Blackout

by AlexTFA

A search for a friend and mentor becomes a dark tragic tale of the town that had wasted in the rot from within

A mans footsteps echoed through the silent remains of the city, Broken buildings and dead trees surrounded the streets he walked on. Along his path he saw a body lying near a tree, it was the corpse of one of the men sent in to investigate lights from the area. Everything of his equipment seemed unscratched, except the mask that was cracked from within. The mans shadow fell upon the body, he was wearing a gas mask, a normal brown leather jacket and dark pants, the mask only covered his face not his whole head. His hair stood covering the upper part of the mask. An earring pinned through his left ear with a green stone hung next to the edge of the mask. On the front glass of the mask there were runic markings. The man looked at the lifeless body before him and reached out with his leather covered hand taking off the black broken mask. On the inside the face was utterly dis-formed as though it was crushed. The eyes were black as the bottom of the sea only the pupils were darker, they were popped out of his face as though ripped out and dry blood covered his whole face that looked as if it went through a grinder. The mouth was open as though he screamed before death. Everything else was untouched on his suit. The man placed the broken glass near the dead body's feet and pulled out a cross from within his jackets inner pocket. Placing it in the corpses hand and closing it shut as though he had clenched it.

He stud up and closed his eyes for a moment of silence then turned to the old school building's ruins and continued on. Near the building he found scorch marks on the ground near the entrance, and a titanium solder tag. As he went inside the wind started to pick up bringing dark clouds over the ruins of the city. The deformed corpse near the street began beeping on all of its meters and threw away the cross in its hand then reached for its face ripping out the black eyes remains. It picked up the broken glass and covered its mask.

The man in the building pulled out his meter and after a few seconds when it wasn't picking anything up he pulled off his mask. The young brown haired man had blue eyes and a slight scar of a cut on his right eye. The hair soon fell and covered his left eye. He continued through the dead building. He searched one class room after the other and found a black board still hanging in one. near it there were a few box's from the team sent in with that man that dyed near the road. This had to be they're base of operation. The young one picked up a few ammunition's and supply's, but just enough to not slow him down. He walked back out and continued down the corridor. The corpse had already made its way to the entrance.

The young one walked in a room with many small tables and a blackboard. This was where the kindergartners had stayed before the event. He took a few steps and pulled his glove off. With his mask hanging from his neck he reached for the black board, and many memory's began to surge through him. Like a picture show, of kids playing, laughing, there was so much happiness and then the darkness began to take over. A father brought his doughtier to school, he was nervous and told her that mommy will be there soon to pick her up. Then the children and everyone running, but the grown ups and older ones were pushing the little ones out of the way it was sheer panic and madness. He pulled his hand back and the visions stopped.

He knew what happened but it was still painful, even knowing that he couldn't stop it. As he turned to the hall he heard the sound of something walking. As he left the room to his right where he had come from he saw the corpse from before. The glass was back in place, but it was just half of it covering its face it screamed with a screeching sound as though nails through a blackboard it was painful to hear. The young one took off running in the opposite direction. Turning right up the stairs and then through the hall to the next staircase, the thing, the corpse was chasing him. It was keeping up and moving faster in the halls. Like a wild animal he felt the pressure to escape it. As he reached the roof he quickly realized that he didn't have his mask on. He stopped at the ledge to get it on and as he turned around the corpse leaped at him, knocking him with it from the roof. It looked like it wanted to bite him. The young one kicked it in the side and pushed it away from him then reached to the side grabbing a dry branch, it broke unable to support his weight. The creature screamed as it fell with the sirens of its meters it hit the rock covered ground below. The young one managed to pull himself to the tree side where falling through the branch's he softened his fall. Though he hit his side breaking a rib. As he stood up leaning back on the tree. The brown haired man pulled out his gun. It was a double barrel short shotgun. Used in sports shooting. He tabled over to the corpse and gazed at it still squirming and screaming it was completely broken and unable to stand. he aimed at the head and pulled the trigger. The head of it spattered oozing with black substance from its helm, some of it splattered to the mans mask and bit on his jacket and pants.

Pushing the gun back in to its holder he walked away from the corpse towards the old power plant. In pain he breathed deeply as he gazed at the setting sun, he was closing in on the plant but with the darkness covering the town, more and more sirens of military rad. suits echoed through the city. The ruins were full of them. The young one gazed at all the ammunition in his belt. there were only enough for sixteen rounds.

The approaching storm began to fall down in snow. The darkness covered the whole runic city. The young man pulled out his flashlight. As soon as he turned it on the snow began changing color. It was snowing in the color of flames. The ground looked like burning fields of the dead. The corpses were surrounding him. The dead ere walking towards him. There were nearly a few feet left to the plant. When he turned around there was an army of them half stripped of they're suits others were the civilians that died. The young one pulled his gun and walked backwards. He pulled a flash grenade first and threw it in the air then turned running to the plant with his gun in hand. The flash stopped them for a few seconds but then with a scream they all charged at him. The dead were like wiled animals some on two legs running at him others on all four. With the dead behind him he was nearly inside. But with his rib broken he was much slower then before. One of the dead caught up to him as he was already leaping in to the plant he dropped a grenade. The one that was closest to him jumped after him. The entrance caved in crushing a few of them that were almost inside. The one that jumped after him was already on top trying to bite out a piece of his arm. As it opened its mouth he kicked it in the stomach and tuck his gun in its mouth pulling the trigger. Its head exploded splattering over the walls and ceiling. The corpse was pushed off of him as he stood up the hall was dark and he pulled out a flare to light his way. As it light the hall there were a few dead body's inside lifeless blocking his way. He opened his gun and the empty rounds shot out he pushed in new bullets and with the flashlight in hand walked deeper into the dark. Only with sixteen shots left and two flares. Without any battery's the flashlight would not work for long.

Through the dark narrow caved in passages the young man wondered deeper and deeper into the darkness. The light of his military grade flash light was fading, to a small glimmer revealing the barely a few steps ahead. He passed several rooms that were caved in and covered with remains of the dead. It seemed as though every corpse in the city had been dragged here. He investigated a few along the way, they wee torn apart to the bone. As though a beast had sharpened its claws, as though a shark tried ripping it off bit by bit. Near the passage he soon found a stairwell reaching down to the depths of darkness where the light could not reach. Near the staircase there was a room that was full of metal cabinets. Inside military uniforms were left untouched. Near the door all of them seemed ripped open as if someone or something was looking, searching for something. The young brown haired man walked in, he pulled down his mask so he could be aware of everything, along his way he saw a small red trail reaching deeper in to the dark corner of the room. With the light fading he shined into the darkness.

There stood one of those things, the walking dead with its face scratched to peaces its neck was ripped apart barely holding. It hissed at the light and jumped at him. The man quickly gripped it by the back of its neck and smashed it into the stone wall beside him, then pulling it back the man placed the flashlight into his mouth and twisted the head till he ripped it off. The black blood oozed out on the floor as the body fell to the ground. He threw the head to the side and pulled the flashlight out of his mouth the light was fading fast and he had only a few minuets to find a change of battery's. Near the corner where the creature stood before there was an unlocked cabinet. He looked inside and found an old flashlight with a revolver in it. There was a picture of a woman hanging on the inner side of the cabinets door. Next to her stood a young girl at the age of six, she was wearing a cute skirt and smiling. The picture was old and seemed to be taken at the forest side of town. It was before the event. As he touched the photo there was a stream of memory's that flowed into his mind.

The young woman in the photo kissed a man it was the same one from the classroom, she whispered to him and called her daughter running off to get they're photo taken by the man. He was smiling and happy it was before the memory from the classroom. He lifted an old camera and told them to smile. They were happy then. As he placed the photo down the young man noticed an envelope. It was empty but as he reached for it memory's streamed to his sight. This time it was the day just before the classroom memory's. The man was worried and sad. He was reading a letter it was making him nervous. He then quickly looked around and burned the piece of paper. Only leaving the empty envelope in his cabinet.

The man pulled back from the envelope and the memory's sassed. The envelope was without any writing and he did not want to take it with him. The young one picked up the flashlight leaving his behind, near the old one there were also a few battery's, he took those as well. With the light shining properly and a four bullet loaded revolver he continued to search the building. The blood from his cracked rib was beginning to cover his shirt, it appeared worse than he thought. He looked around before leaving the room full of metal cabinets. There was an unopened medical cabinet. As he carefully opened it he was hoping that there wouldn't be many of those creatures inside. In the medical box there were a few bandage's and a small metal box. He looked inside, there were a few bottles of painkiller sealed tightly, and a siring with a few sanitized needle's. He placed the light down for a bit and took of his jacket. Tightly wrapping his waist around the wound and the blood smeared mark. On the last round he tightened it slightly more, to lessen the pain. Then pulled out the bottle and added some painkiller to his blood. It made his slightly dizzy, but now he was ready to carry on without hesitation.

Leaving the room he carefully looked down the hall in both directions it was dark empty and silent. He didn't like it. On the left there was a staircase leading deeper. near it there was a building plan. As he shinned the light on it, there were only ripped remains. The map was missing and seemed to be torn to bits by the looks on the floor. The young one descended deeper following the path and hoping to find a way out or the target.

He searched a few floor's and found six more bullets for the revolver but only one battery for the light. In these dark hall's he knew that he would never find a way out. They extended like a spider web surrounding the plant the deeper he went, as though connecting to a nest beneath. The silence made him uneasy and slightly paranoid. When he finally found an entrance to larger room inside he noticed a faint glow. He gripped and pulled his mask back on, the dizziness from the painkiller strengthened as he wore the mask. In the room there was a body leaning back to the machinery. It was glowing in a greenish light. The rad meters were going crazy. The man walked to it carefully. It was an old gentleman if not for the glow he seemed fine. The rad netters were beginning to crack. The young man pulled out a radio and spoke into it.

"This is Seth I've found the target, i repeat I found Raz."

The man on the ground started to wake up and gazed at the young one before him. He was talking to the radio.

"I repeat, I've found the target answer! Drats there's no signal in or out. Guess we'll just have to find the door."

"No!"

The glowing man yelled.

"NO I can't return!"

He stood up and ran off as though cased by a monster. Seth jumped after him but soon collapsed and fell to the ground. The painkillers were effecting him, and the radiation had become to strong to handle. As the gentlemen ran out the room the rad meters began to fall back to a minimum and stayed so for a long time. The glowing light soon disappeared from the hall and Seth fell to sleep.

As Seth collapsed his mind drifted back to the memory's. He fell to the construct of his own mind forced by the ability that he had. Memory's of his childhood, that he could never leave the shelter and was never adopted. He lived alone as a shut out of society till the morning that Raz and his friends came. They helped him understand his ability's and his curse. Seth could never take of his gloves or the world he lived in might swallow him alive. His mind drifted to a fixed memory, the memory of an investigation two years ago.

In Moscow there was a serial murder case, the maniac killed children and they're mothers if they got in the way. For a psycho he was too careful. There were few clues ever left behind. He never left a fingerprint. Through a few friends Raz was asked to help investigate. At that time they were working in Paris with the government trying to catch a sect that was creating its own church. Leaving the others behind. Seth and Raz took the train to Moscow where they met a young dark haired girl in charge there. She was asked to bring a few friends capable of finding this psycho. They were asked to come because she sensed that there was more to him then just mental insanity. That was the first time that Seth had to watch the memory's of a mad man. Upon the touch he felt insanity a twisted rail of thought's without purpose. There was but a picture of a relic of the Holy crusades. It was pure madness as though the man was possessed by a monster. A voice rang through the memory a low, hissing, breaking voice. As though a chain was carving deep into a body's flesh and bones. It screamed through the whole viewing and Seth let go of the object dropping it to the ground. Seth could barely stand from the pain in his head caused by the maniacal memory's. Raz caught him as he was falling to his knees. The girl asked what he had seen and Seth explained. That was the first time he ever saw such memory's, no connections, no sequence, no meaning simply a chaotic row of picture's. The next day Raz followed up on some of the things he saw and soon they tracked down the killer. When they confronted him he was holding a gun, his eyes were white and he looked as though he hadn't eaten in sex days. It was clear that he was long dead, but the body was still possessed. As it pulled the trigger pointing the gun at Seth, Raz knocked him to the side, dough the bullet sank into his shoulder. Raz was injured and spent a week in the hospital. The serial killer was shot on sight and it was declared that he was killed resisting arrest. Seth worked with the young girl for the time helping people. Her name was Ema. She was a blood relative of Raz. As soon as he got better Seth was told to remain with Ema, helping her and learning how to control his ability's better. As the old man left that was the last time Seth saw him. He might have been just a friend but to Seth who was abandoned since birth Raz was like a father.

In a few second after that memory everything went black. A throbbing pain overcome Seth as though a beating sledgehammer was knocking him on the side. It was his rib, the painkillers had worn off, the pain came back with a vengeance. It was flaming hot and burning in pain. As he opened his eyes and looked at it the blood stain had grown. It was covering his whole side and it became clear to Seth. The wound was infected, he needed help. Grinding his teeth, he forced himself up to on his feet and continued on walking to the hall where Raz ran down. He knew that there was little hope to survive without proper treatment, but he couldn't leave Raz here.

He tripped near the door barely stopping himself by grabbing the frame. The flaming pain was unbearable. Seth was faced with two choices: keep walking and abandon Raz or get rid of the mask and use the painkiller again, risking radiation poisoning. He did not falter and pulled off his mask throwing it to the ground. Pulled out another needle and sank the painkiller to his blood smeared side forcing it all in. He then threw the empty syringe to the floor near the mask and carried on. The pain became duller but still burnt and banged on him with every heart beat. Even so he could at least carry on after Raz.

With the flashlight empty and drained he changed the battery and walked threw the dreaded dark halls. He continued for half an hour till he reached a staircase. The one going down was broken and covered in stone that fell from above. The one leading above was clear and passable, yet it seemed shaky and unable to support heavy weights. Seth carefully climbed up and noticed a light up ahead. There was a caved in ceiling revealing the outside. It was the best chance to connect with the outside. The flaming snow was falling through the hole. Seth didn't intend to approach it. He tried calling the outside world and soon found a signal.

"Hello anyone, This is Seth answer."

The radio was silent for a while and then began to buzz and a voice came through.

"Seth, are you ok, we've haven't heard from you for over three hours. What happened?"

Seth smiled and answered.

"I was a little detained, I found Raz and a few members of the squad that were sent in. The squad is dead, Raz ran away. I'm currently in the power plant the signal is unavailable from here. I'll need to go deeper if I want to find Raz but that means I'll be out of signal for a while."

While Seth was talking a sound of metal scratching the floor came from the darkness of the hall. As he shined the light in the direction, there stood a misshapen body with metal rods piercing it. It was walking to him, Its head was broken back and hidden among the rods. It screamed and threw one of its metal spikes at Seth. It pierced the radio in the middle of a transmission pinning it to the wall. The radio passed a few more noises before it faded and fell to silence. Seth luckily jumped to the side, and managed to avoid it, but the pain from his cracked rib answered with cruel. It was bleeding worse. The blood dripped to the floor and the creature ran to him turning its metal spikes as it leaped. Seth jumped back and pulled out his shot gun blasting it in the side. It fell mid flight to the ground from the force and with its arm missing after the shot stood up on three. Screaming and hissing it's head was in sight. It was on its back among the spikes. Seth dropped the shot gun and pulled out the revolver that he had picked up, pulling the trigger as fast as he could. The bullet bounced back of the spikes and it charged on all three. Seth stood up firing at its head. With the fourth shot, the last in the revolver he finally hit it, its head splattered and the monster fell to the ground sliding forward. Seth fell to the ground tired and in pain. There were merely a few bullets left for the revolver and the painkiller was also wearing off. With one bottle remaining he picked up his shot gun and pulled out the metal spike pinning the radio to the wall. It was dead and unusable, he threw the radio to the side and walked back to the stairs. He could only hope that the others would come find him before those creatures killed him. Seth couldn't bother searching the floor, he walked down the stairs hoping to find Raz as soon as possible.

Through the hole on the ceiling where the snow was blowing in, a few of the monstrosity's from outside were climbing they're way in. But a snake like hand gripped they're heads and spun around the neck it ripped the heads off throwing them to the side, a long armed creature louvered itself in. As it threw the metal corpse to the room on the side it walked down into the shadows out of sight, wandering the halls. It hissed and screeched in the darkness.

Seth wondered through the darkness of the second basement floor. The tunnels weren't showing any signs of an ending. He found a few more rooms with metal cabinets but one of them was caved in and the roof didn't seem steady enough. The second one was torn apart as though an explosion had ripped everything off the wall's. The third one was a bit larger, and seemed to be a changing room for the former workers. Seth investigated it walking deeper to its dark corners, the near the farthest wall he found a cabinet that had a flask of alcohol in it. It was barely a few sips but he thought of a better way to utilize it.

Seth pulled off his Jacket and set his guns to the side, carefully unraveling the bandages. At the last few rounds he pulled out the metal case with the last painkiller bottle. He placed it in his mouth biting into it with his fangs. As he pulled the bandage away the pain was burning stronger then before. He carefully pried the bandage off and flung it to the side. As he opened the flask, Seth bit the metal casing even harder at the thought of what's to come. He pulled out his knife and cut into the wound cleaning a path to the infection. Seth then poured the small amount of alcohol upon his wound, where the cracked, infested rib was. The pain was unbearable, he felt as though he was about to pass out. He bit into the metal casing with all his might till he bit through the metal. The pain burnt as though a torch was held against it, as though he was set aflame. He bared with it a few more moments and as it subsided he used his last bandages to cover up the wound, it reached of vodka but at least was sanitized for the time.

As Seth finished patching up he pulled the metal casing out of his jaw and breathed deeply in relaxation that it was over. He looked slightly to the side at the door that he stepped through. There was a long snake like creature reaching in, it was sniffing around. Seth quickly turned off his flashlight and stepped back by a few feet but accidentally nudged a metal cabinet door. The sound of metal attracted the creatures attention. It turned to his side and began to swim through the room sniffing for something. Seth couldn't move because didn't know whether it could see him or not. It peered around the corner with a round snout, there were no eyes or ears to be seen, but four hole that seemed to be its nose and wide jaw that was drooling with green toxic fluids. It sniffed in Seth's direction and as it smelled the alcohol it shook and jumped back a bit. Behind it another one peered out and smelled something in the opposite direction, it went closer to the bandages that Seth had thrown aside. It smelled it for a bit and as the other one turned around the second one snapped it and pulled it back to the door. As the second one left the other drew back with it. Seth was a bit relaxed to be safe but his curiosity beckoned to look around the corner. As he peered over to the door. There stood a shadow of human form with those two horrid snake like creatures coming out of its shoulders. The body had only a reminiscence of a human head, there were no ears or eyes, but the remains of a head.

Its hands tugged the blood smeared bandage between them and as it ripped they both gobbled it down. The body turned away from the door and continued down the hallway. Seth was shocked, but relieved that he got out of this uncared. He got his guns and jacket on as silently as possible and walked to the door avoiding the creatures drool. He carefully looked down the hall to where the creature went. He couldn't see it but he did not wish to use the flashlight for that ether. Seth stepped out into the dark hall and carefully walked in the opposite way trying to not make a single sound. After a few step's he remembered a staircase he passed that lead deeper. But remembering made him careless and he unknowingly kicked a rock, only as it bounced on the cement floor did he realized what had happened, and a hissing scream came from the dark corners of the hall the creature was chasing him. Seth set off running through the hall, only hopping to reach the stairs before it reached him. As He reached the stairs Seth didn't bother looking back for it could have coasted his life. Half way down the stairs he heard the creatures scream behind him it was but a few feet away in the darkness, reaching out to him with those snake like arms. Seth rushed down, tripping on the stairs. He fell ramming his shoulder at the metal pole below. He dropped below them, with his feet near the pole. It was a painful fall with his wound and the painkillers wearing off.

As Seth opened his eye's the creatures snake hands were already closing in on him, it stood on the stairs with its remains of a human face smiling, grinning in a mad frenzy. The jaws of its hands were opening up. A few grains of dust fell from the ceiling, that's when Seth noticed that the pole was supporting it and it was close to tumbling down. He kicked the pole at his feet and tried to break it, the creature's focus was broken and he turn away just for a second, at witch Seth kicked it again and finally broke the pole. The ceiling was breaking down. As Seth jumped back from the site, the rocks fell upon the creatures hands burying them under stones. Seth pulled out his shot gun and after turning on his light shot at the creature on the stairs, shattering its remains of a head and splattering it on the upper floor. But it was still moving trying to pull its hands out of the hole beneath. Seth opened his shotgun, letting the empty casing shoot out, gripping the new bullets and stuffing them down the barrel. As he pointed the gun at its arms he pulled the trigger splatting them on the stairs and walls. The creatures body fell down the flight to the pile of rocks under witch its hands were buried. It was still squirming, Seth pulled out the revolver he had found and shot it down through the remains of its head at the chest. As the bullet pierced through exiting its left side of the chest it finally stopped moving and fell dead.

Seth reloaded the guns and stood for a few moments watching the corpse, hopping it wont jump back to life. As it did not, he was finally breathing normally and relaxed as he walked further down the halls into the darkness searching for Raz.

Seth wondered through the third basement floor, shining light at the broken door's. The ruble covering the entrance and the broken remains inside. He was more careful at every turn. At each corner he made sure no corpse was around. after a few turns he found a closed room with a wooden door. it was the only room in the hall with the door still intact. He carefully turned the handle and pushed it in by just a few inches. Shining inside he saw a corner of a desk and a map hanging behind it. He pushed the door opened and walked in. The room wasn't big it it was clear that it was a generals office. Three cabinets stood near the desk. A few flags stood near the farthest corner. Seth ripped them down and pulled out two poles, they had sharp tips so he believed them to be of use. He turned back to the desk and noticed a corpse's feet under the table. He pulled out the revolver and walked to the side of the desk. Pointing the gun at the chairs lover part, where the body should be. As he turned around the tables corners shining his light. There were feet ripped off a body with its body missing. Seth was surprised to see a gun on the ground near the feet. As he picked it up leaving his gun on the table he stood up seeing a spider like body climbing in. Two legs dangled in the air under it.

Seth's light shined upon it, the creature screamed at him. Seth Shot at where he thought its head to be. The shot slammed at the top of the doors rim and the gun jammed not shooting a second time again. The creature Gripped on the walls and tried to push itself in. As it gripped the upper rim the wall began to break and collapsed on it. The door was blocked by rocks and the creature trapped underneath. Seth didn't waist time waiting for it to break free. He took the last standing pole and rammed it between the rocks hopping to pierce the creature. After a loud screeching scream he took it for dead. Seth picked up the two guns and opened the one he had found. It didn't jam that was the last bullet in it. He looked through the desk finding only paper's in it. Only in the top right drover there was a casing of bullets. Fifteen of them were enough to be at ease for bullets for the time.

With the exit blocked Seth looked for other ways out, but digging out would have been too troublesome. He didn't know when the ceiling would collapse again and the gap above leading to the second basement floor would have set him back till he found the stairs. He looked through the cabinets and noticed a small gap behind them in the wall. He pushed them aside and saw that the wall was crumbling. He tried smashing it down with his shoulder. But it barely gave way. That's when he decided to use the metal chair to smash in the gap. It was only on the third swing that the wall gave in and fell apart. Seth climbed through and found a room caving in to the lower floor. He covered his side with his hand and jumped down. The doorway was luckily still open. When he finally exited into the hall. He was on a much less damaged surrounding. There were white walls covering metal beams, each room was still intact. There was barely any damage to it at all. The floor was noted as a laboratory or a sick bay.

Seth noticed an operation room that looked like someone had a fight in it. Behind him at the end of the hall there was a giant metal door sealing it. Seth went closer to it to investigate. Near the door there was a small security room, in it there was a switch for the secondary power. As Seth pulled it the lights began to flicker and turned on. There was no further need for the flash light.

Above in the hall where the spider like creature was, it was still alive and tried to pull its arms loose. When it did one of its arms had the tip of the pole still piercing it as the creature tried pulling it out. Its scream of agony covered the floor. It left it there continuing its search for Seth.

Raz stood at the end of the hall far away from it. The creature looked at him and ran off screaming. He looked at the doorway where Seth went in to the office. And turned down the corner to a staircase leading to the fourth underground floor.

"Seth... Be careful."

Seth gazed at the lit hall, the lights in some parts were broken and missing. But the metal door puzzled him most. It stood like a giant blocking his path. It wasn't even clear to him whether the basements went even deeper. The seeming endless darkness that he passed to get here was pressuring him. The gate was still locked and seemed that the power from the generator was cut off from it. Seth decided to follow the hall and see whether he can find and exit or at least a way to open the gate. Along the way he passed several office's and the room that he came through. Climbing back up wasn't possible. He went to look through the office's.

In one of them he found a key to the archive's and a lab coat. There was also a cabinet with a label saying, classified. The room was untouched as though it never got in contact with the event. It was locked and had a keyhole on the side. Seth looked through the room for the other key, he even tried the one he found and breaking the lock. But most likely there wouldn't be anything of interest inside. He left the office and continued through the hall. The place wasn't as big as the other floor's, but seemed to be more secure then any of them. An operating room was close to the end of the hell that was crossing with another hallway. It was the only crossing on this floor. Seth glimpsed through the operating rooms door. The table was covered in blood on the farthest corner, with a tray of saw's and scalpel on it. A few scissor like tools also laid beneath them. The equipment near the side of the room was knocked to the side. It looked as though a fight was in there.

Seth stepped through the door into the eery atmosphere of the room. It was oppressing as though someone had died. The room was only light by the hall's light and his flashlight was off to conserve energy. Seth walked up to the table and pulled off his glove. Gliding his fingers along its rim he saw a frightening memory tied to that table. A man was strapped down and screaming, they told the solders to silence him and they simply bashed his head with the handle end of the gun. The man lied on the table bleeding from his nose and mouth as the coated one pulled a siring from a cooler. The fluid inside was red, the cooler had several others with different fluids in them. He pierced the mans neck and pushed the fluid in. As he started squirming and rivaling in pain the scientist took the tools and started to operate. Seth pulled back from the depths of the memory. The table was littered with scratch's and dents. He then turned to the saw nearby. It had a few of its teeth bent out and the rust had started to gather around the blood. Not that it made it easier to tell the rust and blood apart. As Seth picked it up memory's of the tool jumped to his mind like fly's around a corpse. They were hazy and misplaced. Like thrown together in a pot, it was hard to tell them apart and Seth dropped it to the ground. This feeling and vision were the same as back then. The hazed, misty madness. It made little sense.

Seth had a slight migraine from it and he could barely see through the poorly lit room. He turned on the flash light and took a closer look at the knocked down equipment. It had a few scratch's like a claw mark. The sides were bent as if someone through them to the side. The memory's came as he touched the claw marks. It was a memory of a patient that broke free. He knocked down some of the guards, the rest ran out signaling an alarm. The mutated reminisce of a human scratched it then gripped it throwing it away to reach the scientist. As He attacked him taking the metal rode of the clinical tool that held the dripping medicine. The creature shoved it through the doctor's chest pinning him to the wall. Seth pulled away and turned around to find a corpse pinned in the wall, it was only bones of a human. Seth felt rather uneasy and ran out.

As he leaned to the wall in the hall, he was puking up. Luckily he hadn't eaten for a while so it was just stomach acid. But it was burning his throat. He knew that the beast was still around somewhere and could kill him as easily. Seth turned around the corner to find a short hall leading to some room that was bigger then anything he had seen in this underground complex. The room was hard to make out what it was but it was bolted as a safe. The hundreds of claw marks proved an attempt of the creature to break in but the door remained closed. The other side was littered of claw marks leading to a room with the door broken off. Seth followed the remaining part of the hall he just passed and found the generator room, it was the last room in the hall, but behind him a few doors away was the archive room that he could open with the key he found. Seth went to the generator and looked for the power line to the safe or gate so he could open them.

As it turned out the gate wasn't exactly a gate, it was an elevator leading straight to the surface. But next to it there was a locking mechanism for the safe. It was a six digit code, quit old style, by the look it seemed more like an experimental one then the real one. As Seth tried to connect the elevator back he saw that half the circuit was ruined. As though some one had shot it. As he shined the light around the room he stopped for a second listening to a sound that was coming from the darkness. It was as though a mad man was repeating something over and over. As Seth shined the light at that corner there was a man rolled up in a ball he was repeating something over and over. Seth pulled out the gun ready to shoot but as the man looked at the light he screamed and ran at him like a maniac. he took a broken pipe and swung it at Seth's head. Leaning back he avoided it but the pain in his side was awakening again, it holstered him and he fell on his back to the ground. Without a second through he shot the bullet at the mans chest and head. Watching him drop to his death. For a moment he was relieved, but after the body wobbled back a few feet it began screaming like the monsters from the city. Seth crawled back pulling the shot gun out and firing it at the creature's chest and head. After it's upper half splattered the black substance as before began to cover the floor. Seth left the room safe for the time being, but these relentless attacks were starting to show they're tole. With the radiation in this place he couldn't take any food or water and now his body was getting weak.

Seth leaned to the wall for support and walked to the archive room ahead. unlocking the door, the lights inside were still working. Seth locked himself in and decided to rest for the time, to recharge and continue after that. He looked around the room and made sure that there was nothing inside. He rolled up in a corner and waited for the silence to calm him down, then drifted into sleep.

As Seth slumbered his rest was cut short by the memory's that were still in his head. The memory's that he saw from the tool's in the operation room. The haze was making itself clear. The doctor was cutting animal parts off from different specie's and sowing them together onto a human by removing the part's of human flesh. Ear's of a cat the jaws of a wolf. They were toying with the subjects and nature itself. The horror pushed him to the verge of sanity and forced Seth to awaken. Covered in sweat he jumped from the corner, in the middle of the room covered of paper records. The lights were flickering and the image of the creature they were creating. The dis formed human like hound snout.

Seth was still a bit dazed, due to lack of food and water. The mission was getting harsher and harsher by the minuet. The sleep did provide some energy to continue going. The archives were all out of place and scattered. it was a mess. But there was only one cabinet in the corner that was sealed up. Seth tried opening it but the lock was rusted and held tight. Only after a few strong hits the lock broke open. Inside there were records and all sorts of papers about the research. One file held a list of twelve subjects that were surgically altered in experimentation's. Seven of the subjects died and were sealed away for material. The others were sealed off for further testing. The file mentioned the vault where they were all kept. In the cabinet there were also research file for Esp. This had to be the classified folders. The folder contained list's of subjects and attempts to develop a serum to enhance the human neuron system. The lists were separated to before, after, success and failure. It continued for seven page's and was performed on children and adult's. After the mass failure in the seventh list with adults. The cabinet continued with file's of research on children to the age of six and separately on older. The failure's were burnt. Seth dropped the file's and slammed the cabinet shut. This place was getting to him in the worst possible way.

The pain of his broken rib was coming back. Like a regrowing cancer it was getting on his nerve. Seth pulled out the metal casing with the last painkiller. The box was seeded with dents from his teeth. After prying it open he dug the needle into his hand and threw it away. This whole plant was making him sick. With the flashlight in hand Seth left the archives back into the hall. Several other lights along it had gone out, not surprising. Seth went back to the generator room and after crossing the ooze of the corpse left behind he used his ability's to enter the six digit code. He heard the door in the hallway slide open. The elevator wire's were still lacking in length so he figured to look for anything to complete the circuit. He left the generator room walking down the hall to the crossing. The door on his right was opened, the one that lead to the giant room. Inside Seth saw six containers with dead body's floating inside. The last one in the row was shattered and the body hung rotting on some wire's. The fluid that the other six were suspended in seemed to be some sort of preservative jell. On the opposite ramp there were bigger containers. One was opened, one still held a misshapen creature inside and the rest were shattered. The opened one had a label on the top reading "Lupin". The other shattered one's read: Uroboro, Arachnid and Reptilian. The unopened one was Octavio, it was drained of the jell and the body was already degrading to bone's. The place seemed to be kept like a freezer and a holding cell. The roof of the room was broken leading to the second basement floor. Seth couldn't find a way out. Near the end of the platform with the bigger containers there was a machinery system with some wiring.

Seth took some of the wire's to fix the elevator's circuit. As he turned back to the door he saw the Spider like creature climbing down. The lights must have attracted it. It was using the head as a spider pouch, shooting the web. It landed dangling its corpses feet beneath it. The scream echoed through the compound. Seth was Shocked and couldn't move for a few seconds, he was petrified. As the creature lowered its head and spat out the web. Seth could only jump behind the console for cover. He reloaded the revolver and jumped out shooting at its body. But the spider could easily avoid the bullets. Then Seth noticed that the creature was always holding one of its legs up as though it were broken. As he shot at the leg the creature quickly jumped to the wall running around, like mad. It ran to the side with the small containers holding the body's and stood above them spitting green acid. Seth dove behind the corner of the nearby machinery.

The revolver was empty and he didn't have time to reload. He changed it to for the shot gun and jumped out the other side of the narrow gap between the wall and the machine. He turned to find the creature with its claws lifted in the air. Seth's first reaction was to shoot. The creature jumped back to the door, but as luck would have it. The shot hit ripping past its corpses stomach. The spine of the human remains was in sight. The creature screamed at him and sunk its claws into its own body. Ripping the dangling feet off. The creature raised its claws and leaped at him. Seth turned back behind the machine, into the gap again. He reloaded the shot gun and rushed to the other side. As he ran out the spider was sitting on the containers across the hall. It jumped away avoiding sight. Seth dove behind the wide small console that stood at the opposite end of the room from the door.

He breathed deeply, his energy was running low. With the creature out of sight Seth remembered the two metal spike's he took with him. The thing that was stuck in its leg must have been the spike he shoved into the gravel after the door collapsed. He pulled out the spike from his coat. It was barely the length of his shot gun but it was enough. As he looked at the spike h noticed a shadow growing over him as he looked up the creature was standing on the console ready to attack him. The remains of the corpse were holding itself on the console. Seth didn't even think he pushed the spike he held into the monsters chest. The pain it felt caused it to jump back. The corpses hands gripped the spike screaming in pain. Seth jumped over the console shooting at its limbs. The blast shattered its claws and the two legs that were supporting it on the side with the pierced one were blown to bits. The body fell on the injured leg and its scream intensify. The leg broke to the side. Seth opened the shotgun, shooting the empty casings out behind him. He gripped the next bullets on his belt and shoved them down the barrel. He then blasted two other legs off and threw the gun to the side running at it, he pulled the second spike from his coat and jumped on the creature. Stepping down on the remaining leg and knee on the spike he shoved into the chest. The monsters human hands tried to grip for him. But Seth lammed the spike into its head piercing through it and into the metal floor. Then with another slam over the spike he knocked it in. Leaving the monsters head pinned to the floor. He then rolled to the side away from its leg and pulled out the revolver. Slowly he reloaded it watching the creature rive in agony. Then he emptied the gun into its head and chest. Till it stopped moving for good.

Tired Seth went to pick up the shot gun while reloading the revolver. He noticed a metal coffee canister near the corner. It seemed to good to hope for something drinkable inside. But after he reloaded the shot gun and went to take a look. He shook it hearing the noise of water inside churning side to side. Joy over took him and he opened it drinking all in one take. Seth was still exhausted but he was once again save, but for how long. The question remained in his head. He pulled out the wire's and went back to the hall leaving the corpse of the spider creature behind him.

Seth returned to the generator room filled with the dead creature oozing remains. While he repaired the elevator, a loud noise came from the hall. The fear of encountering one of those creature's again froze him for a second. But then the hope that it was Raz came to mind. Perhaps now he could talk him into coming along. He opened the door just slightly and gazed down the hall. It was as empty as he left before. After closing the door he finished repairing the elevator circuit and walked out. He was wondering what that sound was. When he reached the crossing in the hall he realized that he never looked down the claw mark covered hall. It lead away to a room on the other end, it didn't look that the thing that made them came back this way. Curiosity was digging deep in him. Till Seth couldn't take it anymore and followed the path down the hall. The rooms in it were office's constructed for scientists. Lab coats were hooked on coat hangers thrown on chairs and they all seemed untouched. Inside he saw nothing of interest. At the end of the hall was a double door. It lead to an assembly hall. It was a long dark room. The lights seemed to be broken.

As Seth shined the lights in he saw massive amount of body's torn to piece's and dried blood covering the wall's like paint. The room was a grand slaughterhouse. As he pushed the door open he saw more body's ripped to bits. To the right there was a giant hole in the wall leading to the third basement floor. It looked as though something had carved its way out. The sight was sickening and Seth left this mass grave. He walked back down the hall and turned to the left reaching the elevator. A sound of something brawling and throwing the table's came from the assembly. Seth didn't bother waiting to know what it was, he ran through the hall to the elevator. The door's were open since he returned the power. As he ran inside the elevator had every floor skipping the third basement. He pushed the second and first floor repeatedly hoping that the door will close soon. As it began to close the thing from the assembly reached the crossing. It gazed down the hall at the generator room. With its dark grey body, skin so thin he could see the muscle underneath. The head had two long spike like ears growing out, looking like a giant V. As it quickly turned its head around. The wide big ears were covered in blue and green ball's of puss. The creature had no eye's but it looked directly at Seth. It's mouth was wide from ear to ear with hundreds of teeth inside and a long thinning tong rolled out. It then started running on all four to the elevator. When the door's closed and the elevator took off Seth fell to the floor. The endless attack's and the wondering were draining him dry. He didn't know how long he could last.

When the door's began to open he quickly jumped to his feet. He was back on the second floor. When he walked out there was the darkness surrounding him. He turned on the flashlight and walked off turning right from the elevator. On the left he merely had a caved in hall. Upon his way the ruin's of the rooms and the dark hall was becoming rather nostalgic. It was starting to emit a warming feeling of safety. When Seth noticed it he punched himself in the face and tried to force himself away from the madness. But the hit only made him alert. It did not stop the looming hall's psychological punishment. It was as if the building itself was a creature of its own. Drowning him in an illusion of safety. After a few crossings, Seth couldn't take a single step he fell to the ground collapsing. Only as he was loosing his sight he noticed the sound of his meters. The radiation level's were rising. As he saw the last glimpses of what he believed to be his life Seth saw Raz step out from behind the corner. He knelled down and placed Seth's mask that he had thrown aside next to him. Then walked off in the direction of the elevator. It was only the sight of his feet and hands but the light emanating from him was un doubtful.

When Seth fell to slumber again, he remembered episodes from his childhood. When Raz thought him the way of controlling his ability's and how to use them properly. It was only after spending years together that Seth understood that he knew nothing about his friend. Then he began following him and observing in secret. Trying to learn about him and his past. But sadly all he ever discuss with others was the work life. Only after meeting Ema he learned about Raz's past. But even she did not know a lot about him. The fact that he came back to Moscow was a surprise to her. She thought that he would just send some people to take care of it. Memory's slowly began to fade as the pain of his broken rib being pressed against a rock began to shock the body. When he woke up a sickening feeling overcame him. The illusion of safeness in the dark was gone. Yet the fear of the horrors lurking here was ever stronger. After puking up Seth stood up noticing the mask that Raz had left behind. He picked it up and strapped it to his neck. The pain of the broken rib was back again. With it started a nostalgic feeling that it had been like this since birth. The painkillers were gone and the pain was back. He could only wonder the hall's searching for Raz. So he turned around to the elevator and wondered back holding his side. Hoping that the pain will soon leave.

Seth raved through the hall with his hand holding his side. The hall's darkness reached out to him as the light flickered. The battery had ended and with the last remaining one he had. The pain was becoming sharper. It felt like the broken bone was digging its way out like a bug, a parasite. The Passage to the elevator was empty so he went the only other way Raz could have walked off. Seth was beginning to experience confusion and became dazed from the pain. He wasn't sure whether he was still half asleep or the whole experience was overcoming his body. He felt like he was dropped into the sea and sinking. As though a shark was biting his side. It all seemed too harsh. He was still trapped inside with a creature that he saw below. He couldn't tell witch way led where in the building. After passing a few more crossings in the hall he found himself back in the big room that he first found Raz in. The giant pumps were still there like mammoth statues.

He took a few steps inside and the sharp pain hit his side. As he bent down a whistling sound came over his head. It was a claw, of the creature he seen below. It found him and only through luck did he avoid losing his head. The darkness of the room made it hard to see, but as he shined the light. Seth finally got a perfect sight of the creature. It had a mouse or bat like shape to it with big long ears. The creature screamed and jumped away into the darkness. Seth tried to follow it with the light but the monster was just too quick. It jumped from one end of the room to the other. Swooping down to gash its claws into Seth's flesh. At this point Seth regretted not facing it down in the hall's. It would have been so much easier to fight it in a narrow space filled with lights. Then in this great big room swallowed in darkness.

Seth continued to spin around trying to catch the creature in sight. But he could barely move as fast as he did with all the claw marks around him and the broken rib. As He turned around the he finally caught the creature in sight. But that's when Seth remembered, through all the pain he had forgotten to pull his gun. The creature jumped at him with its jaw's wide open. As it slammed Seth to the ground, his flashlight dropped to the side out of his reach. The creature looming over him, Seth didn't know what to do, so in panic he reached into his coat to find a gun. But his hand gripped on something else, a somewhat long stick in his jacket. When he pulled it out, he realized it to be the flairs that he picked up at the start of this nightmarish adventure. He had never used them. Without a second though he relied on instinct. Pulling the plastic cap off the end of the flair and igniting it. Seth then shoved the flair, flames first into the creature's throat. His palm slammed into its jaws holding it in. The monster jumped back releasing him, it was riving in pain. The flames were coming out of its mouth. The thing pulled it out screaming and jumped to the side.

Seth searched his pockets to find two more flairs. The adrenalin that started pumping in his body was driving him. Seth ran to the flashlight, but as soon as he stepped into its light. The creature jumped at him again. It held his hands tightly and tried to force its way through to bite him in the neck. Seth kicked the creature's outer leg, disrupting its balance, then slammed his knee into the monsters elbow and pulled the cap off with his teeth while holding the creature. As it ignited the boy shoved the flair into the monsters right ear. afterwords slamming it in. After Seth jumped back the monster cried out with an ear wrecking scream. Seth had to cover his ears, the noise was causing the roof to crumble. As dust covered the room, Seth ran at the monster with the flair at hand. As he jumped on it, the boy pushed the second and last flair into its remaining ear. The monster was screaming like crazy. Seth jumped back and finally pulled out his shot gun. Shooting the creatures leg's to stop it from moving was his best option. As it fell to the ground, the boy opened the casing shooting out the empty rounds. After he shoved in the last two shots he had and shook it closed. Seth pushed the shotgun into the creatures mouth and pulled the trigger. Its head split open scattering fragments of its former shape. Seth stood up with his ear's still ringing, so to let of steam he aimed the shot gun at its chest and fired his final round. The body of the creature that had chased him, and frightened him lied splattered on the concrete before him. Seth threw the empty gun to the side and went to pick up the flashlight. Shining it on the remains to make sure its dead. The reminiscence of a corpse lied on the floor oozing with a black substance. The creatures chest was shattered and split apart. Its bones were peering out.

With the pain and short term deftness the creature gave him. Seth pulled his battered up bleeding and broken body back to the elevator. The dark hallways never seemed so long and silent. Whether it was the pain or the darkness, but Seth only wanted to return to the surface even if there were hundreds of corpses up there. Even if the pollution was life threatening. The bloody hands that he leaned on was leaving marks on the wall's along the hall. As He finally reached the elevator he was never so happy to be at the entrance to a creature filled town. As he stopped for a second in front of the elevator door, a feeling came over him. He pulled the mask over his face and gripped the gun from his pocket, turning around. Behind him stood Raz, the light radiating was somewhat weaker.

It was only a half an hour later, when a helicopter was arriving on the roof of the plants main building. That the elevator leading out to the roof opened, and Seth stepped out holing Raz over his shoulder. He carried him out to the roof. The helicopter lowered down a few men with guns and then began lowering a container. The dawning sun was only beginning to wake from its nightly slumber. The creatures all over the city began to flock to the power plants roof, climbing and shoving each other on top. The armed men were fighting them off as good as they could. As the container finally landed, a young girl in a military outfit sled down and started to open it. The operation took but a few minuets. That were valuable as the corpses were making they're way up. The roof was starting to become swarmed by them. Seth lifted Raz's body in carefully. As the body was secured the girl closed it and they signaled the helicopter to lower down for pick up.

When it finally came down. A mechanism on board helped pull the container in and secure it in place. The girl then jumped in pulling Seth on board after her. The two men jumped on board and the copter started to rise. Some of the creatures were still nearing and grabbing the side of the helicopter. Seth pulled out the gun and and helped the other armed men to fight them off. As they finally broke free and started to rise Seth even threw away the gun he took from the cabinets. This winter nightmare, never seemed so long to him, it was as if he had woken from a thousand year slumber. He only spent two nights and one day down there but it all seemed to be an eternity.

As they flew over the woods Seth gazed at Rez's body, sealed in the container. When he turned to the girl beside him he was shocked to see a gun placed against his forehead. She smiled and shot at him, then kicking his body of the helicopter. Seth's lifeless body fell to the ground through some branch's near the rode. With the dawning day the light engulfed the area sending all creature's back to where they came from. The snow once more turned white and the suns gentle rays began to melt bits of them. As a pile of snow fell from the branch's it smacked right on Seth's chest. His lifeless body was left behind battered and bruised, cut and broken. As the light covered his face, a shadow stepped from the rode. A man in a black west stood in the cold winter air. Dressed like from a high class ball room party, he gazed down at Seth's remains and watched the bullet hole in his head start to evaporate. Like thousands of little fly's running for they're life. The blood that it made and bullet wound itself disappeared. He man standing above him spoke.

"Come on now, wake up. We have work to do."

Seth's body rolled to the side and he answered.

"Aw, come on. I just fell from a moving helicopter. That just broke two more of my ribs."

The man helped him up and carried Seth to a car that was parked on the rode near by. The man helped him get into the back and covered him with a blanket. The suited one then sat at the wheel and drove off.

"So I'm curios. What did I gave them in to that container."

The man merely laughed. Seth was slightly displeased.

"Come on now Raz, tell me. Or at least take me to the nearest hospital that has a decent meal."

Raz laughed as they took off. The man's outfit began to change and became a military suit. They drove out of the area without anyone even noticing them. The helicopters crew was heading back to base carrying the hound like monster in the container. Neither of them even noticed. Back down on the fourth basement floor, in the archives. One of the file's about esp ability experiments. In the list was a red circled name Razimund Sterngrey. The next few page's spoke of success in illusion ability's and the power to force other to believe in what the user chose to. Further down it spoke of the users ability's to be tragically not cause by the serum and they were limited to the human comprehension of reality. Causing the user to only force the subjects to believe in small things.

The End