"You don't have to do this."
-
Greg shows you all a panel on the wall in his hallway, a security system of some sort.
"We have cameras around the house transmitting a live feed. Come upstairs." Greg says and runs up the stairs to the next level.
You were standing behind Ethan and he gives your arm a stroke as he passes you to run after him, then you follow the ones walking up the stairs after them.
"It's a digital signal. It just shows the colour temperatures of the objects. It's neutered information. Just colours on a flat screen." Greg says standing behind his desk with the computer.
"But an image can still have power." You say walking up to him his desk. "We have no idea how these things can operate."
"These images are not direct." He says and you shake your head turning around. "Listen, we can't look at whatever it is with the naked eye, but maybe we can with a translator. Pixels and heat."
"Maybe it won't even show up." Lucy says.
"Well, we're not gonna find out until one of us takes a look."
"I think it's a huge mistake."
"You would, Douglas. You think everything is a huge mistake." Greg tells him. "Sooner or later we're gonna have to do something. We don't even know how long we're gonna have electricity. You gotta trust me on this. I really think this is gonna work."
"Okay.. okay. Maybe if it does, we could use the technology for supply runs or.." Ethan says, his arms crossed as he thinks about it.
"Exactly."
...
"Just not too tight." Greg tells Lucy and Ethan as they tie him to his office chair.
"I hope you know what you're doing." Douglas tells him. "Listen, you and your husband, you're good people. You know, it wasn't.. It wasn't that."
"Thank you, Douglas."
"You don't have to do this."
Greg looks up at you. Lucy grunts as she tied the last rope.
"I know. Don't worry." He tells you. Ethan stands up and move to go. "Ethan, I need the remote."
"Uh, yeah. There you go, bud." He says as he gives him the remote.
Ethan then goes to make you walk out the room with him, closing the door after you. He walks after you down the stairs and past you when you stop to look up toward where Greg is, you glance at his back as he goes and sees Douglas in your peripheral vision before you look back up the stairs.
"So, why are you suing him?"
"Because they want to tear down this part of their house and build some glass monstrosity. His husband is an architect."
"It's his property. Why do you care what he builds?"
"Because I have to look at it."
...
Lucy stretches in the washing room, when Felix walks up and lean on the door.
"Not a chance." She says.
"Well, the world is ending, baby, so you never know." He shrugs she scoffs and he chuckles.
"Maybe Yn's interested." She then says and he shakes his head.
"Not that I was considering it, but I don't think her guard dog would let me close enough anyway." He tells her chuckling.
Though he had wanted to try his luck with you first, but Ethan seemed to have put his claim on you, unintentionally or not. So he thought he'd keep that part to himself to not ruin his chance with the next best thing. And he hadn't really talked much with you anyway, and the more he thought about it he did connect slightly better with Lucy than you.
...
Walking by a table you see a binder and your curiosity makes you turn the first page to see just as Charlie walks up to you.
"It's, uh, it's about the end of the world. A novel." He says picking it up and opening it to show you. "But it's not one of those kids stories where they all got crossbows and they're killing each other to survive or running around some giant maze. No, this story is, uh.. This story is gonna be real."
"Did you ever think it was gonna be anything like this?"
...
In the office Greg sees the creature on the screen and gasps, his eyes making a strange pattern.
...
You hear thudding and run to the stairs, Ethan reaches it before you and you run after him, everyone else close behind.
"Greg!" You shout.
"Greg, can we come in?" Ethan asks not making a move to open the door yet.
"What's going on?" Douglas asks.
You run past Ethan and burst open the door, him not getting the chance to stop you in time. The moment you're inside the desk table flips over.
"Look away!" Ethan exclaims and you move to crawl on the floor. "Cover your eyes! Find the monitor." He tells the others coming in after him.
You blindly crawl past the desk and reach out to find him.
"I've got it here." You hear Lucy say and Douglas kicks to break it.
You reach out and feel Greg and your hand finds his head and face.
"Okay! You can open your eyes. You can see." Ethan tells them.
You open your eyes and gasp when you see Greg lying dead on the floor, blood flowing from his head and staining the floor, looking at your hands they are bloody. Lucy start panting as everyone sees Greg too, most leave the room immediately, dragging Lucy out too.
"We're never getting out of here. No one is coming for us." Lucy pants and sobs in a mumble as they take her out the room.
"I told him it was a mistake." Douglas says as he steps out shaking his head.
You sit in a frozen state on the floor as you stare at Greg's dead body and your bloody hands.
"Come on." You hear a soft voice coming behind you. "We got to move."
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." You sob to Greg as Ethan tries to reach for you and make you get up.
"We need to go, Yn. Come on." He takes your arm and lifts you up from the floor, making you walk out the office.
-