The Last Timeline : Reborn for the spire

Chapter 3: Desperate Measures

1

"Reincarnate," the creature boomed. "The System wants your head."

Lukas felt the hair on his arms stand up. His instincts screamed for him to move. He shoved Serena toward the narrow gap behind the stairwell railing. She tumbled back, gasping, her eyes wide with shock as the armored monster swung its greatsword.

The blade smashed into the concrete where Lukas had been standing a second before. Sparks showered the stairwell like hot rain. The impact left a jagged crater in the wall.

"Move!" Lukas roared at Serena.

He didn't wait for her to obey. He lunged forward, ignoring the burning ache in his lungs. He swung the heavy fire extinguisher with everything he had left. It connected with the creature’s armored knee. The metal casing of the extinguisher dented, but the creature barely staggered. It was too dense, too heavy.

The beast raised its sword for a downward strike. Lukas threw himself to the side, rolling over the debris of the ruined door. He scrambled up, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Is this it?" the creature hissed, its voice sounding like grinding gravel. "The great savior of the timeline? You are nothing."

Lukas gritted his teeth. He couldn't kill this thing with a fire extinguisher. He checked his System display. His stats were still low. He needed a tactical advantage. He looked at the stairwell. It was cramped, narrow, and filled with pipes.

"Hey, ugly!" Lukas yelled, grabbing a piece of loose rebar from the wall.

He didn't run away. He ran toward the pipes overhead. He leaped, catching a rusted water pipe that ran across the ceiling. He swung his body, using his weight to jerk the pipe downward. With a wet, tearing sound, the coupling ripped away from the main supply line. A torrent of pressurized, rusty water erupted, spraying across the stairwell like a heavy mist.

The creature roared, its violet-lit eyes flickering as the water hit its armor. It swung its sword blindly, slicing through the air.

"Serena, the maintenance hatch!" Lukas shouted, pointing to the small, square opening near the floor behind the creature.

Serena hesitated, then lunged for the hatch. She kicked the rusted latch, and it swung open, revealing the dark maintenance tunnel behind the wall.

"Get in!" Lukas commanded.

He dropped from the pipe, landing in the middle of the flooded floor. He splashed toward the hatch, baiting the monster. The creature swung its sword again, the blade catching the edge of the stairwell landing and sending shards of concrete flying. Lukas dived through the hatch just as the massive armored boot slammed into the floor behind him.

He grabbed Serena by the collar and dragged her deeper into the tunnel. They crawled on their hands and knees, the air thick with the smell of damp earth and mold. The sounds of the monster tearing apart the stairwell echoed behind them, a rhythmic, violent thumping that made the entire wall shake.

They scrambled through the darkness for what felt like miles. Lukas’s lungs were burning. His limbs felt like lead. They finally reached a dead end—a heavy, reinforced metallic door that led into the main ventilation system of the building.

"I can't... I can't keep going," Serena sobbed, collapsing against the cold wall. She wiped sweat and grime from her face, her eyes filled with terror. "What is that thing? Why did it call you that?"

Lukas ignored her question. He knelt by the door, pressing his ear against the cold surface. He listened. The thumping had stopped.

"It's searching," Lukas whispered.

He looked at the digital readout on his System window.

[Current Objective: Survive the Vanguard Wave]

[Remaining Time: Forty-eight minutes]

He touched his forearm. The wounds from the earlier fight were still bleeding, but they were beginning to knit together. The System healing effect was kicking in, though it was agonizingly slow.

"We need to find the supply cache," Lukas said, his voice flat. "There are weapons down here. Real weapons. If we go back out there with nothing but a pipe, we are dead meat."

Serena looked at him, her face hardening through her fear. "You know something. You weren't surprised when that monster appeared. You knew it was coming."

Lukas looked at her. He could lie, but it wouldn't change their situation. They were trapped in a basement, the building was crawling with monsters, and he was being hunted by something that recognized him.

"I know how the System works," Lukas admitted, his voice low. "And I know that if we don't level up in the next hour, we won't last until dawn."

Serena stood up, shakily dusting off her clothes. She looked toward the dark tunnel they had just crawled through.

"Then let's find those weapons," she said, her voice firmer than before.

Lukas nodded. He pushed against the metallic door. It was heavy, but it groaned and began to slide open. It was a service elevator shaft. He peered out into the dark, vertical space. Below them, he could hear the distinct sound of skittering claws.

A small pack of shadows was congregating on the floor of the elevator lobby. They were lesser creatures, but there were at least five of them. They were tearing at a bundle of supplies left by a terrified resident.

"We can take them," Lukas whispered. "But we have to be smart. We need to drop down on top of them before they notice us."

He looked at the wires hanging from the elevator ceiling. He pulled his knife from his belt and tested the blade. It was chipped, but it was sharp enough.

"On my count," Lukas said.

Serena reached into her pocket and pulled out a heavy flashlight. "I'll blind them."

Lukas gripped the wire. "Three. Two. One."

They surged forward, leaping into the abyss of the shaft. They crashed down onto the monsters, the element of surprise on their side. The creatures screeched, caught off guard by the sudden assault from above. Lukas drove his knife into the neck of the nearest shadow, feeling the sickening slide of the blade through its hide.

They fought with everything they had. Lukas used his momentum to stomp on a creature's skull, while Serena swung the flashlight like a club, smashing it against a shadow's snout. They cleared the lobby in seconds, but the noise was deafening.

The elevator doors at the end of the hall suddenly hissed open. A group of survivors stumbled out, carrying crates, their eyes wide with panic. Behind them, more creatures poured out of the vents.

"Run!" one of the survivors screamed.

Lukas saw a familiar face among the group. It was Vika, clutching a box of ammunition. Behind her, a shadow lunged, its claws bared to strike.

"Behind you!" Lukas shouted, throwing his knife.

The blade struck the shadow, pinning it to the wall, but it was too late. Another monster hit the group, sending them scattering. The heavy metallic door at the end of the hallway began to close automatically as the security system engaged a lockdown protocol.

Lukas ran toward the door, trying to get inside, but the gap was closing too fast. He dove, sliding his body through the opening, just as the door slammed shut with a final, booming thud. He stood up on the other side, breathing hard, and turned around to pull Serena through, but the door stayed locked.

She was on the other side. Lukas pounded his fist against the metal.

"Serena!"

A muffled scream answered him from the other side. Then, the sound of the metal door locking into place echoed through the corridor. He was alone in the stairwell, and from the shadows above, a low, guttural growl began to resonate.