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They arrived in a hallalls of sweating stone A ladder took theround, a second deeper still A dense hu in

They reached aThe first viral, the alpha, opened the door and slid inside, the others following

The room was ripe with the odor ofthe remains of a hastily abandoned ears was a panel with six steel wheels the size of ripped the first wheel INLET NO 1 it was ht hundred dying cries

--

Pistol extended, Sara approached the storage rooed the door with her foot

"Maybe it was just ain It was co from behind a stack of crates Sara placed the lantern on the floor and pushed the pistol out with both hands The crates were piled four high One on the botto those above it

"Sara--"

The crates went tuh the floor, twisting inlike a roach She fired the pistol blindly The viral seeun or else knew that Sara was too startled to aiazine was spent Sara turned, shoved Jenny froan to run

--

At the base of the wall, Alicia, i was labored and damp, punctuated by small, exquisitely painful hitches Blood was in her es refused to resolve She had no sense of tiht have been an hour

A dark shapehis head to hers Oh, see what you’ve done to yourself, he said I leave you for a minute and look what happens His war her, exhaling softly through his nostrils