Go For Stories

“We really have to get out of here.” Nigel returned to the group, clenching his fists so they couldn’t see his hands shake. “There is something very deeply wrong with this place.”

Anne narrowed her eyes at him. “Yeah, it’s those white things, those … Albinoids. Is that what you called them?”

Nigel nodded. “There’s something more. Something darker.” They were giving him the same look as the crowd had at Doctor Peterson’s memorial. Only Milly nodded in agreement. “Nevermind,” he said, “let’s go get those tasers.”

“There are tasers?” asked Bec, her eyes lighting up. “Ohh, this’ll be fun.”

“There’s nothing fun about it, Reynolds.”

“Whatever. Just trying to lighten the mood.”

“The mood doesn’t need lightening. It needs focus.”

He walked off, heading towards the plaza and leaving the others to fall in behind. The encounter with the being in the hall had rattled him. He didn’t think he could be any more rattled than he already had been recently, but there was something off – something familiar – about the spectre. It wasn’t anything he saw or heard, it was something he felt. It felt as if he knew them. Even if he did, he had no interest in meeting it again. There was too much going on without some beyond-the-veil reunion.

They had to find a way out of this place. Getting to Security and getting themselves some weapons would be a big part of that. Not only that, it would get them closer to the surface too. He wasn’t sure where they would go from there, as the lifts out were sealed on a time-lock, but he would figure something out when needed.

“Hey,” Milly called at him, jogging to catch up. “What’s going on?”

“What?”

“What’s happening with you? You just up and left us a couple of times there. That’s not like you to just disappear and leave us to ourselves like that.” Nigel opened his mouth to speak, Milly continued. “And I don’t want you to spout me some bullshit about Bec being rude or irresponsible or anything like that. I know you two don’t get along, but that’s not enough for you to abandon us like that.”

“I didn’t abandon you, I…” He realised that is exactly what he had done. He hung his head and sighed. “I’m sorry. I saw something in the corridor just now. I don’t know what it was, but it was very close to human, only I don’t think it was really there … I hate this place.”

“Milly stopped and put a hand on his shoulder. “We all do, Nigel. I think whatever you saw must have been there. There is something weird going on and I think I know why we’re the only ones who saw the black thing at the memorial. Also, I think it’s why you were acting so strange before that.”

“Why?” Amongst everything else, Nigel had not put much thought into that one lately.

“The smoke in the lab. The smoke from the explosion that spread through the lab before you got there.” Nigel could have slapped himself. Of course it was the smoke. It had acted so strangely, so against how smoke normally acts. “Remember how it had us acting all funny until you came in? And how it kind of killed our will? I think it has done something to our brains. Now we can see things that aren’t there.”

“Or things that are there, but aren’t on our plane of existence.”

“Exactly.” Milly slipped on a patch of blood that had not yet coagulated. She kept her footing, but paused with a look of horror. She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. There was no forgetting what they had been through here earlier. “We were effectively researching life after death here, Nigel.” She indicated the blood all over the floor. “Maybe we found a way to bridge that gap and that smoke was some sort of reagent. I would bet that I would have seen whatever you did in the corridor just now too.”

That was the best theory Nigel had heard so far. It was the only theory he had heard about what was happening in his head, but it was the best he believed he would hear. If they had found a way to meet with the afterlife, perhaps that’s what had brought these albinoids out as well. Had they dragged some hellish creature back from a realm that didn’t mesh with their own? If so, this was huge. Bigger than huge. This was catastrophic.

“GET DOWN!” He shouted at Milly, tackling her to the ground just as a white flash streaked over them both.

“What the hell-” Milly’s mouth opened in fear as she looked over Nigel’s shoulder. He turned to see the creature standing not too far away, quivering in its own skin like the one in the workshop. It stared at them with either an intense hatred or all-consuming hunger and flexed its four taloned hands. The tendons stood out in its arms as it tensed the lean muscles in its arms.

Nigel rolled off Milly and got to his feet, pulling another welder from his pocket. He looked for the others to see them gathered nearby.

“On your feet,” he said to Milly, holding out his hand. “We’ve got to regroup.”

Grabbing his hand, she pulled herself to her feet and they backed towards the group, keeping their eyes on the albinoid. As they did, she pulled a welder out for herself.

“What the fuck is that thing?” asked Bec.

“Death,” said Jacob as Nigel handed the spare welder to Bec.

“What the fuck is that thing?” asked Bec again, this time looking at the torch-shaped object she had been handed.

“Protection,” said Nigel. He didn’t have time to explain further as the albinoid gave out a soul-crushing scream and rushed towards them. Nigel barely had time to squeeze the button on the welder before it could tear them down. A bright flash of light seared the air around them and the creature fell backward. Its limbs cracked as they bent back on themselves and it dug its hands into the concrete, using them to scuttle backwards. Its muscles bunched and rippled beneath its thin skin. Its jaw opened wide and it bared its sharp teeth, letting out an odd, creaking noise that sounded like its lips were splitting from the effort.

Nigel flashed his welder again. This time, the albinoid pushed itself off the floor, rising to its feet through sheer strength of core and spread its long arms wide. The creak of its lips grew louder and louder. The sound turned to a cry and swelled to such a crescendo that they were all forced to cover their ears. Standing there, all four arms spread wide, its true size became apparent. Not much taller than Nigel, but what it lacked in height it made up for in length and pure, shredded power. It shook its head from side to side, releasing the roar to all corners of the compound.

In response, Nigel saw movement on the balconies. The creature saw it too. It gave as much smile as its drawn lips would allow and closed its mouth. Nigel released his ears and drew himself into the group, watching the moving shapes above them. As they came from all sides, he could see no way out.

“What should we do?” asked Anne.

Jacob fiddled with his welder in front of him. “We can only fight, really.”

He was right. If they didn’t fight, they would die. Nigel couldn’t tell the exact amount of those things that were coming for them, but it would be enough that they didn’t really stand a chance of escape. Perhaps with the surprise of the welding light, they could clear enough room to get out, but where would they go?

A thump sounded behind them. Nigel spun to see another white creature land in the centre of the plaza. This was followed by another and another. In all, a dozen of the things had landed almost within reach of them. One lunge from any of them and they would all rear forward. All would tear through Nigel and his crew without a moment’s thought. The encircling beasts chittered with excited glee. They all moved with the same unending and stilted gait as the one that had called them. They bunched and reared, waiting for a cue to attack.

Nigel held out a hand, hoping to keep his fellows from acting apart from one another. He watched the creatures as they watched him, licking their thin lips and clicking their countless teeth. One in particular, the first one they had met here, was more anxious than the rest, it clenched and unclenched its fists, drawing blue blood from its palms with its sharp nails. As Nigel watched, it bent its knees and leaned forward, preparing to pounce.

“NOW!” shouted Nigel. “ATTACK NOW!” He lunged forward, triggering the welder and jabbing it at the face of the leader. It shirked at his sudden attack and stepped back. Nigel rushed forward, keeping his finger on the trigger. He ducked under a wild slash, feeling the breeze from the attack through his hair, and he slammed his fist into the creature’s chest. Its flesh and bones bent under the force of the blow, but it was unaffected. It scooped Nigel up in two of its arms and raised the other two, preparing to cut him apart. He stuck the blinding light straight into the eye of the albinoid, scorching its eye socket and sending bolts of burning electricity through its face. It howled and released its grip on him, scrabbling back with its hands clamped over its eye.

Nigel turned in time to avoid an attack from another creature and rushed forward to defend Reynolds, who barely missed being slashed across the back. He kicked out, hitting it in the back. Striking the creature felt like striking a bag of water, it flowed with his attack and kept moving forward. Bec staggered and fell to the floor. Milly fell back to avoid an attack and landed beside Bec. Jacob and Anne stood back to back, waving their weapons with enough enthusiasm to keep the creatures at bay.

“THEIR EYES,” Nigel shouted over the deafening noise of the rage-fuelled chittering. “GO FOR THEIR EYES.”

Jacob nodded and lashed out at the face of one creature, narrowly avoiding its eyes, but putting it on the back foot. Bec and Milly pulled themselves to their feet and stepped forward as one, slashing their arcs through the air. Anne turned to Nigel to see what he had said. As she did, he saw one of the albinoids step forward through the confusion. In slow motion, he saw it raise a clawed hand in the air and lunge toward her.

Nigel waved his hand towards the beast and surged forward as Anne’s side opened up in front of him. She stopped, her eyes wide. Lowering her hand to the blood flowing from the wounds, she looked at Nigel and opened and closed her mouth. She grew pale and shook her head in disbelief.

“What?” she asked, before slumping forward into his arms.