The blood dripped from his shoe with each step he took adding an unsettling aspect to the desolate area they entered. Rows of mannequins stared as if they were alive from the empty and moss filled exhibits. Surprisingly the mall lights faintly flickered overhead. "This place gives me the creeps." Antochi murmurs under his breath holding his hands together as if trying to rid a cold shiver.
"We should check the shops fast, I wanna get out of hear as fast as possible." Sotiria exclaims slightly doubting her words as if she didn't want to follow them. Antochi quickly turns towards her and hesitantly exclaims. "I really don't want to but I agree, something is off about this place."
I'm gonna head to the food court right of the fountain, you can take the supermarket on the left. Sotiria says as she steps towards the food court glancing back at Antochi one last time and reassuringly nodding, seemingly saying to stay safe.
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The food court reeked of years of rot and decay, Sotiria passed an overturned trashcan suddenly stopping as she notices movement in it. She cautiously approaches it before picking up the trashcan and backing away. A small black fur coated figure stares back at her, its tongue laying outside of its mouth as it huffs and puffs. Its dark eyes watch her cautiously before running off.
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A metal sheet gate is slightly ajar at the bottom. A boy crawls through in the process coating his already dirt soaked white shirt in more dirt. He stands up scanning the area cautiously. Aisles of nearly empty shelves some overturned and some still upright. Broken boxes spilled stale cereal across the floor like dried-out guts. The air was thick with dust and something faintly chemical—like cleaner left to rot.
Antochi moved silently every sound his shoes made increased his caution knowing if something was there it knew he was there.
He moved around the area looking for anything edible. Picking up a dry cereal box his eyes shone. "Still has some left." He thought to himself.
He continued searching the area picking up anything edible that he could find. He moved towards another aisle.
His attention was caught on one brown school backpack, it wasn't too big nor too small he stored the three boxes of cereal he had found in it before putting the bag on his shoulders. "Dang, seems like people already looted this place. I think that's all, I guess I'll meet up with Sotiria now." He thought to himself beginning to head back to the entrance.
As he headed towards the entrance his heart nearly skipped a beat as he felt a thick wetness under his feet. He looked around the ground almost vomiting as he laid his eyes on a disturbing find. A man, if he could be called that anymore laid there motionless, his torso was contorted. The sight reminded Antochi of when he used to crush cans of soda when done with them. "Whatever did this, I don't wanna stick around long enough to find out what it is." He pondered quickening his steps towards the entrance.
Crawling out of the supermarket he was disappointed in his findings but it was still something. He laid his eyes on the food court, It was an open space and he didn't see Sotiria there. He moved towards the empty space filled with carts of multiple junk foods, most were rotten and the smell made it very clear. He got some bottled water from some of the stands still looking out for Sotiria.
He finishes searching the food court. There is no sign of Sotiria around. He heads towards the back of the first floor glancing at the multiple shops hoping to see her in one of them smiling at him as if it was just a joke. "No sign of her, where in the hell did she go." Antochi moves to an open door, "I guess this leads to a stairwell ,maybe the second floor or the basement. Where should I go first?"
As he stands in silence pondering to himself a sound behind him puts him on high alert as he snaps his head around.
There in the middle of mall stood a man. Slightly average height wearing a dark purple robe. A hood covers his head but slight long black hair still hangs from it. There's holes in his robe, they seem purposefully made. "Hey dude, what are you doing here?" Antochi shouts out slightly relieved to see someone else.
Silence.
"Hey dude, you're kinda creeping me out, are you good?" Antochi shouts out again now slightly on edge.
"Me?" The man lets out his voice hoarse and slightly high pitched.
Antochi slightly chuckles. "Who else do you think I can be talking to right now." He shouts out slightly mockingly.
"Rude, I Suppose." The mysterious man lets out.
Antochi questioningly stared at the man. The mysterious man then looked down his dark hair going below his chest, his face which wasn't visible being revealed as he pulls back his hood. A long sharp nose, dark sharp eyes and a menacing grin. "I'll have to teach you manners young man."
The man began cackling clenching his chest and snapping his head up his sharp dark pupils digging into Antochi's soul. A flash of something long left the man's back and in a heartbeat Antochi was on the ground. The pain began to register as his pupils dilated at the sight of his missing legs. A slight cry of pain turned into a full on scream as a thick red substance began pooling on the ground beneath him.
The man maniacally laughs as he slowly approaches the hysterical Antochi.
In a flash the laugh dissipates, the man now looming over Antochi wears a dead serious expression.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself, how shameful of me." His eyelids barely visible as his eyes fully open, his pupils reduce to the size of pebbles, fear and hopelessness fill Antochi's very existence.
"Desan, Desan Virel, The Tenth of The Ten, a member of the Spiral Veil." He says barely audible over the screams of the poor boy groveling in fear under him.
"How rude can you be, young man." Virel exclaims slightly louder.
"I guess you still haven't learnt." He lets out clenching his chest again.
His long jet black hair covers his face as his back visibly contorts under his robe resembling worms crawling under someone's skin. Slowly long fleshy appendages leave through the holes in his robe, At the end they're sharp as if they were knives sharpened professionally. The ends morphed into hands as they reached out for Antochi wrapping around his torso like a python getting ready to strangle its victim.
Antochi is lifted into the air, his legs still haven't healed, the shock doesn't let him concentrate.
"Truly beautiful! Scream more! Fill my ears with that beautiful song of yours!" Virel shouts out, a wide perverted smile forming on his face. His cheeks turn red as Antochi begins to shout out in pain as the appendages tighten around his torso, twisting and tightening.
Antochi tries to scream out but only a muffled croak, crushed under pressure came out. He could hear his ribs break as they twisted and turned, his body folded wrong. A sickening crack followed as his ribs gave way, one by one.
The appendages then retracted, Antochi was in so much pain he barely noticed the maniacal laugh that escaped the crazy man's mouth. He was dropped onto the floor, he couldn't scream, couldn't move, truly helpless.
"It was fun playing with you, but I have to go now." Virel let out turning around and leaving.
Antochi barely able to breathe watched the man walk away leaving him in pain and suffering on the ground. Rage boiled up in him replacing the fear and confusion in him. His vision began going dark, the last thing he sees is a petrified Sotiria emerge from the stairway, her face filled with terror and confusion as she ran towards him holding him up.