The City Pt. 01-02

He made his way down the street, trying every door he could. If the buildings had doors. A cold sweat began to trickle down his spine and he felt faint. He slumped against a large door bordered by two blocked off windows. The windows were covered in wooden planks, with the words "FUCK OFF" spray-painted crudely upon them. Someone had to be hiding inside. He began to bang on the door, leaving a fist print in blood with every strike.

The sharp crack of an automatic rifle was his response. A small chunk of pavement exploded to his left. He pressed himself against the door, trying to see who was shooting at him and where they were. Another shot, much closer this time, another puff of concrete next to his foot.

"The next one has your name on it, fella!" A voice above him, "Get the fuck away from that door!"

"Please! I've got nowhere else to go! Help!"

"Sorry to ruin your day, but you can go fuck yourself. Not letting a messed up shit like you in here, you'd ruin the décor!"

"Come on!" John was beginning to get desperate; the sun was falling faster and faster towards the horizon. He could already hear the skittering and chattering of the smaller creatures. "Let me in!" For which the man replied with another rifle shot. John gasped in pain, as the bullet struck his foot. He felt to the ground, clutching at it. He lay on his back, his breathing heavy and his clothes blood stained. He could almost feel the piercing gaze of the man fielding the rifle, and could just make out the glint of the fading sunlight on the metal of the gun.

The whoosh of something that sounded like large leathery wings sounded in the sky, and he watched the winged creature crash into the building above him. Small chunks of glass rained down on John, causing him to cover his face with his arms. The sound of wretched screams and rifle shots rang out into the coming night. John pulled himself to his feet and limped away. Sorry to ruin your day, asshole. He glanced back at the building, but all was quiet now. His foot hurt, his side hurt and he was cold. He limped on.

He collapsed on the ground a few minutes later, his breathing coming in short, laboured gasps. He rolled onto his back again, clutching at his side still. The wound had dried, bits of his shirt stuck deep into the crusted blood. His eyes began to darken, but he realized that was just the final rays of sunlight leaving the world. Far in the distance, he could make out the first tiny specks of light in the dusk sky. The stars. They always looked so different in this city, and he could never figure out why. His tired eyes began to close, and the bright stars faded away.

Night fell upon the city.

Sasha

She had been wandering for hours, searching in and out of empty shops and deserted cafes. She had long since desensitized herself to the gore that was seemingly smeared on everything in this city. Sitting down carefully on a stretch of empty sidewalk, she rested her head in her hands. She could hardly remember anything that had happened. It was if she went to bed one night and when she awoke the next day, the city had been destroyed and turned into a haven for Hell's rejects. Or at least, that's how it seemed to her. She wore the uniform of a waitress in a diner, a nametag with 'SASHA' printed on it was pinned to her blouse.

Sasha glanced from side to side, watching as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. If she had to guess, she would assume it was noon. But none of the clocks around here worked. Even her watch had stopped, the arms stuck at 6 and 8. There seemed to be small pockets of the city with electricity, some appliances worked here and there. She had tried to find some food, but most of it was rotten and crawling with maggots. A bag of chips and a warm Coke had been her breakfast.

Now she sat in an empty city, her only companions the corpses of people she never knew. Every now and then she got the feeling she was being watched, but couldn't see anyone obviously following her. Sasha told herself she was just being paranoid; that fear and irrationality were trying to take over. She ran both her hands through her long blonde hair, resisting the urge to break down in desperate tears. The sun began to beat down harder upon her, forcing her to stand up and find some decent shade.

She found herself in front of a very large, very government-like building. It seemed to be the most official building in this area, with metal detectors at every door. She cautiously approached, noticing that the carnage and destruction seemed to get worse and worse the nearer she got to it. She slipped through one of the broken glass doors, stepping carefully over shards of shattered glass. Sasha stood in the massive lobby of this building, slowly exhaling in one long breath. Bullet holes lined the walls in abstract lines, followed closely by smears of blood and what looked to be extremely large scratches in the black marble walls. Bodies of security guards lay freshly gutted, pools of dark blood almost dry beneath them. Two sets of stairs led to the upper floor, and then to a pair of elevators. She climbed the stairs slowly, stepping over bodies and nearly slipping a few times in pools of blood.

Not knowing what else to do, Sasha pressed the only button she could see. A small arrow lit up, followed by the mechanical sound of cables moving and machines whirring. Sasha waited, trembling slightly. The elevators seemed to take forever, judging by the numbers above each door. She wondered if they were actually safe, what if they had been damaged in whatever had happened here? Her arms began to rub her upper arms, as a chill breeze washed over her. She tapped her foot impatiently, her grey eyes following the numbers as each elevator descended at an agonizingly slow pace.

Then the elevators stopped, both of them on the same floor. She looked upwards, but couldn't see anything. All that she could see was an impossibly dark ceiling, an abyss. She was startled by the sound of the elevators starting up again. They were descending again, but much faster this time. Sasha took a few steps back from the doors as panic began to wash over her body. The numbers ticked down, quickly approaching the floor she assumed was on.

Ding.

Sasha cringed, tensing her body in anticipation of whatever might be waiting just behind those doors. She was sure that whatever had done such damage to the lobby, had to be lurking just beyond the elevator doors. The doors to both elevators opened slowly, revealing warm light and soft music to Sasha. No serial murderers, no waves of blood, nothing. She breathed a soft sigh of relief, chastising herself for being so foolish. Her cheeks flush with embarrassment; she stepped into one of the elevators. She stood inside, listening for a moment to the music. She tried to remember the song, but couldn't. Her attention turned to the panel beside the door. Instead of the floor numbers, she was faced with a blank panel. She leaned close to it, trying to figure out what to do.

Sasha ran her fingers over the smooth metal panel, searching for a button or anything that might reveal the controls. Nothing. She leaned against the far wall of the elevator car, her arms crossed over her chest. She stared at the panel, frustration beginning to get the best of her. She glanced around the rest of the elevator, marveling at how relatively clean it was compared to the lobby. There were maybe a few splashes of blood on the floor, but that was it. It made no sense; but then again, nothing made sense anymore. The doors began to slowly close, the mechanisms hardly making a sound. Sasha swallowed once, a lump in her throat as the doors closed and the horror of the lobby disappeared.

Silence filled the elevator, as even the music slowly faded away. Did it fade away or was it turned off? Sasha couldn't distinguish between the two. She moved away from the wall, turning her attention to the metal panel again. She laid her palm flat against it for a moment, and the sudden sound of gears whirring startled her. She jumped back, as the elevator began to descend. The elevator moved very rapidly, the sound of walls rushing passed filled the small elevator car. Sasha slumped down into a sitting position in a corner, her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She trembled, closing her eyes tightly, wishing over and over that this wasn't happening.

And before Sasha could get a firm hold on what was happening, the elevator stopped. It jolted to a stop, sending her flailing forward, landing on her elbows and knees. She gasped, wincing with pain. She looked up, as the doors parted. They opened to a pitch-black hallway, with a single red light at the end of it. The light from the elevator illuminated a few feet in front of her, but the darkness seemed to swallow up any light. Sasha exited the elevator slowly, reaching out for a wall to her left. She leaned against it for a moment, her heart beating loud in her ears. She trembled again, inching her way forward towards the red light. Step by step, one foot in front of the other. She glanced back behind her, watching as the last of the elevator's light faded away with the closing doors. All she could see now was the red light in front of her. She clung to the wall, her hands groping and clutching at it. She reached the red light, and by now, her breathing was heavy, each gasp of air echoing down the hallway and back to her. She ran her hands quickly through her hair, staring at the red light. She reached towards it, placing a finger over top of it. She pushed inwards. The red light flicked off, plunging her into darkness. Sasha began to panic, groping in the darkness for the button again, but she couldn't find it. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as fear took hold of her.

"Come on!" She screamed into the darkness, frustration and anger coursing through her words. But nothing happened. She slumped against the nearest wall, the darkness wrapping itself around her. Tears slowly fell from her eyes, and she sniffled once. The noise echoed back to her again. She cried openly, trapped in a hallway that held the vague scent of fresh blood.

The click of a door unlocking shook Sasha from her crying, causing her to scramble awkwardly to her feet. Another lock clicked open, followed closely by another. A door in front of Sasha slid open, pouring light into the black hallway. She stepped inside the revealed room, gasping. If anything, the horror in here was worse than anywhere else she had seen so far. Blood seemed to be dripping from everywhere, from the walls, from the ceilings; collecting in large pools on the floor. Sasha took a few more steps inside, trembling, her arms wrapped around herself.

A wall of video screens adorned one wall, with a set of computer monitors just below them on a wide desk. A body was slumped on top of the desk, a gaping hole in its back where its spine should be. Papers were strewn across the desk, but most were covered in blood and were illegible. A few of the screens were still working, spots of red splashed upon them. Sasha watched them, her eyes taking in images of either empty white rooms or the city streets. Nothing moved. She glanced down, trying to read one of the documents on the desk. The document spoke of something called Project: Isla III, and when it would be ready. She leaned closer, attempting to smear away some blood with her hand so she could read the rest.

She missed the new image that made its way across one of the screens: a twisted visage of a creature that shouldn't exist. It turned towards the camera, as if staring directly at Sasha. It smiled and disappeared.

Sasha glanced up at the screens, but saw nothing but the empty rooms. She leaned in close, her eyes searching the screens for a sign of anything. Maybe a rescue party, someone to explain what had happened to this town. A low groan made Sasha's eyes widen, and she stood perfectly still. She trembled, waiting to hear it again. Another groan, followed by a curse. She turned to see a man clawing his way out of the pile of bodies across from her. She rushed over to him, grabbing one of his arms and pulling him free of the gore. Blood smeared from his clothes onto hers. She dragged him away from the pile of corpses and propped him up against a desk. He was breathing heavily, coughing, sputtering. She knelt in front of him, unsure of what to do. She'd never taken a first aid course, and couldn't even identify what was wrong with him. He was covered in blood, but whether it was his or not, she couldn't say. And now she was covered in it as well. She looked around the room for something to clean him up with, but the room was bare except for the computers and documents and most of those were covered in blood anyways. He took a deep breath, gulping at the fresh air.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt, uhm, anywhere?" She asked quietly, timidly, trembling as her eyes took in this man smothered in gore. He nodded his head slowly, his hands reaching up and carefully rubbing the blood from his eyes. He opened them, surprised by what he saw.

"Yeah, I'm fine, sort of, yeah." He attempted a smile, but failed. He blinked a few times, taking in her at first, then the room around them. Sadness fell upon his face then, as the bodies of his former co-workers came into focus. He shook his head slowly, rubbing at the blood on his hands. Sasha waited quietly, unsure of what to do now. She had given up hope of meeting another human being, and now, sitting in front of her, covered in blood and weeping for his friends, was someone else.

"We can't stay here." He said quietly, awkwardly breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "We're not safe at all... they'll be back to finish us both off now."

"Wha... where do you suggest we go? The lobby, up there," she gestured towards the ceiling. "Is all destroyed." There was another door in this room, which she had briefly noticed when she entered. Obviously, the large pile of bodies was more pressing to her attention.

"We take the elevator. Down. There is a passage that leads into the underground pipe systems beneath the city... we can escape through there." He spoke so calmly, as if he had been prepared for something like this to happen. It sounded so well planned out. But Sasha could hardly refuse, the idea of seeing her family again flashing into her mind. She nodded slowly, and helped him to his feet. He wobbled, and she caught him. With his arm draped over her shoulder, resting some of his weight on her, they made their way through the door. It opened easily enough; a quick swipe of a security card that hung from his neck opened it for them.

They followed a long passage away from the room, and down so many stairs that Sasha was beginning to wonder if they would ever stop. They had to stop a few times, their heavy breathing echoing loudly in the stairwell. The stairwell was poorly lit, with only every second light bulb being lit, and most of the time it would flicker out for a few moments, plunging them into semi-darkness.

Another door. More security locks and key card swipes. Question after question arrived in Sasha's mind, but she held herself back from asking them, holding out on the hope that they would escape, and all questions would be answered. Something was fundamentally wrong with this place, perhaps this entire city, that much she knew for sure. They walked together for what seemed like ages, following so many twists and turns that Sasha knew she would never be able to find her way back, if the need should arise.

They arrived at what seemed to be the final door in a long hallway, and the final key card swipe. The door opened into a smallish sort of room, with what seemed like a small freight elevator in the middle. Sasha almost smiled, their freedom guaranteed by this piece of machinery.

"We have to go one at a time. It can't handle the both of us. Here, take this," he removed the key card from his neck and handed it to her. "You go first, and send it back up for me. I need to rest." He looked horrible, sweat was pouring from his forehead and his face looked gaunt. Every breath was laboured and ragged. She took the key from him and nodded, stepping onto the small platform. The elevator had a single railing, and a small control panel with an arrow pointing up and an arrow pointing down. She pressed the down arrow, nodding at him. He managed a weak smile, pulling himself towards the elevator as she descended. He watched her descend, the elevator moving quickly enough.

Sasha glanced around the elevator shaft, as she passed below the floor. She took a deep breath, her nostrils filling with the smell of well-oiled machinery. She looked up at him, maybe ten feet above her.

"Its about a fifty feet to the bottom, when you get to the bottom just press the up arrow there and it'll come back up." Sasha nodded, her eyes suddenly widening. She opened her mouth to scream, as a large black shape loomed behind him. It reached forward, placing one hand upon his shoulder and the other on the side of his head. He screamed, but it was cut short as the creature tore his head from his shoulders in one swift movement, a fountain of blood gushing out in a flurry of red droplets. Sasha screamed, as she was speckled with fresh blood. The elevator continued to descend at its present pace, and she grabbed at the control panel. She pressed both buttons, over and over. Still it descended. The creature leaned over the edge, a dark silhouette leering at her. She could almost make out its features, soulless eyes boring straight into hers. She thought she saw it lick its lips in anticipation.

The creature slipped over the edge towards her. The elevator stopped at the bottom floor and Sasha screamed.