Author’s Note: Last story I’m posting. It’s been fun. Oh if anyone wants to finish this series feel free to e-mail me. Rayramirez4299@gmail.com
Jenny leads the way peering her head in through the narrow entryway, her hand gripped around the wooden handle of the pick axe. Pushing the feather curtain back, a glow of light hits her face exposing to her a vasty, grungy looking area. She locks her free shaking hand with Samanthas, then slowly leads the way into the open. Looking down at the grimy floor they see splattered stains and clawed marks into the tiles. The room smelled of vomit and excrement mixed with blood; it was overwhelming and gag inducing.
The walls consisted of concrete that was weathered over time with brown trickles of water stains lapping at the bottom of the enclosures. Rippled cracks jolted at various angles among the walls, in the center of the musty room two half-spiraled staircases wind up towards a second floor. What stood out the most though was the side of each stairwell at the start of the steps. There stood two guards so-to-speak; knights in shining armor.
Jenny steps over towards one of the mannequin like statues and peeps inside the corroded metal wrapped around the human sized figures. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she silences an attempted scream and backs away. Lying within the knights of armor stands two bodies welded together with rusted screws drilled into the bone. The suffocating stench levitates elegantly in a perverse manner, taking capture of any rational sense dwelling in the area. Samantha backs away, teary eyed, and feels her ovula tickle the rear end of her tongue. Hot vomit surges upwards warming her esophagus. Letting the stomach acid force its way out, she droops over at an angle and allows her belly to heave in and out.
Wiping her arm across her slobbery mouth she steps towards Jenny who turns her direction. Glancing around the room, Jenny catches sight of slightly hidden cameras following their movement. She wraps her arm around Samantha and kneels her downwards, her curly hair covering her face.
“What are you doing?” Samantha asks.
“Listen, we’ve seen these videos before. So we know they’re recorded live, and that they can pick up sound.”
“What about it?”
“If you see anything that can help, or get an idea, whisper it to me. So they can’t hear it. If you get within reach of a camera, try to break it. We’re gonna have to try to think rationally if we’re gonna survive.”
Samantha sniffs, wipes her eyes, then whispers, “Okay, I’ll try.”
“I’m scared too, Sam. I’m terrified, honestly, but we’re gonna make it home. They’re not immortal, they’re people like me and you. Just stick by my side, don’t wander away, and try to stay alert.”
Jenny stands up and whinces at the pain rotating in her ribs, the puncture wounds sting and a dab of blood drips down once more. Samantha stands up without making a sound, fear was over-riding any other thoughts in her mind, blocking out the pain. Miniscule cavity holes squeeze out fresh blood with the straightening of her body, she doesn’t seem to be phased be it. Jenny leads the way taking the first step on the stairs. “Look out for wires, glowing lights, loose boards, anything like that.” She whispers.
Samantha follows behind keeping her eyes open for anything that stands out. The knight next to her- aimed in their direction- shows off broken teeth hanging from a crooked mouth. She heads up the staircase with Jenny next to her, each step was taken with caution, treading lightly as they didn’t know what awaited them around the corner. Arriving to the top they see two doors. Both had a letter messily spray painted on it, one door read “S”, the second one read “J”.
“Are we supposed to go in separate rooms?” Samantha asks, her voice breaking with every word. “We’re not playing their games. We stay together, no matter what.” Jenny responds. She looks up to the corner in the right and sees a camera zooming in their direction. Instinctively she arches the pick axe and swings, knocking it down to the ground. Samantha backs up and begins to rub her side, adrenaline was fading and the subsided pain had begun to make its welcome back. A screeching sound blares from the speakers, slowly increasing in decibles. Jenny crouches down cupping her ears, it was deafening. Her ear drums ached as the volume continued to elevate. Samantha followed her actions and sheltered her ears, but nothing seemed to help. Tearing up, Jenny opens the door with a J on it. She picks the axe up and grabs Samanthas hand before going in. The door closes behind with silence following it.
The room was dark and cold. Jenny turns to see if the door was locked, unsurprisingly it was. She wraps her arm around Samantha and whispers, “Don’t let go of me.”
A blur of light is suddenly cast across a brick wall, looking back they see a small hole in a wall from which the light was spilling out from. The picture comes into focus and a woman is seen, naked and chained.
“Please, you don’t have to do this! I-I swear I won’t tell anyone. Just let me go, I’m begging you!”
Jenny drops the pick axe and lets go of Samantha. She takes a step towards the film being played. Samantha stares in confusion and fear. She manages to finally mutter, “Jenny?”
Jenny continues to stare in shock before yelling, “Turn it off! I’ll f*****g kill you, I swear on everything I love!” She hits her knees on the ground and curls up crying uncontrollably. The volume increases as the pigs begin to tear the woman apart. Jenny bawls even louder as the woman screams in pain. Samantha rushes to her aid wrapping her arms around her. “Don’t pay attention to it, they’re trying to break us, look away!”
Jenny sputters between tears, “Sam, it’s my mother!”