Chapter I: Gentle Ally
"Sometimes it's not strength but gentleness that cracks the hardest shells."
― Richard Paul Evans
To say that Sebastian Castellanos had been thrown into a world of chaos would be the most laughable understatement of the century. Hell didn't hold a candle to this place, and terrifying was only a poor synonym for it.
And he had an awful, sinking feeling that this was only the beginning.
After being separated from the rest of his squad, chased by a bulky man bearing a chainsaw, and having to dodge around the collapsing city as he and his team fled in the relatively safe confines of an ambulance, the detective deemed it safe to say he had seen his fill of adventure for a lifetime.
But now he found himself wandering through the darkness, his lantern radiating a warm glow as he carefully maneuvered his way through what he could only hope was an abandoned village. He had seen what lurked in the crevices of the deepest shadows― knew what was ready and willing to chase him should he alert them to his presence. Those monstrous creatures that donned the body of deceased corpses, but still walked and moved about.
Crouched down close to the ground, he carefully crept up a set of stairs, setting fire to a pile of mangled bodies that blocked his path. He grimaced at the unpleasant aroma of rotten flesh set ablaze, but nonetheless the detective pushed on.
Advancing through the housing and disarming traps here and there, as well as taking great care to gather any ammo he happened upon, a sudden sound snagged his attention as he reached the upper levels of the house.
"Leslie, over here!" The voice was masculine yet strained, tone laced with alarm. There was the sound of shuffling footsteps for a brief moment in the room next to Sebastian, and the detective pursed his lips into a taut frown, readying his handgun.
The unknown figure muttered something in distress, but was soon cut off as Sebastian kicked the door open, aiming his gun directly at the man. He whirled around, his blue eyes stretching wide in alarm before he tossed his hands up and ducked his head down passively.
"Don't shoot― don't shoot! I'm not...one of them," He stressed, and Sebastian's tensed muscles began to relax ever so slightly. He hesitated briefly before lowering his firearm, eyeing the pristinely dressed man.
"I'm a doctor," He continued, "My name is Marcelo Jimenez."
The armed one of the two felt his brows dip downwards as he began to recognize the face, and it wasn't long before he came to the mildly reassuring revelation that this man had been in the ambulance with himself and his team before it had crashed. Perhaps if he had survived, the others had made it out as well. He could only hope as much.
"You were in the ambulance when it crashed, weren't you?" The detective prodded, receiving a nod from the doctor.
"Yes, and we're more than lucky to be alive." He breathed, his eyes darting to glance over the nearby balustrade momentarily before his gaze re-directed itself to the investigator, the latter mentioned wasting no time in beginning to question the mental hospital employee.
"Have you seen anyone else around here?" He prodded, his voice firm and thick, and once more, Jimenez nodded.
"Yes. My patient Leslie; he ran ahead, but..." Jimenez began, before he trailed off, sparing another glance over the open balcony. He shuffled his feet then, moving forward carefully as he urged Sebastian to follow him― quietly.
A group of undead lingered in the near distance, their growls earning a slight breath of exasperation from the detective. These things were a pain to deal with, and unless he drilled them in the head with bullets from his gun or otherwise scattered their collective limbs by leading them near a trap, they were persistent as hell. Burning them while they were down was also an option, but it was a race against time to get to them before they stood back up again.
"Listen, I'll distract them while you find a way to open that gate. That's where Leslie fled through, and I'm certain it's our ticket out of here." Jimenez offered, descending down the nearest flight of stairs before Sebastian could protest.
The shouts of the doctor soon filled the air, and the police detective leaned over the railing as he watched the older man wave around a torch that glowed like a beacon in the night. The living-dead whipped their heads around to him, their mouths parting as they let awful shrieks and cries before beginning to hobble over to the doctor.
"What is he doing?" Sebastian hissed beneath his breath, grunting a bit as he hurried towards the door, "That old man's going to get himself killed."
As concerned that he was that this man was going to be torn apart by the claws of the hoard, he had his own problems to worry about. Namely the task of opening the gate that the doctor had so willingly pushed on him.
With the enemies distracted, he soon set to work in remedying their shared problem. The gate that the pale haired mental patient had fled through was now closed tight, the sharp spikes wedged firmly into the ground. Upon approaching it and giving the chain that controlled the gate a firm tug, he quickly deduced that it wasn't budging any time soon. Not with the sheer force of his bare hands alone, at least. So, with a disgruntled sigh, he set to work on locating the next best thing. Something to break the chain with.
His search led him through the other structures in the area, and despite the doctor's helpful distraction, the undead had managed to hunt him down. Using the darkness and various traps to his advantage, Sebastian began to pick his pursuers off one by one.
But as he descended a particular flight of stairs, a struggling voice soon made itself known, and his head swiveled in the direction of the sound. It sounded as if whatever was being restrained was putting up a hell of a struggle, and chains rattled relentlessly as the detained individual yanked and jerked on them.
"What the―" He muttered beneath his breath, his brows knitting together briefly.
The wall closest to him suddenly caved in beneath a tremendous amount of pressure, and the detective jolted backwards, the roar of a chainsaw sending chills down his spine.
Shit.
Whirling around and kicking his gait up to a sprint, he barely managed to tuck and roll beneath the swing of the churning blade. In his peripheral vision, he caught sight of a few pieces of his own dark hair that had been snipped off by the weapon fluttering down, and that was enough to motivate him to pick up the pace. Because to put it simply― if he didn't haul ass, that chainsaw was going to make sure that his head said its goodbye to his shoulders.
Managing to outrun his pursuer, he shook him off his tail briefly as he slipped into the shadows, slipping another clip into his handgun as well as loading up his rifle he had stumbled upon in this god-forsaken village. The sound of the chainsaw was growing nearer, and Sebastian forced his hand to steady itself as he aimed at the psychopath's chest and fired.
Shot after shot he blasted into his pursuer, but still yet he seemed to persist. Forced to retreat again, the detective gritted his teeth and scrambled to collect his thoughts and devise a plan. This big guy was becoming a pain to deal with.
After what seemed like forever, he finally managed to fell the beast by catching him off guard. The victory undoubtedly came with a price, however, considering he had gone through far more ammo than he would have liked. Luckily the village had a few rounds to spare, so he wasn't entirely out of luck.
Snapping his head to the side as the body of the mad-man soon dissipated into a crumbling, red-hued dust like substance, the detective's gaze followed the trail that snaked its way back to a particular figure that had appeared when his attention had been focused elsewhere.
A man now stood in front of the same closed gate that Sebastian had been attempting to get through, his white hood concealing a portion of his face. There were gruesome scars encompassing his flesh, and his eyes were pale and cold as he stared him down. This was the man that had attacked him in the hospital. This man, if he could even still be referred to as such, was no friend of his, to say the least.
Once the red trail reached the marred stranger, it dissipated into his skin, and Sebastian watched as he turned his body slowly and began walking a few paces before vanishing into thin air.
Lowering his gun slowly once he was sure the cloaked man was gone, the detective carefully approached the gate. Revving up the chainsaw, he slammed the weapon against the hefty chain, finally managing to severe it in twain.
The gate opened then, and before Sebastian could slink further into this mad world, another figure made its presence known. This time, however, it was not one of horrific appearance, or murderous nature. At least, as far as he could tell. That didn't stop him from nearly jumping out of his skin at the sudden entrance, however, considering the fact that his nerves were like live wires at the moment.
She seemed to glitch into the world in a similar fashion to the scarred hooded figure, and his initial reaction and sheer instinct was to raise his gun at her. She stood still, her eyes watching him carefully, almost as if she were scrutinizing him. The blue orbs were so vibrant in color, so radiant in tone, that it looked as if shards carved straight from pure glaciers were gazing at him.
Her eyelashes were thick, long, as well as dark― perfect frames that created a vast contrast in color compared to her eyes. Her skin was fair; a flawless porcelain, and her rosy lips were poised in a neutral position that boasted neither a smile nor a frown at the moment. Her hair was a deep brown, nearly black in hue, and it was pulled up into a simple yet pleasant updo decorated with a small, flowery headdress.
Her off-shoulder, lace white gown was reminiscent of an older style, and it sported a long train that lay splayed out on the ground behind her. Her pristine attire caused her to stand out like a ghost against the dark backdrop of their surroundings, and as she blinked at him, Sebastian took a step back. He had mistaken her for a statue momentarily, she had been standing so still.
But then she smiled at him, and he was briefly disarmed by the tenderness in that simple curl of her lips.
"Who the hell...?" He began, before a startled sound followed by a relieved sigh behind him urged him to glance over his shoulder.
Dr. Jimenez was approaching hastily, and the woman's gaze flicked to him. Recognition flitted across her features, and her smile warmed even further as she glided over to him with graceful steps, her dress fluttering like silk in the wind as she trotted ever so casually up to the doctor.
"It's alright, there's nothing to worry about. She's a good friend of mine." The doctor reassured, and Sebastian frowned, scrutinizing the woman. She certainly didn't seem hostile, but then again, he knew better by now than to trust anything around here.
"Really? I don't recall seeing her in the ambulance with you." He accused suspiciously, eyeing Jimenez, who briefly touched the woman on the shoulder, seemingly fascinated by the fact that she was here. This further confused the rugged man, who waited patiently for his companion to explain himself.
"That's because she's not...she wasn't...well, how can I put this?" He mumbled to himself, seeming to mull over something of great importance as he circled around the female, eyeing her in an innocuous manner. She stood still beneath his close inspection, blinking passively every so often. She had yet to say a single word, and Sebastian didn't know whether that was reassuring or troubling.
"Never mind, I'll explain to you soon enough." Jimenez eventually dismissed the subject, "Our first priority is Leslie. He should be just up ahead― it is imperative that we find him."
"Hey, wait! You're not going to―?" His question soon trailed off as the doctor jogged ahead of him, leaving the detective behind with the feminine stranger. Sebastian heaved what felt like the hundredth sigh of the day as he rubbed his temples, turning to face the woman that watched him curiously.
"What's your name?" He spoke up after a moment, earning a passive blink from the stranger. Her full lips pulled into a docile smile then, and much to his surprise, she picked up the edges of her dress into her slender fingers and curtsied.
"A. M. A." She responded, and her voice surprised him. It had a particularly temperate timbre about it, and it flowed smoothly like a stream of silk. She was soft-spoken as well, and her tone held an archaic twinge to it to boot. All in all, she appeared to be vastly out of her element here in this twisted place.
"Ama?" He repeated, raising a single brow at the unique name. He didn't question its origin, however, despite it striking him as odd.
"You fought the Sadist, did you not?" It was her turn to question him now, and for some reason, her benign gaze caused a strange yet soothing sensation to overtake him. She paced towards him, and her delicate hand flitted up to his rough cheek. Her thumb brushed over a small cut on his visage, and she hummed beneath her breath in thought as she wiped the blood away from his skin. He nearly flinched away from the touch, unwilling to allow her so close to him, but a brief glance from her tame eyes somehow assured him that she would do him no harm.
"Who is the Sadist?" He asked hesitantly, and she smiled at him again, albeit in a more melancholy manner. He was really beginning to question as to whether or not this woman was simply a hallucination, her affable nature seemed so out of place here. But the doctor had seen her too, and even claimed she was a friend of his. So surely she was real.
"He is― or rather, he was― a creature born from the mind of a murderer, merged with Ruvik's own hatred. He lost his way, succumbing to rage and becoming the murderous monster you saw yourself." She explained, though her clarification only brought up a dozen more questions.
"Ruvik? Who is Ruvik?"
Her smile slackened then, and her eyes became unreadable. Her hand retreated from his cheek and she turned, walking away from him without another word.
Sebastian turned as well, watching her elegant form practically waltz into the shadows away from him. He arched a brow then, inhaling quietly before shaking his head a bit.
"Right, so that's apparently a sore spot." He muttered beneath his breath, sweeping his hand through his hair as he picked up his pace in order to catch up to the doctor and his ally. When he returned to them, they were walking side by side, their heads tucked together as they quietly conversed about a seemingly urgent matter, judging by the facial cues of Jimenez.
"Have you seen him?" The whisper was barely audible, but nonetheless, Sebastian heard it.
Ama's features were once more unreadable, and she tucked her chin down in a faint nod. The scientist's expression became more wary, and the old-fashioned female spoke in a quieter tone now as well.
"Yes. He walks in the shadows, ever so watchful. I am afraid, doctor, that he is far more in control of this environment than you anticipated. These creatures, these things, every aspect of this hateful world is― " She stopped short then, her eyes snapping to the KCPD detective when she noted that he was a little too close within hearing range of the private conversation.
Jimenez scoffed under his breath but motioned for the other male to catch up to them. Sebastian hesitated, frowning inwardly as he strode up to the two. They were hiding something from him, and he didn't take kindly to it.
"Ah, the hospice. Of course, how could I have forgotten? Leslie was being treated here years ago. It would make sense for him to flee here, thinking it was safe."
That wasn't particularly comforting in the slightest. Was it wrong to think this place was safe? Of course it was, because what part of this entire area had he encountered that had been safe?
"You know this place?"
"Just up ahead is the hospice my brother runs. He'll take us in, I'm sure of it." The doctor seemed content to ignore the detective, and the latter wasn't one to be so easily cast aside.
"That didn't answer my question." He grunted, his voice firm and demanding; a product of years on the job as a investigative detective.
"I don't know," Jimenez drawled with a breathy sigh, "For all I know I've lost my mind and all of this is just a delusion. But I'd like to think I have enough dignity within me to warrant an obligation to protect my patient. As an officer of the law, you should too."
Feeling his lips twitch in a vaguely annoyed manner, Sebastian resisted the urge to spit out a smart-ass remark. He wasn't too successful in his attempt, seeing as how he muttered something under his breath anyways.
Climbing up the steps to the house that the doctor paused in front of, Sebastian let him take the led as he strode confidently into the hospice. Noting that Ama had failed to follow, the law enforcer swiveled his head around, eyeing the woman as she lingered by the door.
Her gaze was cast dead ahead, and she stared off into the distance, seemingly peering into or at something that he could not see. Again, her gaze was unreadable, and she looked like a porcelain statue as she stood as still as a stone sentinel.
"Ama...?" He began, his tone vaguely concerned for her. His hand grappled for his gun, assuming that there was an enemy nearby, but she suddenly swiveled on her heels and smiled at him.
"Forgive me, detective. I must have been seeing things." She dismissed kindly, her smiling returning to her features as she picked up the corners of her dress again, the train of it trailing behind her as she made her way up the stairs. He nodded stiffly, allowing the door to close behind her as he flicked his lantern on. The warm glow cast away the shadows, and Ama's eyes briefly flickered to the source of light.
Just when he was expecting her to say something about it running the risk of attracting attention, she jumped topics, and turned her gaze forward as she walked alongside him.
"Your pace has slackened. Perhaps you were wounded in your previous fight?" She presumed, and the detective shot her an indignant look which warranted a soft, melodic chuckle from her. She appeared to be able to read him far more easily than he could her.
"My sincerest apologies― I meant no offense. I'm merely stating the truth. If you are wounded, you will find the syringes scattered about to be of the utmost use to you." Her tone was kind as she proceeded to reassure him, and he found himself unable to be miffed at her blunt statement, annoyingly enough.
Shuffling around, he located a syringe that he had collected earlier, staring down at it for a brief moment. He was aware that she was watching him expectantly, and after taking a small breath, he injected it into his arm. Almost immediately, he felt a rush of relief as the pain and soreness dissipated, and Ama smiled softly.
"Better?" She crooned, her tone amiable. He spared her a nod, and she seemed content with this as she moved forward in the house.
The place had certainly declined in appearance, and it seemed as if a hurricane had blasted through her as of late. The floorboards creaked unnervingly with every step that the two males of the group took, but their ever so graceful companion made not a sound as she swept over the flooring. The only sound she made came from the rustling of her dress that trailed behind her as she walked.
"Expose everything...Hush, hush...Don't you fret."
A chill immediately swept down Sebastian's spine, and Ama's warm eyes snapped to the glimpse of a shadow that was visible behind the curtain that divided a section of the room off. She froze in her spot, and he reached out in an attempt to stop the doctor from advancing any nearer to the tattered sheet of fabric that obscured their view of Jimenez's brother.
"Valerio, it's me!" Jimenez called out casually, striding up towards his sibling with the utmost confidence, as the other voice continued to rumble mindlessly.
"The good doctor is here."
"This is my brother, Valerio. He was Leslie's original doctor― " His voice died on his lips as flesh splattered against the ground, falling in grotesque clumps as the burly doctor carved away at an unmoving patient. Sebastian stepped in front of Jimenez, spreading his arm out in front of his chest to keep him shielded.
"Hey, what are you doing?" The detective demanded, and the owner of the hospice slowly turned around. Sebastian wasn't surprised with what he saw, and in all honesty, he couldn't say that he hadn't been anticipating that something was going to go wrong here. Still yet, he wished he could've been proven wrong for once.
The heavy-set man advanced towards him, eyes aglow as his beefy hand wielded a large, knife like weapon. Clenching his jaw, his aimed his gun and took a single, well placed shot that resulted in bits of Valerio's head decorating the nearest wall.
"How?" Jimenez muttered, "How could he have done that to Valerio?" He approached the corpse of his brother then, swallowing hard as he stared down at it, "Impossible...Couldn't be Ruvik..."
There was that name again. Sebastian was beginning to grow a bit wary of just how often this particular alias was popping up, though a sudden, splitting headache prevented him from demanding to know who this Ruvik was that both the doctor and Ama had mentioned.
His world blurred around him, and he wobbled on his feet, grappling at his head. His hands fisted into his hair as he grunted in a pained manner, screwing his eyes shut as he stumbled and fell against the back wall. Every inch of his skull felt as if it would cave in beneath the pressure at any moment; he had never felt anything so excruciating in his life. Images of Valerio raced through his mind as the man feverishly scraped at his head, claiming that it had an "itch". Blood welled up on the doctor's scalp, and just as Sebastian was beginning to feel nauseated, the vision was abruptly dispelled, and he was pulled out of his trance-like state.
Ama stood before him, her expression painted with concern. Two fingers were pressed against his forehead, and she let her touch linger before she retracted it, stepping away from him then. Sebastian sucked in deep lungfuls of air, letting out a shaky breath after he had managed to regain his bearings.
"What did you just do?" He questioned. The searing pain of the unwarranted migraine had completely dissipated the second she had touched him, and that wasn't something he would consider normal. She tucked her head down though rather than answer him immediately, spinning around as she began to pace away.
"I released you." Her voice floated through the air, and he pushed off the wall, calling out to her in an attempt to get her to explain herself. She had released him? Released him from what? What had had a grip on him? But she had already fled, and he caught a glimpse of her white dress fluttering wildly as she made her way hurriedly towards the windows.
Both the detective and the doctor gave pursuit, and a sudden fearful cry shattered the silence of the night. Ama's head swiveled in the direction of the scream, and her lips parted as she began to visibly fret.
"Leslie..." She whispered, her gaze darting over his shoulder as she glanced at Jimenez. Her features now lacked their trademark gentleness, and in its stead there was alarm. Her eyes were widened, her hands clenched, and her brows clenched in worry.
"Ama, please, settle down. He'll be alright, don't do anything―" The figure of the woman seemed to glitch out, and in a split moment she had disappeared, leaving not a trace left behind.
"Brash..." The doctor finished, before he heaved out a rough sigh, facing the detective, "Come, we must find her. She will most certainly lead us to Leslie."
"How do you know that for sure?" The younger of the two demanded, and the aged doctor pursed his lips, his troubled blue eyes directing elsewhere as he hesitated.
"It's in her...Oh, how should I put this? It's in her nature...to protect him."
"In her nature? What's that supposed to mean?" Sebastian frowned, "What are her ties to him? Is she a relative of his?"
"Not quite. Come, I'll do my best to explain on the way. But we must hurry!" His voice faded as he exited the building, leaving the detective behind to mull over his words.
Something was definitely not right here. Years of experience and knowledge of investigative situations had left him with sharp judgment, which meant he could smell an oddity from a mile away. And this mysterious woman was raising just about every red flag possible in his mind. Between her out of place appearance, her ability to teleport in and out of places like a specter, and her capability to subdue his sudden headache, she was an all around enigma riddled with secrecy.
And Dr. Marcelo Jimenez was undoubtedly hiding something about her― something he intended to get to the bottom of.
This was mainly a chapter to introduce A. M. A., but rest assured, the next chapter will be where things start picking up. Thank you all for viewing my story! I hope it's to your guy's liking, and that I can continue to please in future chapters. And to the guest that reviewed, thank you so very much! I'm flattered by your kind comments!