An Acended's Journey

A scene of destruction littered the barracks room. Blood was everywhere, bunks were astray, and finally, the bodies of two victims lay on the floor along with the body of an ashen monster. 

'What the hell just happened?' Logan thought to himself.

Now that Logan had gotten a better look at his surroundings, he recognized the faces of those near him. The woman who had come to assist was stout and short with brown eyes, hair, and skin. Logan could tell she was made from sterner stuff even given her older age. The man standing beside her was similar to Logan's height, around 6 feet tall. He had a large, strong build with dark hair and eyes. His body seemed to emanate strength. A quality which Logan envied, 'Bastard! I'd be the same size if I had enough food.'

The three slowly pried the maw off the man's head. Wincing in second hand pain, Logan saw an older gentleman with a beardly gray stubble and some thin gray hair on his head. A bite mark covered the edges of his face, leaking blood.

The Strong man picked up the older gentleman. 

Breathing heavily, the old man asked, "What was that thing?" 

The group paused for a second before the stout lady answered, "I think it was an Umbra?"

"That's what it sai..."

As the conversation of the three played on, Logan started thinking, 'I wonder if these three know each other. It feels so awkward just standing here. I'm sure this would be right up Alex's alley.' Logan felt separated from these people, but at the same time felt a connection because of the fight they had survived.

Swiftly turning around, Logan approached his fallen friend. Alex lay down on the ground with his grey shirt wrapped around his right forearm. The grey shirt from his uniform was now soaked in his blood. The rest of his body looked just about as bad as his arm. Big black welts and bruises covered his abdomen and arms. There were even some smaller cuts along his left arm. 

"How are you doing man?" 

Logan grimaced as he got closer. It hurt to look at compared to his clawed-up arm. 

"It fucking hurts, but I'll live. I need to get some medical help though.." Groaning, Alex got to his feet. Logan put the knife he was holding into his pocket and went over to support his friend.

"Nope, I'm good. My legs work perfectly fine. I'm just... tired." 

Behind Logan, footsteps clacked against the ground. Logan turned to see the trio.

Behind Logan, Alex coughed up a sentence, "Thanks for the assistance back there. I didn't think we could have made it without your help." 

The Old man spoke up, " Well, we only did what we had to. Name's Rod, and these two are Mariah and Stone." 

'They're like us. They helped even though they're just grey workers, but why the hell is this Stone guy so built?' Logan lamented. Logan wondered what about what had just transpired here? What was the monster, and why did that magical text appear in Logan's vision?

"I'm Alex."

Alex then gestured over to Logan

"— And this is Logan. We need to talk to the camp or someone about what happened here. This could be some deadly virus or some new biochemical weapon."

Rod nodded

"Yes, I guess you're right. I'm going to stay here with Maria. Well, check on some of the women here before to try and figure out what's going on. You guys can go on ahead, though, with Stone. " 

Logan could only imagine what would happen in the coming days. 'Hell, I can barely imagine what's going to happen today. We split up our group after fighting a monster that transformed from a human. What could go wrong?' 

Looking down at the cut on his hand, Logan worried about what today might look like… Would he even live to see tomorrow? At that moment, Logan spoke up.

"What about Alex? We need to go to the medical ward." 

Rod replied to the comment, "I don't know if you were out this morning, but the ward is probably already full of people. I've seen them bringing people in all morning. You'll have a better chance of getting some treatment in the Main Complex."

'That does seem true...'

Logan sighed and replied, "I hope what you say is true."

'Alex, are you going to make it?' Shaking his head, Logan dispelled his somber thoughts. Logan silently prayed they could make it through today. 

"Well, I can only wish you the best of luck while you're here. I guess Logan, me and.. Stone, right?"

Stone nodded at the question, and Alex continued, "We'll head down to the Main Complex to get this information out."

We'll head down to the Main Complex to get this information out."

Alex scanned over the group before addressing them.. 

"Sound like a plan?"

The group all nodded in a silent agreement.

'How did today come to this?' Logan thought he had lost everything when he lost his family, but now, he might stand to lose one of his only friends left. 'Everything is going to be fine. We just need to make it to the Main Complex. It was only like a thirty minute walk. We can make it.' 

The group shortly thereafter said their goodbyes, and Stone led the path back to the center of the complex. 

The winds had picked up, and the late morning sun had slowly become obscured by the heavy snow clouds above. 

'I hate the cold.' Logan thought while looking back at Alex, who barely had tattered overalls to cover his torso. 'Crap, how were we too in a hurry to get him something to cover him.' Logan struggled with the thought of giving his friend his overalls but eventually thought against it. It would take up too much time, and he would have to take his boots off.

As the group continued to the center of the complex, chaos wreaked through the camp. Shovels were left out, people ran in random directions, and the howling winds became worse and worse. At this point, even the stretchers of people weren't out. As the trio progressed further, they saw people who weren't as aware of the chaos running through the camp.

Fear, curiosity, confusion, and concern laid across the eyes of people as Logan and his group passed by. 

Eventually, on their walk, Logan heard someone talking to Alex behind him. Turning around, he saw a grey uniformed man giving his coat over to Alex. 

Distantly, Logan heard Alex thanking the man before he zipped the grey coat over his tattered overalls. 

The Trio continued their short pilgrimage to the Main Complex. Getting closer to the center of the camp, they heard distant screams from another barracks in the distance. 

The group instinctively turned around towards the source of the noise. For a moment, they stood still in hesitation. 

Behind Logan, he could hear Stone grunt before releasing a sigh. 

'Uh oh, I don't think Stone is staying with us?" Logan thought. Soon, the bodybuilder's body shifted, and he began a sprint in the direction of the scream. A fool's course of action, yet Logan admired his strength. 

Logan pitied the fool who risked himself stupidly for others. Logan's loyalty was strong, but he could go so far for others. If Alex hadn't jumped at the Monster to begin with, Logan might not have even attacked the beast in the first place. 

"You guys go on without me!" Stone shouted back as he disappeared into the rows of barracks, leaving only the traces of his footsteps in the snow behind.

Looking back behind him, Logan could tell Alex's condition was worsening. His body lay hunched over as he walked, and his eyes flickered. His body was layered with exhaustion and the icy cold snow and wind that pelted his body.

Logan hustled toward his friend.

"I gotcha you, man," Logan whispered to his friend as he tried to support him. Logan wrapped his friend's left arm around his neck. Logan could feel his friend's icy hand around his neck as they continued their march. The weight of his arm is getting heavier after each and every step. Alex's other arm was cradled up against his chest. Logan turned behind them and spotted the drops of blood that his friend had left.

The snow fell harder and harder, slowly obscuring the camp more and more. The howling winds picked up until even the screams around them sounded like faraway banshees. Logan lowered his head against the approaching wind to try and find solace against its burn. 

Logan's shoulder and arm burned from the weight.. His chest burned from the cold, but most of all, his soul burned. So even though Logan was sore, tired, and cut. Logan had decided he was going to make it, and so it would be done. 

Logan's thoughts were burned away until he had only one drive, one purpose: survival. Survival for him and his blood brother. Logan had been friends with Alex for what felt like forever. They had been with each other through an apocalypse once; What was one more? 

Slowly, through a blizzard of flakes and icy fog, the luster of a large building came into view.

'The Main Complex Building!' Logan screamed internally. With renewed vigor, he pushed forward even harder and more determined. 

"We're going to make it!" Logan exclaimed. Logan then stumbled forward as his friend's weight all shifted downward. Alex's grip slowly slackened from Logan's shoulder as Logan went tumbling forward. 

'Shit' Logan thought, walking back to grab Alex from the snow.

Logan grabbed Alex's arm.

"Come on, man. You gotta get up. We made it." Logan pleaded. Below him, Alex lay crumpled in the snow.

"S-o... tired." Logan could barely hear the muffled whisper of his friend through the howling snow.

Logan grimaced in thought, 'He must have lost too much blood. Should I pick him up? We have to hurry.'

Quickly throwing away his hesitation, Logan grabbed onto his arm and thigh and hoisted Alex onto his shoulders. Logan groaned under the weight of his friend. 'God, or anything please let him live.'

Treading through the snow toward the front of the complex building, the sliding metal doors opened. Two people covered in black plated armor and black close helmets exited the building before straightening their rifles towards Logan and Alex.

Logan momentarily paused his advance. 'Is this a joke because I'm not laughing?' Logan thought

The guard yelled through the howling wind, "Back away from this facility! All locations are to be locked down! This is a state of emergency."

Logan looked on incredulously. 'Go where? Hah, what a joke. They're basically telling me to go die out here." Logan sat in silence for the moment before he yelled back through the howling winds..

"We have information on the creatures, and we have fought them! My friend is also in dire need of medical attention!" 

The soldiers, holding their sights at the young men, looked at each other for a moment. Then one of the soldiers ran back inside the complex.

The Guard, keeping his gun trained on the two, yelled out, "Come wait over here by the door. We just need a sec to confirm permission." He lowered his rifle and motioned to a spot near the door.

Logan slowly and calmly approached the complex. 'No point in making it here to get shot. I could use a dumb joke from Alex in a situation like this, funnily enough.' Logan chuckled at his thought, but his face slowly lost its mirth as the literal cold weight of his friend brought him back to reality.

"Alex?" Logan whispered out.

"Alex, yo-u there, man?' Logan whispered out again, but no response came. 'He's probably just sleeping. I just have to get him some help, and everything will be fine.' 

Reaching the position near the door, Logan implored for the guard to help them.

"This man needs medical attention. He won't make it much longer out here in the cold. Please, just at least let him inside." 

The guard shifted uncomfortably for a moment and looked down. Sighing, the guard released a breath of mist and spoke, "Look… I really want to help you, but I can't just forgo protocol. I promise that it won't be much longer. My associate is just getting permission."

Logan was getting impatient with his friend's life on the line. Logan manically starts grasping for ways to save his friend. Logan felt he could take this guard out. He was slightly shorter than Logan himself, and he was close enough now. 'That would never work. I might just get both of us killed if I charged with Alex on my back. Have I gone crazy? If I don't get help soon, things are not going to be okay.' 

Within the Main Complex doors, a squad of soldiers approached. Trailing behind the guards was a tidy woman with a white lab coat, holding a stretcher alongside one of the soldiers. Their feet crunched in the snow as they encircled Logan. Keeping himself from staring at Alex, Logan slowly laid his friend onto the snow. 

Logan couldn't afford to think right now. 'Everything is going to be fine, everything is fine. Everything is alri-'

A guard shook Logan from his dazed state. 

"Hey! Hello," a guard said, waving his hands in front of his face. 

Logan shook himself out of it, and he looked down past the sliding doors. Guards surrounded the stretcher as they took him deeper inside the building. The only thing Logan could see past the bodies of the guards surrounding Alex was his bloodied hand. 

"We need you to talk to some people, so just follow us, okay?" 

Logan nodded instinctively, shivering at the thought of that hand. 'He's going to make it right?'