Countdown to Destruction

The hum of the server room was unnervingly steady, the only sound besides our ragged breathing. The infected monster continued to claw at the door, its snarls vibrating through the metal. We knew it wouldn't hold forever.

Mara stood at the central console, her hands moving swiftly over the keys. Lines of code filled the screen, and red status bars indicated just how locked down the system was.

"I need a minute," she muttered, frustration creeping into her voice. "They've buried the files deep."

Zeke hovered behind her, scanning the system with narrowed eyes. "This isn't just data. It's a failsafe. If we shut it down wrong, the entire place might detonate."

"Perfect," Steph muttered from the doorway, keeping her rifle trained on the creature beyond the door. "No pressure."

Lecroix knelt beside Apollo, checking his pulse. "He's hanging in," he whispered to me. "But not for long."

I squeezed Apollo's hand, my heart a tight knot in my chest. "We have to finish this."

The seconds felt like hours as Mara typed furiously. Zeke joined her, muttering under his breath as he bypassed firewalls and triggered access points. Every beeping monitor felt like a countdown—one that might end in our destruction.

"There's another security layer," Zeke growled. "Damn it, they built in redundancies."

"We're not leaving without wiping this," Mara snapped, her focus laser-sharp. "If we fail here, Phase Three goes live."

Lecroix stood and crossed to the console. "What happens if we trigger the failsafe?"

"Best case?" Zeke said without looking up. "We blow the building and everything in it."

"And the worst case?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Zeke finally glanced over his shoulder. "We blow everything... and the infection spreads faster. They'll call it a 'containment breach,' but it'll do exactly what they want."

Steph cursed under her breath as the door groaned under the pressure of the infected beast. The metal bowed slightly inward, and we all knew it wouldn't hold for much longer.

Mara's hands flew across the keyboard. "Almost there."

"Move faster," Lecroix urged, his calm voice betraying the tension beneath.

Apollo stirred beside me, his fingers weakly brushing against mine. He was awake, but barely.

"Lib..." he rasped, his eyes fluttering open. "Whatever happens... don't stop."

I swallowed hard, brushing a hand across his damp forehead. "We're going to finish this. I promise."

Suddenly, Mara straightened.

"Got it!" she exclaimed. The screen blinked green as files began to decrypt, one by one. Surveillance footage, emails, medical records—all of it laid bare.

"Start the wipe," Lecroix said. "Now."

Mara hit the final command, and the system hummed with new life as the data began to erase.

"We've got maybe five minutes," she warned. "And then the entire facility locks down."

Zeke cursed. "Five minutes?"

"Yeah," Mara shot back. "You'd rather have none?"

The creature outside roared, slamming into the door. The hinges shrieked, and Steph braced herself, rifle at the ready.

"We need to hold them off," Lecroix said, moving to join her. "Zeke, stay on the system. Everyone else—prepare for a fight."

I nodded, drawing my weapon. The door wouldn't hold much longer.

Lecroix glanced at me, his expression serious but calm. "We'll get through this, Lib. Together."

The door gave with a deafening crash, and the monster surged into the room. It was bigger up close, twisted beyond recognition, with glowing eyes and sharp claws.

"Now!" Steph shouted, firing the first shot.

The rest of us followed, the air thick with gunfire and snarls. The monster moved with terrifying speed, swiping at us with its massive claws. Lecroix dodged just in time, firing a shot into its side, but the creature barely flinched.

"Keep it busy!" Zeke called out, frantically typing commands. "The wipe is almost done!"

Steph grinned, reloading with a flick of her wrist. "I love a challenge." She moved with precision, her shots landing with deadly accuracy, though the beast seemed to absorb every hit.

"We need to slow it down!" I shouted, glancing at Lecroix.

Without hesitation, Lecroix charged forward, drawing the monster's attention. He ducked under its claws, landing a brutal blow with the butt of his rifle.

"Come on, you ugly bastard," Lecroix muttered, drawing it away from Apollo and Zeke.

The beast roared, lunging toward Lecroix just as I fired, the bullet slamming into its back.

"Lib, now!" Lecroix shouted, rolling out of the way as the monster stumbled.

In the chaos, the final status bar on the console turned green.

"We're done!" Zeke yelled. "Data wiped—facility shutting down in three... two..."

The lights flickered, and an alarm blared as the entire system began to power down.

"We need to move!" Mara shouted, motioning toward the exit.

Lecroix grabbed Apollo, pulling him to his feet. I followed close behind, our group sprinting toward the door as the monster struggled to recover.

Steph covered our retreat, her shots precise and deliberate, buying us precious seconds. "Go! I've got this!"

We burst through the exit, the heavy metal door slamming shut behind us. The alarm echoed through the halls, signaling the full shutdown.

We ran, the infected close behind, the facility starting to collapse around us.

Ahead, the night air beckoned—freedom just within reach.

"Almost there!" I shouted, gripping Apollo's arm.

Lecroix pushed forward, leading the way as the walls trembled, debris falling around us.

Finally, we broke through the exit, collapsing onto the cold, open ground as the facility groaned behind us.

The infected roared from inside, trapped in the collapsing structure.

Mara glanced back, breathing hard. "It's over."

I looked at Lecroix, my heart pounding with relief. "We did it."

He gave me a small, tired smile. "Together."