Chapter 9 - Headquarters

  The cold wind howled across the rooftop as Sarah stood, tense and unsure. Patient 15 stood beside her, raising a hand to her watch. She glanced over at her, her curiosity piqued.

  “Patient 17,” Patient 15 said, speaking into hes watch with an authority that commanded attention.

  Moments later, a voice crackled through the static. “Hello?” Patient 17 answered.

  “

  We need to go to the headquarters,” Patient 15 replied, her voice firm and urgent.

  “Now?” Patient 17 responded, surprise in his tone.

  “Yes. It’s time,” Patient 15 insisted.

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. “I can’t. I’m in the middle of a mission.”

  “Then send someone in your absence,” Patient 15 ordered calmly.

  “All right. Take care.” The call ended with a soft click.

  For a brief moment, the two stood in silence, the wind swirling around them. Then, after five minutes of waiting, something unusual happened.

  A shadow fell across the rooftop.

  Sarah’s eyes widened as she turned to see a figure plummeting from the sky. He landed with a quiet thud, the sound almost drowned by the howling wind. He was dressed in a full black suit with a tall black cape that fluttered wildly in the breeze. A gas mask covered his face, and he looked every bit the enigma.

  “My lady,” the figure spoke in a deep voice, kneeling in front of them. “You sent me here. How can I help?”

  Patient 15 nodded. “Raise your head, Patient 18. We need to go to the headquarters.”

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  Patient 18’s gaze shifted briefly toward Sarah before he slowly rose to his feet. “All right,” he said. “Is this... a friend of yours?”

  “She’s a new patient,” Patient 15 replied, her tone flat and factual. “She still hasn’t signed the contract.”

  “Ah,” Patient 18 nodded, understanding. “Get close to me.”

  Sarah exchanged a glance with Patient 15, her mind still racing with questions she couldn’t quite voice. Then, Patient 15 stepped closer, guiding Sarah to stand near Patient 18.

  Sarah couldn’t help but ask, “How are we going to get there? Do you have a helicopter or something?”

  “No,” Patient 15 answered with a slight smirk. “Did you forget that we have special powers?”

  Confusion crept into Sarah’s mind, but before she could ask more, Patient 18 spoke up.

  “I have the power to control insects,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. “Don’t worry, they won’t harm you.”

  With that, Patient 18 closed his eyes and stood still for a moment, arms outstretched in a T-pose. Slowly, a swarm of flies appeared from seemingly nowhere, forming a massive, swirling mass in the sky. They moved in perfect harmony, creating a platform that hovered just above the ground.

  “Get on,” Patient 18 instructed, motioning for Sarah and Patient 15 to step onto the platform.

  With a mix of awe and dread, Sarah climbed onto the platform, her stomach flipping as she looked at the dark swarm of insects surrounding her. She felt the wind whip around her, but the platform held steady. As the platform began to rise, Sarah’s gaze dropped to the ground below, where the sight of the creatures and leeches in the distance made her heart race.

  She couldn’t stop herself from asking, her voice barely above a whisper, “How are people not noticing those... monsters?”

  Patient 15’s voice was calm, yet filled with a hint of sadness as he explained, “The leeches don’t see the humans around them, except for the high grade leeches. They have special powers, As for regular leeches they can sense us the ones who are different, who’ve suffered just like them. That’s how they choose their hosts.”

  Sarah’s mind was whirling with the weight of his words. “How do you deal with them?” she asked.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” Patient 15 replied, his voice steady. “You have special powers too. It’s our job to protect the people the leeches can see.”

  Sarah’s gaze shifted, her eyes focusing on the ground below. The sight of the strange creatures made her feel sick, but there was no turning back now. She looked ahead, trying to push the fear down.

  After what felt like an eternity, Patient 18 looked over his shoulder at Sarah. “We’re close,” he said, his voice quiet. “The headquarters is just ahead.”

  Sarah strained her eyes to see through the darkness. A massive, imposing building appeared in the distance. It looked abandoned, a hulking structure rising from the middle of a wasteland.

  “How do you live in a place like that?” Sarah asked, her voice filled with disbelief.

  Patient 15’s tone remained calm. “It’s not dirty from the inside. But our hideout must be in a place that’s abandoned, so normal humans won’t notice. It’s safer that way.”

  Sarah didn’t respond, but she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling in her gut as they approached the building. Patient 18 descended slowly, the platform of flies gently lowering them to the ground.

  When they finally landed, Sarah’s feet touched solid ground. The flies dispersed into the air, vanishing without a trace.

  They stood before a colossal building, its shape erratic and almost unrecognizable. The size of it was overwhelming, and Sarah’s eyes widened at the sight.

  “Do you usually have such a huge building if you’re only twenty patients?” Sarah asked, her voice tinged with confusion.

  Patient 15 gave her a sharp look before answering. “Don't you think you’re asking too many questions? Maybe when you go inside, you’ll see for yourself.”

  As Patient 15 moved towards the entrance, Sarah gave the Huge building a final look before following after the Calm Patient 15, Inside The Patients Headquarters.