Another day, another question. I had already assumed how the day was going to go, something else would happen that would raise more questions. At least I figured out how to get back some of my memories. I sat up, snapped my fingers like yesterday, and turned to Crescent. That other barrel...What am I meant to load in that one? I stood up and adjusted my gear. Karambit, Revolver...Crescent, everything is here.
The door to my room banged twice. It wasn't a mystery who did it, as Sam's voice followed the bangs soon after.
"Knock knock! Mission time!"
"I know!" I grabbed Crescent and attached them to my back as usual, opening the door after.
"Yello!" Sam's outfit had changed, it didn't look like mine or the CSF, but the color scheme was similar. "How do I look? Kai said he had a spare uniform so he gave me one."
"He...had a spare coincidentally your size?"
"Weird right? Makes me think...Nah!" She waved her hand, assuring herself that whatever she was thinking was false. "So! We got that mission don't we?"
"Correct." I grabbed onto Crescent and held on firmly. "Ready to go now?"
"What about you? I ate but I didn't see you do the same."
"It's fine, I can eat something small."
"I woke you up early so you could eat."
"...Later"
"Alright, alright. Yeah I'm good to go." Hearing a confirmation, I slashed down, cutting open the portal the same way as always.
"You know the portals always have this intricate design."
"I noticed that too, it looks pretty."
"Won't deny that." Attaching Crescent back on...my back, I walked through the portal. The CSF were already waiting, four of them. Their weapons looked special just like their uniforms. Upon looking at me, one began coughing. "You alright?"
"Y-yeah! Keh" He let out one more cough before standing straight again.
Sam came from the portal soon after.
"Just the two of ya huh?"
"Yeah, did you need more?"
"Nah, keep in mind you two aren't meant to be spotted, don't get a whole army for a scouting mission" The main guy, the one with a shoulder piece with his uniform, walked forward, handing me binoculars. "You two are gonna head up a mountain, we four will be infiltrating the building to set an explosive, after we give the signal you'll cover our escape as we leave the compound. Obviously you'll also be providing overwatch and recon as we proceed with the mission."
"Understood. I'm Lee"
"Sam!"
"Ahhuh" The leader hesitated for a moment. "If we're going by first names, Yuri is fine, you'll be communicating with me primarily, so don't worry about the other guys."
"Makes sense, what's the signal for when you guys set the explosives?" Yuri reached into his pocket and took out a flashlight. "Strobe light?"
"Heh, surprised you guessed it."
"Normal light wouldn't do much so early in the day...But even that won't do much will it."
"Special Strobe light" He aimed it at the ground and clicked the button, a high powered light started flickering on and off towards the ground, powerful enough that the grass shriveled from the heat.
"Showed me wrong."
"We'll be heading out now, the moment we enter the compound we're shutting down all TTS, messages, and the rest. If we have anything to address to you, we'll use the strobe light. You got an IR Scope?" Yuri turned to Sam.
"Uh..."
"No actually...it said you were new to this, so I guess you wouldn't have many attachments. Nevermind then, the Binoculars should have a setting for it, near the dial on the top." I turned it around a few times until I saw it.
"Yep"
"You know Morse code?"
"Mostly. Just don't know a few letters."
"Like?"
"The uncommon ones, y, z, that sorta stuff."
"Good enough, we expect good cover." Turning their backs to us, they started heading towards the compound.
"Guess we better head into position then."
"Yup yup!" With a sniper in hand, Sam lead the way up the mountain. Part of me wondered why they chose to have a mission like this in the day, but what could I do about it? "Well, if this mission is gonna be just us overwatching, then we get to talk huh?"
"We typically do that"
"Well yeah, but talk where no one can intrude by accident."
"Don't think we have anything secret to talk about."
"Maybe not..." I could only see the back of Sam, yet she seemed gloomy.
Once we reached the edge of the mountain, Sam set her rifle down, and laid on the grass before patting down a spot next to her.
"You're my spotter, come on."
"Right." I laid down at the spot next to her, making sure the sniper nor the binoculars were crushed. "They're still a bit away from the compound."
"Hey Lee" Her tone told me how this conversation was going to go, it was going to be either serious or sad. "Remember when the outbreak first happened?"
"Course, don't think I could ever forget that if I wanted to."
"Was...it alright?"
"Was...what alright?"
"Well, I couldn't fight much...even if I could lie and say they weren't human, blood was still an issue."
"Are you asking if you did enough?"
"Well, not that...or, not...I guess...yeah." She rolled onto her back, looking into the sky where the stars were, only we couldn't see any of them yet. "I guess that was just a random thought, I know I did all I could, lookout, scavenging. I guess dying and being brought back made me wonder if I could've done more to prevent it."
"Well, if our deaths were prevented, Kenneth and Nicholai would still be dead."
"Makes me wonder what would happen if we all lived. There's still Cypher and Q too, heh, they're young but they'd make a pretty good addition to the team right?" Though her body still faced to the invisible stars, her head turned to me, smiling. It was a smile that made me do the same no matter the scenario.
"You did more than enough."
"What?"
"To answer your previous question."
"Oh" She looked back into the sky. "We should have a day like this."
"Hm?"
"Get Nicholai and Kenneth here, no mission, just look up at the night sky and its stars. If anyone has problems we speak about it, no judging, no sarcastic remarks to each other." She raised her arm, as though she was trying to grab onto something.
"Where'd this come from?"
"Dunno, I've just realized we don't spend much time together anymore, Elementary school we all spent every day together, going over to my house as we played games or, for Nicholai, made sure we didn't get ourselves hurt. In middle school..." She didn't continue on that, we all knew where she and everyone was during that time. "...and high school...we had those after school events and...heh, sorta sad realizing I won't get to experience Prom."
"That's what you're focused on?"
"Yeah!" She reached out both arms dramatically before letting them hit the grass beneath her. "It's the only time where I could wear something like a cute dress, they usually have good food there too."
"Gotta put that hundred dollar ticket money somewhere."
"Wha?"
"For someone who was hoping to go to it you don't know how much it costs?"
"W-well no? But a hundred dollars?"
"Just how it is...hm."
"What?"
"Wonder how I'd look in a good suit..."
"Well it definitely has to be a white one, or actually, maybe the contrast with the black suit and white hair would be better!"
"I've seen some CSF with just suits...wonder if I could get that."
"This is a whole nother conversation now...You would fight in a suit?"
"If it's made well I wouldn't see why not."
"And I'm weird..."
"Oi, what'd I do to you?"
We've made it to the compound.
Shutting of our HUDs here-Yuri
"Go time!" Sam flipped over onto her stomach and picked up her rifle, while I grabbed the binoculars. The Compound was lengthy, but the team was only going halfway so they could set something on one of the towers. "Ping, Ping, a ping" Multiple enemies were being marked by Sam, who started making sound effects for every ping.
"Hey Sam" One of the guards were out in the open, letting me see them in a much greater view. "That isn't a Reunion outfit is it?"
"I dunno" She sounded clueless. "Could be like how CSF wear jackets and coats depending on their rank."
"But they still had CSF on it...these guys...more like an emblem...could it be..." The Cannibals were said to be in this area, did this particular group of Reunion band together with them? Why even resort to cannibalism in this type of world? I noticed something off about the whole situation, groups of Reunion and Cannibals walking together, some wheeling something in a wheelbarrow, covered to prevent anyone from looking into it. "What the hell is this all about?" I looked closer at the cloth covering the contents, it had a small...incredibly small piece of purple. Is this color purple...or Corruption purple? I could overreact, if I did I would start a whole nother mission. Powers...could it be for powers?
I sent Raymond a mission, I wouldn't get a reply now, but hopefully after this I would get the answer I wanted. Further in the Compound I saw flashes of light from the strobe flashlight.
"F-I-R-E A-H-E-A-D"
"Fire ahead?"
"The crowd up front"
"Alright" Pulses of energy fired from Sam's sniper, it was many times quieter than firing a bullet, but I guess that comes with it being non-lethal.
"G-O-O-D...That seems unneeded" The team continued on ahead, one of them took out a device and stuck it onto a wall. "They said explosive...not explosives"
"Are we being that picky?"
"Hm..." Yuri's team continued pushing onward, sneaking by a good chunk of the compound's guards.
"Pretty sneaky you gotta hand it to them."
"They are CSF, but it's like they're not average ones"
"LIke a super secret group?"
"Wouldn't go that far, I just assume there are different types of CSF."
"I think a secret service CSF would be cool"
"If you say so...C-O-V-E-R...Cover...I think"
"Huh?"
"I only saw them in the middle of a flash for the first letter."
"Hold, dot, hold, dot."
"So C, it was Cover."
"Got it!" One of Yuri's guys started setting an explosive, this one was different, more complicated "Taking care of your flower?" Another energy shot came from her sniper, as she fired at a guard approaching the team.
"Uh..."
"Come on, it may not die like a normal flower but you still gotta tend to it."
"Sorry" I didn't bother making an excuse for myself.
"Well, as long as you tend to it eventually." Yuri took out the strobe light again, aiming it in our direction like before...however it didn't work this time, no light came out.
"Uh..."
"You see nothing too right?
"Yeah..." Yuri asked if we had an IR sight before...does that mean...I moved the dial, and like I was told, the tone changed, and I was able to see the flickering light. "C-A-N-T U-S-E N-O-R-M-A-L S-E-T-T-I-N-G B-E-I-N-G W-A-T-C-H-E-D...God my eyes are burning..." I started scanning around the compound, a guard had come out from one of the buildings, staring over in the direction Yuri's crew is at. "Sam"
"I see them" The moment I pinged the soldier Sam turned, aiming directly at them. She pulled the trigger, but just as she did, another guard came out the door. "Oh no!" Sam quickly aimed and fired again. The now unconscious guard fell backwards, back inside the building.
"..." We held our breaths, there could be more guards inside the building who could set off an alarm, there weren't any windows to see.
"Do you think..." I lowered the binoculars to see Sam looking at me. Like we jinxed ourselves, the alarms started blarring.
"Goddamnit!" I stood up and started running.
"Where are you going!?"
"Fixing our mistake! Cover them!"
"A-alright!?" I didn't have time to go down the entire mountain, so I leapt off once I was halfway down, hoping that our more durable selves could handle it. While I was right, it wasn't entirely true, as I felt my legs nearly buckle when hitting the ground.
My HUD opened as a call started coming in from Yuri.
Yuri: What the hell was that?
Lee: We messed up, another guy came out when Sam shot
Yuri: Alright...you couldn't control that, what are you doing now?
Lee: I'm coming down, Sam is still covering you guys.
Yuri: You're coming over? Well...alright be careful
The call ended, I was still a few minutes away from the facility, but giving an effort is better than none at all.
Warning! I see a group of people also going to
the compound-Sam
"And I'm crossing paths with more hostiles...fantastic." I nearly mumbled under my breath.
"We have intruders, engage protocol" I dove to the ground the second I heard people speaking, granted, I didn't blend in at all, but it was far better than just standing in the open.
"Understood, searching perimeter" The voice that replied sounded off, it wasn't human.
"Sir" I nearly had a heart attack when I heard a different voice in my head. Dave? "Correct, this is not the same as TTS, but It would be much easier if you thought of it that way. Returning to the original point, I am with miss Calstianos, I had warned her about what I will say next, there are robotic entities roaming the area however I am sure you are well aware. However, the part you may be unfamiliar to, when I passed one of the robotic entities, I had scanned it and sent it to Kenneth and Nicholai, Nicholai reported that she could sense a living behind being the metal parts of its body." So it's a cyborg? "Incorrect, it is as though the robot itself is living, like a human consciousness in it."
"Life Signature detected" Hearing its voice again...it did sound partially human. Wait...I quickly stood up and started bolting it, I took out Crescent and tried cutting a portal...it didn't work at all.
"Wh-" My body froze up and I fell to the ground. I couldn't move a single part of me and all I could do was lay there as metal footsteps approached. Crescent you have permission to kill me!! But Crescent didn't move, it sat there, motionless.
"I...-pray y-your suffering is quick." I could barely see the machine, it looked horrific, like something mimicking a disfigured human.
It raised their metal arm, and swiftly slammed it onto my head where everything became dark.
"How many times is this gonna happen." I was in the abyss again, it felt worse somehow, unlike the blank one before, I felt...uneasy here. "Dave is with Sam, she'll be okay." The main issue was what happens to me. I wasn't able to open a portal, nor have Crescent to move...are these machines walking MEMPs? I started thinking about what I was told yesterday. I first thought they worked like EMPs, you throw em, and whatever it hits is deactivated, even if only temporarily...But if that was right...that thing wouldn't have been able to disable mine, unless it was constantly setting them off. The feeling of the abyss became more familiar. Ah...this abyss...it's the reflection space...but why is it so dark? Nor had I entered any water. Is this meant to represent the depths of the space? If so...where are the threads?
I was abruptly woken up, dangling upside down all the while something was dug into my legs. The moment I took a breath through my nose I regretted it instantly, as a metallic stench was the majority of what I could smell, but something that smelled much worse was hidden under the rest.
'Ugh..." I knew where I was...Most of my outfit remained, the only exception was my coat. Course my gear was gone too. I wanted to throw up, being upside down...the horrible smell, I didn't even want to look around.
I started swinging, gaining enough momentum until I could look up. Wrapping around my ankles was rope.
"I could..." I had a horrible idea...very bad idea, but my mind was mostly static. I pressed my normal foot against the one that was injured. "Breath in...Breath out..." There were no convenient knives nearby...my gear wasn't set on a table in front of me, in my mind, this was the only option. "I hope Nicholai understands." Letting out a breath I quickly threw my foot forward, bending my injured leg in an unnatural way until it popped. "F-...gh" I pulled back and slipped out of the rope, resulting in my back slamming against the cold ground. "Fu...ck" I rested my foot and grabbed onto it, pulling it back into place. I started slamming my fist into the ground to try and refocus the pain into my hand, but all it did was make my body hurt more. "I wish Nicholai...was here..." By accident, my gaze went upwards to the ceiling I was hung from, like I predicted, many corpses were lined up, hung by a hook through their jaws, the process of decay way more than just started. The instinct to throw up immediately took over but I negated it to just a disgusted cough. "Why is all of this needed...?" I tried thinking about why so much people needed to be killed...Even if it was for food...was so much needed? The room was heavily dim as well, only a small hue of red from the ground letting me see everything I have seen.
Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I still have an effort to summon Crescent. So it really is like that...When I get out...which way would I go? Another realization came to me. If I die here...The coin wouldn't work, meaning if I died, I was done for good. Don't I regret dislocating my ankle now? I did my best to stand, and though I had a limp, I could manage. Sam should be fine...but that doesn't mean it's impossible for her to end up here. Forget it, if there's even a chance I'm looking to see if she ended up here too, if I die, I die trying and fighting. Fighting my urge to throw up, I inspected the hanging bodies again, praying for anything usable. Most didn't, most were just IDs, wallets...the more I looked the more horrible I felt. Robbing dead people...even in the situation I feel low. As I searched the last pocket I got pricked, it was something sharp, enough to make a cut. I moved my hand around and took out a pocket knife. Are you fucking kidding me... I thought back to a few minutes ago, and nearly threw the knife until logic returned to me. This is probably the best I'm getting...I shouldn't let that stupid goddamn mistake get to me. I put the knife away and exited the room. Unlike the room I was in, the halls were lit up a bit better, I could see a few feet ahead, but more than that would be a miracle and a half. Left...or Right...Both ways looked nearly identical. Right it is.
I leaned against the railings that were built into the wall, it made me more curious about that place. The cold floor, railings in the hallway. I looked down, the floor pattern reminded me of something. This place...is a hospital...I felt disgusted, far more than I already was. I kept walking, walking until I saw any other door to go into, but as I leaned against the wall to take a breather, I could hear something...slowly opening, crackling like its limbs were brittle sticks. My ears pounded with every heartbeat. Do I move? Do I run? Staying here wasn't an option, but there was no plausible way I could find another room in time even if I headed back. The thing was, for whatever reason I expected it to come my way when it opened a door, yet, its crackling movement became more distant. Otherway it is... I turned around and started making distance, it didn't matter if my leg was begging for rest, it wouldn't be able to beg at all if I got killed.
Something felt wrong after walking for some time, I should have made it back to the room I was hung in, but there was no door. You gotta be kidding me...I understood why I didn't see any light from the hallway when I was in the room before, the doors were perfectly blended in with the walls. I pressed my hand against the wall and started looking for anything that felt off, to my surprise, there was, a more metallic feeling, more warm than the cold walls. When I pressed deeper into the wall, it opened, leading back into the room I was in prior. So I gotta feel against every wall. It didn't help the doors also had railings, but there was something I could look for, small little gaps in the railings, showing that they weren't connected to the ones in the walls.
Once I saw that, I looked at both hallways, I let out a sigh of relief as I saw how visible it was even from afar...then a sigh of disappointment for not seeing it sooner. So there are a decent amount of rooms. I still of course headed left, going right was asking to be killed. Seems there's a door here...I pressed my hand against it, and my theory was proven true, the same warm feeling. I pressed hard against the door, opening it towards me. I pulled on the door as I went in, to cover my tracks. What am I gonna see in here? I tried to ready myself, taking a breath, and when I was ready, I looked up. A...normal room...The room assured me I was right that this place was a hospital prior to whatever the hell this was. The cabinets were littered with medications...granted, most of it was anesthetics...or at least what I could guess with what the experiences with Sam's doctors, and Nicholai's endless teachings taught me.
"This would kill Sam. With the medication she takes it would give a reaction. Isn't that a bit too strong for a short procedure?" All the stuff Nicholai told doctors and myself. Wait...how do I know that? We couldn't visit her...I shook my head. So it did actually switch...it's affecting my memories too...My head started to static, the painful one from before. I quickly held my head. Why...would that decision change so much? I pressed my injured foot down, redirecting most of my focus onto my foot, and letting the pain in my head subside. I went over to the cabinets, most were anesthetics, but some actually were medication I could use...if any of them had a reaction to each other. I stood in front of the cabinet, a barrage of messages appeared.
Where the hell are you!?
-Nicholai
Lee!? What happened?
-Sam
You said you were coming to reinforce us! What the hell is happening with you?
-Yuri
If you don't respond I'm getting Raymond to have people look for you
-Kenneth
There were many more, but these were considered priority by my HUD.
"My...HUD is working?" I looked around the room, there were 4 beds in a line, the third one had a letter on it. I quickly rushed over and picked it up
To the poor soul who's still alive in this place
I was able to disable most of the MEMP's effect in this room, but sadly I was still unable to reactivate teleporting and portal functions
This place is a living hell, but there is one benefit, most of the creatures in this place, the one who's limbs crack when they move, are blind, they can only feel and
hear. It's not like a movie where their hearing is enhanced, but don't think they're hard of hearing either, their hearing is similar to ours.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I doubt I made it out of this place, I doubt I even got far out of this room, but I did make a map...I tried to anyways, it feels like this places is changing every day
so if I could give you one warning, get out of here as soon as you can, don't hesitate, don't fear what may happen, because the longer you're here, the more the rooms change. The creatures don't know of this room, nor do the guards, it's like they can only sense rooms where MEMPs are fully functional...
simply put, you're safe here, there may not be food or water, but you're safe. If you believe in a god, pray...it's all any of us here can do.
Sorry for dying on you partner
-#@(!
The writing was fully dry, it being red told me the only thing this person had to write with was their own blood. Yet sadly, their name was covered by that blood
"Don't be sorry...for giving it your all."
I don't know where I am, but it's one of the cannibal bases
I nearly encountered one of the monsters, be careful if you come here.
-Lee
I sent the message to everyone, I could see it send too...but I didn't get a reply back, either everyone was here as well, or I just barely managed to get the messages in the first place. I stood there for a while, hoping I would get at least a message from Nicholai or Sam. Sam, to assure she's safe or in here, Nicholai, so I could know what medication to use to ease the pain in my leg...but it never came.
"Guess I better move on." I took the map, a lot of the rooms were labeled and if the rooms did shift, they seem to have shifted back to how the map was now as the room I was in, the door I heard earlier, and the safe room i'm in now, matched up perfectly. There were other rooms marked too, four different sections of this place. "Men's Ward", "Women's Ward", those two were written professionally, and the rooms looked like they were ripped from an actual map of the place. The other two though..."Experimentation Ward", "-Ward"...It wasn't cut off, more so like. the person who made this, didn't even know what to call it. Thinking back, the room I was in was solely guys...meaning if Sam is here, she'd be in the other ward. Doubt started to set in. Could she actually be here? I shook my, hard, far more aggressively until it hurt. She'd search for me, even if she didn't know I was here. I took another look at the map, the women's ward was just across the men's ward...to the right.
Being careless, I nearly bolted out of the door, but the low light reminded me where I was, I hadn't even realized the safe room was just a bit more brighter. Guess I'm heading left, towards the creature. Like I thought, I turned left and started walking. I thought at some point the floors would turn to flesh like a horror film, but it never did...and that made it worse, if it was like a horror film I could think of it that way, maybe find a solution that way, but it wasn't that way. Then I heard it again...the crackling, now heading my way. You're kidding...I went still instantly, not even bothering to get lower than I already was, I could only assume my ankle would pop again.
"kgh..krck" The creature's leg reached out of the darkness it was thin, like a kick would break it, but I was smarter than that to know it wouldn't break so easily. The noises it made, it sounds like a human coughing, but its coughs were heaping up blood too.
The more it went into the light the more I realized what it was, two people stitched together, their arms longer than normal and their hands completely gone, the way they walked was on their exposed bones, like they were some spider...but it was far from that, no rather, if Sam had seen it, I truly think she would've died then and there with their guts exposed as they were stitched together by the lower stomach, the person who did it clearly didn't care to make sure nothing on the inside, was outside...or if I could have another opinion...they did it on purpose. Oh God...I'm gonna throw up...Its smell was even worse, whatever was in it preventing it from fully rotting, but not from rotting completely, parts of skin and muscle were gone, and the faces that were on opposite ends of the horrific creature had their eyes missing, purple blood being left behind. That blood...I felt near my corrupted eye, at first I didn't feel it, at first I thought they tore it out of my socket, but no, I could see, my eye must be heavily bruised from the impact that robot hit me with. Hard enough to numb it. The monster slowly passed, allowing me to continue onward. To think there may be more of them...To think they might've turned me to that...I made sure to quietly step around, it was slower, but safer. Are they even cannibals...or are they gunning for something worse? I thought more on the title they were given. They had to have eaten people if they're called that. I continued on, looking at the map and the doors to see the distance until I made it.
However there was something different than what the map showed, a garage door in the way, one of the ones that open by going up into the ceiling, but this one was much more reinforced.
Entering Women's Ward
It was neatly written on it. How do I open it? I got closer, pressing my hand against it, it shifted, slightly. Could I... I crouched down, like I hoped there was a handle there. Come on leg, do me good. It was difficult to grab onto it with both hands, but I had no other choice, I tightened my grip and started lifting. God the noise it made, it was far louder than any alarm could pull of. Then I heard it
"Kgh...Krck...Kck" it was far faster than before, branches snapping in the middle of the words.
"Goddamnit! Just go up already!" I started sinking pressure into both legs, putting the door on my shoulder even if it was nearly breaking my back. "C'mon!" Taking the risk, I quickly went under, letting go and letting the door slam down. I went back to leaning on the wall, there wasn't a way to focus on any other pain but my leg, sawing it off would be less painful. I took breaths, as many as I could...then...
"Kgh...krrrck" Its arm scraping against the door, and even worse...it slowwwwly started opening, I could see its empty eyes looking under the door even if it couldn't see. I stopped breathing, stopped moving, stopped anything that could possibly make noise. It just kept looking, staring into the abyss. Please...go away...I didn't believe in a god, but I prayed regardless, that it would just close the door and leave...but it didn't, if anything it continued opening. I took out the pocket knife and debated internally...There's no other choice. I barely even had the thing, but I threw it under the door. The creature reacted to the noise, closing the door and started heading the other way, assuming that the pocket knife was me slipping under to run.
Finally getting the chance, I took a breath. I was once again defenseless. The thoughts that intruded my mind back then only became worse. If I died, that's that, I had nothing to defend myself with, I had no armor, I'm alone...I'm...alone. I couldn't rely on anyone else's skill but my own, if I got hurt, I had to tend it myself, if I needed something built, I'd do it myself. I grabbed onto the railing, the only option was forward.
"Should be a door coming up..." I referred to the map, it was like a carbon copy of the men's ward, though I guess the lighting was slightly different. When I reached the separated railings, I pressed my hand against the 'wall' and pressed into it, opening it like the two before. "huh..." I looked into the room before entering. It wasn't like the safe room, nor the room where I was hung, rather it was completely empty. "Yeah right, that's sketchy as hell." I pressed my foot against the door before leaning in, turning to my right, nothing, to the left...there was actually something, it looked similar to a dashboard, buttons galore. ...Am I really gonna risk going in there? I decided against it for now. If I find something to prop the door open, maybe...I instead went to the door opposite of the one I went to a second ago. Unlike the previous one, this one was similar, the hanging bodies, the horrible smell. Against my better judgement I scanned the bodies before realizing none was Sam, seeing that, I left. If she got out already, then this'll be more difficult...but I'd prefer that than her staying in one place. Then again, I doubt she'd dislocate her ankle like I did. Just thinking back on it made my leg hurt. Guess it's time to keep going. The hallways, the railings, the barely visible path ahead, if I closed my eyes and turned around, nothing would look different, If I took a hundred steps, it'd look the exact same.
I made it to the next door, find the separated railings, push on the fake wall, the same thing as always. This room was different, it looked similar to a lounge.
"Huh..." I felt safe here, not like the safe room, but somewhat similar to it.
A couch, table, TV, it looked like a small living room, but there was one thing that made checking this room perfect. For whatever reason, someone had left a shotgun here. It was a good ol classic remington, the real question was if it was loaded. I picked it up and pulled the pump back slightly. A purple shell.
"Don't think I've ever seen a purple shell like this before..." There was only one, one shell in the entire thing. "Better than nothing..." There wasn't a sling to it, so holding it with one arm was the only option. Purple shell, them going after corrupted people, purple blood, I'm gonna hate purple by the end of this life. I searched the room, hoping another letter from that guy was around, but I couldn't. "This is probably one of theirs" I left the room, just faintly to my left I could hear footsteps running away.
I started following the sound, landing on the back of my heels with every step to be silent. A loud whistle broke through the sounds of the footsteps, after a second the whistle paused before continuing again. It wasn't noticeable at first, but soon more people could be heard running, speaking in a language I couldn't for the life of me understand. I continued moving onward, getting closer to the barrage of steps. They should've been out of earshot by now...Not just that...it sounds off somehow...I stopped walking, even through the darkness I could tell there was no one there. Am I going mad?
Breaking through one of the doors was a guard, someone who looked almost the exact same as the people in the compound. I instinctively aimed the shotgun at them, surprising them once they turned my way. It was a standoff, on their side I could see a gun, but he knew better than to try and take it out in this scenario.
"..." In a split second, before I could even react, the guard put their hand on a radio I couldn't even see. "Intr-!" However, just like how I couldn't react, the guard didn't react to a makeshift spear impaling them in the chest.
I jumped, I didn't cause it, yet I felt it was related to the off sounding footsteps.
"There you are" That kind yet intimidating voice behind me.
"Loui?"
"Spot on kiddo, good to know you're more competent than that guy. Right...I looked back to the guard, it seems they died instantly yet...it felt so wrong, the way they died from a single spear was gruesome, with parts of them stuck around the main portion of the spear. "You alright?"
"Yeah, just not used to it."
"Seeing dead people?"
"Being involved with someone's death."
"Would you rather it be the lass?" Loui cleared his throat as the accent came back. "Don't feel bad about killing someone who deserved it."
"Right...I'll try...wait, what're you doing here?" I tried to get my mind to think about something else, but when I turned to see Loui, I nearly jumped again from the change in appearance.
"Well, I heard our lad got taken underground"
"We're underground!?"
"Yeah" It seems my message got to Loui and the Guardians first. "Don't sweat it, finding the place was easy, I have some great intuition."
"Right...do you know the way out?"
"Sadly it just changed when I got here."
"And when was that?"
"An hour or so ago, the place shifts every four."
"So we have three hours to get out."
"Ay, I can still get us out if it shifts, the hallways look all too familiar.."
"Right...but before that, we need to see if Sam is down here too."
"Guess that explains why you came here instead of leaving."
"What?"
"The exit is through the way you came"
"...Course it was"
"Hey, don't feel bad, you're helping out your friend."
"Trust me I know, I was just hoping the exit was not where that creature was."
"Ah, the spider human thing, right?"
"Glad to see I don't need to tell you about it." Loui took off the rifle slung around his shoulder and held it out for me.
"I doubt a shotgun you found is loaded."
"Oh it is, with a single shell."
"Heh, I think you'll be fine with this then." I took the rifle and slung it around my shoulder, even though as DTs we're stronger, I could still feel the weight of the weapons sinking the strength from my arms and shoulders. "If you need ammo let me know, just like back then." I nodded as my only response. It felt great to have someone watching my back, but it also made me feel worse, knowing I couldn't show the world what I could do by myself. If I even could...
"So was that audio made from you?" We started moving again, quickly checking any rooms we came across to look for Sam.
"Yeah, recorded it to draw the guard's attention y'know?"
"I get it, it's a good plan."
For the first hallway, nothing. If there was a monster it would've felt better, less isolated, to show that we were going into an area that they wanted to protect.
"What makes you think the lass is here anyways?" Loui very clearly stopped trying to hide the accent.
"She and I were on a mission, I went down trying to help but got interrupted by some robot...yet it was partially human too...A-anyhow, I got told that they were also hunting down Sam."
"I see..." Loui looked down.
"What?"
"Well, if it wasn't clear they go after corrupted people. Sam isn't corrupted we know that, therefore...they don't exactly have a reason to keep her alive." I stopped walking. I don't know how long it's been...and the most I've willingly time traveled was a good half of a day...the longer I take, the higher the chance I can't rewind if she's dead.
"She isn't"
"I know." I expected Loui to disagree, to be that type of person to talk about how we have to think about the facts...but Loui agreed, not even denying that she's alive once. "You kids survived a nightmare...longer than me and my crew did" His gaze to the ground, changed to me. "I don't think she'd just die so easily." Perhaps it was through magic, but I felt something like the echos in Loui, even in this situation I nearly dozed off from just how peaceful it felt.
"Have you gone mad!?" A voice echoed, yet Loui's lack of a reaction told me that only I could see it. My steps became more sluggish, it wasn't the pain, it wasn't the corruption. What...happened while I was out? I wanted to say it out loud, hoping that Loui would know somehow. Why...is it only now? Even in my haze I found it confusing, the moment I have someone with me I start feeling sluggish. "Even that! Even that is too far!" The same voice echoed.
"K---o?" I could faintly hear Loui. Static, the static in my head slowly returned, engulfing my mind in pain.
"You wanna die!? Because that's what'll happen, we only got one shot at this! So don't go fucking it up! Y'hear?" A different voice, yet just as aggressive.
"I thought...no...I hoped that you'd understand one day...but it's clear that isn't happening anytime soon." The pain in my head grew. That voice...that saying...it...it was said the exact same way...tone...volume! But why here? I could barely think. Clean, corpses, clean, ruins, clean, to present day. The scenery kept changing over and over again.
"Lee!" I felt Loui grabbing onto my shoulder. "Your eye!"
"Found the bastard!" These voices Loui reacted to, they were real and approaching.
"Stay here, I'll handle it." Loui let me go and started going towards the guards. I was still standing, it was blurry, but I could see the clashes and sparks that came from them.
Loui bit his finger, taking out blood until a ball, the size of his hand, was made. He crushed it and slammed his hand into the ground, spike ripped out in front of him, piercing through the guards. Corruption magic...isn't affected by MEMPs? Yet even though he had that magic, there were still multiple guards with guns, one of which Loui didn't seem to notice, their hands were shaking like they didn't want to shoot Loui.
"Corruption...helluva thing isn't it?"
"Get out of my goddamn head" I could feel something digging into my head, like my skull was being pierced into. I wanted to claw it out.
I didn't feel in control as I dropped the shotgun and grabbed onto the rifle.
"Lose your ground-" I raised it up with a single hand, no shaking, no sway, as though it locked onto a target. "-Lose your hold on it." My finger started pressing down onto the trigger. "And you'll lose every part of yourself"
The shot rang out throughout the whole hallway, my vision instantly cleared...the pain went away. The guard I shot held onto their neck, gagging, gasping for any breath they could as they stumbled around. The blood they tried to keep in started soaking their hands, trickling down onto the ground as eventually their hold loosened. Their gagging stopped after a while, their hands that desperately grasped onto their neck went down to their side, and their legs failed as they dropped onto the ground face first, where their body soon started soaking in the growing pool of blood.
"I..." I dropped the rifle, killing a zombie...killing a mindless creature, is different to this...I...Killed someone, someone who may have not wanted to do this, someone who could feel their life leave their body. I don't even recall what Loui did to the rest of the guards, I only remember Loui rushing up to me.
"---, --- --- ----" I couldn't hear Loui's voice, his mouth moved, and it was clear he was speaking, but I just couldn't understand.
"Lee" This damn voice in my head! "You feel it don't you? It's okay. Reunion, DTs, you won't have to worry about a thing soo-"
"Shut up already!" I stabbed myself in the hand, breaking me out of whatever it was. Where...did this come from...? The karambit I was given...rather had, was now impaled in my hand. Loui seemed surprised too, yet for a visibly different reason.
I tore it out of my hand, if I was human, the scars on my end would've started merging, yet, it always healed perfectly after some time.
"So it's started."
"What has started?" My voice was nearly in shambled, on the verge of crying for so many things...killing a guy, stabbing my hand, the endless pain in my head during It all.
"Kiddo" Loui got on one knee, even with that, he was only just barely lower than my level. "People with corruption...even if they're immune, have a hard time controlling themselves...Every now and again you'll have these urges to kill. Urges that'll only grow worse over time, but you can learn to control it...But this isn't the environment for that...we find Sam first." He stood up. "Whenever you're ready."
"I'm good."
"You sure?"
"I said I'm good." I didn't know why Loui was so patient with me, or why he helped me out at all. I slung the rifle around my shoulder and picked up the shotgun.
"Let's keep on goin then" Loui led the way, my movement was still sluggish but I could move on my own again. Knowing I could lose control anytime...I looked back down at the person I shot, remembering the desperation in their eyes. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe they did have a choice, but that regret, that desperation in their eyes...it feels like it wasn't a choice for them.
"May you rest with the wind" It was all I could say before something started banging on the garage door.
"It's that damned thing." Because I shot that rifle...I nearly smacked myself, Where did all this doubt come from?
"We start running then, it already knows we're here." I checked the map I had. "There's a garage door near the end of the hall. We rush there."
"Thinking the same thing." We both got into a sprint, dashing across the hallway.
"Kgh...kkhk" The sound it made was distant, yet it slowly started getting louder.
"I don't think we can bring up the do-" Loui stopped talking when we were approaching the door, it was propped open with a sickle...Sam's...Shit! What if she's on this side!? "That's hers ain't it!?"
"It is!" I wanted to slide and grab it, that way the door would close, yet if Sam was on this side, I'd be condemning her to death. ...I got it. If it was her dagger I'd be screwed, yet it wasn't, it was the sickle. The blade is pointing at us...and why would she hold it with the blade facing her? So that means she propped it up on the opposite side after she already slid under...not just that, if I started in the men's ward, she's start here. "Slide under!" We threw ourselves onto our backs as we slid across the cold floor, right when most of our bodies were past the door I grabbed the sickle propping the door, causing it to slam shut behind us. Loui quickly stood up and slammed his foot onto the handle.
"Lee!" I quickly got up and did the same, just as the creature slammed against the door. Its arm tried lifting the door, but we managed to keep it shut and eventually it grew bored.
"Kgh...krk" The noises it made soon went away as it went out of earshot.
"So...she's here, very least we know that" Loui got his breath back quickly, while I continued to take breaths.
"mh..."
"There's a safe room up ahead, let's rest there for now, maybe she'll come back here." I nodded, following Loui as we made our way to the safe room he spoke of. "So..." I saw him scratch the back of his neck as he looked for something to talk about. "I guess that's the first time you've ever killed someone huh..." I didn't know if I should be happy or mad with the way Loui asked that, on one hand, he didn't treat it in a way where he thought 'I should let this kid deal with it himself' on the other...it felt too soon.
"Yeah...far as I can remember we've always done the opposite...Helping you out..."
"I recall."
"And...Cypher and Q"
"Well...how bout you tell me bout that story?"
"How we met them?"
"Why not? Course, you shouldn't just forget about things that happened here, but that doesn't mean you have to think about it in the same dangerous scenario."
"How we met them..."
During the Outbreak.
It was the same cold weather, we weren't in the school as often anymore, we had to go out farther and farther the more time passed. Sam and I were just sticking with Nicholai and Kenneth, Kenneth needed to fix up Dave and get him charged, along with fixing the other broken stuff in the school, and Nicholai needed more medical supplies, ones in case of dire emergencies.
"That's my win" Nicholai's voice was without excitement or joy, the sound of cards gently hitting the table indicating they were playing something.
"Would make it 4 Nicholai, 3 Sam, and 3 Kenneth right?" I kept my eyes on the road, but moved my head so that I was talking their way.
"Which means I broke the tie."
"No kidding you did! I can't read your expression!" Sam banged the table as I assumed she leaned forward while talking to Nicholai.
"Consider yourself lucky you even got those wins to begin with"
"With that, it means Nicholai gets to have the last piece." Kenneth was relaxed, he was more focused on fixing something than the game...thinking on it now, it made me wonder how he even won...or was his lack of attention the reason he did win?
"Wait, what about Lee?" Sam spoke up before Nicholai could eat the piece.
"It's fine, I need to be more focused on driving than eating anyways." There wasn't a second of hesitation, Nicholai ate it immediately. "Make sure you all get sleep, Kenneth you're staying up with me tonight."
"I know" He got up from his seat in the back with the others, and joined me up front.
"Good night!" Through the mirror, I could see Sam waving to us before throwing herself on the bed to the left.
"If anything happens wake us up. Kenneth"
"Hm?" He turned back to them.
"What do you want me to do with your stuff"
"Just put it under." Nicholai did as Kenneth said.
"I need to install more beds..." The only reason we had two people awake at the same time was due to the lack of beds, we only had two and having to change it every time we switched was getting to us. Kenneth had his tools with him as he slept, in case he woke up and had time to work on something, Nicholai slept weirdly therefor messing with the blanket and sheets, I had nightmares and would make noises, and Sam...Sam actually didn't have much of an issue besides for the occasional murmur, but perhaps that was favoritism and the fact I never had to share with Nicholai or Kenneth.
"Doubt you could even fit them in." Kenneth looked back behind us. "eh, maybe one more" and just as quickly faced forward again. "How'd you sleep yesterday?"
"Miserably, you?"
"Just as bad, lately I've just been in this mood to make stuff."
"We're living pretty comfortably y'know"
"Right, we do, but...I dunno, feels like I always gotta put the scrap to work, Dave needs work too...Also doesn't help I've felt like I've been getting watched"
"Can't really work on it if you knock out every hour or so"
"It's fine"
"I'll be sure to remind you that when you wake up an hour fr-
"STOP!" I nearly twisted my ankle after slamming my foot on the breaks. The RV leaned forward and I could hear things move behind us.
"ow!" I faintly heard Sam's voice behind us after the RV had fully sopped.
"What was that?" I turned to Kenneth who looked startled.
"I saw someone"
"So we should keep going before they mess with us."
"Normally I'd agree, but they look familiar."
"People you know?"
"The People who've been watching me." Kenneth swiftly got up from his seat, reaching for his spear near the door.
"People have been watching us!?" Sam questioned Kenneth's statement as she sat up.
"I felt a hunch, but I didn't think it was real. Two pair of small eyes looking at me from afar..."
"Lee" I turned in my seat.
"Hm?"
"Doesn't that sound like kids?"
"It does" I got up and grabbed my stuff.
"You're telling me kids followed us this far? I don't remember you ever slowing down." Nicholai was holding the back of her head, it most likely hit something when I abruptly stopped.
"I didn't, you and Sam watch the RV, me and Kenneth are going to check it out."
"Alright." The two grabbed their stuff while me and Kenneth left, already with our gear on us.
"This way." Almost instantly Kenneth led the way, with no other choice I followed, it didn't seem like he had any doubts about where he was going even though we were going deep into a forest. "were here somewhere...ah." I saw him ready his spear as he aimed it towards a bush.
"Wait! Okay, okay!" Almost immediately after, a child's voice came from the same bush Kenneth was aiming at. Two kids soon came out of it, one had a hatchet, while the other had a laptop in a bag, slung around their shoulder.
"Two kids really did follow us this far..." I starred at them in awe.
"How?" Kenneth kept his spear ready.
"w-well, we sorta just remembered the routes you took." The one with shorter hair responded to Kenneth.
"For what reason?" Now I asked a question.
"We...we wanted somewhere to be." The kid's tone quickly shifted to a somber one. "We saw that you guys had it well so...we were hoping...I dunno, if we helped somehow you'd take us in?"
"Help us out?"
"Yeah, My dad left this for me." My dad he says...so they aren't siblings. The shorter haired kid grabbed onto his laptop bag after speaking. "He said it was connected to the city, we can open all sorts of doors and open all kinds of locks...but...it's...hard to do." This kid doesn't sound too confident...then again this sounds like a Kenneth thing.
"It's like that at first" Almost like I called him, he replied to the kid. "Lee" He soon turned to me. "We have a lot of stuff to work on with the spare parts, we'll also be able to expand our garden at the school with more hands."
"Are you nominating yourself to look after them?"
"...Well...granted I don't trust myself to be a good influence, but I can be one when teaching them about the stuff on their laptop, three birds one stone."
"We don't each much either sir." It was always the shorter haired kid who talked.
"No, it's alright...We just don't have anyone good...with kids..." I looked up while thinking. This might be a good distraction for Sam, though if she has them work on the garden too, they could accidently injure themselves with the equipment...so trouble for Nicholai. "Listen"
"Hm!?" The two kids had their hands clasped together as they looked at me.
"Well...I'm not gonna turn away children...but you have to be helpful more than just with the laptop."
"We will! Her dad gave her a survivor book"
"Survival book?"
"Survival Book" The kid acted like I didn't just correct him. "We can learn how to help!"
"Alright, alright...come on, we'll introduce you to the others." Even the quiet one seemed happy, the shorter haired one even more so.
"Do you...have enough room for us?" The same kid asked. Not at all...
"We can make it work." We made it out of the forest, at first I was worried something happened to the RV, but it seems they just just turned it off. "We're back!" I grabbed the door and opened it, stepping aside to let the kids on first.
"Thank you si-eh!" Yet they were instantly taken aback.
"O...It really was children. I'm sorry!" I looked in to see Sam putting her rifle away.
"There..." The quite kid finally spoke up once she entered the RV too, more so she pointed to Nicholai.
"Do you know them?" Though Sam had turned to face Nicholai, I could tell a glint appeared in her eyes.
"Not...exactly."
"You volunteered at the doctors tent in our school festival"
"I, do recall doing that yes."
"So that's why you trusted us." I stepped in after Kenneth.
"She may be scary but she helped Q when she got hurt."
"That doesn't mean we're trustworthy" Nicholai diverted her gaze from everyone.
"I'd rather trust people we partly know than be alone."
"heh, kid's got some survival instinct, not only that, but I don't think they'd risk it if they didn't have to." I took a knee to match the level of the kids. "So you said her name was Q, how about yours?"
"Her name isn't Q, I just call her that, and you can call me Cypher!"
"For the laptop I assume" Kenneth inputted
"Yup!" A smile crept up on my face, I was sleep deprived to hell, but I had to do my best.
Present Day
"Lot simpler than I thought" Loui gave his thoughts.
"Which a lot of this stuff was too."
"I can see why you'd wanna get back to earth when you can, they must've been young."
"I never bothered asking their ages, but I know they were, barely even half my height."
"Ah, here it is." Changing the subject, Loui found the safe room. The two of us entered it, and just like before I felt something, it feels like my message I sent through my HUD had fully spread out to everyone, all that I could do was hope they knew the area we were in prior to when I got dragged here.
The safe room wasn't like the other one, rather this was more like a break room, god forbid there be an actual map somewhere, even a remotely vague one slightly better than the one I had already.
"Take a seat, one of these should be working." Loui walked over to a coffee machine as I took a seat on one of the couches, this room was so different to the hallway, granted the lights were still really dimmed and I had to focus on not tripping, but whatever it was, made me feel really safe here. "Actually, you should probably take a quick nap, you were hung upside down so that 'sleep' you got must've been terrible. Thirty Minutes, I'll wake you then." I wanted to, but even though I felt safe, I only laid on the couch and looked to the ceiling.
"No...I'll manage"
"Alright, I'll make you a mug too." Something urked me about what Loui said a moment ago. Yet no matter what I did, I just couldn't put my thoughts onto it. My paranoia must be back... I did my best to ensure my leg was getting the rest it needed, when I got back up I would start using the rifle I was given as a crutch. thirty minutes...I'll just rest, only thing I can do.
So I sat there, at some point Loui set a mug on the table near the couch I was on, while he sat on a chair of his own. It was odd, seeing him in deep thought as well.
Where is Sam...and Kenneth and Nicholai need to be safe too...I sent another message, this one instantly sending fully, it warned them even more of what was going on down here, everything I had seen so far.
Corruption...is one helluva thing.