18+ only for violence and strong sexual situations
When Keaton Pravit saves Zhao Huang his entire life takes a course for the beautiful and horrifying. Thrust into a world of demons and acts of seemingly random violence all threads in a web of li...
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The long metal door opened with a long creak and white light flooded the two men's vision as they walked into the Underworld beneath the city of Avalon, Washington. Zhao behind Keaton as the pair's eyes adjusted to the harsh white light after the long descent down stairs decades older than either of them in that long dark corridor leaving the world above for this one below. The two had different ideas of what awaited them here, told by people they trusted. For Keaton it had kept him away from ever even thinking of this place. But for Zhao it made him want and need to be here. Across the metropolis ordinary people were vanishing from their lives. Each having had only a taste of the drug known as Hysteria, a drug he knew contained traces of demonic blood mixed with Opium, rumors all stated they were last seen walking here.
Should he have told Keaton that, that the drug had a hypnotic effect that once the high was gone left the person in a fugue state. Then, one by one they vanished into this place. How many people had he asked, how many stories had he heard that all ended the same? His caterpillar eyebrows drew together in thought as he stopped now that his eyes had adjusted to the uncovered lights of the ceiling high above their heads. The light shined down on rows upon rows of people standing completely still with plastic masks over their noses and mouths with tubes attached to what he knew were iron lung machines pumping oxygen into their bodies and taking the exhales into itself in a recycled motion perpetuating life. On hooks held out from the four foot high machines were bags containing what he assumed were nutrients keeping the bodies healthy.
"What the hell is this?" Keaton said moments later while Zhao walked the length of twenty people studying each without touching any of them. He knew he should answer, should admit that this was what he expected to find but he remained silent. His crimson eyes on the next row and the one after that counting them. He stopped at twenty rows when one of Keaton's hands grabbed his arm and wrenched him to him.
"Tell me what the hell is happening here now Zhao." Keaton shouted and his voice was louder in this ICU of open recycled air and bodies.
"These people are test subjects. Taken from their homes and lives and left here in various stages of a drug trial..." Zhao explained trying to keep his tone level but Keaton had cut him off.
"Did you know about this!? Wait of course you know, is that why we're here, to free them?" Keaton demanded and Zhao looked away, not meeting his gaze.
"...No, we are here to find the cause of this but I never planned to free them. It isn't that simple."Zhao states has voice deep with emotion as he felt a feeling of guilt for each and every victim of Hysteria.
"Just tell me the truth of it then," Keaton said, releasing Zhao and looking again at the horror of the captivity.
"Remember the woman at the restaurant, she is here among these sleeping, standing up people. Someone drugged her as they did all these people and brought them here for whatever comes next. I intend to see what comes next, if I can help them I will do so but our reason for being here is to stop this." Zhao said and with nothing else to say began to walk the five feet of space between the rows. It was a mistake bringing Keaton into this, he knew that now, but he was here and as well as he knew there was nothing he could do to break the hold the drug had on them, he knew Keaton would follow.
