A/N: As usual, I would recommend putting the video on loop.
Three pairs of feet stopped. Nick was the first to halt his movement. Tara and Brent were a little ahead of him. Impatiently, Brent asked, "What is it, Nick? We need to run. That thing is probably going to catch up soon. What's the deal?" Tara's concern was quite evident as well. Her right foot tapped incessantly, and she appeared ready to dart ahead without the two.
"It sounded like there was another pair of footsteps behind us." Brent was about to groan and remark on the comment, but Nick held up his left hand to keep him quiet. "Not the creature's ... You stated that you were with (f/n) when you found Laura. That might be her."
"Your point? We barely know the girl." Brent started to walk again, and Tara followed his lead. "She was a pain too. With Laura gone, we shouldn't care even a shred. We need to focus on us. We already lost one team member; we don't need to lose another."
Agreeing, Tara mentioned, "Besides, Nick, we can't hear any footsteps except our own. The creature most likely caught her if she was behind us. There's little we can do for her, and you know that none of us can fight that thing." A shiver ran up her spine, and she clutched her upper arms. "And, I don't want to end up like Laura." She looked sick for a moment while another chill traveled up her back.
Hesitant, Nick turned towards his friends and continued onward. "I suppose that you're right, Tara. She'll have to fend for herself. She's escaped before. She might be able to do so again." The other two agreed in a heartbeat, and they didn't discuss the topic further.
It didn't sit well with Nick's conscience, though. He felt somewhat responsible for (f/n). She had come to rescue Laura after she had warned them not to enter the tunnels. They hadn't listened, which resulted in her being dragged into this mess. Her concern for her now deceased friend was admirable.
He felt like he owed Laura. She was his good friend, and he had allowed the creature to kill her. Right now, he couldn't mourn her death, but he could repay her by getting her childhood friend out of this horrific place. Nick raked his left fingers through his locks. His mind couldn't take the situation for much longer. If (f/n) was alive and joined their group again, he would attempt to make sure that she didn't get separated from them another time.
Pulling out the map, Nick pinpointed where they were. From the looks of it, there weren't too many rooms up ahead. If there were, they looked to be quite small. Most likely, they were closets or half bathrooms. They were getting closer to the center and probably had another forty minutes before they reached it if they didn't stop. The sound of grumbling stomachs caught his attention.
Tara chuckled in embarrassment and apologized while Brent groaned in irritation. "There better be some food in this creature's stock room and not its kind of food," he muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"I hope so," Tara commented as her head drooped. "We should've brought food with us and water. I've never felt this weak before." Her arms dangled by her side, but she forced her right arm back up so that the flashlight would illuminate what was ahead. They had designated one person to have their flashlight on so that they could conserve their precious light sources better.
Catching up to walk beside Tara, Nick examined the map better. He held it out so that she could look at it. Brent came up on his left side and peered down at the paper too. "One of these rooms might be a bathroom. There might be clean water in one." Both Tara and Brent shot him disgusted looks. "I know. I don't want to drink water from a sink here either, but we might not have a choice. All of our throats are parched, and we're running out of stamina. As for food, we might have to wait until we get out. It's more important that we search for some way to open that gate."
"D*mn this all." Brent looked forward again. His fists clenched, and he blew his bangs out of his face. "I f*cking hate this place," he continued to grumble.
Noting that Brent's temper was only getting worse, Nick shook his head. If he continued on like that, the creature wouldn't be their only problem. "Just remember that we'll get a decent reward after this. You can use that money to buy a feast, Brent."
"I'll be buying more than food, Nick. You should know that already."
"I think that I just want to go to a crowded place and spend a lot of time there," Tara mentioned, her voice only sounding more exhausted. "If it's a restaurant, that'll be even better. I could really go for a cheeseburger right now." She began to mumble, and Nick could only presume that she was off dreaming about food. His own stomach was begging for something to eat, but he forced the feeling aside.
When they reached the first of the tiny rooms, they entered with caution but discovered nothing. It was simply an empty closet. The next room also was a closet. This time, though, there was something inside. All of them stared at the lone can of peaches. There was an expiration date, but they hardly cared about that. Tara reached out and grabbed it from the shelf. Unfortunately, none of them had a can opener. She glared at the object as though it was worse than the creature.
"Give it here. I have a knife," Nick offered, and Tara handed it over. He passed the map to Brent before he took out the knife. After he placed the can on the ground, he plunged the knife into the metal. Juice squirted out, and both of his friends told him to be careful. Nick waved them off, and he started to cut the lid off.
Once the can was open, he stashed the knife away and took the map back. "We can eat as we continue forward." The other two agreed, and they all picked out peaches. Thankfully, they still tasted delightfully sweet and refreshing. A problem almost arose when they were down to the last peach. Nick removed his knife and sliced it into three pieces. With issue resolved, they placed the empty can in the next room, which happened to be an empty closet.
In the fourth and final room, they did find a half bathroom. None of them wished to enter further. Dried crimson decorated the space in forms of handprints and footprints. A bloodied towel hung over the side of the sink. "I don't want to drink any water from there," Tara remarked, speaking for everyone. They didn't have much of a choice, though.
Since Brent and Tara didn't move, Nick took the honors and headed inside. He gulped at the amount of dried blood around the sink. His eyes scanned over the faucet handles, and he tried to find a spot that wasn't red. With great reluctance, he placed his left index finger and thumb on the left handle and turned. Water flowed out steadily, but it was clear.
Peering back at his two friends, they stayed in their places. Nick knew that they weren't going to try the water first. He sighed at their behavior and placed the map under his right arm. His hands cupped under the stream before he brought them to his lips. Despite the questionable source of the water, it tasted fine and relieved his dry throat. After several more drinks, he felt satisfied. It didn't feel like there was sand in his throat anymore.
His eyes glanced into the mirror momentarily. He saw his two friends behind him, but he saw something else. Spinning on his heels, he yelled, "Brent, Tara watch out!" The two were confused until they glanced behind them. Long nails descended down from the air vent in the hallway ceiling. An arm came next, and it swept through the air towards them. Both of them ducked as the hand traveled overhead. Giggles filled their ears before the hand withdrew back into the air vent.
No one needed to say anything. They all bolted from the area and towards the center. It was so close to them now. Footfalls didn't sound behind them, but they saw the air vents in the ceiling. The creature could strike at any time, but they didn't hear movement up there. Their guards couldn't be dropped again, or the creature would successfully sneak up on them once more.
Nick doubted that the creature could fit (f/n) in the air vent with it. If it could, it would be maneuvering rather awkwardly through them. Maybe, she had managed to get away from the thing again. Her luck certainly seemed to be better than theirs. The thing wouldn't give up on them.
Glancing over her right shoulder, Tara nearly screamed. The thing was simply standing back where that air vent was. A grin painted its lips. It held up its hands, and its fingers started to go down. With perfect understanding, she looked forward and urged, "We need to go faster! It's going to come in seconds!"
"We know, but we can only go so fast!" Brent yelled back. He turned on his flashlight as did Nick. If that thing hated light, they would blast it with it. As predicted, the creature started to charge. Its nails scraped across the wall and caused them all to try and protect their ears from it. Luckily for them, it only desired one of them.
Its footfalls were nearly on top of them. They pushed their legs harder, but they just couldn't outrun it. At once, they all stopped and shone their flashlights on it. The creature halted and covered its eyes. Eyes closing, it lowered its arms slowly. Tara was the first to dash back into a mad sprint. Nick and Brent backed away gradually before they joined Tara; however, one of them didn't make it far.
Dashing forward, the creature leaped into the air and collided against its target. They tumbled across the ground, and the other two stopped. One of them looked upon the situation before they bolted again. The other took a step forward to help, but the creature's threatening grin caused them to run.