Every time John found a Door that was locked, he frowned. Eventually, he considered abandoning his search of the rooms entirely but there was a nagging feeling that wouldn’t go away.
After searching a few dozen offices with little to nothing to show for it, he started to kick the doors open. There was little to no paperwork or files, in the traditional sense. Each office had it’s own computer terminal but everyone had their own access keys. John even searched the corpses for the access passes but there were none among the dead. Passing an infirmary, he found that there were still supplies.
A great deal of the supplies were tainted or simply expired, among the few things John did take, was an image scanner. Similar designs were used during the War to look through walls, an enemy’s health was nothing to worry about and precaution was important. Experience mattered and he had it in abundance, upon entering the chemical room, he took liberty and got to work.
About an hour later, he had some homemade grenades. The Chemicals were likely a bit stronger but the science was right. As long as they were kept secure and separated, he had little to no risk. ‘I had to shoot someone for making this once..’ John remembered the War, he remembered breaking down the doors of chemical factories that produced for the enemy, he remembered the looks on their faces.
God had forgiven him but the memories he was allowed to keep were reminders.
‘I cannot betray this new life by blind submission..’ John grabbed a beaker and hurled it. As it shattered, filling the room with gasses in an instant and igniting. Flames filled the room and reflected in his eyes, ‘I will become a sword..’
The Fire suppression system came online just as quickly. Rancid odors poured out of the sprinklers at first, before the fires went out. It had made a lot of noise but he was already in a mood.
“Things are falling apart here..” John sighed, placed the Ax on his shoulder and grabbed his bag.
The upper floors were the same as below, darkness and spiraling lights marking the way toward exits. Everything in view looked as if it were discarded in a hurry. ‘Research Labs after research lab but all of their work has either been destroyed or taken elsewhere.’ John wanted to tried talking to himself, but he had that nagging feeling still. It was nerve wracking, a lurking feeling, as if he was being watched. The feeling didn’t go away either, it followed him wherever he went.
‘What is going on?’ John felt like all the hair on his body was standing on end. He searched for surveillance equipment or figures in the distance but his eyes saw everything in their path, there was nothing, no one in sight. When nothing was to be seen, he threw his fist into the wall again, yanking a panel free.
“What is this feeling?” He tossed the panel down the hallway and turned around. Five claws raced past his eyes while his reflexes took over. John’s body bent backwards and he nearly fell on the Ax. He kicked the Shadowed creature into the light fixture where it clung to the ceiling.
The Factu craned it’s neck and it’s head began to twist. A sharp shriek echoed in the halls and it lunged once again.
John grabbed the Ax handle and swung. Like a sharp knife through butter, one of the Factu’s front legs was cleaved off. He landed with his back against the wall and the blanket fell away as he rolled to avoid the creature’s next move.
The Ax was lodged into the wall and glowing. The creature shrieked heavily while it sulked into the darkness.
More shrieks followed from all directions, the Factu had called for support.
“Tsk” Having expected this outcome long ago, John was somewhat prepared. The Factu were surrounding him. In each moment, he could hear them coming closer. Claws tapped against the flooring in an almost rhythmic pattern.
‘They are coming from all directions.’ John kicked the door nearest to him off it’s hinges and stood in the doorway. ‘This is much better than fighting in the open.’ He wasn’t sure if the Factu would try digging through the walls but fighting them in a bottleneck would make things easier on him. Before he could think too much about it, a fresh pair of claws glinted in the lighting outside of the door frame.
The Factu’s eyes beamed and it turned to lunge, it’s meal directly before it.
John cleaved down with the Ax into it’s head, a slight popping sound could be heard as it passed through the creature’s skull and into the tile floors. Shattered pieces flung around the room and more Factu could be heard on the way.
They were fighting among themselves, competing for nourishment. Ripping sounds could be heard in every direction but they all seemed occupied, none of the noises were coming from nearby.
‘Did they forget about me?’ John wanted to know but his curiosity was not enough to peek his head from around the corner. It wasn’t a lack of courage, but precaution. The claws from the Factu were razor sharp and the thought of becoming their meal was not enticing.
Pulling the Ax from the Floor, he noticed that it was glowing again. ‘Is this God’s work?’ John flipped the Ax over in his hands and inspected it, it was the same ax he had pulled from the emergency box in the first office.
The noises down the hallway quieted down, the entire floor of the facility became eerily still. John’s ears perked up when he heard the tapping of claws once again, the Factu were on the move, worse yet, they were moving in unison.
The floor began to vibrate as the herd charged down the halls. Having hid his presence, John was less likely to be discovered but the corpses of the fallen Factu were still nearby.
‘Remain calm and focused’ His mind wanted to jump into battle but he knew that clearer heads prevailed. Training was key to survival, in his previous life, he had seen the results of soldiers who didn’t take every session seriously. The odds of survival would drop dramatically when mistakes or impatience took over.
The Herd passed but John could hear them passing through the halls in the distance, they were looking, searching for food. “Why are they even inside? Wait.. does this mean there is another entrance?”
John picked up the blanket, the herd had perforated it into a mess of holes. ‘Well, that’s useless.’
He was on the Sixth floor, passing an elevator, and finally learned how deep the facility actually went. Inside of the Elevator, there were 20 floors but the majority of them were sub levels. Pressing the buttons did nothing. ‘I suppose I should be grateful that the elevator doors opened.’
Everything in the facility was falling apart. Either the doors themselves, the locks or the building outside, everything was rotting and the people below were unaware.
John had sympathy for the people of the village and their circumstances, his mind raced when he thought about the Factu that were loose in the halls and his stomach turned in disgust.
“!AHHH!” He gripped the Ax and ran down the way he had come. An opening meant more of the Factu could enter the facility and dealing with just one had been a troublesome encounter. Running down the stairs as fast as he could, he wasn’t sure where the Factu would run into him again. John’s only concern was returning to the lower levels, his worries turned into reality when he saw the Freezer Door torn from the Wall.
A terrifying noise carried on in the distance
‘No.. Screams…’ John’s breathing changed, his complacency evaporated and without his noticing of it, the Ax began to glow. His grip tightened around the handle while he leapt down the hole he had made. Fury welled up inside of him through every turn, each step bringing him closer to the sounds of Chaos.
There was no time to worry about the one sleeping inside the Canyon, John gave up on hiding his presence entirely. Running, the trip through the Edge was a noisy one. The Factu at the edge of the Canyon gave out a warning, encroachment on it’s territory would not be ignored. It’s chattering-howls gave him the creeps but it was too far away to care about and there were more pressing issues.
‘300 Meters’ Keeping track of his position wasn’t easy. Unlit paths went in every direction except the one he needed, the same one that the Factu had taken. Marred by their claws, the tunnel floor look like it had been aerated.
At 200 meters, John heard the sounds of battle. The Children were screaming.
Lights that hung on the wall before, now laid upon the ground, shattered. The smell of Food filled immediate area, the evening meal was underway.
John’s mind went to a dark place.
The Light coming from his Ax filled the Hallway and exploded into the Dining room. He leapt down, allowing his to wings spread and catch his fall. Looking below, he saw a familiar face and slammed the Ax through the skull of another Factu that had just ripped Horvil’s throat out. There was nothing that could be done, the light left his eyes moments later.
“HORVIL!” Furious, John scanned the room as quickly as he could. There were more of the Factu, more than a dozen of them and many of them had already found their next meal. The Villagers were being massacred.
The Ax grew brighter and the reflection in John’s eyes grew. His body moved as if on it’s own, gliding to the next Factu and cleaving it’s head from it’s body, an Arm still inside it’s mouth. Distaste drew a foul taste in his mouth, people were dying in every direction.
‘Ten more,’ Having a weapon was better than not, none of the villagers could defend themselves. John felt pity for those who had fallen but his body burned with a taste of vengeance.
“AHHHHH!” A burst of light shrouded his figure, even the Factu were forced into a pause, their meals slipping from their teeth.
The Factu turned all at once, rushing.
“What was that?” He said under his breath before slamming the Ax head through a torso. ‘Nine,’ another came from below, it’s mouth agape. John threw the Ax and put his fist through another that went directly for his face. ‘Seven’
The remaining Factu were on their way.
An arrow flew past John’s face, ‘an arrow?’ From across the way, he could see Chief Bates and the other elders firing wildly at the Factu and giving orders. As the Creature gasped for air for the final time, Bates yelled, “Don’t stop firing!”
There were not many people in the village to begin with, any loss was impossible to measure.
‘Factu?’ John wondered why he was being mistaken for a Creature but the misunderstanding in his mind had vanished when the light in his hands grew once again.
With only half a dozen of the Factu remaining, the surviving Villagers outnumbered them.
John flew into the air, spreading his arms, Ax in hand. “God, Give me strength!” Tears welled up in his eyes, of the children he had seen playing just hours before, several laid motionless on the ground,
victims of the Factu’s insatiable hunger.
It seemed over in an instant, six Factu turned into 4. With a single strike, he continued to cleave their numbers until only one remained. It seethed in pain when the Ax hacked across it’s jaw then again into it’s ribs. John’s strike sent it into the stone bed, turning the creature’s body into a distorted mess.
“Is that all of them?” John asked while trying to stabilize himself against the wall. He had seen twelve in total but that didn’t mean more of them were not present.
Chief Bates eyes widened, he had taken notice of the wings on John’s back, “There’s one left!” Firing another Arrow, it whizzed past John’s face nearly grazing his cheek. “YOU BEAST! You led them right to us!” What words couldn’t convey, his face said with suffering.
“I am not a Factu.” John landed, pulling the Ax from the floor, it’s light dimmed and he took a few steps toward the Chief. “I am not your Enemy,” he tried to explain but another Arrow flew past his shoulder.
“Coincidence? I don’t believe you!” Another shot came from the Chief’s Bow, it was meant to kill.
John didn’t move, he stood silently in contemplation.