We were completely surrounded on all sides.

Approximately thirty infected had been positioned throughout the reception area in the same motionless standby state we'd observed elsewhere in the building. But our dramatic entrance had activated every single one of them simultaneously, their clouded eyes all turning toward us with the same unnatural intelligence and coordination we'd witnessed from the enhanced guards upstairs.

"R…Ryan!" Rachel called out in panic, her voice tight with fear as she took in the overwhelming number of hostiles surrounding us.

I groaned and struggled to my feet, feeling my back protest with sharp spikes of pain that radiated through my entire torso. The impact from falling three stories had been brutal despite my enhanced durability—without the Dullahan virus running through my system, that massive infected upstairs would have broken my spine when it threw us through the window. Even with my supernatural healing abilities, I could feel multiple ribs grinding against each other with every breath, and there was a persistent ache in my lower back that suggested serious bruising to my kidneys.

I rose slowly with Rachel's help, her steady hands supporting my weight as I assessed our tactical situation. The infected were approaching with the same coordinated precision we'd witnessed throughout the building.

"W…what do we do?" Rachel asked, her voice wavering as she raised her steel rod in a defensive posture.

I glanced at Mark's frequency recording equipment. The digital display was showed that we had accumulated approximately one and a half minutes of data—just ninety seconds short of the minimum three-minute requirement Mark had specified for developing effective countermeasures.

I couldn't abandon now, not when we were so close to obtaining the information that could save Jackson Township and potentially every other survivors in the region. But Rachel was with me, and her safety had to be my primary concern. There had to be some kind of solution that would allow us to complete the recording while keeping both of us alive.

The infected were closing their circle systematically, moving with precision that left no obvious escape routes. But they weren't rushing us—apparently whatever intelligence controlled them wanted to ensure we couldn't slip away rather than achieve a quick kill. That gave us perhaps a minute before they'd be close enough to attack effectively.

Should I activate my time freeze ability? Ten seconds of stopped time might be enough to find defensive positions and plan our next move. But using that power now would mean waiting another ten minutes before it recharged, and I had a growing suspicion we'd need it again before the task was complete.

My gaze swept the reception area frantically, looking for any tactical advantage we could exploit. The space had been designed for comfortable customer interactions rather than defensive positions—comfortable seating arranged in conversation clusters, informational displays about the radio station's programming, windows that would normally provide a welcoming view of the street outside.

Then my eyes fell on the reception desk itself—a long, solid piece of furniture that stretched across nearly half the room's width. It was substantial enough to provide meaningful cover, and more importantly, it had a recessed area behind it where the receptionist would have worked. If we could reach it before the infected completed their encirclement, it might buy us the time we needed.

"Here!" I said urgently, grasping Rachel's arm and activating my time freeze ability.

The world suddenly went completely silent and still, the approaching infected frozen mid-step like mannequins. I had exactly ten seconds to act, and I used every one of them efficiently.

I pulled Rachel with me as I rushed toward the reception desk, our enhanced speed allowing us to cross the room in a few quick strides. I vaulted over the desk's surface, dragging Rachel with me, and immediately crouched down in the concealed workspace behind it. The desk was even more substantial than I'd hoped—solid oak construction with plenty of room for both of us to hide comfortably.

When time resumed, the growls and moans of the infected filled the air again. I couldn't be certain, but they might have experienced something like confusion when we suddenly vanished from their sight. The coordinated precision of their movement faltered briefly as they tried to locate targets that had simply disappeared from their visual range.

I just hoped they couldn't detect the Dullahan virus in my system through scent—though that seemed like a fragile hope given how close we still were to the main cluster of infected. Enhanced senses were common among virus-enhanced creatures, and our hiding spot wouldn't be effective if they could simply follow our scent trail.

That's when Rachel surprised me completely. She grasped my hand tightly and began summoning one of her protective barriers, but this manifestation was different from the wall-like constructs I'd seen her create before. Instead of forming a visible energy field between us and our enemies, this barrier seemed to wrap around our bodies like a second skin, creating a subtle distortion in the air that was barely visible even at close range.

But something immediately caught my attention about this particular barrier—something that changed everything about our situation.

I couldn't hear anything anymore.

The sounds of infected movement, their vocalizations, even the ambient noise of the building itself had been completely eliminated. We were sitting in a pocket of absolute silence despite being surrounded by dozens of hostile creatures.

I turned toward Rachel with amazement and no small amount of hope. "You can create soundproof barriers?" I asked, though I had to rely on lip reading since my own voice was as muted as everything else around us.

Rachel herself seemed surprised by this development, her eyes wide with wonder at her own capabilities. "I... I think so," she replied, though I could see rather than hear her words. "I've never tried anything like this before, but when I focused on wanting to hide from them completely, this is what happened."

The implications were enormous. If Rachel could maintain a barrier that blocked both visual and auditory detection, we might be able to wait here indefinitely while the infected searched for us. More importantly, we could remain hidden for the ten minutes I needed to recharge my time freeze ability, ensuring I'd have access to my most powerful capability when we made our final push to complete the mission.

"Can you hold it for ten minutes?" I asked, communicating through exaggerated lip movements and gestures.

Ten minutes—that was exactly what I needed to recover my time manipulation power. There was no way in hell I was going back upstairs to face that massive infected and retrieve the recording equipment without having my ultimate ability available.

Rachel nodded confidently. "I can maintain this kind of barrier for at least that long, maybe longer if I pace myself properly."

"Alright," I sighed in relief, though the sound was immediately absorbed by Rachel's acoustic dampening field. The tension that had been building in my chest since we'd fallen through the ceiling finally began to ease as I realized we might actually survive this impossible situation.

But the physical pain from our entrance was catching up with me. I groaned involuntarily as the adrenaline began to fade, allowing my nervous system to register the full extent of the damage I'd sustained. My back felt like it had been worked over with sledgehammers, and every breath sent sharp pains through my ribs.

"Are you alright, Ryan?" Rachel looked at me with obvious worry and guilt. "I'm sorry... this is all my fault. If I hadn't insisted on coming with you, you wouldn't have had to protect me from that monster upstairs."

When she grasped my hand tighter I managed to hear her now.

"Don't apologize," I replied, meeting her eyes with all the sincerity I could muster. "None of this is your fault. That thing would have attacked whether you were there or not, and your barriers are the only reason we're still alive right now."

"But I feel so useless," she said, lowering her gaze. "You're the one with the real combat abilities, the one who can actually fight these enhanced infected. All I can do is hide behind energy fields and hope they hold."

"Hey," I said gently, reaching out with my uninjured hand to touch her cheek despite the cramped quarters behind the reception desk.

Rachel shivered slightly at the contact, probably because my hand was cold from shock and blood loss, but she didn't pull away from the gesture.

"You are not useless, Rachel," I said with a smile that I hoped conveyed my genuine feelings. "I'm glad you came with me, and I'm especially glad you're here with me now. Without your barriers, we'd both be dead already. Without your leadership and presence back home, our entire group would have fallen apart weeks ago. You're one of the strongest people I know, and I don't mean just physically."

"Ryan..." Rachel reached up and placed her own hand over mine where it rested against her cheek. Her skin was soft and warm compared to mine.

"We're going to get out of here," I continued then. "We're going to finish recording those frequency patterns, and then we're going to escape this building and get that data to Mark so he can develop countermeasures. But right now, we wait. We let them search for us while we recover our strength."

Rachel nodded, smiling.

The space behind the reception desk was cramped but not uncomfortably so. We were pressed close together, sharing body heat in the confined area while Rachel's barrier continued to shield us from detection. Outside our protective cocoon, I could occasionally see shadows moving past the desk as infected searched for any trace of our presence.

But inside our hide, there was only quiet intimacy.

As the minutes passed, Rachel and I found ourselves leaning against each other for both physical and emotional support. My back was still sending sharp spikes of pain through my nervous system, and her shoulder provided a comfortable place to rest while my enhanced healing worked to repair the damage. Rachel seemed to appreciate the warmth and solid presence I offered as well, settling against my side with a contented smile.

"Tell me about your barrier abilities," I said softly, wanting to understand the full extent of what she could do. "How long have you been able to create different types of energy fields?"

"Since shortly after you... stabilized me," she replied, color rising in her cheeks. "At first, I could only make simple walls—basic protection that would slow down infected attacks. But over time, I've been discovering new applications. Different ways of shaping the energy, different properties I can give to the barriers."

"Like this soundproofing effect?"

"Exactly. I never tried it before today, but when I concentrated on wanting complete concealment rather than just physical protection, this is what emerged. I think the barriers respond to my intentions as much as my conscious control."

The concept was fascinating from a tactical standpoint. If Rachel could continue developing her abilities, she might eventually be able to create specialized barriers for any situation—camouflage fields, environmental protection, even offensive constructs that could be used as weapons rather than just defensive tools.

"What other variations have you experimented with?" I asked, genuinely curious about the full extent of her capabilities.

"I've been working on making them more mobile," she said, settling more comfortably against my side. "Instead of static walls, I can create barriers that move with us or track specific targets. And I've been trying to make them more energy-efficient so I can maintain them for longer periods without exhausting myself."

As she spoke, I found myself becoming increasingly aware of her physical presence pressed against me. The cramped space meant we were in much closer contact than would normally be appropriate, and the combination of adrenaline, physical exhaustion, and emotional intimacy was creating a complex mix of feelings.

Rachel seemed to be experiencing something similar. Her breathing had become slightly more irregular, and there was a tension in her posture that had nothing to do with the danger surrounding us. When she looked up at me, her green eyes seemed hesitant.

"It will be fine," I said.

We stayed like that for several more minutes, sharing warmth while her barrier continued to shield us from the infected searching the reception area. Outside our protective cocoon, shadows moved back and forth as our enemies tried to locate prey that had seemingly vanished into thin air.

When my internal chronometer indicated that ten minutes had passed, I looked at that tattoo that had recovered its black shine that told me my time freeze ability had recharged completely. We were ready to make our move, but first I needed to assess the situation and plan our approach carefully.

I peered carefully around the edge of the reception desk, using my enhanced vision to survey the reception area and look for the best route to our objective. Most of the infected had spread out through the space, apparently still searching for any trace of our presence. Their coordination had broken down somewhat in the absence of clear targets, and several were now wandering in seemingly random patterns.

That's when my gaze fell on something that sparked a new possibility—the elevator doors on the far side of the reception area stood partially open, revealing the darkened shaft beyond. The elevator car itself was apparently stuck between floors, leaving an opening that might provide access to the upper levels of the building.

It was a risky plan, but it offered several advantages over trying to fight our way back up the main stairwell. The elevator shaft would be a confined space where numbers wouldn't matter as much, and if we could climb the cables to reach the technical operations room from above, we might be able to avoid most of the infected that were undoubtedly guarding the conventional routes.

"I have an idea," I whispered to Rachel, gesturing toward the elevator. "If we can reach that shaft and climb the cables, we should be able to get back to the recording equipment without fighting through all the guards they've positioned in the stairwells."

Rachel studied the route I'd indicated. "That's at least twenty meters of open ground with no cover. And then we'd have to climb electrical cables three stories with infected potentially above and below us."

"But it's better than trying to fight our way up the main stairs," I pointed out. "And if your barriers can provide mobile protection while we move, we might be able to reach the shaft before they can coordinate an effective response."

Rachel nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her expression. "I can create a moving barrier that will deflect most attacks while we run. It won't stop everything, but it should get us across the room alive."

I checked my weapons one more time—shotgun loaded with buckshot, pistol ready with a full magazine, steel spike and hand axe secured as well. If we were going to do this, we needed to move fast and hit hard enough to create a clear path through any infected that tried to intercept us.

"Ready?" I asked, positioning myself for a sprint toward the elevator.

Rachel nodded, her steel rod gripped tightly. "On your signal."

I waited until several of the nearest infected had wandered away from our direct path, then gave Rachel the go signal and vaulted over the reception desk in a single fluid motion.

The infected reaction was quick. Every creature in the reception area turned toward us simultaneously.

But we had momentum and surprise on our side. I led the charge toward the elevator, my shotgun barking repeatedly as I cleared a path through the infected that tried to block our route.

BANG!

The buckshot was devastatingly effective at close range, dropping standard infected with single shots to center mass and creating openings that Rachel and I could exploit.

Rachel followed close behind, her steel rod swinging in controlled arcs that crushed infected skulls. More importantly, she maintained a mobile barrier around us that deflected claws and teeth from infected that got too close to our flanks. The energy field moved with us like a protective bubble, absorbing impacts that would have slowed us down or caused serious injuries.

We covered the thirty meters to the elevator in perhaps fifteen seconds of intense combat, leaving a trail of destroyed infected behind us but taking minimal damage ourselves. The combination of my firepower, Rachel's barriers, and our enhanced physical capabilities had proven more than adequate for breaking through their defensive line.

The elevator doors stood partially open just as I'd observed, revealing a darkened shaft that extended both up and down into shadow. The elevator car was wedged between the first and second floors, leaving enough space for us to enter the shaft and access the cables that would take us to our destination.

"Inside, quickly!" I shouted, pushing Rachel through the opening ahead of me and following immediately behind.

The elevator shaft was a concrete-lined vertical tunnel with heavy cables running down the center, exactly as I'd hoped. Our torchlights provided illumination, and I could see handholds and maintenance access points that would make climbing possible despite the challenging conditions.

I immediately pulled at the access panel in the elevator car's ceiling, the metal giving way under my enhanced strength to reveal the cable access area above. The main support cables were thick steel constructions designed to handle far more weight than two people, and there were also smaller cables for electrical systems and emergency communications maybe.

"We climb these to reach the third floor," I explained to Rachel, pointing upward toward where the cables disappeared into darkness. "The technical operations room should be directly accessible from the elevator maintenance area."

But Rachel was looking up at the cables with obvious hesitation.

"Ryan, I'm not sure I can climb three stories on cables," she said, worried. "My barrier abilities are strong, but I've never been particularly good at athletics or climbing. What if I fall?"

The concern was legitimate. Cable climbing required specific techniques and considerable upper body strength, and a fall from even the second floor could be fatal. But I could see infected beginning to gather at the elevator entrance below us, and it was only a matter of time before they found a way to follow us into the shaft.

"I have a better idea," I said, turning my back toward her and crouching down slightly. "Climb on my back. I'll carry you up."

Rachel stared at me in shock, her face flushing red with embarrassment at the suggestion. "I can't ask you to do that! You're already injured from the fall, and carrying another person while climbing would be incredibly difficult even for someone with your abilities."

"You're not asking—I'm offering," I replied. "And it's not difficult for me. The Dullahan virus enhancement makes this kind of physical challenge much more manageable than it would be for a normal human. More importantly, it's safer than risking a fall that could kill you after everything we've been through together."

Rachel hesitated, clearly torn between accepting help and maintaining her independence. "But what if you fall because of the extra weight? What if I cause both of us to—"

"That's not going to happen," I interrupted her. "I've done climbing like this before, and I know my limits. Besides, I didn't bring you this far just to lose you to a pathetic fall inside an elevator shaft. That would be a terrible way to end such an epic adventure."

The attempt at humor seemed to break through her resistance. Rachel managed a small smile despite the serious nature of our situation, and I could see her resolve strengthening as she made the decision to trust me completely.

"Alright," she said, moving behind me with obvious embarrassment. "But if this gets us both killed, I'm going to be very upset with you."

"Noted," I replied, bracing myself as Rachel climbed onto my back and wrapped her arms around my neck for security.

The additional weight was noticeable but far from overwhelming, well within the limits of what my enhanced physiology could handle. What I hadn't anticipated was how distractingly aware I would become of Rachel's body pressed against my back—the warmth of her skin through her clothing, the soft pressure of her breasts against my shoulder blades, the way her breath tickled my ear as she adjusted her position for the climb ahead.

"Ready?" I asked, trying to focus on the physical demands.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Rachel replied, her own voice slightly breathless in a way that suggested she was experiencing similar awareness of our physical closeness.

We were both acting like teenagers in love. One would wonder if we had really three time sex together.

I began the ascent, my hands finding secure grips on the main support cable while my feet used the smaller service cables for additional stability. The technique was similar to rope climbing but with the added complexity of multiple cables and the need to maintain perfect balance with Rachel's weight affecting my center of gravity.

Rachel remained perfectly still during the climb, understanding instinctively that any unnecessary movement could throw off my balance and potentially send us both plummeting to the bottom of the shaft. But her stillness only made me more aware of every point where our bodies were in contact, every subtle shift in her position as I worked my way upward.

Her arms remained securely wrapped around my neck, not tight enough to interfere with my breathing but firm enough to ensure she wouldn't slip. I could feel the rise and fall of her large chest against my back with each breath she took, and the occasional soft sound she made when a particularly challenging section of the climb required sudden movements.

"How much further?" She whispered directly into my ear, the warmth of her breath sending involuntary shivers down my spine.

Is she purposefully teasing me?

No, Rachel wouldn't do that…

Sydney would but not Rachel.

"Almost there," I managed to reply. "Just another few meters to the third floor access point."

The climb was definitely more challenging with Rachel on my back, but not impossibly so. What was making it difficult was trying to concentrate on proper climbing technique while being constantly aware of her soft curves pressed against me and the intimate trust she was showing by literally putting her life in my hands.

By the time we neared the third floor access point, both Rachel and I were breathing heavily—though I suspected not entirely from the physical exertion of the climb.

"There's the access panel," I said, pointing toward a maintenance door that would give us entry to the third floor corridor near the technical operations room.

But as I prepared to make the final push to reach our destination, I could hear sounds from below that suggested our escape had not gone unnoticed. Infected were entering the elevator shaft, and while they lacked the intelligence to climb cables, their presence would cut off our retreat route if something went wrong.

We were committed now—the only way out was forward, through the Screamer.

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