The Halls Of Illusions: Emergence of the Disciplined

8 Bleeding Out

The three stepped out of the hallway, the memories etched in their brain. "What in the hell was that?" asked Marcus. "I don't know," replied the girls. "Makira shouldn't you have your daggers out?" asked Marcus. "How in the hell can I do that Marcus?" returned Makira. "Leave me be you coward, you couldn't even save her!" Marcus heard. "I'm not a coward and don't you ever speak of my mother again!" rebutted Marcus. Sam sat down and began to quietly weep. She was hiding her scars, her friends were fighting, and she was frightened. "Please shut up both of you, please stop fighting, you're not making any sense." she screamed. Makira turned and looked at her. "You bitch if I still had hands I would kill you." "I couldn't do anything he was stronger and faster." "Look at you, no man will ever touch you now." Sam heard Makira's voice say. "Your trash you're worthless now you're a freak." She heard from Marcus's mouth. Sam stood and ran farther into the dungeon. Moving as fast as she could tears fell down her face as her emotions overwhelmed her. Down the hallway she ran. Her vision blurred as the tears fell down her face. She screamed back at them, "NO! It won't be like that you'll see he'll still want me." Looking up, the next hallway could be seen. Moving on she slipped landing on her back at the end of the hallway. Looking her body over something had changed. Feeling her chest and face, the scars were gone and her breasts were still intact.

Sam turned around and looked at her friends, it was an illusion all of it was a damn illusion. Observing her friends for a moment the fighting continued. Something was going on, some type magic. Something wrong with their minds, something had gotten in and was driving them mad. Makira and Marcus looked fine, but they could not understand each other. It all made sense now the illusion changed everything and made your worst nightmare come true. Makira kept yelling about her hands. Marcus was talking gibberish about his mother, father, and Orcs. Sam thought for a moment. Placing her two smallest fingers to her lips, she blew as hard as she could. The loud squeal did the trick they both stopped and looked to her. She raised one hand and waved them to follow. When they were beside her, she looked at both of them. "I don't know what you seen or heard, I don't want to know. Makira look your hands are fine. Marcus let it be it's all in your head. This place is toying with us. Whatever you saw or heard it isn't real, simply look at yourselves, you'll see." Marcus and Makira both looked themselves over. Makira blinked as she peered at her hands. Tears filled her eyes.

The three started walking up the new hallway. The smell of death filled the air as blood began to seep out of the walls. "Ewe that's nasty" yelled Makira in a childlike voice. The blood slowly flowed out of the walls collecting at the bottom. Marcus's mind rushed he had seen this before. It was just like in his dad's house. "O my god, no he can't be here I can't do this not again NO!" "What Marcus, what is it?" screamed Sam. Sprinting off Marcus ran down the hall slipping on some blood and landing on his back. Looking up from his position Marcus's father stood over him. "Look at you boy, your useless; almost as bad as you mother. She was only good for one thing and she wasn't even good at it." Marcus cowered in the corner "No, no you're not real!" The two girls looked at him from across the room "What is happing to him Sam?" "This place is getting to him, I suspect as we move forward it will do the same to us." Marcus's father looked down at him. "Yes Marcus I am here I have always been here and will always be here, you cannot escape me no matter what." "Marcus, Marcus get up!" Makira yelled. Opening his eyes Marcus looked around his father was gone but the blood was still flowing.

The walls flexed as they had changed from stone to muscle. The muscles flexed in and out allowing more and more blood to flow into the hall. Each flex of the walls, seen them turning redder and darker as the blood coursed through them filling their veins and squirting out of unseen pinholes. Dripping from the ceiling the sound of rain on a moor filled Marcus's ears. The pulse could be felt as they watch the blood pool on the floor. "O shit! Sam this place is starting to fill fast." "I know lets move!" They pulled Marcus from the floor and ran into the blood shower. The walls flexed narrowing the available room varying from wide to very narrow at times the blood rose fast. Warm wet a taste of salt and light metal filled their nose and mouth. Blood soaked and matted their hair to their heads. They dripped and felt of filth and bile. The walls flexed again they were waist deep pushing hard to move through the weight. It wasn't like walking in water it was much thicker, heavier, moving was extremely hard each time the walls flexed in. Makira spit and spattered as the blood again dropped now to thigh height while the muscles receded for the moment. Sam looked at her as she spat out a mouthful of blood. Horror and disgust filled her eyes as she gasped for breath. "Shit Marcus she's too short she'll drowned if we don't make it through and fast." Gasping Makira tried to rebuttal, "I'm not short!" "No offense little one but I don't want to lose you right here." Marcus said while nodding to Sam. The two reached down, seized her by her thighs and shoulders, and hefted her up to their shoulder level. "Put me down you oafs I'll make it on my own." "Shut up and stop fighting it's hard enough getting through here without you squirming." Sam commanded the halfling. The walls pulsed in again blood came to their lower chest. Makira looked down and shuttered. They turned sideways so as not to be pinned by the muscles squeezing in on them. The three dredged through the blood, moving slowly the blood sloshed up and down their chests. "Be careful you two, I don't want to fall." "Quiet Makira this isn't the easiest thing to do." yelled Sam. The two moved down the hallway as the muscles began to squeeze harder. Blood began to flow faster and faster as the muscles squeezed harder and harder. "Move Marcus!" Sam screamed. Moving faster the blood began to rise higher and higher. Sam looked down it was covering her breasts now. Her mind raced "Oh god not again." She looked down at her breasts and the scars were there again "No! Not again." Moving her arms to feel her chest, Makira squirmed and Sam lost grip. "O hell!" yelled Marcus. Losing his own grip from her squirming Makira began to fall. Makira's body hit the blood with a splash. Makira threw her feet down to stand up; touching the floor blood still covered her head. "I got her!" Marcus bellowed. Diving into the blood, he reached out, grabbed her hand, and pulled her up. Makira's head peaked above the crimson flood spitting out a large amount of blood. "Sam, What the hell?' yelled Makira. Sam stood there holding her chest they were gone again, how did this happen they were there she saw them. "Marcus she is remembering what happened in the hallway, she has to be." "On my shoulders and stay still Makira." Marcus pulled Makira up and put her on his shoulders. "Sam your ok it's all in your head trust me." He barked to Sam, in a very stern tone. Moving her hand to her chest Sam felt. Nothing, there was nothing there, she couldn't feel them. She moved her hand to her face and moved it across her cheeks. "No they're gone again and I can feel the scars." Sam replied. The muscles continued to squeeze, releasing more blood into the room. "We have no time for this Sam, Makira hold on." Marcus yelled. "Makira pull your daggers now" "Why?" "Just do it or we are all going to die in here." Makira pulled her two daggers. "You ready?" "I'm not sure." "I hope so." Marcus grabbed Makira under the arms and threw her at the wall. Pulling her arms up Makira pointed her daggers at the wall; she quickly understood his plan and this just might work.