Chapter 16

Chapter 16

There were a few moments of silence before all hell broke loose. All of the bodies starting yelling and screaming. They were whooping and shrieking, it all sounded like some sort of demented zoo. Then they charged Julia. Julia ran as fast as she could towards the far exit, metal feet slamming on the ground. At the same time, she pulled her pick off of her back and half turned- preparing to strike. The things moved like animals, long lanky limbs propelled them forward, almost as if their hands and feet barely touched the ground. In her minds eye Julia gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes when she swung at the first thing to reach her. The metal serrated pick tore through it's skin like rice paper, and blank and white goo poured from the lower chest wound. Thin black tubes fell from the thing's wound where its intestines should have been. The creature did not even flinch, it kept moving forward just as fast with the black tubes animatedly reaching towards her and the tentacle at its back attaching it to the spire moving freely.

Hopelessly she turned back towards the exit and tried to find more of what little speed the suit would run. It wasn't a body, but she felt the exertion as if she had lungs and the wear and tear on her joints wracked her head. The door was close now. The things were all very close, and raked at her sides and head with long fingers. They looked almost completely normal, but she could only guess at the literal corruption that filled their deceased bodies. Light shone from the other side of the door, like the light at the end of the tunnel. She was incredibly grateful that the door wasn't high security and didn't require a handprint, she just had to hit the release button and the door would slide open quickly. Ten feet. Seven. Three! She slammed her metal fist against the panel beside the door and it slid into the wall with a woosh. The sound from the things behind her was unbearable. She darted inside and slammed her hand against the door, only letting one in with her. Only one.

She reacted numbly, but fast enough. Foregoing the pick in her right hand, she slammed the thing into the left wall, turning the pick around in her right hand she began slamming the top end of the pick into the thing's head. It shrieked and pawed at the wall and at her arm and torso, it was the same one she had earlier injured, and the internal tentacles attacked her stomach. They started making small tears in the metal, and she even felt pain. Finally, the screaming stopped when the pick smacked through the creature's forehead with a thock. More black goo and light blue colored brain tissue poured from it's broken skull. The tentacle that was attached to it's back stopped straining towards the door where the spire was, and instead fell limply to the ground. Julia slouched standing up in weariness, and looked towards the door. All of the bodies were lying on the ground again, the spire pumping more evil into their veins.

Julia stumbled, exhausted through the hallway and into the next one. She found a bench there, and sat down to rest. In her mind, she closed her eyes and sighed.


- By Ashton