[sylvanSpider]

Neither of the hospital spelunkers needed to motion to the other to be quiet. Both knew. Both could hear the voices echoing down the empty hallway. Then, the hallway wasn't entirely empty. The spores could be seen in any stray rays of light dancing about in a sick display of potential sickness and death. Just because they weren't visible didn't mean that they weren't there, that they were safe. They stayed still, watching from the shadows, their breaths hot against the masks that neither would dare to take off until they were well away from the hospital – if they could make it that far. The words that carried spelled bad news for the pair. If Maverick's men were planning on taking everything, there would be nothing left for them. Perhaps that was his intent. If they didn't get to the tetanus first, Aren knew, they would have to kill the men. He prayed Taka was a decent shot. Aren had fired a gun exactly once in his life, and he couldn't say that it was a success.

Heavy footsteps drew nearer until Aren could reach out and touch the hem of the man's trench coat. Too afraid to move, his now adjusted eyes slid over in Taka's direction. She was moving slowly, so slowly that at first Aren had a hard time figuring out what exactly what it was she was doing until he saw a brief glint of metal. Her right hand still held her gun, but her left now gripped what appeared to a knife. Her eyes were focused on the man until he was a safe distance away and the two snuck behind, closing the door behind them.

Taka breathed, grateful she didn't have to use it just yet, but Aren's eyes were wide, looking at the knife and then back up to her face. The look was meant as a question and Taka answered with a shrug of her shoulder: “It's quieter. We'll be needing to follow him soon, but we've got to wait until he's fully unaware. That's when I'll cut him off.”

She nodded to an opposite doorway, “He's taking the long way. We'll be taking the shorter route. There aren't any fucking windows this way, so it's more dangerous. Probably why he didn't come this way. We'll cut him off at his destination.”