Prologue

12 1 0
                                    

Prologue

OoOoO
After walking for what felt like hours, Vanill stopped at the sight of a couple doors sitting upon the horizon. She started walking faster, her curiosity urging her on through her exhaustion. Lead by the light of her flashlight, she carefully walked up to the large steel doors that marked the entrance to one of the laboratory's many maze-like basements. Both of the doors looked like they had been through a hurricane, having disturbing large holes in them. The one on the left which was barely hanging on by its hinges, had a small sign on the front. The sign was written in large red letters and had a strange symbol in the background.

"DA-N-GER--" The young girl read. She had no idea what that meant so she decided to continue her exploration anyways.

Following the light, Vanill carefully walked down the stairs to a room that branched off in two directions. On her left, a well-lit hallway that led to another set of stairs. To the right, a dark hallway with flickering amber lights. There was an eerie purple substance smeared on the walls and floor, and even the ceiling. It looked like the place something bad would be hiding.

"I think I'll go this way!" Vanill shouted, turning to the dark hallway on her right.

Vanill moved slowly and carefully down the hallway. Every door down this way were either open or non-existent. But other than that none of them seemed to call to her.  As she walked, the purple substance started sticking to her shoes, making a horrid popping sound with each step.

"Ew! This is so gross!" Vanill yelled. "What is this stuff?"

She stopped at an open doorway and decided to halt her adventure until she could find something to clean her shoes. Entering the room, she approached an overturned desk that lay in one of the far corners. Like the hallway it was also covered in the purple substance. Except, for some reason this time it was giving away a very pungent scent and was smoking. Intrigued, she grabbed a nearby pen and touched the puddle. Immediately the pen started to smoke as well, dissolving from where it touched the pool. Releasing it, Vanill silently watched as the last of the pen disappeared before her eyes.

Suddenly something crashed against the floor behind her snapping Vanill out of her daze. Turning she walked over to where a vase had fallen from its perch on a high shelf. Shrugging it off, she turned back toward the doorway and instantly found herself staring into the small, red eyes of another person.

"Um hello?" She said.

The other figured shrieked, its sharp teeth coming within inches of her face.

Vanill screamed.

Throwing her flashlight at the black figure's warped head, Vanill rushed out the door and back into the hall. Her screams of fear echoing off the walls like a siren in overdrive.

"Please! Somebody help me!" She cried out as she hurried blindly down the hallway.

Before long she came to another set of stairs similar to the one she had come down on. A sigh flickered red letters on the wall: SECTOR 13, Molecular Structure Research.

Looking back, she watched as the strange figure slowly walked closer. Out in the amber lights it looked even more scary. From what she could make out it's entire body resembled that of a skeleton. Only black. And still moving. When the figure noticed her watching its progress it gave another shriek.

Realizing it was her only choice, Vanill turned back to the stairs. And cursing herself for getting her into the mess, she ran up the concrete stairs into the darkness above.

At the landing, she stopped to sit down and catch her breath. She stared down the long hallway in search of some kind of exit. At the end, a single steel door stood ajar, illuminated by a pale light. She didn't trust it, but it looked to be her only choice at the moment. Steeling herself she ran as fast as she could down the hall and into the room, slamming the door behind her. Leaning against it, Vanill allowed herself a chance to relax.

ZerosWhere stories live. Discover now