The Last Will - Chapter One: Corpse in the Dark
He opened his eyes and for a moment, the man thought he was blind. Everything within his vision was a pitch black, suffocating and smothering him with its emptiness. He was alive, that much he could tell. The cold floor pushed up against his back, chilling his skin and sending frozen shivers up his spine. He wanted to move. He needed to move, to do anything besides lie there and freeze to death in the darkness.
Sitting up, the man pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. The pressure there felt good, feeling anything besides the cold felt good.
Cold, the man thought. I'm cold.
When he uncovered his eyes he found that the room was not nearly as dark as he remembered. His eyes had adjusted fully to the lack of light and now he could see his surroundings, along with the reason for his innate chilliness.
Clothes. I need clothes.
He clambered to his feet and stumbled half a step before finding his footing on the smooth stone floor.
"Hello?" He croaked. His voice was raspy from lack of use. "H- Help?"
He took a step forward and immediately tripped over something lying in his way. The ground rushed up to meet him and he shot his hands forward, stopping his descent and preventing his nose from connecting with the floor. He pushed himself up to his knees and turned his head to investigate the disturbance. His heart froze when he saw the corpse.
In a split second, the man was back on his feet and several yards away. He breathed heavily looking at the body, thrown in a crumpled heap like a piece of garbage.
That's a person, He realized. A dead person.
It was only after the wall met his back, that the man realized that he was still retreating. He closed his eyes again, trying to process what was happening. However, nothing was making sense. He couldn't remember why he was here, where he was, where he had been, or who he even was.
Who am I?
"Cain." A voice said.
His eyes shot open once more and for a full minute the man did not move. There had been an answer to his question, a small voice in the back of his head that had spoken one word. It was a single word that made so much sense, but still confused the man beyond all reason. His name was Cain. He knew that now.
Where am I? Cain asked the voice.
He paused, waiting for the voice to respond. It remained silent though and Cain was alone once more. He frowned, suddenly feeling annoyance mingle with his fear and confusion. He didn't know what was worse, being completely alone or knowing that someone was listening to him, but refusing to answer.
Answer me. Cain pleaded. I don't know where I am.
He waited once more and was rewarded similar results to his first experiment. The voice was gone. Cain's eyes came to rest on the corpse again. It was another man, currently in the process of decomposing. His sandy hair was all but gone, save for a few fluffy tufts, and his face was gaunt. Sharp cheek bones pushed against his skin, threatening to tear the flesh and expose bone to open air. He was clothed, though and Cain considered taking the dead man's clothes.
He does need them anymore. Cain reasoned.
All trepidation seemed to have vanished from Cain as he relieved the corpse of its few belongings. His initial surprise at seeing the dead man had faded away, replaced with a grim understanding of what needed to be done. Cain was cold, nude, and alone. The man was dead, but that didn't mean he couldn't be of use. As Cain buttoned up his new shirt, he felt no guilt, only relief. He didn't feel quite as vulnerable anymore, or quite as cold.
Cain straightened up and stretched the last of the kinks from his back. The clothes fit him well enough. They would have to do until he got out of there, wherever "there" was. For the first time since waking up, Cain examined his surroundings with more scrutiny. He was in a room, completely empty except for Cain, the corpse, and the darkness. The floor was grey; the walls were grey, and the ceiling grey. It made Cain slightly nauseous to shift his gaze too much, as the walls seemed to blend together into one bleak surface.
He crossed to the nearest one, dragging his fingertips over the smooth surface. It felt like stone or something equally hard, cold and earthy. Cain wracked his knuckles on the wall experimentally, half expecting a hollow bump to reverberate from the contact. However, the rock was solid and as silent as ever.
He turned away to face to room as a whole again. Eventually he spotted it, set flush against the far wall. It was dark wood, heavy looking and sturdy. It was a door. Cain rushed forward, accidentally stumbling over the abandoned corpse once more. He looked down at the man, robbed of his life and dignity, and then he looked up again, towards the door.
"I'm going to get help." Cain rasped to the man who could no longer hear. "I'll come back for you."
It was the kind thing to do, make a promise to honor the nameless man and his unwilling generosity. Cain meant what he said. He wanted to make sure the man was buried properly, put to rest properly. It would never happen though, because when Cain made it to the door and pushed it open, there was no looking back.
If Cain was hoping to find rescue, assistance, or even a friendly face, he was sorely disappointed. Through the door was more stone, more blackness, and even more questions.
What is this place, a dungeon?
It seemed like a reasonable assumption as the maze that stretched before him certainly gave him the feeling of being trapped. Cain shot quick glances to his left and right. Hallways stretched off in both directions, fading into the blackness and beckoning him with their mystery. He wasn't going to make any progress just standing there and gawking at the unknown, Cain was a man of action and right now he needed to act.
He started off to his left, resisting the urge break out into a jog. Despite every fiber of his being screaming for him to rush to an exit, he knew that taking off blindly would only serve to confuse him and possibly get him lost in the catacombs. That did not sound appealing in the least. If he was going to get out of there, he needed to keep his wits about him.
He counted his footsteps under his breath as he walked.
"… six, seven, eight…"
If he needed to go back, he could just count backwards. It seemed like a good idea and having a plan, even one as simplistic as that, made him feel more at ease.
"… forty-nine, fifty, fifty-one…"
He passed a door, then another, and another. Each time, he would stop his count and risk a peek through the entryway. It was all in vain though, as every single new room was incredibly empty, none housing another soul, dead or alive.
"… seventy-seven, seventy-eight, seventy-nine…"
There had to be some kind of landmark somewhere, something that differentiated the last ten yards with the next. Yet, the more Cain trudged on, the less and less that seemed likely. He came across no stairs, no corners, and no forks in the road. Everything was straight and everything was grey.
"… two hundred and twenty-two, two hundred and twenty-three…"
His throat and feet felt raw, as if every step and every breath punished him for trying. The air was cold and his boots were worn, only serving to aggravate his disgruntled body further. He was considering a rest when suddenly he heard a noise.
Cain stopped in his tracks and snapped his head towards a passing door, the source of the sound. It was the first thing he'd heard besides his own voice so far and even though it was faint, it seemed deafening to his deprived ears.
"Hello?" Cain asked of the door.
It responded quickly, emitting another rustling sound, as if someone was organizing a stack of papers. Cain moved towards the door.
"Is someone there?"
The heavy door swung open with some difficulty on its rusted hinges. Cain stood in the hallway staring into the room with disbelief.
"What in the-"
Spiders, there were hundreds of giant spiders, all bigger than a grapefruit. They scuttled across the floor, setting their beady black eyes on the startled man, or as they referred to him "dinner". Cain was frozen to the spot, unsure if he was actually seeing reality or not.
This can't be real.
And yet, as the first spider leapt forward and dug it's mandibles into Cain's shoulder, it certainly felt real. He cried out and swatted the giant bug away from him. However it was quickly replaced by two more that latched onto his arm and chest. Cain ducked away, dodging more of the leaping attackers and brushing away the ones already chewing at his shirt and skin.
The spiders poured from the open doorway like a river of furry legs and glowing eyes. Cain didn't want to risk shutting the door in an attempt to stem the flow, as that would put him right in the middle of the surging wave. There was really one option open to him: run.
He turned and sprinted down the hallway, back the way he had come. Spiders snapped their jaws at his heels and lunged after him, desperately trying to take a chunk out of the fleeing man. The sound of their many rustling legs sent a chill up Cain's spine and drove him to run faster, pounding his legs against the ground and propelling himself forward. He wasn't keeping count of his steps anymore, not that it mattered anyway. Returning to his original room didn't seem very appealing and he doubted that he would find much protection from the spiders in there.
Various doors whizzed by him, each as nondescript as the others. He had no idea how far he ran or for how long. All he knew was that he was exhausted. His long trek down the corridor, paired with his current race in the opposite direction was burning him out at an alarming rate. Soon enough, his step would falter or his legs would give out, and then he would be ripped apart by the arachnid horde.
A spider pushed off the ground and landed on his arm. It bit down and Cain screamed once more from the pain.
"No!" He yelled, digging deep within himself for the strength to push forward.
There was a door fast approaching on his left and Cain set his eyes on it. He had no idea what was lurking behind it or where it might lead, but he knew that almost anything was preferable than his current situation. With a final burst of speed, Cain put some distance between him and the swarm. His shoulder collided with the hard wood of the door and it gave under the force, swinging open to admit the frantic prey.
Cain spun on the spot, grabbing the edge of the door and slamming it shut. There was a loud slam as the wood fit back into place, followed by several feeble thumps as the spiders hurled themselves against the portal. Cain pressed his back against the surface, silently praying that it would hold the creatures as bay. After a few moments the feeble thumps ceased to arrive and Cain exhaled a deep breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
"Oh, god." Cain huffed, resting his head against the closed door. For the moment, he was safe.
There was still a dull ache in his elbow and when he investigated the pain, Cain found that the spider that had bit his arm was still there. He grimaced and brought his elbow back against the wall, crushing the spider with a sickening squelching sound and a splatter of red.
He was tempted to slump to the ground and take a much needed rest. There was a harsh stitch in his side and white splotches flashed over his vision, signaling a lack of oxygen. He needed to catch his breath, to just think for a moment. However there was one desire that eclipsed all the rest, which made everything else, even his physical state, seem unimportant. Cain needed to escape.
His gaze fell upon another door on the opposite side of the room. Cain pushed away from the door that was his savior and staggered across the ground, towards more of the unknown.
If there are more spiders over here, Cain thought as he pressed his palm against the door. They can just eat me, I'm done.
Whether Cain would accept his death by spider or actually attempt to flee once more, would have to be left up to the imagination. Fore as the door swung open, something samll, black, and fast bolted into the room and collided with his chest. Cain tumbled backwards, grappling with his attacker and bracing himself for the inevitable collision with the earth.
He wasn't disappointed. The back of his head cracked against the cold ground and something hot and sticky coated his hair. His vision blurred and Cain watched as the black shape above him shifted around, eventually coming into focus.
"Oh." Cain coughed once he saw what it was, or who it was.
It was a woman, young with dark hair and wide eyes. She was clothed in a black dress and in her hand she clutched a silver dagger. The woman blinked at Cain, apparently as surprised to see him as he was to see her.
She didn't respond to his simple attempt at conversation, either deeming his 'oh' not worth an answer or not worth her time. Instead, the woman climbed off of him and ran away, towards the far side of the room. Cain craned his neck to watch her progress. The woman seemed scared, terrified even.
"It's okay." Cain called to her, propping himself up on an arm. "I won't hurt you."
The woman turned to face him as he spoke. Her eyes shinned with tears and her head shook furiously, no. With a shaking hand, she pointed past Cain and towards the door that she'd just came from. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Cain followed her finger and stopped breathing entirely.
"Oh." He said again.
There was a monster in the doorway. It was massive, easily over ten feet tall, covered in fur, and very very angry. The beast shouldered its way thought the doorway, crumbling away some of the stone in the process. Once it was fully in the room, it raised its enormous head and sniffed at the air with its black snout. It was a hunter and they were now the prey. The monster snapped its head in the woman's direction and she tightened her grip on her knife, backing further away towards the corner.
Cain swallowed hard, a million thoughts rushing through his head at once. First there was relief, as he was not alone in the catacombs. Then there was fear, since this monster will mostly likely tear them both the shreds in the next few seconds.
Is this really it? Cain wondered. I escape the frying pan just to fall right into the fire.
As if he had spoken aloud instead of in his own head, the murderous monster shifted its attention to Cain. He was still prone on the ground, not daring to draw any more attention to him than strictly necessary. Nevertheless it was fruitless, as the monster had definitely noticed him anyway. It's meaty lips twisted up in a gruesome smile as the monster stooped low and wrapped one of it's clawed hands around Cain's neck.
The man gasped and kicked at the beast, missing his target by a mile. Cain was hefted into the air and held aloft in the monster's grasp. The sharp claws dug into his neck, bringing forth beads of red on Cain's skin and cutting off air flow to his lungs.
I guess this is really it.
Instead of eating him though, the monster brought its other hand up and danced its razor sharp fingers before Cain's face. To reasons known only to the fearsome beast, it slowly reached over and slid its nails under the lid of Cain's left eye.
Cain screamed in pain and fear, feeling the blades scratch at his delicate organ. With a sharp tug, the monster popped Cain's eye from his socket severed the optic nerve with a pinch of it's fingers. Cain saw white, then red, and then finally black in a matter of seconds. Everything on his left side seemed to disappear and the sight in his remaining eye started to fade as well, plunging him into darkness once more.
It was too much. The pain was too much.
Cain went limp in the monster's grasp and the beast gave a meaty laugh, before popping the eyeball into his mouth and popping it between his molars like an over-ripe grape.
The woman, meanwhile, had been torn on what to do. The gruesome display was shaking her greatly, threatening to break her already fractured resolve. She should run while the monster was distracted, save herself and live to die another day. However, as she watched apparently the only other human in the world about to die, she found herself leaping into action.
She dashed forward, raising her knife as she went, and with a strength not usually associated with women of her size, she stabbed her blade into the monster's thigh. The beast immediately dropped Cain and wheeled on the woman. It swung it's mighty arm, catching her by the middle and lifting her off of her feet. She was thrown backwards, skidding across the smooth ground and finally slamming into the far wall. Lights danced eyes and she barely registered as the monster advanced on her now. She had been stupid, so very stupid, and now it was time to pay the price.
Cain slumped to the ground, twisting against the cruel world and pawing at his ruined face. He squeezed his eyes shut, but that only worsened the pain on the left side of his face.
No, no, no, no. Oh god please.
He rolled onto his side, curling himself into a ball. This really did seem like the end for him. Blind, broken, and beaten, Cain almost welcomed death now. He cursed whoever was responsible for putting him here. He cursed himself for not being fast enough, smart enough, or strong enough. Finally, he cursed that woman, for leading that monster right to him.
The woman.
Cain forced his good eye open and pressed both of his hands over his ruined left one. His fingers did not stop the flow of blood, not in the slightest, and the pressure he applied only worsened the pain. Yet, he kept his palms there, as he did not know what else to do. His right eye seemed to be spinning around in his socket, flashing a series of images at him too quickly for him to analyze. Eventually he forced it to come to a stop and he caught sight of the giant bear-like monster bearing down on the dazed woman.
A hot fluid suddenly flowed through his vein, mixing with his blood and propelling him to his feet. Somehow this woman had prevented his death, if only for the time being. He would have to return the favor. The adrenaline may have temporarily restored his mobility, but it by no means made him reckless. Cain needed a plan, or better yet, a weapon.
A flash of silver caught his eye. The woman had dropped her dagger during the attack. Cain fell to his knees, sliding on the icy-floor and scrambling for the dagger with his hand. His fingers met steel and Cain gripped the weapon tightly, unintentionally slicing open his hand on the sharp blade. He cursed again and spun the knife around to hold the handle properly this time.
The monster grabbed the woman by her throat, much like he had held Cain before, and pulled her close to him. It's clawed hand rose again, preparing to repeat the blinding process once more, but before he could complete the ritual a white hot pain exploded between it's shoulder blades. The monster shrieked in pain and twisted away from the source of the pain. The woman was dropped and Cain pulled the knife free, before joining the woman on the ground.
It was too much. The pain was too much
The monster obviously decided that this venture was more trouble than it was worth, as it rushed away from the scene, loping on all for limbs for extra speed. It would retreat, lick it's wounds, and return for revenge and a healthy meal.
The woman, now free, gasped for air and sucked oxygen greedily into her lungs. She was lying flat on the ground, too frightened and still too dazed to move. The monster, whatever it was, was now gone for the time being and that was a blessing. The only blessing they would receive for a long time to come. Currently though, the woman was content to lie on the floor for a while, as the cold surface felt good enough against her aching muscles.
She was almost comfortable, drenched in a cool sweat and bruised heavily along her back. Sleep had just promised to overtake her when abruptly a warm wave of water brushed up against the skin of her arm. She wished the water would leave her alone, so that she could rest. The water had other plans though, as it continued to pool around her, staining her flesh and soaking into her dress. The woman opened her eyes, twisted her neck, and found that it wasn't actually water that was drifting around her.
Cain was bleeding heavily from his left eye socket, lying a few feet away from her. The woman's jaw fell open as she looked at him. There was so much blood. He had to be dead, there was no way he could still survive this. Cautiously, as if the man might attack her, the woman rolled from her back and crawled over to him.
Amazingly, Cain lifted his head as she approached.
"Ellie?" He croaked.
"No," The woman shook her head and pointed at her chest. "Eve."
"Oh."
Cain passed out.
If he continued to bleed like he was, Cain would surely die. Taking a firm grip on the hem of her dress, Eve tore off a long strip. She then propped Cain's head in her lap and proceeded to wrap his head, covering his left eye socket and easing the flow of blood.
She rested him on the floor again and recovered her knife from where it had fallen once again. The weapon had done a good job, effectively fending off the monster. Eve had found it, along with her clothes, in her original room. Besides that though, she had found no other means for defense and besides Cain, she had encountered no other people. She was starting to lose hope in finding an exit when she was attacked. If it weren't for Cain, she would probably be dead, and if it wasn't for her, Cain would probably still have both eyes.
Eve couldn't take all the blame though. How was she supposed to know that going through that door would lead her right smack into Cain? The simple answer was that it was impossible to have known. The only thing left to do now was try and make it up to Cain for saving her life.
Eve examined the remains of the second door to their current room. The monster had broken the entryway completely by forcing it's way through the too small passage. Now there was nothing that she could do the block the entrance. They weren't safe there, she knew that. Eventually they would have to move.
A soft whimper caused her to jump slightly and Eve looked over to find that Cain was beginning to stir. She left the ruined door and made her way over to him, still cautious although smart enough to know that the wounded man would not, and most likely could not, hurt her.
"I- I can't," Cain gasped and felt at the shoddy bandage around his head. "I can't-"
"No." Eve reached down and brushed his hands away from his wound. "Don't touch it."
"My eye."
"I know."
Cain looked up at his nurse and frowned at her. She was trembling slightly, shivering as if from the cold.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"What?" Eve asked, looking down at him.
"Are you hurt?"
"No," She knelt down next to Cain. "No, I'm fine."
Cain nodded and took a shaky breath. He tried again, gingerly touching at his left eye and feeling the wet bandage that covered the empty socket.
"Who are you?" He shifted and slid over to the nearest wall, slumping against it. "What was that thing?"
"I don't know." She said honestly.
"Don't know, what?"
"Either one."
Cain shook his head, exhaling deeply.
"You said you name was Eve."
Eve nodded. She sat next to him, bringing her legs up to her chest and resting her chin upon her knees. Cain waited for her to say something, anything. She didn't respond though.
"I'm..." He thought for a moment. "Cain. My name is Cain."
Eve nodded once more. The name suited him. It was short, one syllable, straight and to the point. That was Cain.
"Are you alone?" He prodded.
"Yes."
"Do you know…? Do you know where we are?"
Eve shook her head, no.
"Do you know anything?"
"I can't remember," Eve closed her eyes and buried her face in her knees. "I can't remember anything."
Cain bit the inside of his cheek. This woman answered none of his questions, only raising more. The longer he spent in the catacombs the fewer things made sense. Why were they here? Were there other people here? Is there nothing here, but giant spiders and killer bears? For the umpteenth time since first waking up, Cain wished that he would just wake up from this nightmare.
"We can't stay here." Cain stated the obvious. He looked down at his shirt. The material was stained with his own blood and dust. He unbuttoned the cuffs and rolled up his sleeves as he spoke. "Do you know if there is an exit out of here?"
"I've been looking," Eve fixed her wide, dark eyes on him again. She forced herself to meet his gaze, as opposed to staring bluntly at the blood dripping out from underneath his bandage. "But there's no way out."
"There has to be." Cain put his hand against the wall and used the surface for support as he climbed to his feet. "This can't be it."
Eve moved to steady him as he started to slid to the floor again. He accepted her help, allowing her to take on some of his weight.
"Eve," Cain grimaced as his left eye throbbed painfully. "Do you have that knife?"
She showed it to him, pulling it from a belt around her middle and holding it out to him.
"No," He refused her offer. "You keep it. I'm not going to be much help right now."
Currently, Cain's entire depth perception was off. He would barely be able to walk in a straight line, let alone defend them efficiently with the dagger. The pair made their way over to the door. Eve poked her head out into the corridor, making sure the coast was clear, before looking to Cain and giving him another sharp nod.
"Alright," Cain took a deep breath. "Let's go."
They set off, into the unknown.
As mentioned in the description, this story is very, very, very loosely based of The Binding of Isaac. It's an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for a long while and I hope that you like it. "The Last Will" is a redux of a story that I tried to write a long time ago. Hopefully things will work out better this time around.
In upcoming chapters we will learn more about this mysterious maze, our ragged survivors, and the dangerous beasts that lurk in the depths. Questions like: What is going on? Who is Ellie? Where is Isaac and the rest of the gang? Will all be answered soon.
If you have any comments drop a review or shoot me a PM.
Thanks for reading.
- Mike
