The World We Once Knew

2 - The World We Once Fought

I feel bile rise up my throat at the gruesome scene in front of me. I'm paralysed staring at a girl who can't be more than twelve hunched over another girl, slowly ripping apart her insides, scattering them across the once white floor, which was now full with the blood, her raven black hair messy and filled with multiple intricate knots as if she hasn't combed it in weeks, her skin deathly pale and her red eyes...oh her eyes are filled with this merciless, ravenous look...this inhuman, nightmare inducing look, which matches the rest of her disheveled appearance with her skirt ripped and her shirt almost completely covered in blood and guts.

But the poor girl below her is in no better condition, her stomach torn open with guts loosely hanging out of her open wound, the rest of her body is just as damaged, plagued with bites and scratches from the monster which looms above her lifeless body. Trust me when I say that I want to hope just as much as everyone else that some miracle could occur, some god given miracle where the girl will just magically get up and continue living her life, but I know deep down that I'm just setting up false hope, I'm not really a pessimist like some people say, I'm just a realist.

My eyes drift off the horrific scene and onto Luke, his face is contorted into a look of utter terror and drained of all colour. I try to motion to him that we need to go but no matter what I do it seems he's too far gone into his own thoughts to even consider a plan of action

Suddenly I'm not scared anymore, now I'm angry, angry at this demon like girl for thinking she has the right to go around slaughtering people, angry at Luke for just standing there like a stunned goldfish and not helping me plan our escape, but most of all I'm angry at myself for being such a coward and not rushing to get here faster, I feel rage surge through me as I ball my hands in fists, but I'm not stupid and I know that I can't let my emotions get the better of me, if I do I'll be dead faster than I can even imagine. So, now I need to come up with a plan, one that doesn't involve me losing any limbs in the process

Plan 1: We could run back into the corridor and hope that we're fast enough to outrun her, no...no that's too risky, what if we get caught, I don't feel like risking my life on a maybe so I guess that plans out of the window.

Plan 2: One of us could create a distraction while the other tries to go and get help, but I doubt that the person making the distraction would make it out alive so I don't think that plan's going to work either.

Plan 3: We could try and attack the thing head on, with the two of us I think we could take her since she's pretty small, but I think Luke would have a heart attack before we even reach her so that's a no go as well.

Why, oh why can't something go right today because now we're standing here just wasting precious seconds because my useless brain can't devise a simple plan, all I've gathered from this is that I should never be left in charge of decision making, literally all of my ideas have some major flaw so what are we supposed to do n-

A loud squeaking begins to echo through the halls and I look to my left in horror to see that Luke's stupid shoes had dragged across the floor to create the sound.

Looking forward I realize that the girl who was occupied eating had now lifted her head and was staring at me and Luke with a devilish grin. Great job Luke, great flipping job just a quick tip for you pal, when someone says that you'll be the death of them...THEY DON'T MEAN IT LITERALLY. I really hope you enjoy being monster food.

Looking ahead I notice that the girl is no longer crouched over her latest victim and was now standing, smiling widely, not a warming or happy smile, it was a sinister smile like a predator staring down its prey. I begin to anxiously back away, hoping that if I move slow enough she won't notice, not the best plan but it's pretty much all I've got, so let's just go with it. I would prefer it if she was acting feral instead of calculating, there was something much more haunting about the way she stalks towards us, she could almost pass for normal but her feral eyes which are filled with an indescribable horror reveal the insanity lurking inside. In a last-ditch effort I try to talk instead, hoping to bring out any sanity she has left, again not a great plan but it's the only one I've got.