Trinity
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Tonight, I've felt something which I haven't felt since I awoke 2 nights ago. A sense of hope, but that was short lived. As a familiar voice erupted from above, everything came crashing down.
"It's the man who's been hunting us!" Lauren gasped.
"Guys, we need to get the hell out of here!" I panicked.
"Oh, you're running? I expected so much more out of you, my dear, Trinity."
"We aren't sticking around for your sick little games!"
"Yeah, we'll meet again, you sick bastard!" Jeremy yelled.
"Yes, run! Let's make this game fun!" the man bellowed as we ran into a series of rooms.
We stopped at what looks like a dining room and gasped for air.
"That should be enough of a lead for him."
"That door you busted through, it had metal shutters. I think he knew we would somehow wind up here." Jeremy wondered. "What do we do now?"
"We need to bust back out. Jeremy, find a window and something to smash it with."
"I'm on it." Jeremy ran.
"We aren't going to make it out of here, are we?" Lauren cried.
"Don't talk like that! We are all going to walk out of here, together."
"Not all of us. Karen, Austin, they aren't coming back." Lauren wiped a tear from her smooth face.
"Hey, we just need to-"
CRASH!
"Oh my god!" I whipped around to see Jeremy trying to keep his balance by one of the windows.
"I'm okay. The chair isn't. The windows here are made of a bulletproof or a plexiglass. What I'm saying is that we're stuck."
"Damn, it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack! Practically impossible!" Lauren sighed.
"We aren't trapped. There has to be a way out. Let's look around a little more." I began walking off.
"Nothing will hurt you, Lauren. I promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Jeremy," sighed Lauren, following after me.
"You can't hide forever!" the man yelled. "You are only delaying your destiny! No one can save you! I will have all of your heads on my wall by tomorrow. You and the others!"
We stopped outside of a small entrance way with an arched bookshelf and Lauren stopped.
"Guys, he's going to find us again." Lauren breathed.
"I wish he could stop taunting us!"
"I agree. He is really making my blood boil!" My face began to turn red.
"Don't let him get to you, Trinity. That's what he wants, to try and get in our head." Lauren rested a hand on my shoulder.
"You're on the right track. What he wants is a challenge, and I think we should give him one. Jeremy, you're practically indestructible. We need you to go in there and kill that son of a bitch. Make him suffer!"
"Trinity, you are starting to scare me." Lauren wrapped her arms around Jeremy.
"Starting?" Jeremy smiled a little. "She may be scary, but she's right. Nothing seems to hurt me, what can some old man with a gun do? I can buy you guys time to get out of here." Jeremy bit his lip.
"I don't care if he's old, he's still dangerous!" Lauren pleaded. "Be careful."
"I will." Jeremy nodded. "This one is for Karen and Austin!"
As Jeremy charged off, I urged, "Come on, Lauren. We don't have any time to waste."
Jeremy entered the room to see the man standing in the center of the room.
"It's time to end this," Jeremy roared.
"Ah, so they decided to send the muscle? I suppose you've come to kill me as well?"
"I would've said that it isn't anything personal, but you know what?" Jeremy got up to our hunter's face. "It is." The man let out a laugh and Jeremy yelled, "What's so damn funny?"
"Nothing. Please, continue." The man smiled, seeming to be nothing more than entertained.
"I'm walking out of here alive with Lauren and Trinity at my side, but you won't be so lucky. I'm going to protect them no matter the cost!"
"Somehow, I doubt that."
"There's no way out of here! Jeremy isn't coming back, we are hopeless." A tear fell down Lauren's face.
"Lauren, we're going to be alright."
"Are we really, Trinity? Huh?" Lauren snapped.
"Cool it! I'm just trying up help."
"I'm... I'm sorry, Trinity. I'm just so worried."
"Just remember, we can't lose our heads."
"Yeah, literally or figuratively." Lauren grinned.
"That's better. All we have to do is wait for Jeremy to kill that old man. He can take an old man. Once it's done, we can walk out of here and find help. This cannot be legal! Does that sound good?"
"Sounds good. I just hope you're right about this. I'm counting on you, Trinity."
"Well?" The old man paced. "Are you just going to stand there all day, or attack me?" he yelled.
"Honestly, I.. I don't know if I can. I'm not evil, like you. I don't find joy in hurting other people!" Jeremy taunted.
"Then I guess we did a poor job when we created you."
"What do you mean?" Jeremy asked angrily.
We heard footsteps walking towards us.
"Hey!" Jeremy yelled. "I'm not letting you leave! Not that easily!"
"It's a shame. All of the millions of dollars I spent on gathering some of the earth's most brilliant minds and all I get from it is a 6'7 softy." The man sighed.
"Just shut the hell up!"
"Yes! Get angry!"
"That may not be so good for you, old man!"
"Oh, Jeremy. If only you knew. About your friends, about you. It would destroy you. Of course, I know it all. All of your strengths, all of your weaknesses..." The man's voice trailed off and the footprints started again, but not in our direction.
"Hey, I said you aren't leaving!" Jeremy's voice rang. "Wait, what are you- Agh!"
His scream echoed throughout the halls, the doors, the rooms, but most detrimental, Lauren's heart.
"Oh my god!"
"I think that was Jeremy!" I cringed.
"Hell with this, I have to go help him!" Lauren's eyes swelled.
"I'm going with you. We will be stronger together." I nodded.
"Okay, let's hurry, for Jeremy."
We ran through a few doors until we finally reentered the big opening.
"Where are they?" Lauren asked in a panic.
"They're gone, just like Karen, they vanished."
"So what should we do?"
"We can't just let another one of us disappear! We have to search for clues, we have to find him. After all, Jeremy didn't just disappear."
"Okay, let's search for clues."
Lauren walked off and I began observing the room.
'Let's see. There are dozens of picture frames, quite a number of doorways. There are numerous possibilities. I just wonder... Wait! That rug in the center of this room, it's out of place. Let's check it out...'
I pushed over the carpet and what I saw next left me in confusion.
"Lauren!"
She entered the room and looked at where the carpet had been.
"What the-?"
"They're burn marks. I can't tell what might of caused them, but it could be a clue to Jeremy's disappearance. The only problem is they don't lead anywhere."
"What did he do to him?" Lauren cried.
"I can show you," the man's voice calmly said.
We both jumped to see him standing a few feet away from us smirking.
"Although, much like Jeremy, you won't survive the experience, I'm afraid."
"Run, Lauren!" I yelled and we both took off.
"Yes, run, little rabbit!"
We ran back the way we came and stopped back in the room with the bookshelf, but now there was something off. The bookshelf was opened down the center. Like a door.
"Was... was that open before?" I asked hesitantly.
"I don't think so."
"I wonder if we should go in. It feels like a trap."
"Do we even have a choice?"
"You're right. Down the hole we go."
We began walking down into the cave made of stone walls and floors. Lauren gently laid a hand on my shoulder, signaling for me to stop, and turned around. Her face was still pale and her eyes met mine.
"How far does this rabbit hole go? And how are all of these torches here? This place is a damn labyrinth!"
"I agree."
We started walking again, but I quickly stopped.
"What? Why'd you stop?"
"It's... it's that smell again."
"This whole place smells!"
"You know what I mean- Oh my god! What is that?" I yelled pointing at something behind Lauren.
"What?" Lauren asked suddenly.
"Behind you!"
I began to shake and Lauren turned around in fear.
"WWWWRRRROOOOAAAARRRR!"