The Darkness I Hide

The Hell Begins

Seb, JoJo, and Juli Kidman were all looking at me weirdly. Probably wondering why I was on the ground. I looked at all three of them before giving a nervous smile. Then I got up and dusted off.

"I was, uh, waiting for the patrol," I explained.

I still got skeptical looks, but I guessed Seb decided it was better not to ask. They all started toward the entrance. I sighed and looked up at the window. Who was that guy? I wondered. He liked familiar. Like I've seen him before. Which was bullshit. I know for a fact that I've met no one so... creepy. Of course, maybe I met him at a time I don't remember.

Sighing, I focused on the case. I was at Beacon for a reason. So, as JoJo passed me, I fell into step with him. He gave me a brief smile before searching the nearest car. My face turned red, and I had to turn away. God, I'm so hopeless. And very good at humiliating myself. Yes, you assholes, I have a crush on Joseph. So what? Anyway, back to the story. I rushed to catch up with my brother. Sebastian looked at me when I appeared at his side.

"We aren't bringing everyone back, right?" I asked.

He sighed.

"You need to stop being late, Daniel. It isn't helping your case," he scolded.

I rubbed my arm nervously. He was right. When we stopped at the front doors of the hospital, I turned to fully face him.

"I'm trying, Seb. Really, I am."

He sighed again.

"I know."

He opened the door, and we both flinched back. The stench was just too strong. We looked at each other, and Joseph approached us.

"Smells like blood," he pointed out.

Seb nodded, telling us to be careful. I went inside first, looking around. The floor was littered with bodies; most of them patients. I pulled the collar of my vest over my face before kneeling next to the nearest body. The throat was slit so precisely; like a surgeon did it. We were dealing with a professional. I looked up at the mass of bodies around me. They were all the same. Throat's slit. I stood up and walked toward the front desk. Even the nurse. How...?

"Somebody alive!" Joseph suddenly yelled.

I rushed into the security room, Seb not too far behind. Joseph was kneeling next to a man in a lab coat. A doctor. I looked closely at him, realizing that he was familiar. My eyes widened.

"Dr. Jimenez?" I blurted out.

Seb looked at me.

"You know him?"

"Yeah, he's Marcello Jimenez. Michelle was his patient."

He nodded, but we both froze. Jimenez was awake and talking.

"It can't be... Ruvik is..." he managed before passing out again.

Seb asked Joseph something, but I didn't hear it. I wasn't even in Beacon anymore. I was somewhere far away. Ruvik... My body started shaking. I wondered if Ruvik was the man I saw earlier. Part of me didn't want to know. I feel like knowing would lead to something bad. This could end up being my breaking point. Suddenly, I felt a firm yet gentle grip on my arm. I blinked, coming back to the real world. Seb was pulling me toward the cameras.

"Look for anything suspicious," he ordered.

I slowly nodded. We both searched the screens, not finding anything. Then Seb pointed to a certain one. It showed three cops running down the hall left of the lobby. I instantly recognized two as the ones I came here with. They all turned and began shooting at... nothing. There was nothing there. What the hell? Suddenly, the man I saw earlier appeared out of nowhere, slitting their throats one by one. I stepped back and covered my mouth in horror. The man looked up at the camera, but somehow I knew he was looking right at me. It made my heart stop... That is, until he disappeared. I just couldn't bring myself to look away.

"What the hell?" Seb whispered.

My thoughts exactly... This was all too strange. Though, I had a feeling that it was only going to get worse. I stepped closer to the desk. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seb turn around, but I paid it no mind. Then he fell like a sack of potatoes. I instantly turned around in a panic, only to have someone wrap their hand around my throat. I was lifted off the ground. My eyes widened, and I grabbed his wrist as if by doing so, he would just let go. That was just a hope, however, as he tightened his grip. My breath hitched, and I reached out to hit him. He grabbed my wrist, but I could knock his hood off a bit. I couldn't hold in the gasp. His face was covered in burn scars. Hatred filled the man's eyes.

"What is it, Daniel?"

I looked at him in surprise. How...? Before I could utter a word, he slammed me into the wall. Everything instantly went black.

It felt like hell when I woke up. My head was pounding and my legs were numb. I had to blink several times to clear my vision. I honestly wish I hadn't. Bodies hung from the ceiling, including mine. The only difference between me and them, however, was that I was still alive. They were torn to bits, missing limbs and important parts needed to live. I looked around, trying to find who did this, but I had no luck. Right when I was about to give up, someone grabbed my vest and pulled my torso up. I gasped. Staring down at me was a man with a muzzle on his face. The kind they put on cannibals and sociopaths. He wore a wife beater and carried a machete in his hand. He was completely covered in blood. I grabbed his wrist, my breathing frantic. I was terrified. I'm going to die!

Then, the man just let go, making me swing back and forth. He stalked off, grabbed a body that had no legs, and went into the next room with it. I sighed in relief. I was still safe... for now. Taking a deep breath, I looked around. Seb had to be here somewhere, but I couldn't see him. In fact, it seemed like I was the only living next to that sadist. I sighed again and reached up to untie myself. However, I found a knife already sawing away at my rope. Shit! It snapped, sending me crashing to the ground.

"You okay?" Seb whispered, standing above me.

I nodded. Sitting up, I made sure the sadist didn't hear me drop. He didn't. Good... I looked at my brother, silently asking what the plan was. He pointed to a door, telling me to wait there. Immediately, I quietly got up and ran toward it. Meanwhile, Seb went to retrieve the key. I ran a hand through my hair. What the hell is going on? I asked myself. How did that guy know my name?

My thoughts off when a chute opened, and more bodies spilled out of it, making me jump. I turned away, focusing on the task at hand. So when Seb came back and unlocked the door, I rushed up the stairs. At the top, I looked over the edge. The sadist was nowhere to be seen. Shit. I opened my mouth to warn Seb when an alarm went off. The sound of a chainsaw filled the air.

"Shit!" Seb exclaimed before grabbing my arm and running. I didn't even bother to look back, so I tried to concentrate on what was in front of me. I even tried to pretend something else was chasing us. It didn't work. As we got closer and closer to the end of the hallway, a door came into view. Seb pushed me out in front of him, and I burst into the other room. However, just as Seb entered, I saw the sadists swing his chainsaw down, cutting my brother's leg. Seb fell forward with an "oof." I rushed to his side as the sadist pushed a button near the door. Bars fell in between us, spinning blades emerging from the walls. Immediately, I put Seb's arm around my shoulder and took off. Yet, halfway through, I slipped. A blade cut through my arm.

"Shit!"

This was hell. Slowly, I pushed forward. More bars blocked the exit, so I aimed for an opening in floor. Seb went down first. Just as I was about to, I looked up at the bars. The man in the lab coat stood there, a smirk on his face.