A/N: I realize that TH takes place back in 1956. I decided to make it more modernized due to the fact that I can make references, use slang, and language that belong in this timeframe. I also know that the guns I mentioned are not used in the game. Thank you.
Chapter III
And three of those fuckers were illuminated by my flashlight's beam.
Not to mention moans warned me that I had company behind me.
I was sandwiched. Literally and figuratively.
Thinking quickly, and by quickly I mean stupidly, I brought the Beretta up with one hand, and fired once. Twice. Thrice. My wrist was jerked back from the recoil, and I'm lucky my wrist didn't break from this retarded example of firing a gun. I tagged the creature twice; once in the chest, once in the skull, and finally striking the roof of the dark tunnel.
Then, I was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. So far, these things have been just like in the movies. Maybe they're slow like them? I figured it was worth a shot.
I slid my Beretta into my belt, and unhooked my umbrella. With a yell, I ran towards the two creatures still stumbling towards me. I swung the umbrella horizontally, catching the creature in the neck. Unlike the creature I killed earlier, this one wasn't rotten. The umbrella punctured it's neck, and the momentum of my swing kept the creature moving forward and smashing into the stone wall with a sickening splat. I moved the flashlight quickly, seeing the blood splatter on the stone.
Then I booked it. Holding the umbrella horizontally, and shoving the other creature against the wall. It gave easily, stumbling backwards with a confused moan.
And then something grabbed my shoulder. And I felt hot breath near my ear.
I shook wildly, thrashing, trying to get this damn creature off of me. For a rotten corpse, it had a crazy strong grip. More by instinct than any thought, I dropped the umbrella, and whipped out the Beretta, pulling it over my shoulder and pulling the trigger. Bad move. The gun exploded near my ear, causing it to start ringing. I couldn't hear anything, but the pressure lightened, and I pulled my way out, pausing to grab my umbrella off the dirt path. I ran, still not hearing from my right ear. I stumbled out of the tunnel, ending up at the sign that showed me the way to the church to begin with. I looked around wildly, taking in account the forked road. The left path led back to the door to the catacombs that I took to get here. I didn't want to wander back through those darkened tunnels yet. So, I decided to head up the right path and see if I could get back to the road. Enough of this fucking nightmare.
I started forward, the dirt crunching beneath my feet. My eyes kept darting to the tree line, making sure none of those fuckers were going to jump me. I started climbing the hill, the brushes from the evergreen trees scratching at my still damp leather jacket. When I reached the top of the hill, I saw something. Something that made my heart sink.
The road was blocked. Large chunks of rock and boulders had fallen across the dirt path, obviously the lightning struck one of the mountain peaks, causing it to collapse.
So I had to go through the catacombs. Abso-fucking-lutely wonderful. I turned around, heading back down the hill towards the fork. I walked across the grass, the fresh mud squelching underneath my feet. I glanced back towards the tunnel, seeing a few of those freaks lurching towards me from the darkness of the tunnel.
I pushed the rusty gate open, wincing at the loud screech caused by the corroded bolts. I stepped back into the rough hewn room, still illuminated by that fluorescent bulb. None of the rotten skeletons had moved. So far, so good. I took another deep breath of rotten corpse, feeling my stomach lurch again, and looked down the dark tunnel, before walking into it. My eyes adjusted to the gloom easily, seeing as the single bulb wasn't bright enough to change much.
And then I was back into the tunnel with the bricks. Bricks that I just realized were probably sealing tombs. Wonderful. I flicked on the flashlight, holding it with my left hand and using the back of said hand to balance my pistol held in my right hand.
Crunch.
I freaked out, spinning around and squeezing a shot off into the darkness. The flash from the muzzle stung my eyes, and when the flashing dots faded, I realized that I was alone in the tunnel. I glanced down, turning my flashlight to illuminate my feet. I had crushed a small rat.
Crunch.
It was way louder this time. Oh shit. I lifted the flashlight, illuminating the hallway.
And I saw a bloody hand jutting from the bricks and mortar.
And I was rooted to the spot, staring at the hand as it punched it's way out of the sealed tomb. And even though I've grown accustomed to seeing these creatures, I still felt my stomach churn and icy cold terror grip my heart. It lurched out of the tomb, looking both ways down the tunnel, before turning to see me. It seemed to smile, the rotten teeth and drool reflecting off from my flashlight's beam.
"I…" My heart stopped and my breath caught. "I… Hunger…"
The fucking thing was talking!
"Shit…!" I whispered, firing the Beretta wildly. Due to my one-handed grip, the first two shots hit the stone roof and walls, causing the stone to chip. It was beginning to lurch towards me, moving stiffly, like a corpse. Which, of course, it was.
I squeezed the trigger twice more, once striking the creature in the neck, and the other striking it in the skull. Before the creature hit the ground, I was sprinting forward, aware that brick walls were being torn apart as I passed them.
I reached the padlock, pulling it open and stepping back into the ivy-covered room. With a groan, I was assaulted by another creature, but I swiftly dealt with this one by pulling the trigger twice. I stepped over the body, onto the wooden plank that served as a bridge over the small channel. Once again, I was standing in front of that padlocked gate. Unlike an hour ago, though, I had a way to open the gate.
I wedged the hook of my brass tipped umbrella into the loop of the lock, and then began levering my weight with the length of the umbrella. After about five minutes of strenuous work, there was a very audible snap. I was worried my umbrella broke, but the gate swung open with a rusty squeal.
Once again, I was met by off-white stone accented with ivy. This hallway traveled down for about 10 yards and then went 90 degrees left. However, unlike the catacombs, this hallway was brightly lit by several fluorescent bulbs, so there was no need for my flashlight. I turned the corner, still holding my pistol at the ready, and descended a flight of stone steps.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned right and came into another room. This room, however, was different than any I've been in so far.
There was still the white stone walls, sure, but this room was way more industrial. I was at the edge of a grated metal catwalk, which was about ten feet above the stone ground. Rusty girders held this catwalk up. I glanced over the safety railing, seeing that the floor had several boxes stacked into a corner and that's it. Boring.
I stepped out onto the catwalk, and heard the screech of metal that usually means you shouldn't be walking on it. But, I decided to take my chances, taking every step with excruciating care.
I was about halfway across when I heard a snap.
I glanced down, and noticed instantly that the grating had cracked in half.
"Oh shit." I managed to get out, before the grating shattered and I was pitched forward, seeing the ground growing closer. Somehow I managed to turn around, landing on my back on the hard stone ground. My pistol bounced away from me, and I really didn't care. It felt like someone had shoved a vacuum down my throat, I couldn't breathe. I wouldn't be surprised if you could see my spine through my shirt.
"Hunger…" Came the voice that I, although only heard it twice, hate. So much. I turned my head, seeing one of those fuckers quickly shuffling towards me.
I managed to pull myself forward, scraping my palms on the rough stone. It seized my ankle, pulling it towards it's drooling mouth. I kicked out, striking the creature in the face, and heard a crunch. I glanced back, seeing dark red oozing out of it's nose. It seemed unfazed, however. I grabbed hold of my umbrella, stabbing the point into the eye of the creature. It moaned, and I shoved it in harder, feeling a strange clunk as my brass tip struck the back of the creature's skull. It sighed, and fell over.
And there I lay for a few more minutes, letting the shock that I've killed several of these creatures sink in.
I eventually pulled myself to my feet, taking into account that there was no fucking exit to this damn room. The catwalk was broken, hanging ridiculously at a damn 90 degree angle. There was a door, way up there where the catwalk reached across. But there was absolutely no way that I could reach there from down here.
Unless…
I saw a few pipes in the corner, and there was a single valve sitting on the largest pipe.
"Caution… Keep valve open for water intake." I read slowly, glancing at the metal circle. If I could flood the room, I could swim up there and open the door.
I decided it was worth a shot, there was no other way I could get out of here. So, I twisted the valve, until I heard the deep rumbling of metal plates moving. Suddenly, water started rushing up from the grate in the corner of the room. I had no idea it would fill up this fast, it was already halfway up my shins.
After about 2 minutes, the water was high enough to make me tread water. I got a scare when the light bulb above the valve exploded, peppering the room with glass shards. I strangely wasn't shocked by the damn thing.
So I slowly swam circles until the water level was high enough for me to push the door open and pull myself into the room. But I realized this was a bad, bad idea when the water began flooding into THIS room. It was such a steady stream that I couldn't shove the door closed.
I flooded one room to get to another one, and now this room is flooding.
Just my fucking luck.
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BlindAcquiescence: Hmm. I'm going to have to say the Insane Asylum portion in Episode 2. It's well designed and pretty tight.
shephard110: See the author's note above.
LordShadowDragon: Thanks bro. Part 2 was my favorite, though. So you missed out!
Lupus Thunder: I try to end every chapter like that. Keeps the readers coming back! And, no, it doesn't work with Half-Life: Source. TH needs the HL1 engine to run, and HL:S runs on the Source engine. Sorry bro.
