I looked at S. He nodded. Together, we stepped forward into the chamber.
It was cold. Much colder than the original chamber we had come from. I shivered and pulled my coat up farther. "Where is it?" I asked. Suddenly, our flashlights went out. I frantically tried to turn it on, but the battery was dead. I turned to hear rattling. I couldn't see S, but I knew he was trying to fix the device as well. I sighed and focused harder, until my night vision came on. I could visibly see S to my right furiously trying to get the batteries to work. I grabbed him and he flinched, punching me in the face.
I yelled and clutched my face. I pulled my hand from my face and stared at it. Blood. I looked at him. "It is all right. It is just me." He nodded, breathing heavily. "Do you know where it is?" He shook his head. "Then how are we supposed to kill it?"
"I do not know."
I wiped the blood from my nose and breathed in deeply. "It is all right. We will figure it out, ok?" He nodded, shaking a bit.
That's when I heard the slithering.
It wasn't too loud, and I almost missed it. But it was there, and i sensed it. A slow slither, a tail being dragged on top of the ground. I quickly tried to pinpoint the location of the creature, but I couldn't.
Then, my Eye shut down.
I was blind again. I couldn't see a thing. I tried to hold in a gasp. This creature was taking everything from me: my skills, my sight, my senses. I couldn't stop shaking.
He's causing you to feel this way. Control yourself.
Deep breaths, Brandon. Don't let him get to you.
Draw the sword!
I reached behind me and drew the Stygian Iron sword. It glowed eerily in the darkness and absorbed the darkness near it. I heard a growl, and heard the creature retreat. I took a deep breath. It somehow got even darker than before, and I found myself falling down.
And down...
And down...
And I landed. I dusted myself off, still holding the blade. I looked around. I couldn't see anything.
Except for a single woman in the middle of the room.
She was slumped over on the floor, head tilted downwards, not looking at me. I slowly walked over to her. I stopped when I saw her up close. She had blood running from her eyes, slowly trickling down her face onto her lap. She had a chest wound and multiple stabs all around her body. She looked up at me, smiling a bit, blood flooding from her mouth. She started laughing, blood spurting all over the place. I wiped my face, staring at her.
"Hello there, child. Hello, hello, hello."
I recognized her voice. It was gentle and sweet, with a small bit of regret laced in. It was the voice of someone I knew, someone I'd spent time with. I never thought I'd hear her again.
"No, no, it's impossible."
"Is it? That's quite the statement." She looked at me carefully, blood surrounding her, gathering up in large puddles. She stood up and walked to me, slowly swaying as she inspected me. She put her face close to my body and breathed in heavily, as if trying to figure out more about me through my smell. She backed up and looked me up and down, smiling and drooling blood all over her dress. I shivered. This wasn't her, it couldn't be her. There was no way it was her.
"Oh, but it is me, darling," I froze, standing stiff as she circled around me, smiling. "I've been watching you for quite some time now. Why don't you come with me? Everyone is waiting."
I managed to talk. "E-everyone?"
She nodded. "Everyone. Just take my hand." She reached out her palm. I stared at it. That hand meant a whole new life, something I could never ask for myself. It meant that I could forgive myself for the things I did and for the things I would do.
"Come on, Brandon. Just take my hand and you'll go see them all again. Come on."
I reached out and nearly touched her hand. But, I looked at her and stared into the dripping eyes and smile. This was not someone I could trust. She wouldn't hold up her side of the promise.
"You're lying."
She froze. "And why would you think that, Brandon?"
"Because you are," I pulled my hand back. She hissed. "Don't try to trick me. I'm smarter than I used to be. I'm not the same Brandon."
She frowned. "No, evidently not. But, will you give up the chance to see your friends again? I will keep my promise." She raised her hand. The pool of blood at her feet rose up and took the form of another woman in my life. I shivered and tightened my hands. She smiled.
"You cannot possibly refu-"
I jerked my hand forward and ran my blade through her. She looked down and screamed, an unearthly, ghastly cry. She slowly melted into the floor. I stared at the blade, looking into the cold darkness. Was that really me?
I looked forward and saw another figure walking toward me.