?????'s Point of View

Underground Tunnel System

My mother burst into the room in a panicked state. “Get up.” She ordered.

“What?” I asked, surprised. “Why?”

Not waiting for me to get up, she moved over to me and grabbed my arm. “Now, Freya!” Dragging me from the room, we started running through the halls. “We need to leave now! Leave and hide!” She muttered to herself.

“Where are we going!?” I asked as she forcibly dragged me along. “Better yet, what’s wrong!?” We came to a sudden stop before she turned to me.

“Something came here.” My mother stated. “It took Alwin and Lucia.”

My head shook in surprise at this news and lack of alarm. “It took them?”

She was sweating nervously as she started dragging me again. “Took, rescued, saved… Whatever word you want to use.”

We moved through the halls passing soldiers who looked confused. “I don’t understand why we haven’t gone after him, or better yet, why is there no alarm for an intruder breaking in?”

“I can’t teleport, Freya.” She admitted as we moved toward one of the childcare centers. “That thing’s magic, or whatever it is, is monstrous. It’s likely a Demon sent here to kill me for escaping that laboratory all those years ago.”

“What does that have to do with your magic not working?”

“Its magic is covering the entirety of our tunnels and above. I can’t focus as it seems to be pressing down on me continually, but only me. Like it’s targeting me.” She explained as we stopped outside one of the areas where we kept our young. “Listen to me, Freya! We need to leave before it returns!” There was fear in my mother’s voice as she shook me.

I looked at her before turning back down the tunnels. “But… What about everyone else?”

She shook her head. “There may be no time. Once you’re safe, I will return for them, but we’ll take the hidden passage in the center to flee for the time being.”

“We should at least take the children.”

“There isn’t time!” She shouted at me.

Her chest heaved up and down as she looked at me. However, before she could reply, everything seemed to take on a blue tint. It felt like something was squeezing my lungs as my legs gave out. Sweat poured from my body as I struggled to breathe. My eyes were unfocused as I tried to look up at my mother dizzily.

As I found her, I saw her teeth were clenched tight and her eyes wide. Whatever was happening, it wasn’t just to me. She was just able to handle it better. The cries of scared children came from the center. It was impossible to stand up as all the strength in my body seemed to be gone. Things got worse when I heard it. A horrible screeching sound in the form of clicks thunder through the tunnels.

Slowly, my eyes tilted up toward the tunnel we just came down as I saw little sparks of blue lighting shoot through the blue cloud. The screeching continued as the tunnels shook horribly, and I thought they would collapse at any moment. Turns out, they did and didn’t. Cries of horror, fear, and so much more echoed through the tunnels as sections slammed shut viciously. It sounded like men, women, and children were all being slaughtered.

Struggling to breathe, my mother grabbed my arm and yanked me into the center. “Freya,” She started before a burst of wind came into the center. “Gah!” On it was a red mist that carried through the tunnels in a horrifying manner.

Collapsing on the floor, I looked up at my mother, who was now powdered in blood. So were the children and I in the room, but none of us could stand. They were so young. Only a few years old. The chirping was getting closer as I moved to my hands and knees. Shuffling over to the children who were lying on the floor unconscious from the pressure, I tried to comfort them.

“Get up, Freya.” My mother pleaded. “You need to run.” She said after what felt like hours.

I felt breathless. “I can’t.” I forced out.

“Please, Freya…” Fear entered her voice as she knew what was coming before I did.

The screaming had stopped. All the tunnels were silent, and it sounded like they were now empty. My gaze drifted out to the long hallway. Whatever crystals there were illuminating the passageways slowly started to crumble and shatter. Whatever light remained was in the room with us as we could only stare at the dark helplessly.

From the corner, a creature appeared. It blended in with the dark except for blue cracks on its body that gave off a small amount of light. Them, and its eyes. Eyes that immediately set upon us as it seemed to float off the ground as we could hear no footsteps from it. Only the random chirp that escaped its throat.