500 - Part I - Distorted Shadows and Monsters

Chapter XIII - Hard, Blank, Emotionless

Passing through Sector 1 of Corridor H, the trio were confident they were approaching the area they were supposed to be in. Right on cue, a voice crackled and scared them all half to death. It buzzed like a bewildered bluebottle, then howled like a wolf. "Go to Corridor I and one of our lovely ladies will tell you which sector you're supposed to be in." The voice was soft and chilled, like in a shopping centre. It sounded way too relaxing. Then it hissed. Another jump scare. "Be there in a minute and a half from now," it shrieked.
"A minute?" spluttered Daniel, his forehead dripping with sweat.
"You heard him," Brielle panted back, already sprinting half-way down the corridor.
They ran crazily, their legs dragging behind them, too sluggish for their liking. It was walking on concrete. Running with concrete. Their bare feet were nothing more than two cold slabs of cobble attached by a solitary thread to two, skinny aching legs. "Hark now, Grayden has something to say to you shortly." The voice grew ever more intense and impatient.

Terry tripped over from pure exhaustion. "For god's sake!" he hollered. Daniel was somewhat tempted to leave him there, but Brielle —with no disrespect— was clearly having difficulty hoisting him up. He offered assistance. "A minute?" Terry yelled, sweat dripping like droplets of water from rainforest leaves. Except this wasn't delicate nor pretty nor fragile nor graceful. It was a gushing waterfall crashing against the rocks. Crashing and splitting like Terry's pathetic migraine. If he had a brain, it would be sawed in half with a maniac's chainsaw. "We're not going to make it!" he wailed like a child, "My arm hurts. It's really bad. It feels like of was torn clean off my—"
"Give it a rest." Daniel knocked his arm and Terry made an unidentifiable noise that was a mixture between a baby and a tiger shark.
"Owwwwww!" Terry cried more, tears spilling from his eyes.
"Is it really that bad? I cant believe it hurt you."
"Daniel, let's play nice," Brielle hissed, pulling...gently the two boys apart from each other.
"Yeah it's like hiring a wrecking ball and smashing it through a house and saying 'I didn't know that would cause destruction'," Terry stated sarcastically, but Daniel wasn't impressed. His eyebrows knitted tighter, metaphorically ripping like little stitches in thin bedsheets. It looked like they could just snap and fall out one by one. "Danny, calm down. You're like Carter."
"I'm not anything like CJ! Maybe I am, I don't know," Daniel spat.
"Friends with CJ, because little Terry is about an inch or two shorter, eh?" grunted Terry.
"It's nothing about that. I just...I just thought you were nice."
"Well, if I wasn't stuck in this hellhole—"
"Guys! Shut up already!" Brielle's voice bellowed and echoed down the corridor, reverberating off each and every surface. It was a cave with two bats scrapping and an unexpectedly sinister voice booming through the stone. It was enough to cause the room to cave in. The strips of neon lights hanging from the ceiling could fall like stalactites. "Stop arguing already. I'm sick of you boys." Terry threw his arms up in defence. "Just saying, we need to get a move on, before we're dead meat in Grayden's butchery."
"You said Shadow's name," Terry whispered. Daniel glared at them both, but he was more bewildered than angry, if anything. How he enjoyed Brielle's remarks when she was moody. He decided to say nothing, as it wasn't himself who he wanted Brielle to have a right good go at. "I don't fear his name," she said blankly. She seemed taken aback. "You're not scared of him?" Terry pressed.
"You lot bother me more than him. I'd rather meet my demise now, than listen to all your meaningless rambles beforehand."
"Brielle? Are you alright?" Terry continued. The girl fixed her eyes upon him, her pupils burning like coals in a dragon of roaring flames. The heat was radiating off of her pearly skin. "Maybe I'm not quite feeling like myself, but we need to get down to his business."

Brielle strutted down the corridor in an extremely hasty speed-walk. "What's up with her?" Terry muttered, his fists clenched. Daniel shrugged his shoulders and frowned. He felt numb in this situation. Why couldn't he be on everybody's side? Why could he be on nobody's side? Squabbling, crying, arguing, quarrelling, fighting over childish nonsense. "Maybe she wants us to toughen up, as it's the only way we'll get through this tough time," the boy suggested. Daniel was frozen paralysed, as hair swished in front of his face. Brielle's beautiful eyes appeared harsh and the sparkle in them was fading fast. They were glazed with tears. The venom of her words were acidic on her tongue, but her eyes stung the hardest. It was as though fresh magma was pouring into her sockets. They were crusted like the dirt and rocks in the ground, with an earthquake explosion of thoughts in her head. "Brielle," Daniel began.
"We need to get there. That's all I'm bothered about," she whispered quickly and harshly. Terry looked puzzled, perplexed. The boy spoke not a single word, nevertheless. He didn't want to anger Brielle anymore. "Grayden has a lovely surprise for you all," the speakers crackled.
"That's likely," tutted Terry sarcastically. Daniel shrugged. "I don't care, as long as it's a new change. I hate this routine over and over again." Brielle, running, nodded hastily. "We just want something new," she added, panting like a sweating dog fetching a stick. This time she was fetching trouble. Not that she had a chance. Grayden, the emperor, the legend himself was waiting. Whether he was waiting for them or to be a myth in historical books in the future had already been decided. The only place in a priceless document would be his name marked infamous and his purpose nothing more than to create havoc. Born to destroy. Alive to steal lives.