Erik returned his attention to the room now that the map was safely in his possession. The faint, flickering light from the fire-lit bucket danced across the worn walls, casting eerie shadows over the relics of a bygone era.
The skeletal figures remained silent, their postures implying a last stand, a futile fight against an overwhelming foe.
Erik proceeded to the remaining cabinets, their contents untouched and frozen in time. His gaze was drawn to a slew of forgotten mementos: old equipment manuals, worn-out uniforms, and several unopened ration packages.
Curiosity surged in him. That was a rare opportunity to see what the history books didn't say. He took one of the old documents and carefully unfolded the brittle paper.
Most of the words faded due to the passage of time, telling stories of strategic plans, defense protocols, and encrypted messages. The handwriting, though shaky, conveyed a steadfast determination. Erik couldn't help but be in awe of the people who once occupied this underground fortress, facing impossible odds with unwavering courage.
As he read on, he came across a few personal letters, the contents of which echoed the poignant emotions of those who had once lived and died within these walls. Some expressed homesickness and remembered their families and loved ones.
Others carried the weight of fear and despair, but each letter contained a glimmer of hope.
However, it wasn't until a few minutes later that he discovered something that piqued his interest much more than everything else he read. It was a document with a different symbol than the one he had seen on all the other documents, the symbol that was painted on the buildings outside, the United Earth symbol.
Instead, it was a silver-colored line intricately intertwined with a mortar and pestle. The curved and fluid silver line seemed in constant motion, symbolizing progress, innovation, and efficiency.
The symbol's design was sleek and modern, with clean lines and professional air. It conveyed a sense of trust and dependability and an entity to be respected and taken seriously. The blue and silver hues that dominated the design added depth to the pharmaceutical theme.
"What is this?" the young man wondered. Erik opened it carefully and began reading, but his brow furrowed as he considered the implications of what he found inside the document. His heart rate increased as he flipped through the pages, soaking in the wealth of information contained within and questions surging in his mind.
What he was reading was nothing out of the ordinary. It was something that everyone was familiar with these days, Thaids. However, the questions surged due to the date of this document.
This left the young man perplexed as it was from a period before the establishment of this base, a period when thaids were not yet present, they didn't appear yet, and humanity was simply dealing with the sinister cold.
An uneasy feeling gnawed at his stomach. Was it an error? Or was there some hidden truth that needed to be revealed?
The details about the thaids were startlingly accurate, almost as if the author had firsthand knowledge of them years before their first sighting. The report detailed some of the species' behavior, abilities, and weaknesses with a deftness that suggested a thorough understanding of these creatures. Erik was left wondering how much of this information was still relevant.
His gaze returned to the corporation's name, prominently displayed at the report's top.
"Silver Line Corporation?" He had never encountered that name before, yet it was linked to a detailed report on thaids. For sure, if there was someone who already knew about Thaids years before their first appearance, why didn't they say anything about them? Not that it would have mattered.
Erik was caught up in a whirlwind of questions, each more perplexing than the last. His mind raced as he tried to piece together the disjointed information. He was well aware that these revelations had far-reaching consequences. The only remaining question was, "What did it all mean?"
One thing was sure in this fog of uncertainty: the history was far more complex than he'd ever imagined. This document wasn't just a piece of history; it was a piece of a much more complicated puzzle.
However, a sound immediately drew Erik's attention, distracting him from the document. It sounded like a lament, a shout, or something very close to a human voice.
"What was that…?"
Erik quickly gathered his bearings as the eerie sound echoed in his ears. The Silver Line Corporation's intriguing mysteries would have to wait. The immediate priority was survival. With the underground city map firmly in his mind, he clutched the bucket containing the fire, his only light source, and dashed towards the military building's exit.
Each footstep echoed ominously, adding to the tension in the air. The military building's surroundings felt alien and foreboding, with the darkness emphasizing the threat of the unknown.
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
That shout echoed through the corridors of the building once more, but this time it was closer.
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"
Erik increased his speed and kept his senses alert, attuned to every sound and movement with renewed awareness. His mind raced as he navigated the maze of corridors, and adrenaline surged through his veins.
Every turn and every intersection brought him closer to the exit, but the unknown lurking in the darkness kept him on edge. The building's maze-like structure appeared more menacing in the dim light, and each corner he turned felt like stepping into unknown territory.
The scream rang out once more at that point.
KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
The wail broke the silence of the deserted military building, no, the entire ancient underground city. It rang out again, this time much closer, and the spine-chilling, inhuman scream echoed through the desolate corridors. Erik's nerves were jolted, his heart pounding against his ribcage like a war drum in the silence that followed.
Erik spun around quickly, his eyes straining to see through the shroud of darkness extending beyond his firelight's meager reach. The flickering orange glow danced and refracted off the rusted metallic surfaces, casting long, grotesque shadows that swayed with each flicker of the flame, amplifying the eerie atmosphere of the deserted building but not enough to allow him to see.
As the scream resounded, the air around him seemed to vibrate, heightening his fear. The sound lingered, hauntingly lingering in the stale, musty air.
Fear was almost overpowering the young man and tightening its icy grip around him, threatening to suffocate his resolve. The terrifying prospect of realizing he wasn't alone and that something lurked within the same darkness he stood in was terrifying.
It wasn't like he couldn't fight thaids; after all, he had done it many times, but the atmosphere, the mystery, the darkness, and the high chance that he couldn't battle against the thaid made him nervous. One thing was to fight against something he knew, another against something he didn't.
The realization of his circumstances was jarring, but he didn't let it deter him. He was no stranger to danger, but the stakes seemed higher this time. "I need to get out and fast," he declared, injecting his words with a newfound determination.
Erik reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of seeds with quick, calculated movements. Hardened with determination, his eyes never left the foreboding darkness before him. The seeds were scattered across the cold, hard floor of the abandoned building with a swift flick of his wrist. Then, concentrating his efforts, he began to channel his mana into them via his neural links.
The air hummed with raw energy as the seeds responded to his call. A burst of life force filled the desolate corridor as roots sprouted from the tiny seeds. It was as if time had been sped up, with the miracle of nature unfolding in front of his eyes in mere seconds.
Erik felt the ground vibrate beneath his feet as the roots dug in and anchored themselves. The stems shot up in a spectacular display of life, rapidly increasing in girth and height. Branches spiraled out; their formation was disorderly but perfect for creating an impenetrable blockade.
The empty corridor was quickly filled with a dense thicket of towering trees, their thick trunks and sprawling branches forming a living barrier.
The rustling of leaves broke the silence as they unfolded, forming a vibrant green canopy that seemed out of place among the rusted metal and cold stone. The trees groaned and creaked as they grew, their bark hardening and their roots strengthening.
The once-empty corridor had transformed into a dense forest in a matter of moments, with the trees standing tall and sturdy like sentinels in the darkness, blocking any access to the young man, covering his escape.
Erik exited the building after thirty seconds but could hear something crashing behind him. The thaid inside had clearly destroyed the barrier he had erected.
"Geez, this place is a nightmare," he muttered under his breath, his eyes darting across the darkness, ever vigilant for any signs of movement. "It feels like I've just stepped into some horror movie!"
The young man remembered the map; there was an exit half a kilometer from the military building that he needed to find if he wanted to get out of this cave.
(A.N: Don't forget to vote with powerstones!)
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺