Chapter-10 : Reunion.
...
'Well... that was reassuring.'
'I mean, we only nearly died, nothing new.'
These were Rusty's thoughts as he led the group down the hall. Silence permeated the air, heavy with the weight of realization and lingering fear. It was not every day that one so narrowly escapes death. The thought tends to leave a scar.
'Huuu... no use being silent, I need to talk. Come on, come on.'
"Ahem... not like it's the first time we've almost died eh?"
Silence.
"It's not that serious guys, plus I could easily take on that giant blob. Ha!"
'Blob...'
'That nameless guy used to say that. It's a funny word... Why did I use it now?'
Looking back at the group, he knew that perhaps they needed time to reflect internally. As the one who led them, it did cause him tremendous fear–even more so than the other three–but he had to remain firm and clear-headed. Their survival depended on it.
Thrum.
The tangled strings within hummed faintly as Rusty floated down the hall, the rest close behind. They went down the very same hall 'The First' had bulldozed through, evident by the trail of liquid staining the ancient red carpet and the small pieces of squirming grey that stuck to the walls.
"Ughh... disgusting."
Rusty muttered as his eyes fell on these twitching pieces.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
wiggle...wiggle.
'I mean... why do I not like them anymore?'
The very nameless man Rusty had just thought of lay on the floor, a bloodied mess with eyes roaming the ceiling.
'Looking back on it now, Rusty made a very sensible decision. I was obviously locked in place and there was no time either. He merely chose to ensure the lives of the others instead of risking it all. It really is the best move.'
wiggle...wiggle.
'Then why do I feel like this?'
Even as his sensible mind understood the reasoning, an inner part of himself wanted them to risk it all. To at least have tried to pull him along.
'They could've, though. When that monster-thing crashed into me, I was dragged along, so...perhaps all I needed was some help.'
...
'Yeah, that's probably it! That's why I definitely don't like them.'
His eyes refocused on his feet as he reasoned with himself. Being selfish was something that he had yet to put a name on or realize, for that was what drove his hatred.
Selfishness.
wiggle...wiggle.
WIGGLE...WIGGLE.
'Yes! I lifted only one toe...kekeke.'
...
Rusty thought back to the time when he developed a sense of consciousness–maybe two or so years ago. The surroundings were dark and his movement was severely limited, inching along like a snail. It wasn't until a year ago that he even developed the ability to float properly. An ability he took much pride in. Even now, he was getting used to levitating in a stable manner and increased his speed slowly over time, although it wasn't all that fast at present.
'I've made progress at least.'
He spoke to himself, his eyes focused down the hall yet his mind deep in thought.
He vividly remembered the day he found each of them, the people who became his family. He recalled the loneliness he felt, wandering the halls alone until he found Hammel, then Glint and finally Freya, where and how? Well, that's a story for another day. Anyway, the fact was... none of them were alone. They had each other and to Rusty, it was his greatest blessing and it was what gave him the strength to keep trying to find a way out.
'The world outside.'
'I wonder what it's like. Maybe I can live happily with these idiots...haha.'
Thrum.
The tangled strings within pulsed softly with hope.
Snapping out of his daze, Rusty looked at his small cohort, then back at the upcoming intersection, one where the halls split in a multitude of directions, a junction if you will.
'The First is now trapped within that weird room, so these halls must now be free. It will make exploring much easier. There is still hope!'
With a newfound determination in his gaze, he moved forward.
Rusty had seen many bizarre sights from his experience roaming these halls, from weird contraptions to walls with strange inscriptions to even bones of who knows what. But at that moment, what entered his view was something he had never seen before and would probably never see again.
'What is that... a creature?'
His eyes narrowed as the rest of the group looked away in disgust and nausea, for there was what seemed to be a strange thing lying on the ground. It was all drenched in blood but one could make out a vague humanoid figure. There was hair... no more like patches of hair, its arms were all bone with clinging pieces of muscle and flesh.
The torso was no better, a caving hole for an abdomen with spilled intestines and organs, nearly the entire chest exposed with a beating heart visible, caged under a half-missing ribcage. The face was...well it wasn't a 'face.'
Nearly half of it was what seemed to be the skull and the strangest part?
The single eye that remained, the other one gone from the socket, that single bloodied eye was now completely focused on what seemed to be...its toes?
wiggle...wiggle.
This creature, lying in a pool of viscera and blood, had not registered their presence, fully immersed in some strange ritual involving its feet.
'How is it even alive? What is it?'
'Gulp... I think it's best we avoid this thing.'
Rusty slowly looked to his group, seeing similar expressions. Nausea, disgust, fear and a whole lot of 'yeah...no.'
He gestured to them with his eyes, to stick to the walls and slowly move past it, receiving nods as they all moved toward the closest wall.
shuffle...shuffle.
Rusty slowly moved, sticking close to the wall and praying to anyone watching.
All that family talk?
It did not matter now. Sacrifices had to be made. If that thing moved...
'Glint's got to go. I'm sorry my brother.'
As if sensing Rusty's thoughts and gaze, Glint's eyes too locked onto Rusty's, giving him a look as if to say:
'Try me... I'll take you with me.'
shuffle...shuffle.
'Easy... easy now.'
...
They all stood petrified.
Why?
A single bloodshot eye was now completely focused on Rusty.
Gulp.