We trudged onward, our footsteps echoing across the unmarked walls.

  The smell got worse the deeper we went. It got to the point where I tried to turn off my sense of smell completely.

  Unfortunately, with little success.

  Luckily, the shadow monster was the only ‘living’ thing we encountered. Though we did pass by the skeletal remains of its prior victims. Mostly small rodents, but a few were still covered in scraps of clothing.

  “Coulda been an elf.” Gordon knelt to get a better look, gingerly poking the remaining bones until we revealed a white ‘V’ symbol on what was once the shoulder area. “Scratch that, definitely an elf. See this? Vision Industries logo. Wonder what they were down here though.”

  “Maybe running away during the Rift Break incident?” I suggested, kneeling down beside him to get a better look.

  “Nah, look how they fell.” He pointed at a place near its neck that looked like it had been cut with laser precision. “That thing nearly cut this poor fella’s head off in one swing. From there, they fell backwards, hitting the floor without any sign of struggle. Whoever this was, they were heading into the district, not out.”

  “What would a corp want in an abandoned district though? If it was secret, why would they wear a uniform that has ties to them?”

  “Good question, cupcake.” Gordon snorted before standing and getting ready to move on. “But they’ve been here far too long to tell. No way to know for sure any more. Just be glad we didn’t end up the same way.” He patted my shoulder as he passed by.

  I stood and followed, throwing one last glance at the corpse.

  The rest of the trek passed without issue, and soon we arrived at a ladder identical to the one we used to enter.

  “You know the drill, Ellen.” Myra nodded the shadow-mage.

  Ellen holstered her pistol and began her ascent, her weight causing the ladder to shift and creak as she climbed.

  Soon the dim light of the city filtered down as she pushed open the covering.

  “Looks clear,” Ellen called back quietly, before pulling herself out completely.

  It didn’t take long for us all to exit, but I was relieved that I wasn’t the last one up.

  A soft chill ran through me as I took in our surroundings in the dim light.

  So this was the abandoned district…

  We had emerged near a wide, ruined street that stretched in either direction. Many empty vehicles littered the overgrown lanes. Headlights still flickering on some.

  The towering buildings and storefronts were just as devastated.

  Broken glass, flickering signs, and the occasional chime of a glitched ad for some long forgotten product.

  If I strained my ears, I could barely make out a distant alarm continuing in an endless loop, its owner either dead or gone.

  My gaze wandered over the hundreds, maybe thousands, of corpses strewn across the pavement. They were slaughtered while fleeing, and by something larger than the Reaver I’d faced in the rift, judging by the marks gouged into the concrete.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  It was unsettling.

  “Not what you were expecting, Miss Nyxia?” Cobra asked as he stepped out beside me.

  I didn’t have the words, so I just shook my head. The only place I’d ever seen something similar was in movies.

  This level of destruction was so unbelievable, a part of me didn’t even want to admit it was real.

  “Strange, isn’t it.” Cobra stated, following my gaze across the ruined city. “Over a million people used to live here, only for one company to turn it into a ghost town in a matter of hours.”

  I winced at those numbers. That would make this section close to the size of Manhattan.

  “How many made it out alive?”

  “Less than fifty thousand.” Myra cut in as she passed by. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

  There was a hint of rage hidden in her tone, but I didn’t bring it up. Maybe she had lost family, or was among the survivors who got out in time, but it wasn’t my place to pry.

  We continued on, steadily making our way through the still streets. The further we went, the worse it got. There was barely anything functioning only a few blocks from where we started.

  The Rift Incident must have originated somewhere near the center, maybe even from the lab itself.

  Thankfully we didn’t encounter any other creatures lurking in the city as we grew closer to our objective.

  But I could hear the familiar hum of rifts off somewhere in the distance.

  ———

  “There it is.” Ellen pointed to a partially collapsed hexagonal structure, half buried in rubble. It was in such bad shape it could barely be called a building anymore.

  Unlike the buildings we passed on our way in, this place was completely dark. There was no hint of power or life anywhere.

  If Ellen hadn’t told us it was once a mall, I never would have guessed.

  “There’s a side entrance near the back that is mostly intact. That’s our way in.” She vaulted over the ruins of a concrete barrier and waved for us to follow.

  And follow we did.

  I was getting nervous being so close. If Myra and her team were going to do anything, it would probably be just after they had me open the lab.

  We still had a full night ahead of us, but…

  I was starting to like them, and hoped it was all in my head.

  Watching our steps, we crossed the unstable terrain, quickly arriving at a sliding glass door that was half destroyed. But there was a small space to crawl through where the glass had once been.

  Thankfully, we were all on the smaller side, allowing us to slip in through the tight opening without much issue.

  Cold, damp air pressed against us as we stepped into the hollow interior. A faint breeze could be heard whistling in through the cracks and I could hear water dripping somewhere nearby. Likely from a broken fountain or something, but the low light was hindering my vision too much to make it out.

  “Lights.” Myra called out, flicking hers on and casting the beam around the room.

  The rest of the team and I followed her lead and quickly illuminated our surroundings.

  The floor itself glimmered like a thousand diamonds as our light beams danced across it. Skeletal husks of dead trees reached toward the roof from their planters, evenly spaced throughout the ground floor. I could see traces of smaller plant life scattered around, evidently a core theme of the structure’s architects.

  Our lights passed across the abandoned storefronts, revealing their untouched inventory.

  It was surprisingly intact, considering the extensive exterior damage, but the lack of skeletal remains was concerning. If the stores weren’t looted, that meant there were no survivors… but if there were no survivors, where were their bodies?

  “Cobra, any heat signatures?”

  “Looks clear.” He answered after a quick glance around the open space. “But I don’t like being out in the open like this.”

  “Ellen, you said the entrance was located in the Drake Tech store?” Myra turned to address the shadow mage, and Ellen nodded in confirmation. “Good, let’s set up camp there. Get some sleep before attempting to open the door. Best to be fully rested in case of any unexpected surprises.”

  Ellen took the lead and led us to the store in question. It was nestled in a corner near a non-functioning escalator. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it wasn’t for Ellen’s guidance.

  If I remembered correctly, Valerie’s arm was from this company, so it was no surprise that it was a cyberwear store. The walls were packed with various implants and upgrades. While I didn’t see anything as high end as Valerie’s arm, I was still tempted to take some with me and sell them later.

  Maybe I could make my way back here for some looting after the mission.

  I didn’t see anything that gave ‘secret entrance’ vibes, but I suppose that was the point.

  “Hey Cobra! Help me with this would ya?” Gordon knocked his fist against a mechanism that led to a metal grate embedded in the top of the doorframe. “Should give us some added protection if anything comes after us.”

  Cobra nodded and walked over to assist the goblin.

  After some banging, and a few curses, they managed to slide it into place, firmly locking out any dangers that lurked outside.

  And locking us in at the same time.