The DOOM Chronicles

Chapter 05: It Begins

Eric awoke to the sound of screams and alarms, and the scent of smoke and blood on the air.

There was a blanket covering his face, he pulled it away, confusion swelling.

He'd been having a nightmare, he thought, but as he rolled over, hearing the sound of someone sawing something metal nearby, he realized that he'd awoken to a nightmare.

"You're up," V grunted. "Took you long enough."

"What the fuck's going on?" Eric slurred, sitting up, his head spinning.

V was crouched in front of their cell door. He had something in his hand, something metal and long, and was working it against one of the bars surrounding the locking mechanism.

"Their little experiment got out," V said, "and I've been cutting at this thing for about three hours now."

"I was out for three hours?" Eric asked, shaking the disorientation off as best he could.

"No, you were out for six. We're trapped in here, so I had to hide us while the slaughter happened. They finally finished up about three hours ago."

"Holy God..." Eric muttered as he stepped closer to the cell door.

He'd seen slaughter a thousand times before. He'd seen it all. Stab wounds, gunshot wounds, burns, bodies blown to bits, and a dozen worse and more unique types of grisly, gruesome nightmares. But this seemed to be a point beyond that. The catwalk beyond their cell was bathed in blood, utterly bathed in it. He saw a hand, shreds of flesh, and what looked to be an eyeball out there. In the distance, someone was screaming.

As he listened to it all, smelled it, took it in, something seemed to activate inside of him. Something shifted, something important, something primal. It was familiar, a thing that came on during battle and bloodshed, death and destruction. The thing that had kept him alive all these years, but also the thing that kept him apart from most of the rest of humanity.

"What's the plan?" he asked.

"I am going to break out of here, find a weapon, and make my way to the nearest hangar however I can," V replied. "You can come with me if you want, but no one slows me down."

Eric paused for long enough that, while he did not stop sawing, V turned to look at him.

"I want to know," Eric replied finally. "I want to know what's going on here. And I'm not going to leave until I do."

"Suit yourself."

The file or saw or whatever he was using broke through with a clang, and then the lock, mechanism, handle, and all, fell out with a louder clang. V yanked the door open and then hefted the tool like a weapon. He stepped out and was gone. Eric found his mind clearing, and then racing. He had things to do, goals to accomplish...

A mission.

He had a mission, another that he had given himself, and it weighed heavily on him. It seemed somehow crucial that he learn the truth behind whatever was happening here. First thing was first, though. V was a resourceful man, he must have stashed something around here. Eric started hunting through the drawers of the desk they shared. He looked briefly at the books, then shifted his attention away from them.

There was surprisingly little in the drawers. Then again, he wondered just how much knowledge they had of the contents of every cell. In the bottom drawer, though, pushed back behind a few more books, he found a set of brass knuckles. Grabbing them, he slipped them into place over his left fingers. It fit perfectly, almost like it had been designed for him.

It was a dull gray in color, and though it looked like it'd seen a fair amount of use, the front was studded with spikes that looked plenty sharp. He'd have to remember not to drive his fist into his open palm. He finished his search and came up with nothing else. Well, it'd do. Eric walked slowly up to the open cell door and listened and looked. He now found himself wishing he'd asked more questions of V. What had actually happened during those missing hours? Obviously it had been apocalyptic in nature. As he stepped out onto the catwalk, certain now that there was nothing immediately nearby that would threaten him, he saw the real extent of the damage.