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“Leave her alone!”



“Oh, but where's the fun in that?” The monster mocked, its slimy worm-like tentacles twisting and circling, “When I could watch you wither away at the thought of losing her.”



Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Dayle knew that it had been borderline suicide to come back, especially with only one EMP and a handful of gun magazines. But he had been unable to even think about leaving her. Abandoning her to these monsters.



Dayle stood in the most fearless way he could, praying to God to pull him through this. He had only himself and his Savior to rely on. No squadron would make it this far into the complex unless the creatures had brought them to slaughter.



“This has nothing to do with her!” Dayle cried out helplessly, desperately trying to come up with a plan.



“I think you misunderstand,” The monster queen replied in a sickeningly sweet voice, her eight eyes fixed on him, “The moment you began to love her, this had everything to do with her.”



The monster paused, goading him to make a rash decision. Instead, he made a quick sweep of the room with his eyes. It was fairly simple and clean compared to the creature that faced him. Two tanks sat at the center of the room. These tanks had only one entry and exit point, a glass door that locked into place. The glass door for each tank was controlled by a console at the top of a railed short flight of steps.



“You stole my love from me and your kind rejoiced! Now you shall feel my pain and lament the day you stole him from me as you watch her die,” the hideous creature pronounced, a wicked grin on its face.



Dayle's breath caught in his throat as he saw Ava gasping for air in one of the tanks. He hated this creature with every fiber of his being. Smaller creatures had started to file into the room. If he stood any chance he would have to act quickly.



“I did what I had to!” Dayle called out through gritted teeth as he armed the EMP.



“That changes nothing!”



“Neither does killing her!” Dayle yelled as he threw the EMP.



The small creatures dove for him and the EMP. They were too late. The EMP exploded, knocking the creatures aside like toys. The monster queen held her head in agony, but Dayle had no sympathy for her. He pressed the trigger until the rounds stopped coming, sending an entire magazine into the deplorable creature's body.



There was no time for anything else, however. Ava had just passed out, he was losing her.



“Hold on, I'm coming,” Dayle whispered as he ran at the tank Ava was in while simultaneously reloading his gun.



He rammed the butt of his gun into the glass with all of his body weight. It moaned and spider-webbed from the dent in the center. Dayle then shot the dent and made some holes. He rammed the glass again, it shattered.



As he ran to Ava he could already feel the devastation, guilt, and anger threatening to take over. He tried to push them away but he could already feel the dam cracking. He dropped beside her applying CPR. It had little effect as she rejected a mere fraction of the noxious gas inside her lungs.

A tear splattered on the concrete beside Ava. Dayle couldn't stop it and the dam broke.



“God please, please don't let her die,” Dayle choked out his tears now running freely as he held her limp hand in his.



He knew she would go to be with the Lord. Knew she would be safe and happy. He just wasn't ready for her to leave yet. Not now.



“I he-help,” something stuttered making Dayle jump.



He couldn't tell what the thing was through his tears, but it held something out to him. Dayle blindly accepted it. If it was a bomb he could live with the consequences. He wiped the tears from his eyes to examine the object. It was a respirator mask.



Dayle fastened it on Ava's head as fast as he could. He adjusted the settings and it drew out the noxious gas. After a short while, he lifted the mask and applied CPR to bring in new air. Ava sputtered and coughed and started to breathe on her own. It was shallow at first, but her breathing soon stabilized into a steady rhythm.



A small cheer erupted and Dayle looked up. He instantly froze. Hundreds of the creatures idled around the tank, their eyes fixed on him and Ava. He turned and nearly fell over. One of the creatures was hardly a foot away from him.



“H-Hi,” Dayle stammered in shock and terror, now fully aware that the gun had left his custody.



“H-Hi,” the creature imitated.



“She good?” another creature asked from the tank doorway, eyeing the broken glass suspiciously. It had six places for tentacle clusters but was using four for feet and the other two as arms.



“Y-Yes, yes I think she'll be okay,” These creatures' lack of hostility was catching him off guard.



Dayle's radio crackled in his pocket, causing both human and creature alike to jump. It emitted nothing but static, though.



“I get signal!” A creature shouted raising a tentacle cluster.



It ran to a console and started pressing buttons before turning some dials.



“Radio…” The creature paused and cocked its head, "p-patch?"



“Yes, do that!” Dayle shouted enthusiastically.



“Commander Arbor, Commander Arbor do you read?” the radio crackled.



“This is Commander Arbor, I read you. Do you copy?” Dayle replied hopefully.



“Oh thank God, I thought we lost you, Commander.”



“So did I, yet here we are.”



“I managed to convince command to give you two hours.”



“What's the catch?”



“That was an hour and thirty-five minutes ago Commander. You have twenty-five minutes before the place blows to high heavens.”



“Twenty-five minutes huh? I'll meet you topside.”



“See you, topside Commander. Chopper out.”



With those words, the radio died. Dayle looked at the creatures around him. Could he save them? He checked himself. They could still be the enemy. But the evidence to the contrary seemed to be almost overwhelming.


“We get you surface A-Arbor and fr…friend,” The creature beside Dayle pronounced.



“What about you?” Dayle blurted, surprised at himself. It seemed like only minutes ago that they had been his enemies.



“We manage,” another creature replied, but there was no spark of hope in its eyes.



“Mother do bad things. Mother make us bad,” the creature shook its head.



“We sorry,” the crowd echoed sadly, the creature hung its head and continued, “Now we get bad.”



“You free others, in future? The creature beside Dayle pleaded, taking a step forward.



Dayle straightened, moved by all of these creatures' emotions, “I will do all I can.”



The creature, satisfied, started giving orders. One group collected and carried supplies while another group found and brought over a stretcher. They had him place Ava on it. The creature beside Dayle meanwhile, stayed put. He - It would be Dayle's guide to the surface.



While Dayle waited he collected his equipment while keeping an eye on what the creatures were packing. Then slung the rifle over his shoulder and stuffed the singular magazine in his pocket, thanking the Lord all the while. He had come a long way in one day.



Finally, they were ready to move out. Fifteen minutes left. An elevator came to a slow stop, courtesy of the creature at the control panel. Apparently, it hadn't moved.



The band of unlikely compatriots moved into the elevator. It went up fifty floors, then stopped. Ten minutes remaining. Dayle's guide followed the shortest route and ran straight into a group of soldiers at the opening to the surface.



“Give us a good shot Commander!” a soldier called.



“Negative soldier!” Dayle called back and gestured back at the creatures, “They're with me.”



The soldiers looked at him in disbelief, and rightly so, “You've got to be kidding.”



Dayle's eyes narrowed, “I'm not, move aside.”



The soldiers begrudgingly moved aside.



“If they so much as blink the wrong way…” the lead soldier threatened cocking his gun.



“Understood,” Dayle affirmed leading the creatures past.



The soldiers tailed them all the way to the chopper. They must have been sent in case Dayle was in trouble. Fortunately for the soldiers, these creatures did not have a vendetta against humans, anymore anyway.



The creatures organized the supplies in the back of the chopper. A written and video manifest, as well as instructions, were left for each box. The creatures carried up the stretcher and handed Ava off to the soldiers. A good call.



When each group of creatures' mission was complete they retreated back to their base. Soon only Dayle's guide was left.



“Ar-Arbor be good on wo-word?” the creature inquired earnestly.



Dayle dropped down to the creature's eye level, “I will I-”



Dayle paused, he hated the last word, “I promise."



There, he said it. Dayle made his way over to the chopper. He and the creature made eye contact one last time as Dayle stepped aboard. Then he turned, found a seat, and buckled up. There were only three minutes left.



Dayle turned and looked at Ava as the chopper took off. The soldiers had strapped her in while he supervised the other creatures. He sat in thought. God had answered his prayer. Ava would not have been in the chopper if it had not been for those creatures.



A giant explosion threw him out of his thoughts as the chopper catapulted forward on the shockwave. Those creatures were gone. Dayle went numb. He had planted one of those bombs. He had helped deliver the final blow to those creatures. This wasn't right.



In that moment something inside him broke. He remembered the promise he had made to them. He had promised to free their kind, from themselves. Dayle knew there was nothing he could do to bring back the creatures that had been consumed in that fireball. The creatures that had saved him. A silent tear rolled down his cheek. He would not let their deaths be in vain.