Dead Snow

Part 16 - Revisitation

Vic: Holy shit...

We were briefed about this dimension. The ACF records and studies every dimension they ever visited. We never close a gateway without first exploring and somewhat understanding the world on the other side. A stupid move but the high council will do anything for more knowledge of other dimensions and what we could possibly harvest from it. This dimension in particular is dimension 439, the realm of immortals. This dimension is known for its landscape being nothing but a desert made of black sand and colorless sky. Its occupants are highly lethal creatures that are hostile to any foreign life forms. They were nicknamed immortals for their ability to be impervious to any weaponry we could throw at them, even fire. But outside their own dimension, fire was a weakness. For me, this meant death is certain if one of them spots me. And seeing that I was in an open field, with multiple immortals a few hundred feet away, my odds were slim. I picked up a handful of sand and watched it fall. The wind carried it behind me and I followed. To my surprise, there was an entire building just a few meters away from me. It was entirely made of concrete with no windows and only one entrance. It looked very similar to the one I originally entered when I passed through the gateway. At the entrance of the building stood a single mannequin facing towards my direction.

Vic: Alright... I'll follow your lead.

Going anywhere else felt like it would mean certain death. I entered the building, not knowing what to expect. There were long hallways to my front and sides. Each hallway was filled with unlabeled wooden doors on each side. After taking a closer look, the hallways seemed to stretch beyond the limits of the building. As if things weren't strange enough already, now I'm dealing with a building that's possibly bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.

*Step* *Step* *Step*

Vic: Hmm?

I heard footsteps coming from my right. Just a second ago there was nobody there, but now I could've sworn I saw a familiar figure walking into one of the rooms. I looked back at the entrance and noticed the mannequin was gone. So now I could aimlessly try every door in this building until I find the gateway, or follow the mysterious figure to what possibly might be my death. Honestly, in my current situation, anything could lead to my death. I cautiously followed the familiar figure, holding the shotgun I took from the security checkpoint. Just out of curiosity, I tried some of the other doors before making it to the target room, They were all locked. I reached for the door handle and watched the whole door simply disappear right before my eyes as if it just simply glitched out of existence. Now there was just a plain concrete wall in its place. I turned back around to discover I was no longer in the same hallway. This was both comforting and concerning. Concerning because the building can actively shift and change within a split second without alerting the current occupant. Comforting because it let me know I was in the same building as the gateway. Now I just need to find some way to make it back. I still didn't have a way to make it back to the power room without a diving mask. I was contemplating on just rolling the dice and swimming as fast as I can before I either suffocate or pass out from the freezing temperature. For now, all I could do was to simply move forward. After walking for about 50 feet, there was an open room with a window that overlooked the landscape. It seemed when the insides of the building changed, I somehow ended up a few floors above ground level. Apart from the anomalies roaming the desert, it actually looked amazing. Though it seemed the only colors that existed in this dimension were black and grey, everything fit together so well. My sightseeing would soon be interrupted when I felt its presence once more. I quickly turned around and aimed the shotgun directly at Mac's face.

Vic: ... You.

Mac: ...

Vic: You're not really Mac, are you...