> Fear > by Knight Toland of Astora > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The 20th Floor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP. I awoke to the sound of what I thought was a heartbeat monitor. Actually, it probably was, but looking back I wasn't so sure. I opened my dreary eyes, only to be blinded by the bright light of the ceiling light. I covered them with my tired hands to block out the strong light, pain singing into my eyes. After the light cleared, I was met with what looked like a hospital room. But there was something wrong with the room. Something entirely wrong. The whole room was what I though looked out of place in numerous spots. Firstly, the light was busted and flickered in random intervals, making the rest of the room dark. With the exception of the window, which only showed a glowing moon guarded by slowly waving dead branches, there was no other light source. It was hard to look at certain places without giving it a second thought of what it is. I then noticed that there was nobody here to greet me, or to give me the reason why I was here. I couldn't remember what led me here, or why I was injured in anyway. For good measure, I lifted my blanket. Instead of finding out what my injuries were, I found that I was wearing my regular clothes; my black hoodie, my regular pair of jeans, my green sneakers, and my fingerless gloves. "How did I get here," I said to myself quietly as I lifted my self up. There was no noticeable pain as I propped myself on the edge of the bed, and there wasn't anything that was really noteworthy when it came to pain. As I sat, I searched my memories for anything that I can remember, so maybe I can get an answer to all of this. Suddenly the memories started flooding back in. I remembered that I was walking to my house after a gloomy day, and just as I wrapped my hands around the door knob, my vision was consumed by total darkness. I felt and heard my body dropping to the floor just as I lost consciousness. As I scanned the dark room, I noticed a little table that doctors would use to keep their tools. I was curious, but I was not willing to get off the bed, as I felt that it would be okay once the doctor or a nurse came. Minutes passed, and yet there was still no one there to greet me. I was still here, all alone on a bed in a cold hospital room. Wait, I thought to myself. Why am I waiting for someone if they're not obviously coming? Getting off the bed and briefly stretching my bones, I walked to the table so I could study it further. On the table laid out was an assortment of items. There was a regular flashlight with two extra batteries, three rolls of bandages and lastly my leather over the shoulder bag which I used often. I wondered briefly why these items were here, but I discarded those thoughts and picked up the flashlight with one hand and shoved the two batteries into my hoodie pocket with the other. I got the bag and put the strap over my shoulder, and then I grabbed the bandages and put them in my bag. I headed over to the door, eager to exit the uncomfortable room. My hand grasped on to the door knob. I twisted, not quite sure what I was getting myself into. I pushed the door open, and I was met with a semi lit hallway. When I mean semi, I mean that some of the lights are broken and the ones that do happen to work were flickering, just like the ones in the previous room. Like before, the air was just as cold as in the other room. There were no windows, and the floor was massively dusty. It was almost as if like the building was never used for years. Scanning the narrow hallway, I found a small fire axe propped against the wall. For some strange reason, I picked it up and studied it. I had an odd feeling that I would be using it somehow, but I wasn't sure why. With my flashlight in one hand and the fire axe in the other, I headed out into the hallways. Navigating the hallways was almost like a rat maze; there was no map, so I was wandering the halls with no idea where these would lead me. I raised the flashlight up and I took some time to think. There was some working lights, but they were flickering, but not in quick successions. I wondered; What happens if they go out and I've wasted my batteries in a mostly lit hallway. I made up my mind. I did not turn on the flashlight and placed it into my bag. Walking through the hallways, with the only sounds being the echoes my footsteps and the lights flickering, I decided to check the doors to the side and see if they were open. First door, locked. Second door, locked. Third, locked, fourth, locked. I checked every door and I came to the conclusion that they were all locked, for one reason or another that I couldn't figure out. When I got to the halfway point of the hallway when they usually split into two paths, to the left or right and forward. However, the path ahead was blocked by a barricade of benches and beds. I raised an eyebrow and started to investigate for a better look. Before I could even take a few steps forward, I heard something moving from behind the makeshift barricade I jumped at the sound, considering that I didn't hear anything the entire time I was in this hospital. Looking at the barricade, I decided to yell out and see if there was somebody that was behind it. "Hello?! Is there somebody over there?!” I shouted, expecting a human voice to reply to me. Instead, I was only meet with more movement from the barricade and then silence. Unnerved, I turn to the other direction and in front of me lying on the floor was an opened red box with a white cross on the lid. Looking inside, I found a bandage and a morphine syringe. I put both of those items into my bag I moved onward. Soon, in front of me was a set of metal door with rusted push bars. I opened the door, revealing another long hallway, completely dark with no light source at all. I took the flashlight out of my bag and flicked it on, the light shining at the ground. I saw something. Upon closer inspection, the light shone to a small pool of blood on the floor. I took a double take, until something else caught my attention. I shone the flashlight at the celling. I could see a open vent, some blood trickling down to the puddle on the ground. There is a dead body. There was a fucking dead body. I almost threw up on to the puddle on the ground. The body was of some brown horse like creature with a unicorn horn on its head. It was looking at me with lifeless, almost human eyes as no life stared at me. I stared at it until something else happened that gave me chills. I hear something crawl in the vent and then, I'm not lying here, something drags the strange horse like creature off into the depths of the vents. I stared in shock at what just happened. Shock soon turned to terror as I heard something moving in the vents as metallic thumps banged and echoed in the dark hallway. I darted away from the vents, not wanting to know what was in those vents. I turned my head and shone my flashlight to the end of the hallway. There was an elevator that looked like it was still in working shape. The sound of something moving in the vents became closer as I ran like hell to the elevator. Making it to the elevator, I saw something drop down from the vent. I panicked. Inside the elevator, I pressed random buttons, not caring where it was going to take me. Pressing them didn't work. I kept on bashing the board, insanely hoping that the elevator would close. I pressed a random button and suddenly the door started to close. I shined my flashlight in front of me, lighting up the thing in the hallway. I fucking see it. It was like the horse creature that was dragged away in the vents. It crawled in a spider like position on its four hoofs. Its mouth was wide open and stared at me with one empty black eye and the other eye was bloodshot, with pinprick black pupils and twitched erratically. I praised to god that the elevator door was closing. As the elevator door closed, the creatures two front hoofs opened the door slightly as it tried to stick its hoofs into the doorway. It growled at me, making some gurgling sound. Eventually, it poked its head into the elevator, trying to bite a part of my skin. Its mane was straightened out and slightly purple, although I have never seen a horse look like that before. Its attempts to get me were in vain, however, as the elevator door closed on its head, spraying my face with blood. Its head rolled in a way that made its one bloodshot eye stare at me as the life of the horse, or maybe even a pony, died. I dropped down against the wall, every single one of my senses in shock. I stared blankly at the things eyes, and it stared back. I used my shaking foot to roll the head in the opposite direction so I wouldn't have to see that horrifying image any longer. I was shaking uncontrollably, a constant stream of sweat rolling down my face. My goal was crystal clear at that point; getting out of this hellhole of a hospital. I slowly got up, rising up to my to feet. Suddenly, the elevator door opens and reveals another winding hallway in front of me. At the end of the hallway, with my flashlight, written on the wall in blood, was the single phrase: Fear > The 19th Floor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fear. That single phrase, written in blood, caused a multitude of emotions within me. Emotions like confusion at what it was supposed to mean, disgust at the fact that someone used their own blood just to write 'fear'. Fear. Ironic, isn't it? Getting up, I shone my flashlight into the hallway. Right as I did so, the once dark hallway became illuminated by the overhead lights turning on. The bright flash blinded me, causing me to drop the flash light. My vision became blurry for a couple seconds. Not wanting to fall or trip, I stood ramrod still and got my hand to rest against the walls of the elevator. After what feels like a hour, my vision cleared up as I grabbed my flashlight off the ground. Looking ahead, the sight before me leaves me with only one thing to say. "Holy shit" The entire hallway looked like a small war zone. Objects were flung about, blood smeared the floors and walls, and bodies similar to the one from before were strewn about. I could see some bodies with horns, just like the one from before. Some of them even had wings or none at all. They were all pastel colored, with colors ranging from blue to yellow and all of the sort. Their faces and bodies were all horribly disfigured, with cuts and bruises all over. It was a complete mess and absolutely disgusting. I almost vomited from the sight, but for my own sake I held the puke raising in my mouth back. I didn't want to contribute to the mess. Getting out of the elevator I began to walk across the ominous hallways. As I moved forward I could hear a light banging originating from some where, although I couldn't see what. As I got farther down the hallway the banging sound became louder. Now I could understand where the sound was originating from. One of the doors lead to a patients room, room 6D to be exact. As I neared the door the sound quickly became a loud thumping sound. I gulped before turning the door knob. Just as I got near the door, I was almost given a heart attack as the door flew off its hinges and was flung against the wall with what looked like dead looking pony with wings. For future reference, I called them Pegasus. It was in a common green hospital garb, although it was stained with blood as the red water showered down from the creatures mouth. The door smashed against the wall as the dead Pegasus lumped down against the door, keeping it some what in place. My other hand grasped the fire axe as I waited for something to charge out the door... Only nothing came out. I worried that it was an ambush; I had to make sure it was safe. My left hand let go of the fire axe as I got my right hand to grab the bottom of the axes. Then I stretched my right arm out toward the flung door and I smacked the blade of the fire axe against the aforementioned door, only for it to slide to the ground and create more sound then I needed. I froze in fear, waiting for something to happen. I heard a fast thumping sound coming from the vents above me. "Oh, this going to be fun," I sarcastically mumbled to myself. Just as I said that, one of the "Crawlers" (as I will now call them) came crashing down from the vent. "Right on cue." Just as it lunged at me, without any hesitation, I punched it right in the face, sending it crashing into the ground. Before it could do any thing else, I without any hesitation once again, slammed the blade of the axe into its neck, causing its head apart from its body, as spurts of blood, flying from its neck. Oh I'm going to be suffering so much mental trauma by the end of this I headed into room 6D to look around for supplies. As I headed in, I looked up at the ceiling and instead of seeing a vent, I see nothing but the padded ceiling. I wondered, if the "Crawler" didn't come from the room, so then what threw the body through the door? I lingered in the room, searching for any supplies that I might need. The only thing I found was a regular tape recorder, with a knife next to it. I picked it up off the medical table that it was placed on, I throwed away the knife into my bag and I played the recording. “Aw, thanks, zzZzZZZz. But I haven’t done any pranks today, so I can’t accept your praise.” “Come on, this isn’t funny.” “Then why were you laughing?” "You can’t do this" ZzzZzzzZ "I know you are and that’s why I’m so happy that I’ve got you here. We get to share your last moments together, just you and me.” “But, the other ZZzzZzz will wonder where I am. When the ZZzzZZZzz come looking ZzzZZZ " “Don‘t worry, there are plenty of ZZzzzZ and besides, no one will find out. I mean, how long do you think I’ve been doing this?” “Oh, no.” “Like it?” “I made it myself.” " I’m sorry if I did anything to you. I didn’t mean it. Please let me go. I promise I won’t tell anybody.” ZzzzzZZzz “Is... is that... is... that?” “Hey, ZZzzZZ " "I caught her right before she left town. ZzzzZzz-That wasn’t enough time to play with her of course; I had ZzzZZ do that. But boy am I glad I did. It was worth it for the flavor alone." ZZzzZ "She lasted a long time, which was a lot of fun for me. I got the chance to play with somebody ZZzzZ-just had to take her tongue out ZzzZ " “That’s enough reminiscing. It’s time to begin.” What followed were screams of unbearable agony. I couldn't make out the rest, but I was sure I did not want to find out. Before the horrible recording could continue, I threw the recorder to the ground and raised my foot up. I stomped the recorder, smashing it against my running shoes. I kept on stomping on it until was in pieces. I sighed and rubbed my face. When I was finished with it, I looked at where the knife was. It was covered in blood, despite it looking crystal clean before The blood looked, fresh, and was still dripping as I bent down and picked it off the ground. I heard a feminine laugh in the distance, a laugh that was filled with absolute malice and insanity. My left hand, the one that I was holding the knife, felt empty, like I wasn't holding the knife any more. Those assumptions were answered as the knife was no longer in my hands. I hastily left the room and just as I did, I swear I saw the body of the Pegasus from before! I swear that I saw its original orange color change to a sky blue color, but when I blinked it was back to normal. As I turned away to continue onward through the hallway after that little detour, I thought I could here giggling coming from the room behind me. Walking across the hallway, I was forced to walk through what seemed like a river of bodies. With a horrid stench of death and decay, along with the disfigured and mauled bodies, the second I made it across the hallway I immediately vomited onto the floor. Wiping the vomit off my mouth and flinging it off my gloves, I was meet with a door in front of me, with a sign near it labeled as "Storage". Opening the door, I backed up a bit as I pulled it back, only to be met with a collection of shelves and crates blocking my way. As I turned my back, I was met with some fort of black fog. I responded appropriately. "What the fuck," I said. The black fog went past me as I heard the sound of metal and wood crashing against the wall as I felt something tugging at me. In a matter of seconds I was flung into the room as I slid across the floor, being pulled into the dark room. I watched the black fog bring all the objects to the door, blocking it so there would be no escape. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, OH SHIT!" I yelled out as I felt something lift me off the ground. I felt the wind on my back straight through my hoodie as I was slammed through the floor, as I feel my back slam against the floor of a hospital room, I start to lose consciousness as feel my eyes close. Just as I fully lose consciousness, I heard laughter. This time, it was male and filled with even more malice and insanity then the one from before. > The 18th Floor > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I could feel a painful thumping burning in my mind. Was sure as one hell of a headache, considering I just got thrown into the ground. My eyes opened up.... and as I sat up a burning pain surged through my arm and then to my body as I gasp out a pained breath. Looking at my right arm, I saw nothing wrong with it. I then looked to my left arm and the first thought that crossed my mind was, holy shit. A gash was visible through the left sleeve of my hoodie, fresh blood coating the black fabric. My hand frantically grabbed the sleeve as I pulled it up. The cut was brutal, tearing open my skin around the area and causing the flesh underneath to be visible. My right hand grasped my pouch as I slung it off my shoulder. I placed it on the ground. My index finger and my thumb take a hold of the zipper as I opened the bag. I reached my hand in and took out some bandages and a syringe of morphine. On the table next to me was a pair of stitches and some antiseptics. Getting up, I grabbed the morphine and bandage and put them both next to the stitches and antiseptics. I started to apply the antiseptics, grabbing a wool pad near it, and then dipping the wool pad in the antiseptics. I started to apply it to my cut, a painful burning feeling coming as I gasp out in pain once again. I continued to apply it, as the burning pain starts to become unbearable. My breathing quickened, thanks to the pain as I finish applying the antiseptics. Grabbing the morphine, I dipped the nip of the needle into the antiseptics to clean off any bacteria on it. After that, I stabbed it into my arm. The pain of the needle tip going into my flesh did not last for long as my arm numbs. Grabbing the stitches, I put the needle at the skin at the start of the wound. The pain numbed, thanks to the morphine. My breathing quickened as I put the stitches through the flesh of wound. I began a pattern, in and out, in and out, the needles going into the flesh as it is pulled to the other side of the wound, where I put the needle through that side. After what felt like forever, I reached the end of the wound as I finish up with the stitches, my face soaked with sweat and my heart beating fast. Grabbing the bandage, I applied some of the antiseptics on the bandage as I wrapped it around the wound. As I slumped down to the ground, grabbing my sleeve, I pulled it back down as I rest my head against the wall. After what felt like another hour I finally got up and grabbed my fire axe, wondering how I got the cut. I look up and I saw a piece of wood or metal sticking out from the hole, blood dripping off of it, and the hole was covered by an assortment of crates and metal selves. Walking over to the door, I nervously and cautiously opened the door. As it made a creaking sound, looking down the hallway, I see plenty of blood, but no bodies for some reason, some working lights and..... A body. “So much for my previous assumption," I thought to my self. I slowly and steadily walked across the hall way. As I approached the body of the dead horse creature (and also noting that it is one of the wingless and hornless ones), a gurgling sound emits from it. It slowly began to rise up, weakly getting on its hooves. It turned it's head and look at me square in the eye. A cracking sound came from its mouth as its cheeks begin to bleed and peel off. A mandible begins to grow out of it's mouth as the sounds of bones cracking became louder. It began to grow a second one as its cheeks suddenly burst open, blood splattering all over as more, even louder cracking sounds began. Suddenly, bee like wings burst out of it's back. Its head turned to me and I could see its insect like eyes. It began to flutter its wings as it hovered above the ground. It dashed towards me, snapping it's mandibles at me as I moved out of the way in a hurry. My left hand grabbed the handle of the fire axe as I lifted it in the air and swung it down on the creatures neck. The axe cut straight through its neck as it dropped to the ground. Disgusting yellow blood began to pour out the stump of it's neck as its wings and hooves twitched for a bit before stopping. I shivered at the disturbing monster before the expected vomiting began as I well, vomited on the floor. Big surprise, isn't it? Looking away from the abomination, I decided to come up with a nick name for it. "Hornets", just in case there's more of them. Heading through the hallway, I noticed that the floor looked more like a mental institution then a hospital. As in, most of the doors were metal, each door had a small barred window on the top and there was wheel chairs. Right in front of me was another wheel chair, but it had some sort of figure flickering on it. Walking to it was pretty dumb on my part, but I did it any way. My sight was blinded by complete white and I could see a vision of one of the hornless-wingless horses, with a violet color. It in a wheel chair and it was in complete terror, backing away from a white Pegasus, who looked like a doctor, and it had a face filled with complete malice and insanity. The horse on the wheel chair screamed in a female voice. GET AWAY FROM ME, BACK OFF! The crazed doctor pegasus knocked her off her wheel chair and pounced on her. OH CELESTIA, PLEASE NO, NO, NO, NOOOOOOOO! The vision ended right there... but the whole hallway was now much more different. All the doors were open and some were even thrown off the ground. Each room was now visible. They were all padded and some were even covered in blood. But on the floor in front of me, was something I was not even expecting. A lever action rifle. Looks like a Winchester lever action, too. I placed my fire axe to the wall and grabbed the gun. I pulled back the lever to check for any ammo in it. I've used a gun at a firing range every once in a while, so I knew how to use guns a fair bit and a lever action firearm is one of them. The gun was fully loaded... then I heard an insane fit of male laughter coming from behind me. Turning around, in the hallway, is the same doctor from the flashback. But his wing had been broken off, leaving bloody stumps instead. His face was blood soaked and he had a fucked up grin with rows of viable sharp teeth. What looked like claws had replaced his hooves and his skin was pale and cover in extra layers of flesh and fur, making him very bulky and quite large. He then let out a blood curdling roar. Aiming down the sight on the lever action rifle, I pulled down the trigger as the beast charged at me. a loud bang emitted through out the hall way as the bullet pierced his body. Surprisingly, it seemed to do very little as I fired tow more times. It attempted to ram me as I dodged out of the way. Getting back up, I fired at him in the back two times, precisely where the spine was. As he letted out a roar of pain, I pressing the trigger again. I heard a clicking sound. Throwing away the rifle, I dodged the creature again as it rammed into the wall behind me. Running up to it, I slammed my fire axe into its back. I took the axe out and slam it back down again. And again. And again. I did it over and over until it stopped moving Backing up from it, I got over to grab the rifle. But just as I grabbed it, I felt a pounding feeling in my head and all of a sudden I am at a door, my hand opening the door. Looking behind me.... all I see is a goddamn massacre. behind me was what seemed like an endless collection of dead Hornets and Crawlers. They were sliced up and torn to bits. Looking down at my self, I see my hoodie soaked in blood, my fire axe was covered in blood too..... and the lever action rifle from before was gone, like I never had it before. I opened the door and walked past it.... before I slammed the door right in and walked down the stairs, ignoring the obviously barricaded upstairs. All the while I was constantly mumbling something along the lines of "Nope".