Finally, here is chapt. 10. This will probably meet some heavy changes (grammar and such). I just wanted to give you a taste of what I wanted to do. Comments and criticisms welcome/needed. Thanks everyone.
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-Chapter 10-
-Joining the Fold-
Jacob's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurry. He tried to move, but he felt a sharp pain strike his brain as he tried to lift his head from the hard floor, causing him to wince and groan softly. He weakly brought his hand up and tenderly rubbed where he felt the source of the pain. His fingers slid across a small bump and felt a strange coolness. Moving his hands in front of his eyes, his furrowed his brow as he examined the small patches of blood on his fingertips. He built up what little strength he had and lifted his body up from the floor, using his good arm. After several minutes of slowly maneuvering himself so that he was resting on the foot of the couch, he slowly turned his head around, looking about the room. It was still the same, dark messy lounge he came in after Jessica pulled him out of the room with the creature dressed as a Sister.
"Jessica?" he whispered coarsely. "Jessica, are you here?"
He grew worried when he did not get a response. It was then he recalled the last few moments before he blacked out. He was sitting on the couch when Jessica panicked. He looked behind him he saw the towering beast, Pyramid Head. Before he could react, the monster smashed the end of his steel pike against the back of his, causing him to fall face first on the floor. Before his vision went black, he watched in horror as Pyramid Head grabbed Jessica and pulled her out of the room. He got up to his feet, his head spinning from the shock his body experienced as he got up too fast. The room was slowly spinning and Jacob took a firm hold of the couch before he could fall. When the room steadied, he slowly made his way through the open door leading out to the hallway. His right leg felt a bit sore, but Jacob just dragged it as he walked, his shoes making soft scraping noises. His right arm hung lifeless at his side, the fabric covering sticky with a mixture of his own blood and the black fluid from the Sister creature.
The walk down the halls was uneventful, which greatly bothered Jacob. Normally he would expect to hear the sounds of monsters, but everything was eerily quiet. Jacob felt himself growing weak from the walking and leaned his body against the left-hand wall of the hallway. He felt compelled to stop several times to catch his breath, but his desire to find Jessica and get her out of this place took precedence over his own personal well being. Thus, Jacob steeled himself and continued to walk down the hallway.
After walking for what felt like a half an hour, Jacob had noticed that the hallway seemed to be rather unnaturally long. He was forced to take several corners, but none that he could ever remember taking at the original Hope House. Although he was concerned, another part of him wasn't surprised at all. Hell, he thought, if monsters are here, why should I be surprised? As he continued walking, Jacob's ears picked up a very faint droning sound. Straining his ears, he tried to make out where and what the sound was. Looking in front of him, he noticed that he was standing at the very beginning of a very long hall. He couldn't be sure in the dim light, but he could see two large double doors. As he made his way towards the door, he could tell that the droning was getting louder.
When Jacob finally reached the large doors, he noticed strange markings on the dark wood, markings he had never really seen before. What appeared to be some sort of lettering had been carved into the surface in a language unknown to him. Two things that peaked his curiosity about the strange door were the symbol for Hope House's religion placed at the very center of the door and that the markings were not written in a scratched script similar to the words found in the lounge. It was as if the markings were originally part of the door, fashioned from fresh wood. The symbol and markings had no particular color and blended in with the dark color scheme of the door. It could have been easily missed if the hall was any darker. Leaning his head close to the doors, Jacob heard the droning noise much clearer and discovered that the sounds were actually low, guttural chants. The same kind of chanting he heard at Rosewater.
Jacob frantically prodded the door, trying to find a way to get it open. He pressed his good hand against the smooth wood, but he could not feel any type of doorknob or latching system. He wanted to slam his fist against the large doors but did not want to attract the attention of those behind it, at least not yet. He reexamined the door, his eyes scanning every mark on the door, every curve of the circular symbol. It was then he recalled what was written on the wall of the lounge, a phrase that sounded like something out of a prayer book. Straining to remember exactly what the phrase said, he whispered the only parts he could really remember, I am the Crimson One. Believers hearken to me!
With a soft rumbling noise, the two large wooden doors slowly opened outward, revealing a room that was bathed in darkness. Considering the amount of light that was in the hallway, looking into the new room was like staring at black ink. Although he could not see anything, the chanting had grown louder. Jacob extended his good arm in front of him as he walked towards the dark, moving his hand in all directions, trying to keep himself from hitting walls or tripping over objects. He felt the cool darkness envelop him, sending chills through his spine. After spending a few moments in the darkened area, Jacob's heart stopped as he heard the soft rumbling of the wooden doors beginning to close. Before he could limp his way out of the area, the doors firmly closed, leaving Jacob to panic and unable to get his bearings. He moved slowly, swimming in the darkened abyss that engulfed him.
Suddenly, a small patch of light came from above and painted a white circle on what looked like wooden flooring. A scratchy design appeared within the spotlight, but from where he was, Jacob couldn't make it out. Moving a bit to his left, he felt his body come into contact with a solid object. His hand frantically felt the obstruction, trying to deduce what it could be. Underneath his palm, he felt the warm dryness of old wood, his hands giving him an image of an old wooden railing. Moving away from the railing, Jacob's hand fished around for something else to feel. His hand pressed against a solid wall of the same type of wood and when he moved his palm down, the object immediately formed a right angle. As he continued to feel the object, Jacob made a sudden realization of where he might be. The Assembly Hall, he said to himself.
At that moment, the room was bathed in a dark red light. Jacob's vision blurred for several seconds as they adjusted themselves to the new light that caused the blackness to withdraw. Looking about him, there was no room for doubt in Jacob's mind, he was in the Assembly Hall. This was the hall in which Jacob had to go to before classes, where Alexander and the rest of the faculty would announce news and offer group prayers. While similar in construction, the wooden seats lining the walls and the raised platform at the very end of the hall which stood directly in front of an ornate stained glass window, this Assembly Hall was quite different. The room was much like the rest of the Alternate Hope House, dilapidated and covered with grime, rust and blood, but the physical nature of the Hall didn't bother him. What bothered him was a terrible sense that he shouldn't be here, the he should not stay a second longer. His first instinct was to run away, run as far and as fast as he could. But before he could turn away, Jacob saw robed figure emerge from the large double doors at the back end of the Hall. He quickly threw himself within the leg space in the wooden seats and waited for the figures to walk past. Although he couldn't see them up close, he could hear the low, guttural chanting escape from beneath the hoods. When he felt that the figures were at the other end of the hall, Jacob peeked out over the wooden railing and watched as about seven tall figures formed a semi circle around the spotlight. The figure in the center of the group raised both hands and all chanting ceased. In a voice somewhat familiar to him, words filled the once quiet hall.
"Oh, God, we stand before you in order to bring you another soul to our cause. In all Her infinite wisdom, She has promised us Paradise. A place away from all the evils the world of Man has brought unto Her most loyal servants."
"May She grant us peace and respite from the evils of Man," the remaining figures spoke in unison.
The leader of the robed figures spoke again. "As we have discovered, pure faith hasn't been enough. Each of us has prove our faith to Her, but the world grows weak and weakness breeds wickedness."
The figures said again, "May She grant us peace and respite from the evils of Man."
"We have decided that the only way to bring Paradise is to produce more souls for our God. By providing her with loyal followers, we hope she will see fit to rid this world of evil and bring us Paradise. Hear us, O God, we have brought you a new soul for you to claim as your own. With her given to you, our faith grows stronger, our need for Paradise grows stronger."
Jacob whipped his head away from the robed group when he heard the wooden doors open once again. The sound of metal slowly scraping against the wooden floor filled his ears as he watched Pyramid Head enter the Hall, pulling a large rusty cage behind him. He ducked down behind the railing until Pyramid Head passed by and darted back up and looked into the cage. He felt his heart drop into his stomach, the blood drain from his face. The body in the cage was Jessica. His eyes followed the cage as Pyramid Head dragged it onto the stage, waiting as one of the figures retrieved the steel hook that held Will's cage. He felt helpless, he didn't know what to do except watch as Pyramid Head lifted the cage onto the hook. Jessica's long dark hair gently touched the wooden floor, the tips brushing against it as the cage swung slightly.
Jessica's eyes slowly fluttered open. She felt herself hanging by her feet but was completely lost in her surroundings and felt a sharp pain at the back of her head. She tried to move her arms, but discovered that they were bound by metal. She tilted her head upward and saw a scratchy version of the Hope House seal. She looked to her left and spotted several robed figures with their hoods upon. Looking in the opposite direction, she saw more figures, all just standing in front of her silently. She was covered by a white light that seemed to come from the ceiling, but when Jessica moved her head, she couldn't find the source. She tried to take in the area, but the brightness of the light surrounding her didn't allow it. She looked once again to the figures, panic rising within her.
"What's going on?" She said, in a shaky voice. "Why am I in a cage? Who are you?"
The leader of the figures stepped forward and kneeled before her. A hand extended from the robe and gently pressed itself against her cheek. Jessica figured it to belong to a man, since it felt slightly rough. Even though the figure was human, it did little to sedate her fear. "Who are you? What are you doing to me?" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
"Quiet, child," the figure spoke. "All will become clear." The figure stood up and signaled to another person out of Jessica's view. She watched as the robed figure stepped behind the group and come back gripping a large pike in both hands. Jessica's head moved towards the low thumping sounds of boots hitting the wooden floor, her eyes widening as the figure came into view. It was the same monster that knocked Jacob out and dragged her away. The image of the events flashed in her head.
After it attacked Jacob, the monster with the pyramid shaped helmet took her by her long hair and pulled her out of the room while she screamed incessantly. Once they were out of the room, the monster painfully gripped Jessica by the waist and pulled her up onto a bloody stretcher. Jessica tried to struggle as the monster fastened various belts to her limbs and torso. As Pyramid Head gently rolled her down the hall, Jessica couldn't stop screaming and struggling. Her movements were frantic, but this didn't deter the creature from stopping. A few moments later, the gurney stopped in front of a metal door. When Pyramid Head opened the metal door, he gripped the foot of the gurney and pulled it into the room. Jessica tried to kick at its hands, but the monster seemed unaffected by it. All of her screaming and struggling ceased once she fully entered the room.
The smells of rotting bodies filled her nose and brought waves of nausea, the shock of the smell causing her to throw up over the side of her gurney. The room looked like some sort of evil morgue. The tile walls were covered in blood and other dark patches. Lined up against the wall were several rusty cages, while the opposite wall held various cutting instruments, including the largest knife Jessica had ever seen. The room was lit by a hanging red light which moved from the breeze created from a large industrial fan. Jessica watched sickly as Pyramid Head gripped one of the cages from the wall and placed it onto the gurney. He meticulously fastened her arms and legs with no fuss, as Jessica was too frightened to struggle. Pyramid Head took one of the metal bars in his hands and pulled it away from the gurney. With no obvious concern, the cage dropped away from the gurney and hit the floor with such force, the back of Jessica's head hit the hard floor and fell into unconsciousness.
Now, the girl was wide awake, staring at the terrifying creature as it took the long pike from the robed figure. Her eyes followed the sharp tip of the metal object and watched as Pyramid Head move to a position behind her. All Jessica could do at this point was cry, tears pouring from her eyes and onto her hanging hair. She weakly struggled against her bonds as Pyramid Head aimed the sharp end of the pike at Jessica's back.
Regardless that he had no idea of what do, Jacob got up from his hiding place and rushed for the stage. He couldn't stand to see Jessica go through what Will did, mainly because he would lose her forever. He moved as fast as his wounds would allow and before he got within a few feet of the stage when he shouted out to the robed figures.
"Stop this right now!" The robed figures turned to face the intruder. Pyramid Head stood halfway in the motion of stabbing Jessica, who recognized Jacob and cried out to him, her please tearing him apart.
"We have an interloper," one of the figures said to the leader of the group who looked directly at the young student. The area was quiet except for Jessica's cries. Jacob stood in a defiant manner facing the group, making himself look like he was capable for an all out fight. He watched the leader, waiting for the first move to be made. When several minutes passed, the leader threw his head back and laughed. The full, boisturous noise was carried throughout the entire hall, filling every space and echoed deeply into Jacob's ears. When the leader regained himself, he simply said, "Not yet, my boy." He extended his right hand and made a quick gesture to Pyramid Head who raised his pike again. Jacob shouted out again while Jessica wailed. With a loud, sickening noise, Pyramid Head drove the pike through the girl's body, the sharp end sticking out from the center of her chest. Jessica's cries stopped dead as blood began to pour from the wound, dripping to the floor, covering most of her face and dampening her hair. Jacob couldn't see the pike pierce through Jessica's body because the figures were obstructing the view, but the sound of it was enough to fall to his knees. The figures withdrew one by one, chanting the same indistinct words Jacob heard when they first arrived in the Assembly Hall. As the drew away from their positions, the sad and terrible state of Jessica was revealed. Her lifeless body hung from the cage that was swinging gently, a wide open wound slowly spewing blood all over her skin, her eyes wide open from shock. He limped over to the cage and examined it, trying to find the latch for each bond. Working gently and carefully, he brought Jessica down from her prison and held her in his arms, her blood spilling all over his arms and hands. He gently moved his palm across her eyes to close them and tried to wipe the red fluid from her face with his sleeve. Jacob rocked Jessica's body tenderly, gripping one of her hands tightly. He nuzzled his face in her hair, feeling patches of warm blood run against his face. He couldn't cry, the shock of losing the one thing that meant something to him was too much to realize. What troubled him the most was that if things worked the same way it did with Will, Jessica wouldn't be dead, but everything that made Jessica Jessica would be gone forever. As he sat with her body, his ears picked up the familiar sound of sirens wailing. They picked up in volume and were soon blasting in Jacob's ears. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Jessica's hair preparing for what waited for him on the other side.