Two red eyed creatures grabbed Mullins' arms, and dragged him away, deeper into the crowd. The Archway seemed to be fading from his vision, as he was pulled farther and farther. He heard Boomer calling him, but was too much out of breath to answer. The more he struggled against the Creatures, the more tightly their grip became, until his arms went numb. He wrenched his right arm free, but the Creature caught it again. He kept running through plans in his mind. Struggling with the Creatures only made things worse, and he couldn't reach his rifle, or his dagger.
Finally, the red eyed Creatures threw him into an open space, with the entire horde surrounding him… Staring at him. Were they going to move, or what? Were they just going to stand there? He forced his arm to move and quickly threw a punch at the nearest Creature's face. A trail of blood followed a tooth that fell out.
The creature still didn't move. It only stared, like the rest, as if waiting for an order. What should he do? What should he do? Shit man, what could he do? The threatening voice sounded again, in English this time. "Don't make me destroy you."
Mullins gritted his teeth to keep his panic leveled, and threw a punch at another Hibernating Creature that dared to grab his arm. Another grasped his wrist, but he killed it instantly with a punch to the lower- jaw. The blood splattered over it's face and it slumped to the floor.
Mullins pulled out his rifle and slammed the gun against a Creature that stood in front of him, but it didn't even falter. They continued staring at him, and closing in. He saw an exit. Not the one Roberts and Boomer went through, but this one was closer. The other exit was too far. The Creatures were beginning to close in around him. He took the one closest to him, in a desperate need to breathe.
To his shock, the Creatures didn't follow.
The blackness clogged Mullins' vision, but he continued running aimlessly. He wished he'd taken a different exit, although he didn't want to go back in the cave with the Hibernating Creatures, unless he was planning to get eaten.
Mullins' breathing didn't echo off anywhere, so he knew the room wasn't as big as he originally thought. Shifting through his belt, his fingers caught a cigarette and a lighter. Only one cigar left. He knew he should save it, but his heart was hammering against his ribs. He needed something to calm him down. The first click didn't produce a flame, but the second lit up just enough to light his cigar. The flames casted a glow around the room just bright enough for him to see what was in front of him. Another archway. How ironic.
After taking a drag, he let the cigar slip from his mouth and fall to the floor. He walked through the archway, hearing the sizzling of the cigarette behind him.
A grey hallway greeted him on the other side of the door. Lost, he walked through it until the end. He turned his head to the right, rounded a turn, and cut up a corridor. Adrenaline returned to him along with a rush of tension, waiting to see what dangers lay ahead.
He started jogging through the hallway, looking back to make sure nothing was following him. He couldn't stop staring behind him, and he couldn't ignore the feeling that he was being watched. Suddenly, his foot lost balance and he fell to the ground, his rifle flying out of his grip.
He lay sprawled on the floor, his leg throbbing with pain. He knew it would leave him sooner or later. Pushing his willpower, he stood up on his feet and saw that three sets of steps had given away his pace. He plucked up his rifle and kept going.
An archway nearest to him seemed to cry out to him, begging him to enter, but he knew better than to go into another dark room, especially since he ran out of cigarettes. He walked the rest of the hallway.
Through the seemingly never-ending darkness, he saw the faintest streak of light down the hallway. He squinted, wanting to make sure his eyes didn't deceive him. As he came closer, he saw he was nearing an exit. Light poured in from the archway, defining its exact shape, even from such a distance. Seeing no other choice, he took it. The eerie black that surrounded him appeared to be suffocating him. He didn't want to get out. He needed to. He couldn't breathe in this hell hole.
He wanted to run to the exit, but his loud footsteps might bring some unwanted attention. Suddenly, he got the feeling that he might not make it out of the castle alive. Boomer and Robert's missing presence suddenly felt very real. He had to survive without him, whether he liked it or not. Gripping his rifle tighter in apprehension, he walked through the archway. He had to survive the Castle, not only to stay alive, but to give that damn bastard who calls himself a General a piece of his mind.
He almost cried out in relief when he saw a room half the size of an altar room. He remembered this place. This was the way to get to the courtyard! Three long frames that stood up on the wall poured in light from outside. A thirty foot staircase climbed up to meet two other staircases that turned to the left. The two staircases met to create an archway that lead to outside. The light was too vibrant for him to see anything behind it, but he didn't care. The only thing he wanted right now was to get out of the living hell.
Behind the set of stairs, a large trench, half the size of the room, separated Mullins from freedom. Two thin stone bridges seemed the only way to get around. He summoned a wave of willpower and started to walk across. He hoped the thin stone would support his weight.
A shuffling noise from up above him caught his attention. He looked up to see five Creatures clinging to the ceiling, about to jump down on him. He aimed his rifle automatically; panic gripped him like a snake. He swallowed down the dread.
One of the Creatures dropped down from the ceiling. It was the last thing it did before Mullins fired a headshot. The blood splattered on the wall behind it.
He raised his rifle again and fired countless bullets at the Creatures on the ceiling. After he shot down two, his rifle clicked. He reloaded and continued firing. The Creature he was firing at seemed to shuffle the wall, dodging every bullet Mullins sent flying.
Another Creature dropped down to his left, He slammed the bottom of his rifle against it's head and it flopped lifeless to the floor.
He reloaded again and went back to nonstop headshots.
He soon found himself outnumbered when he saw a horde of more Creatures crawl down from the ceiling and chase him. He turned around and ran across the bridge.
He eyed the bridge on his right and noticed a Creature running across it on all fours. The Creature was moving too fast for him to see it jump on him.
They both fell, and Mullins pushed against the Creature's strength. He felt a burst of energy and he threw the Creature off him, sending it tumbling into the darkness of the trench.
He flipped over and grabbed his rifle, noticing the three Creatures running his way across the bridge. He fired rounds in a straight line, and the bullets hit all of them at once.
Mullins scrambled to his feet and eyed the exit. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing. Hundreds of Creatures were crawling down the walls like ants to the archway. If he didn't get there in time, he'd just had to deal with the fact that he was as good as dead.
A Creature plopped down from the ceiling and stood in front of Mullins, thinking he saw all that. Behind him, he heard the Creature's feet hit the ground before it let out a blood-chilling growl.
Mullins fired a headshot into the one behind him. The blood splattered the stone floor. The second one lunged at him, but he slammed it's jaw with the side of his rifle. He wasn't sure if it was the sound of the Creature's bones cracking, or the impact of the rifle. He didn't care. He just wanted to get to the exit.
He ran up the first and second flight of stairs with no problem. The floor underneath him began to rumble. At first he thought it was his panic creating a hallucination, but he later realized that it some sort of… Black mist? The mist was crawling it's way up through the trench and cracks. This quickened his steps, because this kind of darkness didn't seem as harmless as the one's back in his dimension.
He almost reached the archway just in time, but another Creature tackled him to the floor. He flailed his feet, and struggled to get free, but the Creature was far too strong. His rifle had flown out of his hands and landed somewhere out of his sight when the Creature attacked him. He suddenly remembered his dagger.
He pulled the dagger out and jammed it deep into the Creature's brain. The blood burbled out as it hit the ground. The Creatures had already climbed their way down and surrounded him. They attacked.
Mullins lashed out with his knife at the Creatures, stabbing heads, hearts, stomachs, anything that was vital enough for them to die. He stabbed it into the back of one's head and it let out a sharp hiss before it fell. The archway was so close, yet so far. The Creatures continued to attack him nonstop. He didn't stop pounding his knife on the Creatures as he sprinted his way to the exit. His mind was set on nothing, but the archway. He could feel the light as if it were wrapping a layer of warm heat around him.
Finally, he reached the outside. A dead end. The legions of Creatures were chasing him from behind. A cliff hung out from the tower. Thousands of feet below, he knew there was a bottom, but he couldn't see it. He scanned left and right, but nowhere to run, and the Creatures were still chasing him.
Seeing no other choice, he jumped.
Mullin's arms reached out to grab something, but his hands connected with nothing. Air was forced out of his lungs, so he had no wind left to yell. Panic rose and bubbled in his chest. The wind seemed to scream past him as he fell through the seemingly bottomless fall. He suddenly remembered when he was little, he would ask, Do you think someone would survive a thousand-foot drop? He suddenly took that question very seriously.
His eyes noticed the wall next to him. His arms reached out and his finders dug into the stone, creating a trail behind them. It didn't even slow down his fall.
His hand hit a ledge and he felt as if his body would be torn in half from the sudden stop. Behind him, he heard the falling bodies of the Creatures.
He pulled himself up to the ledge. It was large enough to fit his body. Through all this torment, how was he still alive? Breathing heavily, he thought, I'm still breathing? He paused, too much out of energy to think in complete thoughts, Ah… 'Course I am. Not like it's the worst day of my life.
He knew he had to keep going. Get up, He ordered himself. He pushed his palms against the floor to support himself to sit up.
He felt a stinging sensation in his hands and he examined them, pull focus clouding his vision. The flesh was bloody and torn up. Blood dripped down his hands, splattering on the stone. He reached for a wrapping bandage in his belt and immediately started tending his wounds.
Look around. Up, or down? His eyes wandered in the distance, then looked up, Aim for the top, I've heard.
If he climbed up, he could have a better chance of getting back to the courtyard. If he climbed down, he would have to risk fighting any surviving Creatures. He climbed up.
It's all his fucking fault. He thought to himself in anger. Damn the General and his "Saving Humanity" crap. Why didn't we all just run when the doctor gave us the chance? Because they were retards. He knew it was coming.
He sucked in a low, deep breath, If I knew he'd put me through this shit, I would've put a bullet in his head at first chance. No joke. This was not in my mission's description.
In his mind, he produced a scene, where he raised a pistol to the General's head, firing, and firing, and firing, until he was sure he was dead. The General's body lay lifeless on the ground, his eyes still slightly open, the fear forever engraved in them.
The thought of shooting the General made him smirk, but the imaginary scene vanished, I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting to do that, though. But, why go through all this? Does anyone know?
Finally, he reached another crack and took a short break, arms outstretched in exhaustion. He was all worn out and felt as if he'd climb anymore, his arms would give in. His breathing grew even heavier than before.
Saving Earth, my ass. Only thing I know is that I ain't givin' up. He noticed another crack that led to another room.
Never.
After catching his breath and feeling all his strength returned, he squeezed through the crack and entered the next room. He recognized it instantly. This was the room he and the others were going through after running through the corridor.
He stopped short when he saw a soldier's body lying, motionless, on the floor, all his limbs torn from their sockets, and the rest of the body lay sprawled in a pool of blood that painted the stone floor. Gore and meat were splattered across the walls, and Mullins was glad that the soldier's face was covered. A rifle lay next to the body.
"Jeez." Mullins mumbled at the horrifying scene. The fuck happened here? He picked up the rifle and weighed it in his hands. Good. Still had some rounds left.
Next to the body was an archway that led to the corridor... Wait. Wasn't the door closed earlier? Why was it now open?
Gripping his rifle tighter, he peered around the archway's corner, hoping that something wasn't waiting to jump out at him.
He noticed a rifle lying isolated in the middle of the floor. Risking everything, he walked silently to it, but then heard a sharp, metallic, scraping sound behind him. He turned around; saw nothing, and the noise died out. He hadn't realized he'd been holding his breath. He let it out shakily, "I need a cigarette."
Who would leave their rifle behind? Was someone who could help him still here? He scanned both sides of the corridor, but saw no signs of life. Probably some private dropped it on their way out in their hurry.
Without warning, a flash of light burst in the back of his mind and he felt his feet grow numb. He fell to the floor with a sharp grunt. What the hell happened? Black tinged the edges of his vision, working the edges in. Soon, dark nothingness was all that surrounded him. He couldn't even see his own hands. Was he still in the corridor? A deep voice boomed around him. The words seemed so powerful, so captivating, he just wanted to give in.
"You can call me a parasite. Travelling to worlds, consuming life at it's pride."
Mullins felt the panic grip him again. He managed to get up to his knees, still unsure of where he was. Was there someone speaking in front of him, who he couldn't see?
"What?" He breathed.
"I need you, and you need me." The voice continued, it's tone growing higher in elevation. Mullins suddenly realized the voice wasn't someone in front of him, but something lurking in the dark shadows of his thoughts.
It was in his mind.
"Get out of my head." He ordered. It sounded like a warning.
Whatever this being was, it was invading his thoughts, his memories. He felt a dull throbbing pound in his head, and soon, he couldn't think of anything else but the castle.
"NOW TAKE ME TO YOUR WORLD HUMAN!" The voice bellowed.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Mullins screamed back.
His iris went thin and he started running, arms flailing the air, jaw clenched in panic and loath. His teeth were stained with bright red blood and it dripped down the side of his mouth. The evil presence didn't dissipate.
This fucking creature wasn't leaving his mind. It felt like he was falling apart, but there was no way in hell was he going to lose his sanity.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" He shouted once more before a gunshot seemed to shatter the air around him, and hit him from behind. He touched the pain before hitting the ground.
Ray stared at the lifeless figure in front of him as smoke floated out from his pistol from firing a fresh bullet. I think it's dead. He'd heard a sound come from behind him as soon as he'd escaped through the crack, and he acted instinctively and fired.
Breathing heavily, he took a, awkward step towards the creature, but something about it was different… It didn't look like a creature at all. It looked more like…
"Shit!" Ray breathed, the gunshot still ringing in his ears. He looked down at the weapons and threw it out of his hands in disgust. He ran to the sergeant, "Fuck! FUCK!"
He dropped to his knees by Mullins' lifeless figure, and screamed his name.
He got no response.
He tried saying his name again, only to torture himself.
"God…" Ray hated himself. He hated the castle. He hated everything that had to do with this stupid mission. After everything he'd seen, it would've taken a lot to shock him, but this certainly did. Good to know he wasn't entirely jaded yet.
It only took one bullet for everything to plummet. If he hadn't pulled the trigger… "Fuck, I shot you… Fuck I shot you…" He squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. What has he done?
The sound of Mullins coughing up blood sent a wave of penetrating relief flowing through Ray.
"Friendly fire." Mullins said reassuringly, his nails digging into the stone floor. "Friendly fire." He was just glad he'd found someone, and the creature voice inside his head was now gone.
His eyes felt like heavy weights, but he managed to open them halfway, able to interpret Ray's silhouette.
"Mullins!" Ray screamed in relief.
"Gah, you only hit my arm," Mullins felt the poison of the bullet already infecting him, "I've been worse…" Groaning, he tried to finger the wound, but winced when his arm didn't move on his command. His entire body trembled from the blood loss. At least, he could see again, but dimness started lining his vision, "Got a light?"
Ray ignored his question completely and focused on his gory appearance, "Christ! What happened to you? You look like shit." He splayed a hand on his chest only to gasp when he sees his palm cover in red liquid, "Blood! Blood, everywhere…" His voice trailed off in a low quiver.
Blood seemed to be the only image that replayed itself in his mind. Lots of it.
Blood, blood, blood. His mind couldn't move past three chanting words.
"Freaks, everywhere," Mullins replied distantly, then feeling the thought striking him of what Ray had done, and he said unforgivingly, "And, you shot me." He suddenly felt the pain rushing back to him from the bullet wound.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry about that, Serge," Ray apologized with exploding guilt behind his words. "I thought you were something chasing me." He opened his mouth to say more, but Mullins changed the subject, and beckoned Ray to help him stand.
Ray realized he was staring into space, replaying the horrific sights in his mind. Lugging himself back to reality, he hooked Mullins' arm around his neck and helped him into a standing position. Mullins grunted in pain under the sudden movement, "Careful, dammit." They walked down the void corridor, their eyes rapidly scanning the shadows in somber silence.
"Back at the bridge," Ray said, trying to pull his thoughts out of his wordless shock, his voice trembling, "Before it all went down… The General-"
Mullins cut him off, "That piece of shit."
"-He mentioned a courtyard. That the helicopters have already made their way there."
This wasn't news to Mullins, "Whatever."
"Serge?" Ray asked.
Mullins stared at him.
"Were you alone?"
Mullins continued to stare.
"Was there anyone with you?" Ray confirmed.
Mullins' bowed his head, let out a sigh through his nostrils, and looked straight, "Boomer, Roberts…"
He groped around for the other private's name, but he gave up. "Some Other Guy." Their faces sparked in his mind for each name he said, "We all made the fall, but I got separated."
"Boomer…" Ray murmured, suddenly feeling his heart drop to its lowest level, "God, I hope they made it."
Mullins suddenly got the feeling that none of them would.
-More chapters comming soon. Haven't written in over two weeks, and that's really terrible in my opinion. The first chapter for the epilogue of Repercussions is already written out, so expect it soon.