Descent into the Abyss

Chapter 11

"Marcus... There's something nearby..." Kou informed him, waking him from an uneasy slumber.

"A person?" He whispered in response, his eyes darting around, searching through the darkness of the room.

A second of silence and then, "No, seems to be a canine... But he's eating something."

"There's no way they opened the canned food and got into it, so what could they be eating?" Marcus pondered, rising to his feet and feeling blind with his outstretched arms.

"I don't know, Young Marcus, but I would be careful venturing out there. The darkness of the night and an animal that could attack; combined they could prove fatal." Kou reasoned, stopping Marcus in his tracks.

"You're right. So, I guess I'll just wait til dawn to investigate." Marcus replied, stepping back and tapping the wall with his heel.

"Rest, Young Marcus, and I'll let you know if and when anything happens. You need to gather as much of your strength as you can." Kou told him, his mind still encircling the consciousness of the canine.

"Alright. I'll try to sleep, but I have no idea how well that's going to go." Marcus whispered, sitting back down and slowly sliding down into the floor.

Marcus shut his eyes, memories playing out behind his eyelids, all while he struggled to forget what the Kovekians had done. The acts they committed, while atrocities, couldn't be forgotten, not by someone who had seen them firsthand. Kou knew this better than anyone, but he also knew that no one could soothe away that horror. Nearly an hour later, Marcus lay unconscious, his memories continuing to play out.

Kou watched the scenes play out, seeing them through Marcus's point of view for the first time. The terror Marcus felt, Kou had been trained for, but feeling it course through his mind now, Kou began to understand. Seeing his best friend killed in front of him; struggling with the fear of his demise; fighting against those same creatures to save not himself, but others. Every memory imprinted Kou with one more piece of who Marcus truly was.

Suddenly, a consciousness entered within Kou's mental reach, causing him to separate himself from Marcus's dreams. Coming into contact with the consciousness, Kou realized it was one of the canines he had sensed earlier that had left and come back. He pondered the cause for the animal to return but knew that no answer would come until morning.

With the rays of dawn's light peaking through the blinds and curtains in the corner of the room, Marcus slowly opened his eyes, observing the room he had chosen to take refuge in. The door, blocked by a chair wedged under the handle, had several posters promoting the new supermarket and the expectations of the staff. The majority of the posters were all dated early to mid-April, confirming yet again the date of the disaster. With a small shake of his head, Marcus began to stand up, bracing his back against the wall. His eyes, catching a glare of sunlight from the far edge of the room, glanced over in curiosity.

A Manager's bathroom, it appeared to be, Marcus thought, stepping towards it. As he approached the doorway with hesitation, Kou reasoned with him.

"There's no one inside there, Marcus. Human or otherwise."

"Are you a radar for me now, Kou?" Marcus chuckled, stepping up to the ajar door and looking into the dimly lit room.

Within those brief seconds of Marcus smiling, his eyes began to see the darkness of the room take form. First a pair of shoes, then pants leading further and further into the room. As Marcus stepped into the room, his eyes opening wider, he saw the true nature of the scene.

"They would've had to been there as long as the one by the cashier..." Marcus deducted, noting the similar state of decomposition.

"If they've been dead for that long, then I doubt they were the ones that created the cache of food," Kou replied, his mental presence spreading outward.