Chapter 24

Anya stood still, hoping that her ears had only missed the squeaking. She waited for the recurring noise to return, but it did not.

CRASH!

The sudden impactful sound of glass shattering caused the girl to jump. Her hands frantically searched for the switch before she was able to turn the overhead lights back on. With an unstable but tight grip, Anya pointed the pistol down the hallway.

It was empty.

Besides the freshly fragmented glass from the broken window, nothing else proved to be different. The girl tuned her ears to the surrounding ambience in search of any anomalies.

Is it gone?

Anya wanted to confirm her thoughts, but she trembled at the idea of approaching.

Swoosh-CRASH!

Without warning, a faint blur flew out of the broken window and smashed into the lights above, immediately extinguishing them.

Cold sweat slid down the girl’s forehead as she attempted to make sense of the situation.

Squeak

The unpleasant noise returned, but this time it was accompanied by the rigid clacking of metal. Anya squinted in an attempt to see past the veil of darkness, but the contrast between light and dark prevented it.

Clink-Clack-Clunk

The entity produced more disturbances as its faint silhouette shuffled in the shadows. It seemed as if it tumbled clumsily out the window frame and onto the hallway grounds.

Slowly, Anya backed off. Her eyes were glued to the strange being’s rigid movements as it rose up. The girl had hoped that she would not be noticed. Unfortunately, the creature soon turned to face her.

Her body froze and the entity’s frame stiffened as well. For a few seconds, Anya just stared at the creature, unable to decipher whether the entity was staring back. It neither attempted to get any closer, nor displayed any signs of aggression.

“H-Hel…?” The girl broke the silence. She remembered how Boone’s friendly greeting had always opened her up to conversation, thus she decided to use that approach instead.

“More-nin?”

“…”

No response was received.

“Um…”

“…”

The girl had her tongue tied. After all, Anya was already socially withdrawn before her isolation and initiating conversations with strangers was never her strong point. Nevertheless, she still tried, reciting the conversations she had overheard in the past.

“H-how was your day…?” Anya immediately shook her head.

What am I doing?!

The girl began to back away from the entity.

“I’m… I’m just passing through!” She said in a slow retreat, not willing to take her eyes off the entity and leave her back vulnerable.

Like before, the being stood still as a statue and did not respond. Upon seeing this, Anya further distanced herself.

“I’ll… be going then...”

To her surprise, as she proceeded, so did the creature. Having each stride match her own, the entity faded back into the shadows from whence it came. After a sigh of relief, Anya patted her chest and calmed her heart.

Swoosh-CRASH!

Without warning, another object flew from the darkness and crashed into the overhead light behind her. The broken fragments showered the area below while the loose wires sparked before perishing.

Anya stared briefly at the snuffed lights before she realized that she, too, was encased in the surrounding void.

Cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl-cl

Something sprinted toward her, and fast. The girl didn’t have the time to think. As if conditioned, she ran toward the light without daring to glance back. The water she had previously chugged churned in her belly, making the girl feel sick to her stomach, but she refused to stop. Anya ran and ran, frantically and without caution, constantly at the threat of losing her balance.

Finally, the luminescent warmth blanketed her with its sincere glow. The peril had not yet come to its end, however, as Anya continued her dash, scrambling for all the distance she could get. Behind her, the consistent breaking of glass followed closely. Though the sweat that profusely leaked from her pores cooled her overheating body, nothing could alleviate the aching that plagued her wavering legs. Her mind began to blank, causing the girl to lose focus. Anya’s footing suffered as the control she had over her body waned. One misstep was all it took for it all to come crashing down. Anya’s body rolled as she tumbled through the junk-filled hallway. When she finally slid to a stop, the fatigue had already overtaken her. Her panting was unceasing while her sweat-drenched hair enfolded tightly to her face. As much as she wanted to give in to the indulgence of rest, Anya knew she had to keep on moving. Using both arms, she lifted her torso from the cold tiled floor. The fall had given her a few bruises and scratches, but nothing too serious. She held onto the wall as leverage while her shaking legs slowly lifted her from the ground. Anya tried to hasten herself with all her might and yet, that was as quick as her limbs would allow. Eventually, the girl stood on her two feet and persisted.

At that moment, she noticed that the rapid clanking had stopped. The creature should have caught up to her by now, except she was still unharmed. Anya glanced over her shoulder.

She immediately regretted it.

Her body shivered as strength was sapped from her already faltering arms. Anya’s eyes widened at the horror that lurked just beyond the edge of darkness.

A pale face that floated amidst the shrouded abyss was all that was visible. Sculpted to resemble that of a young woman, it wore a faint but deceitful smile. The eyes, emotionless and unmoving, watched over her with indifference.

Out of raw fear, Anya shifted her body around and aimed her pistol, her arms struggled to lift the weapon. In an instant, the creature backed off and vanished, leaving only darkness behind. Anya did not relax for a single moment as she waited for its return. Only a few minutes had passed, but to Anya, every second felt like an hour.

The entity had already pursued her all that distance, thus the girl wondered why it would suddenly abstain when she was most susceptible to an attack. Though somewhat curious, Anya was in no hurry to find out. Other things occupied her mind as she spotted the watchful device stationed above. It pointed at her, tracking her every movement.

Anya knew what was to come, for the behemoth that patrolled the dreaded halls was now aware of her presence and would soon act accordingly. There wasn’t much time. She had to quickly decide which atrocity she would rather face. Either turn around and challenge the ‘woman’, whose presence was obscured by the twlight that marked her domain, or take her chances with the monstrous beast, whose terror and aftermath were the only indications of its existence. Anya hastily considered her options.

An idea surfaced and she immediately fired her pistol at the watchful device. Anya knew the heavy-footed being chased only if it had spotted her. Thus, if she robbed the creature of its sight, she would be rendered invisible and nearly untouchable. That was the plan in her mind, however, a major issue needed to be resolved first: her aim. The shot she had fired missed by an inch. Considering that her target was just a few feet away, the girl felt disgraceful toward her lackluster accuracy. She was unaware in regards to the number of rounds that were still remaining within her clip. The situation did not permit for her to expend multiple bullets for each of the numerous devices that lined the facility. Time was running out, she had to forge a new strategy or mobilize herself aimlessly in the hopes that an exit would be found.

The girl brainstormed briefly before her efforts bore fruit. Lifting up the back of her dress, Anya straightened her tail. If she positioned herself right under the device, she could pierce its lens with length to spare. Anya did just that, with a thrust of her tail, the blade embedded itself straight through the fragile glass and deep into the device. A small shock numbed her, but it was not enough to deter her. The girl glanced at the device for a few seconds to ensure that the blinking had ceased. Once satisfied, Anya quickly left the premise.

…

Anya dashed through the halls, temporarily stopping to destroy the watchful devices before she switched her route and scurried off. The strategy had been very effective so far. In the beginning, the creature seemed to be able to catch up. However, the moment she adapted her random pathing, the behemoth could not even come near her. The girl relaxed her pace and smiled slightly, unable to hide the feeling of accomplishment. In a moment of bliss, Anya nearly missed one of the devices and had to backtrack to destroy it. Using both hands, the girl patted her cheeks.

It’s too early to celebrate!

She picked a random direction and ran off.

…

“Uuugggggg…”

Anya halted and faced the direction where the soft noise originated from. A large, chrome double door was erected in front of her. After she had calmed her breathing, a soft and painful moan resonated from the other side. Anya pressed her ears against the cold metal surface and listened.

“Help… me…”

The girl felt a chill up her spine upon hearing the soft spoken plea. She backed off and prepared to run away, but she couldn’t help but constantly glance at the door.

I need to keep moving… but… that was definitely someone’s cry for help…

She wanted to leave. After all, her plan revolved around being constantly mobile. In her mind, the girl knew that she probably couldn’t be of assistance, yet her conscience refuted her the option to just leave.

It shouldn’t know where I am anyway…

Anya reassured herself. The beast’s thunderous steps could not be heard and at the very least she could hide if necessary. She approached the door once again, but this time she noticed the prevalent blood streaks that stained the tiled floor. It was not the blood that caused her to waver, but the direction of the smudges, for they all led to the room before her.

Carefully, she pushed the door open.

The room was well lit and quite large, not as spacious as the reception areas or the cafeterias, but sizable nonetheless. When she entered the room, the metallic scent of blood rushed into her nostrils as if to escape their own wretched stench.

Despite the revulsion, Anya pressed forward.

At the center of the chamber was a long rectangular table with a sturdy stand, adhering the surface to the ground. On top of the table was what Anya assumed to be a body covered underneath a large blue sheet of cloth. The dark ominous stains of blood peeked through various places in the fabric while a steady stream of red fluid leisurely dripped off the side and into a large puddle below. On the ceiling was a large hole with an assortment of loose wires hanging, which sparked every once in a while. Large cracks in the tiles below suggested something heavy fell, but no such thing could be found.

“Uuuggggg…”

The painful groan revealed itself once more. Anya continued to walk closer until she loomed over the fabric that expanded then contracted upward. More subtle was the sound of light breathing that seemed to have been paced irregularly.

“A-Are you okay…?” Anya knew it was a dumb question to ask, but she wasn’t sure how else to approach the situation.

“Please… help… me…”

Now, she was sure that whoever laid beneath the sheet was still alive. Grabbing onto one side of the large blue cloth with both hands, she slid the fabric onto the ground, revealing what laid underneath.

“Please…”

“…”

The girl covered her mouth, for she felt queasy.

“Help…”

The man begged, but Anya knew that there was nothing she could do. His organs were visible: lungs, intestines, and many others the girl could not identify. An incision made from the top of his chest to the bottom of his abdomen created a wide gap that was pried open by two large clamps. The front of the man’s rib cage was missing, with smooth cuts at all the visible joints. Right below the disjointed skeleton, an organ inflated to an abnormally large volume before deflating back into the body.

Anya gulped. She couldn’t understand why, but she was salivating. Among the feeling of shock and disgust was a hint of appetite. This made her sick, thus she distanced herself from the table.

“I-I’m sorry…” She apologized, both for being powerless toward the man’s affliction and for her perverse thoughts of desecration.

The girl then saw the strange contraption that was fastened below the table. Tubes of clear and red liquid were attached to the man’s body through the gap where the heart should have been. Faulty connection troubled the tubing at every conjunction, allowing the liquid to leak. The man was slowly bleeding to his death.

“Please…” The man continued to plead with his dry lips. Judging from the paleness of his face, there wasn’t much time left.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The girl apologized once more. Even though she wanted to help end his suffering, she didn’t know what to do.

Unless…

Anya hesitantly stared at her tail.

“I’m sorry… but this is the most I can do for you…” With one swift strike, she impaled man’s thorax. The man violently choked on his own blood for several seconds before falling silent.

As his life was drained from his body, so was his strength. With his brain mute, his hand loosened its grip, allowing a small object fall out.

Anya picked it up. It was a small cube-shaped contraption that emitted neither a noise nor displayed any obvious function. The girl was perplexed as to why the man held the strange gadget in his hands all this time. Even more so, she wondered what purpose the device served.

There was no longer a reason for her to be in the room, thus she prepared to leave.

Clink-Clink-Shuffle.

Stopping dead in her tracks, the girl stood frozen. The behemoth, judging by the sound, was nearby. Anya sprinted out of the room at full speed. From behind, she heard the alloy doors open before a large bang sounded throughout the compound.

Clin-Clin-Shuf-Clin-Clin-Shuf-

The creature moved at a much faster pace than before as it chased after her. With her pursuer closing in fast, Anya didn’t have the opportunity to destroy any of the watchful devices she had passed. The girl began to panic while she cursed herself for not sticking to the plan. Whatever was chasing her gained ground fast.

Swoosh-ping!

“Ahh!” A sharp pain beset her leg, causing her to scream before she plummeted to the ground. Quickly, she peeked at her lower leg only to spot the large gash across its back bleeding profusely; it must have struck an artery. The anguish hit her all at once, forcing her to wail and cry in agony. As soon as she was able, Anya began to drag herself across the floor using both arms, leaving a blood trail behind. The girl was at her limits, for the torment threatened to swallow her consciousness. Still, she pushed forward, inching her way to anywhere else but here.

CLANK!

A large and bulky object abruptly smashed into the ground right in front of her, blocking her path. With one hand, she tried to push against it, but it would not budge. Something hovered over her, she could feel it. Anya rolled onto her back. Her vision was blurry and she felt lightheaded. Still, she was aware of her surroundings. Above her lingered the hulking beast who shouldered two massive ponderous arms; one above her and one to her side. She could not make out the details, but she knew that the red stains were not a part of its original design. A black circle surrounded by a ring of individual lights threatened to blind her as it moved closer toward her face. The girl lifted her wobbling arm and attempted to align her pistol with the assailant’s ‘torso’.

POM!

The recoil knocked the gun out of her hands. Anya couldn’t tell whether she had actually hit her target, but the creature didn’t seem to react. None of that mattered to the girl, all that preoccupied her mind was the cold. As if bathing in a river during the winter months, every ounce of heat was slowly sapped from her body. Now, the girl only wanted to sleep, to give in to the slumber that tempted her.

POOMB!

A sudden loud noise startled both Anya and the behemoth. But unlike the beast, Anya stayed put as she didn’t have the strength to react. The creature backed off and began to retreat. From the blurred shapes she was able to make out, Anya saw that a large chunk of the creature’s side was missing. Its wounds glowed orange as if it melted away.

POOMB!

Another explosion rang through the cold air, Anya heard the heavy sound of the creature’s collapse. The girl reoriented her head and saw that one of the beast’s arms was shot off with the same orange glow coating its wound.

POOMB!

With one final blast, the creature’s ‘head’ erupted from the inside out. Only the blazing, jagged stump remained of its head as the rigid appendages of the once frightful predator fell limp.

“H-y! ar- al-rgi!”

She heard an unfamiliar woman’s voice as a pair of warm hands lifted her head from the ground. For a brief moment, the girl felt strangely comforted before her sensibility drifted into the void.