Threads Of The Void

Chapter-4 "Into The Unknown"

Her eyes darted toward the ceiling as she walked. The dim lights above flickered sporadically. Some were broken entirely, leaving patches of darkness scattered along the corridor. Others buzzed faintly, their weak glow creating unsettling shadows along the walls. She tried to shake off the unease creeping over her, but her instincts told her she couldn’t trust the silence.

The faint metallic scent of the facility mixed with something sharper, something rotten. She wrinkled her nose.

Ahead, she noticed a door marked Experimental Biohazard Containment Lab-7 in faded lettering. It wasn’t much of a lead, but it was the first labeled door she’d seen in this maze. She paused briefly, adjusting Shirozai on her back, and pressed the panel beside the door. The steel hissed and slid open.

What greeted her on the other side made her pause.

The room was massive, lined with cages stacked against the walls. But the cages weren’t the most striking feature. Bodies—researchers, security personnel, and a handful of strange Abyssian creatures—were scattered across the floor.

Most of the cages were shattered, jagged metal edges twisted outward, as though something inside had broken free with unnatural strength. A few cages remained intact, their doors locked, but the remains of animals lay still within. Their alien forms were barely recognizable, matted fur and scales slick with dried blood.

Yoshiko stepped cautiously into the room, her boots crunching against shards of glass and debris. Dried blood splattered the floor and walls, and the faint, metallic tang still lingered in the air. One skeleton was slumped against the wall near the door, a shattered security helmet resting beside it.

Her gaze moved to a researcher’s body lying next to a clipboard, their lab coat ripped and stained. It didn’t bother her—not really. Death was something she was all too familiar with. But she couldn’t help the questions swirling in her mind.

What the hell were these people doing here?

She glanced at the shattered cages again, her eyes narrowing. And why did they abandon the place?

With a soft grunt, she walked toward a nearby desk, brushing off dust and scattering broken test tubes to make space. A skeleton sat slumped in a chair, its bony fingers still wrapped around a cracked coffee mug. She sighed, unceremoniously dragging the remains off the chair and setting Shirozai down in its place. He slumped slightly to the side, his head resting against the edge of the desk.

“Comfy, huh?” Yoshiko muttered under her breath.

She straightened up and began searching the room, carefully stepping over bodies and debris. Her fingers brushed against dusty shelves and counters, but there was almost nothing useful. A lot of broken equipment. Test tubes. Files so aged that they crumbled at the slightest touch.

Her search turned up one thing, though: a crowbar. She frowned, turning the solid metal tool over in her hands. “A freaking crowbar,” she said, her voice tinged with sarcasm. “Really? Not one damn gun in here?”

Her eyes flicked to the security guard corpses lying nearby. It didn’t make sense. Weren’t guards supposed to be armed? She suppressed a growl of frustration and gripped the crowbar tightly. It wasn’t much, but it would have to do.

The darkness in the room began to get to her. The faint emergency lights, their red glow casting everything in eerie shadows, felt too much like a horror movie cliché. She stepped back toward the wall and flipped the switch for the overhead lights.

With a low hum, the room was bathed in a sterile white glow. She squinted as her eyes adjusted. The scene didn’t look any less grim under proper lighting, but at least now she could see clearly.

Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
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Luther jolted awake, his chest heaving as he sucked in deep, ragged breaths. For a moment, the world spun around him, his vision swimming with the dark silhouettes of twisted trees and the faint shimmer of stars above. He felt like he’d just escaped a nightmare, though the dull, throbbing ache in his body was a cruel reminder that it hadn’t been a dream.

He winced as he moved, the memory of those blade-like tentacles flashing through his mind. That girl… The way her tentacles had lashed out, slicing through the air with deadly precision. He was sure he’d die today—crushed, torn apart, or skewered like so many before him.

But then… the white-haired guy.

Luther’s brows furrowed as he tried to recall the details. That stranger had stepped in, stopping her before she could land the finishing blow. And here he was, alive. Barely.

He ran a hand over his head, relief washing over him as his fingers traced over unbroken skin. If those monstrous tendrils had crushed his skull, there wouldn’t have been anything left to heal. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Lucky bastard…

For a moment, he lay there, staring up at the star-speckled sky, trying to piece together what had happened. How long had he been out? Judging by the cool air and the darkness enveloping the landscape, it was clear night had fallen. His muscles ached as he slowly pushed himself up, leaning on one arm.

That’s when it hit him.

He groaned and rubbed his face. “Right… I’m supposed to be chasing those two.”

The realization brought a surge of adrenaline, and he scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt and dried blood off his clothes. He scanned the area, his eyes narrowing as he searched for any sign of them. The trail they’d left was faint but still visible—disturbed earth and faint traces of footsteps leading toward…

His gaze lifted, and there it was.

The facility loomed in the distance, an enormous, imposing structure silhouetted against the night sky. Its metal frame glinted faintly in the dim moonlight, and even from here, Luther could make out the faint red glow of emergency lights illuminating its entrance. The sight of it made his stomach churn.

“Yup, probably right there,” he muttered to himself, his voice dripping with irritation.

He flexed his fingers, wincing slightly as the pain in his body protested against any sudden movement. They’re in there, he thought, his eyes narrowing. And I’m going to find them.

He adjusted his coat, making sure his weapons were secure, and started toward the facility. Each step felt heavier than the last, but he pushed on. If those two thought they could get away from him, they had another thing coming.