Apocalypse Landlord: The Sanctuary System

The Pregnant Refugee

Chapter 4: The Pregnant Refugee

"Deylor! Get your ass back out here! Leave the peaches, your break just got canceled!"

Daryx’s voice echoed through the hollow corridors of the tenement, sharp enough to cut through the heavy silence of the lobby. He didn’t wait for a response, his fingers already dancing across the translucent blue HUD that hovered in the air.

"System, open the Experimental Shop. Now."

[Accessing Experimental Tier... Warning: Items in this category are unstable and may cause permanent structural or genetic anomalies. Proceed?]

"I’m about to have a 'Harbinger' knocking on my door, System. I’ll take my chances with an anomaly over being flattened. Show me the inventory."

"What’s going on?" Deylor skidded back into the lobby, wiping syrup from his chin. His men were right behind him, clutching their batons and looking frantic. "I heard you yelling about a Harbinger. You’re not talking about the legends, are you? The things that level city blocks?"

"I’m talking about the thing that’s currently eleven minutes and forty seconds away from us," Daryx said, not looking away from his screen. "Tavrix! Get down here! I need your eyes on these energy readings!"

The tech scout, Tavrix, practically tumbled down the stairs, his ruggedized tablet already glowing. "I’m seeing it! The local frequency is spiking so hard my sensors are literally smoking! Daryx, what the hell is that thing?"

"A problem," Daryx muttered. "System, what can I get for seven thousand credits that stops a tank?"

[Available Experimental Upgrades:]

[1. Molecular Displacement Field (Temporary) - 4,500 Credits]

[2. Neural-Link Sentry Interface - 3,000 Credits]

[3. 'Thorn' Reactive Armor Plating - 6,000 Credits]

"The Displacement Field," Daryx commanded. "Buy it. And the Sentry Interface. Tavrix, you’re about to get a direct feed into those turrets. Can you handle it without your brain melting?"

Tavrix looked at the notification popping up on his own tablet. "Direct neural link? Man, I haven't done that since the beta tests in the underground circuits! It’s gonna hurt like a bitch, but yeah, I can do it."

"Good. Do it. Sarah, get the VIP to the basement. Now!"

"The basement?" Sarah cried out from the stairs. "You said the third floor was the safest!"

"That was before a Harbinger was on the guest list! Move!"

Daryx turned his attention back to the monitors he’d slaved to his HUD. The external cameras were grainy, flickering with static as the air outside began to warp from the approaching entity. But then, something else caught his eye.

A flash of silver. A blur of movement on the edge of the screen.

"Wait... System, zoom in on the North Gate. Street level."

The image cleared. A lone woman was sprinting down the center of the street, her movements a jagged dance of desperation and lethal precision. She was wearing a tattered combat suit, and in her hand was a blade that hummed with the same blue light as Daryx’s barrier.

Behind her, four shadows were closing in. They were lean, multi-limbed horrors that moved with a sickening, twitching speed.

"Rippers," Deylor hissed, leaning over Daryx’s shoulder. "Fastest scouts in the swarm. If they catch her, she’s shredded meat in seconds."

"She’s leading them right to us," one of the other guards muttered, his hand shaking on his baton. "Boss, we can't let her in. If she brings those things to the gate, the barrier will drain in minutes."

Daryx watched the screen. The woman spun, her blade severing the arm of the lead Ripper in a spray of black ichor. She didn't stop to finish it. she kept running, her eyes fixed on the blue glow of the Blackwood Tenements.

"She’s good," Daryx whispered. "Look at her footwork. She’s not just running; she’s kiting them."

"She’s a liability, Daryx!" Deylor barked. "Look at the clock! Ten minutes! We can't be dealing with a stray survivor and four Rippers when that clicking thing gets here!"

"System, scan the survivor," Daryx ignored him.

[Scanning... Entity: Mirelka Sorevia. Class: Vanguard (Evolved). Status: Critical. Energy levels: 4%. Note: Subject is carrying a 'High-Value System Core'.]

Daryx’s eyes narrowed. "A System Core? You mean the things used to upgrade Sanctum Tiers?"

[Affirmative. Value: 50,000 Credits or 1 Instant Property Evolution.]

Daryx felt a cold, familiar thrill in his chest. "Well, Deylor, it looks like our new tenant just brought a very expensive housewarming gift."

"You’re going to risk the whole building for a Core?" Deylor asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Daryx, those Rippers are seconds away from her. If you open that gate, even for a heartbeat, they’re inside."

"Then don't let them in," Daryx said, his voice flat. "Tavrix! Are the turrets live?"

"Linked and loaded!" Tavrix yelled from the corner, his eyes rolled back in his head as the HUD interface synced with his optic nerves. "I can see through the barrels, Daryx! It’s... it’s beautiful! I can see the heat signatures of their beating hearts!"

"Target the Rippers, not the girl," Daryx commanded. "Wait for my signal."

On the screen, Mirelka was fifty yards from the gate. She stumbled, her knee hitting the cracked asphalt. The Rippers let out a synchronized screech, their back legs coiling for the final leap.

"She’s down!" Sarah screamed from the balcony. "Open the gate! Please!"

"Not yet," Daryx muttered, his thumb hovering over the control. "Wait for it... wait for it..."

Mirelka looked up. She saw the blue wall. She saw the man standing behind the glass of the lobby window. She didn't scream. She didn't beg. She simply raised her blade, the last of its light flickering out, and braced herself.

"Now! Tavrix, fire! System, aperture open!"

The twin turrets on the gate roared to life. The thud-thud-thud of the heavy rounds tore through the air, creating a wall of lead just inches behind Mirelka’s heels. Two of the Rippers were turned into red mist instantly. The other two swerved, their chitinous armor sparking as the bullets grazed them.

The blue barrier split open, a narrow gap appearing in the shimmering wall.

"Run!" Daryx roared, his voice amplified by the System.

Mirelka didn't need to be told twice. She lunged forward, her body a streak of exhausted muscle. She cleared the threshold just as the remaining two Rippers hit the barrier.

CRACK.

The sound was like a lightning strike. The Rippers didn't just sizzle; the new Molecular Displacement Field Daryx had bought caused the space they occupied to simply... fold. They vanished in a silent pop of displaced air and gore.

[Pest Control active. 4.0 Credits earned.]

Mirelka collapsed the moment she was inside the perimeter. She skidded across the concrete of the courtyard, her momentum carrying her right to the lobby doors.

Daryx stepped out, the cool air of the morning hitting his face. He reached her just as she tried to push herself up. Her hands were raw, bleeding through her gloves, and her breath was a ragged, wet whistle in her chest.

"Easy," Daryx said, reaching down to grab her shoulder. "You’re inside. You’re on private property."

"The... the Core..." she wheezed, her head lolling back.

Daryx froze. As he lifted her, he noticed a pulsing, rhythmic glow emanating from beneath the fabric of her suit, right at her abdomen. It wasn't coming from a bag or a pocket. It was coming from inside her.

"System, report," Daryx whispered.

[Warning: High-Value System Core has been 'Bio-Fused'. Subject is acting as a living vessel. Extraction will result in 90% fatality rate for the vessel.]

"Great," Daryx muttered. "A tenant who’s also a bomb. Just what I needed."

"Daryx, look at her face," Deylor said, walking up and holstering his baton. He looked down at the girl with a mixture of pity and recognition. "She’s one of the Sorevias. The family that owned the tech sectors before the Collapse. They were supposed to be the first ones evacuated."

"Well, she missed her flight," Daryx said, hoisting her up. She was lighter than she looked, but her skin was burning hot, the glow from her abdomen intensifying with every heartbeat.

Suddenly, Mirelka’s hand shot up, gripping Daryx’s collar with surprising strength. Her eyes snapped open—they weren't brown or blue, but a swirling, liquid gold.

"The... the clicking..." she gasped, her voice sounding like two stones grinding together. "Is it... is it here?"

"Seven minutes away," Daryx said, his eyes locked on hers. "Who sent you here, Mirelka? How did you know about the Blackwood Tenements?"

She let out a harsh, choking laugh, her head falling against his chest. "Not sent... hunted... he's coming for the Core..."

"Who is?" Daryx asked, his 'Cold Heart' bonus ticking as he felt the sheer power vibrating off her.

She leaned in closer, her lips brushing his ear as her strength finally began to fail.

"Tell... Malphas..." she whispered, the name sending a sudden, violent error code across Daryx’s HUD. "Tell him... the lease is... expired..."

Daryx went rigid. The world around him seemed to slow down.

"System," Daryx said, his voice trembling for the first time since the world ended. "Search that name. Check the 'Blacklist' I received during the purchase."

A red screen, darker and more ominous than the blue HUD, flashed into existence.

[Query: Malphas.]

[Status: Rank 1 - Blacklisted Entity.]

[Title: The First Debt Collector.]

[Note: This entity is the primary architect of the 'Collapse' event. Property owners are advised to surrender all assets immediately upon contact.]

Daryx looked at the woman in his arms, then at the horizon where a massive, insectoid shadow was beginning to rise above the skyline, its metallic clicking now loud enough to rattle the windows of the tenement.

"A debt collector," Daryx whispered, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face despite the fear. "Well, it’s a good thing I’ve never been very good at paying my bills."

"Daryx?" Deylor asked, stepping back as he saw the look on the boss's face. "What did she say? Who’s Malphas?"

"Nobody you need to worry about yet," Daryx said, turning and carrying the girl toward the lobby. "Tavrix! Forget the turrets! Divert all power to the barrier! I want every volt we have in that blue wall!"

"But the Harbinger—"

"The Harbinger isn't the one coming for her," Daryx shouted over his shoulder. "The Harbinger is just the distraction. We’ve got a real problem coming, and he’s coming to check my books."

As he stepped through the lobby doors, the System chimed one last time for the hour.

[New Objective: Defend the Vessel.]

[Reward: Absolute Ownership of the District.]

[Failure: Eviction (Total).]

"Eviction," Daryx muttered, kicking the door shut behind him. "Over my dead body."

[END OF CHAPTER 4]