Banquet

With the creaking of two large double doors embroidered with gold, the Family's main hall opened. The entrance was decorated with expensive pottery and furniture. It seemed to be a lobby.

"Remember, be on the lookout. These freaks aren't human!"

Alpha's reminder sent chills down the spines of those who had seen the grayish human-like monster take the lives of their friends Others shrugged off the warning. In their minds, they had already won.

The lobby wasn't well-lit; the lights were all on but weren't bright, creating an eerie feel throughout the room.

Shuffling together, the Organization's soldiers inched into the main building like rabbits hiding from a wolf. Those who had acted big before shrunk down in such an ominous environment.

Admiring the scarlet red wallpaper with ink patterns, Cain remained in the back of the group.

He didn't spread out his mist nor take precautions. He simply watched and waited. He was confident nothing in this place could hurt him.

As the halls went on, intersections popped up, heading left or right, leading deeper into poorly lit hallways of the same color scheme. No one changed directions and continued going straight; everyone had the feeling that splitting up would lead to something horrifying.

They all had seen the old recordings and tapes of horror movies. Such tapes were one of the only remaining forms of entertainment and were finite.

In the Complex, people would gather together and share their rare treasures. The majority were tapes and movies from the old world. Using things like projectors of big TVs, communities could experience life in the old world once more.

Children kept these memories close to their hearts as they became adults. Even now, soldiers commented on how such an environment came straight from 'Bloody Night' a popular movie that takes place in a mansion similar to the Family's main building.

With these reminiscent memories, the morale of the soldiers recovered a bit. It was enough for them to make it to the next double doors.

This time, the doors were smaller and simply made of chicory wood, they were in pristine condition.

Pushing open the double doors, Alpha's face lost color as the room before him slowly entered his view. It was a massive dining hall, and in the hall was a long table. On the table.....were bloodied bodies.

Upon closer inspection, half the table belonged to bodies that were ripped apart by what looked to be the handiwork of animals. Blood stained the tablecloth in crimson, and even the seats held dried marks of scarlet. As for the other side of the table, clean plates with remnants of sauces and greens were left. But some plates or bowls left behind little red cooked chunks that hadn't been eaten yet.

"This....this is where they eat us!"

Hearing what one of the soldiers beside Alpha blurted out, the soldiers pushed each other into the dining hall to take in the scene. Some puked, while others clenched their fists.

'From the looks, there are two factions in the Family, one of beastly animals, the other refined and neat.'

Using the state of the table as clues, along with the conversation he overheard in the underground dungeon, Cain made an educated guess about the situation in the Family.

Indeed, there were two sides, but it didn't mean there were internal conflicts. For all Cain knew it was just two different tastes that grew from eating human flesh. One of temperance while the other unleashing desire.

"Sick bastards." Alpha couldn't help but comment.

'Indeed sick, there must be a more efficient way to consume human flesh. My mist ability would go well with this power, I hope there is a core here. At the very least this power should be useful other than minor physical improvement.'

Studying the room, Cain saw an upstairs with a railing overlooking the room.

'A V.I.P. section? There's a hierarchy?'

Cain continued to make guesses as the Organization headed deeper inside the building. From here on out, the floor seemed to slowly incline down.

...

'We haven't met any Family members, this isn't logical. They must be hiding, or they are grouping up. If either is the case we should retreat. But seeing as I'm not obligated to any group, it would be against my interest to help them out. These soldiers are a good cover for me.'

Cain and the rest had already entered almost six more different rooms, one was a lounge, the other a kitchen, and another was where they kept "food".

These rooms each had reactions from the soldiers: envy, disgust, horror, fear, etc. As for the other three rooms, they were either empty or barren with only a few chairs and dust everywhere.

Once the group reached a certain point of exploring, lights became nonexistent and flashlights were quickly turned on.

'Were already deep in the earth, how did they even drill this deep? Did they use some sort of advanced technology, or was this place already built when the Complex was established?'

A soldier called out, "Damn it's dark, hey Einstein, my flashlight's batteries are low; want to switch batteries to even out the charge?"

Einstein laughed, "Yeah, and lose my high battery charge? No thanks, I need my energy if I want to run without falling over or hitting a wall."

"Jackass....." The soldier muttered.

The rest of the soldiers had the same thought, why was this guy talking about running away? They haven't even found anything yet!

But they didn't have to worry, in the back, one of the soldiers lost his voice as he felt his neck turn warm and numb. Looking down, he saw bits of his flesh dangling near his chest.

His neck had been slashed.

Before he could fall to the floor and make a thud, he disappeared into the darkness.

As the group headed deeper and deeper, more and more people disappeared. Soon it was noticed, and panic ensued.

"Jeremy's gone! Where did he go!"

"Samantha! Where are you?!"

"Charlie went to take a leak and disappeared! There's a bit of blood on the floor where he went to relieve himself!"

The anxiety of everyone rose, and with it, the tension grew to a boiling point.

People shivered while holding their firearms, it would only take one little incident for them to pull the trigger. They were a train wreck.

'They're here, seems we're close to the lair.'

Cain began to meld into the shadows, using the Dream Core to accommodate him. He quickly vanished and remained in the darkness, watching.

Panicked and alert, the Organization's remaining personnel huddled together. As they did, soft laughter rang and the pitter pattering of feet against the floor came from every direction.

'Mental tactics. These guys are done for.'

From the shadows, sharp claws swiped and slashed. At first, the attacks barely missed as the soldiers clustered closer and closer, but with free room becoming insufficient, the attacks landed and killed the soldiers one by one, akin to unwrapping an onion, growing nearer to the leader of this escapade.

The numbers dwindled, from over a hundred to no more than 20. The leader, Alpha, couldn't take it anymore.

"You damn monstrous bastards! I'll kill you!"

Alpha was a big man, when he put his weight into his charge it was logical that the floor shook.

The bolstering behemoth rushed into the darkness, unleashing bullets like hail and crushing the Family members under his feet. Wearing a military-grade suit of armor, Alpha was a human tank that could reach strength beyond the realm of humans.

"Now now, we can't have our food running rampant."

Out of the shadows, a middle-aged man with a gray beard stepped forward. He wore a pair of spectacles and had his hair well-groomed. He embodied the pinnacle of nobility.

Alpha didn't stop in his charge, heading straight towards the aged man wearing luxurious clothes.

"Tsk. Rowdy as always."

Lifting his hand, the man took on the full brunt of Alpha's charge as bullets whizzed past his flesh, some skimming him, but they quickly healed.

The half-giant's charge immediately slowed, his steps becoming sluggish as he came to a full stop. The gentlemen in front of him stopped him. A person with a scrawny body compared to a massive human successfully made him stop!

"Rebellious lambs only end up on the plates."

The gentleman took his free hand and plunged it into Alpha's chest. The hand broke through the plated armor like a knife to butter and reached the behemoth's heart.

"I have been eating for decades. I have ascended to a realm akin to a god! You sheep dare attack this place! I am close to reaching the might of the ancestor and you do this! Die!"

The man ripped out his hand as his underlings charged the rest of the stunned soldiers. Some died in the ensuing volley of bullets, but many reached the cluster of frightened men and had their fill. After this was done, a young man appeared beside the gentlemen who killed Alpha.

"Uncle, do you think it's over now?"

The gentleman fixed his spectacles. "No, my dear nephew. But by the end of the night, it will be."

The nephew's eyes seemed to swirl into a dark emotionless whirlpool. Then, abruptly, his hand tore through his uncle's chest, escaping through the other end and holding their heart in hand.

"T-This...."

The man's eyes widened with shock. Turning his gaze back, he saw his nephew slowly turn into someone he didn't recognize.

"Y-You! W-Who are y-you? W-What h-have you done!"

Cain replied callously, "I have done nothing. Nothing of importance, just removing an interruption."

Crushing the heart, Cain brought his other hand into the wound he made and split the man in two.

"Ahhhh!"

Two chunks fell to either side as the man died without resistance, his blood staining the hallway and Cain's' face.

He died just like that, quick and confused.

'Now, time to see who this ancestor is.'

Cain ignored the shivering Family members who were still alive. He continued heading deep into the structure.