Chapter 18

Skittering sounds echoed in the dark as the strange creature dove deeper and deeper into the maze of abandoned tunnels. Gustav and Rosya chasing after it felt like they were running in circles, getting further away from the meeting point with Ansem.

"Why are we chasing that thing?" Rosya asked.

Gustav had seen the creature licking the sigils that Ansem had left for them to follow. Without them, they would get lost, unable to reach their destination in time. Gustav could have explained to Rosya what was happening, but how to tell her about the curse? The mystic eyes gave him the ability to see magic and what they hid from normal sight. But when she asked why were they even chasing after the creature, it made him doubt that his plan to kill the thing so it would free the sigils would even work. It was an impossibility. However, he had seen the impossible become possible in these past few days.

"Because it's the only way to discover where we have to go," Gustav replied.

The creature stopped a few dozen feet away from them. It raised its horrible head, sniffing out its pursuers. The masked man had released the creature in order to kill Ansem's companions. However, being a creature of low intelligence, it got distracted by the sweet scent of the sigils and forgot its mission. But it still was a dangerous abomination. It had been running away, but it could attack at any moment. Gustav and Rosya hid behind one of the intersecting tunnel walls to avoid detection.

"There it is," Rosya said. "Where did it come from?"

Gustav opened the duffel bag and drew out his semi-auto rifle.

"Dunno," he answered. "Probably they released it to guard the tunnels."

"Why don't we leave it alone and meet up with Ansem?" Rosya suggested, thinking the creature wasn't much of a threat. It was only one. Probably would roam the tunnels until it died of hunger.

"We can't leave it roaming around the tunnels," Gustav loaded a clip into the rifle. "It would find a way to reach the surface. Can you imagine the chaos it would create?"

"You're right," Rosya agreed, her gaze fixed on the creature.

Gustav carefully aimed at the sights of the rifle. The creature is squarely in the middle. A clean head-shot. He placed his finger to press the trigger and the creature would be dead. No matter how fast the creature was, it wasn't fast enough to dodge a bullet traveling at 3000fps.

The muzzle of the rifle flashed, expelling the.224 caliber bullet at high speed. The creature barely reacted to the incoming fire, blowing its arm clean off. It let out a horrible scream and lunged at Gustav, baring its deformed, razor like teeth. Gustav opened fire on the creature. It barely made an effort to dodge. Eventually landing a head-shot, the creature flew back and landed on its back. The headless body thrashed around and swiping its remaining arm like a beheaded snake. Even in their final moments, these abominations were dangerous.

When it finally stopped moving, a cloud of blueish vapor emerged from the corpse and began to move, leaving a trail for Gustav and Rosya to follow.

"Come on, let's go." Gustav placed the rifle back in the duffel bag and followed the trail of vapor.

**

Following the trail of vapor felt like chasing an actual ghost. It led Gustav and Rosya through winding paths until they finally reached a large open area. This was the station where they were supposed to meet up with Ansem. But something was wrong. They could feel it in their gut.

When they felt the scent of fresh blood, quickly they jumped onto the platform. The entire platform was a sea of blood. A battle had occurred while they were chasing after that creature.

"Looks like we missed the party," Gustav observed.

"Look!" Rosya pointed her finger at the wall to a figure sitting on a bench.

"Can't believe this." Gustav rushed to get a closer look.

It was Ansem. They had slashed his belly open. His eyes were closed and if it wasn't for the amount of blood, a person would believe he was sleeping.

"Is he..?" Rosya didn't dare to finish the question.

Gustav checked for a pulse and snarled when he couldn't feel one. This was something he hadn't seen coming. The Council had planned something for Natalya, but the only person who could help them disrupt those plans was killed.. At least he had taken out those that had come after him, and deduced that the abomination they found in the tunnels came from this station. They would have torn both of them to pieces if they had released the entire horde into the tunnels.

"Guess we're on our own now," Gustav trying to mask the anger in his voice. "Let's go, Rosya. We have a job to complete."

"Yes," replied Rosya.

How could've a man that seem to be so knowledgeable of the dark world they were part of now allow himself to be killed? Rosya wanted to give voice to that sentiment, however, decided to withhold it. Ansem had saved Gustav's life. It was only fair not to speak ill of him.

On the floor, there was a trail of blood that lead to a metal door. It was a long shot, but it was a clue that would take them to the hospital's basement and maybe to Natalya as well. But before they crossed the doorstep, Gustav glanced at the motionless body of Ansem, gave a deep sigh and closed the door.

As they climbed a set of stairs, the atmosphere around them felt heavier and heavier. This could only mean they were getting closer.

"I don't think I can go on," Rosya said, leaning against the wall. "I'm so tired, and feel like I can't breathe properly."

Gustav felt the oppressive atmosphere, but he wasn't as worn out as Rosya. Could this have been the influence of the mystic eyes on his body? The magic that flowed through him was shielding him?

"Can you still move?" He asked.

"Barely," Rosya replied. "How pathetic am I?" She flashed her best smile, meant to mask her frustration. To reach so far only to not to be able to continue moving forward.

Gustav showed his back to her, and Rosya's heart almost stopped. He was going to leave her behind. His large back was like a wall. A physical and emotional wall she couldn't climb. She would never be as strong as him. He has gone through so much and still was standing strong. At the moment, she felt weak and useless. Tears began to well up in her eyes. This was the end of her journey.

"What are you waiting for?" Gustav said. "Hop on."

"Y... You sure...?" she asked.

"Did I stutter?"

"No..." She wiped the tears from her eyes and slowly climbed up Gustav's back. It was warm. This warm feeling was reassuring and felt some of her energy was coming back.

"I don't know what you were thinking, but like hell, I would leave you behind."

With a soft grunt, Gustav stood up and continued climbing the stairs, with Rosya hanging on his back until they reached a landing. It felt like they had been climbing for hours, but for Rosya, it lasted a few minutes. Feeling a little guilty, she was enjoying the ride on Gustav's back.

"Do you feel better now?" He asked.

The oppressive energy they were feeling on the stairs had eased. Probably it was a deterrent to keep unwanted visitors from going farther than they were supposed to.

"Yes, I do feel a little better."

"Can you walk?"

Rosya didn't want the ride to end. She wanted it to last longer, for she didn't know when she would have the chance again.

"Yeah, I can."

Gustav knelt, and Rosya climbed down and examined the door. What lay behind that door was a complete mystery to both of them. Did that door lead them to the hospital's basement or somewhere else entirely?

"You ready?" Gustav grabbed the doorknob.

Rosya wasn't feeling all that ready for what followed. But she decided to move forward, to help Gustav. So she nodded.

Slowly opening the door, Gustav and Rosya stepped into a storeroom. It was small and cluttered with piles of boxes, disused medical equipment, and empty vials.

"Guess this is the place," observed Gustav. The trail of blood lead to another door. Who could've been so careless to leave a trail behind them?

An empty hallway lay on the other side of the door. A strange mixture of relief and stress washed over them. Ansem had mentioned that the time of the ritual was at hand. Maybe most of the crew was called over to act as witnesses.

They began to explore the hallway and found what appeared to be an office. Tall archives filled the room. This was the place they were looking for. Here there had to be records of the experiments and the people they had experimented on.

There was a computer they could use to search for the files they were looking for more easily. However, it would alert them to their presence. The only remaining option was to search by hand.

Browsing through the many files, Gustav finally found the one he was looking for. Abbey Dodson's file. Who was running the operation never thought we would ever find these files, so they weren't cleverly hidden.

Gustav began to read the file while Rosya stood guard by the door. Abbey had been a patient at the hospital. She was supposed was undergoing a treatment for infertility. However, she also signed a strange document that she would give the results of her treatment over to the hospital. Could've they mean Natalya? Was Abbey expecting to get pregnant? None of this made any sense to Gustav.

"Gustav!He heard Rosya call out his name, but someone interrupted her.

When he turned around, he saw a man wearing a broken mask standing by the door, Rosya lying unconscious on the floor.

"More intruders," the man said. "I should've been more thorough."

Gustav glared at the man, but his expression changed when he recognized the man behind the mask.

"Richar Aimes," he said. "What the hell are you doing here?"