The door to a staircase slammed behind Maria. Yet the moment she turned around, Gina stood in front of her.

 

“You’re going to leave him?” asked Gina.

 

Gina’s eyes stared right into Maria.

 

“We need to move,” said Maria as she passed by Gina.

 

Maria climbed up the stairs and stopped as she noticed something was wrong.

 

“What are you all waiting. Come on, we’ve got to hurry up,” said Maria.

 

“But what about Jason?” Eugene asked as she too was worried about Jason. The deadpan expression on her face was definitely not comfortable leaving behind Jason.

 

Maria gnashed her teeth knowing she too didn’t like leaving behind Jason. But what could she do?

 

The man himself volunteered and within these desperate times, she got to do whatever it takes to live through this ongoing nightmare.

 

“I’m going back for Jason,” said Gina out of the blues.

 

She held the handle of the staircase door but Maria shouted at her.

 

“Stop,” said Maria. She ran back to the door and slammed her body over the door blocking Gina any chance of leaving.

 

“Get the hell away,” Gina said.

 

“Or else what?” Maria replied staring back at the one glaring at her.

 

“Even if you go, you could do nothing. You’re just useless like a damsel always being saved,” said Maria as her words pricked Gina’s heart.

 

“I’m warning you, let me go,” said Gina as she fought back.

 

“Don’t be stupid. Jason is out there fighting for us to get a head start and I won’t let you put his effort into waste,” said Maria.

 

“I won’t-” Gina didn’t agree although she knew Maria was speaking the truth. Before she could even finish her words, Maria grabbed her by the arm.

 

Both sides have their own reason and both thinking about the well being of Jason.

 

“Three points to strength,” mumbled Maria to herself.

 

“Hey, let me go,” Gina demanded.

 

But Maria didn’t play along with Gina’s selfishness. With a sudden surge of strength, Maria easily dragged along Gina much to her disapproval.

 

Gina started shouting trying to resist whatever unbelievable strength coming from this woman who owns a Glock.

 

Eugene felt like interfering between these two. She too felt the need to fetch Jason along. Just leaving him behind made her felt rather guilty. But a hand grabbed her by the shoulder.

 

Eugene turned her head and saw her father shaking his head from side to side.

 

She glanced at her mother and saw she too was shaking her head in disapproval.

 

It soured her mood but she couldn’t help it.

 

“Let’s go up the roof,” said her father.

 

The three family members followed along the trail of the duo who was bickering while climbing up the stairs.

 

“Can’t you shut that pie hole of yours. Those things might hear you,” said Maria as she began too worried about Gina's constant yelling. It made her nervous just thinking about those things out there.

 

“I can shout whenever I-” she stopped speaking as an unknown sound echoed within the staircase.

 

Everyone stood motionless, stiff like a board. All of them held their breath as that unknown sound echoed once more.

 

It sounded like an animal. An animal that they wouldn’t like to encounter. Eugene took the courage to see downstairs over the stair railing.

 

Once again the sound echoed. Eugene pointed down telling them it was coming from downstairs.

 

Maria gulped down a mouthful of her saliva. She put her finger on her lips telling them to stay silent. Her hand kept on waving about as she signaled them to climbed up the stairs.

 

Everyone didn’t dare let out a sound not even Gina.

 

Slowly they moved towards the roof, one floor to another as silent as possible.

 

Soon the disturbing sound faded disappearing into the distance. The whole group stood in silence making sure they didn’t hear those sounds again.

 

They stood there like wooden dolls for a whole ten minutes before they finally let out a breath of relief.

 

Maria slumped down sitting on the floor with her back on the wall. Beads of sweats covered her entire forehead as the whole experience was nerve-wracking.

 

She glared at Gina, knowing all of this happened was probably because of her. Gina looked away as she knew what that glare meant.

 

But then…

 

BANG.

 

The loud sound of a door being opened frightened the heck out of the whole group. All of them stood upright in a flash, readied to flee at any moment.

 

The sound came from upstairs and as they looked above. A bunch of people was staring back at them in surprise.

 

A father and mother with two children.

 

The father seems like wanting to speak but Maria signaled at him not to.

 

She beckoned her group to continued climbing up the stairs. They went passed the family but Maria waited behind for a while.

 

“We’re going up to the roof,” whispered Maria.

 

“Why the roof?” the father asked.

 

“A rescue team is coming tonight, it’s best to wait on the roof rather than down there,” said Maria.

 

Maria was about to leave but Eugene's father held her shoulder.

 

“Please, can we follow you?” said the father.

 

She nodded and four people came along as they climbed up the stairs.

 

Then the unknown sound came back haunting the ears of those in the staircase. The sound was clearer as if closer to the whole group.

 

Maria turned frantic swinging her hand around as if telling them to pick up the pace.

 

They started running up the stairs knowing they were approaching closer to the roof.

 

The unknown sound that was closer to a snarl was becoming more vivid as each second passed.

 

“Just a little bit closer,” said Maria trying to uplift the spirit of the whole group.

 

The door was within Maria’s sight. Her hand reached out to the handle and the moment she grabbed it, she pushed it down.

 

Kachink…

 

The door opened and the sunlight breached into the mild darkness of the staircase. A sense of hope bloomed within the hearts of these people.

 

People went through the door one by one. Yet something else appeared in front of them.

 

BANG.

 

A loud gunshot rang in the air.

 

Maria saw a man falling on the floor. Blood spurted out from the gun wound as the man was dying, wriggling around on the floor.

 

She glanced at the source of the gunshot. A man dressed in a suit with a pair of sunglasses on. He held a gun in the air directed at the falling man.

 

She was about to take out her gun but she remembered the unknown snarling sound.

 

“A monster is coming,” Maria shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

Her voice was heard and people dressed the same attire as the one who shot the bleeding man on the floor hurried towards the emergency door.

 

They were fast and in unison. The door was shut and secure with random things blocking the door.

 

Maria stood and watched these men in black doing their work. Her mind was boggled by it. She knew the capability of these men.

 

In-ear earbuds, black suits, loaded with P320 gun and not to mention the teamwork between them. These people are not ordinary people.

 

Her eyes scanned the surroundings as she saw many of these men numbering up to twenty guarding a certain area on the roof. One might say they guarded the lounge area of the roof with a certain person relaxing on a sofa.

 

Even from afar Maria could saw that was man seeping his drink in leisure as if nothing was wrong with the world. Her eyes darted around to the counter and saw another person having a blast chugging down whatever drink she had with more bodyguards around her.

 

They’re definitely the son and daughter of the Rawling conglomerate. But…

 

Her eyes focused at a certain location where a lot of people were taking refuge. They were confined to a rather uncomfortable space devoid of any luxury like those two siblings were having.

 

In fact, Maria saw these men in black were rather guarding the whole perimeter against being breach. Both monsters and people.

 

Then her eyes glanced back at the dying man with another woman crying beside him.

 

She couldn’t stand seeing it. The urge for her to take out her gun was high right now.

 

But thinking about her survival, she restrained herself.

 

Yet trouble kept on walking on her.

 

From afar, the man who was seeping his drink came over after being notified by his men in black.

 

He walked towards the group who had just arrived.

 

While walking, Maria saw how soft these people are. The men in black opened up an umbrella for the son of the conglomerate covering from the sunlight.

 

She could feel the annoyance of dealing with these people just by seeing this spectacle.

 

Soon, the man arrived in front of Maria.

 

“Well, well. What do we have here? A bunch of new people but definitely a few gems around more than the pebbles” said the son of the conglomerate.

 

His eyes kept on darted around and Maria for some reason felt rather disgusted by how he looked at people.

 

She didn’t miss the eyes she was looked at. Being scanned up and down like some kind of merchandise.

 

The urge to punch this scumbag was going through the roof.

 

But she bites down on her lips and endured it all.

 

She stepped forward towards the son of the conglomerate.

 

But the men in black blocked her path.

 

“Step aside,” said Maria.

 

As both Maria and the man in black had a stare-off.

 

“It’s okay Mario, let her stand in front of me,” the son of conglomerate spoke.

 

The bodyguard stepped back giving leeway to Maria.

 

“So are you going to repay the gratitude of being saved?” the son of the conglomerate was smiling from ear to ear.

 

Sincerity was not definitely seen on that face.

 

Maria put her hand inside the inside of her jacket. The man in black was alarmed by her movement and was quick to aim the gun at her.

 

Even the son of the conglomerate.

 

Maria paused her movement as the situation turned rather serious at the moment.

 

“I’m just going to show you my credentials. I’m going to get it out slowly,” said Maria.

 

Her eyes darted around and saw she had already been circled by these men in black.

 

There was silence in the air but as Maria took out the so-called credential.

 

She flashed it out in front of the son of the conglomerate.

 

“I’m Detective Maria Lopez from New York Police Department 98^th Precinct. I’m here to escort you back to Outerbridge Crossing military base camp.”