Johnny stumbles down the hall, his ashed clothes still burning into his
skin. "DEVI!" He screamed as he staggered. "Come out and fight this now.
Face to face... lets get this over."
"Oh, poo." She said behind him. He whirled around, but the hall was empty. "Do you really want to get it over so soon, Johnny?" He shot glances all about the room, his head swiveling like a chicken, or some sort of bird, when he realized where the slow laughter was coming from. A loudspeaker.
"HA!" Devi shouted defiantly, her mouth too close to the microphone, for her voice rang out and echoed throughout the hallways. "How do YOU like it, Johnny? How do you like being the little rat running around in someone else's maze? You loved the fight when it was you winning. But with me, you can't win. You should know that by now."
"I went easy on you!" He shouted back, not knowing if she could even hear him; she had, so far, shown an eerie amount of awareness on what was happening in the bowels of the hospital. "I was weak then. I could've killed you... and now I'm ready."
"Aww, you're ready to kill the one person you care about? That's touching. I've got to hand it to you, Johnny, you know how to make a girl feel special."
Johnny had been walking during all this talk, searching manically for the office with the loudspeaker. Devi continued to talk about his ingratitude, but he stopped listening. He came to an office with glass windows, and in the back of the room, could make out a figure. Devi. He kicked the door open, and almost walked right into the flames that burst up at that moment. She had set it, as a trap. Damn, Johnny thought as he watched the red flames lick at the doorframe. Why was Devi the one with magical powers all of a sudden? He unlocked a nearby fire hydrant but ignored the fire, and smashed the glass window, sliding through the glass shards beside the fire. But when he got to the chair, it was empty. Above, a panel of the ceiling had been torn down.
Johnny sighed with aggravation and, light as a cat, slunk through the opening into the stuffy space above the ceiling. Here the wind hissed and strange noises clattered down metallic hallways, of unknown directions. Melting in with the crackle of the fire and the hiss of the wind, a breathy, shadowy whisper rose above his ears: *Joooohhhnnnny.* Some tiny foreboding sent a strike of fear through his body and he started crawling as fast as his awkwardly long legs could crawl.
A hoard of spiders scattered around a corner and swiftly swarmed past him, his gloved hands disappearing momentarily under the black wave. He shuddered, but it was soon over, and he persisted. Metal sputtering somewhere to the right. Crawling towards a distant light -
a knife tore through the metal and pierced his left hand. "SHIT" He gasped and pulled his hand back instinctively, causing the rip to lengthen. He stopped himself from crying out, but laughter told him Devi had heard. "Am I not playing fair?" Johnny paused, looked up, and then felt the metal beneath him give. He free-fell down another metal shaft, his head and legs bending at awkward positions and occasionally getting stuck, so that he was held, mid-air, down this passage. Nowhere to go, he let himself catch a breath, and then continued the fall down,
down to the garbage. This ventilation system didn't make any sense, he grumbled, only shortly, as he felt something distinctly broken in either of his legs. He was about to look for a way out of the cramped room, when a particular pile began to move. He paused and stared. A tiny head popped out, paper breaching to make way for the figure. It was a doll. She shook her head out, then an arm, two arms followed. She pulled her body halfway out, then seemed to be stuck. Johnny was frozen, watching the little thing's plight. Finally she got a good grasp, and two razor sharp lengths of feet, or legs, or.... they followed her body. Steadied her on the ground. She grew a manner of confidence, then stared back at him.
"Hi." She said.
Johnny stumbled backwards, limping desperately but pushing himself anyway, groping for a doorknob, and, somehow, made it out of the room and into a small hallway. He limped quickly down the dark hall, realizing in his flight, that he had lost his dagger.
He was now weaponless, hurt, and exhausted. And angry.
"Where's your little figments now? They aren't here to help you, I notice." Devi's face swooned out of the darkness, and he was surprised to find that his fist actually hit a solid object. She ducked back down into the darkness after being hit. That was unexpected. Johnny fell to his knees and let the dark envelop him as well. Clothes swished behind him as someone knelt. "Johnny." Devi's voice was a whisper in his ear, something in his imagination. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Johnny, don't try to fight it."
Then there was the strangest sensation, moisture at his neck. His arms pricked up, but he was too exhausted to move away from the lips. Devi caressed his back, bringing light fingers to dance across to his shoulder. He couldn't breathe anymore. She grasped his shoulder tightly, then pulled him around to face her.
If Johnny could see in the dark, he would've witnessed the evilest smirk on Devi's face as she leaned in to kiss him. But, as it was dark, they were only aware of the sounds and feelings. In the dark, someone gasped, a swift slash was heard, and then someone cried out in something that sounded like both pain and pleasure.
Johnny dipped his hand in the warm, flowing blood, and this time he couldn't stop the loud, body-shaking sobs that flooded him.
"Oh, poo." She said behind him. He whirled around, but the hall was empty. "Do you really want to get it over so soon, Johnny?" He shot glances all about the room, his head swiveling like a chicken, or some sort of bird, when he realized where the slow laughter was coming from. A loudspeaker.
"HA!" Devi shouted defiantly, her mouth too close to the microphone, for her voice rang out and echoed throughout the hallways. "How do YOU like it, Johnny? How do you like being the little rat running around in someone else's maze? You loved the fight when it was you winning. But with me, you can't win. You should know that by now."
"I went easy on you!" He shouted back, not knowing if she could even hear him; she had, so far, shown an eerie amount of awareness on what was happening in the bowels of the hospital. "I was weak then. I could've killed you... and now I'm ready."
"Aww, you're ready to kill the one person you care about? That's touching. I've got to hand it to you, Johnny, you know how to make a girl feel special."
Johnny had been walking during all this talk, searching manically for the office with the loudspeaker. Devi continued to talk about his ingratitude, but he stopped listening. He came to an office with glass windows, and in the back of the room, could make out a figure. Devi. He kicked the door open, and almost walked right into the flames that burst up at that moment. She had set it, as a trap. Damn, Johnny thought as he watched the red flames lick at the doorframe. Why was Devi the one with magical powers all of a sudden? He unlocked a nearby fire hydrant but ignored the fire, and smashed the glass window, sliding through the glass shards beside the fire. But when he got to the chair, it was empty. Above, a panel of the ceiling had been torn down.
Johnny sighed with aggravation and, light as a cat, slunk through the opening into the stuffy space above the ceiling. Here the wind hissed and strange noises clattered down metallic hallways, of unknown directions. Melting in with the crackle of the fire and the hiss of the wind, a breathy, shadowy whisper rose above his ears: *Joooohhhnnnny.* Some tiny foreboding sent a strike of fear through his body and he started crawling as fast as his awkwardly long legs could crawl.
A hoard of spiders scattered around a corner and swiftly swarmed past him, his gloved hands disappearing momentarily under the black wave. He shuddered, but it was soon over, and he persisted. Metal sputtering somewhere to the right. Crawling towards a distant light -
a knife tore through the metal and pierced his left hand. "SHIT" He gasped and pulled his hand back instinctively, causing the rip to lengthen. He stopped himself from crying out, but laughter told him Devi had heard. "Am I not playing fair?" Johnny paused, looked up, and then felt the metal beneath him give. He free-fell down another metal shaft, his head and legs bending at awkward positions and occasionally getting stuck, so that he was held, mid-air, down this passage. Nowhere to go, he let himself catch a breath, and then continued the fall down,
down to the garbage. This ventilation system didn't make any sense, he grumbled, only shortly, as he felt something distinctly broken in either of his legs. He was about to look for a way out of the cramped room, when a particular pile began to move. He paused and stared. A tiny head popped out, paper breaching to make way for the figure. It was a doll. She shook her head out, then an arm, two arms followed. She pulled her body halfway out, then seemed to be stuck. Johnny was frozen, watching the little thing's plight. Finally she got a good grasp, and two razor sharp lengths of feet, or legs, or.... they followed her body. Steadied her on the ground. She grew a manner of confidence, then stared back at him.
"Hi." She said.
Johnny stumbled backwards, limping desperately but pushing himself anyway, groping for a doorknob, and, somehow, made it out of the room and into a small hallway. He limped quickly down the dark hall, realizing in his flight, that he had lost his dagger.
He was now weaponless, hurt, and exhausted. And angry.
"Where's your little figments now? They aren't here to help you, I notice." Devi's face swooned out of the darkness, and he was surprised to find that his fist actually hit a solid object. She ducked back down into the darkness after being hit. That was unexpected. Johnny fell to his knees and let the dark envelop him as well. Clothes swished behind him as someone knelt. "Johnny." Devi's voice was a whisper in his ear, something in his imagination. He swallowed and closed his eyes. "Johnny, don't try to fight it."
Then there was the strangest sensation, moisture at his neck. His arms pricked up, but he was too exhausted to move away from the lips. Devi caressed his back, bringing light fingers to dance across to his shoulder. He couldn't breathe anymore. She grasped his shoulder tightly, then pulled him around to face her.
If Johnny could see in the dark, he would've witnessed the evilest smirk on Devi's face as she leaned in to kiss him. But, as it was dark, they were only aware of the sounds and feelings. In the dark, someone gasped, a swift slash was heard, and then someone cried out in something that sounded like both pain and pleasure.
Johnny dipped his hand in the warm, flowing blood, and this time he couldn't stop the loud, body-shaking sobs that flooded him.