The doctor bobbed his head slightly, looking at the ponies in front of him through the glassy eyes of his mask. There was the mare with the infected wing... yes, the wing he had to saw off... it was for her own good... and there was the big stallion that had been left open the door to his study, permitting the infected monsters to crawl inside... luckily his coat was resistant enough to avoid any kind of contagion. Then there was a stallion and a filly he didn't know, so he rapidly passed over them, focusing for now on the monstrosities nearest him.
One of them was hissing menacingly, the exposed flesh pulsing with every heartbeat, muscles tensing, with an oozing coat of slime and blood leaking from its fibrous tissue. Illness and sickness dripped down slowly, crawling towards the medic. He shivered slightly under his mask, narrowing his eyes. At least he had his coat.
"You are in the way." he said gently, swinging the saw with his magic. The little filly let out a scared scream, as she saw the surgical tool rip right through the tender neck of the creature. The doctor didn't flinch as a stream of warm blood sprouted over him, dampening his surgical cloth. The creature emitted a gurgling screech, finally trying to flee, to no avail, as the saw danced again in the air, and rapidly chopped off one of its leg tendrils, knocking it to the ground.
Camo watched in horror as the doctor who had been supposed to fix High Wind's wing jumped over the fallen creature, starting to saw its head in half with silent determination. He rapidly covered Dahlia's eyes, and looked around for an escape route. He barely noticed that the monster he had been trying to hold back had completely lost interest in them, dashing back up the short set of stairs to attack the medic. The unicorn just turned his head slightly, and the saw dashed through the air, aimed at the other apparition's face, ripping off the muscles with a gushing sound.
"Oh Celestia..." murmured High Wind, looking in terror as the doctor started to stab the monster in the face, blood splashing over his mask. Then her eyes were attracted by a slight twitch that came from the already dead monster: the cocoon of flesh attached to its bony wings was trembling, as the creature inside struggled to get free, trying to reach for air.
"Oh Celestia..." she repeated, starting to tremble. That was Silver Streak for sure! She was trying to get free... but she wasn't going to make it, especially with a psychopath a few meters away. The pegasus tried to flap her wings, but the pain was overwhelming. She got a glimpse of the black growth around her wing, as she folded her wings and flinched. She couldn't do a thing.
"Hold her."
The mare turned, just in time to have Dahlia shoved into her forelegs, as Camo ran past her, jumping over the stretcher that he had used to hold back the creature that had attacked her, and rapidly ran up the stairs. High Wind clearly heard the unknown unicorn who was accompanying Camo snapping his tongue in disapproval, before concentrating again on the scene: the doctor seemed to be distracted with sawing through the face of the creature he had in front of him, and didn't pay any attention as Camo rushed past him, crouching behind the first fallen monster and starting to unwrap its dead skin, tearing it apart with his teeth.
There was a gasp and a terrified breath, as the head of the other pegasus mare emerged from her fleshy cage, greedily breathing in air. Camo just grasped her and rapidly slid her onto his back, before running back down. He glanced for a second at the medic, who was ripping off the jaw of the wailing creature, before Camo quickly headed back to the others.
"Let's get away from here." he snapped, looking around fearfully. He had enough of that dark place, with the fleshy walls, the monsters, the crazy doctor... High Wind nodded rapidly, glancing at the mare on Camo's back: Silver Streak was panting rapidly, her eyes wide with terror, shaking violently. They had to get somewhere calm, or she was going to end up like that as well, and-
"Then move." called Twisted's cold voice. The ponies turned their heads, and blinked as part of the fleshy wall opened with a slight pinging noise, revealing what seemed to be... an elevator? It seemed to be so normal, with its yellow walls, little light bulb on top, and calm music coming from the speakers above, which the two ponies stared at it, in a mix of confusion and awe. They snapped back as soon as the medic finally raised his blood-covered mask and turned towards them, the creature under his hooves motionless.
"I still have to take care of your illness!" he shrieked, starting to rapidly run down the stairs, aiming at the group. Camo didn't even think about it, and launched himself into the elevator, followed immediately by the mare who held in a scream of fear for Dahlia's sake. As soon as her tail was in, Twisted slammed his hoof on the buttons inside the elevator. With a slight screech, the sliding door closed as the doctor started to dash towards them, the sawblade raised in the air. They heard a soft thump when his body collided with the fleshy wall outside. Dehlia streghtened her grasp around High Wind chest, as the elevator trembled and started to descend, the music coming from the speakers filling the air.
"Why are we going down?" asked Camo after a couple of minutes of silent descent, glancing at Twisted. The other stallion barely looked at him, his eyes glued to the little light flashing behind the buttons, marking their descent.
"I don't know what you think, but I think that staying at the hospital is not a good idea. Sure, my room was safe, but since we had to leave... I figure getting out was the best choice." he answered, slightly annoyed. "Keep an eye on your friend." he added, slightly raising his eyebrow. Camo glanced at the mare resting on his back, and carefully dropped her to the floor of the elevator, looking at her, joined by High Wind: Silver Streak was breathing heavily, her eyes wide like plates, her mouth slowly murmuring something without emitting any sound.
"Silver, can you hear me?" whispered the pegasus mare, trying to shake the other mare, to no results. She glanced worriedly at Camo, but for the first time, the stallion seemed completely exhausted. After dropping Silver on the metallic floor of the elevator, he had sat himself in one of the corners, pressing a hoof over his eyes.
"She's in shock." stated Twisted, his eyes narrowing as the light dimmed, moving towards the last button. "I should give her a look once we are somewhere safe." he said calmly, barely glancing at the mare.
"You can help her?" asked the little filly curiously, moving towards the stallion, looking at him with a hopeful gaze.
"I can, I suppose. I just think that for now, finding a calm environment is the best thing we can concentrate on." sighed the stallion, glancing at Camo. "For everyone."
"What tipped you off genius?" groaned the other stallion, as the elevator stopped with a little jump, and the door opened with a slight ping. Dahlia immediately ran to Camo's side, as he slowly raised on his hooves and started to pick Silver Streak up. High Wind joined Twisted as he stepped out the elevator, carefully looking around. They were in what seemed to be an empty hall. On their far left, big glass doors gave to the outside, where the rain was continuing to fall, violently and loudly, while on their right, the hall darkened, even if a dim natural light appeared to come from the far end.
"I guess outside is not a good idea." murmured High Winds. Camo just grunted as he stepped up beside her. Twisted looked back and forth, before turning and starting to move towards the right. "Hey, hey where are you going?!" asked High Winds, rapidly walking behind him. Camo rolled his eyes and followed as well, Dahlia obediently walking at his side, her ears perked up.
"If I remember correctly, there is a diner of some sort here. Something like a fast food restaurant. You know, for the patients' families, or something." explained the stallion. "I figured it was a place like any other to wait for the downpour to stop. Maybe even eat, if you are hungry."
"I'm not..." murmured HighWinds. She wasn't hungry. After all the stress, the pain, the fear, she wasn't hungry. Even if...
She narrowed her eyes as she continued to walk. She wasn't hungry. But a lot of time had passed since the last time she had eaten. And yet, she didn't feel any hunger, or thirst. She shook her head. Her body was probably so stressed that it kept all of those feelings away. She would have to try and eat something.
They walked down the corridor in silence, and when they finally reached the restaurant, the mare was happy to see that it appeared to be relatively normal. Yes, totally deserted, but normal. No fleshy walls, no blood, no monsters. Just a few tables, seats, a normal looking counter, and a large window looking out on the road.
"Put her on the table, I'll see if she reacts to stimuli." ordered Twisted. Camo grunted and carefully placed the limp body of Silver Streak on the table, before dropping on a seat and starting to massage his head. The other stallion immediately started to gently tap over the mare's body.
"What are you doing?" asked Dahlia curiously, trying to look. High Winds rapidly picked her up.
"Don't disturb him." she whispered, eyeing the swinging door that probably led to the kitchen, behind the counter. "Let's see if we can find something nice for them, what do you think?"
"Be careful." groaned Camo, his eyes still covered .The mare gulped before turning and carefully heading through the wooden door, the little filly placed on her back, seated carefully to avoid the infected wing of the pegasus.
"You seemed far more protective, back in the room." noted Twisted softly, as he continued his examination, as the kitchen door closed behind High Wind's tush. Camo groaned slightly. "You must really be exhausted."
"I am. This is a fucking ride into insanity." muttered the other stallion.
"Can't say you are wrong." murmured Twisted, finally stepping away from Silver and sitting on a seat himself. "She needs a bit of rest. Her brain is just sleeping, in a way. After a bit of time in a safe environment, she should turn up again." he explained, flexing his foreleg before glancing at the stallion. "So... what's the plan?"
"I don't know. I'm just tired." grunted Camo. He finally moved his hooves away from his face, staring at the ceiling. "I just think that I'm going crazy. Skinned pegasi? Walls of flesh? This is just..."
"Crazy." concluded Twisted Soul for him. His eyes were glued on the other stallion, studying him. But Camo missed that, his eyes still locked on the ceiling.
"I... I just wanted to have a little vacation. Celestia knows how much I deserve it... how much Dahlia deserves it."
"You are doing your duty as big brother rather well, I suppose." shrugged the other stallion.
"Well, I have to. Since our-" Camo started, then closed his mouth. Twisted narrowed his eyes, a slight grin appearing on his face. "...our parents died. I have to..."
"I understand." answered the other stallion swiftly, before moving his eyes towards the kitchen door. "I'm sure this will end up just fine, don't worry..." he said gently, trying to sound reassuring.
"I hope so... I'm starting to fear for my sanity. I'm starting to hear voices..."
"You do?" asked the other stallion with interest, moving his eyes back to his companion, curious.
"Before... I had a moment of doubt. I... didn't know if it was worth trying to save her." he muttered, pointing at the prone body of Silver Streak. "Then, I heard a voice... it... pushed me to act." he explained. "It sounded like yours."
"Mine? I didn't say a word."
"I know." sighed Camo Fall. "Am I going crazy?" he asked in a an almost pleading tone. Twisted Soul narrowed his eyes, before shaking his head.
"Who isn't?"
-oOo-
"Ok now, let's see if we can find something, alright?" High Wind tried to say in a cheerful tone, looking around the dark kitchen, squinting her eyes to see better. The shining stoves, fridges and ovens resting in their respective places, slightly covered in dust in the semi-darkness of the kitchen. Pots and pans were hooked to the high cupboards on the room's side. The mare gulped, and started to walk slowly towards one of the fridges, her eyes rapidly moving around, searching for any threat.
"Does it hurt?" asked Dahlia carefully, glancing slightly at the wing of the pegasus. The mare flinched, unable to hide her wing. She had barely glanced at it, but had seen that the gooey black substance had spread over the wingbone, starting to grow along the feathers. She could feel her flesh stinging and tingling slightly.
"It's fine Dahlia, don't worry about me." she rapidly answered, putting on a fake smile. The little filly didn't need to get worried about that too. "Where should we search?"
"One of the fridges?"
"Right on!" cheered the mare, moving towards the nearest one and opening it. Nothing. Completely empty. She closed it and moved to the next one. Same. The next one. Same again. "Well this is bollocks." she finally snapped, causing a little giggle from the little filly. She smirked as well, and moved her eyes to the big metallic door at the end of the kitchen. That door probably led to the cold room. "Well, I hope there is SOMETHING in there. Otherwise, we aren't going to have anything to munch on." she said loudly, moving towards the door. She grunted as she pushed the door open, a cold breeze caressing her flesh.
"What is this?" peeped Dahlia, cowering on High Wind's back. The mare gulped, blinking.
"I... I don't know."
The room was covered in azure tiles, the faint light coming from a neon bulb in the ceiling casting a flickering glow over the room. The floor was faintly stained with red, and the pegasus mare had the slight suspicion it wasn't ketchup. From the ceiling dangled a large number of chains covered in small spikes, all of them ending up in sharp hooks. High Winds gulped, slowly stepping back.
"We have to..." she started, but stopped when a chain suddenly shook. Then it suddenly darted in the air, stretching out of the wall, the hook shooting towards her, as it glinted in the artificial light.
-oOo-
"So, what are your thoughts?" asked Camo, finally lowering his eyes, looking at the other stallion. "You barely said anything, you just followed." he said, trying to smile. Twisted raised his eyes, surprised.
"Well... nothing that isn't already obvious." he scoffed. "Since we are out of my room, we are now in danger. This seems to be a safe place..." he said, gesturing around the dining area. "But danger may lurk behind every corner."
-oOo-
High Wind let out a scream of agony as the hook pierced her flesh above her hoof, spraying blood over the floor. The chain started to tug, dragging her towards the other dangling chains, which were now shaking like a pack of rattlesnakes. The mare looked at them with sheer terror, but as he tried to fight back, she bucked backwards, tossing Dahlia to the ground.
"Get out of here!" she screamed, tears of pain and terror streaming down her cheeks. Then she screamed again as the chain ripped through her flesh, dragging her towards the other hooked blades, as they stretched eagerly towards her.
-oOo-
"Then there is the problem that this place seems to have its own rules. I'm sure you saw the wall of living flesh..." continued Twisted.
"Hard to miss that." snickered Camo.
"Exactly. This place might do as it pleases. May distort space, as we have seen." stated the other stallion. "Up might be down, left be right, and so on. I think we can barely trust our senses. If you do, look how you can end up." he continued, pointing at Silver Streak, laying on the table. "Probably alter our perceptions. You heard a voice. We can hear weird sounds. Or not hear others."
-oOo-
High Wind let out a scream of pain when three other hooks pierced her other legs, raising her into the air, the wounds spilling blood over the floor like a scarlet shower. She continued to scream, her vision a confused blur due to the pain and tears.
"Dahlia! Get out of here!" she screamed again. She didn't even know if the filly was still there or not. She opened her mouth again, but this time only a gurgling scream came out: a hook had gone through her jaw, the sharp point coming out in her mouth just beneath her tongue and piercing right through it, filling her jaws with the taste of metal and her own coppery blood.
She squirmed agony, feeling like throwing up and fainting at the same time, as the hooks rotated her through the air while slowly pulling and twisting her flesh. Her blood poured over the ground, slowly spreading towards a drainage grate in the floor. Her wings flapped aimlessly in pain and reflex, trying uselessly to free herself from the metal hooks buried in flesh, until they were halted when sharp metal pierced their flesh and bone.
-oOo-
"Why is this place like this?" sighed Camo Fall, abandoning his seat, walking in circles. "It is so surreal... walls of flesh, monsters... I mean... really?"
"I dunno." shrugged Twisted, yawning. "Maybe some kind of magic. Some sadistic sorcerer. I've met a few in the past who might enjoy this; you don't know what magic is capable of doing. But for now, I'm sure only that whatever this is, it's trying to kill us. And it's taking a rather cruel pleasure in doing so."
-oOo-
Dahlia, curled in the corner of the room, watched in horror as the chains started to pull. High Wind emitted a desperate gurgling scream, pleading and crying in agony, as her wings were slowly pulled wide by the hooks, her flesh tearing easily where the black infection had spread.
Then, the sound of ripping flesh filled the filly's ears. The mare screamed again, wiggling furiously, making the chains jingle as if in sick glee. Then, there was a final yell as with the sound of ripping flesh came the cacophony of tearing tendon and snapping bone, one final spurt of blood and bone marrow splattering to the ground to join the crimson flowing down the dark drain.