“Fuuuck…” Gordon cursed under his breath as we observed the gruesome scene. “What the hell happened here?”

  It looked like someone had been slammed into the walls and doors before being dragged through a gaping hole in the ceiling where the emergency exit once was.

  “Stay sharp.” Myra stated, noticing the busted hatch a moment after I did. “You know how the rifts work, whatever did this could still be here.”

  Ellen cautiously stepped into the elevator, angling her light upward. “Looks like the cables are still intact.”

  “Alright, head on up, but be careful. Cobra, you’ll be next.”

  Cobra nodded as Ellen holstered her weapons and leaped up, her hands grasping the bloodstained edges before pulling herself through.

  *schluk…*

  I spun around, my heart hammering as I searched for the source of the sound. But there was nothing but an empty hallway.

  “What is it?” Myra tensed and followed my gaze. “Did you hear something again?”

  “Yeah,” I answered, my eyes never leaving the hallway, “It almost sounded like someone stepped in gelatin…”

  My foot caught on something as I tried to step back.

  The floor rippled beneath it.

  “Get up the hatch now!” Myra yelled, pulling me free and stumbling back.

  Everyone kicked into action.

  Cobra quickly jumped through the opening after Ellen and immediately reached down, hauling Gordon up after him. The shorter goblin grasped Cobra’s outstretched arms and was pulled to safety just as the entire hallway began writhing beneath us.

  I was next, Cobra’s strength easily pulling me through. Myra soon followed just in time to avoid a long translucent tentacle as it swiped at her heels.

  “Cobra! Get that door open!” She waved at the closed doors of the level above us.

  Cobra got to work, quickly climbing up and pulling the doors apart.

  Cobra and Ellen were the first ones through, quickly followed by Gordon and Myra. I made to follow, but stumbled as my foot was violently pulled out from under me.

  A sticky tentacle was wrapped around my leg, slowly dragging me towards the creature.

  Panic clawed at my throat as I started firing my pistol, the bolts of energy sinking into its slimy form, but it continued its attacks without reacting.

  The elevator shuddered, struggling to contain the creature’s massive weight as I desperately tried to fight it off.

  Cobra noticed my predicament and rushed to the ledge just as one of the cables snapped with a loud twang, the other creaking dangerously.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  He reached out to grab me by my backpack just as the last cable broke.

  There was a split second where I was suspended in Cobra’s grasp, before I was tugged free by the appendage still around my leg, leaving only the backpack in Cobra’s grip as I was pulled into the abyss.

  ———

  Pain shot through my body as I slowly blinked my eyes open.

  Everything hurt.

  Suddenly remembering what happened, I scrambled to my feet, ignoring the pain that shot through me as I prepared for a fight... but the gelatinous mass was no longer wrapped around my leg.

  I stood and cautiously peeked down the hatch, only to find the creature still and unmoving.

  The fall must have killed it.

  I glanced up, shining my light into the darkness… I didn’t know how far I’d fallen, but there was no sign of Myra or the others.

  Glancing around for my pistol, I found it laying near the broken cable. It was covered in rust.

  How long was I out? I wondered briefly as I picked up the rusted weapon, only to find it covered in slime.

  Relief spread through me as I realized the corrosion wasn’t from time, but rather from the creature’s secretions.

  It did pose a problem though. I was now without a weapon, in a dangerous complex, with no support. I had to thank my past self for making a combat spell before coming here, as it was now the only thing I had to defend myself.

  Holstering my now non-functioning pistol after giving it a quick clean, I looked around the shaft.

  There was a rusted ladder, but it cut off after the next level, completely torn away by the elevator’s uncontrolled descent, leaving only jagged edges and bent metal behind.

  I tapped my radio, hoping to contact the team, but it had taken a beating during the fall and was now hissing static and spitting out sparks.

  My Shard wasn’t any help either. It worked, but it wasn’t picking up whatever signal it used to connect to the Global Network.

  Should I stay here and wait for help? If the team was still there, I would have seen their lights. Did that mean they left me? Did they think I was killed by the fall?

  Either way, I needed to get out of here. I no longer cared if I found anything worthwhile, I just wanted to get out alive. And the best way to do that was to make my way upwards.

  Unfortunately, the shaft was far too smooth and steep to climb without the ladder. I could have used one of the cables to climb up, if there were any remaining... but that was out of the picture now.

  I’d just have to take it slow and steady.

  I could do this…

  Grasping the first rung of the ladder, I started pulling myself to the next level, ignoring the slight pain I felt in doing so. Luckily, the door was propped open by some debris, providing just enough space for me to squeeze through.

  ———

  I wandered the halls with no clear direction, hoping to find an exit of some kind. It was hard to keep track of time in this environment, but it felt like I’d wandered for hours.

  This level wasn’t nearly as clean as the first. Garbage, stains, and rubble from collapsed walls decorated the dark hallways as I made my way through the destruction.

  There were even corpses here, unlike above. Most of them were killed by falling debris, but I did notice a few with claw-like tears in their white lab-coats. All of them had horns and tails like mine.

  Finally, I found a room that still had power. Its bright, sterile light easily visible as it spilled out into the hallway. I’d been jumped at shadows for the last hour or so, and it was taking a mental toll on me, so finding a place that seemed somewhat safe to rest in was a tremendous relief.

  The door didn’t have a keypad, but it did scan me as I stepped up to it, blinking green after a moment to let me inside.

  The room was rather simple—containing only a large operating table with countless arms hanging above it in the center, and a few rolling tables in the corners—but having a door that would lock behind me more than made up for it.

  However, regardless of how safe it looked, I wasn’t going to leave it uncleared.

  The creepy machine in the center gave off a subtle hum as I carefully searched every nook and cranny until I was completely sure I was alone.

  I let myself slide down against the wall furthest from the door. I wasn’t going to risk sitting on an operating table in a strange lab.

  I was scared. More than I’d ever been in both my lives. At least in the tunnel I had Valerie, but here, I was truly alone. My nanites didn’t make me invincible, all it would take was a single ambush and I would be killed.

  I tried to push those negative thoughts from my mind, wrapping my tail around me and hugging it for comfort.

  Sleep would be impossible, but the light in here was comforting enough to let me relax a bit.