Andrew's POV:

Every step we took was punctuated with the sharp crunch of fallen leaves and sticks littered throughout the environment. The only light we had was the full moon hanging over head, basking the alien environment in an ethereal glow.

As far as I could tell, we were in the middle of a valley of some kind, with hills going on for as far as the eye could see.

The farther we moved, the more that I started to notice that there was a horrible smell that permeated through the air, which was made worse from a cool breeze.

Ilia and Allison clung to each other while walking close to me, with Libitina still taking point, showing little to no weariness for the situation.

Even though she's clearly on our side, there's something extremely uneasy about her being in her…weird, telekinetic powerful state. There's a weird aura that emits off from her and her personality is a bit off. It's still her, but she clearly is harboring other emotions when shes in that state.

"So…" I start, breaking the silence. "This place is called the…Deadman's Hills? What gives it that name and where exactly are we in relation to the facility?"

In the corner of my eye, I see Ilia looking up one of the hills we were passing.

"Well, rumor has it that this is where they dump the bodies of the people that die here, whether it be us prisoners or even the guards that get hurt during the experiments."

Hearing that sent a weird shiver own my spine.

"Wait, wait so what you're saying is we're surrounded by dead bodies?"

Ilia doesn't answer me, but Libitina instead.

"Yes, these all span from the existence of the camp. Some fresh, some old."

I start to feel grateful that the moon is the only light source we have. If I was able to positively identify what was surrounding us, I'm not entire sure I could stomach it all.

As if she could read my thoughts, I heard Allison behind me audibly shiver.

"I don't like it here.." She says meekly.

"It's okay, we'll be out of here in no time, and before you know it, we'll be on our way to safety." Ilia reassures her.

'I sure fuckin' hope so,' I think to myself.

We continue on in silence once more, unease clearly fallen upon all of us.

The more I thought about us being surrounded by the dead, the more I felt like my mind was playing tricks on me. In the corners of my eyes, shadows danced on the hills in the moonlight. Faint voices seemed to be heard from various directions. Every so often, there would be a decayed skeleton more so in the center of the path, almost like the individual was attempting escape in the last moments of their life.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and stress starting to take hold, so I took some struggled gulps and a few deep breathes to calm my nerves.

"Andrew, you heart is beating more erratically than the rest of us. What are you fearing?" Libitina says from in front of us.

I glance around our surroundings again, getting more and more accustomed to the dark.

"Er-I mean, I would say it's more unease. We're traveling now and haven't been attacked by anyone in the facility and the adrenalines kind of wearing off. Surrounded by dead bodies, it's dark, and I still don't know where exactly in the world we are, I guess it's all catching up to me now."

She stops dead in her tracks and turns to me, eyes fixated on me.

"All things considered, you have been faring pretty well against the odds pushed against you. Although it may be unwise to praise that at this current moment, you shall see those as small victories and use that confidence to push forward."

I shift in place and take a deep breath.

"I guess you may have a point there. Didn't really plan on just stopping, anyways."

She pivots in place and continues walking.

I sigh and continue onward with the other girls.

I'm not sure how much time has passed, but we seemed to have made no progress. Everything around us looks exactly the same.

"Are we even making any progress?" I say out loud to anyone.

"I'm sure we're getting closer to the exit.." Ilia responds, though her voice was doubtful.

"I just feel like we've been walking in circles for hours with nothing to show for it-" I faltered as I felt the intensity of being watched.

All around us, I felt piercing stares all fixated on us.

"Uh….guys, do you feel that?" I nervously say.

None of the girls need to answer, for out of nowhere figures emerge from the dead bodies and approach us in the middle of the path.

My eyes weren't one hundred percent accustomed to the dark, so the individuals weren't super clear, but I knew they meant harm.

Hissing and gargles were heard from the beings, making my hairs stand up.

One of them steps forward and bellows out a blood-curdling scream, it's sound echoing through the Hills. Multiple screams echo out once more in the distance, as if answering a call.

Standing petrified, I dared not move or make a noise, and I could sense the two girls next to me felt the same way.

The air was still for a moment until we heard the sounds of something running towards us.

Libitina half to turns to us, her eyes meeting mine with ferocity.

"Run."

I grab the girls by the wrist and take off in a dead sprint forward. I let go as the girls find their own speed, running along slightly behind me.

As we left Libitina behind, I could hear her effortlessly trying to talk to the individuals before fighting. The sounds of energy and sonic blasts echoed behind us as we sprinted to safety. Or tried.

We ran through the maze of bodies with adrenaline pumping in our veins, not knowing where to go or where our destination was with only one goal in mind: getting the hell out of here alive.

As we pushed through, the sounds of galloping once again filled my ears. I had barely enough time to register we were being followed when an unseen force knocked me to the side, flinging me airborne into the side of one of the hills.

I heard the girls cry out as I made impact with the bodies, their fleshy, decayed surface absorbing my fall.

I blinked a few times and coughed, trying to gather my bearings. The smell up close was unbearable. I coughed the foul stench out of my noise and lungs, pushing my way out of the bodies. Several limbs were falling on me, almost as if to keep me in place, and it took everything in my power not to vomit on the spot.

I stumbled down the hill back onto the path to see several individuals circling around the girls, who were whimpering in place.

I took a step forward to intervene when I heard movement to my side.

"Hey, you! Halt!"

I turn to the sound of the voice, only to feel a hard blow to my right thigh.

"Mother-fucker!" I groan, falling to one knee.

I hear the whirring of an energy rifle in my ear, with the weapon's barrel being pressed against my head.

"Don't move!" He orders, as if I had a choice in the matter.

I hear another guard or two approach from nearby, all whirring to life their rifles.

"The radios are jammed, it's like something is blocking the frequency!" I hear one of the other guards say. "We can't call this in."

Almost as if they just noticed the others, I heard them falter.

"E-everyone, put your hands up!"

I heard the demonic screech of one of the creatures. With lightning speed, the guard was tackled to the ground, getting ripped to shreds on the sidelines.

Energy rounds start flying as the guards effortlessly tried to defend themselves. I felt the muzzle release from my head and turn up just in time to see the guard being attacked to the ground.

As he wailed in pain, the sound of gushing organs and screams filled my ears.

Allison and Ilia both took shelter away from the current battles.

Before I could reunite with them, I heard hissing and growling in my direction. I looked up to see one of the individuals limping towards me slow and deliberate, eyeing me over like a prize.

The glow of the moon illuminated it, giving me a good view on the creature.

It looked as Evie had back in the Pit, with stale blood covering its appendages. One of its eyes way out of it's socket, dangling from its optic nerve. The other eye glowed a dim red, as if it was half alive.

All over it's body were scratches and gashes, as if it was attacked prior.

It stood still for a moment while gazing at me, as if analyzing it's next move. It stood up straight and reared its head, howling into the night.

I look to my side and found the rifle the previous guard had, humming to my side.

Without hesitation, I grab the rifle and take aim.

The moment the creature began to run in my direction, I opened fire, sending a volley of energy projectiles into the being.

In a matter of seconds, It was ripped to shreds and fell lifelessly to the ground.

I heaved a sigh and scrambled to my feet, keeping hold of the weapon.

I slid up to girls, giving them a quick look over to make sure they were okay.

"You guys doing okay? Did they touch you?" I say in between heavy breathes.

They both wordlessly shake their heads.

Without saying a word, Allison lifts up a shaky hand, pointing behind me.

I turn around to see about a dozen of those things rounding up, looking our direction.

My blood ran cold, and I gulped, gripping the rifle in my hands.

I shakily stood to my feet, seating the weapon's buttstock into my shoulder.

"Well….fuck." I hopelessly mutter to myself.

As I charge the rifle and prepare for my final stand, I feel a shift in the air, as if something powerful was approaching from the distance.

….

Libitina's POV:

My eyesight was crimson red. I could see a clear, acute outline of every individual in front of me.

Andrew, Ilia and Allison were huddled out past the group of zombified prisoners. The demons themselves haven't noticed my arrival yet.

They were all barely clothed, with their skin slowly decaying. They were strong but not as strong as we normal are, almost like their Third Eye was stripped from them, with only a residual amount left in them.

As I got closer, I noticed the group of half-dead beings slowly circling Andrew, who seemed to have acquired a weapon of some kind for defense.

'Brave, crazy fool,' I thought to myself.

I saw him take aim as one of the closest demons screeched, leaping at him.

I thrusted my hand out to create a sort of defense field around my friends, then focused an attack on the assailant. Flicking my wrist, I sent the freak flying to the side.

One by one, heads turned my direction, surprised by the sudden attack.

Like an army, they attacked at once.

I smirk, ready for the fight.

As they approach, I felt time start to slow as I analyzed the situation.

'Okay, there are…..7 of them..,' I count to myself. 'They're clearly feral and out matched from me, so let's have some fun here.'

I let out a hearty, sinister laugh. Some of the creatures faltered from the display of confidence while two kept coming head strong.

The first one leaped at me torso-first, so I side stepped and used my mind to force the creature face first on the ground. As it scratched and scrambled to regain its composure, I stomped on the small of its back, splattering it in two.

The second screamed at me and attempted to scratch at me.

I chuckled as I caught the demon's wrist, ripping its arm from the body. It howled in pain, fumbling around the bloodied arm socket. With a laugh, I swung it's arm like a bat, smashing into its head and creating a blood mist.

With two of the creatures taken down so easily, the others seemed weary at approaching me.

"What's the matter?" I chortle out loud to the things. "I'm getting terribly bored over here."

All but one of the beings retreated, climbing over the bodies and disappearing over the hills.

The one left hissed and foamed, looking unsure on its actions.

'Beware….the laboratory…..the Speaker….'

Hearing the voice in my mind caused me to stop dead in my tracks. Did it…..did it just speak to me?

Before I could do anything, it retreated like the rest, crawling up the decaying masses until it disappeared over the horizon.

The air was silent once more, filled with only the sound of the breeze. I turned to see our group staring at me expectantly.

"Libitina, you did it! You-" Ilia was starting to say. As I approached her, I felt a sudden nausea come over me. I stumbled into Ilia, who cause me with the help of Andrew.

"Oh shit-Libitina! What's wrong?" Andrew's voice echoed in my mind as I slipped into subconsciousness.