Chapter 14:
Emily's POV:
I landed on my empty stomach and it hurt like a bitch. My vision immediately grew blurry, which was not a good sign; I didn't want to pass out in this place, completely vulnerable to whatever horrors awaited.
Craning my head to the right I noticed Cameron also lying on the ground, staring straight ahead of us with wide, fearful eyes, and I felt a knot form in my stomach just from seeing his ghostly expression.
The vent collapsing managed to separate everyone, so I could only currently see Cameron and his horrified face from my peripheral vision, no one else was in sight.
Finally, I managed to glance forward too, and I could just make out the image of a small, terrifying figure, a doll. It was standing completely still like a doll should, but it was also staring down at us with rosy cheeks and a cynical smile that was frozen in place on its cracked face. Its little hands were wrapped around the handle of something, hiding it behind the doll's back like it was a fun surprise.
My body filled with dread once I caught a glimpse of it: a rusty, blood covered ax with a short wooden handle.
Even though my vision was heavily blurred, and my body ached, I was able to jolt back up on my feet and begin hastily grabbing Cameron's toned arm to help pull him up too. It was like I was hit with a shot of adrenaline, completely forgetting how sore my limbs were from painfully falling out of the vent.
Tristen was laying deadly still on the dirty floor behind where I had landed, and I felt my face heat up with panic once I finally noticed him.
He was completely unconscious, and right in harm's way.
Suddenly the dreadful doll began to quietly stalk forward, getting quicker with each tiny little step it took, and it's glossy, lifeless eyes were set right on Tristen.
Using all the strength I could muster, I hastily grabbed ahold of Tristen's ankle and yanked his limp body in an attempt to move him, just as the doll stopped right in front of us.
I held onto his pant clad ankle and tried not to make any sudden movements, as Cameron and I both held our shaky breathes in scared anticipation. We made eye contact for a brief moment, sharing a fearful expression as we waited to see what this doll was plotting.
The doll stared blankly up at me for a moment, before hastily pulling the ax out and swinging it down near Tristen's head. The ax just barely missed his face, probably trimming a few stray black hairs on his head it was so close, so I frantically began to pull at his limp body again.
"Cameron help me pull him!" I pleaded desperately, but it was like he was frozen with fear, unmoving and not even blinking as the doll stalked closer and closer.
The ax narrowly missed Tristen's head a second time, and I screamed out for someone to come help me, anyone, since Cameron appeared comatose.
Jeremy suddenly ran into the dark room and paused at the sight of the walking doll trying to carve up Tristen and I with an ax. His expression was one of horror, and I could tell he was completely caught off guard by the following events.
The bloodied blade once again just barely missed Tristen, but instead cut into the floor beside it, unexpectedly slicing Jeremy's foot as he stood frozen in fear.
He suddenly howled out in pain, and Cameron ran into the hallway just as I was finally able to get Tristen through the doorframe. Dropping Tristen's limp body, I went back and put my arm around Jeremy's waist, before he could collapse and fall victim to another ax wound.
He stumbled out of the room with me, and I managed to slam the door behind me, just as the ax hit the wood of the old, aged door.
The doll giggled girlishly on the other side.
Shrieking, Kylie threw herself back against the wall at the sight of fresh blood, as Jeremy finally fell to the dirty floor with a heavy exhale.
"Fuck that hurts," he shrieked, placing a shaky hand on the open wound. He hissed in pain and recoiled his bloodied hand immediately, a panicked expression taking over his pale features as blood continued to spurt out of his foot.
Kylie turned away in disgust, as blood poured out of what was left of his foot. The ax seemed to have chopped of about two inches off the top of his foot, through his black converse, meaning his toes were gone.
"What the fuck happened!" Jay exclaimed in horror, kneeling by Jeremy to look at his bloody stump.
"That.... that thing! Chopped off my fucking foot!" Jeremy yelled through his clenched teeth, making me flinch at the way his voice cracked. He was trying to hold in the pain it was obvious, although I didn't know why.
Maybe to preserve his manhood?
He closed his eyes and re-opened them, before letting out a big, shaky breath. Staring down at him, I felt a sudden urge to jump into action.
"Kylie, give me your scarf!" I demanded, holding out my hand and glaring at Kylie expectantly. Frantically nodding in understanding, she fumbled to get it off quickly before finally placing it in my awaiting hand. Everyone watched me curiously, waiting for me to do something with the thin piece of fabric.
Crouching in front of Jeremy's slumped figure, I began carefully wrapping the scarf around his foot in an attempt to stop the blood that was still pouring out. It was warm and sticky on my hands, appearing almost slimy as it clung in between my fingers, but I tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling.
Jeremy hissed lowly in pain again but didn't say anything while I finished up with the makeshift tourniquet, which was good, because he was beginning to look pale from all the blood loss.
"Wow, good thinking Emily," Camilla said thoughtfully, subconsciously scratching at her arm again. Her arm started to bleed a little as her nails racked up and down her bruised skin, and she looked at her arm with confusion.
"Camilla, you have to stop fucking scratching it! It's obviously making it worse," Cameron stated, forcefully putting Camilla's shaky hands by her side.
Camilla didn't say anything in response, she just kind of stood there, frozen. It was a bit creepy the way she just stared straight ahead at nothing, like there was nothing going on inside her head.
"Um.... Camilla? Are.... are you ok?" Collin asked slowly, waving his dirty hand in front of the girl's catatonic face.
Nothing, no reaction.
Collin snapped in front of her thin face too, but still nothing, no response or movement from her whatsoever.
"Great, just what we need," Nick quipped in annoyance, running his calloused hands through his messy blonde hair.
Tristen groaned suddenly, his limp body finally twitching awake after the fall from the vents. I rushed over to help him up off the wooden floor, feeling relief rush over me as my tired eyes scanned over him and found that he appeared to be okay.
"What the fuck," the dark-haired boy grumbled, accepting my help and Nick's help as we pulled him up to his feet. He swayed a little once he stood, but at least he had both of his feet still, unlike Jeremy.
"Now what do we do?" Kylie asked softly from her position on the floor, where she was clutching her knees to her chest and practically rocking herself back and forth.
"I don't think I can walk," Jeremy mumbled with a distant tone, looking absolutely dead as he sat slumped on the splintered floor.
"Well, we can't stay here," Collin said knowingly, opening his mouth to say more, but he was abruptly interrupted.
Suddenly Camilla screamed out in pain; a shrill, ear piercing sound that instinctively made me clutch my head to muffle the awful sound. It was a violent and terrifying scream that caused everyone to jump in fright, especially when we noticed her mouth.
Her lips were splitting and oozing blood as her mouth was growing wider and wider, overextending in an unnatural and unexpected way. Something I can only describe as a white, snake like creature burst out of her bleeding mouth, appearing faceless and without eyes.
She kept screaming, even as her mouth filled with her own blood from being split further and over extended. Camilla's brown eyes rolled into the back of her head, and everyone started to shriek in confused horror as we watched the gruesome scene.
Camilla was desperately clawing at her bloodied mouth, trying to get rid of whatever was forcing its way out of her mouth. Finally, Cameron and Collin moved forward to attempt to help the poor girl, but suddenly she stopped, appearing catatonic and pale.
Camilla collapsed to the ground, her thin body twitching in a strange way that made me cringe.
"Camilla! Oh god, please no... fuck!" Cameron screamed out emotionally, roughly falling to his knees in front of her limp body as his shaky hands reached out for her.
The slimy snake looking thing crawled completely out of her mouth and onto the ground, leaving a greasy trail of Camilla's blood behind it.
"Shit, we have to go.... now!" Nick yelled, his low voice cracking as he tried to push everyone forward.
We all started running down the hall, and I was struggling to pull Cameron forward. He wanted to go back for Camilla, but of course I couldn't let him get himself killed; the creature that ripped his sister apart was still here.
There was no saving her at this point anyway because she was already dead.
"Please! Please I have to fucking go back!" he pleaded, staring back at Camilla's limp body.
"I'm sorry Cameron, she's dead, we can't go back... we'll die too!" I stated, forcefully pulling him forward by his thin arm.
He didn't say anything in response, but he didn't fight me anymore either, he kind of just gave up.
The disgusting creature was following us, crawling up the side of the dingy wall and onto the ceiling with ease. It was hovering right above us and appeared like it was about to move at Kylie.
"Jay, Kylie, watch out!" Collin shouted at them. Jay and Kylie both looked above them, and Kylie screamed a blood curtailing scream. Jay pulled her off to the side, but the thing followed them, reaching for Kylie with its rows and rows of blood-stained teeth.
It opened its mouth further, and another, smaller snake like creature came out and started grabbing for Kylie too.
"Move," Tristen suddenly demanded, and everyone stopped running to see what was happening, while Tristen swung a baseball bat at the monster.
It connected with it, and the smaller creature sunk back into the bigger one's mouth. The bigger monster let out a shrill, painful sound and Tristen began to swing at it too.
It let out another shrill sound and started to hiss violently at Tristen. Nick pushed Tristen out of the way and pointed a heavy looking handgun at the creature. He pulled the trigger in what seemed like slow motion, but to everyone's surprise, nothing happened.
He desperately pulled it again, and again, before he flipped open the chamber and realized that it wasn't even loaded.
The smaller snake popped out again and unexpectedly shot right into Nick's stomach, quickly pulling Nick into the bigger creature's awaiting mouth.
Nick screamed for a second, before it was cut off by a gurgling sound; the sound of him choking on his own blood before he was ripped apart by thousands of sharp teeth.
"Oh my god!" Kylie shrieked, burying her sobbing face into Jeremy's chest.
Jeremy and Jay both just stared wide eyed at the thing, not believing what was going on right in front of them.
"We have to go!" Tristen announced, appearing practically unfazed as he pushed Collin forward to get him out of his current trance.
Collin stumbled a little but didn't move forward; that was his little brother that was just eaten alive right before his eyes.
Snatching the bat violently from Tristen's unsuspecting hands, he stalked toward the ugly creature and sent the weapon straight into where it's face should be.
It let out the same disgusting shrill noise, and everybody took that opportunity to run into the open room right behind us for safety.
"It fucking killed that guy!" Kylie screamed obnoxiously, rubbing her red eyes as more and more fearful tears escaped.
Jeremy tried to sooth her by gently patting her head, but it was easy to tell he was holding in terrified tears as well. His hand was shaking almost violently, and he looked sickly pale from blood loss.
Cameron went over and slide his back against the wall, staying silent and almost comatose, just like Collin currently was.
They both just lost a younger sibling in an extremely gruesome way, within a few minutes.
I was about to go over to comfort Cameron, when I suddenly realized what was inside this room, covering the walls and reflecting the small amount of light within the space.
Guns. Rows upon rows of big, shiny guns all around me. Also hanging on the walls were various kinds of knives, swords, machetes, everything you could possibly think of that would hurt a person. There was even a scythe, propped up in the corner like a cheesy Halloween prop.
So, this is where Nick got that handgun, and probably where Tristen got the baseball bat as well, I guess I hadn't really thought about where those things had come from.
"Guys... what the fuck are we gonna do?"