LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 12
The a few days later, Stephanie and Harley stood before the building where Stephanie had previously spotted an airdrop perched on the rooftop. They had prepared for this, bringing their grappling hooks and relying on their enhanced bodies to help them scale the building without needing to risk the more dangerous, interior route. The plan was simple—traverse the exterior, reach the rooftop, and claim whatever was left inside the airdrop.
They moved with agility and precision, leaping across ledges and swinging their grappling hooks to clear difficult gaps. Their enhanced physical abilities made the ascent easier than it would have been for most survivors. Each move was executed with confidence, their bodies pushing limits that normal humans couldn’t. Parkour had become second nature to them both.
As they reached the rooftop, the large metallic airdrop sat there, still intact but clearly weathered from years of exposure to the elements. Its parachute was long gone, and the crate itself was locked, though time had weakened it.
"Looks like it's still holding together," Harley commented as they approached.
Stephanie crouched down, inspecting the lock. It was rusted, but sturdy enough that they couldn’t just pry it open by hand. Harley stepped up beside her, surveying the scene.
“I’ll take this side, you take the other,” Harley said, gesturing for Stephanie to move to the opposite side of the crate.
They both grabbed hold of the lid, their hands gripping the rusted metal tightly. Using their enhanced strength, they pulled—muscles straining as the lock resisted, the groaning metal creaking beneath the pressure. For a moment, it seemed as if the lock wouldn’t give, but after a few seconds, the weakened metal gave way, and with a loud snap, the crate popped open.
They stepped back, a cloud of dust and decay billowing up from the crate as it was exposed to fresh air for the first time in years. Both women peered inside, scanning the contents.
Much of the supply drop had been damaged by time—food rations long expired, medical kits rendered useless by age. But not everything was lost. Among the wreckage, a few items had survived, still in relatively good condition.
Stephanie reached in and pulled out a pistol—a standard-issue military weapon, still functional. Beside it, there were several magazines of bullets neatly packed, protected from the elements. Harley grabbed an assault rifle, inspecting it for damage. It was a bit worn, but the mechanisms were intact.
“This’ll do nicely,” Harley said with a grin, slinging the rifle over her shoulder.
Stephanie’s eyes fell on another item—an old but well-preserved military machete. She picked it up, testing its weight in her hand. The blade glinted in the sunlight, sharp and ready for action.
"Looks like we got lucky," Stephanie remarked, stashing the machete and a few magazines of ammo into her bag.
“Most of this is junk,” Harley said, kicking aside a pile of rusted cans, “but these weapons? They’re gold.”
With their loot secured, they took a moment to survey the city from the rooftop. From this vantage point, Cluj stretched out before them, a labyrinth of decaying buildings, overgrown streets, and distant dangers lurking in the shadows. The peaceful moment was a rare respite from the chaos below, but they both knew it wouldn’t last.
"We should get moving before we attract any attention," Stephanie said, tightening the straps on her bag.
Harley nodded in agreement, and they both made their way back across the building, retracing their steps with ease.
After securing the loot from the airdrop, Stephanie and Harley made their way back to the outskirts of the city, where their bikes had been hidden. The past few days had been productive—Harley’s bike had been repaired after the Nightbrute attack, and Stephanie’s body had made an almost miraculous recovery from her bullet wounds. Eating nearly an entire deer every day had done wonders, her body absorbing the nutrients and regenerating at an astonishing pace. The two women had pushed their limits and come out stronger for it.
As they mounted their bikes, preparing to head back to their cabin, Harley glanced over at Stephanie with a playful smirk. “You really know how to smell treasure, don’t you?” she said, revving the engine of her bike. “We made big with that crate. These weapons will help us out a lot when we go for the facility.”
Stephanie nodded, her blue eyes sharp. She had told Harley about the facility a few days earlier, explaining that it was the location her father had marked on his map. Harley had quickly drawn her own conclusions, realizing that this facility was likely the reason her father had sent her to Cluj as well. Since then, they had formed a clear plan: scout the city, gather information about the facility, and collect the gear they would need for the journey.
They had agreed it was too risky to go in blind. Before confronting whatever dangers lay within the facility, they needed to know more. The city, as dangerous as it was, held clues—clues that could lead them to the truth behind their fathers' cryptic instructions.
Returning to the present, the two women rode their bikes in silence, the wind rushing past them as they sped through the forest, leaving the decaying city behind. After some time, they finally arrived at the cabin, which had undergone some significant changes in the past few days. With Harley's presence, the cabin had transformed from a simple shelter into something more fortified.
Harley, using her enhanced strength, had cut down trees and constructed a fence of logs around the cabin. The fence was sturdy and provided a level of protection against the Freaks and any unwanted human visitors. Together, their transformed bodies had allowed them to complete the project in record time.
The cabin felt more secure now, almost like a proper home base, and Stephanie couldn’t help but feel a small sense of pride as she parked her bike inside the newly enclosed area.
“Not bad, right?” Harley said, grinning as she gestured to the fence. “We’re ready for anything now. Well, almost anything.”
Stephanie nodded, dismounting her bike and surveying their handiwork. “Yeah.”
The two women walked toward the cabin, the UV lights they had set up earlier casting a protective glow as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. The airdrop had been a success, and they now had the weapons and supplies they needed to move forward with their plan. But before they went for the facility, they needed more information.
“Next step, we need to scout the city,” Stephanie said as they entered the cabin. “We can’t risk going into the facility blind. Someone has to know something. We just need to figure out who.”
Harley nodded in agreement. “Matei’s camp or Stella’s underground are probably our best bets. Ivan’s raiders won’t give us anything without a fight, but we can figure out which direction to go after that.”
Stephanie and Harley crouched on the rooftops, surveying the entrance to the metro station below. The city around them was eerily quiet, with only the occasional sound of distant Freaks echoing through the streets. From their vantage point, they could see the metal barrels scattered around the station's entrance, their fires flickering like beacons in the dark, providing warmth to the few people loitering nearby.
Harley broke the silence first. “Stella’s camp is down there, in the underground metro system. She’s connected the whole thing, using the old tunnels. It’s where she stays neutral—untouchable.”
Stephanie’s eyes remained fixed on the metro entrance as she asked, “So, what are we doing here?”
Harley didn’t take her eyes off the station either. “When I first came to Stella’s camp, I remember hearing an old man—Gigi, I think his name was—talking about how he used to be a scientist for a secret facility.” Harley paused for emphasis, then continued, “Most people dismissed him. Called him a drunk, a crazy old man. But... you know how it is. Sometimes the truth gets buried under all the bullshit.”
That caught Stephanie’s attention. Her father’s map had led her to Cluj for a reason, and if this old man had even a shred of truth to his claims, he might know something about the facility they were trying to find.
With a nod from Stephanie, the two women dropped down from the rooftops, landing quietly in the shadowy streets below. They made their way toward the metro entrance, their enhanced agility allowing them to move swiftly without drawing attention. As they descended the steps, the air grew cooler, the scent of burning wood and ash filling the space. The metal barrels lit the otherwise dark tunnels, their flames dancing in the gloom.
Inside, the underground camp sprawled before them. The space was divided into makeshift living areas, small stalls, and gathering points where people lingered, some sharing stories around the fires while others kept to themselves.
The pair approached a gate, where two guards stood watch. Upon seeing Harley, the guards nodded in recognition and stepped aside, allowing them through without issue. Harley clearly had a reputation here.
They made their way deeper into the camp, arriving at a small counter where a woman sat, sorting through supplies. Harley stepped forward and leaned on the counter casually.
“Hey, we’re looking for Gigi—the old guy who used to talk about being a scientist? You know where he is?”
The woman at the counter barely looked up from her work, but she sighed, clearly used to fielding questions about the old man. “Gigi left the camp a while ago. From what we’ve heard, he moved out into a cabin somewhere in the forest. But no one knows exactly where. He didn’t tell anyone when he left.”
Stephanie exchanged a glance with Harley. It wasn’t a dead end, but it was definitely more complicated. The forest was vast, and finding one old man in it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.
“Thanks,” Harley said, pulling away from the counter.
With the information gathered, they turned and made their way back out of the metro station. The streets were just as quiet as when they had arrived. As they retraced their steps back to their bikes, the weight of the search for Gigi hung in the air.
Once they reached the outskirts of the city, Stephanie spoke up. “So, we need to find this cabin. He might have the answers we’re looking for.”
Harley nodded. “Yeah, if he really worked at that facility, he could give us the intel we need. But finding him is going to be a pain. We’ll have to check the forests around here, ask around. Someone might know.”
As Stephanie and Harley sat by the fire, watching the meat cook, the air between them felt charged. That same primal feeling had crept up on Stephanie again, the invisible pull growing stronger. It was as if pheromones filled the air, heightening the tension between them.
Without saying a word, Stephanie stood up and moved toward Harley, slipping into her lap, her shorts brushing against Harley’s. Both of them were dressed in simple t-shirts, the casual fabric doing nothing to hide the heat building between them. Stephanie, her eyes locked on Harley’s, finally let out what had been simmering inside.
“Let’s fuck already. I can’t take it anymore,” she said, her voice bold and breathless.
For a moment, Harley was caught off guard, but the words snapped her out of it. With a grin, she leaned forward, and in one smooth motion, kissed Stephanie, pulling her closer as the fire flickered beside them.
