After I tossed the water bottle, I heard it land somewhere far off. I followed the sound. With every step, the darkness grew thicker, as if it were slowly devouring me. Then, a scream pierced the void. I followed it until I found a single door—the only destination in this abyss. Saka had to be there.
My body began to fail. Without a second thought, I jammed the adrenaline needle into my thigh. My head spun; it felt as if the earth itself wanted to witness my fall. I rushed into the room, only to find myself in a morgue's washroom. The stench was lethal, the air putrid. The floor wasn't just dirty; it was soaked in old blood. The screaming started again. I ran toward a body bag that was twitching violently. I sliced it open.
Inside was a boy, no older than fourteen.
"What's your name? What are you doing here?" I asked, breathless.
He looked at me, trembling. "Are you the one saving me?"
"Yes! Just answer me, who are you?"
"My name is..." Suddenly, his head exploded.
I froze. My body shook with a shock it couldn't process. I looked at the boy's remains—they had turned his very body into a living bomb. Hallucinations began to swarm me. I saw the boy explode again and again. The room shifted; dozens of children in patient gowns emerged from the morgue drawers.
"You... you... did this... to us..." they hissed.
I tried to flee, but the floor turned into quicksand. One child lunged; I punched him, and he detonated upon impact. Their faces distorted, eyes vanishing, voices warping into demonic screeches. My senses betrayed me. My vision blurred, my ears rang with the screams, and the adrenaline finally ran dry. I blacked out.
I woke up back where I started—on the pile of corpses. I checked my bag; the water bottle was still there, full. I hadn't even opened it. Fear crept in. Was this the "stylist's" doing? The adrenaline? Or had I lost my mind the moment I stepped through that rusted door? I drank the water, my memory fractured.
The world changed again. I was walking on nothingness—no floor, no ceiling. A long corridor appeared with doors marked by single lights.
First door... locked. Second... locked. Third... it yielded.
I pushed it open, but it was blocked by a mountain of corpses. The stench hit me like a physical blow. I slammed it shut, but it creaked open again.
Something emerged from the shadows. A colossal creature with the face of a giant infant. It charged, the ground shaking beneath its weight. I ran, but every door was locked. It lunged, crushing me under its massive bulk. I heard my ribs and vertebrae snap. I coughed up blood. Its thick, viscous saliva dripped onto my hand. It smiled, opening a cavernous mouth. Then, I heard it—a ticking sound coming from its chest. A timed bomb.
Desperation took over. I drew my dagger and plunged it into its neck. It didn't die; it began to sob like a baby. For a second, I felt pity—until it grabbed me, crushing my arms in a lethal hug. I couldn't move my hands, so I gripped the dagger in my teeth and stabbed it in the chest. I bit into a soft, sack-like organ inside its wound. The creature collapsed on top of me.
I struggled to breathe, my lungs screaming for oxygen. With every ounce of strength left, I heaved the massive body off me. The bomb fell from its chest. I lunged for the white door, slamming it behind me just as a massive explosion tore through the hallway. I was launched through the air, crashing behind a hospital bed before passing out again.
Voices... help... screaming. I followed the sound, every inch of my body in agony. I found a steel door. Inside, a body bag was thrashing. I opened it carefully, but the person inside was already dead. How? I just heard the screams!
The screams moved deeper into the facility. I followed them to a yellow door. I burst through, and I wish I hadn't.
A doctor was stitching a child's head; the brain was exposed, nerves quivering. In a blink, they were right in front of me, staring. The child screamed a deafening, soul-shattering cry. The doctor muttered gibberish as the world tilted. I fell again.
I woke up tied in heavy iron chains. My vision was swimming. Then, a familiar voice spoke:
"Oh... hello. Finally, you're awake."
I lifted my head with great effort. It was him. The man who sold me the cigarettes at the convenience store.
(End of Chapter 22)