The End Story

Chapter 2: Dreams

Jeremy shot upright, drenched in cold sweat. It was a dream. Or was it something more? He wasn’t sure anymore. Rain poured down chanting on the roof delivering chills and a misty outside. Silently, he crept to the door, gently pushing it open just enough to peek into his sister’s room. The room appeared empty and dark his sister was not there. Jeremy checked the couch downstairs slowly tiptoed the descending steps. She would sleep down here whenever she’d argue with their parents. The last time she slept down there was when Mother and Father left and never came back. But she was not there either, however a blanket lay atop the chair a strew. Jeremy glanced around the corner into the kitchen. Alice was sound asleep, undisturbed curled up at the garage door. Jeremy carefully grabbed a pillow and blanket, softly tucking her in before slipping out the front door.

Outside, the rain fell to the beat of a drum drowning the streets as water slurped into the sewers below. Jeremy stood at the doorway watching it downpour, he ducked inside fishing for his yellow jacket. The streetlamp was obscured by a mist enveloping across the neighborhood. The cat appeared again, lazily licking its paw, watching him with glowing eyes from next door. Without warning, it transformed, a burst of light temporarily blinding Jeremy. When his vision cleared, the ghastly girl stood before him once more, pointing toward downtown before morphing back into a cat. The tabby prancing toward his destination with Jeremy following close behind.

When they finally reached downtown the rain turned bitter mixing into sleet. Quiet and quaint, not a vehicle in sight nor person. Jeremy huddled, diving his arms into himself in an attempt to keep warm. He shivered decorated by light from the post above. The tabby slowly began marking against his leg to a pick me up and look on its face. Reaching down he pet the cat concerning itself with his warmth, but a sudden squeak of wet tires caught Jeremy’s attention. The yellow bug from earlier recklessly driving swerving toward Jeremy. He tried to flag them down, but to no avail and quickly picked up the tabby scattering away. The bug plowed right into the lamp post behind him followed by a shrieking car horn. He approached hoping no one was injured only to spot the albino in the car. She lay there covered in deep cut as rain washed blood away. Jeremy pulled the door handle, creaking it open and pulling her out. “Hey, can you hear me? I am going to try to get you to safety.” The albino seemed to be dressed in some kind of wet suit. It was slippery and rubbery zipped to her bosom. His confidence strode when he saw her blink only to change to astonishment when the albino’s wounds reversed. Jeremy let go of her fumbling backward while the tabby hissed. He took the cat and ran. Headlights hungrily chasing him down as he dodged the car hurdling himself into an ally. He slid on a stream heading down a vortex at a drain, colliding into a dumpster. The tabby jumped out of his arms as the headlights encroached on him. Jeremy stumbled up looking down the lights before pulling out the dumpster blocking the pathway.

At long lost they stopped outside the Marcus building on the edge of town. A window sat slightly ajar. Hesitant, Jeremy peeked inside. The room beyond was dark, filled with empty desks and closed office doors. After a moment of hesitation, he slipped through the window, landing awkwardly on the floor with a dull thud. The cat perched on the sill, watching. “Good luck” it chimed before vanishing, the window snapping shut behind it.

Jeremy stood up in what appears to be an office with mundane artifacts. Opening the door a smidgen to see where he wound up in the building. A dark hall leading to the entrance and a dead end with more offices. Creeping down the hall Jeremy came across the elevators and at the very of the plaza a fountain all dried up past that the spiral staircase. And the plaza is tall with a ceiling reaching above the fourth floor. Balconies with windows creating aquariums of rooms and office spaces. The pristineness did not match with how long the building had been abandoned. Jeremy investigated the fountain noticing no coins were at the bottom of the base. He remembered Alice detailing the entrance but nothing about a fountain, meaning it must have been newer built after their parent’s disappearance a decade ago. It was after that when the headquarters changed locations and built-up Marcus city. An abrupt brightness illuminating the plaza followed by a loud crashing of glass and axles spinning against the marble. The bug finally caught up to him with Jeremy sprinting up the spiral stairs. He ascended floor after floor coughing by the time he reached the eighth floor. Panting as sweat dripped off his forehead another light focused on him. Jeremy picked his eyes from the floor to boots following a uniformed security guard and his partner behind aiming at Jeremy finger on the trigger.

“Did you break in here?!” the guard asked.

“I-I, that sound wasn’t me” hoping the guards would lower their tensity as he put his arms up. “Search me” one of the guards removes bindings from their belt and approach Jeremy.

“No sudden moves” Jeremy complied, and the guard strapped both of his arms together. “Why are you here?” but he knew the answer would never convince anyone to release him let alone believe.

“Blondie” the echo came from the stairs below. The trigger finger guard took point leaving while the other held Jeremy’s arm. A horrific scream followed by footsteps the guard threw Jeremy aside unholstering his gun aiming at the stairwell. A warm spray of crimson splattered across the guard’s face, blinding him momentarily as fired off a couple of rounds. He wiped the blood from his eyes, his heart pounding. Before him, the albino, focusing all the blood into a spear and skewering the guard as he collapses on the floor. “I’ll forgive you blondie, now then what to do about you” she pointed at the guard struggling to get away.

“Noones supposed to be in here” he tried raising the gun, but the albino is to close now. Her foot clenches down his wrist forcing him to release the weapon from his grip. “We cannot stay here their coming- the hungry ones” the girl kneeling to his eye level remarked.

“Could I leave you Mr. Nightwatch or maybe we bandage you up” she pressed her index finger on her lower lip. The Albino transformed the spear into a puddle and rubbing her finger across the gape stitched new life into the wound leaving half the blood as extra. Back to her imposing stature Jeremy could see the leering look on her face. “Blondie, it cannot be a coincidence” the albino woman taking the blood and forming a sharp knife. “Are you the hero?” She then cut his bindings leaving Jeremy and the guard behind.

Jeremy crawled over to the guard asking if they were alright. He nodded but grabbed Jeremy choking and clearly in pain. “The undead are in that direction, kid. I do not know if I’m going to”- breathing heavily “but if there are living people beyond the lab, please” the guard with a shaky hand leaves a key on Jeremy’s palm. He pocketed it following the balcony down a corridor toward a metal door where a red blinking light keeps the way forward blocked. Jeremy set the key in the lock and a click* the door opened, however the albino slipped behind him placing the blood dagger on his throat.

“You will die, blondie do not go down there.”

“What are you?”

“Bloodmancer.”

“Who?”

“Call me Bloodmancer, blondie” she took back the blood then pushing him forward. “Now go through” she pointed to the door Jeremy entered through. Puzzled the woman walked past him to the door. This woman however was bad news. Insane might be too delicate a word to describe her. Maybe a vampire. Regardless of what the situation turned into; a decision has been made. He too entered through the door. From the top of the staircase, the industrial lab below stretches out in dim, muted lighting, casting long shadows over everything. The air feels thick, with the faint hum of machinery echoing off the cold concrete walls. Tall, rusting metal beams frame the space, their dark surfaces catching glimmers of the few flickering overhead lights. The dim, industrial lab now reeks of decay, with the once sterile scent of metal and oil overwhelmed by the stench of rotting flesh. From the top of the staircase, the scene below is a nightmare of chaos and ruin.

Bodies lie scattered across the cold concrete floor, twisted and broken, limbs at unnatural angles. The undead flock together green growth expands from flesh. Some are slumped over workstations, others sprawled in pools of thick, congealing blood, their vacant eyes staring into the flickering lights above. Plant like structures stem out of shoulders, skulls and the abdomen. Some are bloated others skeletons with mostly flesh and vines keeping it together. Dark red smears streak the walls and floors, evidence of violent struggle, marking the desperate last moments of those who once worked here.

Yet the albino seemed ok and unbothered by the sheer amount of carnage falling around her. A hand grabbing hold of his arm and dragging him away as a horde attacked Bloodmancer. The hand belonging to a heavily wounded woman in a lab coat as she hid them in a closet.

“What are you doing here?”

“Long story but I think we can help the albi-” cutting off before he could finish.

“Whoever she is they’re gone. These things are ravenous.”

“Is there anyone else here to save.”

“No” staring at her feet, Jeremy scoured for a weapon. A shelf harboring tools like wrenches, but also daily supplies such as tissues and paper. There is a piece of pipe lying next to the shelf as well. Jeremy picked the pipe both metallic and light.

“Wait here I’m going to get my friend” Jeremy held the pipe close to his chest leaving the woman behind scrutinizing as he closed the door behind. Glancing around there is no trace of Bloodmancer and only the carnage she left behind. There are also bizarre giant buds, plantlike structures poking out from the carnage. Running he gripped the metal railing tightly; a chill ran down his hands. His mind raced as he probed the lab, heart pounding in his chest leading pipe in hand first. There were many of them— the undead, but still no sign of Bloodmancer. Their wet, shuffling steps echoed in the large space, mixing with the faint drip of water and the occasional hiss of steam from the overhead pipes.

He heard a scream coming back from the closet releasing the door to find the woman being engulfed by the bud. “Bloomer” was the last words departing her lips. Jeremy slammed the door.

He heard a scream coming back from the closet, speeding to the door only to find the woman being engulfed by the bud. “Bloomer” was the last words departing her lips. Jeremy slammed the door. Jeremy could feel the warmth of a close entity. Is it a bloomer he thought? A bloody hand rested on his shoulder. Panicked he jumped back defending himself as lashed out with the pipe. To his surprise Bloodmancer caught it mid swing.

“Blondie, careful these bloomers will eat you” Jeremy caught her smirking as she said it.

“What are they” He asked?

“Bloomers” she tossed the question around silently muttering to herself. “Eh, ghosts who quite earnestly slip through the cracks or door in this case.” She then drifted away from him heading the stairs jumping the last five before she was gone from sight. Jeremy dashed to the railings, but it was too late. He was alone once again.

Descending the staircase as quietly as he could, Jeremy stuck to the shadows, slipping behind a row of overturned metal cabinets. His steps were careful, but every sound felt magnified—the scrape of his shoes against the floor, the soft clink of metal as he brushed past a fallen chair. He came across a legion of pods. Growths were gestating on ceilings, walls and on any surface as a gross black-green sap seeps through the pods. Jeremy ducked low and crept along the wall, his heart racing. One of the pods unwrapped slightly letting a head breath in and out, choking out the sap too close for comfort, its half-decayed head twitching in his direction. He froze, pressing his back against the cold, concrete wall. For a moment, he thought it might have seen him, but the creature only groaned and turned away, shambling toward the center of the lab. Jeremy swallowed hard. His eyes darted to a door at the far end of the room—a heavy, industrial one, with a small keypad beside it. It had to lead somewhere, somewhere away from this nightmare. But between him and that door was a maze of scattered bodies, overturned desks, and the slow, staggering figures of the undead. Suddenly, a crash echoed from the other side of the lab. Jeremy’s head snapped up—one of the zombies sprang from a pod above knocked over a metal cart, sending a loud clatter through the room. The noise sent a ripple through the undead; they stirred, groaning louder, their movements becoming more erratic. One of them, closer now, started stumbling in his direction, drawn by the commotion.

Panicking, Jeremy bolted. He dashed past a row of desks, the loud thud of his footsteps now echoing in the large room. More undead breached through the pods splashing the sea-green sap over industrial flooring. The zombies turned, alerted by his movement, their groans growing louder, more urgent. His lungs burned as he ran, his legs pumping furiously, his eyes locked on the door. He reached the door, his hand slamming onto the keypad. The door clicked open, and he threw his body against it, wrenching it open just as a bloodied hand swiped at his shoulder, missing by inches. He slipped inside and slammed the door shut, his back pressed against the cold metal, breathing hard. For a moment, he stood there, gasping for breath, trying to calm his racing heart. The muffled groans of the undead were still audible through the thick door, but they were on the other side now. Safe. For the moment, at least.

Jeremy turned and took in the room around him. It was smaller than the lab outside, but far more sterile, almost eerily clean compared to the chaos he’d just escaped. The air was colder, too, with a faint hiss of pressurized gas. In the center of the room, arranged in a neat semicircle, were twelve tall, metallic cryo-pods, each one humming faintly, their surfaces frosted over with condensation.

“Good work” Bloodmancer pushes past Jeremy concerning herself only with the pod. She gathered up against one of the pods searching for a way in. Jeremy stepped to another trying to glimpse inside, but the frost was too thick. He wiped circle view to find someone surprising inside the pod. The albino.

“It’s you” as he backed up. Bloodmancer elbowed her way into the metal pod draining the body inside of blood.

“None of them can live there can only be ONE BLOODMANCER” she ripped through another pod and another. Jeremy peered through the shattered glass. A face with dead yes stares back.

“Missed one” she punched a hole into the glass dragging a shard encrusted arm. An alarm started blaring and the whole area turned red. Another of the girls appeared at the door entrance. This one, however, wears clothes from someone’s vacation a torn trench coat and fading swim trunks. The clone was living outside of the pod for some time. “No one move I have a hostage; I will splatter her brains without a care.” Dragging through the door Jeremy’s sister. Alice’s eyes closed and unconscious, the clone called once more giving herself an introduction “The Dragon sleeps in my veins waiting to be awakened with food. Do you offer it a soul?”

“Careful, unlike the undead, the parasite within has strengthened her greatly” Bloodmancer pointed to Jeremy. “Be ready” he held his pipe clenching tightly. The albino charged the clone, as Dragon dropped her food retaliating. Their fists clashed and Jeremy focused on helping his sister. He closed the door before anything else could come in and propped Alice up against one of the pods out sight from the brawl. Fists and feet strike and repel like magnets.

“Alice, I don’t know if you can hear me, but do not leave here” he kissed her on the forehead and turned to join the fight.

The two combatants are equally matched, maybe he could turn the tides he thought. Only a scream not from Alice, but Bloodmancer’s own arms are unattached from her body falling to her knees. The Dragon leered at him as he braced for impact. She struck the pipe bending it before snapping it like a twig. Jeremy took the shorter broken shard and crashed it into her hip. Yelping in pain, the Dragon slapped him away. Now inches away from his sister Dragon slowly approached him as he could barely stand wheezing. “I will have it, your soul” Alice body slammed Dragon off center, but with a quick recovery Dragon struck the sister hard knocking her down. The dragon then pulled on her arms dislocating them before crushing the legs. “Nooo” screaming at top of his lungs. Jeremy accelerated, grabbing the second half of the pipe plunging it into her chest. Dragon shuffled off through the door never to be seen. Jeremy ran back to Alice coping “No, no, no, wai-” Jeremy whimpered as he collapsed to his knees. Alice looked up to him trying to speak only to scour in pain. “I did this. I did this. “This is my fault” she planted her hand on his face.

“Big sister will always-” out of breath she fell. Behind them Bloodmancer put herself back together.

“Relax I can put her back together; however, this was more fun than I thought. So here is the deal” uncaring, unsympathetic her voice dragged off and far away. He cradled his sister, but a hand pulled him up “You want her back there will be a cost. Confirm.” Jeremy looked down at his sister’s face.

“She – she’s dead. There is no coming back from… Death.”

“I don’t have real time for this. Trust me or not. Death is not the end, but I can bring her back” the albino offered her hand. Jeremy weakly shakes it. “Good. Now cleanup will be here and purge the rest of the Bloomers. Oh, you will be fighting more of them once we get home. Your sister will be cleared and set in bed like it was all just a dream. You have your goodbyes and then we’re off. Sound good.”

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