Trapped

Melisa stepped into her room, her mind consumed by the longing to return to the sanctuary. She scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of Celeste or any sign that would guide her. Unexpectedly, her eyes landed on the sword sheath resting on the bed, an odd presence in the room. Usually, she would just need to focus and call for Celeste to find herself transported. Celeste herself would show her the way whenever she wanted to meet her but it didn't seem to work this time. Considering Melisa had met her in the room last time, she hoped she could find her again but it didn't work.

Picking up the sheath, Melisa couldn't help but wonder, "Was it here before, and I just didn't notice?" Her fingers explored its familiar texture, confirming that it remained unchanged since their last encounter.

Searching for some insight, Melisa examined the sheath, hoping to find a clue in its intricate design. But, frustratingly, it revealed nothing. Determination filled her, overshadowing her confusion. She couldn't afford to dwell on her unanswered questions. There were survivors who needed her help, and time was of the essence.

Collecting any medical supplies she could find, Melisa hurriedly gathered her belongings and prepared to leave the room. Yet, her mind remained unsettled, she had hoped that Celeste would provide the answers she sought, but the silence only deepened her longing for clarity.

"Here is some stuff I had" Melisa put the supplies she brought on the table in the main hallway. She joined the rest of the group who were tirelessly attending to the injured. Some of them were victims of violence committed by the people Melisa had fought before.

Brad thanked her and his eyes were drawn to the sheath fastened to her back. His curiosity getting the better of him, he pointed towards it and asked, "Hey, what's that?"

"It's my weapon," Melisa unfastened the sheath, revealing her weapon. "Having it would have made the fight much easier."

The revelation caught the attention of the others present, and Dan, in particular, narrowed his eyes, suspicion creeping into his expression. Meanwhile, Ray couldn't contain his disbelief and blurted out,

"Wait, so you mean you can be even more insanely powerful?!"

'You made a mistake,' Standing beside Dan, the stranger leaned casually against the wall, observing the unfolding conversation. 'You should have eliminated her when you had the chance.'

Dan's gaze remained fixed on the sheathe for a few moments before he responded to the stranger telepathically. "We haven't figured out how to obtain the token yet."

Melisa glanced around the room, her eyes scanning the faces of those present, each displaying their unique response to the situation. Some sat silently, their gazes distant and haunted, undoubtedly overwhelmed by the violence they had witnessed. Others appeared to be holding up better, despite their injuries, as they assisted in caring for the wounded.

Curiosity and concern etched across her face, Melisa turned to Brad and asked, "How's everyone holding up?"

Brad took a moment to assess the scene before responding with a mixture of relief and sadness, "Well, for now, I'd say they're doing okay. We managed to rescue more people from the second floor, but..." He paused, the weight of his words hanging in the air. "The third floor, it's a complete wreck. The fire was still going," he added, his voice growing heavier. "Honestly, it's hard to imagine anyone making it out alive from that."

Melisa's hands clenched tightly, mirroring her inner frustration, and she shared a wordless moment with Brad. Meanwhile, Dan's thoughts were consumed by a different set of concerns. While he appreciated the newfound information about Melisa and was glad that he had helped her in the fight, his mind was fixated on his priorities. He had hoped to join Brad and escape from the campus, but countless obstacles had caused valuable time to slip away. Now, a sense of urgency gripped him.

Looking around at the group, Dan couldn't help but voice the nagging question that had been on his mind. "Hey, shouldn't your families have gotten in touch with you by now?" he asked, his gaze shifting between Brad, Evelyn, Amber, and Ray. They came from influential backgrounds, and it seemed strange that they would be abandoned in this perilous situation. Regardless of the chaos unfolding outside, Dan believed their families should have found a way to rescue their loved ones. He half-expected helicopters to have swooped in by now, but there was no sign of any impending aid.

Evelyn's voice broke the silence, lost in her thoughts. "Hmm, grandma should've sent her people... Does she not even know what's going on?" Her question hung in the air, directed at no one in particular.

Amber responded with a mix of dismissiveness and anger. "He's probably too busy with his prostitutes," she remarked, a hint of resentment coloring her words. Dan was briefly intrigued by the context behind her statement but didn't care enough to ask, and the others remained silent, understanding the underlying meaning. (A/N: I screwed up, it was Amber speaking in the previous chapter and not Audrey.)

Brad redirected the conversation, turning to Melisa with a worried tone. "And what about your father?" he inquired, recalling the question he had intended to ask earlier. "Will he be safe?"

Melisa's face briefly displayed concern before a mask of indifference settled upon her features. "Lucas mentioned that he had to leave, so hopefully he isn't too far away," she replied. "However, it will take some time to reach him since the place isn't nearby."

Before Brad could delve deeper into the matter, Dan interjected, his frustration and anger seeping into his voice. "What about going to a different state? Do you have... like a helicopter or something?" he pressed, his impatience becoming evident.

Brad responded with a tinge of uncertainty. "Yeah, we do but I am not sure about the current situation outside," he explained. "So I can't say for sure."

As Dan contemplated his alternatives, Ray posed a question to the group. "So, do we try to make our escape or stay here and wait for rescue?" he asked, seeking input from the others.

Without hesitation, Dan spoke up, his tone tinged with desperation and a sense of finality. "We need to get out of here," he asserted, his words carrying a sense of urgency as if he couldn't bear any dissenting opinions.

Fiona, however, wasn't about to let his statement go unchallenged. "Are you out of your mind?!" she exclaimed, her disbelief evident in her voice. "What if we run into more of those guys? You can teleport away, but the rest of us can't." Her arguments struck a chord with the group, and it seemed like they were leaning towards her perspective.

Dan felt his frustration reaching a boiling point, but before things could escalate further, Melisa spoke up, her voice calm yet firm. "Dan, I understand that you're worried about Audrey," she began, her words laced with empathy, "but we can't leave others behind. Some of them are in no condition to walk, and we haven't even checked other parts of the campus for survivors."

Dan took a slow, deep breath, allowing Melisa's words to sink in. After a brief pause, he came up with his argument. "Look, we can't just sit here waiting for help that may never come," he said earnestly, his voice filled with conviction. "Some of us can go out and find help, it would be more useful than just waiting."

Brad nodded in agreement, adding his support to Dan's suggestion. "Yeah, he's got a point," he interjected, his tone reflecting a hint of concern. "I mean, isn't it weird that no one has reached out to us yet? This place is huge, and it's hard to believe we've been completely forgotten."

The group discussed their plan with the others, figuring out who would join the group. Dan was insistent that they bring the kidnapper along, much to Melisa's initial disagreement. However, after some contemplation, she seemed to understand Dan's reasoning.

"So, we're taking him along to make sure he can't harm anyone here," she remarked, arriving at her own conclusion.

Dan nodded in affirmation, though his true intentions might have differed slightly from what he expressed. "Huh? Yeah, of course," he agreed, masking his ulterior motive.

While Fiona chose to remain behind, two girls from the dorm eagerly joined their group, eager to escape the harrowing situation as soon as possible. With their inclusion, the group now numbered eight people, cautiously making their way toward the nearest campus exit, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.

A haunting stillness settled over the surroundings, intensifying the eerie atmosphere that enveloped the group. Stepping out of the building, they were met with a perplexing sight—a sky growing dark despite only a few hours having passed since morning.

"Huh? This can't be right," Evelyn voiced her disbelief. "How is it already this dark?"

Some of them instinctively pulled out their phones, while others checked their watches, only to confirm the same unnerving reality.

"12:17 pm..." Dan muttered, trying to make sense of the inexplicable situation.

"Could it be a solar eclipse?" Ray suggested, trying to provide a logical explanation.

"No, the next one isn't supposed to happen for years..." Melisa denied the possibility but was unable to offer any alternatives.

"Is it the...aliens?" Brad hesitated, his words filled with uncertainty.

'That's the only explanation left.' Dan heard the stranger's voice echo in his mind.

"Whatever it is, we've come too far to turn back without finding out," Dan proclaimed, his voice resolute as he urged the group onward.

Things took a turn for the strange as the group drew nearer to the gate and the surrounding walls. Initially, they could catch glimpses of the outside world, but creeping darkness slowly consumed the view until there was nothing visible beyond the campus walls.

While the area inside the campus still enjoyed some lingering daylight, the outside remained shrouded in absolute darkness, as if someone had purposefully flicked off all the lights in that particular spot. It created a distinct boundary, separating the illuminated interior from the unknown beyond.

As they approached the mysterious boundary, everyone instinctively halted, an aura of hesitation filling the air.

"Alright, so this pretty much confirms their involvement," Amber finally broke the silence. "But does this mean the whole world is gone already?"

No one knew how to respond to Amber's question, both possibilities carrying a sense of foreboding. After some deliberation, Dan took charge, forcefully pushing the kidnapper forward to take the lead. He had planned to use him as a shield in case they needed to fight but their current situation was more important now.

"Wait, what?!" The man protested, struggling against Dan's grip. "No way! I'm not going first!"

Dan exerted more pressure in his attempt to shove the man forward, but Melisa intervened, gripping Dan's arm with unexpected strength. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice firm. "We don't know if it's safe out there."

Dan paused, relenting under Melisa's grip. He responded, "That's exactly why. He can be our scout."

"So if it's dangerous, you're willing to let him die?" Melisa stood her ground, refusing to back down.

"Better him than us," Dan replied bluntly, his tone matter-of-fact.

"We can't treat people as disposable objects," Melisa countered, her voice unwavering as she stepped forward. "If anyone has to go first, I will do it."

Brad seemed on the verge of interjecting, but he hesitated upon seeing Melisa's resolute stance. Dan racked his brain, searching for a way to persuade her when the stranger's voice echoed in his mind. 'Let her have her way. Use limit break.'

"Fine," Dan sighed, reluctantly accepting defeat as he took a step back.

Melisa felt a sense of relief that Dan had agreed with her. Taking a deep breath, she mustered the courage to step closer to the boundary. However, before she could proceed, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air, causing her to freeze in place. She turned around, her eyes widening in disbelief, as she witnessed Dan forcefully hurling the man into the darkness with an unexpected burst of strength. She was surprised that she couldn't anticipate his movement, it was too fast for her. But all of her emotions were overwhelmed by the anger she felt for being betrayed by Dan.

"Dan! Why would you do that?!" Melisa's voice shook with anger as she confronted him, her demand for an explanation hanging in the air. But Dan remained silent, his gaze fixed on the spot where he had forcefully thrown the man. He seemed distant, detached from the immediate situation.

"Dan?" Desperate for answers, Melisa repeated her question, this time with a softer, more measured tone.

Yet, Dan merely gestured for her to stop and remain silent, his hand urging caution. Sensing the gravity of the moment, the entire group fell silent, their attention heightened, waiting for any sign of danger. And then, their eyes widened in terror as they witnessed something slowly crawling towards them from the very same place the man had disappeared into. Illuminated by the ambient light, the figure emerged from the darkness, its eerie presence sending shivers down their spines.

The group's shock intensified as they witnessed the horrifying sight of the half-bodied kidnapper dragging himself toward them. His lower half was grotesquely absent, severed diagonally, exposing the gruesome absence of his face and one of his arms. They finally understood why he wasn't making sounds - he didn't have a whole mouth to do so.

While everyone instinctively took a step back, Dan stood his ground, his eyes locked on the mutilated figure. There was something deeply unsettling about the way the body had been dismembered. Dan had witnessed numerous injuries in his recent encounters, but this was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was as if its very existence had been erased, leaving behind an unsettling void where organs and tissue should have been visible.

Melisa took a step forward to protect the others from any attacks and Dan also readied himself to extinguish any remaining life in the body. But their attention quickly shifted as Amber's scream pierced the air. They turned their gaze towards her, only to be greeted by another bone-chilling sight. Before them stood a grotesque humanoid figure, an amalgamation of the remaining parts of the dismembered kidnapper. Half a face floated above the torso, legs dangled from it, and a single arm hovered sideways, defying the laws of nature. It appeared as though invisible forces were binding the gruesome entity together. The shock on Dan's face deepened as he realized that, once again, the body exhibited no signs of violent separation or mutilation.

All eyes were locked onto the horrifying scene, their bodies immobilized by sheer shock. Melisa's mind raced, desperately trying to assess the level of danger they were in, but no conclusive thoughts could form amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Dan poised himself to launch an attack, only to halt abruptly as he noticed the face or whatever remained of it - frozen in an expression of sheer disbelief. Slowly, the arm moved, trembling, as it reached out to touch the empty space where the rest of its body should have been. His eyes locked onto the detached part as if struggling to comprehend what he was seeing. Whatever had happened to him must have been sudden and utterly incomprehensible.

Dan couldn't shake off the unnerving sensation he felt when encountering the system earlier. He looked around, and to his dismay, the darkness seemed to be closing in on them. The path they had taken was no longer distinguishable. All he could see was a faint glimmer of light in the distance, tauntingly far away.

'They don't want us to leave.' The stranger's words echoed in Dan's ears. 'Run'

Hearing this, he wasted no time. He shouted with urgency in his voice, "We have to get moving!" Placing a hand on Melisa's shoulder, he shook her, snapping her out of her daze. "Head towards the source of light, now!"

Melisa caught the urgency and panic on Dan's face, realizing he wanted her to take the lead. Dan grabbed Amber's arm and pulled her along, while Evelyn rushed to help one of the girls who had stumbled trying to escape. Brad, Ray, and the rest of the group followed closely behind Melisa. They all understood that whatever was happening, it was something far worse than death awaiting them.