No Turning Back

The infected were relentless, their snarls echoing down the hall as they surged toward us, faster and more coordinated than ever. Lecroix's grip on my hand was firm, grounding me even as the adrenaline flooded my veins.

"Go!" Zeke shouted, his voice sharp with urgency. "I'll try to slow them down."

"No," I called back, panic flaring. "We stay together!"

"There's no time!" Zeke snapped, tapping furiously on his tablet as we sprinted through the narrow corridor. The walls shuddered with each impact of the infected against the barricades behind us. "If we don't find the escape hatch, we're done!"

Apollo fired a few shots over his shoulder, his jaw tight. "We've got maybe a minute, tops!"

We rounded another corner, the lights overhead flickering wildly. The hall narrowed, forcing us into a tight formation—Lecroix ahead of me, Zeke just behind. His tension was palpable, a coiled spring ready to snap, but he didn't hesitate.

Lecroix's voice was calm, too calm for the chaos around us. "We're almost there. Stay with me, Liberty."

And I did. Not because I had to, but because I wanted to. In the madness of it all, he made me believe we'd make it.

We reached a heavy steel door at the end of the corridor, rusted from years of neglect. Lecroix slammed his shoulder into it, grunting with effort, and the door groaned open just enough for us to slip through.

"Help me with this!" Lecroix called to Apollo, his muscles straining against the weight of the door. Together, they pulled it shut just as the first infected lunged toward us. The sound of claws scraping metal sent shivers down my spine.

For a moment, we stood there, gasping for breath. Zeke leaned against the wall, scrolling frantically through his tablet. Apollo kept his weapon aimed at the door, the tension in his stance never easing.

Lecroix turned toward me, his breathing steady. "You okay?"

I gave a shaky nod, wiping sweat from my brow. "Barely."

He smiled, a small, fleeting curve of his lips. "That's good enough."

The corridor beyond the door was quieter, but the silence felt ominous. The air was colder, carrying a metallic tang that stung my nose. Something about this part of the facility felt wrong—too empty, too still.

"How much farther?" I asked Zeke, who was busy on his tablet again.

"Not far," he muttered, barely looking up. "We're heading straight to the server room. If we can upload the data to an external link, we can send it out before the entire system collapses."

"And what happens if the system collapses first?" Apollo asked grimly.

Zeke didn't answer, and the silence said more than words ever could. We were racing against more than just the infected—we were racing against time itself.

As we moved cautiously forward, the space between Lecroix and me felt heavier—charged with unspoken words. His presence beside me had become more than just a comfort. It was an anchor I hadn't realized I needed.

"You've changed," Lecroix murmured quietly as we walked, his gaze focused ahead.

I glanced at him, surprised. "How do you mean?"

"When I first met you, everything you carried felt like a burden," he said softly. "Now... it looks more like a choice."

His words settled over me, warm and steady. He saw something in me that I hadn't allowed myself to see. And for the first time in a long time, it didn't feel like an expectation—it felt like hope.

"You're not too bad yourself," I replied, my lips curving into a small smile.

Lecroix chuckled under his breath, the sound low and genuine. "I'll take that as a compliment."

We reached the server room, a cavernous space filled with ancient terminals and whirring machines. The glow from the monitors cast eerie shadows across the walls.

Zeke immediately set to work, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "This is it. If I can upload the files, we'll have a chance to expose everything—Phase Two, the Echo Protocol, all of it."

Lecroix's hand rested briefly on my shoulder. The warmth of his touch sent a ripple through me, steadying my racing thoughts.

"Almost there," Zeke muttered. "Just a few more seconds."

But the peace didn't last.

The floor beneath us trembled as a deafening crash echoed from the hallway. The infected had found us, their snarls and claws scraping at the walls.

"They're here," Apollo said grimly, raising his weapon. "We need more time."

Zeke cursed under his breath, his fingers flying across the keys. "Almost... almost..."

Lecroix stepped in front of me, his body a shield between me and the approaching danger. He didn't say anything—but he didn't have to. I knew, without a doubt, that if it came down to it, he'd stand between me and whatever came through that door.

"You can do this," Lecroix murmured, glancing back at me. "Stay with me, Liberty. Just a little longer."

And I knew I would—because there was no one else I trusted more.

The door shuddered as the infected slammed against it, snarls filling the air. Zeke typed faster, his knuckles white against the keyboard.

"Now!" Zeke shouted. "It's uploading!"

The monitors flickered, and a progress bar filled slowly—agonizingly slowly.

Apollo fired a few shots toward the door, the sound deafening in the small room. "This isn't going to hold!"

Lecroix glanced at the progress bar, then at me. "We can't leave until it's done."

I nodded, gripping his arm briefly. We weren't running this time.

The door buckled, hinges groaning under the strain. The infected were moments away from breaking through.

Zeke slammed his hand against the console. "Come on, come on!"

The progress bar inched forward, painfully slow. 95%.

"We stay until it finishes," Lecroix said firmly. His gaze locked with mine, steady as ever. "Together."

There it was again—the unspoken promise. No matter what, we were in this until the end.

The infected broke through the door with a deafening crash, their snarls filling the room as they poured inside.

"Almost there!" Zeke shouted, his voice frantic. "Just a few more seconds!"

Lecroix grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "We've got this," he whispered, his voice calm despite the chaos. "We finish this—together."

The progress bar hit 100%.

"Done!" Zeke yelled. "It's out! The files are out!"

We didn't have time to celebrate. The infected were on us, claws and teeth flashing in the dim light.

"Move!" Lecroix shouted, pulling me toward the exit. And for the first time, we weren't just running—we were winning.

We plunged into the dark corridor, the snarls of the infected trailing behind us. Lecroix's hand stayed firmly in mine, a lifeline I didn't realize I'd needed until now.

And as we ran through the collapsing facility, one thing became clear:

We had exposed the truth. Now, all we had to do was survive.