Dark Fables: Whispers of the Abyss

Ominous Experiment (part 4)

There was pin-drop silence in the room until Rylan spoke up, 

"You know for a plan to work it should be based on both facts for what is happening and imagination for what could happen, it takes courage to act on it and luck as a bonus to survive through it," he said examining the lock. 

"Professor I know you're trying to lecture me but can you focus on the matter at hand?" Owen rubbed his temples again and sighed. 

"Well, I wasn't trying to lecture you, I was merely stating my thoughts on survival." he looked at Owen with a blank expression. 

"Thank you for being honest..." Owen said in a mocking tone.  

“The keyhole isn’t too complicated, we can open it with the nib of a pen, and a safety pin.” Rylan demonstrated while removing the safety pin from his name badge which was still on his shirt. Picking out a pen from Owen’s chest pocket he dismantled it and took out the thin plastic ink cartridge.  

To prevent the first half from breaking he kept the steel nib in for support. Bending the other half outside the hole for movement. He straightened the pin and adjusted the two components into the keyhole. After a few tries and clicks, he puffed in annoyance.  

“Why not just break the drawer?” Owen impatiently said.  

Rylan clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, “Would you think before opening your mouth? It's made of steel!”

“Then just use force to open it!”  Owen held his yell back.

“It doesn’t have a knob! You...!” Rylan forced his mouth shut in order not to disrespect his elder. “Gosh! Just give me more time, it's not electronic and works like a normal lock so shush it will you?” 

“We are wasting time like this...” Owen tapped his foot continuously.  

“You are distracting me!” Rylan stood up and aggressively threw the plastic cartridge at Owen which Owen easily dodged. It landed near the broken bed.  

The room went silent.  

“I'm not getting that for you.” Owen candidly stated.  

Getting up from the floor he glared at his useless partner and went to pick up the ink cartridge again. Under the bed, he noticed something taped haphazardly with one of the steel legs. In layers of taping was a small rusty key. Rylan was out of words and just ripped off the layers, holding the key he shook his head in awe and just smiled.   

Showing the key to Owen, Rylan sticks out his tongue in a childishly mocking manner as if he was proud to find something useful. Owen gave a small humph and said, “whatever.”  

Both drawn by the force of curiosity came closer to the drawer and opened the lock.  

They were shocked at how many steel blades and small sharp weapons were confined in that drawer. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement.  

"Alright, let's go through the plan one last time." Owen stood still and started explaining. 

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Part 4 

Acting On Impulses 

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Owen: 

We can assume that the thing outside is more or less a living tool and is being aided by some strange computer AI that gives it orders or perhaps it is a person. 

And that with these sensor nullifying braces which I found in one of the unlocked rooms, it cannot detect our movements nor check for the vitals. 

In this area, there are two possible escape routes the main hall door or the emergency exit door at the end of the hallway. 

The problem is we won't be able to have much time to investigate both of them so we have to choose one of either options. 

We do not know the exact passcode for the main door but we do not know where the emergency exit door might lead us either, although I can try to hack and open the main door with this mini pod. 

Rylan: You can hack? How? 

Owen: John the ripper...and I can do so much more, now concentrate. The devices we have from the tech depart have many useful things in them, I once used them to hack a vending machine.

Rylan: You did what-

Owen: But that's not important right now. Fortunately, They weren't stolen from my coat and are useable.

The drawer they opened had some broken knives, sharp blades, and some blunt objects. Some were rusty with blood and some had rough edges. A few were sharp enough to keep fighting. It gave off an eerie feeling. What kind of person was inside this chamber who collected such traumatizing stuff? 

Owen: I cannot guarantee that it will work but we got no choice. 

Rylan: Hmm... What if, we split up? You go and hack that main door while I go and check the exit door? 

Owen: That is a possibility but I am not sure when or from where that thing will appear again, if the exit door is just a distraction and is useless, then in these narrow hallways, if you got caught, you cannot escape it. 

Rylan: Understandable, however, if it does lead to somewhere else and you fail to open the main door by the time that thing arrives, you will be the one who's screwed.  

Owen: I see that we have different opinions but right now we need to act. Both plans are 50-50 and it seems like survival chances are lower than expected. 

Rylan: What if we try to knock out that thing before we open either of the doors? It must have a blind spot and a weakness. 

Owen: Are you crazy? Charging straight at that murderous thing that has a machete and that huge mace dragging behind it, with its speed of attacking? impossible...a normal human being can never match up to something inhumane like that! 

Rylan: When I stabbed that iron bar I found, it didn't stop me but instead took a direct hit, but at the same time its attacking speed and comprehension became slow. So maybe if we can somehow immobilize it... 

Owen: Impossible! impossible! Just forget it, will you? I'm not taking any risks... Just stick to the safer plan. 

Rylan: You say that but what's with all those stuff you're attaching to your belt? 

Grabbing all the blades and shoving some into pockets, some latching onto his belt, Owen became flustered at Rylan’s pointing finger. Pushing his hand away he cried, 

Owen: It's for self-defense! For goodness' sake can we go now? I want to get out of this messy place asap. 

Rylan: Fine, let's test our luck, shall we?   

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The door slowly slid open and both of them peeked from that small opened space. 

"Alright quickly!" Owen whispered hardly enough for them to hear. 

They dashed in opposite directions making a minimum amount of noise as possible. The first one to reach his destination was Owen as the room was close to the main door. 

Rylan ran as fast as he could, maintaining his composure while sweating, the cold sensation made him shiver under the pressure of time slipping away. 

Owen hastily opened the passcode box revealing wires, taking out his mini pod he attached one wire to it and twisted it back into the box. With a small beep, his pod started the system and after a short while showed a message 'overwrite the pin code?'  

"Yes!" Owen was overjoyed that it worked on the first attempt. All hail Tech depart! 

Upon reaching the emergency exit door, Rylan grabbed the door and tried opening it, but it was locked...  

"s**t shit..!" he hissed.  

He pulled out the pliers and blade he found in the room and tried to pick the lock. “ I knew I should’ve learned how to pick locks instead of tax-paying!” 

'Process overwrite has begun.' 

13percent......17percent...

"Come on come on faster!" Owen's heart raced so fast that he thought it will stop from sudden ischemia.  

Shakingly, Rylan inserted the blade and spun it around with the plier to find the correct positioning of the lock, "left, left, right, up no not this way," he calmed his nerves because the shaking was hindering his deed. 

28percent.... 35percent...  

"It's taking too much time s**t!" Owen was tapping his fingers on the pod severely nervous.  

A clicking sound came, and Rylan breathed out heavily, "Yes! It worked!" Blessed by the luck! 

He swung open the door! When he went inside the dark area, he found stairs that lead to an upper floor.  

"Okay! Now to secure the path!" But to his demise, the stairs were broken in between and there was no way to jump at that distance. A look of bewilderment never leaving Rylan’s face he huffed loudly.  

"Ahhh s**t! I have to go back!" cursing his annoying luck, he went back to the halls in haste.  

As soon as he came out of the door, he heard the chains... “Are you kidding me...”  

58percent... 62percent...  

Still tapping impatiently Owen looked around for the signs of that being approaching but couldn't hear anything.   

"Hurry, Hurry Rylan..." 

Stunned and barely breathing, Rylan looked horrified at the sight of that thing that was blocking his way to the main door and the end of the long hallway he was standing in.   

"This is bad... I'm trapped! There is no use hiding in these rooms now..." 

‘I... have to risk it!’ Rylan only thought one thought. 

70percent.... 76percent...

Owen heard a loud echo coming from the hallway... He was getting nervous and scared. 

"No way...." 

Rylan screamed as he charged directly at the thing with blades tightly grasped in his hands.  

He remembered what they discussed in the room if the plan to escape failed.

(Owen stared at him seriously and said, "Listen, if and only IF we do encounter that thing face to face...” 

Rylan listened closely as Owen spoke, “Do not run sideways as it can use his mace to swing and hit you with the chains, as soon as that happens, you're dead... So, we can do only one thing...that is...) 

Rylan acted upon their plan! [Charge right in the center! Throw the blades to distract his machete! AND!!!! While his weapon is still in the air I can...] 

Rylan desperately dashed towards the monster. 

[Slide under his legs! Grab the chains and throw them around him! That will tie it up partially or completely and it will lose balance.  

This will give us time to escape without the fear of our backs being slashed, stabbed, or crushed.] 

84percent... 90percent...  

Owen could hear the clashing of steel and grunts coming closer, from this he could predict that Rylan has encountered that thing.  

95percent... 100percent...  

'Overwrite completed, please enter the pass co-' 

 "Alright, alright here it is!!"  

He typed the numbers 1-9 and hit enter as fast as someone could say them aloud.  

Rylan came rushing towards the main hall stumbling and almost slipping, he saw Owen collecting everything in a hurry. 

'The door will now open please enter before it's closed.' 

It revealed to be an elevator that led to the upper floors, which is what they both assumed.  

"Rylan!" Owen yelled in a panic. "Hurry! It's opened!" He choked on the nonexistent saliva and dashed inside. 

With all his might Rylan ran towards the elevator. When he reached the door, he smiled at Owen, 

"You did it, you bastard..." 

"Oh! shush and get in!" Owen grabbed Rylan’s coat and pulled him in.

But before he could pull him in completely, Rylan felt the chains around his ankle and suddenly got dragged backward, making him fall on his face badly. 

He groaned with the sharp pain in his leg and elbows that had hit the floor.  

But the pain soon faded when he saw that horrible machete high in the air ready to strike him down. 

Slam! The monster's face got hit by a fire extinguisher and blasted, splattering the foam everywhere. It groaned loudly as the system echoed 'warning, warning'. Its vision was blinded for some time. And those few seconds were what they needed to avoid the brutal hit of a machete. 

"What are you drowning in a trance for, you i***t run!!" Rylan saw Owen standing outside of the elevator but then rushed back in. 

Struggling with the chains Rylan tried to loosen them and made a run towards the door. They both got inside and Owen quickly pushed the close button, the door slowly closing. "Close faster!" Owen shrieked. With a ding, it closed and an automatic voice came, 'please enter the floor you would like to reach.' 

"Finally, it's over." Owen sat down, holding his head and taking in deep breaths. 

"Where did you get that extinguisher?" Rylan asked, breathing the same as an athlete after a marathon.  

"Oh, that? It was on the other side of the door. I saw it while breaking down the system, never knew it would help!" Owen laughed uncontrollably.  

A loud thud came from the opposite side of the electronic door, 

Their relief was once again interrupted by the machete getting stuck between the doors keeping it from closing completely. 

"Oh no, the heck you won't!!!"  

Rylan slammed the edge of the machete with his foot and pushed it out. 

Only then the door smash closed. 

Beep... beep...  

'Please enter the floor you would like to reach.' 

"Come on press anything before that thing destroys the door!!!" Rylan hit Owen’s back so that he can stand up properly.  

Outside the door seemed to be denting and shaking.  

“Start you damn...!” Owen screeched at the pain.  

And hit...they were now ascending. 

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