From behind the safety of his visor, his eyes darted back and forth, examining the room. It was completely open, with only a few concrete pillars to hide behind. A single stairway led to a set of metal doors. The glass was smudged with dirt and dust, but several rays of bright sunlight filtered in, turning the orbs closest to it a fluorescent green. They reminded Overton of the ornaments his mother used to decorate their Christmas tree with when he was a kid.

The contents of the orbs, however, prevented any warm or fuzzy childhood memories from returning. Over half of the spheres had split open, their prisoners fully liquefied. The floor was littered with sacks of skin and remnants of clothes. He took a step back into the tunnel, his stomach rolling.

From Sophie’s perspective, his body appeared to be split in two by the light, with half of his matte black armor exposed in the room and the other half hidden in darkness. She tiptoed up to him, catching a glimpse of what had made him retreat. Overton tapped her on the side of her helmet quietly, getting her attention. With one slow movement of his hand he pointed to the pillars closest to them, then to the staircase, and then back to his visor.

She managed a thumbs-up, took a deep breath, and followed him into the room. Everywhere her eyes fell, death stared back. But at the bottom of the stairs, one sphere’s contents were still mostly intact, and, to Sophie’s horror—still alive.

She slowed her pace to study the gaunt face of what had been a young woman. The greenish glow from the night vision illuminated the girl’s distorted features. Her eyes were almost completely glazed over.

Her lips were curled back, showcasing a mouthful of missing teeth. The skin of her face was sunken and stretched, and her blond hair was plastered to her skull like seaweed.

Sophie froze when the woman’s eyes came to rest on her. Overton was already a third of the way up the stairs, but Sophie couldn’t move. There had to be something she could do—some way she could help the girl.

A short burst of static broke over the com. “Move, Doc.”

Sophie didn’t need to look up to see Overton staring down at her from the top of the stairs. She willed her legs to move, but they wouldn’t respond.

I can’t leave her. Not like this.

She stepped forward and threw her rifle strap around her back. With a few careful footsteps, she navigated the gory remnants of skin and clothing from other victims.

“No!” Overton shouted into the com. “You can’t save her, Sophie. Leave her. That’s an order!”