Ash didn't know where he was going, but he kept pushing himself forward. He couldn't afford to stop. Every time he figured he could stop and catch his breath, he heard footsteps behind him and he had to run even faster.
He couldn't go on forever. Eventually, he was forced to stop. Hands on his knees, he very nearly collapsed onto the metal floor as he struggled to regain his breath. He gasped for breath, trying to get his strength back.
Suddenly, he heard the Missionary's voice. "SERVANTS OF THE ORDER!" It took Ash a second to notice the electronic twang in the voice- he was speaking through the intercom. "ONE OF THE BRATS HAS GOTTEN AWAY FROM ME! HE'S IN THE WATER TOWER, SPREAD OUT AND FIND HIM, NOW! BRING HIM STRAIGHT TO ME, UNDERSTAND?! THE LITTLE BASTARD'S MINE!"
Ash felt a surge of hope. He doesn't know where I am! But then he heard a lot of shoes clacking on the metal floor, coming towards him...
The boy was too exhausted to run. He had to hide. But where? To his left he saw a set if storage closets. All of them were large enough to hold him, and one of them was wide open and empty.
Without thinking, Ash jumped into the hiding place and slammed the door shut. The only source of light once the locker was closed was a sliver coming from the bottom of the door. His shaking hands holding the door closed, he waiting in darkness for the footsteps to pass.
A few pairs of feet walked up to the storage lockers. The shadows shifting in what light there was told Ash that several people were nearby.
"The Missionary lost one of his charges?" One voice remarked. "That never happens."
"It had to happen eventually. Just find him." Another voice commented.
"What if he got outside? Could he have jumped out a window?"
"No. The windows are all locked. Besides, even if he somehow jumped, we'd see his body in the lake."
Ash didn't dare breath as the group continued to talk. Why weren't they leaving? What were they doing? They couldn't find him. Could they?
"No, he's hiding here somewhere."
"Can't he send out the dogs?"
"They don't have his scent. Besides, they aren't trained right. They'd probably just slay us before they even started looking for him."
Ash could hear a locker door open. Then another. Then another. He froze when it sunk in. They were checking the lockers! And coming up to his! They were going to find him!
The group continued to talk as they searched. "Keep checking. Makes sense to hide here."
"Yeah. I'm almost done with these lockers..."
Ash couldn't stop shaking. He was doomed. He was outnumbered, too tired to fight, too weary to run. They were gonna find him. There was nothing he could do. Hopeless, he shut his eyes and waited for the inevitable...
When suddenly there was a noise. A loud, echoing clatter at the other end of the hallway.
"What was that?"
"Over there! I see him!"
And the shadows ran away from the lockers, not bothering to check the last one. The one where Ash was hiding.
Ash wasn't sure what to think of this. They were gone? He was safe again? It seemed too good to be true. Something was odd…but when he didn't hear any noise that indicated anyone was close by, he allowed himself to breath. He just sat there for several moments, trying to catch his breath.
But then another person walked up to the locker. Someone taking slow, deliberate steps. Heavy steps.
Ash held his breath again, praying that whoever it was would just pass by. But he didn't. In fact, it sounded like he'd just stopped right in front of his locker.
Inexplicably, Ash felt like two very intense eyes were looking straight at him. They just kept staring and staring, and the man in front of the locker never moved. The same eyes he felt for a second in the woods. They never looked away from him.
Ash couldn't sit still forever. He's one guy. Nobody else is out there. I'd have heard them. I can take him. I've rested enough. I can run. I just need to be fast. I'm not staying here forever! I just need to move fast.
Without thinking Ash tore the door open and charged out, hoping to give whoever it was a sharp pain. Just enough to stun him and let Ash escape. Just hit him hard...
But he tumbled into thin air.
When Ash fell to the floor, he quickly forced himself up and spun around. Nobody was here. The hallway was completely empty. He couldn't believe it.
But...but someone was right here! I know he was here! A cold dread, different from the panic the Missionary had instilled in him, went down his spine. What's going on? Am I going nuts?
When the initial shock of finding himself alone had worn off somewhat, Ash took another look at his surroundings. The entire hallway seemed to be dominated by blood-red rust. The floor, the walls, the ceiling...everything was grey-brown metal caked in sickly red. Fluorescent lights overhead illuminated the place, flickering randomly. Across from the lockers was a small table, a few pieces of paper on top.
Ash blinked and took a closer look at the paper. It was rough, with a lot of scribbles and weird letters all over it. But under the scribbles, clearly legible, were blueprints of a circular building, showing all the rooms and hallways...
A map!
Ash nearly laughed with delight. This was just what he needed! Ash took a closer look. There were a lot of circles around important locations. It took him a minute to find the lockers, marked with blue. This was the same floor as the holding area, where he'd just left...
Adrian.
It suddenly struck Ash. He'd left Adrian behind! He couldn't save him...he'd just ran...had to get away from the Missionary. Had to escape...he couldn't rescue him then…
But now he had a map! Now he knew where to go! Now he knew how to get out of this place! He could escape! Save everybody!
He had to get Adrian out of this place. If he left him behind...Ash didn't want to think about what would happen to the poor kid. He might've gotten Ash and his friends into this mess, but he didn't deserve to...
Ash made up his mind. He'd get Adrian, then they'd get out of here. He looked at where the holding room was, then started back down the hallway he'd just exited. Quickly but carefully, he made his way back to rescue Adrian. He'd get him out, they'd escape, and everything would be alright.
Don't be too sure.
Ash whirled around, shocked. He couldn't sworn he'd heard someone say something. Someone with a deep, eerily calm voice…
But nobody was there. Nobody was in the hallway. Nobody had spoken to him. Nobody was watching him.
Ash did everything he could to keep calm. He didn't succeed. His hands shook, his knees knocked, his breath hoarsened. He couldn't do anything to shake off the feeling that someone was watching him. Toying with him. He honestly would've taken the Missionary chasing him over this unseen follower.
However, he got himself together and pressed on. The last thing he wanted to do was to stay here, scared. As long as he could keep moving, do…something, he'd be okay.
Yeah. Long as he was doing something.
