I Heard It Too
A/N: Hello my friends! I have returned from the depths once again to inform you all that I am not dead and still actively pursuing this story. It is unfortunately with a heavy heart that I cannot get to it as often as I would like, and I beg for your forgiveness as I try to deliver new material in what will hopefully be not once a year. But enough about me, our next chapter is from the popular Two-Sentence Story: I Heard It Too, and I think our hero is gonna really have fun with this one. Enjoy and remember that I own nothing!
Sarah was working on her geology project when she heard a soft knock on her bedroom door. Pausing for the briefest of moments to put down her quartz sample, Sarah turned to see her mother leaning casually against the doorframe, her face at ease and with a soft smile to match. Crossing her arms in a subconscious effort to match her mother's relaxed posture, Sarah gave a small smile of her own. Sarah had always admired her mother for a variety of reasons, and one of those reasons was how she always managed to stay so calm and collected in every situation. Whether it was stress from her demanding career as a biological engineer or strain from being a single parent raising a teenage daughter, Sarah's mother never let her emotions get the best of her. Even in situations where a laid back attitude was not ideal, such as disciplining subordinates at work, Sarah's mother would always respond with a stern but controlled demeanor. Sarah was often perplexed as to just how her mother did it. She knew that if she tried to keep her composure so steadily like that, she would likely explode.
"Hey mom," came her amicable greeting as she leaned back on her desk chair. "You're home early today…time off for good behavior?"
Her mother gave a small chuckle in response.
"We're actually about to make a breakthrough in our latest project, so I decided to let everyone out a little early today to celebrate."
Sarah raised a teasing but curious eyebrow at this, as the exact details of her mother's work were often a mystery to the teenage girl. She knew that it had to be that way, of course, as the biological engineering lab her mother worked for was often given military contracts. Strictly need-to-know projects were handled at her mother's level, but she was forbidden by law from sharing anything about those projects, likely so none of the country's adversaries could get their hands on whatever groundbreaking research they were working on.
"You? Leaving the lab before six?" Sarah joked. "I'd ask what kind of breakthrough we're talking about here, but I'm guessing I'll just get the usual 'I-could-tell-you-but-then-i'd-have-to-kill-you' routine, right?"
Her mother responded with a wink and placed her finger to her lips, confirming that Sarah was indeed correct.
"Well, speaking of breakthroughs, I have just made one of my own on an incredibly boring but also incredibly unclassified project regarding the different types of rocks that our planet contains," Sarah said with just the right amount of sarcasm. She gestured with her hand to the diorama that dominated her work desk, showcasing a multitude of different geodes and stones that had their names as well as a brief description printed beneath their separate stages.
As a woman who possessed a doctorate, Sarah could only assume that her project was akin to learning how to count to ten in the eyes of her mother, but the teen still felt a sense of pride when she saw her mother's eyes analyzing it with an approving eye. She took the time to read each description as well as spend a few moments looking over each rock that was on display. When she'd finished her evaluation, she turned to Sarah and held her hand up in a high five.
"Well now, I'd say this is some A+ material you've got here, Sarah. Have you already written up your presentation script?"
Sarah returned her mother's gesture, then let her shoulders slump slightly at the mention of her presentation.
"Not yet…I mean, most of it is already written, but I can't figure out how to start the presentation. There's nothing to grab the audience's attention. How am I supposed to grab everybody's undivided focus when the subject is literally about rocks?"
"Besides the fact that they are quite literally the oldest and most consistent tool utilized by mankind?" Sarah's mother offered with a sly smile.
At this, Sarah groaned and slumped even further into her chair.
"How do you do that? How do you come up with a hook like that on the spot? I've been sitting here for hours trying to come up with something!"
Sarah's mother chuckled.
"Practice. Believe it or not, there are more boring things than rocks out there. Some of the presentations I've given have made people fall asleep while standing up. Do you know what an ATP synthase is?"
Sarah raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, maybe our teacher mentioned it once…? But no."
"Exactly, neither do about half the generals I communicate with. Trying to explain that while keeping them conscious is a nightmare."
This caused Sarah to give a genuine giggle. She was about to reply when her mother's phone suddenly interrupted their conversation, buzzing politely yet incessantly in her pocket.
"Ah, speaking of work…"
Sarah gave a small sigh. It was unfortunately quite often that her mother was called upon unexpectedly, as the dynamic nature of her work always demanded she be on call.
Her mother answered the call and gave a cheerful greeting to whoever was on the other end, but her smile quickly dropped as she heard what the voice had to say. Sarah could only just hear the sound of their voice from the phone, and she immediately registered a rather panicked tone speaking frantically to her mother. Something seemed very wrong.
Immediately, her mother's tone turned serious, albeit still remaining calm and collected. Her brow creased slightly as she gave her full attention to the conversation, and Sarah listened intently despite her inability to make out the words on the other end.
"Calm down. Tell me what's happened…"
"...what sort of problem? I don't–"
"...I'm at home…no I'm–hold on…"
Her mother turned without so much as a glance at Sarah and strode from the room purposefully, with Sarah watching her in a mixture of worry and curiosity as she walked across the long hall and into her own bedroom. She shut the door behind her, cutting off the sound of her conversation and leaving Sarah with an uncomfortable silence.
Sarah squinted, but she could no longer hear any of her mother's conversation through the door. She briefly considered sneaking over to the bedroom door to try and listen in, but remembrance of the last time she tried that method kept her seated. Severe punishment had been dished out in spades a few years ago when her mother had been working on a particularly sensitive project. She had been so excited about it that she'd nearly shared some classified information with Sarah, but she'd spoken about it with such vigor and enthusiasm that Sarah had found herself wanting to know more. She'd tried to listen in from around the corner when her mother had taken a phone call in the kitchen, but an untimely sneeze had given her away, and Sarah had been grounded for nearly two months as a result. No, despite the burning desire to unravel this mystery, Sarah stayed put. There was no need to get herself into further trouble while simultaneously committing treason in the process…
Though no sound escaped from the other side of her mother's bedroom door, Sarah thought it best to leave no room for doubt that she wasn't listening. Reaching into her drawer, Sarah pulled out a pair of headphones that she'd purchased some time ago. They weren't exactly noise-proof, but plugging the headphones into her music player and turning the volume up certainly prevented any outside noise from reaching her ears. With one final glance at her mother's closed bedroom door, Sarah shook off the twinge of worry that rose within her and pressed play, turning back to her project to place the finishing touches on the displays. Loud music began emanating from the headphones, starting a loud pop genre song that helped to take Sarah's mind off whatever was going on at the other side of that door.
…
The interior of the laboratory was mapped out in a few short microseconds, and with that information, VEGA began his analysis of what exactly had transpired here. The Doomslayer also looked around as well, with the hound sniffing the nearby bloodstains dripping down from the shattered glass and concrete. Currently, they occupied what VEGA hypothesized to be a containment cell, as the reinforced walls, extensively hidden cameras, and lack of windows all pointed to a design fashioned to keep something locked inside. Shortly after, the A.I.'s theory was proven correct as he gained control of the facility's inner network. Documentation of experiments and observances flooded through VEGA's vast consciousness, his cognitive abilities growing as he refurbished the processing centers within the laboratory to his will. Details regarding what exactly had been confined to this space were plentiful as VEGA flooded through the network, and he quickly became familiar with the origins and purpose of the entity that had been formerly kept here as well as its prowess and threat it posed to those that had created it.
While VEGA dutifully noted and logged each and every observance and speculation of the entity, he also filed the information away in his ever-growing codex of different lifeforms he and the Doom Slayer had encountered thus far since departing their own world. Though VEGA surmised that his codex entries would continue to populate until he ran out of memory, or until they returned to their own Earth. He was able to anticipate how long his memory would accommodate new information to within a century or so, but he possessed no frame of reference as to when to estimate their return home. In truth, their journey home could last eons, which both he and the Slayer were certainly capable of enduring. He could not be certain of the hound, however, as his initial analysis showed that while the hound was likely to live at least a few more millennia, it still was indeed finite. Ironically, the hound's lifespan compared with the Doom Slayer's could be considered similar to that of an unenhanced canine and human, with the Slayer outliving the hound by untold centuries. That was, of course, if the Slayer ceased to continue finding ways to empower himself via the strange and alien energies that flowed through the infinite dimensions. If he continued to find ways to strengthen his being, however, then VEGA could easily consider his lifespan to be indefinite.
Though the mystery regarding the Slayer's ironically infinite mortality intrigued the A.I., he chose to focus on the more present task at hand, which was the nature of the entity that had been birthed and contained in this very structure. The details of VEGA's investigation of this creature in particular hinged in some part on small tidbits that might have seemed insignificant to the average viewer, but the A.I. treated each one as a necessity to behold, for each small amount of data to be found was integral to his final determination. An example could be found in some of the experiments conducted in this location. As it so happened, VEGA uncovered evidence of malpractice within the team of humans that created this new life form. Cross referencing samples taken from the experiment with employee records showed that one of their own had supplied the foundation for this new creature's genetic structure. It had been modified of course during the trials, but they were similar enough. VEGA's innate curiosity led him to question how such similarities manifested themselves in the new life form. Photographs, sound recordings, video, as well as behavior logs were accessed in a flash, and VEGA was intrigued by what he discovered.
The experiment's DNA, despite using a donor as a basis, was still unstable, bearing an inkling of likeness to a DNA structure that both he and the Slayer had encountered some time ago, one that possessed an innate physical strength and durability while still able to inhabit a relatively smaller form. There were a few differences between the two, namely that one was caused by a genetically engineered virus and the other by direct DNA modulation. But the closest similarity, one that made this creature so dangerous, was that it was capable of changing its physical structure with so much as a thought. VEGA even would consider this particular creature to be even more savage than its dimensional counterpart, as its mental state was far more volatile and primative. The focus of the experiment had been on the physical results rather than the mental ones, manifesting in a lack of proper cognitive repression in the entity that was created.
To quote the psychoanalysis report that VEGA pulled from the database, this creature's mental state was, "feral and aggressive, with limited cognitive abilities as well as a peculiar knowledge of the donor's innate instincts".
The last portion of the note was what piqued VEGA's interest the most, and he found amplifying information behind another and much more secure firewall within the network.
It was a voice recording, and it was logged less than an hour ago.
VEGA deciphered the structure of the file and played it within his programming, as the Doom Slayer was still preoccupied with his own investigation of the destroyed containment cell. VEGA heard the words on the tape through his coding as though they were speaking in the very same room as he.
"Experimental log #134, Doctor Nichols reporting…It has been seventy-two hours since our last attempt at vocal communication, with no discernable responses recorded in the previous sections. As per our conversation in experimental log #97, we will now attempt to communicate with the subject with props that will trigger an innate memory transplanted from the host."
"For context, let it be known that I am speaking to the subject via a microphone broadcast into its containment chamber. Images are being shown via a hidden projector against the wall as well. Everyone else seemed content to leave early today and leave the experiment for tomorrow, but some of us are a bit more motivated than others…"
There was a pause on the recording.
"Alright, the subject appears to be relatively docile at the moment…starting interaction now:"
"Good afternoon! How are you feeling?"
"..."
"No response. Let it be known that no image has been shown yet. I will attempt the phrase again."
"Good afternoon! How are you feeling?"
"..."
"Again, no response. Although, the subject does appear to be looking around to determine the source of my voice."
"I will now attempt to recall a possibly ingrained memory within the subject. A picture provided by the donor will be displayed on the wall as well."
"What do you remember? Do you recognize them?"
"..."
"Subject appears to have considered the picture for a few moments, but has lost interest very quickly. It seems pictures of parental figures are not ingrained enough to trigger a memory. Displaying the next picture now…"
"This someone that you knew. Do you remember him?"
"..."
"Subject appears to have shown a slight interest in a depiction of the donor's former husband. Wait…no, the subject has lost interest after another few moments of interest. I will now attempt another picture…"
"What about her? Do you know about her?"
"..."
"Subject has moved its mouth, but the words are not loud enough to discern any meaning."
"Please repeat what you said. Do you know her?"
"...saer–ah"
"Subject is louder this time, but its words do not make any sense."
"What are you saying? Please speak louder."
"...Sarah…."
"Success! Subject has displayed a sort of familiarity with the displayed picture, which is a photo of the donor's dau–"
"...SARAH…"
"Subject appears to hold a strong tether to this particular memory. I believe that we–"
"...SARAH…"
"S-subject is showing signs of increased agitation. It's form is beginning to shift! I'm c-calling in the–"
"SAAAARRRRAAAAAAAH!"
"HOLY SHIT! It's breaking through! Call security! Call–"
It was then that the voice recording abruptly ended, though VEGA could accurately guess why given that he could see the tarnished observation booth laying in shambles just on the other side of the containment chamber. The entity had smashed through the wall completely, leaving the booth and all occupants inside in a state of total disarray.
Despite the morbid fate of the interviewer on the tape, their voice helped VEGA immensely. After just a few more moments of determined processing, VEGA drew his conclusion.
Interestingly enough, the hellhound picked up on its trail only a few moments after VEGA did. The wolf-like creature raised its head and growled to its discovery as VEGA spoke through the speakers inside the Slayer's helmet.
"I have hypothesized this creature's destination with 98.9345% certainty. I suggest traveling there first to begin our search."
VEGA marked the location on the Slayer's HUD, and soon he and his physical comrades started purposefully in the direction the creature had gone. As the Slayer and hound picked up their pace to superhuman levels, VEGA began a thorough analysis of the donor for the DNA basis of this entity, his processors on high alert for any information that could be considered useful.
…
Sarah lost track of time as she continued to place the finishing touches on her project. Soon, her mother's work was all but forgotten as she continued to focus on the more finite details of presenting her research. Borrowing the words her mother had given her about a proper introduction to geology, she began drafting her speech to go along with her presentation. Pulling out a piece of paper, Sarah began her work with a brief click of her pen.
"Ok, here we go," she thought to herself. "'Rocks, the root of which all tools are derived…'"
In a flash, Sarah crumpled up the piece of paper she was writing on and tossed it into the basket in the corner of her room. The noise it made when it landed was completely overshadowed by the music playing loudly in Sarah's ears, as she still had her headphones turned up to the maximum.
Taking out another sheet of paper, Sarah began again:
"'Out of all the tools that humanity has utilized, rocks are by far the most beautiful…'"
That attempt was discarded almost as quickly as the first, and Sarah chastised herself for not possessing a writer's touch. How had her mother made this seem so easy?
As her second attempt also landed softly in the wastebasket, Sarah was already pulling out another sheet of paper, her determination growing even more as she struggled with the proper opening to her report. Soon, she found herself growing more and more frustrated as the crumpled up papers began to pile up in the wastebasket.
"'Rocks, from stones to spaceships…'"
'"Through rocks, anything is possible…'"
"'Rock and roll, a study of how…'"
"Hey everyone, let me tell you how rocks ROCK…'"
With that last attempt, Sarah began to grow furious. Angrily, she crumpled up the paper she had written on and forcefully threw it into the garbage, her temper finally flaring after so many defeated attempts.
With a deep frown and her teeth clenched, Sarah watched as her latest failure sailed through the air towards the bin, the uneven spherical nature of the crumpled paper causing it to spin slightly as it tumbled through the air.
Sarah expected it to land without so much as a sound over the music blaring within her ears, and she watched with an agitated glare as the paper landed on top of its other ill-fated counterparts.
BOOM.
Sarah jolted back in her chair as a loud noise penetrated her headphones and resounded through her very being. She stared at the crumpled note incredulously, as it had landed at the exact same moment the boom had reached Sarah's eardrums.
Taking a moment to process what had just happened, Sarah slowly reached towards her notebook and tore out another piece of scratch paper. The loud music muffled the sound through her headphones as she crumpled it up into a ball and tossed it into the wastebasket like she had with so many others before. As if in slow motion this time, Sarah watched as it sailed toward the basket, its arc ever so slightly leading it to its destination on top of the other papers already sitting inside. Sarah watched intently as the paper drew closer and closer, and just as it landed…
BOOM.
Sarah immediately ripped off her headphones as the second loud noise resounded through her bones, and she looked with widened eyes to the hallway from her room, her eyes fixated intently as though she might see something coming around the corner at any second.
At first, she heard absolutely nothing, and then anxiety filled her very soul as she realized that all she heard was absolutely nothing.
There were no birds chirping outside, no cars giving a low rumble as they passed by, no distant lawn mowers dutifully clipping their yards…
It was silent. Dead silent.
Sarah tried to control her breathing as her anxiety grew worse, and she slowly stood up from her chair as the silence reigned further. With a trembling foot, Sarah took a step towards her bedroom door, frightened curiosity reigning supreme within her as she walked towards the doorway.
"Sarah?"
Sarah nearly jumped out of her skin as her mother's voice called up from downstairs. The fact that Sarah still thought her mother was in her room across the hall combined with the sudden shattering of the silence had startled her completely, and she immediately frowned in confusion as she took another step, stepping outside of her bedroom and out into the upstairs hall.
How could her mother have gone downstairs? She had been in her room across the hall just a few minutes ago. The door was still closed, so Sarah had simply assumed that her mother was still inside, as she hardly ever closed the door to her room when she wasn't there.
"Sarah?" came her mother's voice once again from downstairs, this time a bit more questioningly, as though her mother was impatient that Sarah had not come down yet.
Sarah looked from her mother's closed bedroom door to the stairs leading down for another moment before dismissing her confusion and taking the first step down the stairs, inhaling to call out to her mother that she was on her way down. She was remembering how serious her mother had been before when she was on the phone, so Sarah was certain that she was going to give her some sort of unclassified explanation as to what was going on.
Her words were suddenly choked from her before she could voice them as the door to her mother's bedroom flew open and a figure rushed forward.
Sarah's eyes grew wide in surprise and terror, but before she could scream, the figure closed a hand over her mouth and dragged her away from the stairs and back into her room. Once they both were inside, Sarah's captor paused for just a moment to shut and lock the door before rushing Sarah deeper inside and holding her firmly.
Had Sarah's mind not already been half frantic with panic and shock, she would have noticed that the whole sequence of events had been relatively quiet, as the figure had taken care not to make too much noise.
Sarah immediately began to fight and kick against the figure that held her in place, but she froze when the figure turned her around and revealed its identity.
Sarah was speechless with worry and confusion anew as the frightened eyes of her own mother stared back at her. She fumbled with her words as her mother removed her hand from her mouth.
"M-mom…? But–?"
Her mother quickly shushed her and held a finger to her daughter's lips as she looked over her shoulder towards the now shut and locked bedroom door. When she next spoke, her voice was quiet but with an intense hiss.
"Don't go down there. I heard it too…"
Sarah was still for a moment, unable to comprehend the words her mother was telling her, but then she began to tremble as the realization dawned on her at last. Her hands fumbled for a moment before grasping onto her mother, holding her as though she was her only lifeline and then she slowly turned to look at the closed door as horrible thoughts entered her mind about what might be on the other side.
"W-who…?" Sarah tried to whisper, but her voice refused to work properly. "W-w-what…?"
"Sarah...?"
It was all Sarah could do not to yelp as her mother's voice sounded from downstairs once more, now impatient that Sarah had not appeared yet. Sarah also heard something additional in the voice as well, as though it was speaking through an old music box instead of through normal human vocal cords. It sounded fuzzy and slightly disconnected.
Both mother and daughter slowly inched backward into the room and away from the door, and Sarah felt her mother shaking against her as they held each other closely.
"Sarah!"
There was no mistaking the anger and inhuman distortion within the voice now, and the sound of heavy footfalls came from the ground floor, moving closer to the stairs and growing louder as they came. In the back of Sarah's mind, she registered that the footfalls were far heavier than anything her mother could make, but her train of thought was lost as her mother detached herself from her and rushed over to her dresser which sat next to the door.
"Mom!" Sarah cried out as softly as she dared, but her mother continued forward, reaching the end of the dresser and pushing with all of her strength. The dresser begrudgingly inched forward at a snail's pace, slowly moving to block the door so that it could not be opened.
"SARAH!"
The footfalls grew faster and louder still, and from the noise, Sarah could tell that they were now at the bottom of the stairs. Panicking even more, Sarah rushed forward and pushed with her mother, increasing the speed of the dresser as it pushed faster across the doorway. Sarah was frantic as she heard the footfalls beginning to overlap each other, and within those last few seconds, she could have sworn she heard scuttling as opposed to solid footsteps.
The heavy dresser slowed to a stop across the door just as the scuttling footsteps reached the top of the stairs. Sarah's mother grabbed her and pulled her back just as something heavy slammed into the door from the other side, causing the wood to shudder and the dresser to rattle as the unseen assailant began banging against the portal with enraged abandon.
"SAAARRRRAAAAAHHH!"
With its voice so close and penetrating, Sarah knew for certain now that the creature wasn't human. Between its bouts of shouting her name, she could hear other nightmarish sounds that nothing on this world was capable of producing. Her lack of understanding feed her terror, but it was all forgotten in the next instant as the door began to groan and give. Whatever was attempting to get inside her room was succeeding slowly, and the banging grew more purposeful as it realized that fact as well. A loud crack echoed throughout the room as the wood began to bend, and all Sarah could do was watch helplessly.
Suddenly, her mother grabbed her and pulled her to the closet situated against the far wall of the room. Before Sarah realized what was happening, her mother forced her into the small space, pressing Sarah's back against the back wall of the closet.
"Stay here," she whispered over the wailing of the monster and the splintering of the door. "Stay here, and don't make a sound."
Sarah shook her head wildly and grasped for her mother, her brain finally understanding what it was her mother was trying to do.
"No…" she said with a cracked and broken voice as tears began to form in her eyes. "No…don't go…"
She could see the pain in her mother's eyes, and it betrayed her conviction that she would likely not come back.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Sarah."
Sarah's world turned dark as the closet door closed tight. With no light to see, the sound of her bedroom door finally caving in was all that there was to comprehend. There was a loud crash as the dresser toppled to the floor, and then…silence.
At first, the lack of sound was ironically deafening, and then over her own heartbeat thundering in her ears, Sarah heard deep and raspy breaths emanating from the far end of her bedroom. Whatever was now in her room with her mother, it was now still, and in her mind, she could see both it and her mother staring at one another. For a moment, a blossom of hope erupted within Sarah's chest. Then her mother spoke.
"She–"
"SAAAARRRRRAAAAAAAAAH!"
The sound of rending flesh carried over all else as Sarah's world became deafeningly loud once more. She heard her mother cry out, then gurgle as though she was choking on something. Sarah clamped both her hands over her mouth to stifle her screaming as tears now streamed freely down her face. Her mother was still choking violently over the sound of the wailing and screeching, and grief almost forced her to her feet and out of the closet. She didn't care if she couldn't do anything to save her mother, all she wanted to do was–
"Mom?"
It was as though the whole world had been placed on mute. The scuttling and wailing ceased immediately, and Sarah's heaving sobs were shocked into silence as a new voice came from somewhere.
"Mom? Is that you?"
It was her voice.
Sarah's voice.
And it was calling out from somewhere downstairs.
There was a loud thud, then the wailing and screeching began anew, though this time the scuttling grew quieter as the intruder rushed from the bedroom. Sarah heard the scuttling all the way down the stairs and onto the ground floor.
"...SARAH..."
It's voice had quieted too, as though it was finally calming down from the innate rage it felt within. Suddenly, Sarah heard the distinctive blast of a firearm, and the layered screech of agony that pierced her ears even as she clamped her hands over them. The wailing of rampage then began in earnest as the sounds of battle blocked out everything else, and the entire house shuddered as it struggled to withstand the carnage within it.
Great shouts of pain sounded from the original intruder, and through the symphony of its torment Sarah could hear something else as well. It almost sounded like the barking of a dog, but it held the force of a lion's roar, and it was only growing stronger as the cries of the original stranger grew weaker.
"...Saraaaaa-"
Its last call sounded desperate, almost as if it was crying out for help, but one final blast cut the scream off completely. The world fell silent for one last time, and then Sarah heard the sound of footfalls climbing the stairs again. Contrary to before, these steps were controlled and disciplined, the heavy thudding more akin to boots than solid flesh slapping against the wood. Behind it followed the slow and methodical lighter steps of a four-legged creature, and Sarah remained deathly quiet as the two sets of steps reached the top of the stairs and entered her room.
It was there that they stopped, and though Sarah could not see either of them, she knew that she was not hidden from them. They were fully aware that she was in the closet. Yet still, Sarah waited, not wanting to get up and face whatever horrid scene awaited her outside. A strange numbing sensation began to build within her as she remembered the sounds her mother had made on the other side of the closet door, and it spread throughout her whole body as she heard movement once again.
There was a soft thud as the two-legged entity knelt onto the carpet, seemingly examining something on the floor. Sarah knew what it likely was, and the thought caused the numbness to surge through her much faster. It was like she was being injected with it. There was then a faint rustle and a clink of something made of glass in the entity's hands, followed by a soft pop and hiss that sounded like the opening of a soda bottle. A hint of confusion accompanied the numbness within Sarah as the contents of the bottle were slowly emptied. There was a pause, and then Sarah heard her mother gurgle and begin to cough uncontrollably. The sound of her voice was enough to snap the numbness from her, and before she knew what was happening, she threw open the door of the closet and stumbled blindly against the sudden light, desperate to reach her mother at all costs.
She fell to her knees as her vision adjusted, and then half gasped and half sobbed when she took in the room around her.
The door and dresser had been destroyed, throwing chips of wood and sawdust in every direction that Sarah looked. Her geology project, as well as the desk it sat on and everything else in the room, had been upturned and strewn about haphazardly. Small stones and geodes glinted against the dull amber of the wood, but what drew Sarah's attention more so than the loss of her project was the blood.
Her mother's blood.
It was everywhere, staining the carpet a deep red and even dotting the walls from when her wounds had spurted it, and yet despite it all, her mother sat up in the center of the room, hacking and coughing the rest of it but looking surprisingly healthy. Sarah ran to her at once, ignoring the other occupants in the room in order to reach her mother at last.
She grabbed her by the shoulders and looked anxiously into her mother's eyes, which stared back wildly for a moment amidst her blood-soaked chin and clothes which had been nearly torn to shreds. Recognition then began to slowly appear on her mother's face when she saw Sarah, and in the next moment she pulled her close into a tight embrace that drove the numbness from Sarah completely.
She then pulled back and looked anxiously at her daughter once more.
"Where did it go? Are you alright? What happened?"
As she took her daughter's face in her bloody hands, Sarah frowned at her in anger as fresh tears formed on her eyes.
"What happened?! You left me alone and then you…you…"
Sarah was furious as sobs overtook her again, and her mother held her close once more as she cried herself out.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry you had to endure this. If I had only known…Is…is it gone?"
"The creature has been terminated," came a chillingly metallic but overly polite voice from next to them.
Both mother and daughter jumped and looked apprehensively up to see a green-armored spaceman staring down at them. A dark blackish substance stained the green in splashes that Sarah recognized as some sort of blood, but none of it seemed to be coming from the spaceman himself.
And as if his appearance wasn't alien enough, both Sarah and her mother jumped and backed away a few inches when they saw the other creature standing next to him.
A demonic wolf with bright amber eyes stared unblinkingly back at them, its jet black fur alight with flames that seemed to originate from beneath its coat. Numerous scars also scattered across its form, showcasing just how dangerous this creature was to those it considered its enemies. Where its snout and mouth should have been showed only bone, its fur halting just before its nose and jaw began. They both stared wide-eyed for a few moments between the members of the duo before Sarah's mother spoke up again.
"Y-you, said it's dead?"
"That is affirmative," came the kind reply.
"But I remember, I…it…how am I alive?"
"We administered an elixir that was designed to accelerate your body's natural healing process. It was fortunate that we did not arrive too late, as you would have likely not survived for much longer."
Sarah felt a deep pang but could detect no animosity at all from the robotic voice, and she glanced at the blue bottle in question that the green spaceman casually tossed aside. A light blue label was displayed proudly on the front of the bottle, reminding Sarah of some of those old vintage sodas that she'd seen in certain candy stores. A glance to the shattered doorway reminded her that the ground floor of her house likely showed a carnage far worse than her own room had suffered, but she felt no urge to go down and investigate. The corpse of the creature was likely still down there…
"Who sent you?" Sarah's mother asked.
"We came of our own volition. Although containment teams from your laboratory are well on their way here."
The voice was indeed correct, as Sarah could hear sirens in the distance drawing closer to the house.
"I am also monitoring multiple calls from your neighbors to the local authorities. However, they are being rerouted and ordered to stay away by federal sources."
"What…what do we do?" Sarah asked, the question directed to both her mother and the armored figure standing before them.
"It is my suggestion that your mother finds a new line of work, as I am sure the hazards associated with her current job are not worth any possible pay or benefits."
There was no sarcasm in the voice at all, but Sarah's mother gave a half-hearted laugh all the same. Somehow, her calm demeanor managed to return despite all that had just happened, and in spite of her incredulousness, Sarah found herself grasping onto her mother's steadiness for dear life. The familiarity was more than comforting.
"And what about you?"
"We must be on our way, as we cannot afford to stay here long."
"Well, then thank you," Sarah's mother said, standing up slowly and offering a hand to the armored figure who stretched his own hand out in return and shook it. "Though, I can honestly say that a simple "thank you" does not nearly express my gratitude for saving my life and that of my daughter."
"I certainly understand, but you are welcome, regardless."
With a final glance at the two of them, the armored figure stepped back with the hound and gave them a thumbs up with his gauntleted fist. Immediately, a flash of blue light engulfed them and followed with a loud bang. And when the light faded, both the spaceman and the hound were gone.
A/N: So as many may probably have noticed, much of my inspiration for how this chapter went was inspired by the hit youtube animation by 'Axeman' and read by 'Let's Read'! It was honestly super chilling to me when I first watched it, so I have to commend all parties involved on delivering a spectacular experience with that video. I'd also highly recommend it to all you like horror animations/movies/videos/etc. With that, I must also encourage everyone to express their delight/disgust with the chapter by leaving a review, as I always strive to improve my writing by taking feedback from my readers. Hopefully, my writing hasn't fallen too far with the time I've had away, but be sure to let me know if it has. Until next time!
-ImpulsiveWeaver