Chapter 1
Entrance Exams
As soon as I felt it stop sucking, I jumped up and kicked it on the jaw hinge, ultimately sending it sprawling in pain and breaking its jaw. My chest felt heavy, and my head was spinning. Blood was running down through my jacket and the smell made me sick. As I straightened up, my foot nudged my gun and I carefully seized it, desperately trying to stop my hands from shaking. Some entrance exam, I thought as I edged warily towards the hallway.
I rounded the corner into a chapel, the altar draped with dust and vines, the pews rotten from years of neglect. What was left of the aisle carpet looked singed around the edges, and fresh footprints traced its surface. Another one, dammit where do these things come from? I thought paranoid. I thumbed the hammer and my ears tuned into every sound, waiting to hear the usual rattling joints and sobbing breaths. This was my last clip and I'd be damned if it was wasted. I checked the heat sensor, but nothing had changed. Is it gone? I thought, but it was fleeting as the screen distorted and I felt it's breath on my neck.
"No you don't!" I growled softly as I spun to shoot, finding empty air and the screen normal again. I stood there a moment, aiming at the wall, dumbfounded. Where did it go? I thought wildly. Am I going insane or something? Oh well, I'm not alone; anyone would in this freak show. I straightened, lowered my gun, and sat down in a pew, desperately trying to regain my breath and my sanity. My head snapped up as I heard something thump the wall next to me, but slowly dropped again as I saw the tail of a rat disappear around the side of the altar. I slumped down in the seat and closed my eyes, ignoring all the rules they'd drilled into us during our first year.
Rule 1: NEVER lower your gun.
Rule 2: NEVER close your eyes.
Rule 3: Be prepared at all times.
Rule 4: Stay alert.
Rule 5: NEVER befriend it; it WILL kill you...
Yeah, right, I thought as I drifted into a semi-conscious state. Rules, the only thing that I couldn't care less about. Somewhere along the lines, I noticed systematic breathing very far away.
"Back so soon? Go ahead, feed as much as you like. It's not like you'll get very far" I murmured as I felt my gun slip from my grasp. Something warm pulled away my collar from my neck and its breath tickled. I prepared myself for the pain, and my jaw tightened. I waited and waited.
Nothing.
I frowned and my eyes opened curiously. Staring straight back at me, I could've sworn he was human. The face, the hair, and the clothes were all perfect reincarnations of humanity. If it wasn't for his sickly white skin, and his abnormal, golden- glowing irises, I could've mistaken him for a Slayer, perhaps even a sibling. I sat there, and he stood there. Moments passed, and neither of us moved. What do I do? I thought wildly. My gun's gone, I'm defenceless against this guy, what if he realises I heal abnormally? I'll become a major food source for his pals, and then my self-proclaimed "masters" will HAVE to kill me. I guess this is what they get for giving their "perfect soldiers" free will.
I jumped as his head tilted, and it looked as if he were studying me. I felt his hand touch my neck then he looked at it. I slowly dragged my gaze across to where the previous Parasite had drained me and saw that the wound had already healed perfectly, leaving only a ring of dried blood. Shoot, he must have seen it close up, now I'm definitely done for.
I looked back at him again and searched for any explanation to his thoughts, but he was a blank surface, and I felt frustrated. If all he's going to do is stand there, then I'm leaving, I have a job to do, I thought as I pushed him back a way so I could stand. He looked at me, and then held up my gun, almost trying to taunt me. I stared at it for a moment, and then, as I went to take my gun, It fired a shot through my hand.
I cried out in pain and fell to my knees at Its feet. I couldn't believe it, this thing knew how to shoot, and It didn't even flinch! One of Its hands rested on my shoulder, and slipped under my chin, lifting my face to It. I glared at It and tried to wriggle out of Its grip, but It held fast. This thing was so strong! I could no longer see the human in Its features, It was just another vulgar abomination that needed to be killed or else....
I froze. Here in front of me, was this thing, like a mirror-in-a-dark-room copy of humanity, on Its knees, with Its eyes closed, kissing me.
Kissing me.
My mind went blank and my body went in a dead lock, nothing was moving, I just knelt there, kissing It, completely numb. I was there, for what must only have been moments, but felt like hours. Then Its piercing eyes opened, Its hand slipped my gun onto my lap, and It drew back and stood up. At first, I sat there, stunned, staring at Its knees, then my mind caught up to reality and I'd thrown myself back against the wall, my gun aimed and ready to fire, the bullet wound now numb to my perception.
It looked back at me, and blinked. My hands were shaking, my eyes were wide with shock, and I felt defenceless. It blinked again, and smiled. My jaw dropped. It smiled, looking very amused, and started towards me. I fired, tragically missing, and It didn't flinch, I fired again, and as I watched the bullet hit Its chest, It stopped. Still smiling, It reached into Its jacket and brought out a gun of Its own.
My skin crawled, and I stood up. Its smile took on a look of pure evil, and It took another step. My gun raised and I aimed for Its head, focusing on destroying that disgusting smile. I fired, but before I could see the damage It had taken, Its head had dropped and I was stumbling, rapidly leaping across the tops of the pews, feeling as they fell and crumbled behind my step. As I reached the back of the chapel, I risked a glance back to see It straightening, with Its hand to Its mouth, and beginning to turn in my direction.
I sprang back around the corner into the room where I had previously been Drained; the Parasite was curled up in the corner, all arms and legs and bat-furred face mashed into a clump. As I watched, its skin deepened to black and it slipped down into a chaotic and nauseating sludge: I knew it was dead. The screen went wild again, and I dashed back through the corridors that I had come through, desperately trying to retrace my steps.
As I rounded a bend, I came across the hole I'd fallen through, and I started rapidly climbing the rocks that lined the hallway. Grabbing the splintered edge of the wooden flooring, I swung to safety. As I turned and looked back at the Underground, I caught a glimpse of Its smiling face and Its piercing gold eyes. I looked back to grab my gun out of its halter, still nervous about shooting myself in the leg, but when I looked back, It was nowhere to be seen.
Standing up slowly, I turned to start on my way back to the academy, thinking hard about how to explain this to The Mistress. My ears were once again alert, and I noticed someone familiar following me. I looked back to see if they were going to try and scare me, and when I saw no-one, I laughed and quickened my pace. As I listened, their pace quickened; they started in a dead run. At the last moment, their feet left the ground and I took a small step to the side, watching as Daniel hit the floor, gun spinning off at my feet, all awkward arms and legs sprawled like a cockroach on its back. I stumbled to my knees, laughing weakly.
"Oh, wow Dan," I gasped, "you just made my day!" I tried to stand but ended up collapsing against the wall, my skeleton trembling as adrenaline raged through my veins. He looked at me, annoyed and stood up.
"What is WITH you? No-one could possibly have heard that, I'm silent!" he sulked, dusting himself off. I looked at him and attempted a smirk.
"That's right, you are silent, but the way you move the air is distastefully ungraceful. Why are you so surprised?"
He looked back at me and smiled. Taking a deep breath, I handed him his gun. He looked at his watch, and I looked at mine: we gasped.
5:57am.
Shooting daggers at each other, we bolted down the rotting carcass of a corridor: three minutes until deadline.
