This Blood Is Gonna Wake the Night

The body was in a crumpled heap beneath me when I finished. I sighed in content and licked my lips, wiping my mouth to ensure that there was no blood encrusting my lips. It had been so good. It made me feel powerful. My thumb popped back into place with ease when I pushed it hard.

I searched the corpse quickly until I found what I wanted. And then I swiped the key card over the panel to unlock the door. The corridor was empty when I glanced around the corner. I licked at the blood trickling from my left hand as I proceeded to walk cautiously down the corridor. The skin flapped from where it had peeled. It was strangely irritating and I would’ve peeled the skin off if it wasn’t the skin covering the whole of my hand.

The place was all white and empty. It was really unbelievably freaky. And I had no idea where I was supposed to be going. Then again, as long as it led me out, right? I made no sound as I stealthily crept cautiously along the corridor, looking for stairs or an elevator or something.

Anything to get me out.

My keen eyes rested on a sign on the wall. It featured a little stick man running up a set of stairs. Therefore, I made for the stairs. It was a simple set of bog-standard metal stairs going up for what looked like forever.

They felt cold against my bare feet. I could hear my echoing footsteps as I made my way up. It was obviously never used due to the rust on the handrail. I frowned at the rust on my hand. Hopefully, they didn’t have security cameras watching this stairwell. I looked up just to make sure.

Floor after floor I climbed. Each floor had a weird sprinkler alarm thing. They hadn’t thought it out very well. All you had to do was hit the button and bingo. Instant sprinklers. . .

. . . I’d climbed about five of the floors when I heard it.

A loud wailing sound that rang through the building, bouncing off the walls and reverberating all around me. They knew. . .

Moments later, the door five floors below me burst open. After a very quick look over the edge, I could see one of the guards straining to see if he could see me. I set off, sprinting up the stairs. His heavier footsteps pounded against the metal of the stairs as he pursued me, shouting out to see if I were a friend or foe.

I looked around desperately and pounded my fist into the sprinkler button. The mechanisms above us set to work and sprayed water everywhere. As I continued to speed up the stairs, I had to keep wiping my wet fringe from my eyes. He was getting closer to me. The pounding of his feet on the stairs were evidence.

So much for heightened agility.

Evidently, I need to practice.

He got closer and closer until he was one floor below me. I knew by this point that I wouldn’t be able to outrun him. Time to put my advanced reflexes to the test. I’d feed if I had the time. But I don’t. And I wasn’t actually that thirsty. I just stopped and turned to wait for him.

It didn’t take him long to catch up. I smirked at his entrance. He wasn’t the buffest of people. His fear was easy to sense. The fear caused a pleasurable feeling to grow within me. This would be fun.

“Don’t move.” He ordered bravely.

I ignored him and stepped closer to him. He pointed at me with his index finger as I continued to move closer to him. His other hand was closed around the contents of his holster.

“I’m serious,” He barked, making me chuckle “I mean it. Don’t move.”

In attempt to give him the false feeling of superiority I was looking for, I lifted my hands behind my head and stopped. Confusion flashed briefly in his eyes but he decided not to waste his opportunity and stepped over, pulling a set of cuffs out. I smirked again.

He actually thought I was gonna’ come quietly.

I made my move and lashed out. He stumbled backwards in shock and attempted to throw a punch at me. My razor reflexes paid off and I was able to throw him off with ease. He staggered backwards as I caught his arm and punched him square in the face. I could feel his nose break beneath my fist. He staggered back, slipped on the wet surface of the stairs and slipped over the rail.

He didn’t even have time to scream before the crack.

It didn’t bother me. As far as I see it, it was self-defence, right? The sprinklers were still raining down on me as I looked over the rail to see him sprawled out on the floor, his limbs sticking out at odd angles. I shook my head and licked at the blood on my knuckles, turning and proceeding up the stairs.

It didn’t take me long to reach the top. A white door stood in front of me, screaming a way out. I was grateful to seize the handle and slip out into the white corridor. Strangely enough, it was empty. I was slightly insulted that they obviously didn’t think I’d make it this far. But I wasn’t about to complain, all the easier for me.

I looked around for a door, but there wasn’t one. Had I gone the wrong way and unknowingly walked into some kind of trap? But from the way the alarm was still wailing, it wouldn’t seem that way. I slicked my hair back and looked around carefully. I couldn’t see a way out. Anywhere. I sighed from frustration. There was no way I was going back the way I came.

As I turned to take another look, my sharp eyes caught sight of it. There was a sign beside it reading ‘Emergency Exit’. A ladder fixed to the wall, leading up. The word ‘Exit’ could mean only one thing.

Up and out.

My hands closed around the rungs of the ladder as I looked up at the tunnel of darkness looming above me. No turning back now. With a small smile to myself, I began my climb to freedom. . .

*Meanwhile*

No doubt about it, Dr. J. White liked things to go his way. So when he discovered that one of his men had been found dead with the tell-tale marks on his neck, he didn’t take the news too well. In fact, that would be an understatement. The truth would be that he had a shouting fit for a while and then demanded that all the basement levels up to the fifth floor were locked down.

“He’ll never make it further than that.” He insisted to his guards.

While the alarm wailed and the guards were searching for the escapee, he sat at his desk with Gerard Way’s file up on his computer. A smirk spread over his thin rat-like face while he contemplated all the elaborate tortures and punishments he would put this thing under until he begged for slaughter.

Arrogance and underestimation of the situation were his greatest weaknesses. He had no respect or advanced understanding of the people he dealt with every single day. He merely saw them as mindless blood-sucking parasites. Just vermin loose on the streets, like cockroaches or something. He didn’t understand their strengths or weaknesses. He had no knowledge of their advanced reflexes or heightened speed, strength and senses evolved for hunting purposes. And he certainly didn’t see them as intelligent. To him, they were slow and stupid.

Shame he saw things this way.

If he hadn’t and had a better understanding of what he was dealing with, he might have been able to catch Gerard Way before his escape. . .

I grunted and pushed at the heavy metal object above me. It shifted with a metallic scrape and sunlight began to bleed down on me. I squinted my eyes as I gave the cover one last shove before climbing up.

My eyes slowly adjusted to the blinding bright light and I brought my hand down. There was nothing around me but brown rock. No sign of civilisation. I sighed to myself; I don’t know what I was expecting to be honest.

There was a scrape of metal as I pulled the cover back over the tunnel I’d just climbed up to try and prevent them from knowing I’d been here.

Once it was back in place, I took one last look at what appeared to be some kind of abandoned bomb shelter and set off at a sprint to get as far away as possible.