If you missed parts 1-3 please read those first.
They were footsteps. Those of a human. I sit straight up, and scramble for my flashlight and shine it in the direction of the footsteps.
“Maddy?” I whisper softly, my voice muffled from the mask. It’s her. It’s my best friend.
“I thought you were dead!” I cried. Maddy didn’t say anything. She stumbled forward and I hurried to catch her as she fell. Blood stains her brown frizzy hair, and her dark skin is dry and cracked.
“What happened?” I asked her softly as I easy her next to me on the sleeping bag.
“They… they tried to make me forget. They tried to make me forget.” Her voice was feeble, weak. Her breathing was shallow. Her eyes roll back in her head. I calm myself down, knowing she’s just passed out. I lay down next to her trying to sleep, myself, but I can’t seem to do it. I must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I open my eyes again, a ray of light streams through a crack in the ceiling. And then I realise it. “The air outside has become toxic.” That’s what the reporter had said wasn’t it?Wasn’t that why I was wearing a mask? So what about Maddy? I’m half asleep when I realise this, but I quickly scramble to check on her. But she’s gone. Not there. Disappeared. I shake my head, trying to keep from tears spilling over my cheeks.I try to convince myself that I was hallucinating last night when I saw her. That I had been exhausted. That was all. That was all. Nothing more, nothing less. I wiped my eyes and packed up my things, continuing to follow the map.
It took hours of walking. Of walking in dark, tight tunnels before I came to a sleek, white door, set into the wall. I hesitate before placing my hand on the silver handle. The door swings open seamlessly, and the babble of a hundred voices break the quiet that had been in my head for so long. There are so many people. Elderly, adult, even some children running around. There are a few teenagers like me, but only a handful here, another sprinkle there. The only thing everyone has in common is that they all look grim. Like they’re just waiting for something bad to happen. I expect to feel a sense of relief, but instead, a feeling of foreboding sets over me. As soon as the door closes, eyes turn to me. A slight click sounds behind me. Everyone falls silent. And a small girl whispers “You weren’t supposed to be here.”
The lights flicker. A mechanical, female, voice sounds from above me. “Final Specimen contained. Let the feeding program commence.”
Everyone looks up towards the sound of metal sliding against metal, as three trapdoors open to reveal…
“What are those things?” I whisper, my voice lost in the screams.
