Mikey studied the gun in his hands, his heart racing in his chest. If Jill got this then that means she killed someone with a gun. The same applies to the shotgun that she had. The others said that she got them by surprise and never actually fought someone with a gun before but Mikey knew that all of them were just hoping. They weren't the first ones to come down here, so, without a doubt, others have also broken in to the gate and used the weapons inside.
Then there were the legends and stories told about Jill. How she attacked and killed people with guns before. How she even killed a soldier in a straight-forward fight. The odds are that they can win even with guns isn't that high.
Seeing as the group only needed to find one girl, dead or alive, they split up. He is traveling with Michael and Ryan while Ordean is traveling with Sean, Ordean having the shotgun with him. Their mission was to grab the girl, dead or alive, and run all the way back to the room they came from and wait twenty minutes. If the twenty minutes pass and no one from the other group returns, they are to escape as fast as they can.
Originally, Mikey and Ordean wanted to travel together, but the plan was quickly scratched. Even if the odds are better together, no one wants to admit that they can't beat Jill as a group in a fight. She'd just kill them and they'd never find the girl fast enough to avoid dealing with her.
"Hey, Mikey," Ryan said, poking Mikey on his left shoulder to get his attention, "Where do you think the kitchen is? She has to have one since she bakes."
"I don't know, Ryan. It's pitch black in here and our flashlights don't seem to be able to see that well in this damn darkness."
"Geeze! No need to get so aggressive," Ryan said, raising his hands in front of him. Mikey just snorted in response.
"Can the two of you stay quite?" Michael hissed, annoyance thick in her voice, "We're not the hunters here, and making a noise can make all three of us dead."
"Hey, I wasn-" Mikey began, a frown on his face, but Michael cut him off.
"I don't care. Starting now stay quiet!"
Mikey and Ryan nodded, or were about to when they heard the echoing laughter of someone clearly mad fill the corridors. The three all froze and turned to look where the noise came from.
"...I think she knows we're here," Ryan whispered, fear creeping into his voice.
"That came from the room we came into," Michael noted with a sigh of relief, "Now let's agree to stay quiet!"
Ryan and Mikey both nodded, the fear in the air so thick they can taste it, and started moving again, this time with a little more pep in their step.
#^_^#
Ordean and Sean had stumbled upon a hanging skeleton, some of their meat still on it. They were hanging from a metal hook in the back of their skull, similar to the Butcher only Jill didn't leave them their to suffer with a hook through their back. Whatever gender they were is unclear as the flesh that remains is old and stinky, dark red in color. Down below was a puddle of dark red blood, the blood traveling into a sewer grate behind the skeleton. To the left was a metal door, light brown in color like a wooden door with the words 'Entrance 1A' on a copper plate. The door was locked and, seeing how it read entrance, Ordean and Sean came to the conclusion that the door was another entrance and exit to the basement.
To the right of the skeleton was a big grey metal door with faded windows. The windows were blurry and dirty but Ordean came to the conclusion that the door led to a security office. When Ordean tried the door he found that it wasn't locked but he never ended up opening it enough to go inside. The moment he tried to the door made a loud creaking sound. Both Sean and Ordean knew without a doubt that Jill would hear them if they opened up the door, and Ordean, despite being known as a hot-head, wasn't stupid. If he saw Jill he wouldn't be relying on his shotgun to get away from her. Instead he would use his own two feet and his speed. If things go right Jill will have grabbed Sean who is slower, giving Ordean the time he needs to escape.
As cruel and barbaric as it may sound, that outcome is better than the alternative of them standing to fight. If they do then both of them will disappear without a trace. Plus, while Sean is smart, he doesn't have a great sense of direction. Chances are that, if he escapes and Ordean dies, he will lose his way and not be able to return, becoming easy pickings for Jill. At least, if Ordean survives, he can tell the others what happened.
"As messed up as it sounds, the body is a good thing," Ordean whispered to Sean who was checking the path up ahead, past the skeleton in the dip in the path with the two doors, "She couldn't have carried the meat that far."
Sean nodded in agreement and the two started moving forward, their flashlights seeming like fireflies with how little they lit up the darkness of the hallways. Despite the basement hallways being generally clean, the atmosphere reminded Ordean and Sean of a horror game more than the bloody hallways of the school do.
Ordean was aware of every step they took as they walked through the darkness of the basement. The distant hum of machinery didn't hide the silence of the basement. It was so silent that Ordean knew, without a doubt, that he could hear someone drop a pin from a couple of feet away.
"Do you hear that?" Sean suddenly asked, halting in his tracks.
Ordean stopped to listen but didn't hear anything. However, that doesn't mean that Sean didn't hear anything, and in a situation such as this it is better to be safe than sorry.
"Let's hide behind the plastic bins," Ordean whispered, pointing towards a couple of barely visible bins in the darkness, most of them empty.
The two moved quickly yet quietly behind them, slowly and quietly tiptoeing, avoiding anything on the ground that even resembles an object. Just as the two hid themselves Ordean could make out a slight humming coming closer. It wasn't until he saw the glow of large orange eyes did Ordean realize that Jill was much closer than her humming let on.
Her steps were slow but quick, slow enough that she can listen to every little noise but quick enough to make ground. Luckily, that meant that Jill would pass them in no time...
....or it seemed that way until she stopped in her tracks and turned towards where they were hiding.
Ordean and Sean held their breath at the same time, praying that Jill wouldn't hear the sound of their heartbeats.
Jill's eyes narrowed slightly and she stopped humming, taking a couple of steps forward. Her eyes scanned the darkness, her sword at the ready. When she reached a plastic bin she slowly tapped it and listened. Upon hearing nothing, she shoved it back and, after seeing that the bin didn't hit anything, moved on.
However, it seems luck is on Ordean and Sean's side. After Jill searched one more plastic bin she slowly backed away from the little storage area into the main hallway. After one more final search with her eyes, she turned and walked away, not resuming her humming.
Ordean and Sean waited for what felt like, and probably was, ten minutes until they crept out of their hiding places. After they each shared a look the two walked quietly towards the hallway and peaked around the corner. They saw no orange glowing eyes in the dark nor any sign that Jill stopped. It seems the two were in the clear. How long that will last is still up in the question. After all, the only way to go forward is to follow her.
@*.*@
Mikey let out a sigh, tired from walking through seemingly dark, unnerving, and repetitive halls. Though, he guesses that it isn't so repetitive any longer. After walking around for a while he and his group stumbled upon a metal door. It was heavy and opening it was slow but they were rewarded for their rewards by the change in scenery. The hallway on the other side looked to be a walkway with fences on the sides, preventing anyone from reaching through and touching the many fans and air conditioning units there. Even compared to the dusty and sometimes bloody halls of the basement, this hallway was even dustier and felt like it hasn't been used in a long time, even if the fans were still on.
"Is this still a part of the school?" Michael asked, her voice full of disbelief.
Mikey understood her. Not only was the basement massive and full of rooms and machinery, most of the machinery turned off, there seemed to be many locked doors leading to what looked like large tunnels. In fact, the more they explored, the more the basement looked like some kind of factory lab, if that makes sense. Maybe the word factory would work the best.
"Why are there chains here?" Ryan asked, catching Mikey's and Michael's attention.
They looked up and, sure enough, there were heavy industrial-looking chains hanging from the ceiling, the chains seeming to be broken. Where they came from was a mystery since the chains came down from the many patterned holes in the ceiling, which showed only pitch black. Where the chains started is a complete mystery.
"What do you think they were used for?" Ryan asked, his eyes still locked onto the chains.
"How are we suppose to know?" Mikey snapped, raising an eyebrow at his dumb friend, "We're students!"
Ryan spun around, about to snap a comeback, when Michael interrupted him.
"Can you two keep it down!?" Michael growled, hitting them both on the head, "We're still being hunted here."
"Says you!" Ryan countered, squaring up.
Mikey let out a sigh and shook his head. At this point, they'll either get found by Jill or have to run away. They only have eight minutes left, after all.
"You know, your friend is right," A girlish sing-song voice pointed out.
The three spun around just in time to see Jill snatch Michael's right hand, her sharp claws digging into her wrist, causing it to bleed. Michael let out a shout of pain, snapping Mikey to attention. He quickly aimed the gun he has at Jill and pulled the trigger, or tried to. Before he could, Jill casually swung her sword at him, batting his gun down to the ground, nearly breaking his fingers and causing him to drop the gun.
With his gun not an immediate threat, Jill plunged her sword into Michael's gut before letting go of her wrist and grabbing her shoulder and, using it to push Michael against the wall, she brought her sword up with one hand, ripping it through her ribs, organs, and flesh until the sword was almost to her neck. Michael was still alive but, judging by her current state, she won't be for much longer.
Mikey did not falter at the sight of his friend being carved up. Instead, with two steady arms, he raised the gun up again and aimed at Jill, who noticed it.
Placing her left leg on the wall in front of her, Jill's muscles tensed. Mikey did not shoot. Instead, he waited. When Jill lunged back, Mikey fired where she would jump to...
....only she never jumped off the wall.
'A feint!?' Mikey realized with a jolt.
He re-aimed his gun but, this time, Jill wasn't trying to avoid it. Instead, she was lunging right towards Mikey. He managed to fire his gun but, because of how fast Jill was, she managed to shove his arms down, the bullet only grazing her right hip. Then, her sword stabbed him through the chest, pinning him to the wall.
'W-when did she-?' Mikey thought, his eyes wide, before he saw Michael's body cut in half. That was how she managed to get her sword out. By ripping it out.
Ryan, to his credit, attempted to swing at Jill, his hand coated in a bright intense orange energy ball. Jill, without even looking at him, simply responded by catching his fist with her free hand.
"Nice try, fleshling," Jill said, her praise actually sounding genuine, "Yet, even if it was a nice try, you made your mistake by coming down here in the first place."
With that said, she crushed Ryan's fist, not stopping even when he was kneeling on the ground from the pain, and only eight seconds after she started, she let go, or more of Ryan suddenly broke free, though it wasn't really right to say that he "broke" free.
The reality was that he crushed his hand up entirely, bone and all. As Ryan rolled around on the ground, clutching the stump where his hand was, Jill opened her hand, allowing a few bone fragments and blood to drop.
"Now, back to yo-" Jill began, turning her head to look back at Mikey only to stop when she saw that Mikey's head was glowing blue.
He used all his magic, or mana, to make what he was doing undetectable, which was perfect. He had no doubt that Jill will be able to detect even the faintest of mana, which is why he put everything on this.
He was going to blow himself up. He knows it won't kill her since he isn't using enough mana but it will hopefully give Ryan and, if the other two are alive, enough time to escape.
!*o-!
Jill stumbled into her room, one hand clutching the left side of her face while her other hand was dragging the body of the female fleshling she can killed. The other one managed to escape her because of the explosion the other one did, and Jill didn't feel like dragging his body with her. At least, not yet. She'll probably do it when she is feeling better.
Once inside her room, Jill dropped the body and went over to a dresser, her dresser. She opened it and pulled out a strange peach on the top shelf, hidden behind clothes, that seemed to be almost entirely covered by the infected goo. It even seemed to pulsate, like a heart.
Jill didn't even hesitate when she took a big bit out of it. Ignoring the goo dripping down her mouth, Jill put the peach back where it was, closed the dresser, and sat down on her light pink bed, staring at the mirror on the other side of the room. She watched, silently, as the burns on her face slowly disappeared, as did the claw mark over her left eye that was most definitely not from the explosion.
Once it was gone, she wiped the goo from her face and continued to stare at herself, panting. Her eyes were no longer swirls, now looking more human like. They were still entirely orange, and that won't change anytime soon.
"...I can't keep living like this, can I?" Jill asked herself, watching as her eyes slowly shifted back to how they were before.
"But, where can I go?" Jill once again asked herself, falling back on her bed, "I can't really leave the basement. If I do, no one will..."
Jill trailed off, closing her eyes with a sigh. It seems that everything is finally starting to fall apart. Students are finally beginning to come back down here, and Jill knows she won't be able to hold them off for long. It was sheer luck that Jill survived being mobbed twice, and the students that are still alive are learning, becoming tougher and harder. Even if Jill herself is only getting stronger, it won't make a difference in the long run. Then there is Sugar, the girl she took in. Without a doubt she belonged to that group of "non-infected" students, and they will become a problem in the future. Jill knows it.
And that trouble will come for Sugar. If word gets out that Sugar is alive, those students will come for her. Whether that is a good thing or not is something Jill can't decide on.
'For now...I'll keep her hidden and in the dark. If she becomes too much of a problem, I'll just kill and eat her, or feed her to the kids.'
Jill smiled at the thought and ignored the growl her stomach made. Her hunger can wait. For now, she just has to worry about keeping Sugar nice and safe...
....at least until she has a set plan made.
