บท 12: Defeating The 34th Floor
As Asher stood over the fallen undead monster, his heart still racing from the adrenaline-fueled encounter, he knew he couldn't afford to linger. With his baton still slick with blood, he wiped it on the decaying clothes of the fallen creature, a macabre act that surprised Shadow, who was watching with calm eyes.
As Asher stepped out of the room, the corridor stretched before him, its dimly lit expanse lined with a series of research rooms. The atmosphere in these rooms was eerie and unsettling. Dim lights flickered overhead, casting long shadows that danced upon the walls. The air was heavy with a stale, musty scent, a reminder of the abandoned nature of the facility.
Each room held its own set of scary scenes . Glass cabinets housed preserved specimens, their grotesque forms distorted by the formaldehyde. Shelves stained with blood, and cluttered with research papers, their faded ink barely legible. Broken equipment lay scattered across the floor, a testament to the chaos that had consumed the facility.
As Asher cautiously made his way through the rooms, he encountered several monsters—the same ones he had previously watched in the video footage. These undead creatures stood motionless, their sunken eyes fixed on nothingness. Their pallid skin and tattered clothing added to the overall sense of decay and despair.
With a mixture of caution and skill, Asher deftly maneuvered around these zombie monsters, avoiding any unnecessary confrontation. He tiptoed silently, his footsteps barely audible amidst the eerie silence. His heart pounded in his chest, the tension mounting with each step.
As he passed by a particularly large research room, a dim light revealed a horde of zombies huddled within. Their moans and groans filled the air, a cacophony of misery that sent chills down Asher's spine. He knew that engaging them would be a grave mistake, potentially attracting unwanted attention and jeopardizing his mission.
With bated breath, he carefully skirted the room, his back pressed against the wall, his movements deliberate and calculated. The sound of his own breathing seemed to echo in the narrow corridor as if the very walls were whispering secrets he dared not comprehend.
As he emerged from the research room area unscathed, relief washed over Asher. The adrenaline coursing through his veins began to subside, replaced by a renewed sense of determination. Each avoided encounter only reinforced his resolve to survive and find a way out of this nightmare.
However, his heart sank as he spotted two more zombies, standing like sentinels directly in front of the elevator. They seemed to sense his presence, their heads turning in unison, their milky eyes fixated on his every move. There was no way to bypass them unnoticed. He knew he had to eliminate them to proceed.
Gripping his blood-stained baton tightly, Asher steeled himself for another confrontation. The metallic clang of the elevator doors opening and closing in the distance served as a haunting reminder of the ticking clock. Time was running out, and every passing second increased the risk of being discovered.
As Asher approached one of the two monsters, he carefully assessed their movements. The undead monster's decaying limbs twitched sporadically, their mouths agape in perpetual hunger. It was a gruesome sight, but Asher knew he had no choice. He had to act swiftly and decisively.
Without hesitation, Asher swung his baton, the whoosh of air cutting through the tension-filled atmosphere. The sound of impact reverberated through the corridor, accompanied by a sickening thud as the baton collided with the skull of the first zombie. The creature's head jerked violently to the side, a guttural groan escaping its lips before it crumpled to the ground.
The second zombie, alerted by the commotion, turned around with a roar, its voice echoing off the walls, "ROAR!!"
In the instant the monster's lifeless eyes fell on Asher, it lunged toward him with surprising agility. The sound of shuffling feet and the guttural growl filled the air, raising the stakes of the encounter. Asher sidestepped the oncoming attack, narrowly avoiding the zombie's outstretched arms. With a swift pivot, he brought down his baton in a brutal arc, striking the creature's head with bone-crushing force.
Crack!
A sickening crack resonated through the corridor as the zombie's skull shattered under the impact. Its lifeless body collapsed to the ground, joining its fallen companion. Silence settled over the scene, broken only by Asher's heavy breaths and the distant moans of the remaining creatures.
Shadow's voice pierced the stillness, his words carrying a mixture of urgency and caution. "Well done, but we need to move. You caused a lot of noise."
Asher nodded, wiping the sweat from his brow as he stepped over the fallen zombies and started heading to the elevator door.
As he approached the elevator, he could hear the distant rumble of its mechanical workings. And a sudden sound of upcoming roars grew louder, shaking the corridor. Asher's heart raced, knowing that time was running out.
"BOI-TEK, open the door!" Asher shouted desperately, his voice drowned out by the growing noise.
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
As the sound grew closer, the door of the elevator slid open, revealing a momentary respite. With a last glance at the rushing undead monsters that were now in the same corridor as Asher, he stepped inside the elevator, his heart pounding with a mixture of fear and self-satisfaction. As soon as Asher entered, the doors closed behind him, sealing off the roars of the monsters.
"I expected you to chicken out at the last moment, but you actually proved me wrong. I didn't even need to help you. You did well, Asher," Shadow said with his usual cold demeanor, his voice echoing in the confined space.
Asher, hearing Shadow's words, was shocked. "What!? Are you praising me? Don't tell me you're proud of me?"
Hearing Asher's words with an annoyed expression, Shadow slipt out a sigh as his figure slowly faded away, leaving Asher bewildered and craving for more answers. "What!? Where did you go?"
Suddenly, BOI-TEK's voice resonated from the speakers of the elevator, breaking the silence. "You have reached the next floor. The door will automatically open in three minutes. Please remember that I cannot help you on this floor. You have to find the awake computer panel. Once you do, I will be able to assist you further. Please proceed with caution. The lower the floor, the more creatures it contains. You will encounter more undead monsters on this floor than on the 34th floor."
Hearing BOI-TEK's voice, fear once again gripped Asher as he realized that, unlike the 34th floor, he had no idea what awaited him on this floor. Without access to the camera footage, BOI-TEK was unable to provide a plan or any information about how to face this new challenge.
The elevator doors opened, and Asher took a deep breath, bracing himself for what lay ahead. The sound of distant moans and the scraping of claws filled his ears, intensifying his apprehension. He knew that he had to gather his wits and face this floor head-on, although he was actually very scared he can't let that stop him, he knew that need to push further.
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PS: although the title contains the ' Descend ' the elevator is actually going up. Because the facility is underground
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