The Chaos Insurgency

Free The Animal

My eyes fluttered open, a dark expanse spreading before me. Head aching and my body battered, I was lying on my back, the hard unforgiving ground providing little comfort. I coughed and willed myself to stand on my feet but energy was non-existent. A familiar face swam into view wearing an expression of mixed concern and suppressed amusement.

"Are you alright?" Larry asked, twisting his fingers together nervously.

"Yeah.........fantastic," I replied sarcastically.

I tried to lift my head but dizziness soon engulfed it, sending it back to the cold ground.

"Help me up," I ordered.

Larry grabbed my gloved hand and heaved me to my feet. In a standing position, the world sat on an angle. Squinting, I examined the dark corroded walls and the multiple corridors that stretched for an eternity.

"Great," I sighed, hands on hips. "This place again."

"I had little choice in the matter," Larry sneered. "Your life depended on it."

Larry's pocket dimension was unpleasant to say the least. Frigid, cold and dark, it contained dangerous death traps from swinging stones to Larry himself. Larry grinned at my discomfort as I ran a hand across the wall.

"So, how do we get out?" I asked impatiently.

"Why so hasty to leave?" Larry stalked over to the wall and crossed his arms. "I think it would be wise to evaluate our plan before taking action."

"Well, we're not off to a good start," I gritted my teeth. "We didn't manage to copy the map."

"I've memorised it," Larry assured me with a wave of his hand.

"Really?" I frowned doubtfully. "We only looked at it for less than a minute."

"You underestimate my ability, William," Larry was calm. "An SCP possesses superior intellect and memory compared to that of a mere human."

"Right," I snarled, wrapping my lab coat firmly around me. "Now can we please leave? I'm freezing."

"We still need to evaluate our plan," Larry reminded me cheekily.

"What is there to evaluate?" I stomped my foot with impatience. "You claim you have memorised the map. We continue to follow the route to the prison."

"And what happens when we get there?" Larry asked in a quiet voice.

I swallowed, struggling to formulate an answer. I certainly hadn't thought that far. We were understocked, weapon less and gravely unprepared.

"We'll decide later," I brushed off his query.

"You're a brave man, William," Larry remarked. "Brave..........but stupid."

"I can't say I disagree," I admitted sheepishly. "Now can we go?"

"Certainly," Larry cracked one of his menacing smiles.

He strode over to me and grabbed my gloved hands. With a jerking and pulling motion, the darkness fell away in wisps and reality began to form. In a matter of seconds, my eyes had adjusted to the change in brightness and were greeted with a hallway. Only it wasn't quite a hallway. We were standing on a stone ledge and just a short drop below was waist-high water, gurgling quietly. A steel door stood amongst the waters, no doubt leading to another room or hallway.

"This was not here before," I remarked, biting my lip. "That's for sure."

"What is that?" Larry asked in a horrified whisper.

"Huh?" I was puzzled. "You mean the water?"

"Water?" he breathed out in fear. "Is that what that's called?"