The survivors' camp had gone eerily quiet. Around a rickety table in the center of the room, a map lay spread out, its creased edges weighed down by mismatched mugs and scraps of metal. Amalia, Cain, Abel, and Asher stood over it, their faces grim as they concluded the discussion.
"That's the plan," Amalia said, leaning back with her arms crossed. "We have one shot at this. No second chances."
Asher's jaw tightened, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of the table. "It's risky. You're asking me to put every life I've worked to protect on the line."
"I know," Amalia said, meeting his gaze without flinching. "But if we stay here, those lives are gone anyway. You know that."
Asher said nothing, the tension in his shoulders making it clear he agreed—reluctantly.
Cain studied the map, his expression unusually serious. "We get the people to the exit while holding off the monsters. The tricky part is dealing with the Manager. That thing's not going to let us stroll out the front door."
Abel smirked, his arms crossed. "Then we kill it. Problem solved."
Asher gave him a sharp look. "If it were that simple, you wouldn't be here. That thing's not just strong—it's smart. It's kept this place running for God knows how long. Taking it down will take more than swinging a sword around."
"We shall see about that," Abel shot back, his grin widening.
Amalia's sharp tone cut through their bickering. "Enough. This isn't about glory—it's about survival. We all do our part, or none of us are getting out of here alive."
Amber watched from a distance, her arms wrapped around herself as the reality of the situation sank in. Nearby, Asher and a few others gathered weapons and supplies, their faces grim. Asher's movements were quick and efficient, but his expression betrayed his doubt. He didn't like this plan—not one bit.
Amalia approached Amber, her voice softer than before. "Amber, I need to ask you something."
Amber looked up, startled. "What is it?"
"Have you ever seen… something bigger out there? Something that might be the leader?"
Amber frowned, hesitating. "I've never seen it, but I've… heard it. Sometimes, late at night, when everything else is quiet, there's this sound. Like… a roar, but deeper. I always stayed far away from it."
Amalia nodded, her expression thoughtful. "If you heard it again, could you recognize it?"
Amber hesitated, shifting uncomfortably. "Maybe. Why?"
"Because," Amalia said, her gaze steady, "if we can't find it, we can't get out."
Amber swallowed hard, but after a moment, she nodded. "Okay. I'll try."
Asher stood before the gathered survivors, his voice carrying over their murmurs of fear. "Listen up. This is it. We've got one chance to get out of here, I'm not going to lie to you—I really don't like this. But if we stay here, we die anyway."
The crowd shifted uneasily. Some looked ready to bolt, but others—pale and exhausted—nodded in grim agreement.
"You know what's waiting for us out there," Asher continued. "You know what we're up against. But we're not doing this alone. Ms.—Dr. Amalia here, thinks she can get us out." He gestured toward Cain, Abel, and Amalia. "They're here to give us a shot, and the reality is…we can't afford to waste it."
A man in the crowd raised his hand. "What if we don't—or can't go? Surely we can find another time."
"There won't be one," Amalia said, stepping forward. "This store doesn't care how long you wait. It's designed to keep you here until you're nothing but a memory. We have to take this chance—now."
The crowd fell silent, the weight of her words settling over them. No one felt good about the odds. It was written on everyones face, stitched into their posture. Still slowly, reluctantly, they began to prepare.
Once they were all outside of the camp, the store's silence seemed to creep into their minds. The group moved through the endless aisles, their footsteps eerily muffled by the laminated floors. Asher, Cain, Abel, and Amalia took point, with Amber sticking close to Cain. She'd glance at him nervously, but his calm demeanor helped steady her nerves.
Suddenly, the lights overhead flickered, then shut off completely. A wave of panic rippled through the survivors.
"Stay calm!" Asher barked. "This is part of the plan!"
Amber clutched Cain's pants leg, her voice shaking. "Are you sure about this?"
Cain smirked down at her. "Relax. We've got this."
Amalia turned to Cain and Abel, her lips curling into a sharp grin. "Here they come. Time to make some noise, boys."
The groans and growls of the store monsters echoed through the darkened aisles, growing louder by the second. The first creature appeared—a humanoid figure with elongated limbs and an unsettlingly blank face. Then another. And another.
"Everyone get close to me!" Cain shouted. He slammed his glowing fist into the floor, green lines spreading outward like veins. The floor groaned as a dome of solid laminate rose around the survivors, encasing them in a protective barrier.
Abel laughed as he launched himself at the nearest monster, his blade cutting through it with ease. "I sure hope you've improved since the last time!"
Asher, armed with a bow, fired arrow after arrow with practiced precision. Amalia glanced at him, impressed despite herself. "Didn't peg you for an archer," she muttered.
"You've read my files right," Asher shot back, loosing another arrow and hitting a monster in its mouth. "Highly dangerous—all that stuff?"
She smirked, acknowledging his subtle moment of bravado as he continued onward.
The battle raged on, but then a deafening roar split the air. Everyone froze, hands clamping over their ears.
Amber's face went pale. "That's… that's the sound. It's here."
The monsters suddenly stopped their attack, parting to make way for a massive figure. The Manager.
It wore a tattered IKEA uniform, its towering frame twice the size of any other monster. Every came to a halt. It came forward, tilting its large head. It let out a low growl, speaking words that vibrated the walls themselves. "We are now closed," Its face split into five jagged segments like a grotesque flower, each piece lined with jagged teeth. A long, writhing tongue lashed out from the center. Around its neck hung a keycard, glistening like raw flesh. "Please exit the store IMMEDIATELY!"
It's cry caused a reaction in the other monsters, all of them screeched along as the manager roared.
Amalia's heart raced as she spotted the door behind it—the exit. She struggled to yell over the howling of the creatures. "It's moving the door," she barked. "It's controlling it."
She turned to Abel. "This is it! You're free to engage!"
Abel grinned wickedly. "With pleasure."
The Manager roared louder, the sound reverberating through the store like a thunderclap. Abel lunged at the Manager, gripping his blade tighter while winding it back. "Finally, something worth killing," he yelled, dripping with devilish while being consumed in dark energy.
Their clash was explosive. The force of Abel's first strike sent a shockwave through the air, rattling the shelves around them. The Manager swung one massively clawed arm at him, but Abel ducked and countered, slashing a deep gash into its side. Black ichor sprayed from the wound, sizzling as it hit the ground.
"You're tougher than the others," Abel taunted, his voice filled with bloodlust. "Good. But you'll break just like the rest."
Asher and Cain stayed close to the survivors, fending off the smaller monsters that continued to attack. Cain slammed his glowing fists into the ground, sending green pulses of energy through the floor that knocked back the nearest creatures. Asher fired arrow after arrow, his movements precise and methodical, every shot finding its mark.
"Keep them back!" Asher shouted over the chaos.
"I'm doing my best," Cain snapped, shoving a lanky creature away from Amber.
Meanwhile, Abel's duel with the Manager intensified. The massive creature roared in frustration, swiping at him with one arm while its other lashed out with its tongue. Abel sidestepped the attacks with ease, his laughter echoing through the aisle. He could feel himself getting stronger with every strike, his movements faster and more fluid as the adrenaline surged through him.
"You can change the layout of the room all you want, it won't change a thing," he growled, delivering a brutal strike to the Manager's chest that sent it staggering backward.
But the creature wasn't done. With a deafening roar, it slammed both arms into the ground, sending shockwaves that knocked Abel off balance. Taking advantage of the moment, it lunged forward, its claws slamming into him and sending him crashing into a stack of furniture. Shelves toppled, and the building itself began ti rain down as Abel hit the ground hard.
The Manager loomed over him, its jagged, flower-like face peeling open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. Its tongue writhed, dripping black saliva as it prepared to finish him off.
Asher, mid-draw with his bow, caught sight of something that made his blood run cold. "Amber?" he shouted, his voice cutting through the noise.
Amber was gone from the group. She was sprinting straight toward the Manager, ducking under fallen shelves and debris.
"No, no, no—" Asher muttered, nocking an arrow and firing at a smaller monster to clear her path.
Amber's heart pounded as she darted under the Manager's massive frame. She could see the keycard dangling from its neck, glistening like raw flesh. Her hands shook as she reached for it.
The Manager noticed her too late. She grabbed the card and yanked, feeling a sickening resistance as it tore away from the creature's neck. A spurt of thick, black blood splattered around her as the Manager howled in pain and rage, the sound so loud it made her ears ring.
Amber stumbled backward, clutching the keycard in her trembling hands. The room around her began to warp violently, shelves twisting and contorting, the air itself seeming to pulse with the Manager's fury.
"Amber, get back here!" Asher shouted, loosing another arrow into an advancing monster.
Amalia's voice cut through the chaos. "Abel! She has the key! Get her out of there!"
Abel groaned, shoving debris off his body. He glared at Amalia. "I don't care about the kid. I want to finish this."
Amalia's eyes narrowed. "If she dies, I'll have you locked back in your coffin before you can blink."
Abel cursed under his breath, grabbing his blade as he got to his feet. "Fine. But this isn't over."
Cain reached Amber first, his legs glowing as he sprinted to her side. "You okay?" he asked, pulling her to her feet.
"I… I think so," Amber stammered, still clutching the keycard.
"Good," Cain said, glancing back at the advancing monsters. "You're coming with me. Hold on tight."
Cain improvised, grabbing a battered shopping cart from the wreckage. He slammed his glowing hand onto the wheels, sending green lines of energy coursing through the metal. "Get on," he barked at Amber.
Amber hesitated, but Cain lifted her onto the cart. "We're outta here."
The Manager let out another roar, its cries driving the smaller monsters into a frenzy. They all turned their attention to Amber and Cain, surging toward them like a tidal wave.
"Abel!" Cain shouted. "I'm about to make a dash for it. Cover me!"
Abel grinned, his blade flashing as he leapt back into the fight. "Have it your way."
Cain's legs glowed brighter, the green energy crackling through the grooves in his cybernetics. With a burst of speed, he pushed the cart forward, zigzagging through the chaos as Amber clung to the metal frame.
Monsters lunged at them from all sides, but Cain dodged with precision, narrowly avoiding clawed hands and snapping jaws. Dashing around them, Abel moved like a whirlwind, cutting down anything that got too close to the cart. His movements blurred as he seamlessly appeared before every attack.
The Manager, enraged, leapt into their path, its massive frame blocking the way forward. Cain skidded to a halt, his breath coming in short gasps. At the same time, it seemed to be warping the room to make Cain's dash longer—preventing him from reaching the others.
"Abel…?" Cain called out, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Abel, locked in combat with another monster, saw the Manager in their way. He cursed, knowing he wouldn't reach them in time. In desperation, he hurled his blade toward the Manager.
The spinning weapon sliced through the air, its purple and red aura illuminating Amber's terrified face as it passed, spinning just inches from her. Time seemed to slow as Abel extended his hand, the same aura surrounding it.
The pull was instinctive. One moment, he was on the ground; the next, he was in the air, directly in front of the Manager, his blade back in his hand. Abel grinned, exhilarated by the new power. "Didn't know I could do that, did you? Me either!" he taunted, slamming his blade into the creature with all his strength.
The impact shattered the ground beneath them with a deafening crash, sending up a cloud of dust and debris.
Cain used the moment to push Amber past the Manager. As they reached the group, he grabbed her from the cart and slid into a nearby wall, shielding her with his body.
With a glowing hand, Cain slammed the ground, raising another wall to block the monsters from advancing. "Amber! The door!"
Amber sprinted to the exit, slapping the keycard onto the scanner. The door opened with a mechanical hiss.
"Everyone through!" Asher shouted, ushering the survivors into the light beyond.
"Abel!" Amalia called. "Come on!"
Through the dust, Abel's blade whizzed through the air, embedding itself in the wall beside the exit. A moment later, he appeared, gripping the hilt, a satisfied grin on his face. Abel snatches the sword from the wall, looking back at the crater he left the Manager lying in. It wasn't dead, and he was ok with that. He might get to fight it again someday, or so he fantasized.
He and Amalia stepped through the door just as it slammed shut behind them.
The survivors stood outside the store, battered and weary, their faces marked by exhaustion and disbelief. Asher moved quickly through the crowd, his eyes scanning the faces. His lips moved as he counted under his breath. "Seventeen… eighteen… nineteen…" His heart sank. "No… We're short one."
He pushed urgently through the group, brushing past survivors until he spotted Amber, sitting alone on the sidewalk with her arms around her knees. Relief hit him like a wave, stronger than he'd expected. He approached her slowly, her hunched posture making it clear she still bore the weight of her guilt.
"You scared me out there, kid," he said, his tone softer than usual.
Amber didn't look up, her voice muffled against her arms. "I know… I keep getting into trouble. I should've—"
"Nope," Asher interrupted firmly. "We're not doin' that this time."
Amber lifted her head, startled, as he pulled her to her feet. He grabbed her around the knees and hoisted her into the air. "Asher—what are you—?"
"Listen up!" Asher bellowed to the crowd, grinning as he spun Amber around like a trophy. "This kid here? She's the reason we made it out! She saved every last one of us!"
The other survivors turned, a ripple of cheers and applause spreading through the group. Amber's face flushed, her wide eyes darting between Asher and the crowd. She'd never seen him like this—actually pleased with her. It was strange, but surprisingly… pleasant.
Amalia stood nearby, her eyes narrowing as she addressed Abel in a low, measured voice. "If you ever question my orders in the field again, I'll make sure you only come out of that coffin when I decide you're useful. Are we clear?"
Abel's eyes glowed red, his anger flaring. "You forget…you're speaking to an ancient spirit."
"And you forget," Amalia said, stepping closer, her tone razor-sharp, "there's nothing in you I need to fear. And more importantly, you know that too."
Her eyes cut through the flames dancing inside of his for just a moment. She continued on past him, leaving him simmering with frustration. His hands clenched at his sides, and the glow in his eyes flickered uncertainly.
The low rumble of engines broke through the tension as SCP Foundation troops arrived on the scene. Black-armored trucks lined up, and agents stepped out, securing the survivors and assessing the area.
Asher approached Amalia, his expression unreadable. For a moment, they stood in silence. Finally, he said, "Thanks. For keeping your word. Lookin' back on it, threatening you might've been…a bit much."
Amalia smirked faintly. "No need for thanks, Mr. Cruz. It's what the Foundation pays me the big bucks for. It's what I do. And it's fine…watching you eat your skepticism was worth it."
Her words were matter-of-fact, but Asher caught the faint note of satisfaction beneath them. He nodded, tipping an invisible hat before stepping into a truck with Amber.
Amalia watched them go before turning to the remaining troops. "Let's clean this up," she said. Behind her, Abel leaned against a truck, still seething in silence. Cain helped the agents prepare the building for destruction. He'd noticed the tension between Abel and Amalia. He felt responsible for Abel's disposition, and though they work well together in the field, the rift between them was still centuries wide.
Chapter End—