The Foliage:Termination (The Foliage Series Book 2)

by Nathan Ward

  But harm was unavoidable as debris continued to break loose from the shuddering roof and fall with great force to the ground, occasionally grazing against Murdock's flesh, which added to the growing tally as his body became more distressed like a canvas under siege.

  Murdock gave one last grunt of aggression, his eyes darkened with his intent as his hands couldn’t have closed any tighter, forcing apart his fists, pulling away the power hoses from Houghton’s neck. A dirty mixture of colour begun to burst from the broken ends of the connectors and her body broke out in a frantic fit of energy, before collapsing heavily, a dead weight against the mountain of rubble beneath it.

  Murdock lowered his weary gaze, fixated on the metallic corpse, as in that moment he half expected it to reanimate, but the body lay still and broken.

  Murdock felt reassured of her demise as he took a long breath of fresh air which came blasting in through the broken windows, he could smell that a fresh beginning was on the verge, a promise that war was well and truly over.

  Then as he begun to turn away, the marble at his feet shuddered as an enormous fracture snaked with a ghastly cracking sound to either ends of the oval room then climbed towards the ceiling at an alarming rate.

  The tower was beginning to collapse in on itself and the suspended walkway was barely holding where Josh and Thomas were scrambling to their feet.

  Josh reached for Thomas’s arm, pulling him away from the edge as lumps of stone and fragments of glass rained down on top of them, exploding at their feet while the fracture begun to creep down the centre of the pathway, dividing the two of them as it slowly separated, revealing the pit of darkness beneath them that they frantically tried to escape, making one last effort to reach the corridor from which they came.

  Chapter 44: The Last of Us

  The tower was breaking apart, cracking down the centre and being pulled away from where its materials once bonded as one. The fracture that had slithered its way from the very bottom of the building had now become a pit and the only means of escape were now two long slabs protruding from the claustrophobic corridor - which were becoming narrower by the second as marble crumbled away with every collision, as the roof continued to cave in on itself, unleashing a mass of decomposing materials.

  The only sounds that cut through the dying structure was the smash of rubble, a sharp crunch as the platforms weakened and gasps from Thomas as he inhaled quick breaths of air, watching his step as he neared the opening of the corridor, those sounds playing over as the tower continued to die and Thomas tried to remain alive, an ugly rhythm of smash crunch gasp.

  The opening was now only a few meters away and as black and looming as a beckoning finger of death itself, which might indeed have been shrouded in that darkness, luring him in as death became personified, cloaked in black and carrying a scythe, bony finger beckoning through the dark...

  It certainly didn’t seem as welcoming any more, Thomas observed silently for a moment, glancing up and back down towards the uneven surface beneath him.

  Josh was also looking into the looming darkness, the opening was just a dark hole surrounded by sheets of metal that were beginning to come loose from the walls and fall among the debris that was amassed on the ceiling of the lower level where Murdock was hopefully still alive, Josh clung to that hope, just as he hoped for the best but stayed in fear of his life as the marble at his feet slowly disappeared.

  There was now more darkness than what there was surface and he knew that any moment now it was going down. And there was no more time to spare. Josh made a leap for the opening, reaching for the ground to break his fall and stop himself entering a sliding motion along the floor.

  He looked back for a second and caught the sight of Thomas just a few steps away, about to lunge as he had, but the marble path was all of a sudden no longer fused to the surface of the corridor - now it was falling deep, down towards the darkness.

  Josh reached out as far as he could, reaching for Thomas just as his body abruptly fell before he had reached the corridor entrance. Their hands welded together, Josh met his terrified gaze as he gritted his teeth and he pulled against the weight of Thomas’s body, which now hung over what seemed like a bottomless pit leading down through the tunnels of Hell.

  Josh could feel himself slipping, moving closer to the edge, but he swiftly braced his legs and jammed what was left of his boots against the sides of the walls, which was enough, for now, to hold on to his position and hold on to Thomas, whose hand was tight in his grip...

  At the bottom of the pit, the fallen marble slabs smashed violently through the ceiling and crashed against the ground and the sound was so alarming that the breaking floor shuddered as Murdock managed to throw himself out of the path of the falling debris as it smashed, kicking up a chalky thick mist which covered the entire complex and clung to Murdock's skin as he lay shielded against an outer wall, overlooking the east of the city.

  Steph emerged from the opening in the broken wall, but Murdock made a frantic gesture for her to get back, pressing his hand in a forward motion against the dust cloud which she instantly received as an order, knowing that order was for her benefit as the tower was rapidly evolving into a giant death trap it seemed, as the horrific screams of Thomas slowly begun to echo around the room, as the sound of creaking and the blaze burning around the tower diminished, it was haunting and unsettling for them all, each yell was one of terror as he hung over the pit but Josh held tight to Thomas’s sweaty palm – knowing that if he let go…well that simply wasn’t an option, he concluded as he yelled with determination, pulling with just enough tension and the last of his strength to launch Thomas up and over the ridge.

  Thomas slumped and sprawled against Josh, on the verge of losing consciousness, exhausted from fear and screaming he panted for air, then slowly turned to look towards Josh, catching a bright red glimpse of his cheeks and the fiery red veins pulsating around the whites of his eyes.

  “I thought…I was going to die!” he panted, with a look of sincere gratitude glistening in the wash of his eyes as he lifted his face from Joshes shoulder.

  “Not yet my friend, you don’t have my permission to die,” replied Josh, as he placed his hand against the back of Thomas’s head, holding up his exhausted companion. In that moment he felt proud and full of relief having witnessed death in hideous volumes on this day, he wasn’t ready for any more, not now that the end was in sight, to save a life now felt like a strike of triumph against the hollow victory of a war fought and won stacked up on a pile of corpses, the cost of freedom.

  “You'd better be ready to move!” he said urgently, now aware of the tremors amplifying around them.

  “I…I think I can,” Thomas muttered, glancing up towards the orange sun rays that were glowing at the opposite end of the corridor, “Yeah, yeah let’s do this!”

  Thomas was suddenly filled with an immediate sense of drive as the sight of sunlight gave the promise of life. It pulled forth the idea of a future where there was no longer a need for war and torment, a future that he knew was waiting behind the broken walls of the tower where fire had purified the London streets, artificial intelligence was crushed against the rubble and dirt and all they had to do now was save themselves...

  But their task of survival was shaping up to be the most challenging yet as the insides of the corridor begun to creak and crumble. With every passing second more and more shards of dark, sharp marble begun to fall, scattering down from the walls that arched above them and crashing to the ground, littering the narrow pathway.

  “We’re going to be buried alive if we don’t get out of here!” Josh yelled as he climbed to his feet, reached for Thomas and begun to navigate his way towards the warm glow of the sun, shining brightly at the end of the tunnel like a beacon of hope.

  Debris no longer fell from the ceiling on Murdock’s level as he rose to his feet, knocking away the dust from his raw wounds and rubbing his fists against the pits of his eyes.

  “Michael, Steph?”
he called as he wandered towards the hole in the wall, watching over his shoulder for any loose debris.

  “Follow my voice!” yelled Steph.

  She sounded pretty close as Murdock used her call out as a means to navigate through the cloud of dust and into the dark room where the terribly wounded body of Lynch remained with Michael and Steph leant over him in an attempt to shield him as best they could.

  “We need to start thinking about evacuation, but I don’t know who’s still alive, I don’t want to leave anyone behind,” Murdock explained as he knelt beside Steph, feeling moved at how protective they were being over a man they didn't even know.

  “Where will we even go?” Michael asked, casting his sights to the Captain, whose hair was as white as a ghost.

  “The city is ours, we have it all at our disposal! We just need to get out of the tower before we’re crushed by it!” he concluded, flinching as a slab of marble suddenly crashed to the ground behind him, “I’m going to attempt to reach what’s left of the elevator shaft, make sure there are no signs of any survivors. You three hold tight here…got it?”

  “Just be careful…” Steph said, with a look of fear in her eyes.

  Murdock pressed his hand against her shoulder and pulled himself back on to his feet, then headed for the second opening in the wall that led directly in to the elevator corridor where the flames had come to the end of their lives, they slowly died out, leaving a trail of thick black smoke and burnt flooring beneath it. He was about to enter a burnt out, blasted and shattered hell - and was ready for the horrors he would face.

  Murdock made his first stop beside the body of Enrique, who was lying closest and seemingly intact, apart from the metallic skull that he had launched into the fire. Murdock removed what was left of Enrique's computer system and strapped it to his right arm, replacing his own which no longer had any means of function. He then took off, advancing along the scarred tiles and arriving at the remains of the shaft.

  Here everything was a blur as smoke bellowed up from the lower levels, there was also an extreme heat alive within the gust of burning plastic. Murdock rubbed his fists against his eyes again, they had become sore and reddened from the heat and sting of the smoke and throbbed intensely as he shouted out, hoping for signs of life.

  “Is anyone down there?”

  His voice echoed as fractures appeared on the walls around him and along what was left of the ceiling tiles as the tremors became increasingly violent, knocking away concrete that fell hard, marring and scarring the insides of the appliance white walls, up above all was bowing under the immense pressure and now bursting, allowing the rubble to spill out along the scorched flooring. Broken tiles danced around Murdock’s feet, moving with the vibrating motion that was being cast by the towers slow demise as it continued to collapse in on itself.

  “This is your Captain speaking, is anyone alive down there?”

  His words rang about empty and with finality about them, he knew his window was about to close as dust sprinkled on top of him and crumbling marble trickled over the edge of the walkway, down towards the bottom of the open elevator shaft. The choking stench of burning plastic fumes and molten flesh would have churned any stomach, but the pounding ache against his skull was a most welcomed distraction as he waited, longer than he ever should, but something felt right, an instinct was growing, perhaps as if someone might be climbing the steps in need of assistance.

  “Hello?” he called loudly.

  Now worry lingered, it was that fear of leaving someone behind but knowing the road to freedom might close at any moment, it was tearing him apart…one side wanting to fall back, the other urging him to take a step down the stairwell, knowing full well there was a chance someone would be hidden beyond the clouds of black smoke...

  Murdock looked over his shoulder, ignored his reluctance and begun to move swiftly down the stairwell, waving his arms in hope of clearing some of the smoke and enhancing his vision - but it was near impossible, he might as well have been blind. He pushed on, hoping that there wasn’t any missing steps as he stumbled his way to the lower grounds, where fire was still raging ferociously and heat levels rocketed, it felt like a furnace and sweat had already started to run from Murdock's forehead, washing away the dirt that had clung to his face.

  “Joy! Anyone?” he cried, watching his step as the ground suddenly became littered with metallic remnants of UNA soldiers, skeletal corpses that must have lost consciousness when Astral was destroyed. One glance about this room told him they were all dead, deactivated or burnt or dismembered or blasted apart. Nothing here but dead androids...

  The ground beneath his feet was moving, the heat of the place was scorching at his flesh and Murdock could feel the stress that the tower was under as its supporting steel structures slowly diminished, losing their shape and now close to melting point, as a wide array of energy and fuel continued to burn with no means of control. The infrastructure was beyond a point of return and the hour glass was nearing empty, it was all too apparent to the Captain as he made one final glance about the room before returning to the stair well as thoughts remained heavy of the possibility of human life left behind.

  “I’m…I’m leaving now, god bless to anyone still down here. I’m sorry,” Murdock said softly as he turned away, knowing there was nothing more he could possibly do.

  The Captain reached in the direction of the hand rail and pulled himself up the steps, double taking just to be sure that no one was behind him.

  Then a faint cry mumbled, Murdock came to an abrupt halt and turned back around, listening carefully.

  “Who’s there? Hello?”

  He returned to the bottom of the stairs, reentering the blazing room. The flames were casting shadows around the place, creating an intense contrast between light and dark which made the corpses on the ground look as if they were moving, jerking to the frantic motion of the flames.

  “I heard you a moment ago! Call out, please!” Murdock yelled, scouring the room for any sign of life.

  “Help…Help…” muttered a weak voice.

  Murdock could barely hear it under the sound of the roaring flames, but it was enough to lead him in the right direction. He scrambled to the ground and reached for a body that was trapped beneath a mass of metallic corpses. Murdock grasped a hand and pulled the wounded fighter from the wreckage.

  As the orange glow of the fire cast light over the persons face, Murdock breathed a relieved sigh: It was Joy, looking dreadful with dried crimson clinging to her face, her uniform was ripped, hanging from her body - but yet the sight of her brought a spark of hope to Murdock’s heart after so much death and loss, to find a friend as precious as Joy still alive when time had essentially run dry was a feeling beyond relief.

  “Let’s get you out of here, my dear,” he whispered in her ear as he flung her arm around his neck and pulled her body towards the stair well.

  Joy’s hearing had worsened and the damage to her sight only made her vision near impossible as they trekked through the destruction erupting around them. She didn’t have the energy to speak now, she felt useless and had no means of showing her gratitude - but somehow she knew that Murdock wouldn’t expect anything in return. All the same, it just made her feel thankful that a man who could save himself would rather put his own life at risk to ensure the safety of others - and especially her, she thought to herself, as her thoughts became a best friend in the absence of speech, and those thoughts of how special and warm and thankful she was to be taken to safety by Murdock filled her with the knowledge that in his presence, held up by his strength, she was finally safe – and that thought alone was enough to cancel out her terrible pain.

  The two figures rose to the highest point where the smoke had begun to disperse out of the broken windows and clear a path for them to follow, Steph was waiting nervously at the end of the corridor as more rubble fell from the ceiling. There were now gaps that she could look through, revealing segments of the upper levels where her husband Jo
sh and Thomas were meant to be, she watched anxiously, hoping to catch a glimpse of them, there was movement but nothing to confirm that her husband was still alive... She just hoped they were still breathing as her ticket out of the tower approached with the lifeless body of Joy under his arm.

  “Get Lynch to the broken window, NOW!” Murdock ordered, gasping for air as he used the last of his strength to carry his friend, heading straight for what was left of the oval room.

  “Michael! We need to get Lynch into the other room and close to the window…” said Steph, kneeling at eye level with Michael.

  “To the window? Why?” he asked.

  “I didn’t question, now come on!” she ordered, taking Lynches hand and moving him along the ground in the direction of the neighboring room. They pulled him together until they met the glare of the sun shining across the remains of the city, it was warm and uplifting and it briefly distracted them from the tower as it continued its path of self destruction.

  Death was no longer their greatest fear, now it was the chance of not being able to live a life in this new world they had helped to create, the sun had never looked more beautiful, they both knew it as they soaked up the rays ,waiting for Murdock as he lowered Joy's body beside Lynch and raised his stolen wrist computer up to his field of vision.

  “Will there be more survivors?” Michael asked, looking back at Murdock as he pressed against the screen of the device with his bare fingers.

  “I suspect. It may seem like there’s none of us left but we will rebuild from this, I promise. We have people waiting for us, loved ones…” claimed Murdock, breaking eye contact and focusing on the commands he was administering to the computer.

  “Do you think Josh is…?”