Chapter 4: Power of Darkness
Delta was on his feet in a second, the light from his porthole and the fire providing only minimal sight to him. The minute the lights went out everything seemed to go silent. Delta cautiously peered around as the sound of dripping water became the main chorus, then the screaming started.
It was as if every splicer in Pauper's drop suddenly started screaming and from Delta's experience it probably was. Splicers were not only psychotic but paranoid, not being able to see must be driving them deranged. Delta turned to the burning bodies the fire would act as a beacon attracting splicers to him. As if to emphasize this a thug leapt over the fire toward him brandishing a wrench.
Delta impaled the splicer on his drill just as a lead head opened fire from the darkness. Using the thug as a meat shield/battering ram Delta charged the lead head. As Delta collided with him the lead head was lifted off his feet by momentum. The lead head flailed wildly firing his weapon in random directions before being smashed against a wall. Delta listened as the lead head's body crunched under the impact and let both corpses slide to the ground.
Delta turned to see a thug flailing a pipe around in random directions as she sped towards the fire. Something tripped her and she went flying onto the burning corpses. As her clothing and hair ignited she screamed, adding to the symphony of screams engulfing the Drop, and raced blindly around. Her ignited form highlighted the crazed faces of several dozen more splicers converging on the flames.
One scream rose above the others, a wail that Delta had almost forgotten. Ever since he gunned down those two big sisters in Persephone Delta hadn't seen one alive since, he'd thought they were all dead. This wasn't good, not by a long shot. Delta knew that fighting a big sister in these conditions would, at least, leave him critically wounded. As delta smashed another thug with his drill he heard the wail again. Just as the telltale red light of a big sister dropped from the ceiling another thug rushed Delta. As Delta caved in the thug's chest with his fist a lead head opened fire on him.
Before Delta could react the lead head was pulled backward onto the big sister's syringe. Delta was about to take his opportunity and leveled his rivet gun when another splicer flew through the air past him. Delta turned and watched as he was impaled on ANOTHER big sister's syringe.
Forget one big sister, there was know way he could survive two in these conditions. Just as he began mapping an escape route he so happened to look up. The sight that greeted him was enough to instill an emotion he thought he'd long since forgotten: FEAR. On the ceiling were dozens of red lights crawling around.
Delta's feet were carrying him in an instant, he was briefly aware that he was heading towards the Sinclair Deluxe. With the velocity of a locomotive Delta bounded across the floors, crushing several unlucky splicers in the process. Delta's light continuously lit up scenes of insanity as the local splicers spiraled into insanity. All through it he continued running. He'd never seen so many in one place before, he didn't even know that many existed. He'd encountered less than ten on his journey though Rapture, there had easily been several dozen in there at least. As he continued running a terrifying thought entered his mind: what if those weren't all of them either? What if there were hundreds spread out across Rapture?
The thought did nothing to comfort him as Delta charged past the fishbowl diner to the Deluxe. On the roof two leadheads were firing at a group of thugs on the ground. As Delta stumbled inside he turned to see a strange splicer staring at him. It had the face of a spider splicer but had a long coat on. The coat was wrapped around it's arms and looked strangely clean in a place like Rapture. It was grimy and dirty but didn't have the trademark blood splatter most splicers were seen in. He had grey trousers on as well and seemed to be grinning at Delta.
They stared each other down as the lead heads were slowly overwhelmed. Finally the splicer pulled out a serrated meat hook and flung it at Delta. Delta felt the blade graze his shoulder before firing several random potshots at the splicer. The door closed between them and Delta briefly considered checking if it was still alive before heading into the deluxe.
Delta made his way to his suite and entered the code to get in. The second Delta heard the door unlock he felt an insistent buzzing in his head. Gripping his head in one hand he glanced at the wound on his shoulder. There was a thin green liquid seeping from it, poison maybe? As soon as the thought pierced his conscious his vision was suddenly coated in a green haze. Delta's bodily motions ceased before he lurched inside. His hands, moving on their own, closed and locked the door before he turned to the living room. Resting on a worn sofa across the room from Delta rested a vial of a shimmering pink substance. Without his consent his body lurched toward the vial.
This wasn't supposed to be happening, Hadn't Eleanor said he couldn't be hypnotized? Hadn't he been immune to them since his first death? Delta soon realized there were many possible reasons for his vulnerability, in general his damaged connection with Eleanor must have weakened the things she'd changed about him. As he realized this he wondered if he would no longer revive at Vita-chambers when he grasped the vial.
Without missing a beat he attached the vial to the port on his wrist and depressed it into his system. Almost immediately he felt woozy and flopped onto the sofa. So this was how it ended, him killing himself again. Delta wondered if he should be sad that he was taking the life Eleanor had given back to him. The twinge of guilt turned into longing as Delta remembered her, and those blissful memories were what eased him into unconsciousness.
EN
Throughout mankind's history there have been many forms of terror, but no matter how grotesque or exaggerated they may be they always stem from one thing...
DARKNESS...
Yes the dark was mankind's original fear, the fear of what may be lurking within it, the fear of the unknown.
Over time humans found a way to divert the darkness with technology and over the years many forgot the real power of the dark.
But when cast back into the bowels of the dark certain minds may not be able to cope. Thrown back into the void of uncertainty and dark, wallowing in the inky blackness that the mind is wired to fear, it may just be enough to revert humans back to the feral savages they once were.