The Devil's Blade

𝟸𝟾|| 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚍 𝚃𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚍𝚢: 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙳𝚘𝚠𝚗𝚏𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛

Gale is missing. I've checked all of his usual spots but there's no sign of him or Simon.

The urgency of the situation presses on me as I frantically search through the headquarters, looking for any trace of Gale or Simon. The halls feel unusually deserted, adding to my growing anxiety. And at this point, I'd give anything to bump into someone.

I decide to check the nursing room, but each room I enter only deepens my concern. There's no sign of him in the common areas, the training rooms, or even the halls. As I turn a corner, I nearly fall back from a sudden smell attacking my nostrils: fire. Something is burning.

I follow the scent of smoke, my heart racing with worry and adrenaline. The odor grows stronger as I hurry down the corridor, finally coming upon a door marked with a warning sign for dangerous materials. Without hesitation, I push open the door and step inside, where the source of the smell becomes apparent—a small fire is blazing in the corner, fed by papers and what looks like discarded fabric.

"Gale!" I call out urgently, scanning the room for any sign of him amidst the smoke and flames. There's no response, just the crackling of the fire and the sharp smell of burning material. Panic grips me as I realize Gale could be in danger.

I move swiftly, grabbing a nearby fire extinguisher and aiming it at the base of the flames. The extinguisher hisses as it releases a cloud of white foam, quickly smothering the fire. Once most of the fire is out, I rush around the room, searching for any trace of Gale. But he isn't here, instead I find his burned labcoat and the remains of paper. I crouch down to grab one of the papers, still mostly intact, and see my name on top of the document—these are my files. Why are they here?

My mind races with questions. Did Gale start this fire? Why was he trying to destroy his files and his clothes? His abscence fills me with growing determination to find him.

As I continue to search, I step on small pieces of broken glass on the floor. I look down to see the remains of a broken syringe on the ground, the liquid inside still oozing out, clear and fluid, much like the syringe I found earlier. I crouch down, touching the liquid on the ground. I smell it, pressing my fingers together and peeling them off to find a sticky, strong smelling substance. More questions rise. What is it? What the hell has Gale been doing with this?

As I pondered over the broken syringe and its contents, a chilling realization started to form in my mind. I smell the substance again and check my fingers coated in red spots, it wasn't just any substance— there is liquid nitrogen in this. But it's not even close enough to kill a creature, so what is it for? Was Gale experimenting with some kind of chemical?

I decide to continue my search for Gale, heading towards the exit. I rush through the corridors, my footsteps echoing in the empty halls. As I turn another corner, I nearly collide with Erik, who looks startled by my sudden appearance.

"Alex?" Erik says, his voice serious as he takes in my frantic expression. "What are you doing here?''

"Have you seen Gale?" I ask, grabbing his shoulders urgently. 

Erik's eyebrow furrows with concern. "No? Why?"

"What about Simon? Anyone?" I ask frantically.

"Well, no but—" Erik begins.

Erik is cut off by the alarm blaring through the building, red lights flashing and a warning repeating over the speakers: 

"Attention all soldiers, this is an emergency. Please leave the building through the indicated doors. Attention all soldiers, this is an emergency. Please leave the building through the indicated doors. Attention-"

Erik and I exchange a glance and he appears to be just as surprised as me. Without wasting a moment, we follow the flashing exit signs, racing through the corridors and towards the nearest exit. I hold my breath as I notice a ominous silhouette at the end of the hall.

"Is that...?" I begin.

"It's an inhuman," Erik finishes. "How the hell did it get in here?"

The creature looms at the end of the hall, screeching and growling, until it's red eyes turn our direction. I glance at Erik who doesn't hesitate to draw his sword and rush up to the creature.

"Erik, wait!" I call, in desperate moment to stop him.

Erik exterminates it with one swing. "Go search for back up!" Erik calls over his shoulder.

"But—" I begin.

"Now!" Erik growls, a sense of urgency in his tone.

I nod quickly and sprint in the opposite direction, following the emergency exit signs to where I hope to find reinforcements. As I run, I can hear the faint echoes of the alarm still blaring through the building. My heart pounds in my chest, adrenaline fueling my steps as I navigate through the halls. I come to a stop, when I notice a trail of blood disappearing into the distance. I leap of my track towards the exit and follow the blood path. I stumble upon a scene I feared for— Simon is slouched against the wall, blood leaking from his head.

"Simon!" I shout as I'm rushing up to him.

His eyes flutter open when he hears me. "Alex," he murmurs weakly, his voice barely audible over the blaring alarm.

I kneel beside him, my heart sinking at the sight of his injuries. "Simon, what happened?" I ask urgently, trying to assess his condition.

He winces in pain, clutching his side where blood seeps through his fingers. "My brother..." he manages to say, his words strained. "He... he attacked me."

"Gale attacked you?" I repeat, disbelief mingling with horror.

Simon nods weakly. "He... he injected himself with something. Said... he had to stop it." He coughs, blood flecking his lips. "But then he..."

The pieces finally start to fall into place, the broken syringe, the mysterious substance. "Where is he now?" I demand, fearing the worst.

Simon gestures weakly down the hall. "He... he went that way," he gasps, struggling to speak.

"Stay here," I instruct Simon, trying to convey reassurance despite my own rising panic. "I'll get help."

With a final glance at Simon, I take off further down the hall, following the trail of blood and hoping desperately to find Gale before anyone else gets hurt.

I race through the building, quickening my pace when I see the rampage ahead in the weapon room. Inside, the tables are overturned, equipment is scattered, and amidst the chaos, Gale is hunched over, his back to me.

"Gale!" I call out firmly.

Gale startles at the sound of my voice, his movements jerky as he turns to face me. His eyes are wild and red, sweat beading on his forehead as he clutches his arm where he injected himself.

"What have you done?" I ask, my voice a mix of concern and disappointment.

Gale's eyes dart around frantically, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I had to," he mutters, his voice barely audible. "I had to stop it."

"Stop what?" I press urgently, stepping closer despite the caution is Gale's posture.

"The curse," he says, his eyes widening with horror. "It's spreading."

"Gale...," I say softly. "Calm down."

 "No," he gasps breathlessly. "You can't help me... no one can help me."

Gale doesn't calm down. He starts to panic, frantically itching the skin down his neck and on his arms, until his nails dig so deep into his flesh, it bleeds. 

"Gale, stop it!" I plead, carefully stepping closer to him.

"I can't!" he yells.

A tentacle slips from his back, shooting in my direction, sending me into a hard collision with the wall.

Gale collapses, groaning as black veins spread rapidly over his body. He struggles to get on his feet as his limps start twisting and seizing uncontrollably. In a matter of seconds, he changes into something unrecognisable.