Monika sat under the desk as tightly as she could. Still clutching her rifle she thought about praying for safety, but what God would take her after some of the things she's done. The tension in the room was like nothing she'd felt before. She doubted if even her machete could cut through it, but on top of that. There was the deafening silence, Interrupted intermittently by the deafening clicks and the thudding footsteps of the creature.

Then a clattering, like a stone being thrown against the tiled floor and off down the stairs. Followed by a very alarming cry over the radio. "Fuck this" a voice she hadn't heard before came over the radio. Then she heard someone start running. She peaked her head out over the top of the counter to see someone running off. After a moment the creature went after him. Not paying any attention and being purely focused on the Idiot who tried to run, she nearly lost her head as the creature's wing flew past her. Monika fell backwards as the monitors from the desk came smashing down around her and the creature let out a roar that shook the ground around it and would put a Deathclaw to shame. Then the creature stopped, the deafening silence had returned. Only to be shattered seconds later by a loud crack, like bones being crushed, Monika gagged. The guy may have been an idiot but no one deserves to go like that. Well, some people, or rather someone. She thought to herself. 

She didn't dare move again, quite literally frozen out of a mix of fear and disgust at what the creature did and how the fool died. The loud thudding footsteps came past again and ascended up the stairs. There was a long pause. No one moved, no one made a sound. Then Khaliya came over the radio [colour=ac00e6]"They're gone."[/colour] [colour=ac00e6]"Everyone to the top of the stairs, and let's try this again. Stick together."[/colour]  [colour=ac00e6]"Low and slow, watch the shadows and the skies. Let's not take any more unnecessary risks."[/colour]

Monika stood up and picked her rifle up from the floor. Everything she had ever been afraid of, every nightmare she endures. They had all just been shattered. If something like that and the other beast that Emil described earlier can survive in this city. What else could be out there waiting to tear chunks out of the group? She moved out from behind the counter and watched as one of the mercs turned and went to the red pool that was once a group member. He knelt down and placed what looked like a small silver coin in the pool of blood. She looked at him puzzled as he walked back past her, the "formation" the group had, had was all but gone now. It was survival now until they get to the bank. She filed in behind him still confused as to why he would do something like that. Then it all became clear when he spoke. [colour=ed1c24]"Ita, Imperatrix."[/colour]

It all made sense now she knew who was in front of her. He was honouring the idiots passing. [colour=limegreen]"Great."[/colour] she thought to herself. She's traded being close to one monster for another. It must have been a denarius that he placed in the blood. Monika's grip on her rifles grip tightened. She hadn't been this close to legion scum in a long time. It could be so easy, an "accidental" weapon discharge. A "slip" of her finger and another part of her perpetual nightmare would be gone. But she couldn't, the group were no fools. Well, maybe the Talon company ones were. But the rest were certainly not, she loosened her grip and settled for hopefully burning a hole in the back of his head with a glare as they all moved to the top of the stairs.