Chapter VI
I stood there for a moment, observing the carnage around me, when I was suddenly struck with one single thing to say.
"Groovy."
Devils Rift.
Fitting name.
I stood on the edge of the tourist path, alternating between staring at the sign and down at the bubbling magma. The Devil's Rift is the local sightseeing-tourist attraction, a natural river of molten lava. A nice, railed path wraps around the river, and leads directly back to the town. Unfortunately for me, nothing ever comes easy.
Another rockslide neatly blocked the path, with rocks so heavy I doubt a forklift could lift them. Guess I'd have to take the hard way. The only way to get back around was to jump onto the various outcroppings on top of the lava. Wonderful.
I ripped the neat map off of the sign, and mentally prepared myself. This was probably the stupidest, most dangerous thing I had done thus far. Unlike those fucking things, this lava can't be killed. Oh dear.
I took a running start, and leaped over the gorge, feeling heat rush into my jeans, and then landed hard on the first outcropping. I quickly pulled myself up from my knees. The next ledge was close enough that I didn't have to jump, so I stepped across to the next outcrop. Next was a pillar jutting out of the lava, about two or three feet away. It was about waist high. I took a leap, but something went wrong, and I came up way short. I shot my hands out and grabbed onto the edge. My legs kicked out, staying above the lava, and I quickly pulled myself up onto the top of the pillar, breathing heavily from both exhilaration and terror.
I took some time to compose myself, and then made the short leap back to another outcropping. As I slowly moved across the path, holding my left hand on the wall, I began getting that feeling. You know, the feeling that something very, very bad will happen very, very soon.
My hand fell back into a crevice.
I managed to slide my body inside with as little of panicking as possible. I flicked on my flashlight, and found that I was back on the tourist path. This was the ending, which led you to the tour of the dam. I followed this path until I entered another long tunnel.
What was up with this fucking area and tunnels?
Partway through the tunnel, I felt the dirt-covered stone turn into hard concrete beneath my feet. I left the oppressive darkness of the tunnel, and ventured into the less-oppressive darkness of outside. My flashlight illuminated about twenty feet in front of me, but even with this I could see the edges of the dam, and the long gray path that ran between them. On my left was a supply of water nearly up to the dam's guard railing, and on the other side…
Nothing.
I shined my flashlight down and could not see the bottom of this pit amongst the darkness.
Note to self, do not fall down that side.
A moan made me jerk back from over the edge. I shined my flashlight down the path and saw the all-too-familiar shape of those fucking things lurching slowly towards me. My shotgun and rifle were slung across my back, in an opposite fashion so that they made an 'X', so I pulled out my Beretta.
There was only two of them, so I took careful aim on the closest creature and pulled the trigger, sending a 9mm bullet through jaw of the creature. It's head snapped back and it moaned stupidly. Bright spots danced in front of my eyes as the muzzle flashed. I quickly stuffed the Beretta back into my belt, and pulled out my umbrella. I ran forward, knocking one of the creatures into the water, and then swinging it like Barry Bonds and striking the other upside the head. The second one toppled over the endless edge, and fell down with a long moan, which almost made me laugh.
Thump thump thump thump thump.
… Ah, hell no.
My flashlight caught a glimpse of metal. Metal spinning really fast. A helicopter came from the other end of the dam and swung around. My heart froze when I heard the attached Gatling gun cock. The helicopter whirled around to face me, and I backed away. I doubt I could get a good shot in this darkness, but I un-slung my rifle anyway, and took a step back.
I felt my legs hit something, but my upper body kept moving.
"Oh." I said as my body toppled backwards into the reservoir, I floated downwards a bit, before turning to face the surface, my eyes stinging as I stared upwards. It was too dark to see out of the water, but something caught my eye below.
Light.
It was coming from a window, behind what looked to be a generator. So, with little else to do, I swam downwards, checking out the light.
Inside the window was a brick room. Completely bare besides a large computer and pump control dominating the left-most wall, and a regular wooden desk near the right. And sitting at that desk was another human being.
He was wearing a gray suit with a blue tie, he had short black hair, and looked exhausted. Like most people I've seen so far.
I knocked on the window, and he jerked towards me, pointing what looked to be an old school .356 magnum. He yelled something, something I couldn't hear through the thick glass. He approached the window, looking scared absolutely shitless and pointing back into the dark water. I looked confused, swam slowly around, and shined my light out into the dark waters.
I saw…
Nothing.
Interesting. My lungs were starting to burn, so I pointed upwards, and swam to the surface to catch a quick breath. I dove back down again, returning to the front of the window once more and looking back at the man.
He was preoccupied.
A female version of one of those things, wearing a technician's coat, had broken down the door. Unfortunately for Mr. Suit, two others crept in behind the female. He blasted the female with his magnum, which took most of it's head off. The other creature attacked him, but the other one seemed to take interest in the computer.
It smashed the keyboard, and then the computer itself. The old machine exploded, and Mr. Suit lifted his hand up and yelled.
Boom!
The glass splintered in front of me, and was splattered with gore as the computer exploded. It took the creature with it.
The glass spider-webbed more. And Mr. Suit took a moment from being eaten alive to notice.
A growl came from behind me.
As I spun around, I saw now what Mr. Suit was trying to warn me about.
It was the length of a garbage truck, covered in tough brown, leather-like skin. It's head was larger than it's body, and the mouth was filled with hundreds of serrated, bloodstained teeth. It's beady little black eyes were almost smiling as it torpedoed towards me.
I screamed underwater, bubbles emerging from my mouth rather than the loud, girly scream that I issued.
Luckily, it barreled into me with it's oversized nose. I was smashed against the hard concrete of the dam and felt all the air leaving my lungs. I grunted, and struggled. Fishy held me there, though, trying to bite my legs that he couldn't reach.
Just my fucking luck, I dodged the teeth but was now going to drown.
I stabbed downwards with the pointy-edge of the umbrella once, twice, three times. Again and again and again. My vision was beginning to get red and blurry, either from the blood or the lack of oxygen I couldn't tell.
Suddenly, the pressure around my midsection disappeared, and I kicked upwards towards the surface. I emerged and right away let a huge rush of air into my lungs. So much that I almost passed out right there.
I tucked my umbrella back into my belt, and pulled out my Beretta. I slowly let myself sink down to the window again, standing on the barely-protruding ledge.
Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy… I thought as loudly as I could.
And then he came, barreling towards me again, blood trailing behind him in the water. I brought up my Beretta, pointing the gun towards the abomination. I pulled the trigger once, causing the gun to bark and send a bullet bubbling towards Fishy.
It struck the giant thing in the right eye (damn I have good aim), and the creature roared. It still kept coming, and I pushed myself off of the ledge. The fish continued onwards, smashing through the glass.
I followed it, swimming above the giant corpse and into the destroyed doorway. The doorway led to another brick room, this one with a spiraling metal staircase traveling upwards. I began climbing the metal quickly, as my chest was getting the familiar burning sensation. When I broke the surface, I quickly moved into the next room, taking out my soaking shotgun and holding it at the ready. Water ran off of me like a fuckin' waterfall, and my socks made the familiar squelching noise every time I took a step.
This door led to another door, which had several boxes stacked on the left side. I opened the metal door directly in front of me, and was back on the dam again. This time, though, I was on the other side. Thankfully, there was no sign of the helicopter, but there was one of those freaks waiting for me.
"Why do… I hunger…?" It moaned, starting towards me.
"Hungry, eh?" I said, smirking and leveling my shotgun, "Then eat this."
I pulled the trigger and caused the creature's head to split in half. With a small smirk of having said my first badass one-liner, I headed into the tunnel on the other side of the dam.
The tunnel ended very abruptly, and I stepped onto something hard, and metal.
And oddly shaped.
A train track.
Wait a minute… was that…?
A train. I found a train. Halle-fucking-lujah. I walked over to the engine, and climbed aboard it.
Now, I didn't know how these things work, but I had a rough idea. You just push this little lever forward and…
Voila! The train started moving!
I didn't know where it would lead me, but anywhere was better than this hellhole of a county.
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nodikus – No I didn't. But I did skip the train part, something I didn't realize until halfway through writing the chapter.
LordShadowDragon – I agree. Enough said.
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