Then there was Ethan.
He was wired. His eyes stretched so wide it looked like they could pop out anytime now. Matthew couldn't remember noticing the poor guy blink even once. Ethan's breathing was getting progressively worse the further the four of them walked the long tunnel.
"Looks like another door up ahead..." Matthew said, "It's open."
Between uneven breaths, Ethan muttered, "Great... Can't wait to see what's on the other side. Can't wait!"
Capri whimpered. She shoved herself into the middle of the group, "What is that smell? It's getting worse!" Her nose scrunched in disgust.
Ethan's mouth formed a thin line. Matthew noticed the smell too, and now it was starting to burn his nose hairs, "You're right... egh."
Genessee covered her nose with both of her dainty hands, "It smells like... chemicals."
"Chemicals and something else," Matthew agreed.
As soon as they filed through the open doorway, it closed behind them with a metal clank, and clunk of a lock. A warm light illuminated the room as if activated by their presence. Ethan clutched his stomach, "Oh, come on!"
Inside this room was a small factory. A metal stairway was set before them and on the bottom floor, on either wall, was a line of pigs all hanging from a conveyor belt. The ones on the right side of the room were already sawed in half, exposing their anatomy, bones, and meat.
"Welcome!"
"Of course..." Matthew sighed.
"You heard this guy before?" Ethan asked.
Capri, Genessee, and Matthew all nodded. Ethan tensed, "Yeah, me too..."
"You've made it this far. We'll see how long your luck continues to serve you."
"I don't think this room needs much introduction. But I'll let you in on a little secret."
The creepy voice that echoed through the factory had a mild playfulness to it this time around. When Matthew and Genessee heard it the first time he was mostly threatening. Why this time did he sound so... excited?
"There's someone here who wants to help you. Isn't that nice? However, he needs your help first."
"You'll find I'm rather fond of old-fashioned procedures... Perhaps I could show you?"
A short alarm sounded along with a ringing noise. The conveyor belt slowly started to move clockwise.
"The exit to this room is also the... cleansing room. Removing meat from bone was not always an easy task. It could be a bit of an obstacle for you. To shut it down, find the man inside one of the pigs before he's sliced up preferably. He has the key.
However. There will be two doors. Make sure you don't choose the wrong one..."
"Someone who wants to help us?" Matthew looked at everyone's face for an idea.
Ethan waved his hands, "I don't know. I don't have a freakin idea..."
"Well, go find this guy!" Capri declared.
Matthew raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, alright. We'll all go."
Capri looked against the idea of leaving the steps but followed everyone begrudgingly. It looked like the same kind of set up, Matthew thought. They were low on time and needed a solution fast. First, finding the stuffed pig.
"Look through all these pigs on the left side. Find one that already has a slit through its stomach," Matthew said, "It'll most likely be stitched up."
The pigs were pressed close together, so everyone had to grab the dead animals to get a better look, even as the belt moved them along. The smell of chemicals was getting stronger, and mixed together with the scent of rust and meat made them all nauseous.
Matthew couldn't stop thinking about what the "cleansing room" was or meant. If the voice parading them through this rooms of torment was behind it, then it had to be something terrible...
"I found one!" Ethan shouted.
Matthew rushed towards his voice and found the suspended big with a thin gash down its torso. It was stapled shut, which Matthew found pretty obvious. A little too obvious. They found the pig well before it reached the large saw blade that was tearing through pig corpses like tissue paper.
Ethan and Matthew took each flap of flesh and pulled them apart. Inside the meat cage was a dark haired man wearing a white button down and black tie. His limbs were shoved tightly next to the pig's ribcage. Good thing he was unconscious, Matthew noted, it looked painful...
Ethan pulled the man out from under his arms while Matthew held the legs. Capri and Genessee rushed over just as Ethan started sorting through the man's pockets.
"Who is he?" Genessee asked.
"Uh..." Ethan pulled out a wallet, "Looks like... a Mr. Nelson...?"
"What kind of identification is that? Is he a cop?"
"Maybe, maybe... here! The keycard!" Ethan whipped out a keycard, similar to the ones they already collected, from the man's wallet. Hastily, Capri took the card from Ethan's outstretched hand. "Let's get out of here!"
She ran towards the right side of the room, where the only apparent door was located. Her arms flailed through the line of pig halves as she squealed in fright. Matthew watched her go, his mind putting together a puzzle in his head... cleansing room, cleansing room... what was the cleansing room?
"Capri... WAIT!" Matthew yelled.
The exit door was in a separate cube-shaped area away from the hanging bodies. The cubed room was tiled quite particularly. It didn't match the rest of the factory at all. Something about it looked like a locker room shower.
Unfortunately, it was a shower.
As soon as Capri slid the keycard another alarm sounded. The door didn't budge, but two clear screens started to slide together, closing Capri inside the cube. She whirled around looking flabbergasted. Then, the shower started.
Similar to a car wash, blast of liquids came from both sides. Capri screamed and ran in circles trying to dodge the assaults to her body, but there was nowhere to go. She was trapped.
And melting.
It was too late for anyone to stop it. Matthew tried prying the screen doors open, but they were sealed tight. Genessee turned away, covering her ears with her hands, and sobbed.
Capri's skin, facial features, muscle... and just about everything but the bones, were slowly sizzling and dripping from her bones.
R.I.P.
My darling Capri ;)
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