We move on, deeper in the tunnels, and no one really talks, no after what we just did. Except for Kite, who's still munching on the bread and swiping it back and forth, dodging Cinder's angry grabs.
"Try harder," he grins, mouth full. "Sword, Neo, ya'll want some?"
He waves half a piece.
"No thanks," I say. "I don't think I can stomach it after…"
"I'll take it," Neo says, accepting it as Kite comes alongside me.
He has short, clipped brown hair, growing unevenly, a happy, elfish face, albeit malnourished and slightly hollow like the rest of us, and warm brown eyes.
"So, I'm assuming that was your first kill," Kite grins, hands behind his head as he floats leisurely along beside me. "Wasn't too bad, right?"
"Stop hounding him, Kite," Krim says. "Sword's got enough on his plate."
"No, no, it's fine," I smile. "Talking carefreely helps calm my nerves, and helps me forget a little about, y'know…"
"You'll get used to it, soon," Kite tells me. "You won't be able to stop, and you can't stop in here anyway. We have to survive. If you don't kill, you'll get killed."
"It's still murder. It's never right to kill someone."
"Sure. It's murder. But murders like candy, you can't stop at one. It's an addictive drug. You just wanna keep do-"
"Kite," Jora says from behind him. "Please stop being a weirdo."
"Right, right," he dismisses. "Just know, you'll be fine."
The way he talks about killing someone so carefreely makes me wonder. It makes me wonder if he's done it before. Not in the Facility, but if he's used to killing people before this. I want to know, I want to know what kind of person he was before this. What he did. My worst experience was losing my parents, but I still lead a good life. I wonder how many others in my group that's the case for. Like Luc, Krim, Cinder, Elemental, and how they're so good at fighting…
A couple moments later, Krim stops.
"Something's coming," he says.
"Wha-"
Chills on the back of my neck. I look up, and a terrifying, black-haired winged scorpion spider is in my face, mandibles drooling venom. It's as big as my arm, with four huge pincers, eight legs longer than my arm, and a collection of beady black eyes on its face.
"Ffffsssssssssssssffffffff," it says.
"Ew," I say, rooted to the spot, falling out my skin.
Then Luc punches it so hard it disappears.
"There there…" Cinder says, patting my back. "Just get it all up…"
I retch again, and then wipe the sweat off my face.
"I don't blame you," Cinder mutters. "I almost died of a stroke."
"Y'mean heart attack?"
"Same thing."
I stand up straight and stretch.
"I'm fine."
"The air smells different," Neo comments, looking around from my side.
He's right. It feels heavy, metallic, almost electrically charged, prickling my skin.
"It can't be anything we can't handle, right?" Neo says.
He really needs to shut up.
Everyone's staring at him, wide-eyed, trembling, sweating.
"Oh no."
"Neo…"
"We're finished."
"We're screwed."
"Shut up and listen," Elemental hisses, brow clenched, a hint of desperation in his eyes.
I strain my ears into the silence, and I just barely hear it. A dull, metallic plodding, like heavy footsteps.
"What is that?" I ask.
Krim starts backing up, and so does Elemental, backing up until they're level with us. My heart's thumping, but I don't feel terrified - because I'm not alone.
It gets louder. Then, out of the shadows beyond, a figure slowly appears, and my stomach twists. My hearts hammer against my ribcage, and I feel shivers running down my body. Is this what PTSD is? That mask - that black, full-face mask and two hollow, glistening eyes beyond, metal bat reflecting the dim blue light eerily. The same bat that crushed Kard's head like glass.
Neo freezes, Dread curses, Luc clenches his fists and steps in front of us all.
"You've got to be kidding me," Krim mutters.
"This is not good," Cinder agrees, instinctively throwing out a hand in front of me, like he's used to protecting others.
The enemy tilts his head, observing us. Then he moves.
That can't be described with just 'enhanced physical abilities' or 'speed'. That's teleportation on steroids. He's suddenly in front of us, bat a metallic blur, swinging down at Leon. He catches the motion and lifts both hatchets to block, but instantly both weapons snap like twigs and Leon's thrown back against the wall, winded. Luc jumps in, fist cocked back, and that monstrous punch connects with the enemy's chest. It's like punching a tank. He doesn't even move, and grabs Luc by the arm, before flinging him 30 feet into a stalagmite.
"What do we do!?" Dread demands, backing up even further. "Do we run?"
"You think we can outrun this ridiculous musclehead!?" Cinder yells, circling the 'guard'.
He took down Luc in one attack.
"Fight back," Elemental's eyes narrow. "We fight back."
He goes in and we follow, but he's too quick - they're already clashing, metal on stone. 004's slashing, feinting, hacking and dodging, a whirlwind of attacks. I can't find an opening. I'm versed in hand-to-hand, not fuckin' swordplay… but down here, I need to learn everything I need to survive. I watch him as close as possible, burning the images of Elemental's techniques into my mind. Low centre of gravity. Always below the opponent's reach.
It doesn't amount to much though. The enemy doesn't even move their feet, just stands stock still swing that bat in one hand and parrying everything in a whirl of movement.
"Eleme-"
The batsman scores a hit to his side, and the crack echoes off the walls. Elemental, like Luc, is send crashing twenty feet backwards and carves a line into the side of the cave. Krim takes his place almost instantly, sliding under a horizontal swing, plants a foot on the batsman's chest and flips off it, kicking him under the jaw. It sounds like thunder, but it only causes him to lift his head a little. Krim lands beside me.
"He's not even flinching."
"We need to all attack together," Kite mutters. "Jora, Cinder, you guys better be ready to risk your damn lives…!"
"Don't jinx it, shithead!" Neo snaps.
Oh, the irony.
Luc, somehow standing back up, grabs him from behind in a giant bear hug, pinning his arms to his sides, muscles rippling with veins.
"NOW!! JUMP HIMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!"
We all rush forwards, weapons flailing. Cinder punches him in the jaw, Neo locks his left arm, Leon, who's back on his feet, goes for the head. I hit him in the back with one of my wooden swords, and it splinters into pieces on impact.
Fuck's sake.
Jora slashes down at the neck stem, and I'm sure all our thoughts align.
"WE GOT 'IM-"
Yeah, the fuck we do.
He flexes, and launches Luc off him. He lifts the arm that Neo's locked down, leaving Neo hanging off it wide-eyed, and swings the bat in a huge arc. The shockwave blasts me full in the face and we all hit the ground.
"How the fuck is that even possible!?" I demand, as Neo cartwheels through the air past me, yelling.
Luc and Kite are already going back in. Kite jumps upwards, one foot landing on Luc's shoulder, and then launching himself off. He flips midair and hurls on of his knives right into the batsman's eye slit, the impact ringing like a gunshot and sending sparks flying. Kite lands neatly in front of him, crouched, poised to strike under the jaw.
"Got you, you bitch!"
He goes for it, but the batsman turns his head slowly. The knife falls out with a clink. Not a scratch underneath.
"Oh, shit."
The bat shoots forwards in blindingly fast thrust, and there's a crack, then a splintering noise. Kite's chest caves in like paper from the impact and he hurtles backwards, thumping against the cave wall with a sound that makes my stomach flip.
"KITE!!" I scream, trying to run to him, but the air feels too thick to move through.
Cinder's already there, yelling, cursing, fists hurtling.
"You son of a-"
He swings again and again, dodging and weaving the batsman's fluid swings, each punch crashing into his sturdy body. He's actually pushing him back for the first time I've seen, and the enemy backsteps once.
For a heartbeat, I think,
Maybe.
Then the bat slams down in a vertical arc that shakes the entire cave, and when the cloud of dust clears, Cinder's lying motionless at his feet. "CINDER!!"
Luc loses it. He tackles the guardsman, roaring his head off, and slams both fists into his chest like a sledgehammer. A swing from the bat collides with his temple and Luc's blood flies across the cave, and for a second his feet leave the ground. Then they plant back down firmly, Luc's head snaps back round, and his eyes glare into the batsman's.
"DIEEEEE!"
Krim joins him, launching kick after perfect, devastating kick into the ribs, jaw, neck - anywhere he can hit. Elemental's there, bring down dual weapons onto his back, and Neo weaves around the outside, trying to find openings. Everyone's hitting him, and I'm on my feet too, running forwards. Just one punch. Just one hit, please.
The tunnel's shaking, dust raining from above, sparks flying with every impact. I hit him with all the strength in my body, a slash to his chest, but my blade snaps on impact and clatters to the side. Again, I have to hit him again. I draw my fist back.
Pale Viper, please come in clutch again!
Nope, it doesn't. My knuckles find their mark but he doesn't even budge. It's like he's not human, like a human-sized automaton or something.
One hand shoots up and catches Elemental midair by the throat, slamming him down into Neo like he weighs nothing, crushing them both flat. Luc bellows and rams him in the back with the shoulder, sending him stepping forwards a little. He swings, and Krim hurls a kick at the face. He catches both of them and spins, then both of them go flying.
"Retreat!" I yell. "Everyone ba-"
Too late.
He slams the bat down again and a ring of air erupts from the impact. It hits me full on and jars through every bone in my body. My ears ring, and my vision blurs. I feel something run down from my nose. It tastes salty and metallic.
Through the haze, I see the batsman look at us, then turn and walk away down the tunnel, dragging that steel bat behind him, trailing sparks like a comet trail.
Jora's crawling towards Kite, who's lying there on his back, mouth wide open, and eyes unfocused and glassy, his chest a mangled mess. Cinder's collapsed over there, blood pooling under his head. Elemental pulls himself off Neo, Dread's beside me, clutching himself and pale, Luc's the other way, coughing up dark blood clots. Krim's got his arm hanging wrong and Leon's on the floor groaning. I'm just kneeling here, staring. I can't feel my legs.
I don't how much longer we sit there, panting, unmoving, but it feels like ages.
"He did… he didn… he didn't even bleed…" Dread pants.
I wonder it is I'm feeling right now. Frustration? Anger? I'm furious with myself. What was I doing while Kite and Cinder were dying? Survive? Do anything? Who was I kidding?
I'm weak. I'm depressingly, sickeningly weak.
But I guess I have something to thank that batsman for, cuz he showed me what I need to do to make it down here. Emotions, morals, values, think like that, I need to leave them all behind. Plans? Survival skills? None of that means anything down here, where they can kill us anytime they want.
If I want to live, then I just need to make sure there's nothing that can kill me.
I'll have to destroy everything around me. Yeah, I'll do it. I'll tear it all down until I'm the only one left standing.
I'll climb so high I leave all of you eating my dust.