Author: Chapter 1. This is one of the first strings being pulled in this story.
Chapter 1:
Escape Into a Watery Abyss
Footsteps echoed off a dimly lit tunnel that stretched for as far as the eyes could see. A ragged, heavy breathing was exhaled from a running figure, which appeared to be a female because of the slender body, clad in full white. Her shoes tapped against the concrete floor, her arms pumping for speed.
She was running from something, but what was it that she ran from?
The hallway never changed; a constantly endless path that led straight forward. The stuffy tunnel was silent except for her heavy breathing and her running footsteps, but she knew otherwise. They were after her, probably not that far behind, their stealthy feet being as quiet as inhumanly possible.
'How much longer does this goddamn tunnel go?' Her mind hissed. Just then her blood grew cold, goose-bumps racing along her turning-pale skin. An ear piercing shriek, almost a howl, slipped up the tunnel, coming from behind her.
'Oh no…' Her mind whispered, slinking away from the dangerous noise. It was animalistic, possibly a dog. Another howl-shriek followed up after the first, joined by others. 'Fuck, a whole pack of them?' She thought to herself, the sounds quieting. She didn't stop. She kept running.
A bright light began to blink into being just up ahead, still a little trek away. She pumped her arms and feet, tapping into that sweet adrenaline that coursed through her. The light got brighter until it enveloped her. Everything changed once her eyes focused, her feet coming to a stop.
The tunnel had ended. She saw the sky, a brilliant blue, and far down below her she could faintly hear the lapping of water against rock, an ocean stretching out for as far as she could tell. 'No! No, no, no!' Her mind yelled.
She cursed under her breath, turning around to face the tunnel behind her. She could now make out the low, yet soft, padding of feet on concrete. They were closing in on her and fast. She needed to act. She saw the first form rushing towards her, followed by more.
Definitely dogs, she could tell, the lean build of their bodies giving them away quickly, but they looked so wrong. Where there should have been flesh was now a red, rubbery replacement, muscles showing in patches of the exposed under-meat. They had no lips, only glistening white, sharp canine teeth, a bit bloodied from their earlier meal, protruding out from their decaying mouths.
'Dammit!'
She turned, her options now limited. She could either stay and be brought down with a fight, stay and perhaps they wouldn't attack her, or jump. 'I'd rather face the water than their teeth and claws.' She turned, getting into a sloppy position to jump, when suddenly she heard nothing behind her. She spared a quick glance over her left shoulder to see what had happened.
The dogs were several feet behind her, growling at her, but not making a move towards her. 'They stopped moving?'
"Katherine… Katherine…" A voice grumbled from behind the dogs, coming from the shadows of the pitch black tunnel. She froze. Her body stiffened as she turned to face the voice and fleshless dogs.
"Stay away from me!" She yelled out, her left hand poised outwards in a defensive position, her right hand halfway hidden behind her back, her feet slightly spread to complete the perfectly balanced stance.
A low chuckle rumbled from the shadows, obviously enjoying her snippy reaction.
"Oh Katherine.. You haven't changed a bit, my dear. Tis a shame that it has come to this point but, being as I am a gracious person, I'll offer you a choice." The voice whispered at first, gaining steady strength towards the ending of his little talk.
"I made a promise that I intend to keep back in that lab." She snapped, her voice clipped and cold. "So don't even think about offering me some pathetic proposition that I have no interest in. I'd rather burn than hear what you have to say. I will not be a test subject any longer! I refuse! So burn in hell!" The grin that appeared on her lips was irritated, but slightly humorous.
The silence that followed was nerve wracking and the fact that the dogs growling had strengthened only added to her growing unease. "…" She waited for the voice to reply, wanting it to, and finally it did.
"If that's the way you want it to be, then I am deeply sorry for what comes next, Kathy." The voice had taken on a tone-less note, void of any emotion. A clicking noise echoed throughout the tunnel, most likely from the voice, which she remembered was a male.
The dogs pawed their way towards her, teeth completely bared, growling at her. She glanced behind her, her gaze flickering to the water below. She glanced back at the dogs, then up at the shadows where the voice had spoken from. She tilted her head back, her left hand moving up in a two-finger salute. She turned, closed her eyes and jumped off and down towards the ocean below.