""Everyone!" the Chief grunts in anger and slight fear as from the corner of his eye, a movement was done by the intruders which startled him and others. "All of you will run! Is that clear."Newt and Grey exchanged looks before taking their positions, "We will help to clear a path-"Before the discussion and tasks were dispelled, one of the corpses launched forward like a crippled bird but didn't halt until the Chief grabbed his conscious of landing a shot on the corpse head, bursting it which deteriorated the sight enough for Hael to scream as a liquid from the corpse's exploded head decked down and other corpses got notified of their comrade's death. They growled at their comrade's murderers."One taken care of." The chief tittered as adrenaline rushed in and he lurched forward pursued by Newt and Grey to shadow his actions. "Nine to go down!""I'm glad we are not guys," Riruru flinched at the fighting arena between the descendants and corpses and throwed out her lunch or dinner from where the physical digestion occurs."Gross." Hael commented as he buried his face in Liliane's chest after peeking at the monstrous retired soldier butchering some ugly zombies. Soon, there were standing only four strong corpses with hunger cloaking their dead senses as they jumped forward to attack. Newt signaled the rest of the group to take exit and reach the reception."What was that yellow liquid in their brain?" Hael questioned after they got out of the hallway and entered the previous room where the hunt was decided and everyone got separated to follow their own route/hallway.Mysty alerted her senses along the way and pondered over the same question. Liliane politely answered their curiosity to avoid further conversation, "Urine.""Gross."---Grey snickered as his metal pipe strikes the corpse resulting the dead to stumble and fall down on top of another knocked down comrade of its, "It's like we are in a book!""Then I hope we are the main character because I don't wanna be eaten by some dead rotten meats!" The Chief yelled out loud as his prey's brain leaked out a yellow squishy fluid and floored down with a thud. "What's with their brains.""I don't think they have brains but this liquid-" Grey frowned as his leather boots met with the dead corpse's brain liquid. "Hey Newt! What's this."Newt give a look of 'don't know, don't care' but still in jest answered, "Metabolic waste."Grey rolled his eyes after defeating the last corpse. "Are they really zombies?""I don't think so." The chief exclaimed as he squat down and examined the dead creatures, "No doubt they are corpses but one may mistook them as fictional zombies because of this liquid flooding down marking it the end of the moving corpse. But-""-We can inquire later."Grey nodded and followed Chief and Newt to the reception, leaving the dead bodies behind after confirming no sign of motion. The halls turned gloomy with the familiar rotting stench floating under everyone's nose, earning frowns.Along the way, there were no signs of any intruders left and a bell out of blue chimed in in one oscillation, building a wave of apprehension in the hearts of everyone present in the closed museum."Why the clock tower's bell is ringing again? And for once only, that's peculiar. Doesn't it ring only once a day to mark the new day at 12.""Maybe it malfunctioned or something.""Come on everyone! Others are waiting."The trio hurried their steps towards the reception area to find it deserted. The chief scorned with worry, "Maybe they left.""Let me make a call-"As soon as the others reached the reception desk, a scream shrilled enough to pierce human as well as creatures senses ran through the hallways. Without thinking twice, the guys marched forward again inside the museum's southern hallways. The flickering of lights added another tension as a acquainted heavy scent overtook the room fragrance usually used in the museum."Another wave of corpses.""Just like a survival game."