AN: Ok guys I know it's been a while, but I've got chapter four of Dovahkiin and Dragonslayers nearly ready. Expect some minor and major changes to the previous chapters for them too. Also, expect some short stories that I've been working on the side!
Bentley's body jerks up at the cold feeling on his back. He scans his surroundings, but the only thing he can see is darkness, an empty syringe, and rusty iron bars ahead of him. He gets himself up, hoping for answers to where he is. He takes a few steps back from the door and bumps into something. It's flat, cold, and hard. A wall? He turns around and confirms that it is a wall. He takes more steps around and confirms that he is in a small room with rusty bars that have a gaping hole in them.
"Where am I? How did I get here?" Bentley's quick and rough voice breaks the silence of the chamber. It echoes back to him multiple times. Seeing the first step towards escape, he goes through the small hole in the bars. As he crawls through, he sees a brick wall and pipes that stretch into the darkness to his left and right. He stands up and comes face to face with a page. What's this?
Bentley quickly snags the page. It reads, "Hey Phil, my radio died so I'm using pen and paper. I left a spare key for you in the room." Bentley stuffs the page into his pocket and decides to take a left, adventuring further into the tunnel. There are not many changes as he follows the pipes straight. A couple of dim lights along the walls, the same brick paving, and the same design for what seems like ages in his search for an exit. However, he comes across another rusty cell door on his upcoming left.
He thinks nothing of it at first, but then he sees a figure from the corner of his eye. The dim light barely illuminates the figure as he comes closer to the cell door. His gut drops in fear and his eyes widen as an unclear silhouette and a tentacle-like stubby hand comes into view. It clearly isn't human but it looks so familiar. Summoning all of his courage, he takes near silent steps forward, trying to get past without getting noticed. It turns something towards Bentley, stopping him in his tracks. Bentley turns to look at it again across the cell door. The light flickers and dies, causing the glass to make a loud pop. The thing releases a small hiss sound. Bentley could hear that thing stand up, turn its head, and take a step towards him. What are you? Its hissing gets louder. What are you?! Reacting out of fear, Bentley takes a quick breath and rears back his fist, but then a clinking sound echoes across the tunnel as it bumps into the bars. Bentley freezes in realization and relief. It stops its low hissing noise and proceeds to run off with wet and soft footsteps, getting quieter and quieter. Its steps resound in Bentley's head long after they're out of hearing range.
After counting a full minute, Bentley thinks it's safe to proceed. He begins walking forward again albeit more slowly and quietly as his left leg hurt more than it should. He carefully takes a few turns and comes across a series of dim lights on the bottom of the brick walls, and then he sees another page. He goes to grab it reads, "Phil, some strange people came here. I don't know why or how, but them damn white coat junkies stuck a needle in my shoulder!" There is a small speck of blood on the page near the bottom. A small speck of Bentley's blood drips onto the page from his nose. Bentley rips a piece of his shirt and plugs it. Bentley slowly stuffs the page into his pocket with the other one. His hand flares up in pain, but, as quickly as it appears, it vanishes. He continues to go deeper and deeper into the tunnels that seem to make up a maze of some sort.
A soft and constant banging noise graces Bentley's ears from the silence. He perks up and hope fills his heart as he gets closer and closer to the room that gets louder and louder. Light! Thank whoever is listening for light! He breathes a sigh of relief and walks into the lit fog of steam that slightly obscures the room ahead of him. He walks into the lit room and releases a heavy sigh. His feeling of relief immediately shatters as a low groan pierces through the thumping sound of the generators and into his ears. Bentley goes into overdrive as he ducks into one of the side room and slams the door in his panic. The lights in the room illuminate everything: desks, control panels, a key rack, and a camera. The camera plays as he snags the keys.
A distorted voice comes through, "Ph...Phil, escape. Exit...close." The recording ends, but Bentley takes a look at the camera. It stares back at him and the side of the hand-held camera acts as a mirror. He's perfectly fine as his own reflection stares back at him from a camera. His neck flares up in pain for a second and he cracks his neck on each side. The pain subsides.
With keys in hand, Bentley stuffs it into his other pocket and proceeds out the door. The low groan booms again and a tentacle-like stub for-a-hand breaks through the steam. It swings freely and wildly like a toddler doing a tantrum, and it swings by his face as he tries to leave through the exit of the generator room. The low hiss sounds fade away as he gets further and further into the depths of the tunnels.
A rusty metal gate appears with a key socket. A ladder lying just past it. Home here I come. Bentley takes the keys out of his pocket and he inserts them into the door, creating a very loud creaking and jingling noise. It echoes like an endless cacophony throughout the straight tunnel from his location to the generator room. In response, a loud scream and booming footsteps echo back. Fear striking true to his heart, he quickly turns the key. The door doesn't open. "What!?" Bentley yells in surprise. The scream from down the tunnel comes again, sounding much, much closer than before. Bentley twists the key back and forth, taking the key back and forth from its socket, and fumbling around. "Open! Open!" Bentley yells in desperation at the door. The footsteps don't echo anymore as they become louder and louder. His whole body suddenly feels cold and wet before he slams into the rusty door. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk! The last slam opens the door and he rushes over to the ladder. The screams hurt his ears as he climbs up the ladder, shaking his very core but strengthening his resolve to go. He unseals the hatch at the top of the ladder. and greets the sunrise while never looking back. Without distraction, he slams the hatch down and seals it. but not before he could hear a faint name being said: Phil. With heavy and adrenaline-filled breaths, he turns and gazes at the rising sun. He lets the sun's rays cover him from head to toe in its warm embrace before opening his eyes. He sees a puddle. His reflection is staring back at him before the painful and cold embrace of something new overtakes his body.
