tw for blood and gore

"What do you think of that guy?" Daxelle asked as they stepped back into the afternoon sun. With the dank opening to the metro behind them, color returned to their bodies.

Iaelie shrugged. "I mean, I can't tell if he's telling the truth or not. He seems genuine about what he saw, but what if it was all a fever dream?"

"That's true, the god part doesn't sound completely sane," Zadyn added.

"But what if he was telling the truth?" Avanth countered.

"Then we've got a big, big problem," Adahlia answered grimly.

Avanth sighed, "I think we need a stress-reliever." Daxelle murmured her agreement and after a few suggestions were shot around between them, they all decided to go to the local café.

When they turned the corner and the strange man was a few hundred meters behind them, the air lightened and everything was suddenly brighter.

They all entered the café set towards the center of the city twenty minutes later, every one slightly sweaty from the walk.

Avanth swiped at the sweat starting to bead on his forehead despite the chilly day. "Bro, I'm getting so fit."

"It was one mile . . . " Daxelle trailed off, shrugging. "Whatever, your accomplishment I guess."

Zadyn slid into a seat near the doorway and they filled up the rest of the chairs at the table. A waitress came up to them and took their orders, which were just assortments of drinks.

A few minutes later, the young, frizzy-haired girl came back with a tray of drinks in her hand.

"Alright, here are the strawberry smoothies, the banana smoothie, and the passion fruit juice. Oh, and the watermelon slushie." The girl placed the tray on the table and smiled. "Is there anything else you need?"

Daxelle shook her head, "No, thank you so much!" The waitress left beaming.

She took her smoothie and took a sip while surveying the room. The café had a classic homey aesthetic. Everything was dull beige and brown with bright simplistic paintings hung on the walls. 

Very pretty.

"What are you doing?" Iaelie asked, watching her eyes dart around the room. 

Daxelle flushed. "Nothing."

"I swear I won't judge you. I've smacked a tree named Harold after she cheated on me, it can't be worse than that."

She snickered, "My mom used to take me to eat out whenever my dad wasn't home and we always played Rate the Restaurant, just for some normalcy in our lives."

"Oh, what was so different?" Iaelie didn't seem to ask the question in a rude way, but Daxelle shrugged anyway, no longer interested in the restaurant—though not for any fault of the warrior in front of her.

She just didn't feel like talking about her life. At all.

Daxelle took another sip and found Avanth unwrapping the paper wrapping on his straw. He rolled it into a ball and shot the paper towards the center of the table, nearly touching Daxelle's hand.

She raised an eyebrow.

Avanth glanced up and saw Daxelle watching him. She glanced between him and the paper in front of her. Avanth followed her gaze and snorted.

Daxelle rolled her eyes and picked up the piece of trash, throwing it at Avanth's head. It landed in his hair. He narrowed his eyes and shook the paper free.

He was just about to throw it back at her when Adahlia snatched it out of his hand and tossed it into the recycling bin beside their table.

"I swear, you better not start a paper war," she muttered.

Avanth raised his eyebrows at Adahlia with a grin, "Thanks for the suggestion."

Daxelle braced for more paper being thrown at her, but Avanth just returned to his drink, casually watching the tv. What a strange creature.

"Are any of you nervous?" Iaelie asked abruptly.

"Every day," Zadyn mumbled.

Iaelie seemed to struggle for words for a minute, her eyes regretful and sad, "If you ever need to release some of that energy, meet me in the ring."

Zadyn's lip twitched, "I will when I feel like being destroyed."

Iaelie snorted, "I promise not to hurt you." Zadyn just shrugged the offer away.

"I just . . . I know something's up. I feel it. Something's definitely wrong." Iaelie rubbed her arms as she took a sip of her juice. Daxelle blinked at her.

"How so?" she asked.

"There's this strange energy. I can't really explain it. I just know, there's something weird. Maybe it's with that guy in that tunnel. Maybe it's just being home again. But, can't you feel it?" A shudder rippled through Iaelie's body.

There was a moment of silence, but no one seemed to sense the anxiety that Iaelie felt.

"I guess it's just being in this place." Iaelie gulped down half of her juice. She swiped at her mouth and watched the news playing on the tv in the corner.

"Ok, I am either really lucky or a legitimate seer," Iaelie said, her face paling and the hand propping up her chin dropping to the table.

"What is it?" 

The group turned towards the tv and they read the subtitles running along the bottom of the screen.

New attack reported in metro tunnel. Victim unidentifiable. Death seems relatively new. Updates coming in live.

"I think we just have really, really bad luck," Adahlia whispered, her eyes widening as the details of the attack filled the screen.

"Do you think someone followed us here? Or specifically into that metro tunnel?" Daxelle asked.

"It could have just been bad timing. There were already a lot of attacks in Gaeoles. Maybe it was just a coincidence?" Avanth suggested, but his reasoning was weak and you could read it in his eyes that even he didn't believe himself.

"You think someone was following us? Why us?" The hand wrapped around Zadyn's glass was visibly trembling. 

"If someone was following us, would it be because of what we're tracking?" Iaelie asked.

"Could be. Though why would they attack that guy in the alley?" The news reporter seemed to pause as she nodded intently to whatever she was hearing through her headpiece. 

"Update on the status of the attack. The body is currently in transport, but there are signs of a mauling. What animal is running a rampage in the streets of Gaeoles? Stay tuned to find out." The screen dimmed and switched to a commercial advertising hair loss medication.

"Mauled?" Zadyn repeated in shock. Adahlia and Daxelle exchanged a look.

"Let's go," Iaelie said, standing up and slamming a wad of cash on the table. "Let's hope they're taking the body towards the facility."

"Wait, what? What facility?" Avanth asked, panic starting to show on his face.

"Just follow me," Iaelie turned on her heel and jogged out the door. The rest of them instantly shot to their feet and followed her onto the streets.

They ran through streets and Daxelle was sure they broke at least fifteen traffic laws. Iaelie turned sharply on a corner and continued her wild run. They passed shocked pedestrians and ambling shoppers. They shot past shop avenues and a chain restaurant.

When Iaelie finally skidded to a stop and they were all breathing heavily, Daxelle glanced up and found a tall tower looming over her.

"I-is this the facility?" she panted. The building was the tallest thing in town. While everything around it was in a pastel aesthetic and very cozy looking, this tall abomination was cold and unforgiving.

"No, this is the mayor's office. The facility is down the street," Iaelie's gaze focused on a worn-out shop, her breath barely labored. "Let's go."

They all followed her down the street, albeit more sluggishly. When the rundown building was in front of them, Iaelie started for the side of the building and hid behind the large dumpster waiting for the trashman that would never come.

"What are we doing here?" Daxelle whisper-hissed.

"They bring all their people here," Iaelie answered with a slight tone of disgust.

"What do you mean?" Zadyn asked.

"When they find a dead body, they always bring it in to examine it. Thoroughly." Iaelie's mouth was tight and her eyes were dark.

Adahlia's eyes were wide. Daxelle opened her mouth to ask Iaelie how she knew, but shut it quickly. She did not want to know how.

All five of them crouched beside the trash while they waited for a car to pull up and deposit the body.

Twenty minutes later, a stretcher was brought into the facility with a white blanket thrown over the body. Or Daxelle assumed it was a body. It probably was.

"What are we doing here?" Avanth asked, his eyes tracking the progress of the stretcher through the door. "Are we going to go inside and . . . look at the body?"

Iaelie nodded, her focus on the van driving away. She stared intently through the glass doors of the building and waited for the medics to wheel the body through the back door before jumping up and creeping towards the doors.

"Doesn't this seem wrong?" Avanth seemed to hesitate before following the rest of them into the building.

"It does. It feels like we're stalking someone who's already dead," Adahlia whispered back.

"I don't think we have a choice. I mean, aren't we supposed to be looking for the Infected? But, this does feel . . . almost like we're going into a volcano," Zadyn turned towards them, his eyes troubled. 

"I don't think this is pleasant for any of us," Daxelle added.

Iaelie pretended not to hear them. "I just want to see what happened to him. I-I mean, why would . . . " She trailed off and her face shuttered with guilt. 

"Do you guys think this is our fault?" she asked softly. When none of them answered, she turned to look at them. "This guy dies just minutes after we go talk to him. Don't we owe it to him to find who's doing this?"

Avanth glanced down at his feet and nodded.

Iaelie paused and scanned their apprehensive faces. Her neutral expression dropped and her eyes clouded with grief. "I'm sorry, guys. I guess I went too far. We can go."

Daxelle stopped her, "You're right though. We have to find out who's killing these people. I think if we damned ourselves by doing this, well, it's worth it if we help save some people."

Iaelie watched her for a few moments before nodding. She took a deep breath before moving deeper into the facility.

They tracked the screechy wheels of the stretcher all the way to an unmarked door. They heard the lock click softly and saw the lights turn on through the slit under the door. 

Adahlia zapped the security camera mounted on the wall and when the light turned off, she gave them a thumbs up. They all huddled near the door, pressing their pointed ears against the wood and instantly heard the flow of voices.

"Holy Hari."

"The claw marks seem to have come from a wolf, mademoiselle."

"What was a wolf doing in the subway, Chadrick?"

"Hunting?"

"It's an abandoned tunnel."

"What other animal would turn up around here?"

"Bears? Many creatures live in the woods. It wouldn't be hard for any of them to slip into our city."

"I guess. That also poses the question on why this man was mauled?"

"Food?"

There was a slight pause. "An abandoned tunnel . . . only source of food being the man. I see you have a point Chad."

The pair of scientists continued to examine the body, making pointed remarks on certain scars. After three hours of thorough examinations, they finally decided to take a break and started for the door. 

When the footsteps came closer, the five of them quickly scrambled into a neighboring room and waited for the footsteps of the scientists to fade before returning to the hallway.

"My back fricking hurts," Daxelle muttered.

Iaelie opened the locked door using brute strength and scanned the room. When she was satisfied, she carefully stepped inside.

"No cameras. I guess no one wants dead bodies on tape."

They all followed her inside quietly. Daxelle stared at the body on full display and her stomach turned.

Scars peppered the man's body and a giant gash slashed across his chest. His face was beat purple and bruises covered his entire body. Whoever killed him made sure it was thorough.

Daxelle pressed her arms into her stomach to try to control her erratic heartbeat and stared blankly at the black veins running under the man's skin.

The blood that had dried on his chest was also dark—an unholy color.

Zadyn seemed to curl into himself and pointedly looked away from the body and scanned the notes on the clipboard that the scientists had made.

Iaelie had no qualms with standing next to the examining bed. She touched a shaky finger to the man's chest and quickly snatched it back. The ring on her finger pulsed brightly at that brief contact but dimmed immediately after Iaelie stepped back from the body.

Her voice was trembling when she said, "The blood is still wet."

Adahlia stepped as close as she dared and whimpered. Daxelle walked closer as well and saw why. 

From afar, the man looked like his eyes were closed, but in reality, his eyes were wide open and completely black. His fingers, curled at his sides, were also blackening. This man looked like he was crumbling apart from the seams.

"How could they stand to be in here for hours?" Avanth asked, wrapping his arms around himself.

No one had an answer.

Zadyn stiffened from where he was reading through the notes. "G-guys?"

They all turned away from the body, Adahlia breathing an audible sigh of relief.

"Do you know what they put down as this guy's name?" Zadyn's voice was shaking. He turned the clipboard towards them and when they all read the name at the top of the page, the silence became a tangible thing.

Triwyn.

"Wait, this is that guy on the bench? B-but he looks like that guy from the subway . . . " Iaelie paused immediately and whirled towards the door. "Shit."

That was the only warning they got before the doors were opened and the two scientists entered with donuts in hand. They froze when they beheld the group of teens in their examining room.

"What the hell are you guys doing in here? Get out!" the man shouted. He waved his hands at them and they quickly scrambled out of the room and out of the facility. "Don't come back, mongrels!" The man's shouting was drowned out by the traffic after they passed two blocks.

They all trailed Daxelle and when she started for the corners of the city, they all knew where they were going.

When they reached the opening to the metro tunnel, they all were breathing hard—though not completely because of the run.

They ran down the stairs and froze when they saw a bench blocking them at the base of the steps.

And lying on the bench is the man they assumed was Triwyn.

"Ok, what the actual frick." Avanth stood stock-still and didn't dare take his gaze off the man sleeping at the foot of the stairwell.

"Triwyn?" Daxelle asked, barely daring to breathe. The man slowly stirred and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few times and glared up at them.

"I thought you guys had left, what are you still doing here?" he asked.

"You're in the subway, I think it was you who followed us," Avanth said, his tremble barely hidden. "How did you get the bench down here anyway? I thought all benches were cemented to the ground."

"Whaddya mean, we're in the park right now. You guys came back for more riddles, right? Is that it?" Triwyn grumbled.

"N-no . . . we're in the metro tunnel. The park is across town," Iaelie stammered clearly at loss for words. Are we all slowly going insane? Or was it the milkshakes? Please let it be the milkshakes.

"Metro tunnel? Oh yeah, totally, yeah I see the subway right there—AHHH NO HELP ITS COMING STRAIGHT TOWARDS ME I'M GONNA DIE!" Triwyn cackled.

"I'm being serious. We're not in the park," Iaelie cried, picking up a piece of scrap metal off the floor. "What is this then? A leaf?"

"Actually, that's a twig," Triwyn said. His facial expression didn't waver and Daxelle had no idea whether she should believe him or not. "Now, y'all kids go scramble and run and play on the playground and lemme get back to sleeping."

"We're. In. The. Metro. Tunnel," Iaelie gritted out.

Triwyn raised a hairy eyebrow at her. "Yeah, sure missy."

Zadyn stepped forward before Iaelie could jump the old man. "Sir, why don't you take a sniff."

Triwyn gave Zadyn an incredulous look, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Take a sniff and tell me what you smell." Zadyn watched as Triwyn took a deep inhale of the stale underground air. He took a few more whiffs and made a face.

"I smell piss," Triwyn grumbled. "Which one of y'all took a little bladder dump?"

"Ohhmygods," Iaelie mumbled.

"Ok, what else do you smell?" Zadyn asked patiently. Triwyn rolled his eyes but listed a few other scents; metal, air cleaners, and wet paper. "Ok, thank you. Would any of those smells be in a public park?"

Triwyn glared at him, "Course not. If it did, I would have left a hell of a long time ago."

"So, we agree we're not in the park?" Zadyn rephrased, clarifying his point. Triwyn fell silent and glanced around again.

"Fine, we're not in a park. Where are we then? All I see is fricking trees," the man crossed his arms and slumped on the bench, waiting for their answers.

Iaelie opened her mouth to answer, but Avanth butted in. "You may see trees, but we see a metro tunnel."

"Then one of us is hallucinating—and it sure isn't me," Triwyn said with a sassy twist in his tone.

"What if he's right?" Adahlia interjected. "What if we're the ones seeing things and we're actually in the park. Because there's no way that this guy dragged this bench here and somehow implanted it into the floor in the four hours we were gone."

"So, five of us are having the same hallucination?" Daxelle asked.

"What if none of us are wrong?" Zadyn implored quietly.

"So we're in the park and the tunnels?" Iaelie asked. "I'm just clarifying by the way, I'm not back-talking you guys or anything."

"I don't know. This doesn't make any sense," Daxelle mumbled.

"I've been awake for a whole five minutes now. I'm going to get wrinkles. Lemme sleep," Triwyn groused. He kicked his feet onto the armrest of the bench and tucked his arm under his head and closed his eyes for a total of two seconds before there was another interruption.

"Hands up, bitches."

april 5, 2022
𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖍𝖊𝖊, 𝐁𝐚𝐢
© azalyme ₂₀₂₂