(POV – Protagonist)
Honestly, it took me a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened. When I found Laura and Emily, I felt a sense of relief for still having company; I genuinely thought everyone had left me behind. Laura then began hugging me like I was a teddy bear.
Suddenly, Emily broke the projector on the table when I tried to approach it. Was that my fault? No matter how much I thought about what had happened; why the hell did she seem so desperate about the projector? After the incident, the only thing that remained was the guilt I felt. Even though I wasn't responsible for the destruction of the projector, for some reason, that’s how I felt.
"It’s over, that was the only source of light still working in this place"
For some reason, Emily fell to the floor and started lamenting, a terrified expression on her face. I tilted my head in confusion, trying to understand what she was talking about. Laura wasn’t much different; at that moment, she was hugging me even tighter than before.
“Miss Anomaly!!!”
Laura’s embrace intensified even more; for some reason, she seemed to be using me almost like a talisman. Seriously, could someone please explain to me what was going on here? Also, I wanted to ask about the shadow I saw in the hallway, but I couldn’t find the words.
At that moment, the door behind me suddenly swung open, as if pushed by a gust of wind. It opened slowly, but there was nothing on the other side, at least nothing I could see. Honestly, I could see in the dark as well as if the light were on.
I felt Laura and Emily’s breaths become nonexistent; both seemed to be holding their breath. While I tried to understand why, I spotted something at the door: a hand made of black smoke resting on the threshold. In fact, I didn’t know if “smoke” was the right word to describe it.
From the perspective of someone who can’t see in the dark, the feeling would just be that the darkness was moving or something similar. Emily and Laura seemed completely paralyzed; surely, they both had noticed what I saw at the doorframe.
When the entity fully entered the room, its form resembled nothing I had ever known. If I had to describe it, I’d say it looked like black smoke, although it looked more like a shadow in motion. Either way, its appearance was bizarre, and it writhed, seeming unable to take on a defined corporeal shape.
“So it really was [Shadow] that escaped... But how was that possible? Its containment room should have its own generators.”
I briefly watched as Emily’s eyes widened, indicating that she finally seemed to understand something. Of course, I still had no idea what she was talking about, so I decided to ignore it. My gaze shifted back to Shadow, as Emily had called it.
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Then, I managed to see again the thin line glowing in rainbow colors, seemingly heading toward the door I had seen moments ago and couldn’t open. The monster noticed my gaze and turned to me; for some reason, its body began to twist in a strange and disordered way before simply disappearing into the ground. As this happened, all I could do was tilt my head in confusion.
***
(POV - Laura Cavendish)
This was probably the first time Laura was so happy to have an Anomaly by her side. Unfortunately, she had no choice. The little Anomaly Laura found in the forest really resembled a guardian angel, always showing up to save her.
“I was so scared! When the projector stopped, I thought we were definitely dead. My legs can’t move anymore”
Laura finally sighed in relief when the shadow Anomaly, nicknamed [Shadow], left. She had knowledge about this Anomaly; even though the place they were in housed only harmless anomalies, the reason [Shadow] was there was that its containment method was extremely simple, which in a way made it harmless.
“Although we’ve survived for now, that doesn’t change the fact that our situation is the worst possible. We will remain in danger until we restore power to the facility. The problem is that if we walk around carelessly, we’ll probably be captured by [Shadow]”
Laura listened attentively to Emily’s words and nodded, sharing the same thought. Then, she tried to remember the technical sheet about [Shadow]. Apparently, [Shadow] was a formless Anomaly that moved between shadows.
Its anomalous powers consisted mainly of teleporting in darkness; however, if there was even the slightest bit of light in the area, [Shadow] wouldn’t be able to move anymore, remaining in a dormant state.
Although everyone had tried to find a way to destroy [Shadow], all attempts had been completely ineffective. To begin with, [Shadow] didn’t have a physical body that could be touched; in fact, it was nothing but darkness in its purest form, a truly strange Anomaly.
As both reflected on how to get to the location of the main generator that powered the entire facility, the little Anomaly began to move. Laura and Emily watched as it stopped at the door, staring at them with its intense golden gaze.
“I think it wants us to follow it”
Emily turned her gaze to Laura, who suddenly spoke these words, raising an eyebrow in question.
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t know, it just seems that way to me. Besides, [Shadow] seemed to be afraid of our little Anomaly. Wouldn’t it be better to walk with it than to stay here? Either way, the projector is broken”
Emily thought about this for a few seconds, but in the end, she had no reason to refuse Laura’s words. In fact, if they decided to stay, they would probably both be captured by [Shadow]. Emily didn’t know where the people who got captured went; they just seemed to be swallowed and disappeared, leaving only their clothes behind.
While Emily was curious about the fate of the missing people, it wasn’t like she wanted to be captured just to satisfy her curiosity. Scientists are naturally curious, but not foolish.
“Alright, I don’t believe we have any other choice anyway”
Thus, the trio—composed of two scientists and a little Anomaly with shining golden eyes—began to explore the dark hallways of the facility.