{+ Chapter Three +}

I arrived at the Forge for my first day of work. Excitement, but nervousness flowed through my blood taking over my DNA. Walking into the wide but secure doors, I clocked in, and I started my first shift. I walked up the stairs to the cells I was to patrol. Arriving at the top level I began to walk back and forth when I heard something. The rumbling of feet and I watch an experiment grab the bars and begin to stretch it, pulling it. Making a large enough gap for this monster with a shell of rocks but a soft face of a turtle with fangs, colors were swirled all over this poor creature’s skin. I looked at the sign of the cell and saw that the name of this poor beast was named Kappa, the Japanese Mythology turtle-like humanoid. Kappa walked towards me their heavy feet echoing in the empty hallways. Kappa reached me and I saw the lake of sorrow and sadness inside Kappa’s eyes. I put my hands on Kappa and put our foreheads together.

The alarm went off. Red lights flashing and blaring, the deafening siren screaming, filling the empty hallways. Chaos erupted. Kappa looked up and ran stepping on my foot as I let out a yelp.

“Kappa?!” I called but to no answer, “Heath!” I called out to my lover.

“Nyrida?!” Heath yelled back.

“Yes, it’s me Heath! The experiments are escaping the cells!”

“WHAT! Hold on, I’m coming! Stay there don’t go anywhere!” Heath screamed.

“Hurry!”

Nyrida stood still, like she would be shot dead if she moved. The experimental creatures, humans turned monsters, these mysterious creatures had grown to love Nyrida but alas all good things must come to an end. The experiments were running past her as a murderous herd searching for an escape to finally put an end to the torture they had been put through. One experimented creature stopped to look at Nyrida. Her mahogany brown eyes filled with emptiness like a lake that has lost the water, as a person without meaning is useless like a lake without water. After making eye contact the creature continued to join the herd trampling everything in their path.

【{---------}】

Heath smirked as he stood still unmoving.

“Now is my chance father,” Heath said to his father who was standing next to him.

“Indeed,” William, Heath’s father responded bluntly.

“Shall I continue to the next step, father?” Heath questioned.

“Yes, hurry up and do it. That girl is no good you deserve better; she does nothing for you but cause you misery. Remember I’m always right. Question me and you know what happens. Remember I do this because I love you. Now go!” His father said harshly, a threatening aura filling the once peaceful room with an evil energy.

“Yes Father.”

Heath slid into the darkness shivering from his father’s threat. He knows what William means all too well.

【{---------}】

Nyrida sat down near Kappa’s now empty experimental cell. I was breathing heavily hoping that Heath will come soon. “In the meantime, I’m going to text Myra and inform her of the situation.”

Hey Myra?

Nyrida? Aren’t you supposed to be at your first day of work?

I’m at work but I have to tell you something really quick…

Hm? I’m listening

Well, the experiments are going on a rampage

around the forge and I don’t know where heath

is, he said he’s coming but I don’t know and I’m

scared.

Calm down We’ll work this out together

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

don’t you worry.

Thank you, Myra

Of course, I’m coming to the Forge stay

where you are unless you find Heath.

I will thank you Myra love you

Love you too Nyrida see you soon

See you

Nyrida put her phone back in her pocket tears welling from fear. She started to beg for someone to come, anyone.

“Come on- where are you! Please hurry…” She whispered to herself.

“Missed me?”

“HEATH!” Nyrida jumped into him.

“Woah woah! careful there,” Heath chuckled, “Follow me. Let’s get out of here.”

“Sounds good to me” Nyrida said softly while wrapping her arms around his right arm, clinging to his arm like a koala clinging to a tree.

They walked into an area of the lab Nyrida had never seen before. She thought this suspicious but ignored her thoughts. Heath led her into a dark room with an unsettling feeling as if something bad happened in that room before. But again, she pushed away this strangely terrifying aura as she trusts Heath, a simple fact that may be the cause of her demise.

“Heath?”

“Yes Nyrida?” Heath replied.

“Why are we here?”

“There’s a secret exit this way. I figured we should take it because the experiments are taking over the place” He, said comforting Nyrida.

“Oh okay, I just have a bad feeling about this place…” Nyrida murmured quietly.

“What was that?” He questioned her.

“Oh, nothing honey, don’t worry about it!” She smiled up at him.

“If you say so” He shrugs, putting hands in his pockets.

Heath leads hesitant Nyrida into the room. The room appears to be in bad condition. Tables coated in dusty newspapers, some other papers that Nyrida wishes she could read. All corners have been claimed by spiders and their webs. Tall black iron shelves coated with cobwebs, ancient books, and other unidentifiable objects. The ceiling scrapping the tops of their head if they stand upright.

Heath led Nyrida to the far back right corner of this eerie room. Letting Nyrida go, Heath grabbed an iron shelf and forcefully threw it out of the way with ease. Startling poor Nyrida as the shelf made a large bang as it collided with the cracked cement floor of the room. Behind the iron shelf was a painting. A beautiful painting of a blood red rose in a black vase which surprisingly was in good condition. Heath removed the painting, tossing it aside making Nyrida flinch from the loud sound it made hitting the ground. The once well-preserved painting now destroyed with a book, piercing through the rose making it appear to bleed. Nyrida shivered but directed her attention back to Heath who was climbing in a pitch-black hole which was behind the gorgeous painting, which is now unfortunately destroyed.

“H-hey! Wait up Heath!” Nyrida Called out annoyed.

“Come on slow poke! Let’s get out of here!” He called back to her, “Hey! Why don’t you go first Nyrida?”

“Sure, why not now get Ur fat butt out of there so I can go. Ladies first you know.”

“Whatever I’m coming out now happy?”

“Very”

Heath eventually got out of the black tunnel in the wall after a few minutes as he was going backward.

“Finally,” Nyrida said mockingly, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, shut up Nyrida” Heath rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Nyrida giggled then began to climb into the dark tunnel in the wall. Which appeared to be approximately two feet off the ground. The ground was freezing which caused Nyrida to slow down in her crawling on her hands and knees scrapping her knees on the awful ruff and uneven texture of the carved out small tunnel... There was barely enough room for crawling as their backs scratched on the top of the tunnel. They crawled for what seemed like hours on end crawling and crawling until their knees and hands were sore and throbbing in pain.

“How much- Longer” Nyrida breathed out breathlessly.

“I’m not sure but it should be ahead soon.”

“Ok Heath it better be ahead or you’re dead.”

“Quite the contrary Nyrida” Heath whispered to himself.

“Huh?”

“Oh nothing”

“If you say so,” Nyrida said.

Nyrida reached the edge of the tunnel. “Hey Heath?” Nyrida yelled behind her, “I think there’s a drop off here.”

“Oh! We’re here!”

“We are?”

“Yes of course, we’re at the place where you’re to be dropped off!”

“Huh? What does tha- AHHHHH” Nyrida screamed like bloody murder as Heath pushed her off the edge of the cliff in the tunnel.

She tried to break her fall but landed on her leg sideways and a loud snap echoed throughout the massive cave system. She screamed as her leg was bent the wrong way, being broken.

The dark, eerie cave filled with screams of agony and suffering, is a home to some. The small infant spiders whispering in the corners, the father curled up and sleeping, finally the mother, she scurries and bustles. Watching Nyrida, enjoying her suffering, imagining that she could have a feast on this woman. Light is hard to find in this tavern of misery, only making its entrance through small holes teasing and taunting. Some call mother cruel, but the cavern welcomes violence, and pain with open arms. Like a mother greeting her child. In fact, the dark, damp cave was made for murder, the sticky walls lined with rope, and vines. The cracked, wary floor threatens to take a spider to the dark abyss below. Many call the cave ill-fated for the tragedies that have happened here. But the mother itself has seen much and loves to tell its stories. In fact, many infant creatures come and listen to mother’s stories of war, battle, and even love. Give mother a chance or you may not survive.

“If only you were good enough for me Nyrida then it wouldn’t have to end this way. Goodbye! Have fun with the giant Spiders! Oh, and the experiments were just being transported. They weren’t escaping.” Heath called to Nyrida joyfully as if a child had just gotten a large lollipop from the candy store.

“Heath wait! Please… don’t leave me!” Nyrida pleaded, “Please…”

“Sorry!” Heath replied cheerfully, leaving her, crawling back into the dark tunnel.