form.
The form resembled a human, its eyes glowing with a black aura. My light could not pass through it. With a shrieking howl, it lunged for her. She turned, screaming as it drew near. Leaping onto the desk beside her, I jumped toward the creature, thrusting my right foot to its head at an angle. The creature fell to the ground, shrieking louder. Charging it before it could recover, I flipped my flashlight in the air, catching it at the tip and smashing the end of it into the creature’s neck. In retaliation, it swept its arm sideways, knocking me back.
The creature quickly lunged for the girl once more, reaching for her throat. She screamed helplessly as I recovered my stance. I grabbed a nearby wooden chair and threw it at the creature’s legs. The creature fell, landing just before her feet. It rose quickly, reaching again for her throat. Diving forward, I grabbed it by the legs, pulling back hard. Shrieking, the creature struggled to resist, kicking and thrashing.
I pulled once more before diving forward and wrapping my arm around its neck. Locking it in a choke hold with my other arm, I slid to the side, away from its kicking. Soon, it began to dissipate, until nothing remained but its cold aura. I stood quickly, moving to the girl. I picked her up once more.
“Thank you,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
“No need to thank me,” I replied softly, carrying her to the next hallway. The exit awaited us just across the hallway. Her body was light and frail, her life fading in my arms. “Hang in there,” I said, moving across the hall quickly and opening the door. I carried her out and moved swiftly to my car, opening the passenger side and laying her into the seat, buckling her in. In the back, I kept bottles of water and protein bars. I opened both and gave some to her. She drank and ate hungrily, as though she hadn’t been fed in days.
“Thank you again,” she said softly, resting her head against the seat.
I smiled in reply. “Rest now,” I said, running my hand along her temple. She gave me a smile, then silence. It would take some time for her to recover, if she lasted at all. I locked the car door and turned back. There had to be more people in the building, more like her. I had to find them.
As I sprinted back to the building, my mind wandered. What was happening to me? Was this all real? Creatures? Ghosts? Me playing hero? As I slipped into thought, what light existed around me began to fade and was replaced by a blanket of darkness. My heart raced, and my breathing became erratic. I heard a piercing howl, followed by the scream of a young woman. A dark figure approached, tall, the dark shadows dancing around him, each with its own voice…calling me, mocking me.
“She may live,” the figure said, “but you will not. I will break you, Warrior, and harvest your soul.” With an echoing laugh, he vanished. I looked around. Glancing back, I saw that the car was still there and the young woman slept soundly.
“I will not be broken, nor will I give up,” I said in defiance to my doubt. With another sprint, I returned to the hallway. To my right was a locked door; to my left was another hall. I turned and walked the left hall. The entire place seemed to be a hospital or research facility of some sort.
The room at the end of the hall caught my eye: a security checkpoint. My flashlight revealed a broken door leading into a large office. Monitors lined the wall to the left. To the right was a wall of heavy glass.
The room was a mess, with chairs overturned, papers scattered. I sifted through some of the papers, looking for clues, and found only old security reports, nothing current. A computer glowed on a desk in front of the wall monitors. Pulling up a chair, I sat down in front of it and started reading the incomplete security log on the screen:
The facility is in chaos. It seems that we can no longer control the dark rift…nor whatever darkness it has wrought on us. There have
The form resembled a human, its eyes glowing with a black aura. My light could not pass through it. With a shrieking howl, it lunged for her. She turned, screaming as it drew near. Leaping onto the desk beside her, I jumped toward the creature, thrusting my right foot to its head at an angle. The creature fell to the ground, shrieking louder. Charging it before it could recover, I flipped my flashlight in the air, catching it at the tip and smashing the end of it into the creature’s neck. In retaliation, it swept its arm sideways, knocking me back.
The creature quickly lunged for the girl once more, reaching for her throat. She screamed helplessly as I recovered my stance. I grabbed a nearby wooden chair and threw it at the creature’s legs. The creature fell, landing just before her feet. It rose quickly, reaching again for her throat. Diving forward, I grabbed it by the legs, pulling back hard. Shrieking, the creature struggled to resist, kicking and thrashing.
I pulled once more before diving forward and wrapping my arm around its neck. Locking it in a choke hold with my other arm, I slid to the side, away from its kicking. Soon, it began to dissipate, until nothing remained but its cold aura. I stood quickly, moving to the girl. I picked her up once more.
“Thank you,” she said, resting her head on my shoulder.
“No need to thank me,” I replied softly, carrying her to the next hallway. The exit awaited us just across the hallway. Her body was light and frail, her life fading in my arms. “Hang in there,” I said, moving across the hall quickly and opening the door. I carried her out and moved swiftly to my car, opening the passenger side and laying her into the seat, buckling her in. In the back, I kept bottles of water and protein bars. I opened both and gave some to her. She drank and ate hungrily, as though she hadn’t been fed in days.
“Thank you again,” she said softly, resting her head against the seat.
I smiled in reply. “Rest now,” I said, running my hand along her temple. She gave me a smile, then silence. It would take some time for her to recover, if she lasted at all. I locked the car door and turned back. There had to be more people in the building, more like her. I had to find them.
As I sprinted back to the building, my mind wandered. What was happening to me? Was this all real? Creatures? Ghosts? Me playing hero? As I slipped into thought, what light existed around me began to fade and was replaced by a blanket of darkness. My heart raced, and my breathing became erratic. I heard a piercing howl, followed by the scream of a young woman. A dark figure approached, tall, the dark shadows dancing around him, each with its own voice…calling me, mocking me.
“She may live,” the figure said, “but you will not. I will break you, Warrior, and harvest your soul.” With an echoing laugh, he vanished. I looked around. Glancing back, I saw that the car was still there and the young woman slept soundly.
“I will not be broken, nor will I give up,” I said in defiance to my doubt. With another sprint, I returned to the hallway. To my right was a locked door; to my left was another hall. I turned and walked the left hall. The entire place seemed to be a hospital or research facility of some sort.
The room at the end of the hall caught my eye: a security checkpoint. My flashlight revealed a broken door leading into a large office. Monitors lined the wall to the left. To the right was a wall of heavy glass.
The room was a mess, with chairs overturned, papers scattered. I sifted through some of the papers, looking for clues, and found only old security reports, nothing current. A computer glowed on a desk in front of the wall monitors. Pulling up a chair, I sat down in front of it and started reading the incomplete security log on the screen:
The facility is in chaos. It seems that we can no longer control the dark rift…nor whatever darkness it has wrought on us. There have
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