The bike screeched... as Raviel slammed on the brakes, particles of dust and gravel trailed behind the bike's frame. His eyes were locked ahead and pupil dilating with shock and extreme focus .
A skyscrapper
No—not just any but a column of glass and steel that pierced the violet sky, It's structure stood tall amongst all the 'ruins' without any hints of damage on its glass coated surface that almost looked like it was made just few seconds ago before the apocalypse hit, with a huge electric pannel which read: ASCARA TRAIL.
And looking from the ground it almost looked like it would pierce the heaven, if at all it— still existed in this place— at any given point of time. Because the top part although covered by the smoky clouds still held something that looked as if it was alive and shimmered in the sky like a godforsaken star in this hell.
Raviel's intestines twisted, he was already feeling suffocated seeing the tall structure without any damage. He didn't need the fuckin—hell of a status-screen or a manual to confirm the place that the cursed message wanted him to find.
His hands trembled as he cut off the engine and tightly knotted the key to his teared part of the shirt from the waist, overall his appearance looked worse than a beggar as his clothes were pretty much held together by few strands of cotton. Pants that looked like it was a bad D.I.Y project and shoes that had shredded their soles from all the rubbing....
He swallowed muttering under his breath with a frustrated and bitter grin, "Really gonna die now...."
Then he walked towards the skyscrappers menacing —wide mouth like entrance.
The metal doors were slightly dented, but the second his foot crossed the threshold—a overwhelming pressure descended on his body.
WHOOSH~
Just as the door fully opened itself. The pressure vanished like it never really existed.
But more than the pressure his eyes widened. The air .....here was clean, the dust and rot present on the outside looked like they were a myth in this place
Golden fluorescent lights with gigantic chandelier adorned the ceiling. The floor was polished and the marbles gleamed faintly under the lights and...carpets that looked like they were freshly laid, lay flat on the ground following the path towards two magnificient looking staircase connecting at the top just one level above him.
Raviel's heart thrashed on his chest.
"What the fuck...almost gave me ptsd, this shit really looks familiar to that damn zombie game"
He staggered forward, digesting all the grandeur he had seen just now....
From his daze, he saw it
A elevator
It's small screen flicked briefly with two upward and downward triangle symbols shinning in neon red.
Seeing the elevator open it's doors with almost no noise, Raviel's lips parted. He wanted to laugh. He wanted to scream.
"So a fucking luxurious looking elevator stills works in a fucked world..... bless my eyes for seeing a miracle working when people need it"
He stepped inside...
This time the doors closed itself with a
hiss~
Seeing the operating pannel his eyes widened again.
400 Floors.
But the elevator only showed light on the buttons marked till the 275th Floor.
When he tried pressing the top most—the thing did not move a single inch.
"Ofcourse, it won't be easy dumbass—"
His thumb hesitated before pressing on 275th button.
The elevator shuddered before ascending at a constant velocity.
The hum of machinery filled as the machine beeped every time a floor was passed.
.
.
.
12....*Beep*
.
.
87.....*Beep*
.
.
.
.
127... *Beep*
Raviel's figure shook as the beeping sounds were making him more anxious than he already was. His eyes shot up to the ceiling vent.
Something scraped against it—something heavy.
The numbers kept on rising 166...198....235...
Just then——
The vent rattled violently as if someone was scrapping against it from outside.
Raviel's hands trembled. Eyes locked on it
"Don't you dare—"
BANG!!!!
The vent bulged inward like a heated candy. Hidden dust sprinkling on his face as his knees nearly buckled, but he forced himself to stand up.
The elevator still lurged forward
249.....256...268....
He was shaking now as he motivated the lift to not break before he does.... and prayed with all his might.
C'mon, C'mon, C'mon....
The pannel beeped with each floor then—silence.
Raviel didn't breath but his hands clenched themselves around the knotted key holding it like a damn crucifix which still held on his shirt and exposed his bruised stomach.
DING!..
275
The doors slid open.
Raviel hurriedly stumbled out, but just as he came out of the elevator.
The doors closed behind him.
SNAP!! SNAP!! SNAP!! SNAP....
The sound of snapping of cables roared in his ear as the elevator which now looked slightly tilted and then fell down after snapping on it's last thread.
The voice of the elevator hitting the ground never came while Raviel was viewing a horror landscape as he looked forward.
This was nothing like the ground floor.
Instead blood slicked on the walls, smeared with handprints that looked like they belonged to a eldritch horror from their structure as whatever those were— they cantained 15 fingers labeled all across the endless looking broken hallway with ceiling light flickering to provide the necessary haunting vibe. The darkness seemed to engulf the other end of the corner as there the lights were flickering more unnaturally.
"Blood, destruction, broken walls—looks like someone or something is only trapped in the upper segments while the ground floors must be relatively untouched...."
Raviel deducted after seeing the bloodshed.