The roar of engines outside the Credit Union's main entrance was deafening, followed by the screech of tires and the slamming of multiple vehicle doors. There was no time for deliberation. Ethan grabbed Lily's small hand, his eyes darting to the heavy, barred gate leading towards the vault antechamber. The slumped figure of the Walker guard behind it was their immediate, gruesome obstacle.
"Lily, stay behind me, no matter what," he hissed, pulling her towards the gate. "Don't look."
[CRITICAL THREAT: TRAPPED WALKER (SECURITY GUARD). LOCATION: VAULT ANTECHAMBER. CURRENT STATE: DORMANT, BUT WILL AGGRO UPON SENSING PROXIMITY/SOUND. RECOMMEND IMMEDIATE, SILENT NEUTRALIZATION PRIOR TO HOSTILE HUMAN GROUP INVESTIGATING THIS BUILDING.]
[ANALYSIS: BARS OF GATE WIDE ENOUGH FOR PRECISION STRIKE WITH MELEE WEAPON (KNIFE/CROWBAR TIP). TARGET CERVICAL SPINE OR EYE SOCKET FOR INSTANT KILL.]
The voices outside were louder now, boisterous and aggressive. "Check this one! Doors look solid!" one man yelled.
Ethan reached the gate. The Walker guard, disturbed by their approach or the commotion outside, began to stir, its head slowly lifting, a low moan building in its throat. Ethan's hunting knife was in his hand instantly. He didn't have the reach with the bat through the bars.
"System, highlight vital point, now!" he thought, a silent command.
A tiny, almost invisible red dot appeared on the Walker's exposed temple, just visible through the bars.
He had one shot. He took a deep breath, aimed carefully through a gap in the steel bars, and thrust with all his might. The knife point, guided by his desperate focus and the System's subtle aim assistance (which he perceived as a moment of perfect clarity), found its mark.
The Walker jerked violently, its moan cutting off with a wet gurgle, then slumped forward against the bars, truly still.
[WALKER NEUTRALIZED (STEALTH KILL). EXP +15. MINIMAL NOISE GENERATED.]
[HOSTILE HUMAN SIGNATURES (3) DETECTED AT MAIN ENTRANCE. ATTEMPTING TO FORCE ENTRY.]
"They're trying to get in the front!" Ethan whispered, fumbling with the gate's simple latch. It clicked open. He pulled Lily through into the dim antechamber, then quickly closed and re-latched the gate behind them. This small room, smelling of old paper and faint disinfectant, led to an imposing, circular steel vault door, which stood slightly ajar, a dark crack inviting them further in.
"Inside, quick!"
They slipped through the narrow opening. The vault itself was surprisingly small, lined with safety deposit boxes, most of them closed. The air was heavy, cool, and utterly silent once Ethan carefully pushed the massive door almost closed, leaving only a sliver for observation if needed. The sounds from outside were heavily muffled now.
Lily was trembling like a leaf, her eyes wide in the near darkness, barely illuminated by the faint light filtering from the antechamber through the crack in the vault door. Ethan put an arm around her. "Shhh. We're hidden. Just stay quiet."
Footsteps and loud voices echoed from the main teller area, just beyond the antechamber.
"Place looks picked clean mostly!" one man shouted.
"Check for a back office, maybe a safe!" another voice, rougher, replied.
[HOSTILES (3) ARE SWEEPING THE MAIN FLOOR. CURRENTLY UNAWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE IN VAULT. HIGH PROBABILITY OF THEM CHECKING VAULT ANTECHAMBER.]
Ethan held his breath. He could hear them moving closer, their boots scuffing on the tiled floor. He maneuvered himself and Lily further into the vault, behind a tall stack of empty metal lockboxes in a darker corner.
The barred gate to the antechamber rattled. "This leads to the vault, boss. Looks locked. And there's a dead guard in there, one of them… things."
"Vault door itself open?" the rough voice asked.
A pause. "Nah, looks shut tight from here. Probably empty anyway if the front's been tossed."
Another voice chimed in, "Waste of time. Let's check the next block. Heard there was a pharmacy that might still have goodies."
[HOSTILES ARE DISCUSSING DEPARTURE. LIKELIHOOD OF THEM ATTEMPTING TO BREACH VAULT DOOR: LOW, GIVEN PERCEIVED EFFORT VS. POTENTIAL REWARD.]
Ethan felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. The minutes stretched into an eternity. Finally, he heard the voices receding, followed by the distant slam of vehicle doors and the roar of engines fading into the distance.
They waited, huddled in the cold silence of the vault, for what felt like hours but was probably only ten more minutes.
[HOSTILE HUMAN SIGNATURES NO LONGER DETECTED WITHIN 200-METER RADIUS. IMMEDIATE THREAT SUBSIDED.]
Ethan let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "I think… I think they're gone, Lily."
He cautiously peered through the crack in the vault door. The antechamber was empty, as was the visible portion of the main bank floor. He pushed the heavy door open a little wider.
"Let's see if they left us any surprises," he muttered, more to himself than Lily. He did a quick sweep of the antechamber and the main floor. The men had been sloppy, knocking over a few more things, but hadn't stayed long.
Back in the vault, his flashlight beam played over the safety deposit boxes. Most were shut. One, however, near the bottom, was slightly ajar, its lock broken, likely by a previous, more desperate looter. Curious, Ethan pulled it open.
Inside, amidst some mundane papers, was a small, velvet bag. He opened it. Instead of jewelry or cash, it contained a set of car keys with a small plastic tag attached: "Branch Manager – Ford Explorer – Parking Lot B." There was also a folded city map, far more detailed than the basic one the System had initially provided him, with several locations circled in red ink, one of which was a route leading directly to Highway 316.
[NEW RESOURCE ACQUIRED: DETAILED LOCAL MAP. NEW POTENTIAL ASSET: VEHICLE KEYS (FORD EXPLORER). LOCATION OF VEHICLE UNKNOWN, 'PARKING LOT B' IS AMBIGUOUS WITHOUT FURTHER CONTEXT. MAP DATA CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO SYSTEM FOR ENHANCED NAVIGATION.]
"Well, now," Ethan said, a spark of something like hope igniting. A vehicle. If they could find it, and if it still worked… "Lily, I think our trip to Atlanta might have just gotten a little bit faster."
But as he pocketed the keys and the map, ready to find a safer way out of the bank than the compromised service door or the exposed front, the System flashed a new, unexpected notification.
[UNEXPECTED ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED. SOURCE: WITHIN THIS VAULT. LOW-LEVEL, INTERMITTENT. NATURE: UNKNOWN. NOT BIOLOGICAL. NOT STANDARD ELECTRICAL. FURTHER ANALYSIS REQUIRED. APPROACH SOURCE WITH CAUTION.]
An energy signature? In here? Ethan's eyes scanned the rows of dull metal boxes, a new kind of unease settling in. What now?