I was watching the stairwell from down the hall, searching for anything that might be of use. Of course, I found nothing that I hadnt already run into. Which was to say, I was stuck.
I was understandably hesitant to try the only course of action that might have so rit. To use myself as a distraction, to sacrifice the clones for the original. It was the only thing that kept coming to mind, that wasnt imdiately rejected.
The thought of dyingit was paralyzing. Too much had happened that my ntal health was hanging on a thread. The strange side effect of multiple s mitigating so parts of that trauma.
Third spoke as an echo of my own thoughts. Its this or true death. He said. The line between and my clones blurred again. This ti, it was like watching soone else. Fearless in the assurance of the originals survival.
Well, as fearless as I could manage.
A white-knuckled grip to match the thick strands surrounding the stairwell. I kept the weapon pointed down the stairs, touching one of the strands. It stuck to like sli, pulling until finally tearing silently.
Too much of those and Id be bogged down.
I passed through the stairwell, checked below, and was greeted with an empty hallway covered in webs. The light was still on, blinking ominously. Working electricity. The building had its own generators and batteries. Co to think of it, that was why there was fresh water too. There was a water tank on the back of building.
None of that helped . It just distracted from the fear. I picked my way through the webs, so thick across the hallway, others lying on the floor, so hanging from the ceiling. They were all gently waving and I realized there was a draft through the cave.
I froze as I rembered the last ti I felt that.
I whirled aroundand found nothing. No sign of the monster that had been my undoing. My gun was shaking almost as much as my legs. I forced myself onward, clearing the hall. I didnt dare round the corner, it was too much.
Instead, I kept my gun pointed down the hallway as the laboratory began to open. Second greeted , glancing towards my back, his face was a bleeding ss. A reminder of what this world had done to , forced to endure.
Then ca Horace and finally
The dull thud of a body hitting the floor might as well have been a blaring siren. All of turned, Second from the rear, Third from the front, and the original from the doorway. Horace had fallen over, eyes wide and staring at the webbing caught on his good leg.
On the other end of the hallwaylegs. They ca around the corner like fingers grabbing onto a ledge, slow and thodical as if suddenly roused.
All of realized it at the sa ti.
Run!
I bolted down the hallway, maneuvering through the webs I already knew were there. The original , though heartless, was the number one priority. Second helped Horace up, half-lifting him and half-dragging him.
Third was firing. Bullets rang down the hallway, pinging off tal to the tune of so high-pitched screaming. The legs twitched backward, then surged around the corner as sothing with too many eyes appeared, even for a spider.
Its mouth opened and a tongue dripped hissing acid on the floor.
I scread. I wasnt sure which one of did.
Third was cursing as Id never done before, fumbling for another clip of ammo.
Second was pulling Horace, staring backward wide-eyed.
I escaped to the plaza, far far away from the science building, and found sowhere safe. And then I watched. I had made it.
The scythe whipped forward on a leg with more segnts and range of motion than I ever couldve thought. I fell to the floor, having tripped on sothing. A web probably. I glared at the monster, faltering at its many eyes, and raised my gun.
Every pull on the trigger elicited a high-pitched keening, a violent twitch or jerk, but never its death. My eyes caught sothing on the floor, not two feet from , and I realized why I couldnt get up.
I stared in horror at my own leg, severed at the thigh. What the fuck Decapitated. Third didnt see it, but Second did.
Outside, my hands were over my head, tears falling down my face. Fetal position. I didnt want to scream, not out here. My head had my head had been cut off. People werent supposed to watch themselves die.
Horace was yelling sothing. out of the way!
Second scrambled forward, going for the gun. Horace, go! Ill hold it off.
What part of ever thought I could do that? How could I feel so hopeless, yet so absolutely safe? I had escaped but the part of that died would stay with forever.
I wasnt a bad person. Maybe that was it. But could anyone be expected to stay true to themselves, faced with this?
I was crying, letting the emotion hit . No, not letting, it just caught up to , crippling my ntal state.
The other part of grabbed the gun, as the bleeding monster seized onto my legs. Even as part of its body was blown away by a bright burst of energy that lted its torso. Legs stabbed into and, screaming, it ripped into , acid burning away my chest, fangs impaling my organs.
The pain was like nothing Id ever imagined was possible.
I shoved the gun into the side of its head and pulled the trigger. Again. And again. Die! Die! Die you fucking I gave out first. And whatever else happened in the hallway, I couldnt see.
Horace was still down there but I wasnt going back. II couldnt. I wouldnt.
No.
Youre free, Evahn, I said to myself, alone now. Just fucking go. My voice cracked. Just leave him, you dont owe him anything.
Even when I could do it with no risk? When I could just send myself to haul him up? The thing was probably dead now. And if not?
No risk but my ntal health. Second spoke as I shuffled away from him.
I killed it right? I asked him. Hoping, by so miracle, I could lie to myself.
Third answered. I dont know.
And that was the worst part. I didnt know. I didnt want to die again. To watch myselfto feelI threw up, dry heaving, chest twisting. I hunched over the floor, hands splayed.
I glanced over to myselves. They looked as terrible as I did. Drained, eyes faded, pale. That wasnt how I rembered myself. I looked like like death.
We sat there for minutes on end. It felt like hours. Contemplating, weighing, warring with myself. Cursing my cowardice, hating this apocalypse, dancing around an answer I both cursed and hated more.
And then, eventually, my clones stood up and started making their way to the science building. Two versions of myself that knew they were expendable. It didnt stop the fear of death.
They went down the stairwell, freezing at a weak keening noiseit was alive. It ca into view and, above, I threw up again.
Half-mangled, lted, riddled with bullet holes, it was eating a lifeless Horace. Hed been stabbed once through the leg, another ti through the heart.
That anger ca back. The cruelty of this world, the horror. Rage. A fla so bright it burned in my chest, so bright that it hurt. The color red lined my vision and suddenly, I didnt care anymore.
I launched myself at the weakened thing and tore at its face, bare hands ripping away eyes as it jerked back in pain. Nails scraping flesh and blood. I plunged an entire arm into the exposed socket, fingers ripping and tearing at anything and everything I could feel. My other arm pulled at its other eyes.
Its scythe-like legs tore into my own. I ignored it, feeling the deep wounds color with blood.
The other scread, cracking its skull with a crowbar, sending it heavily to the floor. Blood leaked on the ground and its mouth opened with a fleshy squelch. I couldn't say when I stopped tearing at the corpse, when I'd had enough.
I stood over the mutilated carcass and I realized sothing that tore at my soul.
I couldve saved him, I breathed, broken.
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