1:44 AM

The third floor looked very similar to the fourth aside from a few details. Emergency lights clung to the wall, illuminating the hallways with a dim, white tint. Outside the door, the three were presented with two options. To their left, a narrow hallway — akin to the fourth floor — sprawled into the darkness. Ahead, a small room sat with an open entrance carved into the wall. A window overlooked the nearby woods, giving the room a somewhat cozy feeling. Chairs were planted onto a rug whose color had been sapped by the sunlight. Autumn, despite her fear of betrayal, clung close to Henry, crouching behind him for protection. The floors left trails of blood, which skid across the floor and away from them. There were no corpses or writings on the wall. It was empty, and that horrified her.

“Alright,” Henry whispered. He motioned down the hall. “We’re going to go down this direction. Stay close and don’t make any sounds.” Autumn noted that he noticed the missing bodies too. His eyes had tracked the ground and followed the trail, though he never said anything. She tensed but listened to the man. All three performed a hybrid crouch-walk, maintaining what Henry believed was optimal speed and stealth. Many doors scattered themselves through the long hall — they were tall and grey. Blood was smeared upon a few. The three snuck down the hall for two or three minutes, until they reached the bend. What happened to the people? Where are they?

The sound came from behind them. What was that? At first, Autumn couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but her mind soon scrambled the pieces together. It was the soft sound of a suppressed cough — hardly noticeable, but the unsettling silence amplified the noise. Henry shot around and lifted his gun. Its light pointed into nothing other than a wall and the door they emerged from. She shuddered. They all were, including Henry, although he was less apparent. After a second, all three realized where the sound had originated. The other room. Henry inched closer to the room, and as he did, a hideous whisper appeared. It was continuous and unintelligible, but it was clear the sound came from a person. Henry took in a deep breath.

“This is the police,” he began, “I am Officer Henry Clay. I command you to reveal yourself immediately. I know you’re there, so come out. We have questions for you.” The whispers didn’t stop. “I said, this is the police. Come out with your hands in the air now!” His voice boomed. Autumn glanced behind them. The eerie emptiness of the hallway consumed her thoughts for a moment, terrifying her, but Henry’s demand sent her back. Where are these people? “Last chance, this is the police! Come out now!” His words tottered with anxiousness. Henry closed his eyes for a second and breathed. “Miles, stay back.” He leaned against the wall beside the open entryway. In a single motion, Henry turned and infiltrated the room. Autumn and Miles, failing to listen to Henry’s order, followed.

A man cradled himself in the corner. He was skinny, malnourished, and naked, aside from his lab coat, which was twisted around his waist to act like a loincloth. He hadn’t been there when the three entered the floor. It seemed to Henry that he came from the hallway — which none of them had noticed — attached to the right side of the room. It jutted out for a few feet, quickly turning left. Henry shook his head and returned his attention to the man. He rocked himself, repeating an ominous whisper.

“The Sunset has come to rescue us. The Sunset has come to deliver us.” Sunset. Autumn froze, sending a blank stare into the man.

“We called it Sunset. It’s a predator. A hunter.” What was the Sunset?

Miles patted her on the shoulder, summoning her back to reality. He was prepared to run away. She bent her knees, ready to follow. Miles’s hand was trembling, though he tried not to show it. Henry walked closer to the man. His finger wrapped itself around the trigger. Autumn clenched her fist.

The man’s rocking quickened, his breathing intensifying.

“It’s here. It’s here,” he began. Autumn and Miles stepped further away from the man. His words transformed into shouts. “It’s here! The sacrifice is here! It’s here! The sacrifice is here! It’s here!”

In a sudden movement, the man turned around and leaped onto Henry. His mouth was drenched in wet blood — his eyes were red and veiny. Henry grunted, toppling to the floor. The man continued to shout.

“It’s here! It’s here! It’s here!”

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Henry attempted to lift his arm, but the scrawny man resisted. What? How is that possible? Autumn watched Henry’s eyes narrow as he shouted for Miles.

“Miles! Miles get him off me! I can’t, I— I don’t know. He shouldn’t be this strong. Get him off!” Miles didn’t move. He quaked viciously. “Miles!” He’s frozen. He can’t move. “Mil—” Henry was cut off. A disturbing squelch arose. Autumn looked back to see that the man had bitten into Henry’s neck. He screamed in pain.

A thunderous sound reverberated through the small room, followed by utter silence. Autumn’s ears rang. Henry writhed in pain on the ground as the man above him went limp and tumbled onto the tile. Miles remained static. What— What just happened? Henry struggled upward, propping himself against the window. He unraveled his coat and tightened it around the bite mark. The man’s lifeless corpse stretched outward, a compact, black pistol resting beside him. Blood seeped from the man’s forehead.

Henry watched the man for a while, his eyes sharing the same dead look as the husk's. After the first minute, his intense shaking ceased. He paid no attention to Autumn, who simply stared at him. Miles had thawed after the encounter, though he seemed disturbed. The three hovered in silence.

“I’ve never done that before,” Henry mumbled. His voice was weak. “Kill someone. Not once. I’ve shot people before, but not like that. I—”

“I’m sorry,” Miles interjected. “It’s my fault. If I hadn’t frozen up, you wouldn’t have had to kill him. I don’t know what came over me, but it was like my body couldn’t move.” Henry slowly shook his head.

“It’s not your fault. It’s his,” he indicated toward the body, “I know it was just self-defense, but… seeing that man’s life drain away from him in an instant. I’ve never— no.” He breathed, rising to his feet. “Nevermind. It’s not important.” He continued to shake. Henry walked over and retrieved the gun. “Miles, I think you need to equip your bat now.” Miles appeared stunned for a moment. He reached into the bulge Autumn had noticed on the back of his jacket and extracted a large, wooden bat. It appeared to be a baseball bat that had been chipped off the end.

“I— I honestly forgot I even brought it. So much happened I just— I don’t know. I guess I just forgot.” He twirled it in his hands. Henry sighed. His eyes swelled with confidence.

“You won’t like this,” Henry began, “but I think we should try and see where that man came from. Clearly something was wrong with him— maybe his mind simply broke considering his surroundings. Maybe he’s seen something we haven’t.” Henry paused and stared at the man. “I don’t know. But it just means that we need to be careful. Hopefully, though, there will be more people where he came from. Alive people. Sane people. They might be able to lead us to the exit, though— I guess if they knew where an exit was they wouldn’t be here. Nevermind. Still just— follow me.” Henry approached the narrow hall and followed the bend, disappearing for a moment until he reappeared, ushering the other two to come with him.

The next hall, to Autumn, looked like a rest area. The right wall was made completely of windows that peered into the surrounding woods. Opposite of the windows were lines of cushioned benches. At the end sat a large entryway that led into a vast area, though she couldn’t make out much. The moonlight, however, comforted her. As they walked down the hallway, she gazed into the forest. What is going on? She took a deep breath and reflected for a moment. This is surreal. This can’t be real, but I know it is. My mind is— it’s gone. I’m a new person. I’m not who I was before. She thought of the rhythmic beats of their footsteps. I don’t know them, but I do. My body feels like it trusts them, and yet— yet my mind demands that I run away. Their strangers. But… but I have to keep going. This feels wrong. But, does it? If I really am a new person, this is my home. This was where I was born. I— no. I don’t have to live like this. A husk. Without my memories, I am no better than the people dead. I have lost who I am. I have to get out. I have to escape.

No.

She paused. Once again, her mind produced a foreign thought. She didn’t think that last word. It was as though her brain had been infiltrated by something. But what? Who are you? Can you hear me?

“Autumn?” Miles asked. Henry and he were a decent amount ahead of her since she stopped. Miles grasped the bat tighter. They think I’m going… feral. They think that’s why I stopped. She nodded.

“Yeah— sorry. I got distracted by the forest. Let’s go.” Autumn rubbed her shoulder while she trotted to join the others. Turning her head, she watched out the window a final time. Who are you in my head? Charlie? Is that you?

There was no response.