Naya's POV
What the hell was happening? Was this me? I stared at the lifeless bodies sprawled beside Dr. Cronos. If I was the one causing this, then why was she still alive?
Her eyes widened in sheer terror as she stared back up at me, collapsing to the ground with a soft thud, her body trembling vehemently.
I shook my head. Whatever this was, it wasn't my concern right now. Survival was. Without hesitation, I bent down and grabbed the guns holstered on the guards' belts. The weight of them was alien in my hands, but I had no choice.
The world outside was chaos—a lawless expanse of ruin and danger. If I was going to make it, I needed to be prepared.
Encountering those hooligans from last night, at least this time I would be much prepared.
Jumping over the crumpled bodies and through the hallways that were dimly lit, each turn blurring into the next. My pulse thundered in my ears as adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I kept expecting more guards to appear around every corner.
The sound of the electric lights buzzed repeatedly, and annoyingly at that very moment.
Sweat dripped down my temple as I spotted the green glow of an exit sign up ahead. Relief surged through me, and I quickened my pace, ignoring the burning sensation in my legs. But the moment was short-lived.
Alarms blared, piercing the air and blinking red lights blinded me from all corners.
"Lockdown, lockdown. Please stay away from the closing doors."
A robotic voice echoed through the halls as the thick iron door began descending over the exit.
"No," I breathed, panic rising. I pushed myself harder, faster, my feet pounding against the floor, "no, no, no," chanting repeatedly as I sprinted for the door.
"Please, no! I have to get out!" I screamed, desperation choking my words.
The door was closing too fast. I wasn't going to make it.
Without thinking, I dropped to the floor, sliding on my stomach just as the heavy door slammed shut behind me, the sharp edge nearly taking my hand with it.
Sprawled on the white tiles and heaving heavily, "that was close," Relief washed over me as I realized I'd made it. I was free—or so I thought.
The outside world was a wasteland. But I couldn't rest. Not yet. Picking myself up, I wiped the sweat from my brow and started running again, my boots crunching against the rubble.
If there was one thing I knew about places like this, it was that they didn't let anyone walk away. The alarms would have alerted every guard within miles, sooner or later, they would all make their way here.
And I was right.
The crack of gunfire split the air.
I ducked behind a slab of broken concrete, my heart pounding. A soldier in a high tower had spotted me and was unloading a hail of bullets in my direction.
I fumbled for the guns at my hips, their weight foreign and intimidating. I didn't know how to use them, but I had watched enough movies to understand the basics—or so I hoped.
I peeked out just as the soldier paused to reload. That was my chance. I bolted, sprinting across the open field, weaving between chunks of debris.
More guards were approaching from different directions, their shouts blending with the wail of the alarms. They march in sync with my thundering heart beat.
"So much for not harming me," I muttered bitterly under my breath. "This is your idea of cooperation, Cronos?"
Banging shots tore through the air making my heart flinch and race faster than normal, My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. My lack of survival skills was painfully evident—I was a scientist, not a soldier.
"Don't kill her, you fools!" Dr. Cronos's voice barked from somewhere behind me, amplified and authoritative. "She's too important!"
She could still walk, from her sorry image on the floor from a few moments ago, she wore a look of terror as though she had seen a ghost. Pleading for it not to end her life.
Now she was back to her old commanding self.
The gunfire ceased, but I didn't move from my hiding spot. Pressing my back against the jagged concrete, I struggled to calm my frantic breathing with my eyelids pressed tightly shut.
Peeking out cautiously, my gaze locked onto the gates just ahead. Freedom was so close, but it was heavily guarded. Soldiers stood ready, their rifles trained in my direction.
Cronos's voice echoed again, this time softer but no less commanding. "Naya, we don't want to hurt you. Just cooperate, and this can all end peacefully."
I scoffed, shaking my head. "Peaceful? You're delusional, Cronos!" I shouted back.
My fingers brushed against the guns at my hips. My mind screamed against the thought of using them. I wasn't a killer.
But then again, hadn't I already killed?
The thought of that man hanging against the wall impaled, twisted my stomach, but survival overruled morality. Gritting my teeth, I drew one of the guns, the cold metal feeling foreign in my sweaty palm.
"She's got a weapon!" a soldier yelled.
Panic flashed across their faces, but it didn't slow them, if anything, it made them realise just how much of a threat I was.
Bullets were fired around me, and I fired blindly in return, hoping to keep them at bay. I knew I wasn't hitting anything. The recoil jolted my arms with each shot, and I could barely aim straight.
It was really not like the movies described, it was much harder to handle a gun.
But I didn't stop.
The gates loomed closer, the path ahead both a lifeline and a death sentence but I was willing to take a chance.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself. This wasn't just about escape anymore, or just living, this was about survival and I wasn't going down without a fight.