Chapter 2: Freedom Meeting

As I got into Level 1, most of their systems were off, due to the EMP grenade's explosion. Cameras and alarms shouldn't be able to alert them for a while. All I had to do was to avoid the guards, and I could get to the exit easily. Unfortunately, as I rounded the corner, I came across two guards who automatically saw me. There was no time for me to throw a smoke grenade now. It was when I noticed the window, which was on the right.

''Freeze!'', one of the guards shouted as they both pointed their machine guns at me

My strategy was to bait them into shooting at me, so I could escape through the window. It didn't lead to the outside, but to some kind of farm. I made movements as if running towards the guards to force them to shoot, and knowing that the reaction would be immediate, I slide on the ground at the same moment, dodging the shots. As soon as they stop shooting, I jumped out the window, and ran towards an open door. They could go through the window if they wanted to, but they could also call for backup, so it wasn't safe to stand idly.

Now, I found myself in a cross-shaped corridor, with three distinct paths. However, footsteps could be heard in front of my and to my left, so I could only go to the right. At the end of the hallway, there was a shower room, which could be useful. Electric showers can start burnings with ease if someone tempers with the wiring. Just like any other shower room, they had some benches and lockers, which I could use to get some of their masks, to avoid inhaling the fire smoke. There were some guards in the showers, but they didn't notice me. About time, I started the fire.

Cutting the wires would likely create sparks and as a result, it would soon become on fire. However, the sparks would take too long to lit up on fire. Fortunately, I made some cocktails Molotov, which are some sort of grenade, made by mixing inflammable liquids. Lighting it near the sparks would make the fire intensify exponentially, speeding the process up. All set, but I still had to find a way to dodge the guards which were looking for me. Considering all the footsteps I heard, the fact that there could be several guards could not be disregarded.

That was when I decided to take a look into the lockers, and found a key card and a lighter. That could be useful for later, so I took them with me. The smoke grenades were the last hope I had to dodge the guards in case they ended up cornering me. After wearing the mask, I noticed some differences in the grenades I had in both my hands. One of them was a tear gas grenade. It could prove itself to be more useful than the smoke one, since it could also irritate their skin, not only the eyes.

However, there was something bothering me: the surface. Escaping the lower levels wouldn't be the most difficult part of my escape, since all I had to do was to trick the guards and avoid getting cornered or running into them. On the surface, however, it wouldn't be as simple. There were lots of security towers and almost nowhere to hide from them. It would be suicidal to go up there, even with the smoke grenades. Their range is limited, making it easier to use inside a closed space, like the underground base.

As I heard the guards coming, I finished wearing one of their uniform, since it would protect me from the tear gas. The fire had already started, and slowly, the room was consumed by the flames. Right before the guards got inside, I noticed a sewer cover next to the showers. Quickly, I threw the tear gas grenade and went inside the sewer. The sewers had two paths: one to the right, and one to the left, and I couldn't decide which one to pick. There wasn't time to decide, so I just used the smoke grenade to delay the guards if they got there, and went to my right.

Finally, I got out of that base, after running for a while, looking for an exit. Since I ran a lot, I was pretty far from the base right now, so I could take a breath. I must say that I was impressed to see it was still night outside. That means that escaping the base was easier than I thought, due to how fast it was. Nevertheless, my main goal has now changed from escaping alive to surviving. As mentioned before, the beasts become more aggressive during the night, and not having a shelter could be dangerous.

I made my way through some buildings, since I could find shelter there. Oddly, I could hear some distant cry, coming from the upper levels of this building. Beasts don't make any noise that look like a human crying, so it was certain that, whoever was crying, it was indeed a survivor. Without delaying any longer, I went upstairs, so I could look for that survivor. I was taken aback when I first saw it: it was a girl, apparently a teenager, with long, blond hair, and she was also wearing a military uniform. Her blue eyes were gleaming, due to all the tears that were coming down from them, and her gas mask was broken.

The wall to the right was completely broken, making the room partially illuminated by the moon's shine. She was close to the wall in front of me, leaning back on it, as she looked at me, with notable fear. Perhaps, she wasn't hostile and besides, if she was crying out loud, it could be the consequence of immense pain.

''Are you wounded?'', after approaching a little, I got down on my knees, looking at her eyes

''My mask is ripped, and my leg got broken after some bricks fell on it'', as she said that with a despondent tone, I realized her broken leg, and that there was some blood coming out from it

''It's pretty damaged actually...'', I analyzed her leg for a bit, and then, I got up, while looking at her, ''Cheer up, I can help you. Do you have anywhere to go to?''

My expectations were to receive an obvious answer, considering her uniform. It was pretty different from the others' uniform, so if she had a military base or anything to go back to, it wouldn't be that one. It was reassuring knowing that I wouldn't have to deal with those soldiers again, at least for a while.

''There is a base near the mountains, by the west...'', she was struggling to talk due to her pain, ''It's not that far, but I can't walk now. And with my mask ripped, I might be infected, so it's not worth wasting time helping me...''

''So, I just came from a base, and they were all using masks'', in an attempt of cheering her up, I decided to admit that it was safe, ''And besides, they can put you on quarantine to see if you're actually infected''

''Y-You might be correct, but you're not wearing a mask as well!'', her tone of voice seemed frustrated, as if admitting that there was no way of solving that

This ''infection'' is not something I am really concerned about. As far as I can remember, I've never used a mask to protect myself, and I never got ill or anything like that. However, I am looking for shelter, food, and if possible, some friendly people, so if it was necessary to convince them, I would spend some time in quarantine.

''Do you think spending some time in quarantine is better than dying?'', now my tone was morbid, as if it was my last attempt to convince her

''A-Actually, yes...'', her stuttering probably came from the uncomfortable scenario she'd found herself into, ''Fine, you can help me if you'd like to. Just do quarantine with me as well, for safety measures''

Perhaps I was lucky to convince her to allow me to help. The other military attacked me because I could be infected, and maybe, since I could be a threat. As for this girl's allies, they might help me out, knowing that I brought one of their soldiers alive. Of course, I knew I had to spend some time in quarantine, but if possible, I wouldn't allow them to test my blood. As I started to carry that girl, she started to show clearly that it was sort of painful.

''Are you okay?'', I was considering dropping her, so I could find another way to carry her safely

''Don't worry, it's just bothering a little'', she looked pretty determined, judging by her tone of voice, so I trusted her, ''My name's Alya. What's yours?''

''I am Haru'', I was glad to have found a survivor, so my enthusiasm was notable by my tone of voice, ''Nice to meet you, Alya!''

My movements had to be slow, and careful, as not to hurt her. Still, going through the streets wouldn't be safe. With the dilapidated city, it would take too long to get to the mountains, and that's not to mention all the blood lusted beasts which would be after us. Our best bet was to go through the roofs, since almost no beast could get us up there. Now, my mind was focused on moving from roof to roof, without falling and, of course, without making sudden movements or anything that could hurt Alya. Hopefully, we'll make it safely to the mountains.