No Turning Back

Chapter Thirty-Six: Shadows In The Night

I simply lay there listening to the sounds around me. The wind roared and howled as the full moon lit up the sky. The rays of moonlight sauntered down from the heavens before bathing the earth in its glowing light. As I sat up and looked around; the raw exposed metal within the rusted debris glistened amongst the concrete ruins. 

Primis and I had set up camp in the scrapyard - which was the furthest point in the facility away from the others. The long narrow alleyway seemed to partition this section of the facility from the rest. The area contained a field of scattered debris and damaged machinery. At the back, there was a large lunar lander pad and control panel just like the other two in the facility. 

Logistically, we had the safety of the lander; but we also had a mystery box stand which lay by a rusted turbine. Should the undead return; we no doubt had a reasonable area to defend ourselves in. And strangely, the area felt protected by the cluttered debris. 

There was a flight of stairs held up by metal framework. At the base, it made for a perfect little place to hide out at night. It provided sufficient shelter from the wind which allowed Primis to craft us a nice little firepit for warmth. It was very cosy and we both found it weirdly comforting. 

Speaking of Primis, I turned to look at him sleeping soundly. He looked absolutely exhausted. His face was worn with the constant travelling and deepening creases beneath his eyes had carved themselves into the landscape of his face. 

I lay next to him - wide awake - with my small coat struggling to cover us both. But something was bothering me tonight. Richtofen had finally arrived yet here I was having to hide from him. Samantha seemed to be so good at putting a spanner in the works - why did I have to have that dream? Why did she have to show me the two Richtofens back in Ragnarök? How could I possibly trust her account of events?

The fine hairs on my arms began to rise as I suddenly heard a faint, muffled noise coming from across the facility. Primis gently stirred beside me - yet clearly oblivious what I had just heard. He looked so peaceful when he slept; it was a sight I rarely had the pleasure of seeing and I did not want to wake him.

But my mind turned back to the direction of the noise. My curiosity was getting the better of me and I quietly got up and held Richtofen's pistol in my hand. My arm gently fell by my side as I looked around - there was just the eerie howl of the wind. Primis continued to sleep soundly; I knew would be safe to leave him on his own since Dempsey and the others had kept the last crawler with them. I knew from the game that keeping the last zombie from the round would prevent more from spawning.

I began by gingerly crossing over the gravel terrain towards the alleyway. As soon as I approached, I quickly stood with my back against the wall before sneaking a glance around to check the coast was clear. My heart fluttered as I readied the pistol and looked around. The alleyway was clear; even the planks of the barricade to the left remained undisturbed. I then continued down before checking to my right as I approached the stairs which led down to the centrifuge room. Again, everything was still and silent. 

It was not until I made my way ahead before I heard the drunken laughter of Nikolai and the low gravelly voice of Dempsey. Judging from their jovial banter; they appeared not to have heard the noise. But instead of approaching them for a quick chat; something told me to double back and take the stairs to the centrifuge room. It was a feeling in the depths of my gut which compelled me to concede to its demands. And with my nagging curiosity - I had no choice but to oblige.

I carefully tiptoed down the steps and made my way out onto the catwalk. The room echoed with every little noise as it reverberated before stopping dead against the cold concrete walls. With my free hand, I gripped the railing of the catwalk and peered down to where the lander and centrifuge machine were. Again, there was nothing.