Descent Into Madness

Chapter 6: Whole Lot of Trouble

Freefalling does have a strange sort appeal. I know I'm falling, but it feels like I'm floating... Perhaps Buford was onto something when he said he wanted to float around like a little woodland pixie.

Shaking away thoughts of the neighborhood bully, I could still feel the thing wrapped around my ankle as I made myself relax, not particularly difficult, and bent my knees.

Glancing down, my eyes widened as I realised where I was going to land. Right next to the creature.

Covering my head with my arms, my feet hit, and I threw myself forward into a roll away from the thing.

I didn't get far as its tongue was still holding onto my ankle. Awkwardly crouched, I yanked the knife from my belt and slashed blindly at it.

The shriek the creature gave reverberated off the metal walls, making me clasp my hands over my ears and grit my teeth.

Something wriggled against my ankle, and I kicked my foot out, dislodging the disgusting tongue that, apparently, had a mind of its own.

Climbing to my feet, I squinted in the dim lighting. The shrieking had died off, now being replaced by what I could only describe as a displeased growl.

My grip tightened on the knife, the smooth wooden handle slick in my bloody hand. The shadows played tricks on my eyes. The echoing noise in the closed space grated at my ears.

I resisted a groan. I would have been better off fighting it in the corridor.

Well, I'm not one to stand around and do nothing.

Charging at where I was reasonably sure the creature was, I brought the knife up and stuck. Only to hit empty air. Taking a step forward, I tried again, this time a scraping rang out as the tip made contact with the metal wall.

Spinning around, I placed my back close to the wall. I didn't know where it was, and while the murky red light slipping in through the cracks kept the space from being pitch black, it was not enough to see by.

Feeling something brush against my hair, I thrust the blade upwards and was rewarded with another cry of pain. I allowed myself a momentary smirk before something crashed into my side, throwing me to the floor.

Pain flared up through my hip and shoulder as I failed to break my fall. I heard the click of its claws behind me as I rolled onto my back, trying to ignore the pain.

I dodged to the side just as the clawed hand came down where my chest had been.

Slashing out with the knife, I could feel it sink into the thing's flesh. With a sharp cry, it ripped its arm back. My hand slid on the wood as the knife jerked away from me with the movement. Feeling my fingers close around empty air, I lunged forward, trying to get hold of the knife again.

Instead, my hand collided with something hard and slimy.

Biting back a curse, I allowed myself to fall backwards again, hand going for my pocket.

I closed my fingers around the cool metal right as two slams rang out from the creature dropping to all fours. One deformed hand on each side of me. I looked up at it, unable to make out anything but its outline where it was blocking the light coming from above.

Something wet ran along my cheek, I tried to resist the overwhelming urge to gag as I slipped out the army knife.

Blindly flipping out the blade, I rammed my hand up, forcing the knife into the bottom of its jaw.

My ears rang at the high pitched scream it let out as I ripped out the knife and stabbed it again.

Liquid dripped down onto my face, and I pulled the knife back out once more when the creature fell silent.

I grunted as its weight collapsed on top of me.

Maneuvering my hands under its corpse, I pushed it away.

Allowing myself to simply lay there a moment, I tucked the army knife back in my pocket.

Obviously if I want to survive this, I must put more thought into my plans.

Grimacing at the feel of gunk from the creature on my skin, I sat up and wiped my sleeve over my face.

Seeing where the large knife was still sticking out of the creature's arm, I grabbed the hilt and yanked it out, tucking it safely back into my belt.

I cast my eyes around the area. In the time I'd been down here, my eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness, making it little easier to see.

Throughout the ordeal, I had managed to stay to one side of what I had landed on, which was apparently good, because the creature's leg was disappearing into a hole.

It wasn't very big, possibly only large enough for these creatures to climb through. The edges jagged.

I ran my hand lightly along the border. It was easily as sharp as my knife. Casting my eyes upward, I let out a sigh before cautiously lowering myself through it.

Dropping down, I landed on something that cracked and threw off my balance.

After falling on my arse for the second time that day, I blanched at what was surrounding me. I was in what was left of the lift, the light drifted in from the broken doors, bathing the white bones in red. The smell of death hung in the confined space.

I pushed myself up and scrambled out the lift and into the corridor. Taking deep breaths, I moved farther away, trying to get the odor out of my nose, but it still lingered in the air.

Rust coloured stains streaked the walls and floor, some in the form of hand prints. Picked clean bones and torn clothing littered the hall like morbid decorations.

On other levels there had been attacks, but this was where the real slaughter had happened.