The Key to it All (Newt)

Chicken's Fault

For the next few days Artemis kept herself busy with unpacking. She had no idea why there were so many things; she was the only one here and had no idea where it had come from. The boxes were filled with various supplies: medical, seeds, chicken feed (still unopened), garden tools, nails, pans, forks, and everything you could think of. 

The gap in the wall opened in the morning and closed at night, but Artemis still had not stepped foot outside. She was too busy figuring out where she should put everything, pretending like she was on an interior design show instead of in an unknown prison with only some angry chickens and the world's best dog for company. Plus, anything that needed those walls to lock it out at night was probably not something Artemis wanted to run into. She was curious, of course, but she was also smart. 

A blaring alarm went off during Artemis' mid-afternoon nap. No need to panic or freak out when you're asleep. No need to waste time. No need to pretend like you're okay with the situation you've found yourself in when you're not conscious. So it was quite aggravating to be woken up during paradise. Artemis recognized the alarm-it was the same sound that was playing when she woke up in that box. Shovel in hand, Artemis carefully walked over to the place that she first emerged from alone as Bark had taken off in the opposite direction when the alarm sounded. 

The concrete slabs pulled apart to reveal the cage that Artemis had been stuck in less than a week ago. Inside was nothing but more boxes. Artemis groaned. She had just finished putting the last bit away less than a day ago and was beginning to explore more. She had found a wonderful pond in the forest. 

"As long as there aren't more demonic chickens." Artemis grumbled as she opened the top. Then she realized something: she hadn't seen or heard any chickens in a few minutes. It should've been fantastic, but the quiet was eerie. She looked around. There was a stray chicken running out of the doors. How they hadn't gotten out before, Artemis didn't know. It's not like there was a cage for them. But until the alarm, which must have spooked them, they had stayed relatively in the same place. Aka anywhere close enough to Artemis to piss her off. 

Artemis took off in a sprint. Sure, she despised the things, but they were comfort and entertainment. A constant in a place where everything was new to her. Eventually she might get desperate enough for a snack, and some of them had begun to lay eggs. Chickens are quite stupid. It didn't take very long for her to reach her limit, but by then she was too far into the depths of the strange place to find her way back easily. It was a maze with twists and turns and walls and confusing things. There was nothing but stone and ivy to mark where she was, and she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going. Even worse, she hadn't found a single chicken. 

The sky had already begun to dim when Artemis left the gate, but by the time she gave up it was almost pitch black. It didn't concern her yet, as she had gotten used to the lack of light over the past few days. She was exhausted, but the panic didn't set in until the ground started shaking underneath her. A screeching sound reached her ears from a distance. The doors were closing. That meant she couldn't go back to Bark or the comfort. Artemis could barely hear her thoughts over her heartbeat as she thought about what creature could possibly be out here. Her breath quickened. She slowly stood up from her position against the wall, but pressed her back into the ivy-covered stones and tried to shrink into them. She needed to find her way back to the safety of the fields. 

"Left here? No, no right. Wait. I turned right that means I should go...left. Yeah" Artemis talked to herself. A piece of stone fell to the ground, causing Artemis to jump. She held her breath for four seconds, released it for four, held that for four, and breathed in for four in an attempt to calm her heart. 

Some sounds had started, but Artemis hadn't spotted what was causing it. It was unlike anything she had heard before. She imagined it was as if ghosts were working in one of those factories before the whole worker's rights movements. Her eyes darted around, and she forgot to regulate her breathing. Every aspect of her body was going towards keeping her alive. Every turn she went down she checked the corridor first. Not that she would know what to do if she looked and BOOM a face was there but. It's something.

It had been hours of nothing but absolute panic for Artemis, and it had exhausted her. It was like she had sprinted a full marathon, at least her heart felt that way. It seemed to be for nothing, but Artemis still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She hadn't seen a single chicken-she knew that most of them escaped into the stupid maze-and she could hear something.

Just as her heart had decided it couldn't continue beating at such a pace, the universe gave Artemis' heart a reason for staying at max rate. She had stopped checking around corners or even moving with pace. She had found her way back to the walls that surrounded the compound; she could tell since they were a lighter beige than the grey stone walls of the maze. Yet there was no way to get back in. She just meandered around the maze until she saw a creature. Down at the end of the corridor. 

Creature is the only way to describe it.  It was responsible for the creaking noises, and she was way too close. It was slimy and gooey. It didn't seem like it should have such a defined shape, but it did. It looked liquid and solid at the same time. It had a flashing red light on top of its head, which is how Artemis could make out so much detail. It was a swiss army knife with a body of jello. The metallic legs resembled the spiders that Artemis found in the safe place. She got a closer look now at all the attachments. There were tongs, claws, arms, syringes, basically anything one could think of. 

Artemis' entire body went rigid. She held her breathe and clenched her fists, as if tightening every muscle in her body would make her shrink. She hoped it didn't see or hear her. Her wish wasn't answered. The creature stared at her before curling into a ball and launching itself at her. 

A bloodcurdling scream escaped Artemis' lips. Her feet were no longer frozen, but rather moving fast enough that a trail of fire would be behind her in a cartoon. It wasn't enough. Artemis didn't have any thoughts in her head except for run. It seemed to be working, however, because how could the creature know where she was going if Artemis didn't know herself? Is she going to be going straight, left, or right at the upcoming intersection? Not even Artemis knows until she steps into the intersection and gets pulled one way or the other. 

One of the turns led her to another creature. Of course. She could barely survive one, and now there was one in front of her and one behind her with no place to go. Artemis looked around. Her only option was up. Artemis began climbing the ivy without a second thought. She had no idea if she was going to be able to do it, but it seemed like every option ended in death, so what was there to lose? 

The ivy tore at her hands, but she climbed them with surprising speed and strength. She had always wondered about the powers of adrenaline but never had, or at least couldn't recall, a situation that needed it. It seems like the last week of moving heavy boxes really helped. After just a few minutes she was a good twenty feet above the heads of the creatures, and so far she didn't think they could follow her. 

But of course they could. They began to climb the walls as fast as they moved across the ground for some reason, which was a huge evolutionary (or is it design? ) advantage that Artemis was extremely jealous of. She yelled a few profanities before swinging towards the ground. As soon as her feet hit the stone, she felt a snap, but there was something more important. She took off towards the walls. The sky was beginning to look like dawn, which meant the walls had to be opening up soon. 

By the time Artemis made it back to the safety of the fields she was exhausted. At some point the creatures stopped following her. She couldn't place exactly when, but she was glad. She felt like she had just died and brought back to life. If given the option, Artemis was glad to sleep for the next 48 hours at least. 

Bark greeted her happily, jumping up and down, as soon as Artemis crossed the threshold. Artemis wondered why Bark didn't come out to greet her but was frankly too tired to give a shit. "Hi baby." Artemis cooed. "You were smart. Not going into that place. Say who's a smart doggie? Who's a smart girl?" Bark fell to the ground and asked for a bell rub in response. Artemis laughed. "Who wants to take a nap? I sure as hell do."