Disclaimer: Don't Own, Don't Sue! ;D
Into The Fire
Stage I: Crawling in the Dark
'Can't you hear it?' A voice from somewhere asked.
'Those are not the voices of madmen, but of demons; creatures closing in on their prey.' It spoke.
She crouched in the darkness, hiding from the spectators that could be heard carrying on down the hallway.
Her eyes darting with primal haste around the room, looking for something to blame the voice on.
Screams of madness filled the air and echoed the hallways.
"I know this cell." A booming voice rose over the screams. "Lady Merchant. Disappeared for a spell and went mad."
A noise erupted like nails on a blackboard. Laughter?
She crawled across the filthy floor over by the door, under the barred window as the creatures outside shouted obscenities and banged against the door.
Several minutes later, the banging ceased. The calls of the creatures gone mad continued, like the sweet music of a hell that suckled you in with hatred and drove you to thoughts of things that could not be.
The flickering lights that she once thought were real seemed figments of her imagination. It was too late though, time was gone.
'Left for dead.' The voice whispered again in the darkness.
Her primal eyes darted about the dark room seeking a source.
A shadow shifted.
It scurried.
A pitter-patter, clicking noise danced across the dirty ground.
She dove from her space below the window and pounced on the unsuspecting shadow. It screeched and howled.
'All alone.' It taunted.
She tightened her grasp. Ringing its neck, ignoring its protests.
'Unloved.' It laughed as she choked the life from it.
She flung it across the dark vastness and heard a high-pitched noise as it came into contact with the cold hardness before hitting the ground with a thud.
'Never gone.' It laughed.
She stood in a crouched position, and began to dash toward it to kill it again, when the dark vastness became bright.
She spun around with the alarm of an animal surprised while on the hunt. A large glowing orb floated in the corner opposite the undead voice that taunted her.
She crawled a few steps toward it.
She waved her hand in front of it.
Cold air poured through it.
'Go on,' the voice coaxed.
She stepped closer and closer to it.
'Kill them all.' It chortled as she leapt through.
She hit cold, rocky ground and scattered away from the light and hid in some nearby bushes, glancing around manically.
Metal things on wheels rushed toward her and the light and she dove close to the ground, keeping watch on what every creature that emerged from the metal things did.
"Jess? Any sign of incursion?" Becker asked as he, Matt, and Abby surveyed the area with several of his men.
"None that I know of." Jess answered via the earpiece.
"Seal it." Matt ordered.
"We should check the area to be safe." Abby spoke as two of Becker's men set up the anomaly sealing device and sealed the rip in time.
Becker moved to the right of the anomaly to search while Abby and Matt went to the left. Becker's men covering the other directions while two stayed with the anomaly.
Becker had walked right past the bush where eyes stared out at him, glaring; contemplating.
After about an hour of searching the grounds, Matt called over the comms.
"All clear here." He spoke. "We're heading back to the anomaly"
"Clear here as well." Becker confirmed. "On my way back."
"It's getting colder, I think it's time we start heading back." Matt stated, packing his EMD back into the bed of the truck.
Becker nodded. "I'll stay here till it closes."
"You'll freeze." Abby pointed out.
Becker turned and went back to his truck; coming back moments later donning a heavy black winter coat with fur lining.
"Now, I won't." He smirked.
"Where did you get that?" Matt inquired, holding back a laugh as Becker flipped up the hood.
"I thought you were leaving?" Becker raised an eyebrow.
Matt held up his hands in defeat with a smirk.
"See you tomorrow." Abby smiled as everyone, save for Becker and two guards, packed up and left the area.
"Jess," Becker spoke over the comms. "I'll drop my black box and everything off at the ARC tomorrow when I come in."
"Sure thing." Jess spoke cheerfully. "Stay safe."
She stayed closed to the ground watching defensively as the remaining creatures stood to observe the light vanish.
Time was nonexistent to her.
She couldn't feel the cold, numbness that threatened to overtake her at any moment.
She was observantly focused on the taller creature of the three with the furry halo around his face.
The two slightly shorter creatures picked something up and walked away from where the light had been.
She watched as the taller creature followed to talk with them.
She darted from her hiding spot and climbed onto the back of the metal monster without notice from the three creatures.
After hearing chattering, she heard the other metal monster roar off.
She heard a click and a thud before the metal monster that she was concealing herself on, roared to life and departed.
'Kill them all.' The voice chortled.
This is definitely a bit darker than what I've written to date, I think. But hey, it's October and Halloween's coming up! Let me know your thoughts! I'll try to post another chapter soon!
Please Review! ;D