Chapter 9: Those without meaning
SNICK!
Hisssssss
Ivers cuffs decoupled and began to release a strange pressure and it disappears as soon as it comes. His cuffs took his attention away even though it wasn't that long he froze up.
There was something behind him…something that struck a chord of fear for his life. A cloying scent fills the air. It was the scent of blood. I
"i wAnT…*%##…yOuR…me…mEaniNG$&&$."
Iver immediately grabs a steel rod and turns around and tries to bash it into the aliens head. However…
There was no impact.
It should have struck.
But it just seemingly…
Passed through.
For a moment Iver was baffled, he refused to believe what his eyes showed him but there wasn't enough time to ask questions.
"The hell!?"
Iver crawls out the ce and desperately sprints out to the open. As the alien follows him out, the lights finally illuminate the alien, its structure is unnatural. It's on all fours, a black spindly physique with a reddish hue in the light.
It's body is covered with ridges apart from its appendages. It's hands and feet have unnatural claws that dig into the ground. And it's most disturbing feature is revealed when it stands. It has a mouth for an abdomen.
"You've got one ugly mug."
Iver tries playing off the sight before him. However it's as if it crawled out of the depths of hell.
"I…nEed youR…Momentum."
It lunges towards Iver in blinding speed and he immediately rolls out of the way. And it crashes into the concrete walls of the facility. Iver takes a moment to catch his breath.
Huff
Huff
Huff
-Suddenly
It recovers.
The alien immediately rushes to him within the blink of an eye. Its mouth is wide open ready to tear off his head.
And just like before…
It phased through him.
It flies through Iver just like before and it impales itself on a warped steel frame that was peaking out from a destroyed concrete pillar.
It didn't wail or cry in pain…
Instead it kept on repeating itself.
"You can run."
"I want to run."
"You look forward. I want to look forward."
"I want to eat your momentum."
Iver watches in confusion.
"As creepy as that sounds…I've been too relaxed and almost got killed."
Iver picks up a steel rod and hurls it at the creature. It pierces its back and this time, it writhes in pain.
"Weird…Looks like my hunch was right. You're able to phase through objects…but not always or you're just not able to control it."
Iver walks towards the creature with his guard up.
"But why did you only feel pain after I…"
The creature used its clawed hand and cut off the rod. This created another problem.
Watch out for those hands.
It then went down on all fours. It began compressing itself. It's body coils like a spring. And suddenly it disappeared. Iver went on red alert.
He turned around and there it was. It smashed into Ivers body and pinned him down to the ground. The drool from its mouth dripped onto him.
"Please…Let me have it…"
The voice…it sounded as if it was in pain. This confused Iver but he had no time to spare. The claws began digging into Ivers skin. The drool started to feel as if it was…burning.
"Don't tell me it's acidic!?"
The claws pinned Ivers arm, but not his forearms. He grabbed the creatures thin arms and began pushing them off his body. For their size they had overwhelming strength.
Iver clenched his teeth. He hadn't noticed because of all the fighting, that there was a familiar feeling that was within him.
One that he's all too familiar with
He then took a risk. And let go of the creatures arms and it's pressure begins crushing him.
Iver tucked his legs into his chest cavity which made his feet face the creatures mouth.
"If this doesn't work, I'm screwed."
He then tries activating his friction force.
IT'S ON!
He increases friction on his legs and begins fighting the resistance by pushing his legs up. Steam emenates from his feet as heat and pressure build up. His muscles begin fighting against the artificial resistance he's creating. It wants to unload but it's being held back.
He winds up his legs like a coiled spring, copying what the alien did but in his own way.
The air above his feet begins shimmering as steam curls.
As he reaches his threshold he inverts his force and decreases friction to the absolute max.
The creature loses its grip on Iver and within the blink of an eye, Ivers legs explode upward into the aliens abdomen.
The air between their contact points compresses. This increases the pressure and the temperature. This creates a cushion of air that explodes onto the aliens abdomen. Alongside thermal burns from the residual heat from increased friction. Then comes the actual explosive kick.
The alien flies upward in a flash and crashes into the ceiling. Chunks of debris fall as the creature lay sprawled out and then falls downwards and crashes. Iver stands up. His legs a bit wobbly but he'll live.
He grabs his left shoulder. It was dislocated. He breathes in sharply and relocates it.
"Tsk!"
Pain shoots throughout his body. It'll subside eventually.
"That was too close. I've gotta finish the job before it kills me."
He then grabs the nearby steel rod. He sits on the alien and the stabs it. A black substance splurges onto his face. He continues stabbing it violently.
"Why…the hell…won't…you die!?!"
It's "blood" covers Ivers clothing. He makes one final stab and jabs it into the ground. Iver grabs some materials from the cells and pins it down to the ground. He stands up and scans the room. He slowly walks towards the passageway the alien came from.
"They just had to take all my gear."
He tears off a piece of clothing from his black prison outfit and makes a makeshift bandanna and covers the lower half of his face.
-Suddenly
Tap
Tap
Tap
Footsteps.
"You wanna find out how to kill those things?"
Iver immediately looks behind him. There stands an elderly woman, her black hair with streaks of gray wearing the remains of a prison outfit. She's wearing a black vest with red overalls with the top half tied around her waist. Iver puts his fists up prepared for another fight.
"Oh my, raising your hands against a lady, how uncouth. Is that what you young people do outside these days? Oh relax will you, I heard the ruckus from way over there. I was wondering who was the crazy bastart that decided to fight the damned thing."
"Yeah well you're in here of all places so there's not a lot of room in my heart for trust."
He slowly moves closer to the lady.
"You were saying?"
The old lady pulls out an old pair of scissors. They're dented and rusted.
"You can't leave the poor things to suffer."
She walks into the room where Ivers cell fell down. She whistles as she look at the wreckage. After doing so she takes her scissor.
"Be a dear and open this things mouth for me will ya?"
Iver raises an eyebrow and complies. He grabs the jaws and opens them.
"I WANT TO RUN, I WANT TO MOVE FORWARD. I WANT YOUR MOMENTUM."
Iver looks at her face, and it's one he didn't expect at all. A face of pity and sadness.
"Yeah yeah…how about you take a break and rest now okay?"
She pulls out an organ in the shape of a heart but blackened. Her scissors begin shimmering with pressure and she stabs the heart.
The alien shrieks and screams. They reverberate throughout the walls, making the room shake ever so slightly, it's arms phase out of the trap and scratches Ivers arm.
"Shit!"
And after minutes of agony it slumps down and it's heart disintegrates.
"I only ever wanted…to be invisible…from all those judgemental eyes…thank….you…"
Iver is shaken by what he just heard and saw.
She killed that thing with nothing but a scissor, while he had to go through all of that for nothing.
"What…was that…"
The old lady stands up and places her scissors back inside her pocket. "That's what it wanted but was never able to achieve…before it got infected."
She grabs the arms of its body.
"Anyways the names Erina. Now help me carry this thing, after all you owe me."