2 A Haunting Path

Her eyes open awakening due to faded sounds of alarms as if from a dream. She lifts her face from the cold ground and rubs her left cheek.

"Ugh...damn you Jeremy." her soft voice mutters and limps up to the bed in the small room.

Her left hand rubs her hip and her body feels as if she was thrown in. When feeling comes back to her sore side a variant yells from the hall behind the locked door.

"The Walrider is free!! Salvation indeed!" his words etched into her mind.

"The Walrider? Damn this can't be good...not good at all. The only potential host could be William P. Hope..." her voice wanes at the thought then is disturbed as a groan of immense pain echos through the hall.

Her instincts lift her body up, making her crawl under the dusty bed then calming her breath as she sees a shadow linger just outside the door from below it. Her eyes flinch when the door is kicked down and a monstrous figure stands eyes wide as if on a hunt.

"I smell you little piggy." her eyes keep in shadows to peer up at the disfigured yet familiar face.

"Chris Walker..." she whispers with a low frightened voice and suddenly he takes a step further into the room leaving more space from the doorway.

His breath harsh and sporadic as if he recognized his name and heard her voice. Her back kept close to the back wall noticing someone run past the doorway in a faded orange patient uniform.

"Oh pig!!!" his voice roars and he quickly turns to run after the figure.

Her lungs release a long breath and her trembling hands drag her out from under the bed. She crouches low and makes her way out of the room cautiously looking down each way. She heads left down the hall and pauses at the corner and looks past it toward a cluttered mess with a crevasse just enough to squeeze through. Where the two men went she did not care to know, she then squeezes through the crevasse feeling her breasts slightly press hard against the shelves.

"Uhn!" she grunts as she launches through to the other side catching herself against the wall. Her eyes look to an open place seeing a jail like passage blocked by lockers.

A young man's recorded voice leaks from the speakers overhead announcing, "Attention Murkoff personnel, an emergency evacuation is in process, please proceed immediately through the Administration Block to exit. Patients and the restrained are advised to remain calmly in their room until help arrives. Thank you for your cooperation." she lifts her lip and scoffs at the recorded broadcast.

She continues pass to another gated doorway and slowly opens it cautiously peering at a man painting words on the wall with crimson blood. She lifts her wrist to her nose and looks down at a body to the right wall.

"Don't be afraid my dear. This is all his plan." his voice whispers as she glances at a few words as he slowly finishes. The words 'DOWN T' seemed irrelevant until he points to his right at a hole in the concrete leading to a lower level.

"Down the drain. After him! Father Martin says it!" her eyes bulge at his deepened voice. She makes her way to the hole slowly slipping her legs through, then drops down from her hands grasping the raw rocky edge.

She brushes her hands on her coat and decides wisely to slip out her beanie and slips it on while pressing her hair up into it. Now looking a bit boyish she looks around the black and white checkered floor noticing papers and blood trails. Her hand shifts through her right pocket to grab a glow stick just as she approaches a dark hall further down the one she dropped into. Her eyes roll noticing it being a bit cracked from her being thrown into that, horrid death trap, room. She snaps the middle it's noise slightly echos and then shakes it. The green glow illuminates fallen over wheeled tables and wheelchairs. Paper cluttered everywhere glow green and her footing is lost when stepping in a puddle of blood. She squeals as she catches her balance and pauses. A disturbing silence is then turned to adrenaline.

"I HEARD YOU SQUEAL PIGGY!" a roaring voice approaches her in a hurry then heavy footsteps sound behind her which causes her to sprint.

Her eyes looking way ahead of her and catching herself before having another off balance with papers and blood. Her wrist grows stiff and she vaults over a wheeled table and toward some fabric fluttering about from a windy breeze. Feet away from the window she chomps down on the glow stick between her front teeth and shrinks her lower body to fit out the window. Just before her feet touch the next building's roof she dangles feet away from it as Chris grabs hold of her fluttering coat. The fabric tightens around her armpits from her weight and she squirms a bit trying to loosen his grip. A rip is then heard from the coat just before he tries to put his other hand on the other corner of the coat. She drops down on her bottom just after wiggling free.

"Uhn!" her breath is taken away letting her teeth open up and her glow stick drops off to the right of the roof. Her undying effort lifts herself up and backs away from the window while rubbing her bottom.

"Gawd damn...I hate the fact the Morphogenic Engine altered their strength." she mutters irritatingly.

She walks further and comes to a edge to see a light brightly shining just above a metal double door. She then sits down having her feet dangle just to the right of the light to slide down, she clumsily lands. The night foggy and grey covers the grassy ground ahead of her. Her eyes adjust to the darkness as she steps further toward the black emptiness. She presses her hand to her right pocket to feel for how many glow sticks she has.

"Five...five more, please...last long for me." she mutters and slips one out and clasps it tight.

Soon it's eerie yet calming light leads her past a bramble bush and she soon eyes a gate door far beyond her under a white light pole, a chain and lock glimmering as if mocking her hangs upon it. She scoffs and heads down a set of stairs and soon to a long huge water pipe and a ripped open metal fence. She feels along her lab coat and feels her smooth empty pocket there she lets the glow stick settle. She clasps the metal pole separating another lower fence horizontally. Her arm strength gives her enough time to slip the tips of her feet into the holes of the fence to climb over. She then hops into ankle deep water and balances herself while lifting her glow stick up to the front of her. The green glow reflecting off the water reveals a small, space for crouching, under a large pipe leading under a bent open fence. She holds herself steady against it and crouches feeling water settle into the ends of her coat and pants. Her knees feel the drench cold and she fastens her pace toward the arched up pavement. Noticing the stairs up ahead, as she rose up from the water, gave her the edge to send herself toward them faster. Her shoes slush and creak with the water inside them. Ahead when she turns left at the top of the next set of steps, she looks toward an arched way looking like a chapel entrance. Her sight wanes on the lighted area to her far left and a bench silently waiting under the light. Her fingers grasps the glow stick in her hand tightly as she makes her way to the double doors. A figure soon steps out into the hall she then thanks the luck of the doors being locked. His blank glowing eyes peered into her very being. She froze seeing his buff arms and the untucked left of his shirt sway as he turns toward the doors and a grin flows across his face, sinister yet suffering. Her instincts push her away and she backs away and heads out into the open small courtyard. Her eyes glance to a blue spark coming from a closed fence. The sound zaps through the haunting silence. A quiet darkness lingers over it. She waits a few seconds realizing the electricity to the gate was shut off. She makes a quick run for the gate door and shuts it behind her and leaps up hearing the electrical sound turn back on. The fence gate door sparks back to a blue white light. She fixes her hands on a metal door leading into a tall walled building making an easy shortcut to the water tower. The dark hallway muddles her eyesight and the patter of her shoes against the metal grated floors echo. Susan's eyes tense from a dark space back to a light space. Just as she turns left she passes three tall windows overlooking the outside and lit areas of a watery place.

"Ugh..." she groans, exits out the building, slips off her coat and folds it then holds it on her shoulder her black long sleeve shirt configures her forearms and upper body curves.

Her hair feeling loose under her beanie sticks out of the left side of her face. She rushes toward the big slope leading to the murky water. She hurries through it feeling her lower waist grow cold and her thighs burn while pushing through the cold water. The tall light to the far right illuminates three huge water pipes lined up all leading to the tower. She shifts her waist fluently and rushes toward a gleaming ladder near the distance lamp post. Placing her clammy hands on the metal bars while hearing the glow stick in hand clank against them one by one she proceeds up them the wind soon nipping at her with cold chills at her wet clothes. Her legs build up strength that soon gets her to the top. The soft sounds of squeaks come from her soaked shoes as she head left over the grassy grounds while slipping over her dry doctor's coat. The light illuminates her grey eyes as she peers up at the tower. Holding her hands on her upper arms she tightens her crossed arms over her chest. The fence looking dismembered closer to the ground shows it was torn opened. Suddenly her nerves are completely jumped and her eyes and ears alerted. A loud and echoing crash sounds from above from the building in front of her. The sound of wood snapping and the deathly silence after, bothers her. What first comes to her mind is to investigate. She begins to patrol the further left of the building and notices a window allowing moonlight to wonder in. She notices the dusty concrete floor inside and reaches for a rusted latch. Red dust settles in her palm and she shakes it out of her hand. The window shakes a bit and notices the locked mechanism is inside. She thinks a bit and observes the red tint. She grasps it again and forces it down a bit harder and it clangs loudly notifying that it's open. The window soon creaks open giving a smooth breeze allowed in. She lifts herself over the windowsill, lightly stomps her feet down and calmly pulls the dual windows back into place. Just before she does she tosses out the dulling glow stick and snaps a third one. The glow stick's light shaking makes the odd silence unbearable, empty and most of all haunting. She continues forward her breath slow but her heartbeat a bit quick and on edge. The light catching a bit on a white shirt floating in mid air. She gasps and stares at a man hanging by a noose. The white short sleeved shirt clean as can be, deep black dress pants and shoes seeming pampered and perfect catches her observation. The black belt and silver belt buckle gleams just before she lifts the light to the man's face. His baldness evening out the handsome paled face, yet blood stains his features from his nose and to the right of his right eye. His eyes gazing blankly at a tilt ahead of him gives her a worried feeling. She holds her hand to his cheek feeling how cold the body is. Her mind thinks and recalls the chill of the body and the haze over the eyes to be at least three hours dead. Her hand brushes his cheek as if caring for him in a sorrowful way. A feeling overcomes her and she lets her hand return to her side and passes by the body and glances back at it while holding the glow stick ahead of her.