She sat in the gravel, eyes wide open as she stared at the creature.

Its bulbous, pale head peaked from the darkness, letting its eyes rise just above the floating debris.

It wasn't quite human... But it wasn't an animal.

The iridescent eyes followed every twitch of her body, large and intelligent... But somehow blank, just like the empty stare of all the life inside of the Noctis.

Its skin was pale, pulled tightly across the peculiarly shaped skull.

"What... Is that..." she couldn't finish, the words not quite making it through her lips.

It wasn't human... It couldn't be human...

"Try to stand up... Slowly..." Laine whispered.

"I can't..."

"You can't stay here... They hunt in groups..."

They?

"Stand up... We have to get out of here..." Laine hissed.

Painfully slowly, Reed began to move, supporting herself in her arms while she tried to stand up. Trying to make as little sound as possible, she moved her legs underneath her torso.

It took just a moment... A mere blink of an eye...

And to Reed's absolute horror, two more heads popped out from the darkness...

All staring with those unblinking large eyes.

"L-laine... What do I do?" she whispered, eyes trained on the humanoids.

"I... I..."

"Do... Do I try to run?" she stuttered, but she knew running wouldn't get her far.

The fear was overwhelming her senses.

She had never seen these creatures before... Never even heard of them...

How fast would they swim?

Were they naturally strong?

Just how much had Noctis altered the creatures?

Something told her that the second Reed turned her back to them, she would be dead.

"No... Don't... They are fast..."

"How do you-"

"I just know..." He breathed out.

Reed scanned the three heads poking just above the cloud of sand.

Big front-facing eyes... A predator accustomed to deep-sea hunting...

She took a step back, feeling the tiny pebbles move under her feet.

In less than a millisecond, one of the creatures moved closer to the edge of the chasm, so fast Reed barely saw it move.

"Oh my God..." A strangled cry escaped her lips.

They were diabolically fast.

Her eyes were itching, the surface begging to be rehydrated with a single blink.

Her eyes stared right into the glowing eyes of the creature closest to her, but she knew she couldn't hold it much longer.

Blink.

She couldn't even scream.

The creature moved again.

Long, deformed arms twisted themselves along the rocks.

All four of its long-clawed fingers were buried in the ground, the elongated palms pale against the dark gravel ... Like it was ready to pounce.

She could see it clearly now...

The pale, almost glass-like skin wrapped around the bony torso. The creature's shoulders were wide, rippling with muscle just like the indented flattened chest with several gill-like slits decorating its collarbones.

But the face? The face was something Reed would never forget.

It was a human... Or used to be?

Maybe never was, to begin with.

Its skull was large and dented, cheekbones sharp as if they had been chiselled out of marble.

The two eyes were positioned in two sunken eye sockets with no eyelids protecting the vulnerable surface. It had no nose. No lips. Its mouth was but a slit stretching from one side of its face to another.

Teeth...

Reed could see them.

Hundreds of teeth were buried under the hollowed skin of its cheeks.

It was looking up at her... Almost tentatively... Innocently...

It had this child-like look in its eyes...

Would it look at her the same way when it tore through her flesh?

"Reed?"

"Can you get me out of here?" She breathed out.

"What-"

"If I distract them, will you be able to lead me out of here?"

There was a pause.

She was going to blink again soon.

"Laine?!"

"Yes, I-"

Just as the creature opened its mouth to show her rows of needle-like teeth, Reed's fist slammed against the electricity pulse button. A flash lit up the entire cavern, causing the creature to retreat with a chilling wail.

"There! To your left!" Laine yelled.

There was no time to lose.

She couldn't quite run, gracelessly hopping and wobbling away from the pit towards the small opening on the other side of the chamber.

"How far?" she yelled, uncaring for the noise.

"Quite far! How many of these do you have?" Laine yelled back.

"I don't know! I don't remember the limit!"

"Doesn't matter! Keep your hand on the button to shoot it again! I will tell you when!"

A guttural shriek echoed behind her, the sound of rushing water filling her ears.

Her hand hovered above the button.

"Don't press it yet! Keep going!"

A helpless cry escaped her lips.

Just a little bit... just a little bit more.

The gravel flew all around her, as something cut through the water right by her.

"Fuck!"

"Keep Running!"

Another shriek came from somewhere on her right.

"Laine!"

"Squeeze through and then press the button!"

Her hands reached the opening, Reed pressing herself into the rock.

She could feel the rough surface of the rocks scrape across the suit, sending vibrations through her body.

Another sound of rushing water.

"You are so close!"

She felt the rock move past her shoulder, allowing her to practically fall into the next chamber.

"Press it!"

Another shock wave travelled through the water, illuminating the structures around her.

Reed screamed at the sight of light reflecting in two sets of wide eyes just outside of the gap.

"Don't think about it! Go straight!" Laine's voice guided her forward.

She hopped forward, feeling the ground tilt downwards.

There was a slope!

She could go faster!

She practically slid down the slope, fighting against the gravel in order not to lose her balance.

Somewhere in the distance, she heard a loud crunching sound, as if the rock was being chipped away by something hard and sharp.

"Don't look behind! Keep going!"

"How do I lose them?!"

"Shit! I-"

"Laine?!"

"Fuck, that wasn't the... Okay, go left! There should be another gap!"

Reed halted, immediately spinning to the left.

There it was! An even tighter gap glared at her from the wall like an evil eye.

"This will slow them down! We have to get you to the thermal vents!"

A loud crashing sound echoed through the chamber, but she didn't look back.

Again, she forced her shoulder into the gap, feeling the tight fit pressing against her bones.

"Shit! I won't fit!"

"You will! Try harder!"

"Fuck!"

Reed pressed herself deeper into the hole, feeling the painful drag of the sharp rocks across her back.

"It will break the suit!"

"Stop fucking talking and push!"

With the final push, Reed tumbled to the ground, a cloud of debris erupting around her.

Within seconds, she felt those bony long fingers wrap around her ankle.

"Reed!"

She didn't need to be told twice, her fingers jamming against the shock-wave pad.

Another round of a flashing light.

Another zipping sound cut through the water around her.

Another screech.

"Get up! Get up!" Laine cried into her ear.

She scrambled to her feet, pushing forward through the dark water.

"How far is the exit?!"

"I am trying to get you through the shortcut! Turn left there!"

The gravel crunched around her.

She could hear them... She could hear their song... Just like whales, their cries echoed through the cave system.

"Fuck, she is trying to find us!"

"Melanie?"

"Who do you think?"

She turned left, just like he instructed.

"Where now?"

"Up! There should be a slope up!"

Her eyes widened at the path leading up.

Another cacophony of noises echoed through the chambers.

Suddenly, the screen of Reed's helmet lit up like a Christmas tree. A big red sign began to flash through the screen, blinding Reed's eyes.

Warning! Increase in temperature! Warning!

"What the-"

"We are close! C'mon!"

She struggled upwards, practically crawling through the rocky path towards yet another exit.

The wailing came again, much closer than Reed would have liked.

With a grunt, she stood up, supporting herself on one of the rock formations, sticking from the ground.

"Fuck, it's hot in here-"

"Keep Going!"

Her body protested against further strain, already overheated and cramping from exhaustion, but she proceeded forward. She could hear the quiet bubbling of water.

Her chest rose and fell, like an old pump, struggling to hold the burning wet air for longer than a few seconds.

"I... I can't run anymore-"

"Just a little bit further!"

Reed's eyes widened at the sight of a broad, almost perfectly oval chamber. In the centre of the cave, thermal vents reached for the ceiling like tall candles, clouds of volcanic debris pooling at the ceiling like an incoming typhoon.

Warning! Approaching maximum temperature!

" I can't go through there..."

"You have to!" Laine insisted!

"There must be another way-"

"They can't follow us this way! We will be out before they can't get to the other exit!"

"Laine! I will fucking cook alive in there!"

"You won't if you do it quick enough!"

A spine-chilling shriek echoed through the tunnels behind her.

Her head snapped back, scanning the darkness enveloping the tunnel she came from.

"They will be here any minute! Just go!"

"No, maybe I can-"

Her hand reached for the button.

"I can-"

"Don't press it! You will waste it-"

Her hand slapped the button, but the flash didn't come.

Instead, a red sign covered her screen.

Error! Battery Empty! Error!

"Fuck!"

"Reed! They are getting closer!"

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

She stepped into the bubbling water, feeling the plating around her leg immediately heat up.

"How far is the exit?"

"Straight ahead. Maybe a minute of walking."

Okay... okay, you can do this...

Just power through...

You are so close...

The cry of beasts echoed dangerously close behind her.

"Fuck it!"

Reed stepped into the bubbling water, a small gasp escaping her lips at the sensation.

It was hot... Painfully hot...

The boiling temperature seeped through the fabrics of the suit, burning her skin just after a few seconds of contact.

Move! You have to move!

Something white darted just at the edge of her vision.

With great struggle, Reed made her way between the vents. She could feel the heat fluctuate between burning hot and unbearable, moving away just before her skin would start sizzling. Her body erupted in sweat, buckets of moisture dripping down her face, back and front.

She wanted to go faster... She really did... But the temperature around her dulled her senses, making her head spin just after a few steps.

It was too hot.

The air felt like liquid fire pouring down her throat.

"I... I can't..." she heaved, moving slower and slower.

She wanted to sleep.... She wanted to sleep so bad...

Her head was spinning.

Empty stomach sloshing with digestive juices.

"You are almost there! Keep walking!"

"I... I can't... My... My skin is peeling off..." she mumbled, but her legs moved forward.

Even with her mind clouded by the fatigue and heat, her body continued to fight, pushing through the boiling zone.

"Just a little bit more! You are almost there!" There was desperation in Laine's voice.

Warning! Approaching maximum external temperature! Warning!

"There! Can you see it? There is a slope up!"

Her vision was blurry, dark spots dancing before her eyes but she could see the slope.

A dark, not-too-steep slope opened to the darkness of the open space.

Cold... She could cool off there...

Reed gritted her teeth, pushing through the pain.

She could feel the burning pain of plates reaching their critical temperature.

Warning! The maximum temperature reached! Suit damage is imminent!

There were red numbers at the edge of the glass screen.

They were going down every few seconds, and she struggled to get out.

Suit integrity is low! Suit integrity is low!

She crawled up the slope, a guttural scream ripping out of her chest.

It was burning.

The lining between the plates and the fabric was burning hot, branding her skin with a sickening sizzling sound.

She was almost out... Just a little longer.

Reed practically jumped out through the opening, crashing into the white sand of the dune.

She felt her knees scrape across the seafloor, bellyflopping in a cloud of sand while relief flooded her body.

The waters around her were cool enough to make the sizzling stop.

"F...Fuck...Fuck..." she heaved, feeling the burning waves of white-hot pain light up her system.

Stars danced around her vision, blinding and bright like miniature suns.

"I... It hurts... I need a break..." A pathetic cry echoed in her ears.

"I need a break... Please... I need to lay down..." she would cry, feeling the tears flood her eyes.

They felt cool on the overheated flesh of her cheeks.

"Please..."

She could hear Laine hiss quietly.

"I... Okay... You can lay here a few minutes, okay?"

"I n-need to rest... I need to..."

"It's okay... Just... Just stay still... I will watch the time..."

Her eyes slid shut.

She was burning.

Everything was burning.

"Reed? Reed, you have to get up!"

"Do you hear me?"

"Please, get up!"

There was a figure hovering above her.

Her vision went in and out of focus, blurring the edges of their face.

"Reed... You have to get up..."

Her whisper was so gentle... Practically lulling her senses.

"W-what?" Reed muttered.

Dark curly hair floated around her face, framing it like a halo.

"You need to get up... You are not done yet..."

"I... I am so glad you are here..." Reed heard herself whisper.

She couldn't hold the myriad of words flooding her tongue.

"I knew... I knew you would make it... I am so sorry..." She proclaimed.

Her dark eyes gazed deep into Reed's matching green ones.

The woman opened her mouth.

"What are you...-"

"-... talking about?" Laine's voice echoed through her skull, making her temples erupt in a dull pain.

Reed groaned, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again.

The debris around her swirled, creating a tiny vortex above her.

The sand glinted like tiny galaxies in the ocean of darkness.

"What?" she rasped quietly, staring blankly into the oblivion.

Where is she?

I could have sworn...

"You have to get up..." Laine insisted.

Reed tried moving her body, hissing at the sensation of her skin cracking from the movement.

"I c-can't..." she mumbled.

"You have to try... We are almost there."

"I can't... It hurts..."

"We can't stay here! Melanie will find us! We are so close... Reed... Please..." The broken plea stung like a whip on Reed's wounded soul.

She tried to move again, fighting against the pain.

She could feel the burns on her sides and limbs lining her body.

The sound of sizzling haunted her mind, a ghost of a pest refusing to leave her thoughts.

You need to get up... Get it together....

You need to get up...

With great strain, Reed dragged her arms under her, attempting to shift her weight.

Her muscles groaned, shoulders protesting but she persisted. Slowly but surely, she moved her legs under her, rasping and heaving like a dog. Her breath fogged the inside of the helmet, sweat dripping against the glass.

"Fuck... Okay..." she heaved.

"I know it hurts, but you have to-"

"I know!" she growled, pushing her legs into the sand.

A quiet groan escaped her lips as she got up, tears stinging in her eyes.

She couldn't fully straighten up, opting to stand hunched over with one of her hands covering her midsection.

The familiar white dunes stretched around her like a dark desert, empty and void of life.

There was no vegetation... No rock formation...

Not even schools of fish traversed the desolation around her.

And there, the glass eye of the research facility glared at her from the distance.

The tall structure was the only thing in sight, like a silent giant frozen in time amongst the snowy dunes.

"See? We made it... We are almost there..." Laine whispered.

She stood there, bent in half and unblinking as her eyes slid across the stark edges of the building.

She didn't even feel the laughter bubble up in her chest.

It was an ugly, wheezing sound.

There was no joy.

No relief.

It was animalistic, raw.... Like the laugh of a hyena stalking its prey.

"Reed?"

She quieted down, her eyes momentarily going blank.

Her fingers tightened around her waist.

"Sorry... I... I just didn't think I would make it this far..." she muttered.

There it was.... The facility....

The end of her journey was so near, less than a kilometre away.

Looming.

Waiting.

They were almost at the finish line.

She took a step forward.

And another one.

And another one.

Reed's limp bared the tremble of desperation, muscles twitching in nervous anticipation.

The space around them was empty and quiet as if the two had been walking through pure nothingness.

The void.

No life.

No death.

Just nothing.

Clouds of white sand followed Reed's footsteps.

"How... How are you feeling?" Laine asked, something strange lining his voice.

"It hurts, but I will be fine..." she muttered.

"I didn't mean the injuries..."

Reed went quiet for a bit.

What did she feel?

The strange emptiness around them prompted her to be honest.

"I... I don't know..."

"Aren't you happy? You will be getting out..."

"I think I should be... I am not sure anymore... What about you?"

"Why are you asking me?" Laine seemed surprised.

Reed shrugged, ducking her head to look at the ground.

"You know why..."

There was a pause.

"I... I feel at peace..." he muttered.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I am glad it's going to be over... Aren't you?"

"I... I am scared to come back... I don't know what I will do after... It all feels so... Insignificant. I sometimes feel like... Like I don't want to come back... "

"What? Why?" Laine couldn't hide his confusion.

It was a good question...

Why?

Why was she scared to come back?

She hated the Vault... She hated the Noctis... She was sure wouldn't even dip her toe in the ocean if she ever got out...

And yet, a strange sense of longing filled her heart.

"I... Things will change..." she muttered.

"I don't think it's a bad thing... I wish the same was waiting for me..."

"Who says it doesn't?"

"I appreciate your optimism, but... I have nobody... No memories of who I used to be... I don't miss the life I don't remember..."

"Isn't there any other way?"

Laine sighed.

"I don't think so... I am bound to Melanie... Her vessel is my vessel... And without her dead, it will never stop... I will forever be chained in darkness, squeezed between hundreds of beings crammed into one organism. I don't want to stay like that..."

"I am sorry... I wish I could do something-"

"Don't be... I am not sad about it..."

He paused, seemingly thinking about what to say next.

"Can I ask you something?" he finally asked.

"Sure..."

"Is it the change that scares you?"

"I... I don't know... It feels like nobody ever talks about the after... You know? Lots of things are going to change... I don't think I can forget what happened here... What I did..."

"Do you feel guilty?"

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"I thought we were having a heart to heart..." Laine let out a humourless chuckle in an attempt to lift the mood.

"I think... I don't feel as guilty as I should be..." she admitted, before continuing.

"I did a lot of stuff.... Things nobody should do... But I don't regret all of them..."

"I don't know what to say..."

"Ryan was a bad man... he was the reason we ended up here... He was the reason people died... That is what I believe..."

"You... enjoyed killing him?"

"That's the guilty part... It's not supposed to feel good... It's supposed to be horrifying... But... I don't feel it..."

They remained quiet for about a minute before Laine spoke up.

"Maybe... Maybe parts of your brain got replaced by Melanie's cells? Could be why you feel like that..." He suggested, but his words lacked confidence.

She hummed.

Isabella's face flashed behind her eyes.

It stung to see her face... But perhaps not enough to make Reed back down.

"Maybe... maybe not... I am not heartless, it's just... I... I got used to it... I think..."

"I guess I can relate... I have done things I am not proud of..."

"Do you regret it?" she asked.

"I feel guilty... But I don't regret them... Not in these circumstances... Can... Can I tell you something?"

"Sure... If you want..."

"I felt them... Every time I tried to enter somebody's consciousness... I felt them deteriorate... I hurt a lot of people, Reed... A lot of people you know..."

"You and I both..."

They fell into a somewhat serene silence, both reminiscing on their past mistakes.

"Can I ask you for a favour?" Laine asked quietly.

A tentative smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Another one?"

"After this is over... Go watch a movie for me?"

She paused before asking.

"What kind ?"

"Any will do..."

They had finally arrived.