"Always confirm the kill. Idiot."
Henrick scolds himself under his breath, watching the giant's body finally stop producing the dark purple liquid that's seeping into his bones and muscles. His electricity pulses in a steady rhythm as he feels something akin to a lock being smashed open inside his body.
Electric blue energy spreads from his heart, snaking their way through his veins. The energy makes it to the tips of his fingers and make their way back to the heart, an overwhelming sense of strength settling as soon as the energy calms down.
The soldier summons electricity on his fingertips and manipulates it with even more ease than he did before. He makes a tiny arc of electricity and makes it bounce around from finger to finger, gradually increasing the speed until it flies out of control and strikes the behemoth's body.
It drills into the carcass, easily ripping through mutated flesh and implodes deep inside, creating a muffled explosion. "Interesting." Henrick says to himself, fascination on his face from the new method of attack.
A hand grabs his shoulder and gives it a firm shake as Henrick is taken out of his musings by Father David, whose face is set in worried lines. "We've got to go. Those monsters will be arriving soon." Henrick, now very aware of how close the screams sound, nods and takes off towards the Empire State Building.
As soon as they enter the lobby, an earthen wall is erected in front of the entrance and blocks off the dim lighting from the building. Dominic then gasps as he sits down in exhaustion, partly from the fight, as well as from the way that Henrick manhandled him not too long ago.
Deep bruises start forming on his neck as he glares hatefully at Henrick, his breathing laboured as his body tries to heal the damage. The roars of the damned are muffled by the earth barrier, but does nothing in mitigating the rumbling of the earth at their approach.
"We're gonna die."
"What now??"
"God help us."
"I want powers too!"
The whispers of those that have given up, and those that are desperate, intermingle and form an almost annoying buzzing in Henrick's ear. He grunts in annoyance, not really expecting any results, but raises a brow as the whispers fade into unsteady breaths and panicked gasps.
Ordinary survivors look at him in awe and deference, likely due to the power he showcased during the fight, their body language suggesting that they now see him as their de facto leader. The old man steps forward, eyes not daring to look at Henrick.
"Um...sir...no...um." the old man stutters, unable to calm his nerves in the face of Henrick's intimidating stature. It doesn't help that his eyes are still glowing faintly in the dim lighting. Henrick places a reassuring hand on the elders shoulder, his face easing into a smile as he steps back a little.
"There's no need to be scared. What is it?" Henrick says calmly, almost gently, as the old man breathes out a sigh of relief at Henrick's words. He takes a deep breath and looks firmly into Henrick's eyes. "I'm Thomas. We'd like to follow yo-" "No."
Thomas freezes at the interruption, and his face is stuck in a grimace at the crisp refusal. He opens his mouth and closes it again, unable to find the words that would be appropriate. "...why?" the old man settles on that simple question, desperation slowly creeping up on his face.
Henrick just gives him a sad smile as he looks around for his companions. "I'm no leader." The reply hits Thomas like a physical blow as he steps back disbelievingly. "You'd leave us to fend for ourselves? Please, we have children with us!" the elder pleads as he kneels down and grabs Henrick's pant leg.
A woman clutches her child close to her chest, resignation and hopelessness radiating off of her body. The child, though young, senses his mother's distress and starts crying softly.
The soldier just shakes his head and tries to pry Thomas' hand away, but the elder's grip is stronger than it appears, and Henrick would have to use painful force to successfully remove him. He tries to lift his leg, but Thomas is taken along with it.
Selene, who is near the front desk, nudges David towards what's happening. Father David approaches and helps Thomas up, the old man a trembling crying mess as he looks up at Henrick pleadingly. "Maybe it's best if we settle first. Please, Thomas." the priest says even as Thomas tries to shrug him off.
"You brought more people?!!! We don't have the resources you idiot!!"
A shout near the front desk of the lobby, shocks Thomas just enough for him to let go. Henrick takes the opportunity to walk towards the commotion, his eyes scanning for any potential threats.
"We couldn't just leave them to die out there, Karl." says Alex, standing defiantly in front of a tall, thin, and rough looking man with scars on his face. Karl just sneers his fingernails sharpening into claws, his fangs elongating, and his posture suggesting imminent violence. "Why not? Eric won't be happy about this."
Selene frowns and summons a few magic bolts and a sword. "I don't care who Eric is, but we came a long way." Karl laughs at her words and growls threateningly, uncaring of their situation.
Flames gather on Alex's arms, frowning at Karl's words, and steps into his space. "You may be Eric's lackey, but I'm not. Get out of the way." Alex says with an intensity that could burn a man, his flames casting flickering shadows along the walls, reminding Karl of his power.
The lackey just growls and spits on the ground. He moves to say more but widens his eyes at the approaching Henrick, and slightly pulls back at his imposing form. "What's going on here?" Henrick asks as the 5 remaining ordinary survivors group up behind the soldier.
"Wh-who the hell is this big body a-ass bitch?!" Karl blurts, more in fear than bravado as his animalistic senses scream at him to escape. Henrick bristles at his words, muscles tensing in preparation for any attack, eyes glowing in response to his emotions.
Alex inwardly sneers at Karl's mistake and steps towards him aggressively. "I know you guys were watching earlier. He's the one with electricity. Trust me, the last thing that got on his bad side had its brain melted, so what's it gonna be Karl?" says Alex, a smug satisfaction welling up in his chest as he watches the lackey squirm.
Karl clenches his trembling fist, only half listening to Alex, as Henrick's very eyes drill into his own. He shakily scoffs and turns away as the rest of Alex's group walk towards him, ready to back him up if necessary.
"Just you wait, Alex. You'll come begging for more resources. Then, we'll own you." Karl says as he takes an elevator towards the upper floors. Henrick watches him until he disappears into the elevator, then turns to Alex.
"Do you have your own floor?" Alex nods at the question, heading to the elevator and pressing the 28th floor. His group follow along with the ordinary survivors, the scent of fear and unwashed bodies rankling Henrick's nose.
They all squeeze into an elevator and make their way to the 28th floor. The elevator doors open to reveal an open and sleek open space office floor, with quite a few survivors in their own spots. "We don't have much, but we have someone that can create and manipulate water, so feel free to drink up."
Father David lights up at those words, the group's water supply having ran out a while ago. Henrick nods sharply, scanning the floor before looking at Alex once more. "Tell me about Eric." the soldier says, sensing that there's a lot more than a rivalry.
Jen frowns and clenches her fists at the mention of Eric, her twin daggers clenched even tighter. "Eric is a monster. He's on the 50th floor. Used to work here before everything went to shit." Henrick waits for her to continue.
Scratching her head in frustration, she lets out a sound of annoyance before continuing. "He used to be part of our group, but split off from us after he got sick of the constant rationing. Took 10 ability users with him." Jen finishes and stares at Alex.
Alex chuckles at how heated Jen is, but quickly schools his expressions when he thinks about Eric. "He's strong. He has the ability to release explosive blasts from his hands. None of us could beat him." he says, staring at Henrick with a calculating gleam in his eyes.
"But you can. He never would have been able to overpower a Goliath like that. Trust me, we've tried. Had to run away from all of them before."
The fire wielder pauses at those words and opens his arms as if giving a presentation. "Henrick, help us. These people need our help more than ever. Think of all the children-" he begins, but is interrupted when Henrick raise his large hand and shakes his head. "No. I can't take care of people. I'm not built for that."
Alex's eyes light in flames as he passionately continues. "You're the strongest person I've seen so far! As long as you can kill those things out there, you can protect everyone!" he says, almost in anger, and frowns when he sees the sad smile on Henrick's face.
"Just because you can kill, doesn't mean you can protect. Had to learn that the hard way." the soldier says, melancholic memories of the sewers crashing into him. Father David places a hand on his shoulder, and closes his eyes in silent prayer, offering his support the way he knows best.
Jacob bumps into Henrick's shoulder, resulting in the wind user staggering, before he walks next to Alex. "Ow. Forget this guy, we can take Eric! All we have to do is bring Elly onto our side." Henrick suddenly appears in front of Jacob with a flash of electricity and looms over the much shorter man.
"Say that name again."
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END