Chapter 8 – Power

I tried to steady my breathing as Brian and I waited at the bottom of the stairwell. Holding the Umbra in my sweaty hands, I peeked through the crack of the slightly open door, waiting for Selene to return from scouting the first floor.

So far, the plan was working out well. After Selene had drilled me on basic gun safety, she had me practice reloading, aiming, and try some shooting stances. It had done wonders to help my hands stop shaking, but I still felt nervous even holding my gun.

After that, Selene had helped me develop a plan. Our only real option was to head to another shelter, and the mega shelter on the first floor was the shortest path and our best bet at safety because the fifth floor lacked one due to the shielding station’s presence. Mega shelters had dedicated personnel staffing them as they were expected to not only house residents of whatever building they were in but also people who came in from the street. In other words, the chance of the emergency shield being active was much lower with professional handlers in charge.

Unless, of course, they had an actual reason to activate it.

After Selene and I had figured out the plan, convincing Brian was surprisingly easy. The second he saw the gun I’d “found” in the camera room, he’d been all wide-eyed and excited instead of scared. I supposed that from his perspective I had already taken down one with just an ice ax, and now I had a gun, making things even less scary. Even after we’d stepped out from the security room, he’d only gotten a little nervous.

We’d made a quick stop in front of the shelter for me to mime our plan to the security camera. Selene informed me that when the emergency shield activated, audio was cut as some high level Anathema could use sound attacks. I kept my pistol in my backpack while Selene kept a lookout because I did not want to have Lily and whoever may be watching asking questions.

I also made sure to let Lily know that I didn’t blame her. The initial sense of betrayal I’d felt had quickly melted into guilt and worry that sat heavy at the bottom of my stomach. Lily wouldn’t have just let somebody activate the shield, I knew better than that. No, chances were somebody took it into their own hands and hadn’t given her a choice. I just hoped she was okay and hadn’t done anything stupid in retaliation. It wasn’t worth her getting hurt… not for me, anyway.

[The path so far is clear,] Selene said, suddenly appearing in the hallway.

I nodded, letting my thoughts drift away from Lily as I looked back at Brian. He was looking shaky, and so I gave him a quick smile that he returned. My free hand went to my blazer pockets, reassuring myself that the spare magazines for my gun were secure on either side. After a deep breath to steady myself, I opened the door and motioned for him to follow as I went into the hallway.

The first floor’s architecture was much more like a standard, modern mall, all glass storefronts and white tile flooring. As for the layout, it was much like the third floor’s with a giant circular area in the center and a maze of hallways surrounding it. There was also a wide path leading from the center area directly to the front entrance, giving anybody who might come off the streets a straight shot to the shelter entrance in the middle.

I scanned the area, keeping my gun pointed slightly down at the floor as I searched for movement. Between all the signs, reflections, advertisements, and glass, it was hard to see anything. The dim red emergency lighting wasn’t helping either.

I moved to follow Selene as she scampered down the hall and took a turn. My movement was slower, and I checked through the windows of every store before passing, just to make sure Selene hadn’t missed anything being extra stealthy.

We continued like that, Brian following five paces behind me while Selene searched ahead. It was slow and painfully tense. I found myself jumping a few times at my own reflections moving in the windows. It was a constant effort to relax my hands from the death grip they kept forming around my gun.

The worst part was the noise. The mall was utterly silent except for our footsteps and breathing. It made my heartbeat feel extra loud in my ears. Every step that squeaked on the tile floors made me wince.

We turned corner after corner until Selene finally stopped in front of me.

[One Anathema up ahead, another Fomorian Hound. Defeating it would be a good chance to familiarize yourself with your gun.]

I hesitated for a second, fear clawing up the back of my throat. Images of the monster’s carapace body and lamprey mouth latching onto my stomach made me shudder, my breaths picking up in speed.

“Are you sure?” I thought to her. “The noise and… I don’t like taking risks, especially not with Brian here.”

[Between the lesser rune of silencing on your weapon and the mall’s construction, noise will not be a problem. It would be more of a risk for you not to take this opportunity to use your gun for the first time. Unfamiliarity in an actual fight could be deadly.]

I thought it over for a second, glancing back at Brian. It felt like there were so many things that could go wrong. Something deep in me screamed that this was a bad idea, to just tell Selene to find another path, but…

I was a Magical Girl now. I had a gun, and that voice inside was fear, something I’d told myself to always listen to but never let command me.

“Alright,” I sent, and Selene hopped forward to the end of our current hall, waiting at the corner.

I turned to Brian.

“Okay, I need you to wait right here for a moment,” I whispered. “I’m going to go take care of a monster quick. It might be loud, but don’t panic. If I say run, go and hide, okay?”

He looked at me with big eyes, and for a second I thought he was going to argue. Instead, he just clutched his action figure tighter to his chest and gave me a serious nod. I was a little surprised at that, but decided to roll with it and move after Selene to the next intersection, pressing myself against the corner and peeking around it. I saw nothing, but shadows shifted on the glass of one of the storefronts.

[Third store on the right. It should come out any moment now. Aim for center mass.]

My throat was dry, but I followed Selene’s instructions, aiming down the Umbra’s sights at the store’s entrance. The outer circle of the targeting reticle shrunk considerably in my vision as I took a proper aiming stance. My heart drummed in my ears, and I tried to slow down my breathing. I double checked to make sure the safety was off and the hammer pulled back. My hands were sweaty, and I readjusted my grip. Then I carefully put my finger on the trigger and waited.

After a few moments, there was more movement on the glass reflections. My breath hitched as the creature’s head exited the store, and I forced myself not to pull the trigger in response. Its lidless eyes seemed unfocused as it continued stepping out, completely unaware of me. Slowly, it placed one foot in front of the other.

As it began exiting, I aimed for the center of its body. The creature was almost perpendicular in relation to me, giving me the biggest target I could ask for. The reticle changed from black to a glowing red as it passed over the Anathema. On my HUD, the outer circle of the reticle that predicted where the bullet could hit was small enough to be completely within the Anathema’s body, theoretically guaranteeing a hit. I let out my breath, focusing on my aim and nothing else.

For a brief moment, fear flashed through me. What if I missed? What if it moved at the last second? What if I made a mistake like I always do? Then it would come for me with claws and its lamprey mouth and when it finished sucking the life from me…

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Then it would go for Brian.

I pulled the trigger.

The gun barked about as loud as a plate breaking, the recoil jerking against my grip, but not nearly as much as I had anticipated. I felt myself jump in surprise even though I was expecting it, but I forced myself to continue. My targeting reticle expanded briefly, and I adjusted it back onto the monster’s body, pulling the trigger again and again.

There was nothing else but the jolt of the gun in my hands and bright flashes of light that briefly interrupted my view as I opened fire, constantly recentering my aim in the brief moments between shots. I fired as fast as I could and only stopped after I’d emptied eight rounds into the thing, a ding resounding in my head.

[Defeated (Fomorian Hound – Level 3)]

[Reward: 10 Points]

I stared at the unmoving body of the Anathema, wisps of smoke trailing from the Umbra’s muzzle. It was sprawled out in front of the store, not even a step from where I’d initially begun firing at it. Black liquid slowly began spreading beneath it.