HUMAN

Chapter 36 - How The Tables Turned

The monitor blue screened multiple times before shutting down. Pennie began to bash the radio against the desk in a desperate attempt to revive it. "Oh, fuck this!" She grabbed a nearby screwdriver to pry the radio open exposing the circuit boards.

She shook her head. Turns out she doesn't know much about electrical wiring and only Leo would know something about this as he was the one to modify this device to exceed it's limited performance. Slumping back on the chair, she pants in frustration as she stares at the empty screen.

The radio began to crackle to life. "Pennie- Pennie! I need directions!" She could tell it was Vincent's voice who kept cutting in and out, and she couldn't bare to hear it. She could hear Vincent, but Vincent couldn't hear her.

She was helpless. Not only that, but she could not do anything useful for Vincent. What Pennie feared the most during this operation had come true.

After weighing her options and judging the situation she resorted to the one thing she didn't want to do; burn everything to the ground and leave with her life. She cursed to herself multiple times because without her Vincent would be walking in the dark.

Jumping out of the chair, she ducked underneath the desk and pulled out a briefcase. Popping it open, she pulled a vial that contained Vincent's blood. "When all things have gone wrong, escape with your life with this." She repeated Vincent's words to her before they started the mission.

Closing the suitcase, she opened a container where a jerry can was stored and took off the cap. "I'm sorry, Vincent." Pennie said.

- - -

"The Backrooms" what Pennie had called it are multiple maze-like levels structured to lure and confuse SIU employees whom Ms. Sinclair would deem a suspected threat or hindrance to the company. Why have this floor built in the first place left Vincent wondering.

Were these testing grounds back in the past that were repurposed?

Or perhaps Ms. Sinclair was just that much on the edge of sanity that she'd toy with her victims before taking them in for her experiments? A sick joke that only she finds herself laughing at.

One more thing that the backrooms held were these "mutants" that Vincent had called them. Past test subjects of Ms. Sinclair's experiments. He'd concluded that they no longer resemble any form of self-consciousness nor control of their own will. They were zombies that were being controlled by the words of Ms. Sinclair as Vincent runs around aimlessly trying to avoid them.

He'd occasionally encounter them when he'd turn a corner, and they would launch at him like a rabid animal on steroids. What worried Vincent the most was that these guys were strong. He'd learned that the hard way when he thought that a swipe from them would be nothing but a gentle love tap. Turns out that these mutants had some properties of the X-R07 serum, but not to the extent that they could reach Vincent's strength.

He'd lost track of time. Was he running around for ten minutes? Thirty? Or even an hour?

This place was driving him nuts. Every single corner looked the same. He couldn't tell if he was even going anywhere or aimlessly running around in circles.

He turned at a corner and was met head on with a mutant who had noticed his presence and began to ran towards him, growling and clawing it's way to strike. Vincent raised his leg and sent a foot to its chest knocking it towards the wall before he continued on his way. "Just gotta make sure they won't land a punch and I should be fine." He assured himself.

Two more showed up in front of him. Dodge the one that lunged at him and throw it to the side, then grab the head and knee its face in. Kick the one that previously jumped at him on the face for good measure and move on. Thankfully these guys only knew how to attack and not defend.