Marco's Guilt

John heaved a deep sigh as he closed his eyes. Another intimate meeting with the reaper, something John was growing accustomed to, but his mentor had prepared him for this. 

He couldn't help but think that maybe that dumb old man knew about the upcoming invasion. He chuckled at the absurdity of his thoughts and turned his gaze towards the Juggernaut.

He stared in awe at the beast's ugly features, but then remembered the shelter. Maria and the others were in danger. He needed to find out what the hell was going. 

He sprinted towards the old textile plant, accustomed to the thick mist that coiled around him. He was worried he would be unable to enter as he remembered the entrance had an electronic lock, but to his surprise, the door was opened. 

Traces of blood and carnage laid bare on the walls. He trod with caution further into the bunker and focused his hearing as the sound of his footsteps vanished. He could hear muffled thuds and the clanking of steel in the distance. 

His pace quickened and he arrived at the bunker's common room. The imagery was as chaotic as his jumbled thoughts. Razorlins, Goblins and Ratmen fought against the bunker's survivors. 

He had no time to think and so he acted. He blasted into a sprint and sliced off a goblin's head, leaving behind a grateful teenage boy who had been struggling against it. 

"Get out of here," he ordered and the boy nodded. His gaze darted across the room and spotted Joleen, the nurse who had helped Maria shielding another boy from an incoming attack. 

John sprung into action once again and slashed at the Razorlin coming for Joleen. Dark ichor gushed out of the beast's neck and John plunged his dagger deep its skull. 

The beast fell still and hit the floor with a resounding thud. Joleen flinched and tightened her embrace on the boy.

"It's fine. You're okay," John said. Joleen turned her gaze up cautiously and met John's gaze with apprehension, but her features relaxed as she recognised him. 

"Thank you, John," she said. 

"Take cover. We'll talk later," John said and turned back to help against the remaining monsters. 

The battle dragged on as the corpses of monsters and survivors piled up. John clicked his tongue as his gaze surveyed the carnage and the last monster fell dead.

Exhaustion seeped through his bones, but he didn't allow himself to rest, not yet. He sauntered towards a secluded corner where Joleen was waiting with a group of children.

"What on Earth happened here?" He inquired. 

"I... I don't know," she began, her voice quivering, "we were preparing things for dinner when monsters crashed the kitchen, but that's all I know."

John broke his stoic expression with a click of his tongue. As always, he hated it when answers eluded him. 

"Where is Maria?" John asked.

Joleen gasped and her gaze darted frantically across the room as she inspected the corpses. 

"She's not amongst the dead," John said.

"Oh," Joleen released a sigh of relief, but then she furrowed her eyebrows. Where was she if she wasn't here? 

"Let's go look for her," John said as he turned towards a corridor.

They walked through the long, quiet corridor as John opened door after another, but Maria was nowhere to be seen. 

A stray thought hit him. Could it be that she let the monsters in? She didn't strike him as psychopathic as that, but John trusted no one, not even his own assumptions.

He opened the last door, but there was no one there. 

"What now?" He asked, turning his gaze towards Joleen. 

"There is one more place we can check."

"Lead the way, then," John said as he followed behind Joleen.

She led him towards the other end of the common room and turned left from the kitchen. She opened a door that led to a pitch black room. The air was stale and raunchy. He could swear he smelled urine.

"Sorry, I don't know where the light switch is," Joleen said as she fumbled around, her hands brushing the walls as she looked for the light switch. 

As his eyes acclimated to the darkness, John was able to make out two human outlines leaning against a pile of crates. It was Maria and her fiancé, Marco.

John sauntered towards the couple and Marco flinched as he inched closer. 

"What the hell are you doing?" John asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Marco repeated, as if a curse had struck him. 

John theorised he was involved with the invasion of the monsters, but Maria's state puzzled him. She was unconscious, but not asleep. She looked as though she was in a state of coma. 

"What did you do?" 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Marco repeated rhythmically, his gaze locked on Maria's unconscious body, guilt was etched deep on his expression. Something haunted him and John guessed it was his own doing.

John clicked his tongue and turned to look at Joleen. She was staring wide-eyed at the couple, but she regained her composure under John's icy stare. 

Rushing to Maria's side, Joleen examined her for any injuries, her eyes shifting from widened surprise to narrowed concentration as she assessed Maria's condition.

"What's wrong with her?" He asked, irritation lacing his tone.

Joleen, her own voice trembling with concern, replied, "I don't know. She seems stable, but I doubt she'll wake up anytime soon."

"Alright, let's take her somewhere else. And call someone to deal with this asshole."

"Okay."

The two carried off Maria to her bed. Joleen stayed with Maria and John walked towards the common room. His irritation was festering stronger within him. He had come here to get answers, but he was getting even more questions.

He arrived at the common room. Everyone's gazes were blank, unable to process the loss of their loved ones and the shock of the attack. 

Now was probably not the best time for a meeting, but John's patience was running thin. 

"All of you, listen up," John began, his voice booming through the common room.

"I need you to speak. Tell me what you know. We need to figure out how this happened and why."

But no one answered his call.