As they ran, Mark couldn't help but wonder what a bunch of kids were doing out there instead of being in school. Whatever the cause, it was a really bad coincidence. He also cursed the parents for being so careless. How could they just leave their kids out without any supervision?
As it turned out, all of the doors leading to the small open space were sealed shut. Not just locked but also blocked with junk from the inside making it impossible for them to break their way in. That meant they would have to circle around to the front if they wanted to get outside, and with the sounds of gunfire increasing it looked like that wouldn't be an easy task.
The toddler he was carrying fell asleep at some point. Mark believed it was for the better; now she wouldn't have to witness whatever messed up things they might encounter on the way. The two boys were hiding behind Lara and peeking at the corpse of the monster. From the looks of it, the maid seems to have smashed its skull with her bare hands. That made Mark both relieved and scared.
"There is a police station nearby." He said after checking their location on the map. "It's in the opposite direction of the gunfire. They should be safe there."
It's been quite a while since the chaos started and no adult came to check on the kids. Mark didn't want to consider the worst-case scenario, but the signs couldn't be ignored.
"Master, I do not believe it is necessary to go to such lengths for people you do not know."
It took him a few seconds to register what she said. Mark was in shock as he turned to look at the silver-haired maid. He didn't want to believe he understood her right, but seeing her expression told him she was being quite serious. The only reason he decided to help them was the look she gave him, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding on his part. To think she believed abandoning them was the right call all along.
"Are you saying we should leave them here?"
The statement caused the two boys to tense up and the terrified look they directed at him added to the guilt he felt.
'Don't give me that! She's the one who wants to abandon you!'
"We saved them from that Fallen." The maid replied. "That should be more than enough."
"No." Mark shut her down without hesitation. "We are not going to leave them behind. I decided to help them and I'm going to do it until the end. If you want to run away, do it on your own."
Though he spoke so confidently, on the inside Mark was begging her not to go. He might've ordered her to avoid showing her abilities, but he understood that she was their best chance at surviving the disaster.
Fortunately, the silver-haired maid didn't argue his point and simply sighed.
"Master sure is naive." She said under her breath and turned away. Taking a few steps, she turned to face him and the two boys. "If that is what you desire, then that is what we shall do. However…" her eyes narrowed, an oppressive darkness lingering in the depths of their ruby irises. "If they slow us down or start crying again, we will leave them behind. The last thing I want is to carry such a burden around."
Her cold voice made the tears dry in an instant and the two boys nodded repeatedly. The switch from the kind girl who comforted them earlier to the cruel one who's ready to toss them aside served to hammer in the severity of their situation.
"Okay then..." Checking the map once more, Mark tuned to one of the alleys. "This way."
Lara took the lead, running a few meters ahead to make sure the road was safe. Once she gave them the signal, Mark and the two boys followed. They soon exited the alley and entered an open road. The place was completely empty with not a soul in sight.
Cars were left behind in the traffic creating an eerie scene. Something had been there and it scared the people so much that they left their cars and ran away. Mark hoped that, whatever it was, it went in a direction opposite to where they were heading.
With careful steps, the five made their way to the other side of the road and slipped into yet another alleyway. Thankfully nothing jumped out of the shadows to attack them, but Mark wasn't about to let his guard down.
The sound of a helicopter drew their attention to the sky. Several more followed, and seeing the direction they were flying toward, Mark became convinced that they were getting away from the big mess that was causing all the shootings.
They followed the map for a few more blocks, not stopping even when the ground shook following a series of explosions. They passed several people hiding in the corners and behind dumpsters, each clutching their heads as they prayed for whatever gods they worshiped to save them. Some just looked resigned, calmly waiting for what fate holds for them. They were mostly adults who looked old enough to have been alive during the last days of the Great World War.
For a while, it felt like they weren't going to run into anything on their way to the police station, but when they had only a single block to go Lara signaled for them to stop. She peeked from behind the corner for a few seconds then walked back. The news she brought with her wasn't what they were looking for.
"There are two of the same kind." She said. "I will keep them occupied while you cross."
Mark wanted to object but ultimately kept his mouth shut. He checked the map again, looking for a detour that would allow them to avoid a confrontation. Still, there was no guarantee that whatever path they chose wouldn't have more monsters blocking it.
"Alright." Mark looked into Lara's eyes. "Lead them to the other side then break a window and get inside the building. That should buy you enough time to catch up with us."
"... Yes," Lara replied with a nod.
"Good. Also, keep in mind what I said about using your abilities." Mark said, finding it necessary to remind her. "There are security cameras on the streets, and there is a high likelihood that some people are filming everything from places we can't see. If it gets out that you can fight those things with your bare hands, they might assume that you're connected to them somehow. You understand how much trouble that would put us in, right?"
Mark was well aware that such a handicap would only place Lara in even more danger, however he had his reasons for doing so. There was no denying that the mysterious girl was connected to him, which meant exposing her powers would surely create a lot of problems for the both of them.
Right now she seems to be just a weird girl running around in a strange costume, but if people were to see her killing monsters with her fists then he could expect a visit from the government at any time. All of that depended on them surviving this mess, of course.
Once again Lara showed little displeasure in her expression, but Mark got a hunch that her true feelings were entirely different.
"Understood. I will do my best to make it seem like I am nothing more than an ordinary girl trying to escape the monsters."
"C-cool." Mark replied. "I'm counting on you."