I stood looking at those things, watching every move I
made and slowly reacted, moving forward. They made a noise that I can’t compare
to anything I have heard, it was as if they were trying to shout out
there larynx, if they did in fact have any. I
knew that what with my radiation suit and the fact that I had to run up a
hill, it wasn't going to be easy. Almost impossible.
I heard a voice shouting but I
couldn't make out what it was saying, it was then that I noticed Alan coming
with the shovels down the hill. I turned and tried to lift my legs and run up
the hill as fast as possible to warn Alan to run back to Trinity. Just as I
moved the things started to move quickly towards me. They made even louder
screeching noises as they moved swiftly forwards. I met Alan on the hill as I
tried to run up. The dry soil no longer had grass on it, like all the land as
far as I could see. I grabbed Alan and pushed him backwards "Run back
to Trinity and don't look back" I yelled.
"What's going on?"
Alan stared, carrying a confused look and a shovel.
"Just run now!"
We ran side by side in our
radiation suits; we were about 600 meters from the Trinity elevator located in
our loading dock area. Alan still hadn't seen the things, but as I looked back
I couldn't see them. It looked like we were in the clear until we got to the
elevator.
I pushed the button and the
doors opened so I stepped in. Alan went to pick up the other shovel, left on
the ground by Colm who must have gone back down to Trinity. As Alan was walking
back with the shovels a black object came out of nowhere and stood beside him. He
jumped backwards in shock and looked over towards me, as if I should jump out
and assist him.
"Holy shit fuck!"
Screamed Alan in absolute terror, dropping the shovels.
I thought in my head the right
thing to do was to run outside, grab one of the shovels and help Alan, but I
didn't. I couldn't do it, I was so selfish for not helping but I just thought
that my family would need me more. Just as I had my thought another thing
attacked Alan from behind. The thing attacked in a way I have never seen. It
wasn't like it wanted to kill Alan; it was like it had to kill him.
One thing grabbed his neck from
behind as the other put his arm right through Alan's stomach, he pulled his arm
back out, watching Alan’s insides falling out on to the ground, a puddle of red
liquid followed by mounds of organs and intestines. The thing dropped to the ground,
licking them up with a tongue that looked and acted like a snakes would, while
the other pulled off Alan's head and swallowed it in one go, its jaw dropping
so something that big could fit inside.
This happened in the space of
what could not be more than 7 seconds as I pressed the elevator door as fast as
I could. As the doors began to close the things noticed me. They threw the rest
of Alan's body at me just as the doors slid shut and after a second it started
to move down.
I stood in the elevator, Alan’s remains on the floor,
already giving off the aroma of fresh meat. His head was torn clean off; a piece
of ragged skin hanging from the neck was all that remained of it, along with a
hole that was punched through his torso to confirm that what had happened was
real. I started to drift away, looking at the elevator button pad without
realising that I was going back down to Trinity. I couldn’t let my people see
Alan like this. The fear and panic this would cause would no doubt send them
over the edge and get all of us killed.
As I was getting closer to Trinity I still couldn’t
think of a plan to cover the body. The white radiation suits were now a dark
bloody red which could not be hidden from the others. The elevator slowed to a
halt. I held my breath as the elevators door opened only to see that no one was
around. I could hear voices, which had to be coming from the dining area. The
walk from the elevator had nowhere that you could hide a dead body so I had to
do the only thing that I could. I could hear them up there, screaming in that
way that I couldn’t understand, so loud and disturbing. I clicked the elevator
button to go back up to the surface with what was left of Alan. Another good
person lost. I felt that this would be a familiar feeling but I still didn’t
know the full extent of the damage throughout the world. All I knew was the
surface was not a safe place, but hiding down in Trinity with low supplies was
not an option either.
I ran back to the dining area, bumping into Colm on
the way. “Hey Ben, Did you guys finish burying Paul already?” asked Colm.
“No not actually buried, but we have bigger problems
right now” I growled distractedly.
“Fucking hell Ben, what’s happening now? And whose blood
is that on you?” Colm took a step towards me. “It’s nothing Colm; I need a few
minutes in peace to think, please!” I shouted as aggressively as I could.
“Where’s Alan?!” Colm began to panic “Ben! Where is Alan?” he grabbed my arm to
pull me back, “Shut the fuck up Colm! You ran back down here, so where were
you?”
I know this was not something that I should have said
to Colm, but in the moment I was just so angry at what I had to do and what had
happened. Colm did the right thing coming back down to Trinity. “Alan’s not
coming back down! Something got him out there!”
“What are you talking about? Is it help? Are we not
alone?” Colm’s face creased up in confusion. I find that the more questions
asked in one sentence the more confused that person is, so by those rules Colm
was three times as confused as normal, which was understandable given the
situation, but explaining what happened was not going to be any help.
“Just come with me Colm, I’m going to get the others
together so I can tell everyone.” I started walking, but he didn’t follow.
I went down to my room to see Joan and Jason but they
weren’t there. I checked the other rooms in case they moved or went to find
supplies but I couldn’t find them anywhere. I checked all the computer rooms on
the bottom floor in case they just went on walk, but I they were nowhere to be
found, not even a trace. I even went to Mary’s room, which no one went to since
it smelled and looked like a church, with scary religious pictures of people
either dying or being killed all over the walls. I never understood why most
religious paintings were so dull and depressing, with eyes that follow you
around the room. I got to Mary’s door and knocked a couple of times until she
answered so dramatically it was if she was expecting someone or something else
to be at the door. “Have you seen Joan or Jason anywhere?” I asked, already
suspecting the answer. “You have seen them haven’t you?” Mary said in a tone
that made me feel like it wasn’t so much a question but confirmation. “No I
haven’t seen them! I’m looking for them now Mary!”
“You have seen them, I can tell.” Mary squinted up at
my face “What have they done?” She asked gravely.
I was confused at what she was asking me, but
I soon realised that we were talking about different people, or different
things. “Mary, I need you to tell me where they are right now!” I demanded. “I
do not know Ben, but if they’re not inside Trinity, where else can they go but
up?
I ran as fast as I could back to the elevator to find
Colm. They couldn’t have got past Colm without him noticing, I told myself. I
would have seen them leave the elevator if they did go to the surface. I kept
reassuring myself that they were safe and not on the surface with those things.
Colm was still standing at the elevator shaft; his face has an expression of
surprise across it, staring so intensely that he didn’t even notice me coming
towards him. “Colm! Have you seen Jason or Joan? I can’t find them anywhere!”
“No, they haven’t come this way. I’ve been here since
I came back down before you and Alan. Did you look everywhere?”
“Yes, of course!” I snapped “but I haven’t found them
anywhere and this is the only way up to the surface!” But right then I knew
exactly where they had gone. There was an emergency escape ladder on the bottom
floor, hidden away so as not to make anybody panic or feel uncomfortable that
it might not be entirely safe down here. “Oh, shit…” I ran my hand through my
hair, realising that that’s where they had to be, but why would they go there?
I told Joan that it was only for emergencies, and I know this is one, but why
would she leave while I wasn’t here? It didn’t make any sense.
I turned to Colm to explain where I thought they had
gone when the elevator shaft started to hum into life. Something was coming
down in the lift. There was no way to tell if it was a thing or my family but
either way I had to wait and see.
“Holy shit, why is the lift coming down?” Colm face
was a picture of terror. “Why is it coming down Ben?” He raised his voice as
panic started to set in.
“I don’t know Colm, but it’s coming and we have to
hide.”
I thought our best plan of action was to close the
door separating the elevator from the corridor and block it with whatever we
could in case it was something that was not supposed to be down here. “What the
hell happened up there Ben? Is the something that got Alan coming down that
elevator?!” Colm’s voice had risen to a scream.
“I don’t know Colm! But we have to be ready if it is.
So go get Mary, head to the bottom floor, go to the last door on the left and
behind the book case there is a ladder up to the surface. Take Mary and go now!”
I made it clear that it was an order.
I had to take the risk, it was my family. I couldn’t
leave them alone in Trinity not knowing where anyone is, but if I was wrong
then I was in a lot of trouble. I grabbed everything I could to block the door
or at least hold anything off. The elevator was getting closer but it was
silent. There was no high screaming, which suggested that it wasn’t the things,
but I grabbed any object I could find to use as a weapon, which in my case was
a steel table leg, until I spotted a blow torch which must have come from the
maintenance rooms.
The elevator was just hitting the ground as I picked
up the blow torch and tested it to check the flame. As the elevator doors
opened to that screaming that was not from any human, I peered around the door
to see. Three things emerged from the elevator, but I couldn’t tell if they
could see at all let alone see me, but I couldn’t risk it. I did the first
thing that came to mind, which was to burn all the items I blocked the door
with and run.
I set alight to it with the blow torch, took one quick
look up at the things, who seemed interested by the noise and flames, and they
must have seen me because they screamed so loud, and it sounded so angry and
violent, it was as if they hated me. I ran as fast as I could through the
corridors hoping that Colm and Mary where out and my family were safe up there
too, but I had been up there already and I knew what could happen.
I ran through the dining area down the white
corridors, now spattered with the blood from Paul’s body, I could see the
stairs down to the bottom floor and I raced towards them. As I turned around to
go down the ladder I saw a thing at the end of the corridor on fire, but it
seemed totally unfazed by it, as if he was not on fire at all, but just chasing
me. I didn’t notice at the time, but he was alone, the other two were not with
it but I was too busy just trying to survive. I got down the stairs and I ran down
to the last door on the left. The bookcase had already been moved so I knew
that Colm and Mary had gotten out in time.
I couldn’t look back; I just knew I had to get up the
ladder as fast as I could. It took about three or 4 minutes climb up, and as far
as I could tell the thing did not follow me. I could see the top so clearly
now, not just a hole of light, but I could see the sky. I climbed up on to the
surface to find Colm and Mary both sitting on the ground and looking unharmed.
“How long have you been here?” I said gasping for air.
“Only about five minutes, what happened?” asked Colm. Mary
did not even look at me.
“The things came down the lift and chased me up here”
I said, trying to catch my breath.
“We should close it back over, just in case” Said Colm.
I looked around the land to see if I could see
anything or anyone, but it was all flat barren land in front of me, except for
one part. It looked like it used to be a barn, but a shabby one, so I did a
desperate but stupid thing and I called out for my family. “Joan! Jason!” I
yelled at the top of my lungs.
“What are you doing, you’ll get us killed” Colm
hissed, grabbing my arm to pull me back.
“It’s too late for that anyway my son” said Mary in
barely more than a grunt.
Just as Mary put doubt in our minds, Joan and Jason
came out from the barn. I waved my arms in the air at them, watching as they
rushed towards me. I was so relived to find them safe and alive until I saw
them. The two things emerging from the distance. It had to be the two from the
elevator, but how and why? I didn’t understand what was happening but they were
heading for my family and I had to do something. “What the hell is that!”
screeched Colm, helpfully.
“It’s God’s men carrying out his work to cleanse the
world of its sinners” Mary clasped her hands as if in prayer.
“Shut the fuck up, Mary, please!” I turned on her “Your
nonsense and book-bashing won’t work now!” I stepped towards her menacingly “So
just take in the situation around you and come to the conclusion that God is
not here, and he certainly is not the person behind all of this!”
I lost it with Mary, her tone and act can only last so
long before a person cracks. My problem with religion is all the holes and gaps
that they fill with the word faith. “Have faith” is their phrase, though what
for I have no idea. They ignore the bad things and focus on the good things in
the bible, but it’s all just stories. I can never understand how people can
devote their whole lives to a cause that is unexplained and unrealistic. That a
man in the sky made you and loves you while another man in the ground hates you
and will torture you if you go there. I guess I never treated Mary like a
normal person because of her beliefs, but her opinions and faith were annoying,
she was just ignorant to the facts.
“Oh, Ben” Mary smiled serenely “you never did listen
to me, but you should because we are all dead already.” I opened my mouth to
speak, but Mary just kept talking “Those things, as you call them, are playing
with you. They can kill you when and how they like because it is what they have
been sent to do.” She peered around me to see the things approaching and turned
back to me, placing
a hand on my arm “Now
look at your family, because it won’t be long now.”
a hand on my arm “Now look at your family, because it won’t
be long now.”
