My heart beat fast in my chest. Whatever was in there wasn't restrained, or at least wasn't restrained enough. I shuddered. What would've happened to me if that guy hadn't been chained in the last room?
The noise coming out of the cell was an in-between of hissing and growling, not loud enough to be heard from far away, but definitely perceptible to someone close to the entrance.
I looked down at the keys in my hand and, after a few moments of reflection, pocketed them again.
"Not worth it", I said to myself. No reason to test my luck. What were they keeping in there anyway? A komodo-dragon?
It actually made some sense, now that I thought about it. They experimented on people, why not on animals?
Anyway, on to the next. The less time spent here, the better.
Arriving at the fifth enclosure I banged on the door, as usual, but only silence returned. Curiously, this one was also locked.
Should I enter? No weird hissing, no animal sounds... I briefly considered but quickly dismissed the idea. Maybe later.
All in all, either this one was empty or someone unconscious was inside. The fact that it was locked bothered me a little, though.
Actually, It could still be an animal, I reasoned carefully, just sleeping.
"Lets keep going."
On my way to the sixth cell though, something was bothering me. Why were they arranged so... precisely? The cells were equidistant from each other — 66 steps, to be exact. That was not a particularly interesting fact on its own, but it did indicate that this construction had been more carefully planned than I'd initially assumed. Why go through the trouble of creating a place like this? The letters and documents had already made it clear that this was more than just an old basement turned dungeon, but not much else.
Soon, the sixth door was before me. I pressed my ears against it, heard nothing, and knocked. By how the door didn't even budge when I touched it, I could tell it was locked. Right on the first knock, though, a buzzing echoed from within.
'Bzzzzt'
It sounded like a swarm of bees or hornets, their wings thrumming in a frenzied rhythm, an annoying, agitated hum. More animals?
Little by little, it picked up volume. The humming got increasingly louder, the vibration passing through the metal and into my chest. Definitely a big swarm, I thought.
I distanced myself from the door, taking a couple of steps back. Faint metallic sounds echoed from inside, like tiny, unsettling pops against the iron door.
Are they... trying to get out? I took another step back, instinctively.
And then it stopped.
The buzzing sound faded, leaving complete silence in its wake. A breath I didn't even realize I was holding escaped me.
It's okay. Everything is fine. It's- It's fine. Just some bugs.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
With slightly hurried steps, I continued down the hallway, eager to leave this all behind me. What did they want with all these different animals? And why the heck had I been locked down here with them?
There would be time to think more deeply about all these things. For now, I had two more stops to make.
The cold floor leached warmth from my body as I strode down the hallway. After that scare, I became more aware of my state. My legs burnt from overwork and my eyelids felt heavy. The constant anxiety only worsened the exhaustion, leaving me feeling like an empty husk devoid of energy. I felt sluggish and unaware — a perfect prey. Things would not end well if I had to run.
Finally arriving at the next-to-last cell, I got close and waited for a while. An irregular scraping sound came from within, as if someone was trying to dig through rocks or metal. I slowly put my ear against the door to try and hear it better, but the sound immediately stopped.
"Hello?" A voice echoed from the cell.
A person! Thank god.
"Hello, can you hear me? Hello?" I said, banging on the door.
I could discern the sound of someone approaching the entrance.
"Hello! Who are you? ... Are you here to hurt me?" the voice asked. Oh heavens, it was a child. The voice was youthful. They were doing this to children.
"No no no, don't worry! I was locked away, just like you. I'll get you out now, just- just hang in there, okay?" I said, searching for the keyring. "What's your name?
"My name is Martha! Martha Narumio"
That caught me a bit off-guard. That was a girl's name, but he sounded like a boy. Well, it was hard to differentiate children's voices when they were so young.
Maybe sensing my hesitation, he continued.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his voice slightly wavering.
"Nothing, just trying to find the keys! Nice to meet you, Martha. I'll get you out, okay?"
"Okay!" his voice was so childishly bright it was refreshing.
"How old are you Martha? Do you know where we are?" I asked while looking at the keys, there were too many of them.
"I am thirty-one years old! I don't know where we are, they just locked me up in this dark room one day."
Thirty-one? What?
The speed at which I was sorting through the keys slowed significantly.
"And how long have you been here, Martha?"
"I don't know," the child said, voice still bright, "It's dark and I'm scared! Can you help me?"
"I'll help you, don't worry! Do you know where your parents are? They must be worried."
"No. Can you help me find them?
"Of course, I'll help! What are their names?"
"Martha Narumio"
The same name?
"and your dad?"
"Martha Narumio"
"Right..."
"...so can you open the door? I'm hungry" The tone had gone from bright to pitiful — the kind that tugged at your heartstrings.
"Me too! What's your favorite food, Martha?" I asked, keeping my voice casual.
"Meat"
I swallowed hard. Why are the answers so odd? Sure, a child is a child but...
"Say, Martha...
"Yes?"
...do you like the sun?"
"... Yes."
"How does it look like?"
"..."
"How old did you say you were again?" I tried to keep the anxiety out of my voice.
".......seven"
The line came with another slight change in tone — the soft, pitiful voice now sounded more brittle, strained at the edges.
It made my skin crawl.
Slowly, I took two steps back, letting myself be engulfed by the hallway's darkness.
It's better to just go away quietly.
I turned away and left, careful not to make too much noise.
---
What the fuck was inside that cell, I thought. That thing was trying to read me. Changing tones, changing answers.
A part of me still wanted to believe it was a child. Maybe he was too stressed, or maybe he was starved, or not in his right mind or...
Or maybe that thing was the worst monster in this place, by far.
That level of intelligence was absurd. Or perhaps it wasn't intelligent per se, more like a Turing test type of thing? An imitation game?
Even worse.
---
Sixty-six steps later, I was glancing at the big "01" printed at the end of the hallway. It made me think a bit. Should I have investigated 02 more thoroughly? Should I have just stayed there? Somehow, I didn't think that was a good idea. The zombies out there must have come from somewhere, right? There was a good chance that 02 was infested with those things, and jumping right in the middle of them did not appeal to me in the slightest.
At least here in 01, nothing had escaped.
Yet.
A couple more steps and the last cell door was finally before me. The eighth cell.
Let's just get this done with.
Approaching the door, I softly pulled on the cold handle, half-expecting it to be locked.
The door gave way with a faint creak, the sound barely louder than my own breath.
Shit.