The Corrupted Soul

Chapter 18

The door was simply too heavy, even with my enhanced strength. All it managed was a dull creak before stopping all together. I growled and searched for something to use against the lead weight. A thick metal pipe ran from one wall across the ceiling. Not like they're using it anyway...

Latching onto it, I tore the hollow pipe from itself, letting loose a foul smelling gush of stagnant water and moss. A small snake even frantically slid out from it's now compromised shelter. Turning, I jammed the jagged end of the pipe between the wall and the sliding door, trying to use it as a makeshift and very inefficient crowbar. The faint whimper from behind the door only surged my mind further, and added to my struggle.

I pushed my whole weight against the pipe, bracing my feet against the wall behind me to act as extra leverage. The door gave a hollow and gritty groan as it gave in to my persistent shoving. The pipe gave in and snapped in two, and I winced at the deafening clang as the two pieces bounced against the hard floor. I didn't need the pipe now though, the door was open just enough for me to get a grip on the edge.

I once again had to use my whole body weight to even remotely get the door to give, and my muscles strained with the effort, but I was so glad I did. From inside the shaft, I could just barely make out a form laying on the top of the elevator. It had fallen from its cables and now rest on the ground, but remained mostly intact. My heart broke at the ratty and dirty creature laying there.

He could barely see me, it was way too dark in this crevice. I couldn't smell any blood, other than a few small scrapes, to my utter relief. I carefully lowered myself closer to the ground and whispered, "Hey, it's okay. Marty? Martian, it's me."

The young dog, finally realizing who was in front of him, jumped to his feet and launched at me. His body smashed against my chest with a powerful force as he whined and yipped, his tail between his legs. I hugged onto the canine, not wanting him to run off if any sound were to spook him, and I noticed his leash and harness were still attached, though he was tied to a beam in the elevator shaft. My blood boiled as I unclipped the knotted leash from his harness.

They had tied him down here in the dark, and left him to die. Tank and Cap's scents clung to the walls down here, each breath I took in - smelling them, Martian's fear, and the rest of the pack - served as billows to a fire.

Shuffling overhead alerted me to the now waking state of the pack above. They had no doubt heard the dull screeching of the door being pried open, and the echoing clanging of the shattered pipe. They would see the debris moved aside and catch my scent trail leading down. They knew what I would find down here.

I spoke quietly with my jaw clenched, I dug my fingers into Martian's grungy fur, but being especially conscious of my claws as not to even remotely harm him, "They stole you from me, just to get me out here. They wanted me to join them, didn't they? So they got me to come out by using you as the lure."

A buzzing sound rose and fell, it was impossible to tell whether it was a real sound or if it was simply an auditory hallucination. Words rang through my mind, not like my own thoughts, and not like my instinct's silent ramblings. It was something else entirely.

They tried to control you.

I heard a growl up above, and returned it swiftly and tenfold. They knew I was down here, and I wanted them to. They must have had a reason to keep him alive, I was starting to think they planned to use him to blackmail me if I threatened to attack them.

They dared treat you as a common bug.

Crunches came from above, and screams of metal against metal. Only Sketch could fit through the hole I had made, they needed to widen the gap down to get to me. Unlucky for them, all four remained above, and none seemed to remember there was another way out.

They're weak. Primal creatures. You command those that surpass them.

The buzzing grew louder. Martian began barking as shadows stretched across the wall of the staircase. The feeling of ants crawling across my ankles barely made me flinch, was unable to tear my enraged gaze from the shadows. A red tint flooded my vision, and I was half expecting my eyes to be glowing with the powerful color.

The Lurkers need their queen. Are you willing to succumb to these wretched insects?

A screech not of this earth shot from my throat, though to me it was silent all for a high pitched whistle and the ringing in my ears, Martian whined and flailed, the shadows shot backwards, startled by the auditory assault. Black haze crept up on the corners of my vision like the forest's shadows at sunset, and clicks and growls sounded around me from all angles and at varying volumes and pitches, muffled as they were.

I latched onto the pitbull I presumed dead mere minutes ago, and shot myself into and up the elevator shaft like a bullet down the barrel of a gun. The momentum aided my slashing claws that cut clean through the wooden board atop the open gap where the upper levels had collapsed. The sun was truly set by now, and I had no use for the cracked sunglasses atop my head. I shielded Martian from any and all wood shrapnel as I climbed through the open gap, pushing the snow that had gathered there away from the top. I held him tightly in my arms, his fear radiated from him as strong as I had ever smelled it. It flared my temper more.

You're alone. You cannot fight them now. The hive must protect the queen.

The black haze spread further towards the center of my vision, and I could swear I could see horned and tailed Crawlers around me. No, not Crawlers. The Lurkers. They are not to be compared.

I was vaguely aware of my body moving. In what fashion and where I had no idea. I could see trees blurring and whizzing past me, and heard snarls from all angles. Which were real and which were hallucinations? I didn't know.

It didn't matter to me. I knew several things for certain; this pack was made up of monsters, I needed to get Martian back home, and I was never going to doubt my gut again.