The more this entity spoke, the more I felt my desire to kill it.
Using her face. Using her voice. Using the name she gave me.
I hated it more than anything. But at the same time, I needed it.
Scorching steam rising from the ladder shaft scorched my face on the way down. The ladder rungs were slick, as if one wrong move would send me falling toward the unknown. Yesterday, this place was nothing more than a metal shaft with various metal piping snaking around.
Now, it was something straight out of a nightmare.
The metal that surrounded me was slowly being taken over by a nerve-like mass of flesh. Purple tentacles pushed the crimson mass along the edges like a slime mold growing from a core. A strong gust of steam blew upwards, along with it the sweet, metallic smell of blood.
I gagged from pure reflex; as I did, something below me snapped. It was a ladder rung. I tried to catch myself from falling, but my hands slipped from where they had been, and I fell.
My vision was hindered by a thick red haze. A light, a pressure alert, illuminated the steam. I felt the steam cling to my face, stinging me. The fall was short, and I had expected to land hard on the metal grate flooring. But that never happened. Something soft and squishy broke my fall. My hand brushed across it, leaving a wet feeling that clung to me. There were only a few things in this world that could make me feel disgusted like this: shit and human guts.
"Munch Munch Munch."
Something was nearby. Where? I could not tell. The steam was too thick, and I found it rather hard to pinpoint where the sound came from with all the hissing from the steam. But it sounded like a child, one excitedly mimicking a person eating.
"It's been so long." It spoke again, its tone that of a young boy.
"Much better than bread." There was another voice, that of a younger girl.
Why were there kids down here?
I was about to call out before I saw something dark fly in front of the bright red light for a moment.
Things are not as you think.
Rinara's voice echoed in my mind.
My mouth snapped shut as I thought about those words. Should I trust them? No. But I should not ignore them; after all, I should know why kids are down here. I used to be one of them, working to keep the steam flowing in the city.
If they were talking about food, I had a feeling it's not normal food they were eating. That void spawn was forcing us to succumb to our desires. Those kids are starved. If their desire is to eat…I reckon whatever I was standing on right now resulted from that.
But it was not too late to save them. First, I need to turn off the steam so I can see. I followed where the light was brightest. Each step I took, a wet slush followed. There were some thicker areas that lifted me higher, but I paid them no mind. I followed the red light. I felt around the pipes. Something warm and slimly brushed against my hands. There was a pulse to it. Something I touched was alive.
The more I moved, the more I felt that I could die at a moment's notice. I took out my weapon and firmly grasped the handle with one hand. I closed my eyes and felt along the wall, listening to where the hissing sound was loudest.
There.
I felt a handle. I quickly turned it, and the red light dimmed. The steam stopped hissing and was slowly dissipating.
Blood.
Flesh.
Bone.
I found myself standing on top of several corpses sprawled across the ground. They were small, childlike corpses, each with its head torn off. Purple tentacles stretched from the walls, digging deep into their necks. They pulsed vigorously as the corpses shriveled up, turning pale.
"It's gone." A child's voice called out. "The steam, was it fixed?"
"Who fixed it?" Another voice called out.
"I dunno. Maybe there's another one down here…More food!"
There was a sudden step that forced me to swing my body around. In front of me was a tall entity. One whose body was half void spawn…and half human. Well, it was more like a mix of human children stitched together with a purple thread.
It tilted its human-like face and stared at me with its purple, otherworldly eyes. "Oh…" it spoke in a saddened tone as it turned its head back to the corpse it was eating. "Father told me more guests would arrive to meet with big brother and me."
"Shame that it was just you." A girl's voice had continued. "Humans, they are weird, aren't they? They use others that are weaker than them, not aware that they themselves are being used."
This was a class 3, or rather one in the process of becoming one. The tentacles in the room with us did not belong to it. This thing was an unlucky encounter, but it's good that it was down here.
"Tell me, brother." It turned back around, posing like a girl trying to impress her crush. "I smell fresh humans. Did you bring them for me? You see, big brother is a hog and won't let me eat these. So tell me, WHERE ARE THEY!"
The creature jumped at me. It reached out its human arm and grabbed my chest.
"TELL ME! I WANNA GET BIG TOO!" it cried like a brat who had their toy taken away. "Sniff sniff sniff." It moved its face close to me.
The creature's eyes grew wide as it jumped back. It made a face as if it had just been betrayed.
"You're just like them," the void spawn arm morphed into a familiar large wrench used to tighten bolts on a pipe connection. "Those annoying adults, keeping food from us." Its human face glared at me with a murderous expression. "I hate you. I hate big brother. I hate adults. LET ME EAT!"
The creature lunged at me, swinging its wrench with enough force that I couldn't block with my sword. I was pushed back, sent stumbling over tentacles on the ground.
*THUMP THUMP*
The tentacles wiggled wildly as the disembodied heartbeat echoed loudly, louder than ever. The shadow that hunted me danced across the ground, bouncing from thing to thing before landing on the creature's face.
"Oh," the void spawn spoke in a low tone. "So that's what you are." The shadow that masked its face smiled with its mocking expression. Its pale eyes stared straight into me. "Tell me, ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇ ▇—"
I felt my blood boil the moment it spoke my name. I stood up, gripping my weapon. I pulled the trigger, and the gears spun to life.
"—Tell me, did you kill our mother?"