Gordon Freeman's hands, trembling and soaked in blood, held an
equally stained shotgun. His boots, caked in a green substance, which he
suspected was alien blood, trod on the cracked tile floor. The hallway was
completely dark, for the electricity had been cut off from that area. His
HEV flashlight lit the way. He hadn't encountered a single alien for
fifteen minutes, and he tensely anticipated the next attack.
Glancing at the walls on either side, he learned that his arrival had come too late for many of his colleagues. Torn limbs had been flung across the floor. The walls were painted with spatters of blood. Scientists lay with their chests against doors, deep gashes in their backs, stiff arms frozen in a clawing position, faces frozen in expressions of horror. Security guards lay sprawled on the floor, with pistols in their hands, and their final enemies laying mere feet away, dead or dying.
He turned a corner cautiously, entering a sort of lobby. Very quietly, in the distance, he heard this: "Shh! Do you hear something?" It had the register of a young female, so it wasn't alien; it wasn't hardened, so it wasn't military; it wasn't tinny, so it didn't come from a radio or anything of that sort. There were surviving scientists nearby.
Gordon answered the call. "This is Gordon Freeman. I am alone. Where are you?"
A hinge groaned loudly. Through the shattered window of an office, he saw a closet door open. Two people stepped out, one of whom he recognized.
"Jamie!"
Jamie Melendez was about his age, Hispanic, and a brilliant scientist. He and Jamie had hit it off the moment they met. It turned out that she had been employed at Black Mesa for several months before he himself got a job. In fact, their first date was supposed to be that evening. She was beautiful, but at the moment, ghastly. Her hair was tangled; her lab coat stained in blood, her skin covered with cuts and bruises.
Behind her stood an obese security guard. Gordon didn't know him, but he introduced himself as Otis.
"Some date this is, huh?" Jamie said grimly. "Otis and I have been hiding in that closet for several hours now. He ran out of ammunition killing the last of the aliens around here, and we had no other weapons. We were afraid that more might appear out of nowhere... something they seem to be able to do."
"Well, here." Gordon reached into a pack he carried, and tossed a magazine to Otis. "We'd better get going. You're right about the aliens appearing out of nowhere. If we want to survive, we've got to get to the surface."
"Don't be so naïve," Otis scoffed. "The military is out there, and it's wiping out everything that breathes. Apparently, there's some kind of nondisclosure deal that Black Mesa has with the government."
Gordon brushed past him. "Stay behind if you want," he said. "Just remember that 17 bullets won't keep you alive for long."
Jamie followed him. Otis, after a moment of disbelief in the dark, hurried after them.
By reading the occasional map on the walls, Gordon was able to navigate the maze of office complexes until they reached a stairwell. Thankfully, it was lit. Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.
They climbed the first set of stairs until they came to a halfway point. They turned, and had begun to climb the next set when an orb of electricity burst from behind. Jamie, who was in the rear, turned around, meeting a blade through the head. Otis opened fire on the unknown alien. Another orb burst behind him, and before he had time to turn around, a similar blade was thrust into his back and through the chest.
The remaining alien turned to Gordon, but he had already readied his shotgun. A report thundered in his ears, and the alien slumped over, dead.
Gordon half walked, half stumbled down the stairs, stupefied. He was alone once again, but the solitude was much more piercing. He fell to his knees, next to Jamie's body, and held his head in his hands.
"Oh..."
The groan was barely audible, and had not come from him. He wondered if he had really heard it. At that moment, Jamie's body painfully brought itself to its feet. She instinctively rubbed her head, running her fingers through the jagged flesh of her brain. Blood spurted from the severed veins within, drowning her face in red.
Jamie frowned at him. "What is it?" she said. As she spoke, drops of blood were spat onto Gordon.
Gordon's mouth gaped open, and his breath came out in ragged gasps. "You... you're dead," he stuttered.
"Dead? What are you talking about?" she cried. She advanced, and Gordon sprung to his feet and staggered backward, flattening himself against a wall.
"Get away from me!" he screamed. He drew his pistol and fired madly, but she didn't even wince.
"Gordon, are you ok?" she said, concerned.
Gordon ran past her and flew up the stairs, gripping the handrails to increase his speed. At the top, a security guard appeared, drawn by the noise.
"What's going on?" he said, drawing his pistol.
Gordon pointed at the stairwell, where four dead bodies lay; Jamie had never stirred.
"Are you all right, man?" asked the guard.
Gordon turned to him, and as he stared, the guard's skin seemed to turn black and scaly, his eyes grew large and glowed green, his body as a whole distorting itself until it vaguely resembled an alien.
Before the guard could react, Gordon had eliminated him with his pistol, and continued firing until his gun was out. When the smoke had dispersed, he realized what he had done: he killed a fellow alien!
He ran down the hall, running from his grief. Suddenly, several headcrabs fell from the ceiling, and crawled towards him.
"Comrades!" he called. "I have accidentally killed one of our own!"
The headcrabs did not answer. When they were near enough, they leapt at him, squealing. He shook away.
"What are you doing?" he shouted. "You don't have the authority to execute me!" He did not want to quadruple the offense, so he evaded the headcrabs and ran in the other direction. The walls in that area were especially dark with blood. He began to notice that the walls themselves were bleeding, and knew that the pouring blood would poison him. He dashed as fast as he could, holding out his arms, not stopping or slowing as he neared an elevator shaft, not noticing when his body fell freely.
As he fell, he looked down at the bottom, where several scientists, riding the elevator, had met their demise. Suddenly, the reality of the approaching ground became drastically clear, and he screamed.
Glancing at the walls on either side, he learned that his arrival had come too late for many of his colleagues. Torn limbs had been flung across the floor. The walls were painted with spatters of blood. Scientists lay with their chests against doors, deep gashes in their backs, stiff arms frozen in a clawing position, faces frozen in expressions of horror. Security guards lay sprawled on the floor, with pistols in their hands, and their final enemies laying mere feet away, dead or dying.
He turned a corner cautiously, entering a sort of lobby. Very quietly, in the distance, he heard this: "Shh! Do you hear something?" It had the register of a young female, so it wasn't alien; it wasn't hardened, so it wasn't military; it wasn't tinny, so it didn't come from a radio or anything of that sort. There were surviving scientists nearby.
Gordon answered the call. "This is Gordon Freeman. I am alone. Where are you?"
A hinge groaned loudly. Through the shattered window of an office, he saw a closet door open. Two people stepped out, one of whom he recognized.
"Jamie!"
Jamie Melendez was about his age, Hispanic, and a brilliant scientist. He and Jamie had hit it off the moment they met. It turned out that she had been employed at Black Mesa for several months before he himself got a job. In fact, their first date was supposed to be that evening. She was beautiful, but at the moment, ghastly. Her hair was tangled; her lab coat stained in blood, her skin covered with cuts and bruises.
Behind her stood an obese security guard. Gordon didn't know him, but he introduced himself as Otis.
"Some date this is, huh?" Jamie said grimly. "Otis and I have been hiding in that closet for several hours now. He ran out of ammunition killing the last of the aliens around here, and we had no other weapons. We were afraid that more might appear out of nowhere... something they seem to be able to do."
"Well, here." Gordon reached into a pack he carried, and tossed a magazine to Otis. "We'd better get going. You're right about the aliens appearing out of nowhere. If we want to survive, we've got to get to the surface."
"Don't be so naïve," Otis scoffed. "The military is out there, and it's wiping out everything that breathes. Apparently, there's some kind of nondisclosure deal that Black Mesa has with the government."
Gordon brushed past him. "Stay behind if you want," he said. "Just remember that 17 bullets won't keep you alive for long."
Jamie followed him. Otis, after a moment of disbelief in the dark, hurried after them.
By reading the occasional map on the walls, Gordon was able to navigate the maze of office complexes until they reached a stairwell. Thankfully, it was lit. Jamie breathed a sigh of relief.
They climbed the first set of stairs until they came to a halfway point. They turned, and had begun to climb the next set when an orb of electricity burst from behind. Jamie, who was in the rear, turned around, meeting a blade through the head. Otis opened fire on the unknown alien. Another orb burst behind him, and before he had time to turn around, a similar blade was thrust into his back and through the chest.
The remaining alien turned to Gordon, but he had already readied his shotgun. A report thundered in his ears, and the alien slumped over, dead.
Gordon half walked, half stumbled down the stairs, stupefied. He was alone once again, but the solitude was much more piercing. He fell to his knees, next to Jamie's body, and held his head in his hands.
"Oh..."
The groan was barely audible, and had not come from him. He wondered if he had really heard it. At that moment, Jamie's body painfully brought itself to its feet. She instinctively rubbed her head, running her fingers through the jagged flesh of her brain. Blood spurted from the severed veins within, drowning her face in red.
Jamie frowned at him. "What is it?" she said. As she spoke, drops of blood were spat onto Gordon.
Gordon's mouth gaped open, and his breath came out in ragged gasps. "You... you're dead," he stuttered.
"Dead? What are you talking about?" she cried. She advanced, and Gordon sprung to his feet and staggered backward, flattening himself against a wall.
"Get away from me!" he screamed. He drew his pistol and fired madly, but she didn't even wince.
"Gordon, are you ok?" she said, concerned.
Gordon ran past her and flew up the stairs, gripping the handrails to increase his speed. At the top, a security guard appeared, drawn by the noise.
"What's going on?" he said, drawing his pistol.
Gordon pointed at the stairwell, where four dead bodies lay; Jamie had never stirred.
"Are you all right, man?" asked the guard.
Gordon turned to him, and as he stared, the guard's skin seemed to turn black and scaly, his eyes grew large and glowed green, his body as a whole distorting itself until it vaguely resembled an alien.
Before the guard could react, Gordon had eliminated him with his pistol, and continued firing until his gun was out. When the smoke had dispersed, he realized what he had done: he killed a fellow alien!
He ran down the hall, running from his grief. Suddenly, several headcrabs fell from the ceiling, and crawled towards him.
"Comrades!" he called. "I have accidentally killed one of our own!"
The headcrabs did not answer. When they were near enough, they leapt at him, squealing. He shook away.
"What are you doing?" he shouted. "You don't have the authority to execute me!" He did not want to quadruple the offense, so he evaded the headcrabs and ran in the other direction. The walls in that area were especially dark with blood. He began to notice that the walls themselves were bleeding, and knew that the pouring blood would poison him. He dashed as fast as he could, holding out his arms, not stopping or slowing as he neared an elevator shaft, not noticing when his body fell freely.
As he fell, he looked down at the bottom, where several scientists, riding the elevator, had met their demise. Suddenly, the reality of the approaching ground became drastically clear, and he screamed.