Project: Socialize (Chapters 198-Continued) [Hiatus]

222. "Thing"

The hour was up rather quickly, and it was soon once again time for us to mobilize. Even though I wasn't able to fall asleep in this hour of rest, I was somehow well-rested. Maybe it was because that after an hour of rest, I was able to clean up my train of thought and outline the plans for the future. In dangerous and desperate situations like these, thinking too much can be rather detrimental, causing your mind to over exert itself. So, sometimes seeing things from a simpler perspective and being ready to adapt on the go can be helpful. For example, I've simplified our situation such that there are only two outcomes: we either die or we live.

Our victory conditions is reaching the radio tower, radio for help, and survive until we are off this mountain. Our losing condition is if we are killed. Hmm...losing condition? That makes it sound way to positive than what it is truly like, but...it's whatever. The basic idea is the same either way.

"I hear nothing," Noah muttered as he pressed his ear against the old, wooden door to detect any signs of activity outside.

"Ready?" Loyd whispered to the rest of us as we all stood against the wall on either side of the closed door.

After everyone quietly nodded, Loyd slowly pushed the door open, revealing the dark and empty outside hallway. I quickly scanned both sides of the hallway but was unable to see anything as it was simply too dark to be able to see anything from too far away. Therefore, our best detection mechanism is our ears and the vibration of the floor. However, even that is negated by our soft footsteps and vibration caused by us walking. This condition is bad for us. We are basically out in the open right now while that sick creep is cloaked in the darkness with the ultimate advantage of familiarity of this environment and stealth.

Walking down the hallway, Noah and Loyd was at the front, leading us on while the rest of us followed them. Loyd held up the flashlight, illuminating the path before us while Noah read the doorplates and any legible signs as we searched for the radio room.

"It's not as cold as before," Zaksus observed quietly at the very back of our group.

"Our body must've gotten used to the temperature," Luna explained. "And besides, the adrenaline in our body must've helped in warming us up a bit."

"I guess you're right," Zaksus said. "My heart's been rapidly beating ever since we lined up by the door."

After that quick exchange, our journey down the hallway continued in silence. This building appeared quite large from the outside, but it was even bigger on the inside with plenty of hallway and rooms that appeared to be the exact same repeating next to us constantly and constantly. If it weren't for the occasional variation in the writing on the signs and doorplates then I would've believed we were trapped in a loop. On everyone's faces was a tense countenance as the silence ensued. I am pretty sure that they were all quite frightened and was simply too tired to react, otherwise they wouldn't be that calm. But now, I suppose their composure has slowly died, murdered by the agonizing and endless torment of this slow walk down the hallway in search of our destination. The absence of any illumination in the hallway made it near impossible to see past the person that walked close in front, and when combined with the occasional dim light from a light bulb hanging from the ceiling, it created an even more eerie atmosphere. The dim light, in this absolute darkness, was as if a pillar of solid light that obscured our vision of what's after it. In addition, the dust floating in the air that was made visible by the light blocked out what little we could see in the light, making the traversing of each spot of light a heart-racing adventure filled with constant fear and torment.

"Do you guys hear that?" Irina suddenly whispered out loud.

"Shhh!" Mura hushed everyone, silencing us and stopping us in our footsteps so we could be on alert.