A/N: Alright before we get started I kinda want to give a DISCLAIMER that there are some elements here that some people may not necessarily want to read, mostly revolving around suicide, so if you do not like that, then turn away now, you will not miss that much. For everyone who wants to read on, I encourage to read it alongside with the 2018 version of "Where Are We Going" the link for it is right here: watch?v=E7Sa6ZQRqFM
Nikolai's eyes fluttered open as he began to regain his consciousness after the Warden cornered him and the other three. As Nikolai began to get up, he stumbled down and clutched his head. "Oh cyka-it's like I had bad hangover," once the pain began to go, Nikolai got up to find himself in an empty space of darkness.
"Hello!" Nikolai cried out into the dark for a response-nothing, "Tank? Takeo? Richtofen!?" Once again, Nikolai got no response in return, he looked around to see if there was anything that could give him a clue where he was; a cry from a bird got the Russians attention as the Seagull flew in front of Nikolai.
"Comrade Bird, it is good to see someone." the seagull did not respond, but let out a cry and motioned Nikolai to follow; with nowhere to go, Nikolai trailed behind the ghost bird to see a glimpse of light in the distance. Nikolai ran to the light and stopped to see that the bird was gone.
"Comrade bird, where did you go?"
"I think it's time you learned the truth Nikolai- to see everything through my eyes" The seagull said in a monotone voice with some sadness mixed in. Nikolai was confused but was shown when Primis first arrived to the island, even from the second they entered, the ghosts have been watching them. The image changed to Richtofen facing the catwalk reading the sign; like earlier, Nikolai placed his hand on the Germans shoulder, but in this one only gave a small nod before walking up the stairs. The images changed one after the other, showing the four wandering around the island: Takeo was near the dog in the cell block meditating, Richtofen shot at a horde of zombies with blood all over his left sleeve, Dempsey was inspecting the grey flat cap on the ground just as the ghost Nikolai saw when they entered the cell block, finally was Nikolai who walked alone holding the Kronorium in his left hand.
"What does this all mean?" Nikolai said to himself as he wandered around to find the next image.
"Scheisse!" the echoey voice of Richtofen made Nikolai jump as he was in his lab, slamming his fist down on the table, "Ugh! Breathe Edward...everything is okay, just need to calm down…" Nikolai looked at the German with a small sense of pity for him but all of that was washed away with Dempsey who was sitting alone in the Warden's Office. The marine sat with a revolver in his hand, the same one that Nikolai threw into the lava and caused him to get a headache; Dempsey looked down at the revolver and sighed.
"The walls say there's no way out alive-guess this may be my way out then." Nikolai's eyes widen and ran towards Dempsey as the american began to raise the revolver up to his temple.
"Dempsey! Do not-"
*BANG*
Nikolai flinched by the gunshot as Dempsey's lifeless body slumped down; Nikolai felt sick seeing his ally-his friend- take his own life to escape. Nikolai turned around to see Richtofen up on the roof looking over the sign that read 'No One Escapes Alive' the Richtofen let out a small laugh which then turned to him crying and collapsing on the floor.
"There is no way out...I have damned us all here! This is all my fault-ALL OF IT!" Richtofen began to pound his fist down on the concrete floor, "What do I do? WHAT DO I DO!?" Nikolai heard a soft sound of water, investigating the source was the water from the bay hitting against the docks. A large figure approached the end of the docks and was holding something in his hands; the Warden reached the very end of the docks with the body of Takeo in his arms and chucked the samurai into the water. Nikolai's blood boiled at the sight and he charged to the Warden, only to go right through him. Nikolai grunted and gazed at the lifeless Takeo floating in the water, Nikolai closed his eyes and walked away. The infirmary was the next place he found himself in, Richtofen walked down from the rood and looked at the wall that read 'No Way Out' and a sharp pipe was lodged into the wall.
"The Kronorium says that it wants my blood fine then," Richtofen reached over for the pipe in the wall, "TAKE MY BLOOD!" Rictofen stabbed sharpened end of the pipe into his arm, his body shaking with each time he moved the pipe across; once the pipe was covered in his blood, Richtofen began to add to the writing on the wall, falling to his knees as zombies approached began to tear him apart. Nikolai cringed at the sight and ran away from it as the screams from Richtofen echoed in the distance. Everywhere Nikolai looked, he saw different times that he or the others have died: Dempsey was holding on to a steel beam over a large fire pit but soon fell, Takeo and Richtofen were pinned into a corner as hellhounds pounced over them and finally Nikolai was being stung up in chains with the Warden pulling him up to be one of the many hanging corpses that surround the island.
"N-no more" Nikolai begged as he closed his eyes, "I do not want to see anymore!" something rested on Nikolai's shoulder, it was a hand of someone who wore fingerless gloves; the figure behind Nikolai was a short man who wore an Alcatraz prisoner uniform with a black suit jacket and the same grey flat cap from before.
"Nikolai," the man said, his voice identical to the one form the Seagull, "This is the only way." Nikolai's gaze turned over to Dempsey, Takeo and Richtofen all shooting at oncoming zombies. 'Where is Nikolai?' was all the Russian could think but his question was answered as Takeo turned back to see the limping Nikolai separate from the others; the Nikolai fell to his knees over a zombies that was trapped in some rubble. The Nikolai's hands began to shake from rage as he began to smash the zombies' head in and let out a scream that the Russian had only let out once when his wife was killed; it was a cry of a broken man. The Nikolai got back up to his feet, grabbed his shotgun and one by one, he gunned down his teammates; Richtofen first, then Dempsey and finally Takeo. Nikolai shook his head and stepped back from the sight.
"No...no I would never-I did bring up with Dempsey, but I would…."
"Nikolai don't try to lie with yourself- All this, has happened." Now different times where the four have turned on each other came in full force. Nikolai kicked Richtofen into the spinning trap in the New Industries, tearing the German to pieces, Dempsey choked Takeo to death, Takeo decapitated Nikolai and Dempsey with his Katana.
"Nik…" a voice called to him, Nikolai turned to see a Dempsey who was wounded. The Dempsey walked up to the Russian, but lost his footing and crawled over to Nikolai. The Dempsey only made it halfway before he succumbed to his wounds. Nikolai walked over and went to grab his fallen comrade; to Nikolai's surprise, he was able to grab Dempsey who eyes were wide open, out of respect, Nikolai closed the americans eyes and rested him back on the ground carefully. Shots rang out from the room next door, the library, where Nikolai fended off undead. The Nikolai's pressed the trigger to find he was out of ammo and rather than continue to fight, he opened his arms across.
"You want Nikolai? THEN COME AND HAVE NIKOLAI!" Nikolai stood there shocked to see himself give up and be killed. The final image shown was Takeo who was down in the citadel tunnels drenched in the blood of the undead, his teammates dead on the ground.
"Spirits...if you are listening, please- Let this torment end." Takeo looked up with some tears streaming down his bloodied face, "Spirits, I beg of you, with all the honor I have shown, will you please let this end." Takeo continued to face up, as if he were waiting for an answer, the sound of the undead approached the samurai.
"I shall not die by the hands of these demons." Takeo hissed, he fell to his knees and turned his katana towards him. Takeo faced over to his fallen allies "I shall be reunited with you...my brothers." Takeo plunged his Katana into his stomach and sliced it across, letting his insides fall to the cold ground below; as Takeo fell, the light of the prison faded away.
"I know that was hard to watch Nik, believe me I do- but you must know what has been happening to tell the others."
"How long?" was all Nikolai could mutter.
"You don't want to know."
"How. Long."
"*sigh* I don't know, hundreds, thousands, millions. You guys been doing this for so long I lost count. Know this Nikolai, this is the furthest that you four have been, I think that this one will be it, that you'll break the cycle and not only free yourselves, but free all of us in here. When the time comes Nik, I'll make sure that the ghosts of Alcatraz are fightin with ya!" Nikolai looked at the man and smiled.
"I know you will...my friend."
A/N: Well we're in the endgame now with only one more chapter left in Blood of the Dead. With this chapter I would love feedback as it is my first time writing in this type of format. Until next time, I think we know what happens next. This is Ghost, going dark.
