This is it.
Shatter!
Ugh…am I being born? The entries in my brain do not match with this situation.
Suddenly, red lumpy liquid covering me poured out with my body hitting the floor. It's cold… it's hard to breathe.
The red liquid has been filling my lungs and nostrils for a long time. Violent coughs terrorized me…am I dying? No, the irony red liquid got thrown out of my mouth and nostrils. Strange two balls placed on my head felt as if they were trying to escape.
What is it? This has to be seeing, right? But everywhere is white…and red. The red liquid on the floor smells fresh, cannot be mine.
My muscles tensed as I wanted to move them to get up from the floor as if it is the first time. Oh, yes. It is. Did I not just get born…from a glass tube? The remaining glass tube was hanging on the ceiling. What a strange ceiling.
-klik-klik…klik-klik…klik-klik
Someone is walking towards me slowly while stepping on shattered glass intentionally. A woman approached and squatted to see my face closer. Still cannot move. Staying still is the best option for now.
It is the first time I observed a face closer. No, it is the first time I observed any face. Dark, short hair fell in front of her face as she approached and pulled my hair. My head also lifted with her hand.
Me: Ouch! Oouuchhh!
It hurts! It hurts much more when I struggled to free my hair from her hand. Her golden eyes were looking at me with anger:
-Get up! - her angry voice echoed in the room.
The fear covered my heart as I tried to look away from her eyes.
-Are you deaf or stupid? Get up, now! - a hand forced my body from the floor. Standing up made my spine hurt as if it was broken. After a few stumbling, finally my legs had the strength to hold my body up. The woman watched over me as if looking at a fool. Compared to me, her slender and tall figure was crushing.
She finally opened her mouth after observing me with those humiliating eyes:
-How are we going to get out of here? I suppose you are familiar with here.
Me: Ah...huh?
Fierce yelling hit me as her non-existing patience was getting to an end:
-Do you not hear me? If you make me repeat myself one more time, I will make sure you never speak again!
Her hand on my neck, choking me to death. Few stutters escaped me, even though there is nothing to say.
Me: I...I...do n...ot know - Answers mixed with tears and my head swaying from side to side. The heat from tears and eyeballs burned my brain inside my skull. When? When will this woman let me breathe? Cries inside my head repeated as the seconds felt like hours. With an indifferent laugh, the hand on my neck vigorously chocked me for the last time, squeezing my eyeballs out of sockets:
-If you do not know, then die!
Booom!
I thought it was my head exploding. The vicious grip on my neck loosened. It is impossible to distinguish if smoke from explosion is filling the room or my vision got darkened from lack of air. As soon as the hand let go, with a few stumbling, I fell on my butt. Terror. Terror, fear and dust filling my lungs. As much as my lungs blow up, no oxygen filled me.
Cool breeze slipping between my arms brought me to my senses. The intimidating tall figure has doubled, towering my naked body sitting on the floor from both sides. Four amber eyeballs, glowing between the dirty smoke felt like burying me alive deep under the ground.
-What about the rest? - a mellow voice asked. Somehow this soft voice soothed my throbbing heart.
-There is only this one. I have already checked other cells as well. Only this cell locked itself, as soon as I smashed this Creation Module. - that familiar voice pointed to somewhere, even though it is impossible to see inside the smoke.
One of them started walking around ignoring the smoke or fire starting to emerge from the explosion. Clik-clik, clik-clik. Stepping sounds circled around. She is walking around and occasionally smashing or tossing the shattered glass pieces with her shoes.
-I'm leaving. It is only a few minutes of wait until the system regenerates this cell. Stay as much as you want.
-Wait! I am leaving too. - that mild voice towarded to me again - She is coming with us.
-No need to carry her around. She is probably another Ascended.
-Do you think that system would keep an Ascended deep inside the cells? Just, just give me a minute. We will catch you. - Ignoring these words, dark haired woman slowly walked towards the exploded wall. The smoke was thick but the light shining through the hole left behind by explosion reached me. Her slender silhouette was getting smaller as she walked towards the light. Walls repairing itself made light go dimmer.
Still in a shocked state, a hand reached out and put fallen hair strand on my face to back of my ear.
-Do not worry! You are going to be alright. - a soft hand palmed my cheeks, whispering to my ears. A warm sensation went down from my spine, until hands replaced with cold breeze again. The tall figure stood up again - Can you walk?
Me: N...n...no! I...I...can try. - Not knowing what to do I tried standing up but my legs did not cooperate.
Her arm slipping to my back helped me to stand up
-Put your weight on me, just move your legs.
Instead of answering, I nodded my head.
Leaning onto her made walking easier. She led us to the opening as I only put small effort to stepping ahead. My mind was blank. Her warmth. This is nice. May this moment never end.
The cold breeze combining with still wet blood on my skin shivered my naked body. We finally reached the opening. The hole is still big enough to get outside.
Anxiety leaked inside me through my brain. Outside the cell, countless storeys stacked on top, each storey having multiple cells. A bee hive. Yes, this looks like a bee hive. Interesting. How do I know what is a bee hive?
Anxiety and excitement mixed inside my gut.
The enormous size of this building frightens me. Dum-dum, dum-dum. Heartbeats reached to my brain. But instead of this building, these two women interested me more. Outside, escaping the smoke cleared the view. With little courage, I turned my head to see the face of this woman helping me. Two have identical faces and almost amber-like brown eyes. Her light brown hair is even shorter than the woman confidently leading the way ahead.
The spiral corridor having only one staircase on each storey placed on the opposite side of the floor exhausted me as the cold air pierced my skin. At this pace, steps do not seem to come to an end. The exploded wall is seen from this side of the building almost completely regenerated. All other cells are empty, making three of us the only living beings inside. Seeing my confused face observing the building, the woman turned her face and smiled lightly:
-We are inside a Module Array. Cells containing Creation Modules are stacked on top of each other to create these Module Arrays. This is the first time that we see a Module Array empty with only one Cells working. - she explained.
-You are talking like she would understand any of the things you said. This is probably a forgotten Modul Array.
-Huh? And you think that system forgot an actively energy-consuming Module Array...
Suddenly, all the lighting shut down and dim red lights lit in the corridors. After a terrifying siren, a robotic voice filled the building:
"Protocol destroy...Protocol destroy...Protocol destroy. All the personnel, please leave Module Array 7 before the explosion starts"
Sirens are rising. Announcement screaming. Terrifying. The dark haired woman shouted:
-I told you this is an abandoned Module Array! - slammed me to the ground. Dragging the other woman with her.
Me: Please! Do not… leave me here! - tears filling my nostrils and mouth.
Being dragged to the hole in the center of this building, brown haired woman turned to look at me with pity. Shook her head slowly.
Me: No! No! No! Nooo! - trying to drag my body even though terror is flowing through my veins, paralyzing every muscle.
Both of them ignored my cries. Turned their back. With tear-blurred vision, I saw their metal spines emerge from their skin and elongate, forming big, sharp tails.
60…59…58…
They jumped.
As soon as the announcement started counting, they jumped.
I want to collapse to the floor and cry. It is a dream. Right? It is a dream?
Me: I…will…not die…here! - energy rush coming through the fear of death gave me a last chance.
Stood up, ran and threw myself into the endless-looking hole.
16…15…14…
Plummeting through the hole, air swooshed by. A few seconds turned to forever. Please, please let me continue. Blood drawing back froze my lips, turning them blue.
Clang!
Crack!
Hitting metal, cracking bones. Darkness swallowing me. Consciousness blurring.
GeneXIS system: This is a new chance to live. Protocol Apex: SUCCESFUL.