Joseph was right, lowering the bodies had unlocked the door at the far end and now the two of you had-possibly-an escape route.
The door led to another long hallway, an empty one. It was all stone walls and floors and, for whatever reason, it made you feel incredibly uncomfortable to walk through it. It was almost like… everything was pressing down on you, getting smaller and smaller, until you would be crushed. But every time you shook your head to try and rid yourself of the feeling-or every time you focused more closely on your surroundings-you found that nothing was changing and it was all in your head.
The hallway led into another room, more office-like with desks and chairs and papers. However, slightly more eerie as, to your right after immediately entering the room, was a horribly mutilated body trapped and floating in a cylinder tank of liquid reaching from floor to ceiling. An experiment, you gathered.
The two of you were cautious, walking around the room, but Joseph insisted on exploring to see if there were any answers to what was going on in this world. Maybe this was the office of the mastermind behind it all. Maybe there were no answers… But there was no harm in looking, right?
You walked towards the desk, skimming over the papers until one of them caught your eye: "It had to have been god's will that these two tin orphans survived. They were baptized and given medicine. Nein and his brother, Zehn, quickly recovered, but just as quickly did there aberration progress…
"Of course they are twins, but for some reason their growth patterns exhibit identical values.
"12 hours after serum administered.
Neun: 122.4 cm, 28.2 kg
Zehn: 122.4 cm, 28.2 kg
Body temperature elevation, pain in lower extremities evident.
"24 hours after serum administered.
Neun: 125.8 cm, 29.4 kg
Zehn: 125.8 cm, 29.4 kg
Vital signs stabilized, sleeping in short intervals.
"36 hours after serum administered.
Neun: 139.9 cm, 34.0 kg
Zehn: 139.9 cm, 34.0 kg
Semiconscious, speaking to imaginary person.
"48 hours after serum administered.
Neun: 145.7 cm, 45.9 kg
Zehn: 145.7 cm, 45.9 kg
Agitated, administering sedative."
Twins? You didn't know what exactly this 'doctor' was doing but clearly he was experimenting on people. And it sounded horrible. You wondered, vaguely, if the body in the tank was one of these twins… But then it clicked when you gave it a little more thought. These twins were the giants that had tried to kill you. The monsters outside this tunnel, massive and brutish, were the product of this crazy man's experiments. In times like this, you disagreed with 'the end justifies the means'. You had no idea what this man was working to discover, but it didn't seem worth it if this was how it turned out.
Another note caught your eye as well: "Every month 'offerings' are brought above ground to the stone sarcophagus the owner calls the 'alter'. Two bodies, four bodies, three bodies, five bodies, four bodies, seven bodies, six bodies…
"The church guard dog has begun to change. Just like the twins, the aberration is progressing.
"It devoured six bodies today and already it howls for more. It has begun to stress its bars and chains in its fervor. I don't dare take my eyes away from that animal. It may think I am another offering…"
"Joseph!" You called out, "Look at these." You showed him the notes, everything about the twins and this dog.
"It looks like this madman conducted the same experiment on the animal that he did the orphan twins. " Joseph said absently as he looked over the papers.
"I think those twins were the two giants that tried to kill us."
"That would make sense." Joseph read over the notes several times, piecing together the puzzle pieces. "If that's true, though, the this dog went through the same mutation. It would be just as strong and brutal, if not more, than the giants-but with the carnal instincts of a feral animal." Joseph seemed more and more troubled as he thought that over. The twins were tough enough.
"Do you think this dog is out there?"
Joseph noted the worry in your voice, he felt the same way, "I don't know." He then set the papers down and grabbed your hand, "I think we should find a way out."
"But what if it's out there?" You asked, slightly panicking and only barely offering resistance to Joseph pulling you along.
"We can't know for sure. Plus," Joseph wanted to reassure you, "this place looks old. All of this could be years-or even decades old. The dog might not even exist anymore."
You didn't feel any comfort from his words. "The twins were alive."
"Yeah…" Joseph had hoped you wouldn't say that. He knew what he was proposing was unlikely, but it was nice to hope.
And in a place so full of uncertainty, hope was all the two of you had.
