Facility From Hell. (Possibly Discontinued)

Restart #2

(not sure what to title this)

— Only a mere couple of minutes had gone by, although you could've sworn you had been confined within this crate for hours. You grimaced as you sat there, muscles aching against the position you had been scrunched up in, begging for a release from the claustrophobic space.

You did desperately want to get up, but the fear of being forced to fight another 'contestant' had found itself persuasive enough to keep you put.

Is every 'fight' going to be like this?

You hoped against that thought, although something told you that if everyone was like that inhuman pirate with a black shapeshifting raven: You'd be dead in a matter of seconds.

You sighed, staring off blankly into the crate's darkness as your limbs grew more sore by the second. It wouldn't hurt to just bite the bullet and get up would it? You were made pretty certain that Karl had been long gone, — and hopefully, far away from where you were.

So.. why not?

You mustered up your strength, holding your breath in as you readied yourself to get up.

1, 2, 3...

CLANG.

You sent the crate's lid flying across the room.

You stood up.

Released from the tight cubic prison, a wave of relief washed over you as your limbs were finally given the freedom to stretch. Happily stepping out of the box, you dusted yourself off, paying no mind towards the battered condition of the room. You had decided to not stick around for that long anyways, anything moderately useful would've probably been torn up by Karl's bird-weapon.

You yawned, walking out of the room and back to the narrow hallway. Given your new predicament, you were finally given the chance to carefully pick where to go, taking your sweet time as you read out every plate which adorned the array of doors.

Most of them were found to be pretty similar to the room you had previously hid in, leaving the urge to just exit the hall and return to where you woke itching at the back of your mind. Although, found tucked away near the end of the hall was a door which caught your attention.

It appeared to be a fire exit, the writing on its surface explicitly saying so, despite missing the iconic colorfully lit sign which usually pointed to where an exit was found.

Where was this when you were being chased by Karl..?

You stared at the door for a moment, hoping, deep down, that it would lead to some sort of freedom. But just as your hand was nearing to push against the panic bar, —

It swung open for you.

You jumped back in retaliation, your life flashing before your eyes as you anticipated another contestant — or worse, Karl.

Your eyes shot away from the recipient who stood at the doorway, letting out a scream as you flung your arm towards them, attempting to knock back whoever stood there.

" He— AH!"

The 'person' tumbled over from your feeble shove, and subsequent to that, rolled down the flight of stairs found behind them.

You look up the moment you realize what you've done, slowly making your way over to the stairwell to take a peek.

Peering down, you see some sort of mannequin lying at the bottom floor. Their skin was pale white, a sloppy paint job decorated their face, and they were wearing some sort of costume. Along with that, you noticed them to be wielding some sort of pickaxe.

Suddenly, their head shoots up to look at you.

You blink, looking back at them.

The tension thickens in the atmosphere.

Suddenly, they speak up.

"wh..what was that for?!"

You don't answer.

You assumed the mannequin creature was some sort of non-human —much like karl.. —, wielding a pickaxe so it could rip your spinal cord (or something along those lines) with one swift motion. You don't want to die just yet. So instead, you decide to turn away, bolting out of the fire exit and slamming the door behind you. You hear them shout for you as you run down the hallway, only prompting you to go faster.

You make your way back to the greenhouse, where you previously encountered Karl. As you dash past an array of plants, the corner of your eye suddenly catches a glimpse of the mannequin creature. You curse under your breath, wondering how he recovered from the stair injury so fast — let alone caught up to you. Does everything you encounter here really need an unfair advantage over you..?

You attempt to go a little faster, your legs carrying you past the midpoint of the room, before —

SLAM!

Your limbs suddenly cramp up, leading you to a staggering halt and stinging crash into the dusty floor. You swear it's the end for you, unable to get up in time as the mannequin catches up to your body.

It's the end for you, it's the end and it's all because you decided to prolong your stay inside the crate, and sore the living shit out of your limbs. It's all over!

You shut your eyes, awaiting for another blow of pain to hit and kill you.

...

But, it doesn't happen. Instead, you're met with a question and a friendly gesture.

"Um.. Are you alright?"

Your eyes open, raising your head to see your pursuant, offering a hand. You reluctantly comply, nodding as you grasp their hand in desperation as if you hadn't silently vowed to never trust anyone else you encounter inside this building.

They help you up, and you retract your hand to dust yourself off.

They suddenly perk up with another question, staring at you while you attempt to cleanse yourself. Their head tilts, ".. Are you my next competitor?"

Your attention jerks over to them the second the words reach your ears. Your eyes widen as your face contorts to a look of horror, the relief you obtained from their help vanishing all too quickly.

" uh... ah.. Um." You step away from them, your eyes suddenly fixating on the pickaxe which they just so happen to be holding. Your tongue is twisted, unable to get a word out as a million scenarios of your demise fly past your head. You're fairly certain you're really NOT supposed to compete against... whatever they are, but the pure terror which omits from the pickaxe they hold makes the words come out like lies.

"N..no?"

The mannequin stares blankly at you for a moment. "..Oh, alright!" They smile at you, seeming to have forgotten the entire ordeal of being thrown down the stairs. "It's nice to meet you! Do you have a name?"

You nod, quietly mumbling out your name as they stare at you. You look back up at them, mirroring their question. "Do you have a name?"

He nods in the same vein you do, enthusiastically exclaiming out his title, "I'm the Climber!"

....

Awesome.

"So.. Climber, do you know how to get out of here?"

He shakes his head, "No, but I could try and help you find an exit!"

"Huh? I mean s– ACK—"

Climber suddenly grabs onto your wrist, attempting to drag you out the greenhouse. You're taken back by the action, about to swing at him as you were slowly tugged across the room.

The climber continued however, blissfully unaware, and after a while, you sighed, complying to his efforts.

It's not like you had any better escape plan...

A/N FROM ZEPHYREST

im so sorry guys I have literally never (NEVER!) written fanfiction until now so please forgive me if I've comitted any horrible cardinal sin,, ANYWAYS!!! I sure hope you enjoyed reading hahaha this author number 2 my name is zeph yr