“Leo, I know I wasn’t as welcoming as Lily in the beginning. God knows there aren’t many people who can match her energy… but honestly, I just wanted to tell you that despite everything that happened, I’m glad you came to live with us.
You’re a part of our family, so please remember that no matter what you need, I’m here for you. Hell, I’ll even keep you hidden from Lily. Everyone needs some time away from that bloody girl… I swear, sometimes I wonder how we are even related…”
–Nicholas Hale to Leonardo Hale, a few years before the Outbreak
As minute after minute ticked by, Leo sat slumped in the corridor, his back pressed firmly against the cold wall. He had already shed all the tears his body could give, leaving only a mixture of blood, dirt, and salt to painfully sting his face. At this point, Leo knew he had to look like a deranged maniac, covered in grime and gore, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to care even a little bit.
What was a bit of blood and dirt in the face of losing more people he loved?
Nothing, literally nothing.
In the past, he had believed that he had become accustomed to his loved ones vanishing from his life, that life had desensitized him to such situations. He was wrong, so very wrong. There was no getting used to the pain of having family ripped out of his heart.
A bitter chuckle escaped his throat. But I don’t have a normal heart anymore, do I? A shard of some long-forgotten goddess took even that away… This fucking Void is trying to take everything away… Edward, Nick, Adam. He shook his head. No. Their apartment was empty, no bodies. Until I find something that proves otherwise, they can still be out there.
His bones and muscles groaned as he slowly pushed himself up to his feet. Each step he took felt heavy and unsteady, and the images flashing through his mind became an even bigger nuisance now that he had decided to move. Nevertheless, he carried on to complete the task that lay ahead.
Door after door, he left no surface untouched. No matter how large an apartment was, he searched everything, stepping into every nook, every cranny. If there could be a body waiting somewhere out there, he couldn’t leave it unidentified, whether it was a Voidling or human.
Sometimes a Scavenger or a Scuttlejaw would dash out of destroyed furniture or a hole in the wall, hoping to make an easy meal out of him. However, even in his current state, with the waves of hurt filling his mind, he never let those creatures touch him.
Instincts, Leo noted at one point as he ripped one rat to shreds with his claws and cut another into pieces thanks to the knife in his hand. Those puny Voidlings didn’t stand a chance against a monster stronger than them—a monster ready to evolve into something far worse.
Not that he paid much attention to those fleeting thoughts that came and went like the wind. Most of his focus lay on his task, on overturning the fallen corpses and looking them straight in the face. His eye searched for the familiar features of his family, of little Adam and Ava, but to his relief, he found nothing.
They are not here. He swallowed hard as he leaned against the entrance to the last apartment on the first floor, holding a large cloth sheet tightly in his hands. It took time—more than this entire trip should have—but in the end, he had searched every single spot in this building.
Leave nothing to chance.
Yet how could he not?
He had no real idea what happened here, and thinking about it only made his head hurt. There were just too many possibilities regarding Ava’s and Adam’s fate. The bodies lying all around the building only proved that.
Maybe they escaped as soon as they woke up? He shook his head, gritting his teeth. No. Too many Voidlings all around… And Nick was somehow outside the flat during all of this. Was he coming back or going somewhere? So many questions.
Someone must have helped Ava and Adam escape if the two were even inside the building at that time. Aside from the human bodies he had found, almost all Voidlings were killed by man-made wounds, or so it seemed. It could have been one of the scouts from the bigger group or some other people altogether.
Not every flat had bodies inside. Maybe more people here got through the Outbreak. He reasoned, looking around the staircase. Even this floor had one apartment without any signs of fighting or Void’s presence, excluding the living matter, of course. Still, that leaves the Crawlers. Where did they come from?
Those two beasts made this building their home, and Leo remembered well the one crucial detail about them in Bestiary. That one sentence made his insides twist painfully even back then.
Formed from children’s bodies that bonded with the nearby insects during an Outbreak.
His head fell against the wall, fists clenching even as his claws dug into the exposed bricks. Don’t even fucking think about it! However, his mind already went in that direction, assaulting him with images of his young nephew’s possible fate.
It painted a horrible picture filled with a crimson glare, six thin spider-like legs, and a thin, bony body crawling along the walls like a night horror. His mind spared him no pain, as it even slapped Adam’s face to the Crawler’s deformed body.
Stop! His human fist sailed through the air, crashing into the brick wall. Pain immediately exploded across his fingers and knuckles, and he welcomed it with open arms, pushing whatever his mind tried to conjure out of his head.
Even as blood dripped from the shallow scrapes on his fist, he paid it no mind and just snatched the large sheet that had fallen to the ground. Dwelling on probable scenarios would only bring more suffering, and he didn’t need more of that. Not when he had one last job to finish here.
One final goodbye.
He trudged up the stairs, his eyes fixed straight ahead, never straying from his path. Only when he reached the third floor did he come to a halt, a grimace already on his face as his feet once again carried him toward Nick’s body. He just couldn’t leave his brother like that, not even after the Void claimed his life.
I’m sorry.
Almost as if he were cradling a baby, Leo moved Nick’s body, lying it fully on the floor. No matter how much he detested it, this corner of a random staircase would become his brother’s tomb. There was little more he could do, and if Nick were still alive, he would tell him that even this was way too much. Especially with what waited outside this building.
Doesn’t matter. I’m not leaving you here like this. He shook his head and covered the body with the cloth sheet. Now for the rest.
From there, he moved on autopilot, dragging debris and other scattered materials from all corners of the building back to Nick’s corpse. Carefully, he placed all of it over the sheet, forming a full, makeshift gravestone. It was a poor substitute for what his brother deserved, but all that he could give.
And that’s it.
Without another word, Leo sank to the ground next to the grave, leaning against the wall as his hand dug through his backpack. His fingers clicked against one of the few new items inside the sack, and he pulled it out in one go.
A full bottle of red wine dropped into his lap, and he sighed. He would much rather have something else to drink, but beggars couldn’t be choosers, not in a world like this one.
He flicked his claws and made quick work of the cork shielding the foul beverage. He then raised it toward the grave.
“Cheers, brother.”
With that said, he took a long swing out of the bottle and grimaced as the foul taste spread across his throat.
“Bloody hell.” He coughed, nearly spitting out the drink. “I forgot how fucking bad this shit is. Give me the cheapest beer or vodka any day over this vomit-inducing piss… Fucking wine,” he added in a mumble even as he took another sip.
Anything was better than nothing, right?
“You should be here, you know?” He whispered after a short moment of silence. “No matter how much shit we had given you for bending over to please Ava, you were always the smartest of the three of us. The strongest probably too, considering who your wife is.” He chuckled. “Void knows how you survived with her for all those years.”
He took another swig, ignoring the burning down his throat. “It’s a shithole out there, Nick, and I didn’t even scratch the fucking surface of this mess yet. My heart is already gone, and I will probably lose much more soon.” He shook his head. “Fuck, my evolutions are practically screaming at me to abandon my humanity. Bloody Void and System want to take everything away from me, just like they took you.”
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “I know, I know. You would probably tell me now that I am acting like a brooding bitch. That I’m crying over something I should have expected to happen instead of pushing forward and growing stronger so I can survive as long as possible.”
Leo took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing. “But guess fucking what, Nick!” he shouted, shattering the bottle against a far-off wall. “You guys are all I have, and I don’t know if I can handle losing everything all over again! Ninety percent of the universe’s population is dead, probably even more now. And yet here I fucking am, still holding onto hope, no matter how stupid that is!”
His chest heaving, he closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, just like he learned a long time ago. It had been a while since he exploded like this, years even. Those thoughts, those fears clung onto him ever since the Outbreak began. So to finally let them out, even by shouting at his brother’s grave, was almost cathartic.
“Sorry, I’m better now. Just had to get this off my chest,” he muttered to someone who wasn’t even there. “I really should get going. Wasted enough time as it is… Shit, I’m gonna miss you, Nick. And don’t worry, brother. If Ava and Adam are out there, I will find them. No matter what. Same goes for Lily.”
With a groan, Leo climbed to his feet and slung the backpack over his shoulder. He slumped just a bit under the weight and looked toward the grave one last time. It was time to finish what he had started.
“Goodbye, Nick. I hope that wherever you are, it’s better than this shithole. Maybe someday we will see each other again.”
With his final words said, he turned away and headed for the stairs. He didn’t go down; nothing waited for him there. Instead, upon reaching the fourth floor, he entered one of the apartments and headed straight for the smallest room. Once inside, he nodded at the hole in the roof.
That’s better.
He quickly climbed through it, using the Vetilim and some overturned furniture to speed up the process. At the same time, Essence surged through his body, blanketing his skin in the familiar layer of True Stealth.
Back outside. He took a deep breath, relishing the sensation of fresh air filling his lungs. After spending probably over an hour inside, covered and surrounded by death and gore, no one could fault him for enjoying this small thing. Not after what he had just learned.
He slouched and sat down at the edge of the roof. Still have a few more hours before dark. I could try to track Ava and Adam from here, but there is no way I’ll find anything without any lead. My best bet is to go back, evolve, and start with that larger group. They might know something if they are already running all across the city.
Leo closed his eyes. But before that. System, got any good news? I really could use some right about now.