Chapter 29: Support

Thursday, March 30th, 9:52 PM

UCSC Genomics Institute

Santa Cruz, California

Mike stood and pulled the hood of his light jacket over his head, then stepped carefully through Genomics, into the rain toward the building that had appeared out of nowhere.

You shittin’ me? Mike stared at the ground around him.

Mud and ash had disappeared from the nearby road and sidewalk, leaving them as clean as before the war. The structure loomed much larger than Mike had realized as he neared.

He squinted when a light turned on as he entered.

It’s gotta be the Dungeon. But how? We’re miles away.

Ahead to the left and right were two doorways, marked with classic men’s and women’s bathroom symbols carved into the stone walls. The interiors were lit, with five toilet stalls each, identical to those in the fruit orchard at the Dungeon.

Mike felt his stomach ease a little at the sight of proper facilities.

At the end of the short hallway was a single room. Six rows with twelve beds each had been created.

She knew? There are seventy-one of us, and seventy-two beds.

I need to tell Joe and the others.

Mike turned to run back but heard a voice in his mind.

[Bring the other humans.] [Dungeon offers help.]

“Who said that?” asked Mike, looking around.

[I did. Now, go do the thing.]

“Who’s I? Who are you?”

[Annoying human. I am Nino. You are wasting time.]

A cat walked out from a hole in the wall that Mike hadn’t noticed.

“How the hell are you talking? I thought only the dogs could speak—”

[Stupid human.] [You’ll let people die to talk?] [Obnoxious.] The Calico cat glared up at him.

“Good point.” I just got told off by a damned cat. Shit keeps getting weirder.

---

[Thank you, Nino. You’re going to save a lot of people by helping them to understand what I’m doing.]

[I did what you wanted. I’m tired. Go away, Dog-Mom.] Nino sounded every bit as annoyed as she had before.

Definitely still a cat…

It was a good idea to give her the Blessing of Acumen. I wonder why her speech seems so much clearer than Sunny and Sandy’s? Shouldn’t dogs be at least as smart as cats, if not more so?

Something to look into when I find the time.

For now, I need to finish what I started.

Small tunnels near the surface were easy, but my second floor felt like it would take ages to hollow out as I worked on both.

With my attention split between two tasks, there were times when I’d barely managed to keep up with enlarging the tunnel ahead of Nino while she ran toward Natural Bridges. But I had made it work.

Afterward, I’d created a sanitary shelter for the sick humans to rest and recover. That required moving a lot of bedding out of the houses I’d made and transferring it through my inventory to the other location, but I wanted to keep those people alive, so I made it happen.

It was a little obnoxious that I had to bribe Nino with an entire week of having fish delivered by my crabs whenever she was hungry, but I needed someone there to help me communicate with Joe and Mike. The simple truth was that Nino’s small size made her my best option to get things moving quickly.

Mike had brought six children to the temporary shelter, and there was a gorgeous Border Collie curled up next to a little girl.

The tag on the Collie’s collar read, Bella.

Aw, Bella’s adorable! My girls will be so excited to meet her!

Mike was carrying a young woman when Joe appeared alongside him, looking weary as he hefted the limp form of a man.

Wait.

I looked closer at the man Joe hauled toward my new structure.

The man’s face was turned away but I recognized his profile and dark wavy hair, sprinkled with a touch of gray. The sick man wore familiar hiking boots, jeans, and a gray windbreaker streaked with dirt.

The pain and loss I’d suffered before my evolution came crashing back to the front of my mind, and my heart wrenched.

Oh, crap…

Steven.

---

Nino watched uncomfortably from the high perch the Dungeon had made for her, as two humans continued to move others inside. The girl-dog below noticed Nino but seemed to be one that wouldn’t bark at the sight of her.

Good.

She twitched her nose and whiskers irritably when she caught a whiff of two additional flavors of sickly excrement. There were already too many humans present for Nino’s liking, and each added a unique bouquet to the growing stench.

Disgusting.

Nino trotted down the steps made just for her and toward the tunnel where she’d entered. The dog perked its ears. It looked at Nino but remained where it was.

The dog gave Nino a slow blink, and she returned the friendly gesture.

Good dog.

[Where are you going, Nino? I need you there to communicate with them.]

The Dungeon that had once been her servant’s neighbor whined at Nino.

Turning her ears slightly backward to show her displeasure at the Dungeon’s ignorance, Nino replied, [The smell is disgusting. I’m leaving.]

Nino continued into the tunnel.

“No, Mommy. You can’t go outside while you’re sick.” A human child spoke from behind Nino, but those words made no sense.

Of course, it was possible to go outside because no accursed door blocked the way. Even if one had, humans could open them.

Dumb human child.

[Nino, if you leave, then our bargain is off and you get to catch your own fish. The agreement was that you stay so that I can talk with the humans.]

The Dungeon sounded much more upset than she should—almost like she was mourning the dead. But none of the humans in this place had died yet.

Annoying.

Nino stopped mid-step and hissed quietly. She knew the Dungeon had her, and it rankled.

[Fine. I’ll stay. But not with smelly humans.]

“You’d be smelly, too—if you had this crap.” It was the old male human that Nino had spoken with just after she arrived in this place.

Obvious. Animals smell bad when they have crap. Why waste energy speaking about it? This human is defective.

[Stop talking.]

“Crazy-ass cat,” grumbled the human.

Nino shut her eyes and ignored him.

---

Their work finished twenty minutes after Joe awakened to discover Mike carrying people to a cleaner place the Dungeon had created for them.

Joe lay on a clean bed in the new building, marveling at how comfortable a real mattress and pillow felt after camping for weeks.

Everyone had been moved, and so far, they’d all survived.

Where the hell did Gonzales run off to? He’d better not be responsible for getting everyone sick.

Joe felt his inner strength recovering faster than before, and his fever was less severe despite having moved around so much.

Layers of salt and grime that covered Joe’s body were nearly gone, and his stomach only ached a little. He sat up and opened his eyes.

Mike was seated on the next bed, and a few children sat in a nearby corner of the large A-frame room, huddling beneath a blanket.

They’re smiling.

Joe smiled along with them.

I don’t believe it… the Dungeon might’ve saved our asses.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he noticed the horrible stench had nearly vanished.

How does the Dungeon do things like that?

Joe noticed a Calico cat perched on a stone shelf above the door to the hallway. She had a familiar tag on her collar.

“Nino?” Joe whispered.

[What, big human?] Nino looked at Joe as her high, almost childlike voice radiated annoyance.

“Uh… my name is Joe. I was wondering how you got here. How did any of this get here?” Joe indicated the structure around them, rubbing his forehead.

[Obvious. The Dungeon.] Nino sounded impatient.

“Heh. I figured that. I meant, how did you get all the way here safely?”

[Why ask a question twice? Humans are stupid.] Nino shut her eyes and turned away.

The children in the corner laughed, and Joe chuckled.

Cats… why am I not surprised?

“Ciara, if you’re listening, thank you,” Joe muttered.

“What did you say?” Professor Miller sat up across the room, looking at Joe.

Joe held up a hand and shrugged. “The Dungeon’s name is Ciara. I was thanking her for helping us.”

“You said… the Dungeon started in Twin Lakes?” Professor Miller’s brow furrowed.

Nikki Montrose sat up next to Professor Miller, reaching for his hand with a mischievous smile. Joe resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

At least they aren’t getting busy beneath a blanket right in front of the kids again.

Nino spoke up. [Dungeon says yes, it’s her. She hopes you enjoy mating with the blonde female. Maybe time to run? Dungeon eats people when she is angry.]

---

[NO! Nino, stop! I didn’t mean to say that aloud!]

Oh, God… in front of Steven and everyone.

[Stupid Dungeon. Don’t speak if you don’t mean it.] Nino chastened me.

Why? I had moved on, and I was just going to let it be. I’m such an idiot.

“I… uh. Tell her I’m sorry.” Steven stood and hid behind the blonde, who scowled at him.

[Dumb human. Dungeon hears you. Obvious.] Nino glared at the opposite wall.

The boy at the center of the three children huddling in the corner burst out laughing, and the two little girls beside him followed suit. Bella stood up beside them and wagged her tail.

“I love you kitty! You’re funny,” the youngest girl said with bright eyes.

Steven locked eyes with the blonde woman and shrugged. She smacked Steven’s shoulder and rolled her eyes.

[Young humans are smarter.] Nino blinked slowly at the kids, eliciting another round of joyful laughter from them.

A petite brunette in her early thirties frowned at the children from her bed, then turned to lay on her side, pulling a blanket over her head as she shook.

“I’m here, Allison. Hey, we’ll find them—I promise…” A young brunette stood beside her and rubbed Allison’s shoulder. Soft, anguished wailing reached the entire room as those who were awake looked down with sad eyes—even the children.

The youngest girl stood and walked over, followed by Bella. She teared up, placed her small hand against the blanket, and said quietly, “Miss Allison, I love you.”

“Oh, Abbie… thank you, sweetie.” Allison choked on her words. She muttered something incoherent, and then keened, “My babies…”

I couldn’t bear to hear anymore, so I returned my focal point to the main Dungeon.

Back inside my basement, where Siobhán lay on one of the beds with Sunny snoring beside her, she muttered, “Uh, ProfCon, you sounded angry at Steven. The only person we knew at Genomics with that name was…” She gasped, then whispered, with horrified eyes as she covered her mouth, “The man she loved was Professor Miller? Oh, God.”

Me and my big mouth.

---

[Fine. Then Nino can leave? Good.] The cat spoke with the silent Dungeon again, then glared at Joe.

[You and ancient fighting human come. Message from Dungeon.] Nino’s left ear twitched a few times while she spoke.

“Right. Ancient Master of Guns?” Joe stood with a grin.

“Ancient, my ass.” Mike chuckled.

While he walked beside Mike as they followed Nino, Joe looked around at the others, many of whom were out of bed.

It’s incredible how much better everyone looks. The Dungeon must have some kind of healing, too.

When they reached Delaware Avenue, the cat turned to face them.

[Dungeon says humans should stay inside until feeling better. After, you come to the Dungeon. Houses made, and food. Dungeon wants to protect humans.]

Joe met Mike’s eyes when his mentor turned to look at him.

“Probably a good idea at this point. There’s better food, and if she built houses for us like this…” Mike gestured to the structure behind them.

Joe rubbed his chin. “Yeah. I don’t see a good reason not to. Everything about this Dungeon and her abilities is FUBAR, but so is my healing. If Rihelah’s right, the Dungeon also serves the same Dragon as me.”

Mike scoffed. “I still can’t get over that shit. A damned Dragon—but we heard its roar. Crazy-loud…”

“Auronox is real, or I wouldn’t be able to do the things I can,” said Joe.

Nino interjected, [Dungeon also says be careful of boardwalk. Dangerous humans there.]

The cat’s ears twitched backward as she stared at the building behind them. [What, Dungeon? Fine. Human names are dumb. Sound like dog names.]

Nino looked at Mike and Joe and calmly said, [Boardwalk humans killed Michael and Rihelah.]

“WHAT?” Joe and Mike roared.

Joe moved like the wind, sprinting east through the darkness down Delaware Avenue, and he heard Mike running behind.

Nino called out as she loped in front of Joe, [Stupid, impatient Joe-human! Stop and listen. Michael and Rihelah are alive.]

“They’re—so, it’s true what they said? Revival after death… they really came back to life?” Joe slowed as he looked incredulously down at the cat, whose eyes reflected the starlight.

[Yes. Unnatural, but true. Nino is also a Dungeon resident. Immortal.]

He stopped moving, and Joe stood stunned. He heard Nino cleaning herself in the darkness while Mike’s footsteps approached from behind.

“What are you doing, Schimpf? We have to go!” Mike bellowed.

“They’re alive, Mike,” Joe said.

“What did you say?” Mike stopped beside Joe with a glare.

After Joe’s explanation with additional clarification from Nino, Mike still seemed angry as hell, and Joe couldn’t blame him.

Joe said, “Don’t worry. Whoever shot your son and little Rihelah will pay.”

[Dungeon ate humans who killed Rihelah and Michael. But more bad humans still at board-walk. Traitors who hate Yu Ess Ay.]

“Fuck.” Joe and Mike said in unison.

Joe opened his mouth to speak but Mike beat him to it. “We need to get back to the Dungeon and see if the kids know more.”

“Yeah, but we can’t leave the others here,” Joe replied.

Mike groaned a bit.

“What is it?” Joe asked.

“That shit’s coming on again. Fever and stomach ache. Alright, let’s head back for now.” Mike started walking back toward Natural Bridges, and Joe fell in beside him.

“Damn. Thought we’d been cured.” Joe frowned, realizing his own symptoms were creeping back as well.

[Stay in Dungeon house. Help humans stay safe until tunnel is complete.]

“What tunnel?” Joe and Mike asked in unison.

[Stupid humans. How do you think Nino got here?] The Calico cat sounded annoyed as she padded silently beside them.

After they returned to the others and Nino disappeared through the small tunnel in the wall, Joe’s health improved again.

“Master Guns, my stomach’s gettin’ better. I think the Dungeon’s helping while we’re inside.”

“I don’t understand it, but the effect speaks for itself.” Mike clapped Joe on the shoulder, then stood and cleared his throat loudly.

“Okay, folks. I know it’s late, but I need everyone’s attention.”

Once everyone had quieted, Mike continued, “Me and Joe just learned that while the Dungeon is healing damage to our bodies, it’s not curing the sickness. We went outside for a bit, and our symptoms came back. So, we’re staying in for the night, and I strongly suggest that you all do as well.”

There were a few nods, but everyone was quiet, so Mike said, “The Dungeon made a place for us all to live over in Twin Lakes. We’ll have access to all the food we need. Apparently, the Dungeon built a wall surrounding the area, to help keep raiders out.”

“If you’d run your mouth like this a month ago, I would’a laughed you right out the door, kid.” With a toothy grin, Jeffrey Stapp jabbed his right index finger toward Mike.

“But these old eyes work better than they have in years. I’ve seen magic and talkin’ animals, and I wanna know what else is out there before I pass on—so, I’ll be goin’ with ya. We gotta stick together if we’re gonna make it.”

Everyone present nodded their assent. Except for Bella, who wagged her tail beside Abbie.

---

Minions: 100/100

Residents: 10/10

Denizens: 36498

Traps: 1/5