He glanced at her to see her eyes locked on the spot. “It’s ok, I’ll keep you safe.”
After a moment she looked at him and nodded. They began moving down the hallway and passed by where John had dropped his deck of cards. Bending over quickly he scooped them up and deposited them in his pocket.
They swiftly made their way down the massive hallway, eyes constantly darting to the various shops, mistaking shadows for a prowling Model Three and a knocked over clothing rack for a hidden Model Four.
Soon enough they came across their first intersection. Leading Sophia towards a corner, John attempted to peer down the hallway without exposing himself too much. Luckily there didn't seem to be any obvious Antithesis in the way.
About halfway down John froze. He wasn’t sure why but something in him was screaming that he was in danger. His eyes furtively darted around the area trying to spot what had him feeling like this.
After scrutinizing the spot, John could just barely make out the form of tentacles bunched up above the door. Motioning for Sophia to stay where she was and be quiet, he quietly moved into a position where he could better see the hidden alien.
John, too focused to even respond, pulled out his new cards. Carefully lining up the shot she sent one card whipping through the air and into the center of the shadowy mass. With a sudden jerk, the Model Four writhed all its tentacles as it fell.
Not wanting to take any chances, John sent two more cards flying into the mass, causing it to go still.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 15 Points
Total - 15 Points
John heaved a sigh of relief even as he looked around him to try and spot any other Antithesis. Seeing none, he waved for Sophia to join him.
“That was awesome!” She said.
John smiled and mussed her hair. “Thanks. Let’s keep going.”
They kept walking through the hallway and didn’t notice any other hidden aliens.
‘Syl, isn’t it odd to have so few Antithesis in this area?’
John rolled that idea around in his head as they walked. He was not looking forward to having to take out an alien horde.
He was pulled out of his musings by Sophia jerking on his hand. Glancing at her he saw her pointing into a nearby store. Peering into the flickering lights, John saw something moving.
After a moment, he realized what they were. A group of Model threes, at least four, were rummaging around a candy shop. He began backing away slowly, pulling Sophia with him and hoping the aliens wouldn’t notice them. Suddenly, Sophia squealed. Whipping his head around John saw what had happened, a synth-plant leaf had brushed against her and startled her.
“Fuck.” was all he got out as he saw the Model Threes heads whip up to look at them. Running a quick count he noticed that there were actually six of the dog-like aliens inside the store.
‘Anything I can get that would let me take out all of them in one go?’
In the half second he and Sylmora had been talking, the Model Threes had begun rushing out of the shop, completely silent except for the sound of their paws hitting the floor.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
John quickly looked around trying to find somewhere for Sophia to be safe. He spotted a cart sitting in the middle of the hallway that sold small toys, there appeared to be a small space just large enough for the young girl to crawl in.
“Sophia, go hide in that cart and don’t come out until I tell you it’s safe ok?” He gave her a small push in that direction before turning back to the incoming aliens. As quickly as he was able to, he whipped a throwing card in the direction of the first Three and scored a deep wound on its shoulder, causing it to begin limping.
Quickly moving away from the cart, he kept throwing cards. After two more superficial wounds on the first Three John finally landed one in its head, dropping it.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 10 Points
Total - 25 Points
He barely had a second to breathe before one of the uninjured Threes lunged at him. John threw himself to the side to avoid it and landed hard on his shoulder. He scrambled to get back to his feet and quickly whipped another card at the one that had lunged at him.
Luckily, it had got head first into a large planter and was dazed, making for an easy kill.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 10 Points
Total - 35 Points
As he tried to lock onto where the last four Threes were, he noticed one of them was poking around the cart, knocking it around and trying to get inside.
“Syl, flashbang.”
New Purchase: FlashCard (Single)
Points reduced to - 34
A card appeared in the air in front of him, white with gold designs as opposed to the black and silver of his throwing cards. He quickly grabbed it and whipped it in the direction of the other three Antithesis before rushing towards the one messing with the cart.
As he started moving he kept an eye on the three he threw the card at. He watched as the card slapped the center one in the face before he was forced to close his eyes. The card lit up with a loud bang and a flash of light strong enough to blind him if he stared too closely.
Once he was within range of the cart he threw two cards in quick succession, the first ripped into its back leg, causing it to tip backwards into the path of the second card which punctured the back of its skull.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 10 Points
Total - 44 Points
John spun to face the last three before it had even hit the floor but was sent flying before he could see where they were at. The breath was driven from his lungs as he landed on his back and the Three that had tackled him was standing on his chest trying to rip him to shreds.
He held the things neck and was pushing with all his might against it in hopes of keeping it away from his face. With a mighty shove, John sent the Three to the side and rolled on top of it. Deciding to trust in the integrity of his gloves he grabbed a card and shoved it into the alien's eye socket, using the palm of his hand to push it in.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 10 Points
Total - 54 Points
John’s breathing was ragged, but he couldn’t stop yet. He stumbled to his feet and saw the last two Model Threes quickly closing in on him. He drew a card and threw it towards one of them and watched as it stuck into the things forehead, but didn’t drop it. He tried to draw another card but didn’t have time before they both lunged for him.
He tried to throw himself to the side again but was too slow, causing the one he hadn’t attacked to hit him in the leg. John was sent careening into a nearby planter while the two aliens flew by. He grabbed onto the lip of the planter and heaved himself upright, turning towards where the Threes had gone.
His throwing arm felt leaden as he pulled one last card and took aim. With all the energy he had left, John threw the card at the healthy Model Three when it tried to jump at him again.
‘These things really don’t like to plan do they?’ Was the only thing he could think of as the corpse barreled into him, knocking him down once again.
Target Eliminated!
Reward - 20 Points
Total - 74 Points
‘Twenty? I thought I only killed one?’
John let his head fall to the ground. ‘That was far too exhausting. I may be in shape, but apparently not combat shape.’
He didn’t have the energy to muster a response and instead just lay there for a minute, not able to muster the energy to shove the dead alien off his legs. Eventually though, he worked his legs out from under the dead Model Three and made his way over to the cart.
“Sophia, it’s John. It’s safe to come out now,” after a second, Sohpia’s head poked out from under the cart. John smiled and helped her stand up.
She looked around at the broken furniture splattered with green Antithesis blood and the six dead Model Threes that looked like they lost a particularly brutal game of 52 card pickup.
John looked her over carefully. “Are you okay?”
After a few moments she pulled her eyes away from the carnage. “Y…yeah, I’m okay.”
He stared at her for a couple more seconds before nodding. “Good, let's keep moving.”
John took Sophia’s hand as they made their way down the hallway. Slowly his steps regained some of their energy so he could stop dragging his feet.
‘Syl, can I get something to help with my exhaustion?’
John thought about it for a few steps. ‘Let’s go with temporary for now. We can discuss some permanent solutions later’
‘Sounds good. Can I get a nutrient bar or something? As calorie dense as possible.’
New Purchase: Stamin-up
Points reduced to - 73
New Purchase: Nutrition Bar
Points reduced to - 72
John held out his hand as a small box appeared. Tossing the lid to the side he saw there was a small pill nestled next to what looked like a generic protein bar. He dry-swallowed the pill before quickly consuming the bar as they walked. The protein bar tastes like a smooth chocolate with no hint of the usually chalky texture. After a few
moments he noticed the burn in his muscles being replaced with a sense of energy.
https://discord.gg/4wMxTWuy