Author's notes: Well this took quite a while to write, but I hope I am going to able to keep this relevant. This fanfiction is far from over, but at least one arc is getting close to being finished. There is still a few chapters to go, so I ask of you to be patient.

Leodragon678 (Ch10): Oh, I'm afraid the only thing not far away is the end of the mines. There are a lot questions left unanswered, many rooms left unexplored, many people yet to be mentioned, presumably perished. As for Silver, well, we can hope his guidance leads to salvation, but there are still doubts that remain.

Before I start, I just want to elaborate on something. I will be working on quite a lot these next days, both related to writing and not. I'm planning on writing some one-shots, and maybe even another story, if my other ideas don't get in the way. Either way, I hope you enjoy what I have in store, and I promise to make them stand out from the rest.

I also have a deviantArt account by the same name, so feel free to check that out for some drawing. I also have a youtube channel where I post some video game content I found funny, as well as some SFM animations, you can check it out, the name is danielxvii and the profile pic is like my old one, with a badly drawn Funtime Freddy.

Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Thank you for your continued support. Until next time.

Chapter 10: A to B

It's becoming difficult to describe what transpired in these mines, and a lot of unusual occurrences, freaky monstrosities and ever-branching mazes became the norm. It all started to blend in together, my faults at maneuvering rectified made traversing through the feral-infested hallways into a lengthy chore. After a while, it doesn't matter which turn I took, or what evasive tactics I used to avoid detection. There is nothing to infer from the paths I took, the only part that matters is where they took me.

The new set of hallways housed a pack of ravenous ferals, widely spread around leaving almost no safe haven from them. The only cover was provided by contemporary metal crates, though they looked more like cages to me. Fascinatingly enough, apart from the propane canisters leaning on the corners of this maze, some of the corridors sported some sort of cells. Those who end up behind the chain fence and the cell door would have their flesh melted off by steam coming from the pipes in the walls. It wasn't a continuous flow of blistering steam, but a manually controlled exhaust, the lever placed next to the cage. That might come in handy if I ever find myself endangered like last time, especially since I never threw away the padlock with which I ensured the safety of my belongings on the boat.

There was a map detailing all the areas I could venture into. My main focus is the Section C, left to the entrance, and most definitely where I was supposed to go. On the opposite side of Section C was yet another tool shed, as if this place didn't have enough. On my right was an area labeled Shaft 13. In front of me were two more areas, a refinery and another shaft, this time with the number 12.

As is the custom around here, I went on to inquire about the tools, so naturally I paid a visit to the tool shed. It took me a while sneaking around, but I eventually stumbled upon a door. The area was dimly lit, and only had a few shelves housing various equipment, ranging from food rations to electronic devices. The tool shed was a separate section from the area, and unlike it was adequately lit. Some bits and pieces laid on the shelves, tucked away with barbed wire. I picked up some batteries from one of the 'exposed shelves' as a precaution, though this time I well stocked with them, with minimal odds of finding myself in the dark. As for the unique trinkets, I procured a screwdriver which appeared to be used for everything but its original purpose, and some hefty industrial boltcutters.

I tried to enter section C, but as is the custom around here, the path wouldn't be as straightforward as I hoped, and I was most certainly about to visit every single one of the rooms in this sector so I could fetch a thing or two.

While it was far from silent in my disgruntled mind, no sound came from my surroundings, until my unseen companion broke the external silence:

"As your feet collide with the cold, hard, floor, so do the vibrations get louder and louder. Your journey is coming to an end, at least as I regard it. I've been longing for it for so long, waiting for the inevitable moment when I could hear the footsteps besides the other miserable creations. I pray that the footsteps I hear are not from the reaperman, for he beckons me. I've longed to see the clash of day and night, the blue and the black thinly separated by a streaks of red. Dusk is inevitable, only this time I dread the awakening, for there will be no dawn. That will be the day when the day sky sacrifices its existence to save the night sky from the manipulative, repulsive blood moon. None will come victorious"

"Ah, I'm afraid my mind digressed. I apologize for my ramblings, they are meaningless now. You've come to a full circle. A switch between the ciphers and the destruction has unwound, and now you came forward to face another cipher. Follow the path of misfortune, and you'll uncover where you have to venture next." He said after his incoherent ramblings.

There was, as he stated, another keypad standing beside the door. I pondered about the tight security in this specific area, and I couldn't wrap my head around what threat have they banished by placing it. Either it was overkill, or it was obsolete, and the only assumption I could make was that something else besides the oversized animals inhabited these halls. I just hoped I wouldn't see any walking cadavers while I'm strolling around.

I listened to the last of my companion's words and interpreted the 'path of misfortune' as something related to superstition. I would have gone to it either way, but now I have no reason to hesitate, knowing Shaft 13 wouldn't turn out to be a dead end. It took a while, but I snooped around skillfully, mindful of the ferals' movement patterns.

My first impression when I entered Shaft 13 was somewhat bleak. A metallic platform extended to the opposite side of the hall, which caved in. The idea of moving the boulders in the way was plausible, but it would have probably meant an untimely end for me. The metal platform was a bridge, going over a barely noticeable pool of acid. I didn't dare inspect it, and it didn't inconvenience me anyway, so I simply started looking around.

The fence on the right of the bridge was broken off, and there was a small hole in the craggy stone wall just beside the broken off part. I investigated further, and realized I could crouch through it. This, however, did not represent hope for me, since I knew exactly why this hole was made, and who, or better said, what made it. It was the caves above the excavation site all over again, only this time I knew better than to let fear paralyze me.

I wasn't about to linger this time, and I quickly entered the cramp cave, but not before turning on my trustworthy, but unreliable flashlight. It was at that moment that the entrance caved in, and it grunted in annoyance at this place's attempt to kill me. I got a grip on myself, I was discreetly, but swiftly moving through the caves, swerving to the left, glancing over occasionally at the big leathery eggs scattered amid the cold rocks. I could hear the sounds of something organic ripping out, and I had a feeling I was being watched by many, freaky eyes. I made sure to point the light behind my back and deter these ravenous critters away.

I got out of the cave and looked for something to block the exit. I'm unsure if it qualifies as irony or not, but the very same boulder that blocked the conventional path and forced me to go through the caves would end the predicament it brought upon me in the first place. From the looks of it, I was in a locker room of sorts, with many metal lockers leaning on the tiled walls. It would have looked like any locker room, had there not been clear signs of deterioration and destruction.

There was another hallway leading away from the locker room, however the ceiling was collapsed, the sight of rubble stretching as far as the eye can see. I theorized it might have been the corridor that the other person, Sonic, mentioned.

Silver, as if he knew what I was thinking, sent a transmission and subsequently corroborated my theory:

"Alas, the light at the end of the tunnel is unreachable, beyond your grasp. Your primal instincts are based on striving, and you are encumbered with dissatisfaction when there is no room for expansion. But again, I advise you, nothing beyond this point is for you to comprehend, your future lies deep inside these mines, no opportunity has been taken away. It is for the best, at least you wouldn't get to meet the blue menace, and, heavens forbid, trust in his stained judgement. As for those that do, may they rest in pieces. Decomposing, bug-infested pieces."

Despite his message, I was again disappointed by the inability to, at the very least, see anybody. It didn't matter who it was, as a being capable of social interaction, I had to satisfy my cravings for interaction. I was slowly breaking apart, my need for socialization left unattended tearing on my sanity. Whether I liked it or not, I had to accept the ramblings of a madman I could not reply to as the only sign of docile life, albeit with caution.

I found a few papers lying around the room. One was blank, smeared with dirt, yet I had a hunch there was more to it than it meets the eye. The other was scribbled, its contents hard to read, but not completely indecipherable.

"I write this as something of a last will or testament, for I have a feeling I am not going to see the light of day. I and some of the other mines ended up trapped here, and it's only a matter of time before they get to us. We held our hopes up for a rescue team, but that feels so long ago, like a distant memory.

We should have trusted the foreman, but back then, we all thought he was paranoid. There was no reason to put a security code lock, we were all authorized to go there. That is what we had in our minds, and because of that, the foreman paid the prize. I still have the code here in my locker, but I have to go all the way to that crazy biologist's office just to see it. It's frustrating, and also unnerving, since I end up seeing more than just the code on my paper.

We later understood why things were secured the way they were. We may have known each other well enough, but with what's happening to some of us, and by any chance, me, it is safe to say many won't make it out.

As for the others that do, I hope they never run into anybody, lest that person be prepared to die or worse."

I don't know what to think about this note. It shows a lot, but reveals nothing. It's frightening, knowing the consequences, but not being able to grasp the essence of what happened.

I was told I would find out where I am being lead to, but I remain stuck in ceaseless allusions and traces of incomprehensive events, and it feels as if I'm plunging myself into madness.