Trial 1 - Part 4: Blood

The hallways of the factory were dimly lit, only slightly being illuminated by the flickering lights that came on every so often. The bricks were stained by a bright crimson, that crimson being blood. The air reeked of an odor so foul, I nearly vomited, but ended up only slightly gagging. The floors creaked with every step, potentially alerting someone with inane intentions to me - I couldn't let that happen, I can't let that happen.

The smell of this hallway was awful, but intoxicating. This smell was like heaven, but it was hell too. I couldn't bear it. I took a deep breath. I pushed on. I'd come this far, nothing else could possibly make me run from here. I came to another set of doors, bolted to the wall. I gave them a slight tug, the metal knocking against the wall, but still they stayed firm. I crouched low to the ground, looked through the small gap, and saw hundreds of people crowded in, those individuals clad in their pig masks - Maiming each other with their hands, kicking and punching, snarling, howling. A dark-skinned man, about my age, was swinging a metal baseball bat into the flailing mass of his fellow man, when someone hit him over the head from behind.

Blood splattered all about the mosh pit - Bathing in blood, taking in the insanity to become sane. I watched as they killed each other, because that meant I would have to fight less people. Eyes gouged, screams of pain echoed, rage was everywhere.

The man's face contorted in pain. He doubled over, grasping his head, blood seeping from the cuts made by the bat. His head shook as he tried to maintain consciousness, I saw a glimmer of a smile. He tried to speak, his lips curling in a grimace, unable to speak due to the pain. A gurgling sound broke through, he fell to the ground, dead. A bloody hand lay at his side, a maniacal laughter and screams coming from the carnage, all that could be heard were the cries of dying men. It felt like hours, but was probably only a minute, before I pushed the doors open and saw more corpses - And more blood.

The blood rushed out like a river, ensnaring me in its grasp. Another man, his body engulfed by a pool of crimson. I recoiled, but it was too late. He was dead. The smell of his blood was unbearable, I gagged, but I couldn't bring myself to vomit.

Another man, this one was right in front of me, lying on the floor, bleeding out. I couldn't bring myself to watch. I backed away, but not quickly enough. His face contorted, he lunged at me - Roaring as if he were a feral beast, blood all over the both of us. We rolled around in a desperate attempt to get to the other, his face going red with rage, his breaths heavy. I dodged his swing, hoping to get a decent distance away, but he kicked my back, his heel propelling me into the wall.

I hit the wall, my vision flaring as I blacked out, blood streaming down my face. I woke up, smelling the most rancid smell I had ever experienced. My vision was blurred, but I could still see. I couldn't see. My face felt sticky, my eyes burned. What was wrong with me? Why was this happening? How much blood had I lost? My heart felt like it was beating a thousand times a minute, not a deep, slow, peaceful beat, but a rapid, out of control one. Something wasn't right. I just laid there, moaning, unable to move, and suffocating.

Then I saw her. She came up to me, holding out her hand to help me up. I was too weak to take it, but somehow she knew. I slowly took it and was helped up.

We ran into the tunnel, making our way to an exit.