Chapter Text
She wasn't sure how long she'd been walking, but after six forks in the road, two of which were straight shots, and the darkness surrounding them being so oppressively thick that she thought she could physically feel it, the anxiety was starting to get to her. "How much longer until we find the exit?"
"Not long... hopefully." Ghost answered, and she stopped in her tracks.
"Hopefully?"
"Well, I'm not entirely sure, anymore..."
"You said you knew the way!"
"Keep your voice down! I had to make adjustments to avoid the Hive, they're crawling all over the place."
She knew that much was true based on the howling, there were a few instances where they sounded all too close for comfort. Still, "So, for all you know, we could be further in?"
"I-" There was a pause. "I think we're okay. We might need to make a loop at some point, but we should be fine. I promise we haven't strayed too far. Trust me on this, okay?"
She didn't really have a choice, she knew that, deep down. Still, it didn't slip past her that he- the Ghost's voice was masculine, so she figured it was a he- hadn't really denied her accusation, but she let it go with a sigh and kept walking.
"So, you're a Ghost," She prompted, making sure to whisper this time.
"I am."
"What am I, then?"
"You're a Guardian- take a left, coming up." He warned before continuing. "I brought you back for a reason. You're strong, I can tell. A fighter. Humanity needs fighters- protectors."
"What do you mean, "brought me back?" I don't understand anything that's happening."
"Well... you've been dead for a very long time." He said. "You don't know how long I've been looking for you."
Dead. She had been dead. That... shouldn't be possible, she didn't think. But somehow, she knew it was. Whether it was the reverence in the Ghost's voice, an inherent trust born from his actions, or some latent understanding she lacked the context for, she believed him.
She paused as a curve in the path came into view, the key part being that she could see it. The far wall was illuminated by a pale blue glow. It wasn't like her Ghost's; no, it was greener, and more alarmingly, a chittering sound accompanied it from around the bend, accentuated by hollow rasps. She instantly dropped to a crouch at her Ghost's frantic command as whatever lied ahead shuffled into view.
It was a corpse, that was her first thought. Gaunt and decrepit, the creature took uneasy steps, hunched over and croaking as if each breath were its last. It held itself tightly with spindly arms, its body a bony shell sculpted and held together by sinew. It had no skin, its sharpened teeth bare and gaping. Where its eyes should be was the closest thing she could akin to flesh; the entire top of the creatures skull was encased in a membrane that glowed and pulsed. Moths fluttered around it, and she could see them burn in the fiery vapors that radiated from its body.
"Don't. Make. A sound." She heard Ghost whisper, "It's blind. Hug the wall, let it pass you. Whatever you do, do not startle it."
She felt sick just looking at it. It took all of her willpower not to jump out of the way as quickly as possible before it reached her, but she took Ghost's advice, creeping to the side until her back was flush to the tunnel's wall. She squeezed her eyes shut as the stench of sulphur nearly made her gag. Still, the creature didn't react to her presence, and after an agonizing seven seconds, it had wondered far enough back the way she came for her to quietly continue onward.
"That was a Hive?"
"One variant, yes. And those don't stray too far on their own, so be careful."
"Lovely, can't wait."
What slow progress they had been making had slowed to a crawl in the meantime, paranoid of every bend and what lied just beyond where her eyes could see. She didn't know how long she's been walking at this point; it could've been twenty minutes, or it could've been three hours. Her Ghost probably knew, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know, so she didn't ask.
Ghost's words eventually rang true as they came upon a three-way branch. Crowding the space that stretched between them stood a small group of Hive identical to the one before, at least from what she could tell. They swayed and purred amongst themselves, heads hung low and their heads glowing dimly. She counted five of them, and they appeared to be asleep.
"We have to go forward," Ghost said regrettably.
"How?" Her voice was barely a whisper but laced with incredulity. Her body was wound spring-tight, fighting every urge to flee at the slightest twitch from the horde.
"You," She could feel him brace himself for what he had to say next. "You could try going through them."
"Absolutely not."
"Just go slow, the way they're grouped probably means they're already used to being touched," He continued on. "Since they're dormant, they might not notice the difference."
"Key word being might?"
"If they do notice, run. Fast.
Listen, our options are to either turn around and potentially get more lost, or we continue forward and face what's to come. It's your call."
Ghost was right, and she hated it. But she absolutely refused to go through them, so her compromise was to continue the tried and true method, that she has done a total of once, and hug the wall. There really was no wiggle room, however, and brushing up against the nearest Hive was inevitable. A guttural noise escaped its throat as it twitched, and she could've died right there from the stress. Its head lifted to face her. Neither of them moved. She didn't dare to breathe as she stared into the swirling glow of its scalp. It would be mesmerizing if it were attached to literally anything else.
The monster didn't apparently share her alarm, and its head weighed down once more, having decided that whatever had disturbed it was of little concern, or perhaps even worth. She only gave but a moment's hesitation before she continued on her way, and refused to stop until she was at the mouth of the next tunnel. Casting one last glance at the horde, she finally released her breath. She's been alive for less than a day and already felt as though her heart was going to explode.
Too busy steeling herself for yet another stretch of walking, she registered the rock that slipped beneath her foot all too late. She was falling forward, she was hitting the ground with a yelp, and she had just enough wherewithal to lift her head before it made impact.
The sounds of startled shrieks echoed behind her, and she was up and running before she knew it. Her boots pounded the earth beneath her as she ran, and her Ghost manifested, bobbing and weaving across her vision but keeping two paces ahead.
"Right, go right!" He shouted. "Follow after me!"
More voices accompanied those behind, seemingly coming from every direction in the echoing halls. They weren't hidden anymore.
She did as he said and followed him. Left, left, straight, right, left. She ignored the desire to look behind, keeping her eyes solidly on her frantic companion like he was her lifeline because he was and he was terrified and so was she.
She narrowly avoided slamming into the glowing Hive that stumbled from the left tunnel, but as she attempted to run past it, she was violently launched forward by a wave of heat and debris. She groaned as an acidic burning ate at her back, the stench of rot and burnt flesh permeating her nose. Her ears rang from the explosion. Synthetic fabric melted against her skin, pulling with every failed attempt she made to force herself back up.
Her body cast a shadow as she was bathed in that wrong blue light. She tried to crawl away. Another deafening crack rang out, but she didn't get to hear it end.