Chapter Text
Part I: The Beginning
The sun peeks through the blinds of their downtown apartment, bathing the rumpled bed in strong morning sunshine and shimmering like a halo in the riot of blonde curls currently using his chest as a pillow.
Oliver smiles sleepily at the sight he never tired of waking to. Her warm body presses into his despite the fact that half the bed is vacant, but he isn’t complaining in the slightest as his hand caresses the smooth plane of her back.
She hums in her sleep and burrows into him more, teetering on the edge of wakefulness. She kisses the muscle under her head and sleepily whispers. “It’s too early to be awake.”
He chuckles, a rumble deep in his chest more than an audible sound. “It’s the perfect time to be awake. I leave in three hours for Hong Kong, and I won’t get to see you for three whole days. I need to drink you in now.”
His hand slides from its safe path along her back to grab her beautifully naked ass and press her into him just a little more to make his point.
Sleepy blue eyes lift to his as she twists more against him, amusement prevalent in the uptick of her full lips. “Oh? Is that why you really wanted to stay over? So you could stare creepily at me as I sleep?”
Oliver rolls them over slowly so he’s poised over her sprawled figure as he leans down for a soft morning kiss. “No. I stayed over so I could wake you up, slowly.” He punctuates the words with butterfly kisses as he moves slowly down her body. “I have to make sure you don’t forget me while I’m gone.”
“Oliver,” she whispers breathlessly, as his destination becomes clear, her hands moving to run through his hair.
He smirks against her stomach as he settles between her legs, knowing she’s already wet and willing. She’s still half asleep based on her almost lazy reactions, but her hands on his head are insistent that he continue what he started and Oliver takes to their instruction enthusiastically.
He makes sure to pay attention to the hickies on her hipbone and inner thighs before he brings her completely to wakefulness in the most pleasing way he knows how.
She moans his name as she climaxes and it’s the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Oh my God, Ollie! It’s gorgeous!” Thea squeals, her voice jumping up several octaves to the surprise of everyone in the store, although the jeweler behind the counter manages to look unfazed.
Oliver just smiles as he gazes down at the little jewelry box and the simple, elegant ring inside. It reminds him of her and he can already see it in his mind’s eye gracing her finger for years to come, for the rest of their lives, if she’ll have him. He’d almost left it in the store until after his business trip to China. After all, he wasn’t pleased his father was dragging him halfway across the world for a business deal he wasn’t particularly excited about. His father wanted it, but Oliver thought the tech proposed by the Hong Kong-based company was something their own Applied Sciences could come up with if they were asked.
And that opinion was definitely not based on the fact that his girlfriend worked in Applied Sciences, even if she had told Oliver everything that was wrong with their pseudo-AI when she saw the file over his shoulder.
He picks up the box. No, he couldn’t leave something this precious here. He leaves in three hours for Hong Kong, but it doesn’t matter. He needs to feel the weight of the ring in his pocket, in his vicinity. It’s something of Felicity, even if it’s not officially hers...yet.
“I’m happy for you, man,” Tommy announces with a laugh and a firm clap on the back. “She’s gonna love it.”
Oliver snorts. “You haven’t met her yet.”
“Which is a crime! Just because Laurel and I have been...preoccupied with wedding planning doesn’t give you an out for not introducing me to your very serious girlfriend to whom you are thinking of proposing.”
Tommy stares him down, only joking slightly. Because, really? What kind of friend doesn’t have his girlfriend and his best friend meet?
Oliver resists the urge to roll his eyes. Between his schedule, Felicity’s, Tommy’s, and, by extension, Laurel’s, they haven’t had time to sit down and actually meet. “You’ve talked to her on the phone.”
“And she seems lovely over the phone, and even prettier in pictures, but I’d like to meet her before the wedding.” Tommy pauses, “And just so we’re clear, I mean my wedding. No excuses.”
“Dinner, Friday Night?” It’s impulsive. It’s usually movie night, where they end up cuddled on the couch in what Felicity calls their “lazy clothes”. And most of the time she actually makes him pay attention to whatever movie she thinks necessary to beef up his pop culture references. Between her and Thea, he’s starting to actually get references.
“Sure you don’t need to check with the old ball and chain?” Tommy jokes, like he isn’t the one walking down the aisle in less than a month.
“She’s been on my case about meeting you, too.” Oliver’s loathe to admit it, but it’s the truth. As weird as it is, Tommy and Felicity have talked on the phone plenty of times and he just forgets that they’ve never met in person. But Tommy’s been out of the city for the better part of a year helping set up subsidiaries and new offices of Merlyn Global for his father.
Malcolm’s intention to break up Laurel and Tommy through prolonged distance didn’t work as he intended...obviously, considering their impending nuptials.
“Friday it is, then!” Tommy starts detailing wedding plans as Thea excited questions every little detail that now somehow relate to his and Felicity’s wedding, but Oliver’s lost in the gleam of the ring and how he’s going to ask.
At least he has the time in Hong Kong to figure it out.
~~~~~~~~~~
The lights are out when Felicity stumbles into her apartment around midnight. She hadn’t intended to stay late tonight, but the rest of the team was still working on the project, and when Ray Palmer gets going on a project, he forgets the rest of the world exists. It was nights like this when Oliver would rescue her, making sure she had dinner and got to bed at a decent hour.
But he was on a plane to Hong Kong and would probably be touching down soon.
She opens the fridge, the single lightbulb illuminating the room because she was too lazy and tired to turn on any lights. The state of the fridge without Oliver around to actually cook is dismal. Sure there’s food in the recesses of the cold box, but it all requires preparation...which Felicity would fail at even if she wasn’t sleepy.
As the door swings closed, she suddenly spots the container and smiles as she picks up the note folded on top of the square Tupperware:
Don’t forget to eat well. <3 Oliver
Sighing contentedly as love swells in her heart, Felicity flips on the tv and curls up on the couch for her dinner. God, she misses that man. Three days. He’ll be home in three days and this weekend she can make up for their time apart.
She picks up her phone and shoots him a text that he’ll see when he lands:
I <3 u too
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Breaking News: There has been an explosion in Starling City Central Plaza. The explosion was focused on the Mayor’s office and the death toll is unknown at this time. First responders are arriving on the scene as we speak. Stay tuned for further updates.”
~~~~~~~~~
Oliver’s stomach turns as he watches the news over his morning coffee. He pushes the drink away and grabs his phone. Felicity’s number is punched in and the ringing phone is pressed to his ear within seconds. The call cuts off with a busy signal and he immediately tries his mother and then Thea to no avail.
The news continues to show what footage they have as Oliver starts to pace. The phone is glued to his hand as he calls Felicity, Thea and then his mother on a loop without success. The pretty blonde anchor urges concerned family members to relax as the cell phone towers in Starling are overloaded with people checking on loved ones, but it doesn’t do anything to deter Oliver.
He’d had a bad feeling as soon as he stepped on the plane, a feeling his father attributed to nerves. But Robert Queen hadn’t been about to let his heir drop out of the business negotiations with China. It was part of Oliver’s deal with his father: he got the money to start up his nightclub, as long as he agreed to learn the family business in preparation for taking over when the time came.
Honestly, Oliver doesn’t mind the business aspects. What he abhors with his entire being are the tedious boardroom politics, and pretending not to notice the attractive assistants and interns his father always brings on these trips. One of those interns – Katy(short for Katherine, she explained in an excited, bubbly voice on the plane) – is the reason he’s alone in fretting about his mother and his sister. Oliver knows better than to walk into his father’s room during one of these trips.
He learned that the hard way.
Still, the news from Starling is worrying, and Oliver’s tempted to break that tacit rule.
Queen Consolidated’s main offices are right inside the blast radius and blackened and shattered glass is visible each time the camera sweeps back in that direction. A brief mental calculation later, Oliver only gets more nervous. Early morning in Hong Kong equates to afternoon in Starling, which means lots of people were caught in the crossfire of whatever just happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~
“Reports are coming in that the explosion was a burst gas line in the street. However, no sources can confirm this suspicion. Right now, the main concern is getting the injured to safety and finding any survivors in the wreckage. All citizens of Starling are encouraged to stay indoors and away from the center of the city. As soon as information is known, family members will be contacted. So far we have twelve confirmed casualties, and the numbers are only growing.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Felicity crowds in the sub-level one break room of the Applied Sciences Building of Queen Consolidated. With her coworkers, she stares at the wreckage of Starling Plaza plastered on the television, phone gripped tightly in her hand. It’s virtually useless to her right now. Security regulations in the building jam all communications once the building goes into lockdown.
And it is in lockdown: lights darkened, doors sealed, and air filters on. The giant flashing yellow lights which signal a quarantine illuminate the corridors and an automated message plays on a loop over the PA system. Given that dangerous chemicals and weapons are housed in the building, Quarantine drills weren’t uncommon .
But this time, the quarantine isn't to keep something in. It’s to keep something out.
Some contagion or dangerous particle from the explosion has tripped their sensors. And they were stuck here until either the threat was considered neutralized or someone overrode the lock.
“Please!” Mitchell snorts. “That wasn’t a gas line! Look at the wreckage. This is ridiculous.”
That’s the problem with being in a room full of geniuses when something newsworthy happens: they analyze everything. Felicity probably could have hacked the police channels to find out the truth - you know, if their communications weren’t jammed.
Felicity sighs and leaves the break room to return to her programming and schematics. She might as well get some work done while everyone else gossips. Otherwise she’ll spend all her time worrying about Oliver - who must be going crazy since he hasn’t been able to reach her - Roy, Thea, and not to mention her mother, who will undoubtedly freak out as soon as her call goes through.
But she’s got plenty of work to focus on instead. This nanobot program Ray Palmer asked her to help out with is tricky.
Nothing can get inside their quarantine and if there’s another attack coming, she’s a sitting duck in here anyway. At least work will keep her occupied.
~~~~~~~~~~
“As rescue efforts continue, the death toll in Starling City continues to rise. Responders have been working throughout the night to free any possible survivors. The Red Cross has set up shelters across the city and those with missing loved ones are encouraged to visit Rocket’s Arena for information concerning the missing.
What started as a presumed gas leak, experts are now classifying as a terror attack. No group has stepped forward to claim credit for this atrocity, and the police are urging anyone who must leave their homes to be on the lookout for any suspicious activity.
Similar threats are being reported in cities across the nation, but none on as large a scale as Starling. We have to wonder what the purpose of these attacks really is.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“We’re just glad the two of you are okay,” Oliver relays, with a glance at his father who leans forward into the lens of the webcam.
Thea snorts in the video. “I wouldn’t call us okay. The whole city is terrified of the next attack. When are you coming home?”
Oliver glances at his father. If he had the choice, they would have been on a plane home as soon as they got the news. Forget the shutdown of air traffic around Starling: he would do anything to hold his little sister and his mother in his arms, to know for sure they’re okay. He would move mountains just to be there to hold Felicity in his arms.
He still hasn’t gotten in contact with her and all Thea knows is that her building is in lockdown.
Robert shakes his head without meeting Oliver’s eyes. “We’re staying until after our last meeting his afternoon.”
“Robert!” Moira responds sharply. “Queen Consolidated’s Headquarters was at the site of a major terrorist attack and you’re staying in Hong Kong for a meeting?”
Well, he’s glad he’s not the only one thinking that. But he’s already had this conversation with his father, a conversation that took place while his father played footsy with Katy the Intern - a sight he could really have done without.
Robert, however, was set on his meeting with the head of some Hong Kong company Oliver couldn’t care less about.
“I will not bow to terrorists, Moira. We’ll be home before you know it.” Without so much as a goodbye, Robert cuts the video chat short. “Come on, Oliver. It’s time to leave.”
“Dad, we should get back home,” he insists. “It’s the right thing to do .”
His scowl of disappointment cuts Oliver to the core. He’s fought against that look his whole life, searched for a way to make his father proud, but it seems as elusive as ever. And he’s not about to venture into the crowded Hong Kong streets just for a deal, when they should be headed home.
“If you’re this much of a coward, you’re no son of mine.” He turns on his heel and exits the hotel room.
Katy offers him a sheepish smile before she follows his father out of the room.
A heavy sigh escapes Oliver as he closes his eyes against the twisted mess his life has become. He stares at his phone as if, through sheer willpower, he could get Felicity to call. He just needs to hear her voice, to know she’s fine.
Like a miracle, a minute later it rings.
~~~~~~~~~~
“The CDC has issued a warning: several victims of the Starling Bombing have started exhibiting strange symptoms. If you or a loved one were in the area, please make sure you have been checked out by a medical official and are cleared of the symptoms.
If you start to exhibit any unusual urges or don’t feel like yourself, report to the nearest hospital. Thank you.”
~~~~~~~~~
“Yes, I’m fine, Oliver,” Felicity assures him over the phone as she drops onto the couch having just changed into her most comfortable pajamas. So she’s wearing her softest pajama pants and one of Oliver’s shirts.
She pulls a blanket over her lap and pulls her pint of mint ice cream across the table. WIthout Oliver to cuddle with, this is her best comfort scenario.
“In the morning, I’m heading over to the mansion. Thea already convinced me.” Because she knows he’s going to try. She can sense his worry emanating through the phone lines.
“Good,” he responds gruffly. Then after a pause, “You scared the life out of me.”
She lowers the spoon back into the ice cream. “Hey, I was just stuck in Applied Sciences for far longer than I should have been. I’ll be here waiting when you get home.”
“I love you.” Felicity hears his voice like he’s right there in the room with her and suddenly the blanket isn’t nearly as comforting as it was a couple minutes ago. She misses the comfort of his presence, the warmth that seeped into her being when he smiles that goofy smile at her. Her hands yearn to touch him, but she can’t.
“I love you, too,” she whispers.
“I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you, Felicity,” he mumbles.
She blinks back tears, the realization of how much danger she could potentially be in washing over her at his words. It had seemed surreal before now, like it was too horrific to actually happen, but it had: someone had set off a bomb in Starling City. Instead of facing her rising hysteria at the idea, she changes topics:
“How was the meeting? You met with them already, right?”
Oliver snorts. “No. It’s this morning. Yesterday was just niceties. There were a lot of rich men in fancy suits and expensive food.”
She scrunches her nose at the idea. Schmoozing. It’s never something she’s been particularly good at. “Was it good food at least?”
“I’ve had better,” Oliver chuckles before he sighs. “Hey, I have to get going. I’ll be home as soon as I can, okay? Be safe.”
She nods into the phone as she takes another comforting spoonful of ice cream. “You too. I love you.”
“Love you,” he whispers before the line clicks off.
Felicity tunes back into the current news report on the bombings, and pauses with a spoonful of ice cream inches from her mouth. Disease symptoms in relation to the bombings? It’s definitely the weirdest thing she’s heard yet.
The whole city is on the edge of collapse, the brink of destruction. All it would take is the tip of a hat to set the city aflame from within. Terror is omnipresent. Everything has effectively shut down...except for the Applied Sciences division of QC.
Ray swears his nanobots can help with the search and rescue, could help save lives in the hospital. Motivated by sheer compassion, he’s been working nonstop with the team. Or he had been until Felicity had called his fiancé to drag him home for some sleep. The entire team had thanked her for that one.
She sighs. She should probably get some sleep herself before it’s time to get back to work.
Her eyes have just fluttered shut, succumbing to sweet, blessed sleep when she’s woken by the ringing of her phone. Without opening her eyes, she flounders around for the phone and barely manages to grab it before she knocks it off the small wooden night table.
“Go to sleep, Ray,” she says into the phone, her voice scratchy and lethargic with sleep.
“Miss Felicity Smoak?” A prim female voice asks, a voice which most definitely does not belong to Ray Palmer.
Her eyes fly open as she jerks upright in surprise. “Who is this?”
“Miss Smoak, my name is Amanda Waller, and the United States Government needs your help.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Another explosion has occurred. This time in central Hong Kong. Although no official statements have been released by the Chinese government, the explosion appears startlingly similar to the one in Starling two days ago.
Smaller explosions have been reported in major cities across the world, and still no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m fine, Oliver,” Robert assures him as Katy dabs at the bloody cut over his eye.
Both of them had returned covered in ash and blood, though most of the blood didn’t belong to them. It wasn’t a reassuring sight after he had seen the explosion from his window. The only thing that had stopped him from rushing after his father had been the hotel security ushering clients back to their rooms for their own safety.
“It was just a little shrapnel. We can still head home as planned.”
Oliver’s not arguing with that part. He would have left yesterday if he could have. Nothing would make him feel better than to get back home to Felicity, Thea, and his mother. His father’s injuries mean surprisingly little to him. He is, however, worried about Katy. The poor girl is still shaking in her seat at the end of the couch, a blanket clutched to her chest.
He pushes himself to his feet. “I’ll finish packing.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Since Hong Kong, almost every major city has been hit by some type of bomb. With no clue as to the responsible party, officials are at a loss for any kind of motive . They continue to remind citizens to be vigilant in public areas and to report any suspicious activity immediately.
Increased illnesses have been reported in Starling. Again, all persons feeling ill are urged to report to the nearest medical center. Although the threat has not been classified as biological warfare, there may have been particles released into the air that could prove harmful if ingested. If you have any concerns at all, please contact the CDC.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“This is biological warfare.”
Felicity crosses her arms at the ornery woman standing in front of the room of geniuses. About half of the QC Applied Sciences division is present, along with some other techs she’s never met. The woman’s strict face and tight bun are imposing and Felicity wishes she’d changed into something other than jeans and a sweater.
“So what do you want from us?” A brunette - Felicity thinks he’s called Cisco - asks as he chews on a Twizzler.
“You’re here because you each have a unique talent which should prove invaluable in finding a cure to this.” Amanda Waller holds up a small vial of red liquid. She places the tube in a stand before her and continues speaking:
“We’ve had at least fifteen confirmed cases of infection and the number grows exponentially by the hour. We’ve yet to figure out how exactly the virus spreads, but we’ve identified Patient Zero as a lawyer from Starling called Laurel Lance.”
Felicity freezes in recognition of the name: Oliver’s ex-girlfriend and his best friend’s fiance. It’s hard not to recognize someone with such a complicated history with her boyfriend. Her heart goes out to Laurel’s undoubtedly-grieving family, but the group of scientists around her have already moved on.
“And what exactly are the symptoms?” the brunette by Cisco asks. Felicity vaguely tries to connect a name to the face, not particularly impressed with the governmental run-around. Her name might be Kate or Caitlyn or something.
Waller glances at the CDC doctor by the door who answers for her. “Significantly lowered pulse, bloodshot eyes, lethargy, and a strange craving.”
“Craving?” Ray repeats, like he can’t resist the urge to ask.
The CDC official shifts uneasily and looks back at Waller who merely purses her lips before answering: “Human flesh.”
“Zombies?” Caitlyn asks incredulously. “Seriously?”
“Cool!” Cisco earns an elbow to the side from the girl for his exclamation and more than a couple of glares from the rest of the room. “I mean, not cool. Very not cool.”
“So you want us to find a cure for zombie-ism?” Felicity asks, bewildered. She’s pretty decent with chemistry but she knows nothing about biology - she can’t even think about the insides of anything without gagging a little. “No offense, but if it’s a virus like you claim, why do you need a computer expert?”
She shifts anxiously under the sudden scrutiny of the eyes on her.
“Because, Miss Smoak, we believe the nanites you and Mr. Palmer are working on could prove highly beneficial. What we’re looking at here is an epidemic that the world is nowhere near prepared for. Everyone needs to step up.” Waller’s smile is feral as she surveys the room. “You’ll be working here, under quarantine, perfectly safe from the virus as you work on a cure.”
Felicity’s not buying it. She’s met Waller before and she knows the woman never does anything without an ulterior motive.
Waller turns away from the group, only to pause in the doorway for dramatic effect: “Congratulations! You might be the world’s only hope.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
“As the world lives in fear of further attacks, some in Starling are whispering of a deadlier threat. The Center for Disease Control has started quarantine centers that are growing swiftly but they’ve yet to release any information about what they’re worried about. Some sources are whispering about biological wa-
What was that?!”
“Charlie? Charlie!? I’m sorry, we appear to have lost the feed from our outside correspondent. We’ll keep you informed of any new developments.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“Dad, are you sure you’re feeling alright?” Oliver asks from across the helicopter as they make their way to the nearest airport.
“I’m fine,” Robert growls with a glare for his son.
Which is what he gets apparently for caring about his father’s well-being. It’s enough to drive a son away from his family. As sad as it is to admit, the main reason he sticks around now is for Thea. If she wasn’t caught in the middle, he’d have left his family behind long ago.
Oliver looks out the window at the city sprawled below, the dark smoke billowing from the bomb off to their right. He wonders how much worse Starling is. The news reports aren’t doing anything to assuage his fears and he’s kept up a near-constant string of texts with his little sister just to ensure she’s safe.
Her complaints about their mother’s overbearing attitude convince him that she’s just fine.
It’s Felicity’s radio-silence and the confirmation that she’s not home, which has him worrying all over again.
Oliver glances back at his father only to see Robert’s face twist in pain again. Katy reaches out to comfort his father, and Oliver’s hands clench into fists as he tears his eyes away. He wants to punch something.
It was a tactic one of his former bodyguards had taught him: take your aggression out on inanimate objects so you don’t bring it home and take it out on the people you love. Unfortunately the tactic wasn’t very helpful when he was stuck in a flying metal box.
Through pure will, Oliver ignores the couple huddled together, going so far as to disconnect the headset when he starts to hear some obscene noises .
If he had been paying attention, he would have noticed the moment sexual attraction turned into a deadly, primitive hunger that couldn’t be sated.
Oliver doesn’t like the look of the tarmac filled with grounded planes. As he turns to tell his father, he freezes at the sight that meets his eyes. It doesn’t make sense at first because all he sees is gushing red liquid, his brain too shocked to make sense of the mass of writhing bodies.
A second later, he’s relieved to be sitting farthest from the melee as a barely human figure bathed in red blood turns it’s ire on the pilot.
Another second later, he regrets that relief as the helicopter plummets to the ground.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Do we know anything about the situation in Starling, Dave?”
“No, sadly we don’t, Josephine. After the tragic death of Charlie Clarke, our newswoman on the ground, the network has declared the situation too dangerous to send reporters out. The whole city is in a state of emergency as gangs ravage an already stressed city. Believe it or not, a few eyewitnesses have called the raiders zombies. As if that’s not enough, other cities are claiming similar incidents following the explosions. There’s no official response to these allegations.”
“That sounds highly alarming, Dave.”
“You don’t have to tell me. What’s the governor’s office saying?”
“Besides declaring a state of emergency, there’s been no word. You have to wonder what they’re trying to hide, if this might actually be a zombie attack.”
“Well, just in case, let’s go to Steve to hear the science side of this argument. So how about it, Steve? What’s the likelihood we’re on the cusp of an actual zombie apocalypse?”
~~~~~~~~~~
The seatbelt is the only thing that saves Oliver’s life as the helicopter collides with the top of a building. He blinks blearily when he comes back to himself, listing sideways from the crash. He stares across the cabin of the helicopter, eyes narrowed in search of movement.
Convinced he’s the only one moving, Oliver works the buckle holding him in place until he falls out of the seat. He freezes for a moment, fully expecting the helicopter to lurch or for debris to shift .
Swallowing the bile already rising in his throat, Oliver moves across the cabin to where his father and Katy were sitting. Now he just sees a bloody mess of flesh and bone. But he needs to check, needs to confirm his father is dead, and to see what creature could have possibly done this.
He reaches the mass and his stomach sinks as he realizes there’s only one body, a feminine body that in no way belongs to Robert Queen. Suddenly, his brain starts to make sense of the situation, of the bite marks evident on Katy’s skin, of the savage violence that brought down the helicopter.
Oliver covers his mouth to fight the urge to vomit as he pushes past the body of his father’s former intern to look into the cockpit. This is something he needs to see to believe, something too fantastic to just take as fact.
A second later Oliver is forced to turn away. He stumbles for a corner and barely makes it before he empties the contents of his stomach violently. Finally, when there’s nothing left, Oliver stands and wipes his mouth, his entire body shaking.
The whole cockpit was smeared with blood and flesh. The pilot was gone, that much was abundantly clear. His father...that was a different story. His father’s body was mostly intact, but there was a pallor to his skin and blood caked around his mouth, a chunk still clenched in his teeth.
Whatever his father was now, he wasn’t human.
“GAAAHHHHH!”
Oliver spins at the groan to see the creature his father had become stare at him with icy, dead eyes. It was chewing the piece of flesh still stuck between its teeth as it eyed him.
Blindly, Oliver grasps the door handle and prays the door actually opens. He moves as the creature lunges.
He almost makes it through the door, but the creature latches onto his arm with his teeth, drawing a scream of agony from Oliver’s throat as the teeth break skin.
Oliver tries to yank his arm free. The effort is futile as the teeth just dig in harder. Blood gushes around the wound and Oliver desperately searches for something to use to defend himself.
His eyes latch onto the only thing within his grasp: the helicopter door. With a shove, he lines his father’s head up with the door. He only takes a moment for regret, a moment to quell his once again unsettled stomach, before he brings the door crashing closed on his father’s neck.
But even that isn’t enough and he’s forced to repeat the motion: once, twice, thrice...
Until, through his tears, he sees the head disengage and roll across the ground.
Oliver’s knees give out and he collapses to the ground with horrible, heaving sobs.
His father...he just killed his father...
He severed his father’s head with a helicopter door.
Motion catches the corner of his eye. Oliver turns quickly enough to make out an older Chinese man before pain spikes at the base of his skull and his world is consumed by darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~