Ch. 7: The Butcher


We sat down behind the farthest book shelf at the back of an abandoned library; both of us were breathing hard and shaking. The sounds of metal scraping metal grew louder as we ran but everything around us changed. The road to the bell building changed and I had no idea which way to go. All I could hear was that scraping sound – echoing in my ears, every now and then the thundering sound of footsteps would linger near us, but disappear soon after. It seemed that no matter where we ran, someone was following us – watching us.

The man I have yet to identify pulled me into this library before I could question him. I have a feeling he chose now of all times to hide somewhere because that metal sound grew the loudest it ever did from behind us. We took the elevator up to the second floor; the man said that we'd have a better chance that way. I wanted to scream at him, I wanted to know what was going on and why I felt like my heart was going to collapse – I wanted to know what happened to the ruins of a village that perished fifty years ago in a blazing fire.

Tears were stinging my eyes and I banged the back of my head against the book shelf and hummed pathetically to myself. I had to clear my mind somehow. Something was following us and I could feel it in my bones that it did not have pure intentions. A voice in the back of my mind kept whispering to me that the metal sound that was scraping was just the beginning.

The sound of metal returned, heavy and rusty, echoing through the halls of the library, a thump for every foot step. Thump. Thump. Screech. Thump. Thump. Screech.

My heart began to pound faster than before and I scrunched my eyes shut. The sound was so close that I thought that whatever was making it was in the room. My mind was racing – I just had to see what it was, I had to. I crawled onto my knees and made my way toward the edge of the book shelf. I could hear the shocked hitch in breath of the man I was with, I glanced over my shoulder towards him and I could see his hand gestures telling me to come back, but I shook my head. My bottom lip was trembling as I painstakingly slowly looked around the corner of the book shelf and my eyes widened in terror.

There, a muscular man that must have been eight or nine feet tall stood, grasping the largest sword I'd ever seen since my encounter with the Seven Swordsmen. His chest was bare and he wore something that I could only describe as a butcher's smock. It was his head…his head that made me want to scream. It wasn't a head at all – it was this metal contraption…it looked similar to a triangle. From the metal triangle, rivers of dried blood scattered down his neck to his chest, back and arms. I didn't understand; was his real head in that thing? He was breathing heavy and ever-so-slowly walking backwards towards the door he entered in. I noticed that there was something in his other hand, it looked like…

I snapped down into sitting position and covered my hand over my mouth. I knew I was about to start screaming, even the man with me knew I was. He rushed over as quickly to me as he could and put his arm around my shoulders. His eyes stared into my clearly wide and horrifying ones as if begging me to keep quiet a little bit longer. I nodded, rocking myself back and forth silently, and trying to keep my eyes shut and breathing under control.

For ten more agonizing minutes we sat in silence until the sound of the giant man's foot steps faded away into nothingness. It was then I couldn't hold it in anymore and my sobs flooded out along with my tears. What just happened? What the hell just happened? I've never felt so scared in my life.

The man behind me rubbed my arm in an attempt to comfort me, "Shh…it's okay…you're okay."

Suddenly anger burned through my veins. I pushed him away, making him fall to his side. "Who-what was that thing? Where are we? How did this happen? I was…I wasn't here and then…you just – and we…oh please let this be a nightmare!"

He sat up again, attempting to touch my arm again, "I'll explain everything soon but we have to-"

"Did you know what that thing was carrying?" I cut him off, screaming. My sobs were beginning to mix now and I couldn't even understand what I was saying.

"I know, I kno-" he started again.

"It was someone's legs! Dragging on the floor like…like a pile of trash!" I cried.

"I know, just calm down…we're going to be fine just-"

"Don't tell me to calm down! We aren't going to be fine, we are going to die! We…we're going to…" I couldn't keep myself from crying now. "I'll never see my mom again or my teammates or teachers or my friends…I'm never going to…that thing is going to chop my legs off and leave me in a ditch to die."

The man forcibly took hold of my chin and stared into my eyes. "Listen to me." His voice was low and soothing and full of true optimism, "We are going to be fine. You are going to be fine. You are going to get out of here, you are going to see your mother and friends and everyone again. Pyramid Head will not touch you and I'll protect you until we can get you out of here. You will not die here…I won't let someone else fall victim to this place. I promise." He sighed and stood up, bringing me to my feet as well. "In return you have to promise to do what I say and listen to me. I can bring you somewhere where you will be safe but you have to trust me and work with me, alright?"

I nodded my head hastily, wiping me tears. He smiled sadly at me and started to lead me away, "That's a good girl."


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