Abyss
Hey TPM! I have a new fic I've been working on! This should be a nice change of pace from all the Trainer and Fantasy stories you have. This is the result of my obsession with Silent Hill, with just a pinch of Andromeda Strain. Those are my inspiration, however, you by no means have to know anything whatsoever about either. Enjoy!
WARNING: This story is not warm and fluffy.
Abyss
The bright, white light expanded from its central point across the breadth of bleached blue. It sparkled, filling the space and bringing warmth to everything it touched.
She closed her eyes and pushed her chin forward so she could feel the sun spread across her face. Newly formed lines creased beside her eyes as she turned the corners of her lips upwards. She welcomed the light as well as the soft breeze that tossed her ear-length, toffee hair. The wind picked up dust that reached her nose. She was used to this tan land and her leather skin was not affected by the harsh, barren sand that stung in a thousand pricks when it washed over her. She loved the vibrant red she saw though her closed eyelids as she soaked up the natural illumination.
“Cora! You coming into work?” yelled Louie.
Cora opened her eyes, breathed in the glorious outdoors once more, then followed the voice into the shallow building. Louie closed the steel door behind her. Instantly she could feel the cool chill of air-conditioning and she pulled on a button-up sweater.
“Good morning, Louie,” she said with a smile.
“Good morning Cora. Sure is gorgeous out today, ain’t it?” he said. His face was red from a lifetime of working the land; as was reflected by his rough clothing.
“It sure is. Its days like this I wonder why you’d ever give up the outdoors,” Cora said.
“Oh, you know how it goes, I’m not as spry as I usta be. When me and Cheryl sold the farm we decided to take a sturdy job here in this government building. A steady pay check ain’t bad. Speaking of Cheryl, she’s already in. Let’s go see her.”
Cora nodded sweetly and followed the old man. Louie and his wife were so gentle and friendly: unlike the cold suits who roomed the halls of the building.
“Good morning Cora!” Cheryl said cheerfully. She had her silver hair in a loose bun atop her head, and a white apron tied to her slightly plump frame.
“Good morning Cheryl. Do you have the coffee ready?”
“I certainly do! Here you go, baby.”
Cora reached over the café counter to grab her coffee, and sneaked a hug as well.
“Thank you,” Cora said while she leaned back and sipped from her cup.
“No problem! You know, that’s the first cup I’ve handed out today.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I haven’t seen anyone walk through that front door today. Well except for that janitor, Rick. He creeps me out somethin’ awful. I wish that man would wash his hair once in awhile, and get it cut too. Always lurking around with his mop.”
“I know, He just seems to sneak up, doesn’t he? Especially when I’m working alone.”
“Well, no harm I suppose. But I wish I knew why the place is so empty.”
“Yeah,” Cora responded as she paid for her drink. “Well, off to work. See you later.”
“Bye, hun!”
Cora’s footsteps echoed as she strode across the glossy floor to the elevator. Once inside she pressed the button labeled “B10”. Cheryl and Louie waved from their counter and Cora waved back as the doors shut. The small room slowly pulled downwards and a rhythmic bell dinged as she passed each floor. While she waited, she pulled out her schedule.
“48 hour shift,” she said with a sigh.
The elevator dinged one last time before opening its doors. Cora placed the paper back into her purse and walked into the blue hall. Decorative ceiling lamps lit her way as she tread gracefully in her knee-length pencil skirt. Uniform doors adorned the royal blue walls, making the space look like a labyrinth. She had been working in the building for 2 years and still became confused when traveling through all the basement floors. It was no wonder the floor she worked on was called the Hadopeligic Zone, as was the floor above it.
She reached a door with a label that read, “Cora Prose Lab”. Using a key, she opened the door and stepped inside. In this well-lit room was an array of cages, plants, and lab equipment. She dropped her purse on a work bench and began her routine of systematically changing water bottles and cleaning cages. In her care were dozens of rabbits, chimps, fish, and bats.
“Hello Mocca, who’s a sweet bunny?” Cora cooed as she slid a fresh tray into the rabbit’s cage. The skittish rabbit hopped to a corner and rubbed a paw along her ear.
“I wish I knew how long I’ll have you for,” she conversed with her furry friend, “They always seem to move you guys to a new department just as I get attached.” It was true though: she was paid to care for a variety of animals for unknown amounts of time until the higher-ups set her a notice that the animals were needed for some experiment on one of the other floors. She had long ago given up on asking what the animals were needed for, since every time she was told the same thing, “It’s a top secret operation, ma’am.”
Top secret. That was their wording for the whole building. Who knew what special government experiments they were conducting on the other nine floors of the under-ground building. All she could do was show the animals as much love as she could while they were under her care.
The lab was vast, spreading several rooms long, and Cora had enough work to keep her busy until nighttime. Not that she could tell what time of day it was without the help of her wristwatch. At ten in the evening she finally was scheduled to eat and take a 7 hour rest before returning to her work. She often wondered why the government wouldn’t hire more people to work in her lab, but it was impossible to talk to those stone-faced suits. Besides, with the hefty paycheck she received, it wasn’t her place to complain.
After a lonely meal she left the lab, locked it behind her – as was protocol – and disappeared into a room down the hall. With the door closed behind her, she placed her purse on a chair and crawled into the plain bed. She set an alarm on her watch before settling into her pillow. She gazed at the blue walls as her eyes fell heavily closed.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Was that her alarm, telling her it was time to wake? It seemed too early for that. And that was not the sound she was conditioned to. In her sleepy haze, she couldn’t quite figure out what it was – if it was even in reality. Maybe she was still dreaming, because in her dream there was a huge explosion deep beneath the ground that shook the building and rumbled the earth. An eerie shudder caused her wake, banishing any further slumber. Rubbing her eyes, Cora tried to make sense of her thoughts. Meanwhile, she could hear another familiar sound: like wild rapids flowing down a river. But wasn’t she at work?
Sitting up fast, Cora instantly recognized the sound to be running water. The room was pitch-dark even though she had not recalled turning off the light before sleeping. Panicking, she threw off the covers and swung her legs to the edge of the bed. As her feet touched the floor they were instantly submerged in ankle-deep water. With a scream of surprise she pulled her feet back up. Breathing deeply for a few moments, she finally calmed herself down.
“Ok Cora, there’s just a little problem. Just get out of the room and figure out what’s going on.”
She hesitantly placed her bare feet back into the frigid water and stood up. Flailing her arms around in front of her, she found a wall and then followed it with her finger tips.
“Ow!” her toe had stubbed against the chair-leg. She splashed loudly as she hopped back on one leg and held her injured foot. After a short swear she placed her foot down and walked slowly to the chair. Groping around she was able to find her purse, which she swung onto her shoulder. With a little searching she found the handle and quickly opened the door.
A large pool of water came flooding into the small room, causing her to be knee-length submerged. The hallway looked a midnight blue; for the over-head lighting was no longer on and instead only the sporadic, blue emergency lights were on.
“The animals!” Cora said in alarm, and she trudged down the hall to reach her lab. Fumbling with wet hands she scrambled through her purse to find the key. How would she be able to evacuate so many creatures by herself? First she needed to check on them.
Then she would make a plan from there.
With the key she opened the Prose Lab, where she was met by more dim lighting. More water poured into the hall and she soon noticed that broken water pipes in the animal room were the cause of the flooding. Water splashed onto her skirt as she rushed into the room to check the nearest cage.
“Mocca?” she whispered hysterically.
There was a chilling pause and Cora could only hear the water continuously gushing into the room. She leaned her face against the bars, trying to peer through the darkness.
Then a loud screech erupted as a mangled figure flung against the cage wall, inches from her face. Cora jumped back and screamed, unable to identify what was before her. The creature persisted in throwing itself against the cage; so much that its blood began to seep along the bars. It was a fleshy, swollen ball with tufts of greasy fur still clinging to its form. The only recognizable feature on its grotesque body was two shredded, long ears.
“No, no!” Cora cried at the horrifying creature before her. With tears streaming down her face, she stumbled through the black water to another row of cages.
“Is anybody still here?” she pleaded while trying to ignore the horrible rattling behind her.
From a large cage on the ground she could hear a gargling noise. Some lab animals thrashed frantically at the top of their nearly submerged container while trying desperately to swallow air. Cora gasped, remembering the calm bats she had cared for for 9 months. She cried in agony as she stood there listening to them drown. Unable to take
it any longer, she unlatched the slippery lock.
In one large flock the group of creatures pushed through the door and filled the dark sky. With the dim emergency lights, Cora could see dozens of slimy figures flying poorly above her. Their grizzly, tattered wings were barely able to carry their bodies and they continuously smacked into enclosures.
Two of the flying figures fell in her direction and she jumped back to get away. Their slimy blood spattered off of them with every pathetic flap. Screaming, Cora fled backwards and tried to find the door while keeping an eye at the animals. She could hear their mouths chattering and gurgling as they rapidly drew closer. One of them flew above her and with a flap some putrid blood splashed onto her shoulder. Instantly it oozed through her sweater and disintegrated the fibers. She tore the sweater off before the blood reached her skin.
Running backwards she finally found the wall and followed it with her hands. In one swoop the bats crashed into a large ape cage, causing it to smash onto a lower table. Across the shaded room Cora could recognize a deformed, humanoid shaped figure emerge from the broken pen. With a wild roar it tore its way to other cages, smashing them open in the process.
“Come on…” She whispered hysterically as she flailed both arms across the wall trying to find the exit.
The hoard of monsters noticed her movement and lumbered in her direction through the now thigh deep water.
Her knuckle stubbed against a doorframe. Holding onto the wooden edge she pulled herself out of the room and then reached for the door. The beings in the room increased their speed as she pushed the door with all her force. The streaming water pushed strongly against the metal door and slowed her process.
“Go, go!” Core yelled in frustration. “For God’s sake, close!”
She held the handle with one hand and pushed the door with her shoulder. Her bare feet slipped on the smooth floor several times. She could feel the bat creatures thudding against the door when she had a foot left to go. More crashes sounded from inside the room and the screeches became shriller.
Indistinguishable lumps of skin grasped at the doorframe from within. With a desperate push using all her weight, Cora was able to close the door completely.
But the screeches and thuds did not cease. The knob was still clasped in her hand and she could feel it rattle. She firmed her grip and plunged her free hand into her purse. Her fingertips brushed her brass key several times before she finally caught a hold of it and pulled it out. She pushed the key to its lock, but her slippery fingers lost grip of the key and it splashed onto the ground.
The door knob began to turn involuntarily within her grasp and pull away from her.
“NO!” she yelled as she used both hands to regain control of the door and shut it. She grasped the handle so strongly that her hand shot with pain while she bent down and fished for the key. The door rocked and the woman became increasingly soaked. She felt the hard key against her foot and immediately grabbed it in her hand. Standing up fast Cora pushed the key into its lock and turned it. She pulled it back and dropped it in her drenched purse. Her voice cracked as she sighed and pulled the purse over her head so the strap held firmly across her chest. The door continued to shake, but the government issued material held fast.
Looking around frantically, she decided quickly to wade through the waist-deep water in the direction of the elevator. She tried to open every door she passed but they all kept being locked. Her breathing became more rapid as the feeling of certain doom crept into her thoughts. Her chest hurt and her stomach tensed with every breath.
“Why?...” she uttered as tears streamed down her pinched face. The shrieks of nails clawing against metal surface echoed behind her.
Just as the water reached her chest, she found a door that opened. The blue lights in the hall allowed her to read the words “Restroom”. She fled inside. Thankfully there was an emergency light glowing in the room as well. She scanned around for any ideas until she spotted a vent in the ceiling. Cora climbed onto a toilet from which was just able to reach the ceiling tile. She swung her purse in the air and, with its force, she was able to crash through the tile. It fell into the water, revealing a hole. She climbed to the top of the sink and then jumped with her arms in the air. Her hands contacted the edge, but she was unable to hold it and she fell into the growing pool. Water was still coming in from under the door frame and it was reaching the height of her shoulders. She waded over to the sink and climbed up it again. Cora flung herself forward and this time was able to hold on to the edge. With much scrabbling and effort she pulled herself all the way into the vent. As much as she wanted to rest, she could still see the water steadily rising and new she needed to keep going.
Blindly she crawled. The metal sheets of the vet thundered when she pushed against them and echoed deafeningly around her. She couldn’t see a thing and had to flee her way forward. Suddenly the path split causing her to make a decision on which root to take. She turned right and continued onward.
But it only brought her to a dead end. She swore at the time she had wasted and back up to where the tunnel had split. When she reached it, she found that there was a half inch of water on the floor. The water was still pouring in!
She scampered faster down her only option until she saw a faint light. It was the color of the emergency lights. She crawled toward it, feeling calm with the ability to finally see slightly.
Then a flying figure leapt up at her. Its blood splattered and sizzled at the metal, slowly corroding it. It screeched loudly and flittered toward Cora. She almost crawled backwards until she heard the water behind her. Quickly she grabbed her purse and held it front of her. Relying strongly on her legs, she pushed forward and plowed into the creature. The purse separated its oozing blood from her fingers. With the purse she pushed the bat into the hole it had created and plugged that up temporarily with the disintegrating pocketbook. Leaving it behind, she continued to crawl forward.
At last the vent ended and fed into a vertical pipe. She poked her head into the pipe and felt that it was maybe 2 feet wide. She placed her body into the dark cylinder and with her nearly dry feet she braced herself against the edges, causing her skirt to ride up her thighs. Using pressure, she climbed slowly upwards, straining her already aching legs. Her muscles screamed in pain at having to carry her weight. Her work in the lab had not prepared her for such physical demands. Her limbs were about to collapse underneath her, when she came across the edge of another vent, which she fought to pull herself into.
The space was larger and almost platform shaped. Feeling around she found a box on the wall which she opened. On automatic light flashed on as she opened the lid, and inside was a leaver. The lid had something written on the inside.
“Pull to seal off B1,” Cora read aloud. With nothing to lose, she followed the instructions. The ground rumbled and with the tiny light from the box she was able to see a huge metal plate come out of the wall and seal the tube she had just climbed up. She heard more rumbling and sensed that similar plates were shutting off other connections between B9 and B10.
At last all was silent. Cora collapsed onto the ground with her head leaned on the wall. Now that she was alone, she began to cry. Hot tears rolled down her face and she wrapped her arms around her torso. The tank top she wore was damp and reveling, but at least the vent was not freezing.
“My animals,” she cried quietly, remembering how they used to be.
Too exhausted to continue further, she cried herself to sleep.
