I enter the dark building...the yellow lines preventing civilian entry...however, no one's here...the cold air sends shivers down my spine in the rather quiet building...I check my phone again to confirm the location*
scape: "This is it...weird...thought at least someone should have been here...great...I can focus more on the job."
as I walk deeper inside...I look around and notice the cluttered documents...the flipped chairs...the broken windows...people were leaving...and in a hurry...then the unusual graffiti on the walls and fluorescent lights that flicker.
scape: "Weird...if there is an abstract here, then why does it seem like the place was abandoned anyway?...what did it manifest for?"
Then I hear footsteps down the hall
scape: Hello?... who's there?"
The footsteps are heard, but they land repeated one too many times...almost as if something is trying to reach somewhere and constantly failing. Then an individual appears running down the halls...they pant, and their breathing is uncontrolled...like they run out of breath
.. escape: "L-Lady?..."
She runs past me as I turn to look in the direction she is headed...she makes her way to the exit-
suddenly, as she reaches for the door with an extended hand...then a faint whisper slips from her mouth
"Please..." Then the light flickers, and she is suddenly gone...in a hush
.. scape: "What?... What just..." Suddenly, I hear the same footsteps again, and this time is less in a hurry...the breathing is almost cut out
.. scape: "Who else is here?" I walk towards the sound
. Then I hear a less rushed sprint...the person stumbles...and almost trips as they catch their breath...they lift their head to look my direction...looking past me...at the exit...eyes wide and seemingly unfocused
. scape: "Lady, please...explain to me...what happened here?... I can help..."
The woman's breath shakes...she closes her eyes and grits her teeth while clutching an arm...she runs past me again...I notice her features now as she runs up close...her left arm is soaked in blood...her running is frantic...fueled by just adrenaline now...and her eyes...carry a slight unfocused look...she is tired of this
.. scape: "HEY...I am here to help..." I run after her, then I stop..." wait...wasn't she the same woman just now?...wait...did she get..."...I look behind me...she is gone again...
Then I hear the same sprint...but this time I turn around and run towards the corridor
.. escape: "HEY...TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON-"...suddenly we bump into each other. I stumble back as she falls...the woman looks up at me, and a tear slips from her eyes...she opens her mouth to speak
The woman: "it won't...let me... leave-" then the temperature drops as the air is knocked out of my lungs as the air tightens...and a pressure in the air that almost blows my eardrums...the light illuminating the building now reaches a blinding degree this time as the woman is gone again
I pant and cough at the sudden implosion
"shit...whatever this abstract is... it's getting people stuck in some sort of...repetition?...touching her just almost knocked the breath out of my fucking lungs coughs...alright...find the abstract first..."
I delve deeper into the building as I walk past whatever phenomenon the woman is caught in... I head inside and notice a multitude of individuals...all "stuck"...all repeating
scape: "There can't be this many." I walk past a few poor souls...a police officer in the middle of pulling a gun and attempting to shoot something...except the bullet never leaves the barrel...repeatedly...a hiding man attempts to hold his phone in the bathroom...and answering a call that was repeatedly dialed, repeating the same words
"hello...please help...we don't know what it is...please HEL-"...then his movements flow backwards in perfectly repeated motion as he picks the phone again
I walk inside the reception of the building...the scene is disturbingly still...glass litter the air from shattered windows...but it never lands...suspended in air as it falls to return again
I hear a distant scream, the sound still sounding fresh...and new...I walk towards the sound and notice a window with glass flying outside the building...blood staining the sharp edges as I walk towards the window and look down, I see a woman dressed in an office uniform...her scream rings again as its abrubtly cut off as soon as she lands on the pavement
scape: "did she...get pushed-" I gasp as she resets...her face a few inches away from mine...her expression is clear...wide eyes...tears and mascara running down her face ...her hands reaching out to a hand that never tried to pull her...she whispers against my face..." it hurts...make it stop"...she sobs...she then screams as she makes her way down to be brutally...splattered on the pavement
I take a few steps back...and clutch my mouth as my breath quickens, and I shake my head slowly turning around...
scape: "this place...this place is messed up...I take deep breaths...no...no...no...keep going"
I walk...slowly...then I hesitate before escalating to a full sprint as I take deep breaths....
scape: inner thoughts "get your mind together...focus..." I come to a stop and look around me as I lose track of direction...I look at a dark corner as someone is sitting there...staring at me with wide eyes...bringing her head to her knees and stomach as she wraps her arms around herself
.. scape: "a kid?"...I extend an arm..." hey.. are you...like them?"
I get a simple nod of her head
the kid: "I want to go home"...the girl's voice is calm...but the shake in her body and the shiver in her voice are evident
I walk towards the kid and prepare to grab her hand. Immediately, I am surprised by a hand gripping my wrist
"NO..."
I turn my face to notice the person...a man with a few missing fingers on the hand they are holding me by...
scape: "WHAT ARE YOU?-"
Then a loud ringing occurs in our ears; the child simply disappears, and the man grunts in pain, clutching an ear
.. scape: "You are a...hunter too?"
The hunter: "You were going to make it worse for her...we can't break their cycle...or you get pulled too." The man pants
The hunter: "Name's Horikoshi...let's know each other's names before it's too late, yeah?"
END CHAPTER.