Loop 78: ...Die, Die Again

"Well, that didn't work."

I've been slowly making a plan. For the first few dozen times, it was essentially the same:quickly explain things to Sarah, get the guards to go up and get in the room behind them, keep Sarah safe and working on fully shutting down the mirror without triggering anything, and learn how to fight off whoever makes it down to this level. The number that make it down this far vary, but it's always between five and twelve. Neither of the guards ever come back.

After a few dozen times of that failing, I decided to try and keep the guards down there with us and set up a better defense, but it was futile. The one who I bribed will never stay after the call comes in that the attackers have hit the building, and his buddy will always follow shortly after, no matter how many times I try and convince to stay. No matter what I do, Sarah and I are on our own down here. I'd managed to get Sarah a gun a few times, but she could never get over her first kill and we'd always get taken down. She's also never able to fully shut the mirror off in time, so I have her hide in the security room under a table.

For the last dozen or so attempts, or 'Loops,' as I've taken to calling them (keeping track of them is one of the few things keeping me sane through all of this madness), I've started to take a different approach. I hid and watched their movements as they spread out. The elevator that goes up always drops, but they keep the other elevator held in place. I also found if I hid in the dorms and waited for about two minutes after they came out of the elevator, I'd be able to catch them from behind as they were bunched up around the first security door. It was when they were at their most vulnerable. It hasn't worked yet, but it's my best shot.

With my plan in motion, I get Sarah safely in the security room, grab the gun and rush to the dorms. I hear the ding of the elevator and the chatter among the men as they step out and start moving around. Once they're around the security doors I round the corner and see them from behind.

There are nine of them this time. Their leader, the one who seemed to be smiling when they fired up the mirror, is the only one I've seen make it here every single time. They aren't exactly easy to tell apart, but their voices, and their screams, have stuck with me. It's almost always some variation of different people, but he's the constant. My mind wonders if that means something, but I can't think about that now, it's time to get to work.

I run out between the hallways and start firing. I drop three right away before they know what's happening. I take a deep breath and make my second run between hallways and take two more of them down. This run is looking promising.

Instead of pressing my luck on a third pass through the hallway, I decide to wait and let them come to me. I hide in one of the dorms and hear the leader yell for them to spread out. That's seemingly another constant. No matter who I drop in these first few passes, he never goes down. This is my chance. I hear two of them coming down the hallway towards me. I take another deep breath and step out, firing quickly. I manage to get one in the head but I only clip the other one in the side.

He goes down screaming, and I run up to him and grab one of their rifles off the ground and hustle as quickly as I can to the other dorm room. The man is still screaming on the ground as the other two rush over. I've used their rifles against them maybe ten times or so, and I'm finally starting to get used to them. This has been the best run yet by far. I only had two more to go.

"Get those doors open! I'll take care of this." I hear the leader call out.

I've been here before, in one way or another, but never any further. Whoever this guy is, he's the real deal. He's fast, strong, and my bullets, even from the rifle, do fuck-all to the body armor he was wearing. I've tried to talk with him a few times, but he doesn't have anything to say. He just charges me. I've studied how he moves, though, and now I'm ready for him.

"I know you're about to charge me!" I yell. "Just stop and listen to me. If you activate the mirror, we'll all die."

"It doesn't matter," he says. It catches me by surprise. I don't think he's ever said anything to me before.

I hear his steps echo down the hallway and I feel that now-familiar fear sinking in. This guy has killed me more than anything else at this point. He's shot me, stabbed me, cut my throat, broken my neck, suffocated me, and more. It hurts just as much every time it happens, especially when it's slow. I know it's temporary, but the fear of it is just as real every time. I just hope that if it happens again, it will be quick.

I turn to look at him and take a shot, but his gun is already raised. He shoots and I duck back into the dorm.

"Why are you doing this?" I yell, and, as expected, get no response.

I try again as he continues his approach.

"Can't we just try and talk about this? I've done this before, and you never fucking talk to me! What's your problem?"

No dice.

"I can't beat you. I've tied dozens of times, and no matter what I do, I can't fucking beat you. We're at an impasse. Let's figure this out."

He stops for a second, and I hear him laugh.

"If you can't beat me, it doesn't seem like much of an impasse to me. Just get over here and die already. I've got things to do here."

It's like lighting had struck the same place twice. He was actually starting to talk to me. I try again as I hear his footsteps continue.

"It's an impasse because I can't beat you, but you can't stop me from trying. Even if I have to do this a thousand times, I'm not going to stop. So, maybe we can come to some sort of agreement here. To be honest, I don't really give a shit about the mirror anymore at this point. I just want to get my friend and leave the building before you turn that thing on. Is that really too much to ask?

He's getting closer with every word that I say. It won't be more than a few seconds now. He turns the corner to face me, gun raised and at the ready.

"Yes," is all he says before taking the shot.

I'm not quick enough to react, and I go down in a heap. As I'm choking on my blood, I a new plan piercing its tendrils through the pain and increasing darkness. Fighting is useless, and I'm sick of getting killed by this asshole. If fight is out, flight is the only option that I have. I have to get out of here, and I can't leave Sarah behind.