24th Fragment: -UNDER-
"Halt!" Rupert alerted the others before pressing his shoulder against the metal grating. With a gentle push, the grille detached with ease and fell to the ground.
KRANG!
“Oh, shit!” the elder Nightingale muttered. “Welp, so much for discretion.”
With the light stick in his hand, he waved it outside the vent, ensuring there was no bottomless pit waiting for him.
"Okay. All clear…I guess," Rupert added as he crawled into an old stairwell. As soon as his feet touched the landing, the whole U-shaped staircase creaked aloud – much to his dismay.
"Oof, that’s a long way down," said Lucy after exiting the vent. "That's...what? Probably 18 to 20 feet deep?" she guessed aloud before noticing the steps leading up were damaged beyond repair. “The good news is the Disciples will not be coming soon – unless they have other ways to come down here.”
“There are no other ways,” said Elisabeth, who was the last to leave the shaft. “This is the only staircase leading further down into the bunker. If they made a new one, I’ll be the first to know.”
“Speaking of which, Liz, how did you get inside this facility? Is there another entrance somewhere?” Lucy asked, staring curiously at her friend’s face.
“I dig.”
“Dig?” Rupert repeated. “With what?”
Elisabeth proceeded to crack her knuckles before replying, “Take a guess.”
“O-Oh – with those. I see, just…just forget I say anything,” the elder Nightingale nearly stumbled over his words.
“Tsk! Quit joking around,” Elisabeth clicked her tongue in annoyance. Shortly after, her amber eyes darted to the left where a large number ‘2’ was painted on the wall in red. “Whatever you see down there, DON’T touch anything.”
“You of all people should know my brother is not pretty good at following orders,” Lucy inquired as she slowly made her way toward the banisters; her eyes were fixated on the darkness beneath her feet. “What’s down there, anyway?”
“The Quarantine Facility.”
“A Quarantine Facility? In the lowest level of this complex?” Lucy retorted.
“Don’t let the name fool you. It was where the Disciples imprisoned the captured children whose fate is to be subjected to their countless, inhumane experiments.” After Elisabeth finished her explanation, she pointed her finger at Rupert and demanded, “You – give me the light stick.”
“What?! This is mine!”
“You took more than one from my cabin. So, give me that and play with a new one, NOW!”
Rupert reluctantly tossed the light stick in his hand to the furious woman, who in turn threw the object down into the void. “Hm, seems the rest of the stairs of the rises are still intact. Let’s go.”
“Wait, what if it’s not…intact? We could fall to our death, you know?” the elder Nightingale blurted out.
“No, we won’t,” Lucy countered. “Our bodies are much sturdier than a normal human being – which means, the fall won’t be enough to kill us. The pain, however, can sometimes be a little bit unbearable.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound reassuring.”
“Let’s put it this way. You either come down on your own accord, or I’ll drop you,” Elisabeth interjected.
Rupert’s entire face turned pale. A brief moment later, the amber-eyed woman patted the man on the shoulder and with a stern expression, said, “Chill. Learn to take a joke.”
“O-Oh, that was a joke? Of course, it was a joke. Huh, nice one. Haha…ha…,” Rupert’s voice trailed off.
CLANG!
“Wait, do you hear that?" Lucy blurted out. She swiftly edged near the railing with her eyes shut and her ears wide open. But, she hears nothing. “That’s strange. I thought I heard something earlier – like a rattling chain.”
“Rattling chain, you say?” Elisabeth added, her eyes narrowed. “Odd. Two days ago, I heard something similar on the floor above, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source. Are you sure you heard-.”
CLANG!
The three Accursed exchanged looks as if they were making sure each one of them heard the sudden clattering.
“A chain-like sound in a dark confined space where terrible, and unjust deaths took place,” Lucy paused, as she momentarily munched on the insides of her cheeks. “Well, it’s safe to say the only one who fits the criteria is an Eidolon.”
"An Eidolon? That sounds kinda familiar," said Rupert, scratching his head.
"Seriously? We learn about-Urgh, never mind. An Eidolon is humanoid Distorted, considered to be one of the nastiest monsters – I would say, they are much nastier than a big old Mangler. They can produce an odorless, airborne chemical that when inhaled, will intensify one’s sense of fear, thus temporarily paralyzing any human in the vicinity.”
“Ooh, that sounds rad!” spouted Rupert.
“The chemical only affects the motor function of the Eidolon’s prey, but not their other senses. In other words, the victims can still feel as the Distorted’s fangs gnawed into their flesh and sucked the lives out of them,” Elisabeth elaborated.
“Oof, not rad. Got it.”
Elisabeth glanced at Lucy in disbelief, asking the latter, “Is…is this normal? Is he always like this?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” the youngest Nightingale huffed. “You’ll get used to it. I think.”
“I understand if it’s you, but Edelweiss…?”
“Let’s just say there were several…disagreements between the two of them before they could properly tolerate each other.”
“I don’t have time for disagreement or any kind of tomfoolery. Not only are we in the Eidolon’s territory, but we also have the Disciples hot on our tail. So, we need to be on our toes at all times.”
“Woah, you sounded like Sam there, Liz – which is a compliment, of course,” Rupert commented as he walked away from the banister. “And relax. The Eidolon will not stand a chance against the three of us together.”
“I’m not sure whether Markus has mentioned this to you, but overconfidence is a dangerous trait to have – at times, it could be fatal. Sure, it has brought you many victories – however, all it takes is a tiny slip-up and you’ll find your whole world turned upside down in a blink of an eye.”
“Ah, but it is you said: it has brought me many victories. I appreciate your concern, Liz, but-.”
KRANG!
The metallic landing beneath Rupert's feet disintegrated without warning, causing him to crash down to the lower level.
"RUPERT!" Lucy yelled out, lunging toward the opening before hearing her brother groaning in pain.
"I'm fine! I’m fine! My butt is not, though!"
"He's fine. Let's get a move on," Elisabeth sighed.
The two women cautiously climbed down the squeaking stairs while resisting the urge to grab the rusty balustrades. Despite their slow descent, both Lucy and Elisabeth eventually reached the sand-covered ground floor where they saw Rupert already on his feet examining a barred metal door.
Peeking through the small, broken glass panel, he saw a large room occupied with cabinets and tables – each one lying in disarray. "Hm, no one’s in there for sure. I wonder what’s inside?” Rupert remarked.
"The entrance looks blocked," said Lucy before tugging on the heavy iron bar fixed to the door frame. “Yup, it is indeed blocked. Hm, doesn’t seem it could be opened from this side."
“It wasn’t supposed to be opened from this side,” Elisabeth retorted as he clenched her fists and nonchalantly drove them into the wall. With a single movement, the amber-eyed woman spread the concrete barrier wide open as if she was handling a piece of clay. “There – our way in.”
“You’re one scary gal, Liz,” said Rupert, causing Elisabeth to roll her eyes.
One by one, the trio slipped through the hole into what used to be a laboratory. The benches and tables were blanketed in layers of dust and molds while the cobwebs enveloped the glassless, steel cabinet.
"Now, would you look at that," Rupert muttered as he approached lines of sealed glass jars sitting on top of a square table. As the man took a closer look, he realized they were filled with dark, viscous liquid that bubbled as soon as the man picked one up.
"Hey, don't touch anything!" Lucy ranted, although her warning came a tad too late.
"Relax, sis. It's probably just one of those expired chemicals-HOLY MOTHER OF CRAP!" the elder Nightingale gasped after seeing a small head popped out of the liquid, prompting him to frantically place the jar back on the table. "What in the world was that? That's-that's freaking gross!" Rupert stammered as he rubbed his palms together in disgust.
“This…,” Elisabeth’s brows drew together. “I know this boy…Finn was his name. He, uh, he used to live across from my room. And this,” the amber-eyed woman then examined the second jar, “Is Mira. I only met her for three days before she…suddenly passed away.”
“What is all this?” Rupert asked, grimacing at the content of the jars.
“Failures. Those who rejected the gene integration therapy. I thought…I thought Silva burnt them all.”
"Um, Liz?" said Lucy, standing in front of a cabinet jam-packed with ring binder files. She noticed the names on the spines -- most of them were struck out by black tapes except for one. "Rosa. That's the same name that Silva guy was shouting earlier. It's…it’s your old name, wasn't it?"
"Really?" Rupert stormed toward her sister, who in turn, obstructed him from reaching the cabinet.
"No. These are all important documents. They'll fall apart if you touch them without proper equipment and procedure. Besides," Lucy pulled her brother closer and whispered into his ear, "They contained sensitive information. Very. Sensitive. You got me?"
Rupert pursed his lips in defiance, but he eventually relented to his sister's wish.
“Yes, it is,” Elisabeth responded. “It’s my birth name – a name I abandoned once I was taken to the Tower.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t-.”
“No, it’s fine. As a matter of fact, we should focus on our initial objective,” the amber-eyed exhaled. She then headed toward a double door and shoved it open, causing the warm and musty air of the underground tunnel to hit the trio in the face. "At least, there are no signs of the Eidolon – which could either be good or bad.”
“Forget the Eidolon. Look," blurted Rupert as he pointed the light stick at the hallway. For him, it was déjà vu all over again – seeing piles of fully-clothed skeletons scattered around the corridors. Similar to the first chamber he ventured into with his sister and Sam, the area is yet another unnamed tomb -- a place where violent deaths took place.
"Another massacre, and those claw marks…," Lucy remarked, gesturing at the multiple depressions on the walls. Then, an idea came into her mind, prompting her to ask her friend, "Say, Liz? You said the Disciples created a monster, right? Are these…one of its handiworks?"
"I don't know. Never saw the thing - so, I have no idea," Elisabeth responded before placing her right hand into one of the indentations. However, the woman strangely felt something familiar about the scene in front of her eyes -- as if she was here when the carnage occurred.
"Liz?" Elisabeth fidgeted as Lucy tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you alright? You look…tensed."
"Tensed?" the amber-eyed woman scoffed at the word. "Why would I feel tensed?"
"Really? Do you seriously want me to answer that?" said the youngest Nightingale, her left eyebrow raised.
Elisabeth could only grunt as she knew there was nearly nothing that could escape Lucia Nightingale's keen eyes. "I grew up here with the other orphans abducted by the Disciples. A dreary place, of course, but some of my fondest memories were made here. So, you know? It's a bit jarring to see a once pretty little hallway reduced to nothing but dust and rubbles now," Elisabeth elucidated.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy expressed her sympathy, but she could sense her friend was hiding something else. "I know I shouldn’t be saying this but…what exactly happened here-?"
BOOM!
A flash of reddish-orange light in the distance cut Lucy short, followed by the pungent smell of burnt carbon penetrating her nose.
"Woah, that flame. Do you think it is what I think it is?" Rupert uttered excitedly.
"Sam," Lucy murmured before charging into the dark corridor.
24th Fragment: -UNDER-
"Halt!" Rupert alerted the others before pressing his shoulder against the metal grating. With a gentle push, the grille detached with ease and fell to the ground.
KRANG!
“Oh, shit!” the elder Nightingale muttered. “Welp, so much for discretion.”
With the light stick in his hand, he waved it outside the vent, ensuring there was no bottomless pit waiting for him.
"Okay. All clear…I guess," Rupert added as he crawled into an old stairwell. As soon as his feet touched the landing, the whole U-shaped staircase creaked aloud – much to his dismay.
"Oof, that’s a long way down," said Lucy after exiting the vent. "That's...what? Probably 18 to 20 feet deep?" she guessed aloud before noticing the steps leading up were damaged beyond repair. “The good news is the Disciples will not be coming soon – unless they have other ways to come down here.”
“There are no other ways,” said Elisabeth, who was the last to leave the shaft. “This is the only staircase leading further down into the bunker. If they made a new one, I’ll be the first to know.”
“Speaking of which, Liz, how did you get inside this facility? Is there another entrance somewhere?” Lucy asked, staring curiously at her friend’s face.
“I dig.”
“Dig?” Rupert repeated. “With what?”
Elisabeth proceeded to crack her knuckles before replying, “Take a guess.”
“O-Oh – with those. I see, just…just forget I say anything,” the elder Nightingale nearly stumbled over his words.
“Tsk! Quit joking around,” Elisabeth clicked her tongue in annoyance. Shortly after, her amber eyes darted to the left where a large number ‘2’ was painted on the wall in red. “Whatever you see down there, DON’T touch anything.”
“You of all people should know my brother is not pretty good at following orders,” Lucy inquired as she slowly made her way toward the banisters; her eyes were fixated on the darkness beneath her feet. “What’s down there, anyway?”
“The Quarantine Facility.”
“A Quarantine Facility? In the lowest level of this complex?” Lucy retorted.
“Don’t let the name fool you. It was where the Disciples imprisoned the captured children whose fate is to be subjected to their countless, inhumane experiments.” After Elisabeth finished her explanation, she pointed her finger at Rupert and demanded, “You – give me the light stick.”
“What?! This is mine!”
“You took more than one from my cabin. So, give me that and play with a new one, NOW!”
Rupert reluctantly tossed the light stick in his hand to the furious woman, who in turn threw the object down into the void. “Hm, seems the rest of the stairs of the rises are still intact. Let’s go.”
“Wait, what if it’s not…intact? We could fall to our death, you know?” the elder Nightingale blurted out.
“No, we won’t,” Lucy countered. “Our bodies are much sturdier than a normal human being – which means, the fall won’t be enough to kill us. The pain, however, can sometimes be a little bit unbearable.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound reassuring.”
“Let’s put it this way. You either come down on your own accord, or I’ll drop you,” Elisabeth interjected.
Rupert’s entire face turned pale. A brief moment later, the amber-eyed woman patted the man on the shoulder and with a stern expression, said, “Chill. Learn to take a joke.”
“O-Oh, that was a joke? Of course, it was a joke. Huh, nice one. Haha…ha…,” Rupert’s voice trailed off.
CLANG!
“Wait, do you hear that?" Lucy blurted out. She swiftly edged near the railing with her eyes shut and her ears wide open. But, she hears nothing. “That’s strange. I thought I heard something earlier – like a rattling chain.”
“Rattling chain, you say?” Elisabeth added, her eyes narrowed. “Odd. Two days ago, I heard something similar on the floor above, but I couldn’t pinpoint the source. Are you sure you heard-.”
CLANG!
The three Accursed exchanged looks as if they were making sure each one of them heard the sudden clattering.
“A chain-like sound in a dark confined space where terrible, and unjust deaths took place,” Lucy paused, as she momentarily munched on the insides of her cheeks. “Well, it’s safe to say the only one who fits the criteria is an Eidolon.”
"An Eidolon? That sounds kinda familiar," said Rupert, scratching his head.
"Seriously? We learn about-Urgh, never mind. An Eidolon is humanoid Distorted, considered to be one of the nastiest monsters – I would say, they are much nastier than a big old Mangler. They can produce an odorless, airborne chemical that when inhaled, will intensify one’s sense of fear, thus temporarily paralyzing any human in the vicinity.”
“Ooh, that sounds rad!” spouted Rupert.
“The chemical only affects the motor function of the Eidolon’s prey, but not their other senses. In other words, the victims can still feel as the Distorted’s fangs gnawed into their flesh and sucked the lives out of them,” Elisabeth elaborated.
“Oof, not rad. Got it.”
Elisabeth glanced at Lucy in disbelief, asking the latter, “Is…is this normal? Is he always like this?”
“Oh, you have no idea,” the youngest Nightingale huffed. “You’ll get used to it. I think.”
“I understand if it’s you, but Edelweiss…?”
“Let’s just say there were several…disagreements between the two of them before they could properly tolerate each other.”
“I don’t have time for disagreement or any kind of tomfoolery. Not only are we in the Eidolon’s territory, but we also have the Disciples hot on our tail. So, we need to be on our toes at all times.”
“Woah, you sounded like Sam there, Liz – which is a compliment, of course,” Rupert commented as he walked away from the banister. “And relax. The Eidolon will not stand a chance against the three of us together.”
“I’m not sure whether Markus has mentioned this to you, but overconfidence is a dangerous trait to have – at times, it could be fatal. Sure, it has brought you many victories – however, all it takes is a tiny slip-up and you’ll find your whole world turned upside down in a blink of an eye.”
“Ah, but it is you said: it has brought me many victories. I appreciate your concern, Liz, but-.”
KRANG!
The metallic landing beneath Rupert's feet disintegrated without warning, causing him to crash down to the lower level.
"RUPERT!" Lucy yelled out, lunging toward the opening before hearing her brother groaning in pain.
"I'm fine! I’m fine! My butt is not, though!"
"He's fine. Let's get a move on," Elisabeth sighed.
The two women cautiously climbed down the squeaking stairs while resisting the urge to grab the rusty balustrades. Despite their slow descent, both Lucy and Elisabeth eventually reached the sand-covered ground floor where they saw Rupert already on his feet examining a barred metal door.
Peeking through the small, broken glass panel, he saw a large room occupied with cabinets and tables – each one lying in disarray. "Hm, no one’s in there for sure. I wonder what’s inside?” Rupert remarked.
"The entrance looks blocked," said Lucy before tugging on the heavy iron bar fixed to the door frame. “Yup, it is indeed blocked. Hm, doesn’t seem it could be opened from this side."
“It wasn’t supposed to be opened from this side,” Elisabeth retorted as he clenched her fists and nonchalantly drove them into the wall. With a single movement, the amber-eyed woman spread the concrete barrier wide open as if she was handling a piece of clay. “There – our way in.”
“You’re one scary gal, Liz,” said Rupert, causing Elisabeth to roll her eyes.
One by one, the trio slipped through the hole into what used to be a laboratory. The benches and tables were blanketed in layers of dust and molds while the cobwebs enveloped the glassless, steel cabinet.
"Now, would you look at that," Rupert muttered as he approached lines of sealed glass jars sitting on top of a square table. As the man took a closer look, he realized they were filled with dark, viscous liquid that bubbled as soon as the man picked one up.
"Hey, don't touch anything!" Lucy ranted, although her warning came a tad too late.
"Relax, sis. It's probably just one of those expired chemicals-HOLY MOTHER OF CRAP!" the elder Nightingale gasped after seeing a small head popped out of the liquid, prompting him to frantically place the jar back on the table. "What in the world was that? That's-that's freaking gross!" Rupert stammered as he rubbed his palms together in disgust.
“This…,” Elisabeth’s brows drew together. “I know this boy…Finn was his name. He, uh, he used to live across from my room. And this,” the amber-eyed woman then examined the second jar, “Is Mira. I only met her for three days before she…suddenly passed away.”
“What is all this?” Rupert asked, grimacing at the content of the jars.
“Failures. Those who rejected the gene integration therapy. I thought…I thought Silva burnt them all.”
"Um, Liz?" said Lucy, standing in front of a cabinet jam-packed with ring binder files. She noticed the names on the spines -- most of them were struck out by black tapes except for one. "Rosa. That's the same name that Silva guy was shouting earlier. It's…it’s your old name, wasn't it?"
"Really?" Rupert stormed toward her sister, who in turn, obstructed him from reaching the cabinet.
"No. These are all important documents. They'll fall apart if you touch them without proper equipment and procedure. Besides," Lucy pulled her brother closer and whispered into his ear, "They contained sensitive information. Very. Sensitive. You got me?"
Rupert pursed his lips in defiance, but he eventually relented to his sister's wish.
“Yes, it is,” Elisabeth responded. “It’s my birth name – a name I abandoned once I was taken to the Tower.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t-.”
“No, it’s fine. As a matter of fact, we should focus on our initial objective,” the amber-eyed exhaled. She then headed toward a double door and shoved it open, causing the warm and musty air of the underground tunnel to hit the trio in the face. "At least, there are no signs of the Eidolon – which could either be good or bad.”
“Forget the Eidolon. Look," blurted Rupert as he pointed the light stick at the hallway. For him, it was déjà vu all over again – seeing piles of fully-clothed skeletons scattered around the corridors. Similar to the first chamber he ventured into with his sister and Sam, the area is yet another unnamed tomb -- a place where violent deaths took place.
"Another massacre, and those claw marks…," Lucy remarked, gesturing at the multiple depressions on the walls. Then, an idea came into her mind, prompting her to ask her friend, "Say, Liz? You said the Disciples created a monster, right? Are these…one of its handiworks?"
"I don't know. Never saw the thing - so, I have no idea," Elisabeth responded before placing her right hand into one of the indentations. However, the woman strangely felt something familiar about the scene in front of her eyes -- as if she was here when the carnage occurred.
"Liz?" Elisabeth fidgeted as Lucy tapped her on the shoulder. "Are you alright? You look…tensed."
"Tensed?" the amber-eyed woman scoffed at the word. "Why would I feel tensed?"
"Really? Do you seriously want me to answer that?" said the youngest Nightingale, her left eyebrow raised.
Elisabeth could only grunt as she knew there was nearly nothing that could escape Lucia Nightingale's keen eyes. "I grew up here with the other orphans abducted by the Disciples. A dreary place, of course, but some of my fondest memories were made here. So, you know? It's a bit jarring to see a once pretty little hallway reduced to nothing but dust and rubbles now," Elisabeth elucidated.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy expressed her sympathy, but she could sense her friend was hiding something else. "I know I shouldn’t be saying this but…what exactly happened here-?"
BOOM!
A flash of reddish-orange light in the distance cut Lucy short, followed by the pungent smell of burnt carbon penetrating her nose.
"Woah, that flame. Do you think it is what I think it is?" Rupert uttered excitedly.
"Sam," Lucy murmured before charging into the dark corridor.
