//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 Depression // Story: The Hunter: The Path of the Moonlight // by DJ Scratch21x //------------------------------// This is screwed. This place is screwed. I'm screwed. This is it. I'm gonna die here. I'm in Equestria, and I'm gonna die here. There, I said it. For the longest time, I was in denial. I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, I was dropped off into another region of Earth. My home. I was in denial. I was in Equestria from the start and I haven't accepted the fact until now. I've finally accepted it after lying on the floor like an overturned turtle for an hour in utter silence. Never moving from my position. The tape on my wrists and ankles made sure of that. Those men didn't even bother to move me up. They just left me there helpless in the worst of my mental breakdown. At least they took away that creature with them. If it was around me any longer, then I would've said or done something that I would regret. Oh my, that creature. That thing! I can't get its crying out of my head. And here, all this time, I thought I was trying to save a little girl's life. That is no girl. That can only be the start of what other monstrosities I would encounter in the future. Lying on the floor had me thinking of what kind of creatures inhabit these forsaken lands. Was the voice in my head a pony thing as well? It would seem likely. What else would it be? What doesn't make sense is the fact that those people have American armor and weapons in their possession. Not to mention they are in the same world as I am. How did they get it? What are they trying to do? Why am I in the middle of it all? Whatever, it doesn't matter. Either way...I'm screwed. "YOU KILLED THEM ALL!!?" A loud thundering voice just barely broke me from my thoughts. The sound of several bottles smashing against the ground had my full attention. Despite that, I never took my eyes off from the ceiling. I only listened the chat that took place. "This is THEIR territory! They know what happens to THEIR kind! They know that you killed each and every last one of them! They will be back to get their revenge! Do you know how many lives you put on the line!? What on Earth were you thinking!!?" "It got out of control." I heard the Marksman's voice reply with a calm response. I would assume it was him who was thrown back to cause the crashing of glass. "They WILL be back. And when they are, you better be ready! I want you to install motion sensitive equipment in every area of this cave! They can be VERY stealthy. If I find anyone in your platoon torn apart or drained of their blood, I will personally run you over with my Jeep till' your head looks like a squashed watermelon, do you understand?" "Yes sir. I promise you, they won't even make it through the the entrance of the cave." That was all I needed to hear. I stopped listening to them after that. I didn't want think about what they were talking about. I didn't want to think about it. Thinking will make it worse. My imagination will create something far more sinister compared to reality, or vice-versa. "Hey." Who knows? Maybe "They" is a tribe of feral Indians? Wait...I'm thinking again. Damn. "Psst. Hey." How much longer is it till I eat? I haven't eaten since this morning. I feel just as empty and starved as a supermodel with bulimia. And am I gonna have to sleep down here or what? I'm sore enough as it is. Hell, how am I gonna be able to sleep at all after all that has happened? "Hey you. Can you hear me? Are you awake?" A voice? A voice in the darkness? Was it my savior? Was it an actual soldier who could help me get out of here? No, it was the German. He was talking to me. I sighed, annoyed. "Hey you...Oscar." "What." "Oh good, I thought you were asleep. I would hate to be in the dark by myself right now." I said nothing. "How are you holding up?" "Hey buddy, I'm not really in the mood to talk, ok? I'd rather just lay here and sulk in the thoughts of my incoming demise." He was taken aback by my rather dark statement. "Sorry I asked." He said. I could hear the hurt in his voice. "Well gee." I said, raising my voice. "I never been on an alien planet before, have you? Huh? Forgive me if I am a little emotional at the moment. I haven't exactly done this before." "Whoa whoa whoa....I was just asking how you were holding up with all of this." He said in his defense. I took in a deep breath before I spoke. "Well...where to start? I was in a near death state, shot at, beaten, abandoned, and I just accepted the fact that I'm in another world where I am millions upon MILLIONS of miles away from home. Yeah...you could say I'm great. Just...dandy." "I know how you feel, Oscar." The German said softly as he spat out onto the ground. "I feel just like you right now." Oscar? Who is- oh right....I remember. "Trevor." I corrected. "Hmm?" I turned my head to him the best I could. Despite the darkness, I could vaguely see him. "My name is Trevor, and the dog over there, his name is Joel." I said as I pointed my head at Joel in his cage. Joel was still asleep inside. I could tell that he was doing better than before. He was yipping softly in his sleep like before we were dragged into this mess. Just how he would normally sleep. "So if that is the case, what was that story you were telling?" He asked. "Was that all a lie?" "No, not necessarily. That was the truth. I uh...I just wanted to avoid using my full name." I whispered. "There's a whole lot more to my story, and I don't feel like discussing it." Memories of the tentacles flashed like pictures through my mind. It's bad enough that the hopeless expression on my Father's face as he reached out to me takes the cake for the last thing I'll probably ever see of him. It still haunts me. "Fair...fair enough." We were both silent for a moment. I could hear him shuffling in his chair. "So you're an actual German? Like...from Europe?" I asked, trying to break the strangely awkward silence. "Yes." He responded. "Like I said, I'm from Berlin. The name's Archard." "Archard." I repeated, letting the name roll off my tongue. "Arrrchard." "Yes, Archard." "I never met a German before. I mean sure, I have some German in my blood, but still..." "And I only met an actual American twice. The first time was an exchanged student. The second-" "Me. Me...right?" I mumbled, finishing for him. "Yes." I had to admit, as much as I disliked interacting with strangers, I enjoyed talking with him. I guess seeing the first person who hasn't tried to shoot at me would make me feel that way. Plus, he was from Earth. MY Earth. That being said, he must know how I feel. Being taken away from everything that is important to you, only to be abandoned in the middle of nowhere. We're in the same situation here. "Do you mind if I ask you something?" Archard asked. He didn't wait for my reply. "I wasn't exactly conscious when it happened, but I woke up to hear all of those soldiers talking about what you did, and what you threatened them with. I know you weren't aware of what was really the "girl", but surely you knew what you were doing at the time was suicidal, right? Why did you do what you did?" I continued to stare up at the ceiling. I didn't think out my words. I just spoke. "Well...what was I gonna do? Let her die? All I knew at the time was that I heard what sounded like a terrified little girl who was about to be executed because she was simply terrified. I could've gone and ran for help, sure. I could've just turned a blind eye. But I didn't. Why? Because I wasn't gonna be some selfish asshole who was thinking about saving their own skin. I did and said what I did, because I wanted them to fear me. I wanted them to think that I was actually going to take one of them out if they disobeyed my words." He continued to listen. "I guess...I stuck my neck out like that was because....because I was angry. I was PISSED at the lack of morality they have. It was the same exact feeling that boiled inside of me when I watched my best friend get taken away from me by this monster. I got angry. I thought Joel was dead, so I actually took on a monster 50x my size and I only had a rifle, a revolver, and a knife as my weapons. I guess I tend to do stupid things when I'm angry...I guess. Huh, funny....I never really get angry that much." "What about the gun?" Archard asked. "You pointed one of your guns at someone's head. You were actually ready to pull the trigger! Was that out of anger as well?" "No." I retorted. "I did that because he shot my dog. Plain and simple. Plus, he had a rifle in his hands! If someone points their gun at you, you point yours strait back at them. I was simply defending the two of us." Archard tossed my philosophy around in his head, trying to come up with a response. "Yes, I can agree with that to an extent, but I wouldn't say that is accurate, or a favored way of handling confrontations." "Yeah? Well that's your opinion. Don't go criticizing what I thought was right. I was in the heat of the moment, ok?" "Oh nonono, I wasn't criticizing nothing about your statement." He uttered quickly. "I just think that conflicts can be resolved without violence. Now THAT however is completely justifiable. If anything, I probably would've done the same exact thing." "Yeah?" I said with a raised eyebrow. "Well...thanks. I think. Like I said, sorry if I'm a bit snappy. I think I can say for both of us, that we have been through a lot." Archard was silent. "Well..." Archard started. "You were brave. Stupid. Highly stupid and idiotic at the same time. But you were brave. I have to admit, I give you credit for the risk you took." "Yeah. I just wish...I just wish I knew sooner. You know, about what the girl really was. I wish I listened to you." I said, turning my gaze to the ceiling. "In that case," Archard said as if a thought entered his head. "Do you know where you are?" "Equestria. We are in Equestria." "Yes. If you knew that the creature you were trying to save was no little girl...would you have done the same for her?" "What?" "Think about it. It obviously has emotions. It obviously knows English. It said that it wanted to go home. That means that their is civilization, full of her race. They are like us in many ways. At the same time, they are probably highly diverse." "Uh huh." I said as I nodded my head. "Would you have done the same? Even if she was not of our kind?" "What are you trying to get at?" I asked with curiosity. "I'm saying that if we get out of here, then we might need their help. To get on their good side. Who knows? Maybe they know a way back home? Then again, we might be here for a while in the middle of all this. It might be good to find someplace safe till then?" "What are you saying?" I sneered. "You seem very calm with this. You never know, those creatures might hate Humans, right? Those soldiers kidnapped that one little pony thing and a another soldier mentioned that they have more of them at some kind of camp. What if it's a slavery camp? If those pony things find us, they'll probably lynch us or something!" Archard continued to listen. "By the way." I started again. "Like I said, you seem very calm. Even though we are in the middle of this war, or whatever this is. Aren't you afraid? Aren't you in pain with the gap in your lip? Don't you even give a shit that you were taken away from your friends and family back home?" "Of course I do!" He whispered loudly. "I'm just thinking ahead. That's all. It is always good to have a plan B. And I do miss my family, by the way. Even if I've been gone for only two days. The first thing I'm gonna do when we get out of here is hug my Mother and tell her that I missed her." I processed this, and I nodded my head as I turned back to the ceiling. "Yeah...me too." "But you didn't answer my question, Trevor." Archard said softly. "Will you save one of those ponies as if they were one of our own?" I thought about his question for a moment. He did state some good points. They do seem a lot like us in ways, even if I only encountered that one little pony. "Well...I don't know. Maybe? If I had to? I don't know." "Well, I'd make a decision. If this is what I fear it is, then we'll need to find sanctuary in this world. We might be stuck here for a while." "No offense Archard, but I might accept the fact that I'm a million miles from home, but I think I'm gonna try and find a safe haven away from those....things. Just to be safe. You never know, they might eat people or keep them as pets. Do what you want to do, but Joel and I are gonna take our own path." "I understand." I turned my gaze to Joel who was sound asleep in his cage. I closed my eyes. As difficult as it is gonna be, I'm gonna have to at least try to rest. "Gonna try to sleep are you?" Archard asked. I could hear him shifting in his chair, preparing to get in the most comfortable position as well. "Yeah. I just uh...I just need to rest...and think. We've been through so much, you know?" "It's alright. I understand. We both need the rest. Goodnight, Trevor." "Audios." We didn't speak to each other after that. I might have said that I was going to sleep, but how could I? After what happened today? Every single time I tried to sleep, horrible images came flooding through my head. Just like the night before. I would see these eerie dreams causing me to wake up in the middle of the night. I would fall asleep, after lying still for a while. Once the darkness has clouded my mind completely, I only to be instantly assaulted with a loud bang. It was muffled, as if an explosion went off miles away from where I was, but at the same time, it was deafening. My hands would automatically block the sudden light from my eyes as I let out a silent scream. The light would fade to nothing exactly six seconds after the explosion. When I would put hands down, I would only find myself there. On the butte, but it was like the butte in the vision I experienced two days prior. I put my hands to my sides, only to find myself on that very hill, covered in blood-red flames. The forest around me was burning to ash and cinder. Wrapped in flames so tall, they seemed like they were able to set the black sky in ablaze. Another sudden bang made me jump with fright. The next thing I knew, my hunting rifle was clutched in my hands, and I was running up the butte. There were these silhouettes of people running around me. They were nothing but shadows, wearing American armor, and they all held a firearm in their hands. I watched all of these shadow people in armor shoot at one another with their rifles, but none of them fell. Nobody died, and blood never flew. I could clearly see the bullets rip through them like the people weren't even there. The guns barely made any sound either. They were all muffled, just like the bangs. The bullets just seemed to pass right through them, but they never seemed to notice or feel it. The only man that seemed to notice was me as I watched them all battle. The war raged on. The more it did, the more I began to notice something growing in the burning tree line. I would race to the top and stop there. That's where I would peer through the scope to get a closer look. It was hard to see with all of the smoke clouding the way. Higher and higher this thing grew in this distance. I couldn't tell what it was...until it began to split up into two, then to four, then eight. This object was splitting itself apart, until it was nothing but long tentacles reaching up into the black sky above. Then they began to sway and flick at one another. The more spastic they got, I began to notice the wind carrying a noise that I couldn't recognize. No, it was voice. I could hear it now. Barely. A long drawn out moan. Crying. ITS crying. That pony. Its sobs. I can hear them growing louder and louder in my head. Loud enough to drown out the very explosions I heard before. At this moment, I would blink, only to find that t scope on my rifle was shattered into bits in complete silence. One small shard of glass flew by my cheek and a long silvery steam of blood flew and I never felt a thing. No pain. "i want to go home. Help me." Its words repeated themselves in my head like a broken record. I want to go home. Help me. I want to go home. Help me. I want go home. Help me." The rifle in my hands fell apart, crumbling to the floor in pile of wood shards and metal parts. The silhouettes of soldiers were fading away with the breeze, one by one. The tentacles began to smash and crush trees. The tentacles wrapped themselves around a tree trunk and they would rip the tree out from the ground, the roots would be the only restraint preventing the tree from death. With one tug, every root would be torn in two simultaneously and the tree would become free. Dirt would rain down upon the land as the tree was held suspended in the air. The tentacles would snap the tree with a mighty crack that echoed through the wilderness. They would throw the pieces into a random direction, letting the two halves sore through the air before crashing to the ground. The weight of the tree halves plus the force of gravity would crush everything unfortunate enough to find themselves underneath it. A giant puff of dry dirt would erupt into the air as the tree halves would make a huge impact into the scorched Earth *chik chik* A loud clicking sound broke the disturbing silence right behind me. Pivoting around, I only had a split second to see someone pointing their pistol right at the center of my chest. I heard her voice. Not the voice that has tormented me for months, but that voice. The voice of the blue-haired girl that shot me. "Rubber bullets, right? Heh, and you thought it was the real thing? You've seen nothing yet." POW! My eyes snapped open from the loud sound of a gunshot in my head, only to find myself still on the floor...looking up at the roof of the cave...in the dark. In the bitter and cold dark. I could barely see anything. The pain in my head was nearly gone, but the rubber bullet wounds that I received earlier were far less painful. I could still feel it. It was very sore, but I could bare it better that yesterday. Running my tongue on my bottom lip, I could feel the opening of the skin when the Gunman punched me. The bleeding stopped, as I expected it would. It surprisingly didn't hurt. I couldn't be anymore thankful. However, that only takes a fraction of the stress off my mind. I groaned and I was shivering at the same time. It was cold. Freezing. How I made it through the night without noticing was miraculous. I took in a deep breath and I blew it all out. My exhale came out misty and frozen which faded away in seconds. My teeth rattled together as they chattered away. I yawned as I strained to look up at Archard. He was slumped over in his chair, still asleep. He was shivering like how I was. He was even letting out irritated grunts as his conscious mind was grabbing ahold of him. At that moment, my stomach growled as it I haven't eaten anything in almost a day. I looked over at Joel. It was darker in his corner, so it was hard to make out what Joel was doing. It looks like he was asleep as well, still on his side. He was still in his position, but his head was adjusted to a different spot so I could see half of his face. His nose twitched slightly and he licked his lips. "Joel." I whispered, calling to him. His ears twitched and his eyes slowly opened. His ears moved in my direction. His tail began to slowly wag, but it was hesitant, as if he wasn't sure if he actually heard me call his name. "Joel?" Joel slowly rose his head and looked around. His tail was wagging slightly more than before, but when he spotted me in the darkness, it went at full speed. He strained to get up, but the pain in his side was too much, and he lazily fell to the floor. No matter, he was still whining and yipping with excitement. "Hey buddy!" I whispered. "How are you, boy?" Joel continued to whine as he made this crawling motion towards me. I couldn't help but feel like I was gonna sob with relief. For the first time in a couple days, I smiled. Joel looked at me, then he looked at his front two paws. Slowly, he began to push himself off of the floor. The pain restricting him made Joel hesitant, as I could hear him release several pants and wheezes. "Joel." I whispered. "Joel no! No. Don't hurt yourself." Joel ignored my orders and pressed on. He was almost back onto his paws. Joel slowly rose up and took his first step, only to buckle under the pain and he nearly fell forward if he hadn't dug his paws into the floor of the cage. He struggled to get up with his legs stretched out at awkward lengths. Joel took a few short breaths pulled himself together and he was eventually back on his paws. "Oh Joel." I gasped with joy. "Good boy! Good boy, Joel!" Joel tail wagged with excitement as he took his second step. It went better than the first time. Though he was wobbly, he managed to keep his balance as he walked forward. Well, to be accurate, he wasn't walking. He was doing more of a shuffling motion. He made more movement with his right side, or his unharmed side. He barely moved his left side. Joel limped over to the end of the cage closest to me, before he slowly lowered himself to the floor, before abruptly falling to the floor. He let out a pained yip as he reacted to the pain that made me cringe. Once again, he crawled over to the bars, and he pressed his face up against them. His face was smushed against the metal as he whined, desperately wanting to be by my side. Behind me, I heard an exhausted yawn. "Well I'll be damned. It's good to see that your dog is doing alright." Joel's whining ceased and he just stared up at Archard. For a moment, Joel looked afraid of Archard, as if he surprised him. Then a low growl began to emerge from his throat and it was only growing louder. Somebody was bound to hear. "Joel!" I snapped under my breath. "Joel no! SHHH" Joel continued to growl. "Joel! N-" I jumped in surprised when a random voice came from the darkness. "Wake up, bitches. Breakfast." A female voice said from the entrance. Out of the darkness, one of my MREs was sliding at me on a plastic tray. The speed of the tray was enough to hit me in the face. A corner end of the tray pressed up against my bottom lip, causing the gash to open back up. A stinging pain made me wince as the fresh taste of blood toughed my tongue. I cursed under my breath and examined what was given to me. All the while, another tray was stopped right at Archard's feet. On my tray from what I could see, there was a single tightly secured package that read applesauce and macaroni. "Hey." I said, straining to look up at whoever provided us with the food. I spat out a glob of blood before speaking once more. "How am I supposed to eat without my hands?" "Yeah." Archard agreed. "How am I supposed to pick this up? My feet are taped to the chair!" "Don't know. Don't care. Figure it out." With that, the stranger left. Her footsteps faded further and further away. "What about my dog! Where is his food?" No response. There was only the sound of Archard's sighs of defeat. "Well....good morning, Trevor." Archard greeted with a sarcastic tone. "It looks like we're off to a great start today." I looked over at Archard, and he just stared at the food at his feet like a infant who dropped their rattler on the other side of the crib. He obviously couldn't move up from the chair. There was only one way he could obtain the food, and we both figured it out pretty quick, We both knew it. What he had to do. For him to eat the food, it will take a bit of pain. His eyes shifted from me to each side of the chair. He sighed once more. "Just get it over with." I consoled him. "Just do it. It will be over before you know it." Archard nodded his head. without hesitation, he threw himself to the right. The legs of the chair creaked and moaned as he tipped over. Down he went. "Oh sh-" He fell to the ground hard on his shoulder. I could feel the pain in his shoulder so to speak, as he let out a sigh from the pain. Through the darkness, I watched him as he made a scooting motion to the food. He stopped when his face was on top of the food package. It was then he began to gnaw on the plastic wrapping on the package. I did the same thing as him, mimicking his actions. Minuets that felt like hours went by. Once I got a large enough hole in the package, I clamped my teeth onto something and pulled back. I pulled back a large applesauce cup. I had to be careful not to break the foil top with my teeth. With the cup in my mouth, I looked over at Joel, who looked back at me with the applesauce in my mouth. To me, it looked like Joel was miles from where I was, but in reality, it was only ten feet. I groaned as looked at the chore before me. The sound of something being slapped against the ground made me look back. Archard had his package in his mouth, but he was hitting it against the floor like a spaz, as if it would help to get it open. "Just get it done." I said through my muffled mouth, looking away. I hopped like a seal, slowly inching myself closer and closer to Joel. Up...and down. Up...and down. After a minuet of my shoulder being constantly slammed into the ground, I stopped and I just stared at Joel who watched eagerly as his breakfast was slowly making its way over to him. I was tired already and my shoulder was sore. By then, I was about six feet from the cage. Hopefully, it can reach the cave from where I was. "Here..you go." I launched the applesauce at Joel by spitting in out will all of the strength I could provide in my mouth. It soared through the air in the direction of the cage. It fell to short as the cup hit the ground on its side. It rolled around in a circle once before stopping. The seal was punctured, as little clumps of applesauce surrounded the cup and smeared the tin foil. Joel looked at the cup with his ears flattened against his head as he lied down at the bars of the cage. Sticking his leg out, he could barely get his paw onto the food. He couldn't get it to him. With that, he began to whine as he licked his lips. "Hey! Hey...I'm coming." Up and down. Up and down. Inch by inch. The closer I got, the more the pain in my shoulder grew. With one final and mighty hop, I fell at the edge of the cage. Once again, I picked up the applesauce with my teeth. I could taste its heavenly taste on my tongue, and my hunger grew. I spat it into the cage. A lot of the contents came spilling out into the floor. Various chunks and piles of crushed apple was scattered throughout. He didn't seem to mind. Joel began to lick it all up like crazy. "Hey, you did it." Archard commented with a mouthful of food. I looked back at him, and he had what looked like chile smeared across his face and hair. It only became several times messier when I witnessed him sink his head back into his food. That got me thinking of eating a nice hot bowl of chile. Dad's chile. The way the beans, meat, sauce, and cheese were mixed together to form one unique taste that made my mouth water. I remember, whatever was left, we used to dip cornbread into it like a snack. Oh man, now I'm starving. As if to add to my pain, my stomach let out a long growl that sounded like a dying whale. "Now for me." EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! A loud siren blared in my ears. Arachrd got surprised to, as he was nearly choking on the food in his mouth, but he managed to spit out the food inside. Joel was cowering in a corner of the cage as he was batting at his ears! Archard was screaming over the deafening alarm over our ears. "Wha...what's happening!" "I don't know!" I shouted back. PSSH! PSSH! PSSH! PSSH! "Oh God! They're getting in!! They're getting in!!!" "Man your weapons!! Stand you- ARRRGH!!!! GET IT OFF MEE!!!!" PSSH! PSSH! PSSH! PSSH! PSSH PSSH! PSSH! Several flashes of light broke the darkness for split seconds as panicked cries and screams could be heard as they traveled down the walls of the cave. Multiple people were firing their weapons at once. "I ain't staying around to find out what's happening! Screw this shit!!" I shouted. "I'm bailing this place!" I opened my mouth as wide as I could, and I began to dig my teeth into the thick tape of my right wrist. My teeth were barely able to pierce the first layer as I struggled to rip and tear away at the restraints. I was only able to pinch an area with my front teeth, only to rip out a small chunk. I yanked my head back and I spat it out. EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! Five minuets passed. People were shouting from down the cave. Panicked cries and shouts were barely noticeable over the alarm. Ignoring them, I continued to rip and tear at the tape for my right wrist. It was loose! My hand was nearly free! EERR!! EERR!! EERR!! EEE- The siren stopped all so suddenly, abandoning us in the silence of this cave. Our ears buzzed and our hands trembled. "Almost got it! Almost got it!" POMF! POMF! DING. DING. There were two popping noises that broke my concentration, followed by two hollowed out clashing sounds. Two metallic explosions boomed in my ears. They best way to describe it was like someone was to fire a potato gun in a narrow corridor, only to be followed by two empty tin cans being dropped simultaneously. "What the hell was that!" Archard shouted. "Don't think!" I snapped. "DO!! We have to hurry!" POMF! POMF! DING. DING. "It's getting closer!" Archard cried. "What is that!!?" I ignored him. I was so close to being free! Once I get this hand free, I'll be able to get out much easier than before! I dug my teeth into the weakened tape and tore out a strip before spitting it out! Rip and spit. Rip and spit. I was so nearly free! I was so focused, I didn't even notice that something was off when Archard pointed it out. "Oh Lord!" He gagged as he nearly vomited. "What is that! It...it smells like....I don't know what that smells like." I smelt it too. It was smelled....unnatural. It was an oder purely made out from chemicals. It was thick and musty, making it difficult to inhale easily. It was an oder that was a mix of decay and urine that lingered in the air like something actually died in our area. When the small entered my nostrils, I nearly gagged as well, but I choked back the vomit that threatened to force its way out. "Don't breathe it in!" I shouted, gasping for air. "Hurry!" I took in all of the air I could! Struggling to hold it in as I was taking chunks out of the tape in desperation! My hand was nearly free! All I had to do was pull! I yanked and pulled at the tape. I could feel the stinging, as hairs were being ripped off from my skin! "Come on!!" I screamed in my head. "LET!" The tape gave away with a mighty snap and I sent my own hand up, only to sock myself in the face! "GO!" I nearly let out all of the air that was stored in my lungs with joy and hope! Now, I had to get the rest of myself out! With my fingers, I ripped away at my other arm! I could feel it in my chest. That feeling of suffocation. I could feel it already and it was raging on inside of me! "Pick up the pace!" Bits and pieces of tape littered the floor around me as I continued to work on getting free, despite my blindness. My heart was pounding in my chest as it struggled to get its oxygen. My lungs felt like they were being squeezed under the pressure. It was getting more and more difficult to bear this sensation! "COME ON!" "Hey! Anyone in here?" A muffled voice said. There was a voice among the shadows. It was the same female voice from before, the one who gave us the food! I screamed through my mouth to get her attention! "MMMFFF!! MMMFFF!!" A light flicked on, to my right. It was her. I recognized her! It was the same woman who shot me before! The same girl who gunned me down only to mock at me while I lied on the ground in agony. Her blue hair was in shambles as it looked like she was in a struggle. However, her whole entire face was hidden behind a frightening gas mask. Her glowing green eyes illuminated the lenses with their hue. "Hold up, I got ya!" She ran over to me and knelt to my side. Before I knew what was going on, she was forcefully putting something on my head. I thrashed and head butted her with defiance, screaming in rage! "Hold still you little shit!! I'm putting a gas mask on you!" She held me in a choke hold as she stuffed my head into a gas mask. I didn't fight it when she did something to the mask that I couldn't see. There was a click, a loud hissing sound, and all of the gas inside my mask was sucked out and exhaled automatically. I was allowed to breathe! With that, I sucked in so much air as I clutched my pounding chest with my free hand! As much as I was wheezing, I managed to speak with a pathetic whine. "Oh my God....thank you. Thank you!" "Shut up!" She snapped. "Where's the other one?" I pointed a finger in Archard's direction as I regained my breathing. "Over...over there." She pointed her light in his direction. "Ah Jesus!" She snapped in frustration. I gasped in shock when I saw Archard in the floor, with his face to the floor. His eyes were closed and his blonde hair was slumped over his face. He wasn't moving! He was too still. It didn't even look like he was breathing! "Hey!" I snapped with fear. A painful knot was twisting my organs into ribbons as the fear inside me grew. He didn't answer. "Snap out of it! Answer us!!" There was no reply. Archard remained motionless on the floor. Dead silent. I couldn't take my eyes off of him. "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT! Is he...is he-!?" "No you idiot, he's unconscious! He breathed in too much of the gas!" He did? He passed out? He breathed in too much of it? What about me? Shouldn't I be out like him? He noticed it before I did. That means I should've breathed in more of it. Never mind, it's not important. I need to get out of here. She rushed over to him. Reaching for something on her side, and she pulled out a hatchet! The blade was chipped and doused almost entirely of a thick green liquid. Multiple little droplets of green liquid traveled down the curve of the blade, only to fall onto the floor. She it brought up to his one restricted hand! "Wait! What are you going to do!?" DUNK! The woman brought the blade down upon the tape, completely missing his hand. She pulled his other hand away, and she began to work on the tape on his right ankle. This time, she made a sawing motion in the space between him and the leg of the chair. "Can you please tell me what the hell is going on!?" I shouted. "And can you please hurry!!?" "Don't ask questions! Just do what I tell you to do, and you'll live!" She got Archard's feet free from his restraints. Both of his feet fell lazily to the floor with two dull thumps. The woman punted the chair away. She grabbed onto his legs she began to drag his unconscious body away, right to the passage to the entrance of the cave. "Hey. Hey! Where're you going? You can't just leave me here! I'm just a kid!" I shouted as I reached out my free hand. "Where the hell are you going!!?" The light was fading in the darkness around me as she walked further and further away. Archard's body slowly disappeared behind the passage. First his body, then his head, then his arms that were trailing closely behind. Nothing more. "Sorry, bud! Can't have the both of you free at the same time! I'll come back for you when I'm finished with him!" "Wait! Wait!" I pleaded. "Don't leave me here! Please!" There was no response. I looked around in the darkness. "Joel?" My echoed voice was the only response. "Joel?" There was no answer. I couldn't see amongst the darkness. He was unconscious. He has to be. That means that I'm alone. I only have one hand. That makes me vulnerable. "Shit. Gotta move. Get Joel out of here and run!" Since I didn't have to bite at the tape anymore, I began to loosen the tape with my free hand. I was getting close, but it was to thick for me to pull my hand through. I had to keep picking at it, one strip at a time. "Come on....come on..." I pleaded as I peeled a long strip away. "Oh God! Oh God no!" There were terrified screams coming from the entrance. I couldn't see what was going on, but various sounds of things being smashed and crushed was all I could hear beside the terrified cries. PSHH! PSHH! Then I saw light. Quick flashes of light from the entrance! It didn't take me to realize that they were gunshots. Just like before, making a final stand. "They're everywhere! Somebody hel-" Then something happened. I don't know what, but something was happening. Something collided with him, and fell to the floor with a pitiful yelp. He was fighting something as he was releasing this high pitch scream. Not of fear, but of pain. Pure agony. He howled as he was thrashed around by whatever was attacking him. "Ah Christ." I sighed in disbelief. "Oh man! Oh God oh man!" The man's screams drowned on as I could hear him being dragged across the ground like some kind of play-thing. His fists were beating up against something out of desperation. For what I could hear, this had little to no effect. "GET IF OFF ME!! GET IT OFF!" "Hold on!" I shouted. I"m coming!" I began to pull like crazy at my hand! Strips glided through the air as I was going at it like my life depended on it! One strip. Two strip. Third strip, and SNAP! The tape gave away. "Hold on!" I screamed. "I'm almost done!!" I took no time to think, and I instantly shifted my attention to my legs! I pulled them upwards, but I could barely move them from their positions! This tape is just refusing to break! "Come on!" I snapped in frustration. "Just...BREAK!" There was a quick and sudden white flash and.... SNAP! SNAP! Two more cracks and my legs were free! Just like that! The sheer abruptness of my freedom caught me off guard. I sat there is awe for a moment, but I quickly shook it off, and I rose to my feet! It didn't matter how that happened, I have to help this guy!! I began to run in the directions of the cries, despite my limited vision! "i'm coming! Hold o- WHOA!!" My foot got caught on a large rock below, and I fell forward! My stomach lurched in surprise as gravity got ahold of me! I was barely able to prevent myself from crashing face first into the ground. I planted my palms into the ground and my hands took the blow, rather than my mask. My hands stung as fresh cuts were formed in my palms, but I had to press onward! Their was a wet zipping noise and the man let out the loudest gurgled shriek I ever heard. The banging of his fists ceased in seconds. Instead, I heard what sounded like a body being slammed against the ground with so much force and so little effort. Every time the man was slammed against the ground, his screams jolted and they weaker with each blow. Thud! THUD! This went for three more times, until he could make nothing but gurgled moans. His breathing was faint and wheezy. "No!" I gasped. "No, wait!!" I hurled myself forward upward! I felt my hands grab onto the side of the entrance and I guided myself through the the other end. Clinging to the wall, I struggled to see anything amongst the blackness of the cave. If I was right, he should be right in front of me. I could hear him. I could hear him breathing, He was faint, and he sounded distant. I just stood there. I could only whisper out a single word as I stood there in the darkness, letting fear grab ahold of my very soul.. "Hello?" There was only his breathing as a response. He breathed in...then out....then in....then out......then in......then out....... He wasn't breathing anymore. There was only a constant dripping. One single drip between five seconds intervals. Drip........drip........drip........drip....... I listened on in complete silence. Gripped by terror. Drip.....drip......drip..... "Oh my god." Just after I spoke out of fear, a hellish shriek made me scream with fright! A rapid patter on the ground was coming right at me! Then, something crashed into me in the center of my chest and I fell backward! My back was slammed into the ground, and pain exploded as the bullet wound was rubbing right up against the ground! I took no time to waste! Ignoring the pain, I scurried back in the other direction! Another shriek echoed in my ears as I heard the pattering once more, as something was coming at me. "NO NO NO NO!" My back hit the wall and I was cornered like the prey I was! I could hear it getting closer! I reached out my hands in defense! Something large rammed into my hands with so much strength, but I barely managed to keep it from striking my face! I struggled to hold it away from me, as it pressed onward! It snarled with malice in its voice, as its anticipation was rising for the kill! I could feel several globs of thick liquid dribble from its mouth and they all landed on my chest. I only screamed louder. "Get off! Get off! GET...OFF...MEE!!" The force was too much! It kept going at me! Each time it did, the distance between us grew smaller each time! I knew that I wasn't going to survive much longer when something tapped on the lens of my mask, right in the area of my left eye. I could feel it pressing harder and harder until a small crack could be heard right in front of my face! It was trying to break the mask! I was gonna lose my eye! I was gonna lose my left eyes as the gas will knock me unconscious, only to have this thing feast on my flesh! No! I can't die like this!! "NO! NO! Please no!" It was pressing harder on my mask. The lens will eventually give away. I'm as good as dead. A single shout came out of the darkness! "HEY YOU!!" A bright light blinded me as my eyes were exposed to its presence. Somebody stood in the entrance with what appeared to be a flashlight in their hand. The monster shrieked at the stranger. There was a loud click and... POW!! A quick flash of light and a loud snap comparable to a firecracker rang out. The next thing I knew, thick clumps of green flesh and blood covered my mask. The monster jumped in surprise and it screamed in my face, its foul breath clouded my lenses. My ears rang like a bomb went off in my ears. It twisted and jerked in agony when it loosened its grip on me. POW!! There was a wet and sickening tearing of flesh and a wet slap. More fresh blood showered all over my face and upper body. The monster's movements ceased instantly till it was nothing but a heavy weight on top of me. I just lied there, barely able to create coherent sentences. Though I could barely hear see in the darkness, I knew I was staring at the monster directly in the eyes, and I couldn't look away. Its arms cornered me in a circle. I had to stare at it in horror, even if it didn't move or twitch an inch. It never moved again. It lied on top of me. Its blood leaked out from the bullet holes in its flesh, each of them fell onto some area of my body I grew irritable, snapping out of my daze. I began to shout and yell in a state of panic-stricken hysteria. Somebody grabbed ahold of the creature and pulled it off me. It fell to the ground with a wet thump. The person shined the light on me, letting it beam down on me as I blocked the light out of my eyes. "Get up!" My gaze slowly moved up to my savior. "Huh? Wa....what?" I could only mumble with confusion. "What's....wha-wha-what's happening?" The side of my face was struck with a powerful slap. My face shot off to the side and the stinging grabbed my attention. "Snap out of it!! We have to move!" Her light lowered slightly, and it revealed what I could see of her description. She wore a black gas mask that hid her face from view, despite her eyes, that glowed like burning emeralds. A long lock of blue hair was sticking out of the side of her mask.It was the same woman from before! I recognized her voice! "You!?" I yelled, as I scurried back. "What do yo-" She grabbed me by my bad shoulder and hulled me up to my feet! She kicked me hard in the back, and sent me running in the opposite direction! I stumbled forward and I fell to the floor. Behind us, there was another hellish howl from another one of those angry creatures! "MOVE!" "I can't see!" I shouted in panic. "I can't see shit!" There was another shriek. "Stick with me! Let's go!" She pointed her light in our direction, illuminating every inch of the cave ahead. Without a word from the both of us, we were bolting down the cave with only a single light to guide the way! Our shoes banged against the ground with the pattering of a monster behind us! She screamed and snapped at me as we both raced down the corridor. "Run! Run faster!!" "Do you want to die!!? Move!!" She jumped over a huge gap in the floor. When she landed, the beam of light jolted and a corner of Joel's cage was revealed. Joel was still unconscious in the cage! "Run you idiot!" "Joel!" I screamed as I dug my feet into the ground. I skidded to a halt and looked at the cage behind us! "What about Jo-" Not a second later, there was a loud shriek and my woman accomplice shined her light on a spot right in front me. My eyes fell upon the creature within the beam of light, and I lost all hope for my safety. It was a large insect. A spider. A large, hairy black spider about the same size as me, four eyes as large as my palms. Its back and legs were layered with large spiny hairs that stood on end. The legs were long and gangly, with the ends being thin as needles. Its fangs were a bright orange and the ends were dripping with thick globs of black venom that splatted against the floor. The fangs were slightly curved inward and the curves were heavily serrated, like a knife. It was hunched over and prepared to attack. Its four black holes for eyes were all set on me. It was gonna dig those daggers into my skin! I had no time to shout out when it propelled itself at me with a deranged scream. It crashed into my chest and it instantly wrapped its eight legs around me, clutching me in its grip. I fell to the ground, begging for life and mercy. Its legs took the blow when I collided with the ground, but the pain that my back that I could've felt would be nothing comparable to what I was about to experience. It wasted no time with capturing its kill. I watched it raise its fangs up to take my life as I screamed below. I shielded my face with my arms! "Please! NOOO!" POW!! "Ah! Get off!" The girl shouted in anger. A gunshot rang out, and the spider's front left leg blew up with a combination of flesh, bone, and dark green blood! It shrieked in pain as it struggled to get off of me, but my back his pinning them down! It had to force them out from under me. It was too distracted by the pain! This was my chance! With a roar of newly found hope, my right hand clamped down onto the newly formed wound in its leg! It let out another scream as it further loosened its grip! Retracting it, I took that same hand and balled it into a fist! With that, I sent my fist up and bashed it against the side of its face! The prickly hairs brushed against my skin as my fist connected with its face. It snarled in rage and it was now standing over me, giving me leg room! No time to hesitate! I raised my right foot up, and kicked it in the abdomen! I sent it scurring back from the blow as I crawled away from the beast! I rose to my feet high above it, and I stomped on its face with all of my strength. It stumbled away from me, nearly loosing its balance! Green blood gushed from several fresh wounds on its face that I created with the force of my attack! POW! A gunshot came from behind me! I spun around, only to see that another spider that was on the girl! I began to run over to her aid , but it fell to the floor when I spotted the large gaping hole in its head. She panted heavily, leaning down to catch her breath. Her gaze went from me to the spider on the floor and she gave its side an enraged kick. The body rolled over, and I found its empty glare staring at me. I too was panting as my heart was pounding against the wall of my chest. "Holy....holy cow!" I wheezed. "Are you-..are you alright?" "DUCK!!" I dove to the ground and covered my head, curling into fetal position! POW!! There was another bright flash and more green mist sprayed in every direction. The other arachnid suffered another gunshot! I gasped and crawled back when I looked up at the spider that loomed over me. A small hole was right in the center of its head, and a small trail of green blood began to drip down from the hole and onto my pant leg. Various chunks of flesh fell onto the floor with several wet slaps. It did nothing else than fall limply to the ground on its side. "Oh my God." I heaved in relief, catching my breath. "Holy shit. HOLY SHIT. What is going on?" "If you follow me, then you'll live." She snapped at me. "WE can't waste anymore time. We have to-" Once again, another screech came from down the what seemed like an endless corridor. "Aww come on!"I shouted in frustation. "Give me a break!" "Don't worry." The woman said as she aimed her silenced pistol at the approaching creature. "I can take him!" Regardless, I took several steps back in the other direction. "How many shots do you have?" She paused and looked at me with concern. With swift and quick movements, she slipped the clip out from the pistol into her hand. We both saw how many shots there were left in the clip. None. There were no bullets in the damn clip. That means there was only one left in the chamber. My eyes slowly left the clip and I stared into her's with disbelief. "No no no." I mumbled while I ran my hands through my hair in defeat. "This can't be happening! This can't be!" There was another shriek coming from the far end of the cave. It was louder. It was closer. "Oh my God no! What are we going to do!?" To my side, there was the sound of metal sliding against metal until there was a loud but firm click. All of the sudden her light was pointing in my way. I covered my eyes and gasped in surprise and confusion. I back up a few steps, nearly tripping over a rock in the process. "Hey! What the hell...are you..." I trailed off. There she stood, tall and firm. In her left hand, she had her light on me. In the other, her gun was pointed at the floor, but it was raised to my feet. The gun shook and trembled. I could hear a constant rattling sound amongst the screams coming our way. Nervous as I was, I backed up slowly, never taking my eyes off her. "What are you-" I was interrupted when I backed up into the cave wall. "What are you doing?" She said nothing. She only looked at me with this vacant...glare. This stare that said nothing positive. Even though she said nothing, I was threatened. I felt threatened by my own thoughts on what she was trying to do. Please don't tell me she was gonna pull what she was gonna do. "Hey...just...just wait a second. Look, they...they are getting closer." I mumbled as I pointed a finger down the cave. "Let's just-" With a scream, she chucked her flashlight at me like it was a tomahawk! The light blurred as it soared right at me! I managed to barely dodge it as it crashed into the rock where my head would've been if I hadn't dodged! The light was smashed against the wall, and it fell to the floor with a metal clang! The light rolled along the ground in a circle, until it stopped, pointing right at me. The only thing I could see of her was her silhouette that stood in an eerie silence. I jumped in surprise as I covered my eyes from potential flying glass shards. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU- AHH!" She rammed herself into me like a pro quarterback! The air was forced out of my lungs as my back was slammed against the wall of the cave! Several rocks with sharp points and edges dug into my back. I was barely able to wheeze! In my recovery of the pain, she punched me right in the gut! I grunted, and she threw me forward! I tumbled to the ground and rolled forward until I remained sprawled on my back, struggling to catch my breath! "Get..get away!!" I stuttered. "Get away- AAH!" When I tried to get up, I was only met with her knee against the center of my forehead. There was a quick white flash, and I rolled backward. She grabbed me by my shoulders, and she hauled me up to my feet without breaking a sweat! The girl spun me around, wrapped her entire arm around my neck like how an anaconda would, and she pulled back as hard as she could! My airway was squeezed shut in an instant! I gagged as I clawed at the arm that was wrapped around me! I couldn't breath! I could only wheeze and squeal in desperation as my fingernails dug into the flesh of her arm! Breaking the skin, the tips of my finger nails were tainted with red! No matter how much I clawed at her arm, she grip grew tighter! I twisted and turned, almost breaking free at one point, but she kicked at my legs, and she sent me back to where I was! My strength was depleting fast! I was growing weak as my body was struggling to thrive on the oxygen that it had! My head felt like it was going to be popped off like the cork of a bottle of wine! I could feel myself passing out, drifting further and further away from consciousness and closer to death. The screams of those creatures were getting nearer and nearer! By the time they would get here, I would be unconscious, and they will feed off of me! She was trying to kill me so she could get away! AHHH AHHHH EEEEEE!! A was a loud screech ahead, but it was different than the others that I heard. The tone of the shriek was like a trigger. A signal. Very similar to how someone would say to another to do something on cue. With that, I heard another scream came in response, this time, strait from up above! Something heavy fell on top of us! We both fell to the ground, my legs buckled under the weight and lack of oxygen! The girl let out a surprised gasp as she retracts her arm out from around my throat! There was enough space to slip out from underneath, and that was exactly what I did! I threw myself forward away from her as I sucked in air from my narrow windpipe! I coughed and gagged as I was on my hands and knees! My heart was pounding and my lungs was flooded with air as I regained my surroundings! There was a chilling scream just a couple of feet from my right. It was filled with pain and terror. I looked in that direction, and I nearly vomited in my mask! I struggled to hold back whatever was left in my stomach as I saw a horrifying sight! There was a spider huddled on top of the girl that tried to kill me. Its head was hiding her neck from view. It began to lift up its fangs, the skin was being pulled up with them until they completely slid out. The fangs that used to be a bright orange, were now covered with a crimson red! Beneath it, the girl was clutching her gushing neck as she let out a wet scream! Blood leaked through her teeth and dripped off her bottom lip. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she realized that she wasn't going to see the light off day. I couldn't move my body no matter how much I tried. I couldn't believe what I was watching! My eyes were glued to the sight before me. I couldn't take them off! All I did was watch with horror as she reached out a bloody hand to me as she cried in defeat. SLICK The monster dug its fangs into her neck once again. They slid in with ease like warm butter. I couldn't bare to watch anymore! I screamed in terror as I jumped to me feet! I looked at her as she just lied there, letting the spider feed on her! I turned in the other direction and began to bolt down the cave! Her cries drowned on and on like a broken record! I skidded to a halt when I heard another hellish shriek came from up ahead! I nearly lost my footing when I pivoted around to run the other way! I lunged over the legs of the spider that was feasting on the girl.s neck! Without stopping, I snatched up the flashlight that lied on the floor! "Shit! Shit! Shit!!" Pointing the light ahead, I saw a large rock lying against the wall of the cave, large enough for me to hide behind! I took no time to hesitate as I summersaulted behind the rock, and I stopped right behind it. I planted myself flat against the rock and I stayed as quiet as possible. The cries were weak. Her screams were weak as she was near death. I turned off the light and I was consumed by the darkness. The pitter pattering stopped when another spider stopped right next to where the other one was that was feasting on the newly made corpse. I was on the verge to tears as I remained curled up in a ball, clutching the flashlight in my clammy hands. I could only listen to a constant dripping sound. A dripping sound that I heard before. That tormented me before. I pleaded to myself that I was dreaming as I silently cried in the darkness, begging myself to wake up. drip....drip....drip.... drip....drip....drip.... drip....drip....drip.... This was no dream. This is reality. I'm stuck in a nightmare that I can't wake up from. At this point..... I'm as good as dead.