Chapter Text
Violet had a driving permit, and it was late at night. She continued towards the direction of the mountain side, where the asylum was located.
She heard rumors that there were evil things going on, so much so that it didn’t allow female patients or staff. It sounded pretty sexist to her, but she didn’t know that the place was even bought up, or taken over by another corporation.
Her mother never talked about it, or mentioned it in the slightest, since they lived so close to it. She did, however, see the night before, military vehicles driving up towards the location.
She wondered if it was a siege on the place, or something bad had happened. She had turned her head away from the window, shutting the blinds closed. Now here she was, driving steadily up towards the location. She took a shaky breath as she accelerated on the gas, going uphill now.
She saw the sign.
She screwed her brow as she pulled up towards the front gate, stopping next to a red jeep pulled up front. She turned the car off, slowly getting out of the driver’s seat as she looked at the building.
It was tall, and imposing, and looked terribly old. Based on her recollection, it was built in the early 1900’s, but she wasn’t sure when it was built.
She walked past the gate, walking up to the fence.
There was an opening in the wire, stepping through carefully as she continued walking around the property.
It was a little chilly up in the mountains, so she wrapped herself tight in her jacket as she continued walking around, looking curiously or for any clues.
A bunch of the military vehicles which she had seen before were parked nearby, their drivers nowhere to be seen. The keys were still in the ignition, as if they expected to be in and out in no time at all. She walked up to the front doors, shaking the door to get it opened.
It was locked.
She walked around, looking through the windows to find a way in. Her eyes widened at the sight of blood and guts on the floor. She reeled back, taking a shaky breath as she looked around the other side of the building. There was an open window on the second floor. She climbed up, stepping carefully. There was an unfinished bridge, the wood had fallen to the ground. She took a running leap and jumped, stepping over the wood paneling to the open window.
Inside it was dark, and smelled like that of iron rich blood. With one flash of her light, she gasped in horror, putting her hand over her mouth.
Decapitated heads.
Everywhere.
They lined the shelves of the room, walking around to see the mangled faces, frozen in time in their last moments. By the look of them, they appeared to be ripped off by brute force .
“Who would do something like this?” She thought to herself as she exited the room, feeling queasy.
Out of the room, she spotted something moving.
Or someone.
She turned off her light, watching the individual walk into another room, shutting the door behind them. She gulped down the thick wad of saliva in her throat, as well as any bravery she had. She went in the opposite direction of the individual before, looking for any signs of a map, or anything. There was a closed opening, bookshelves and debris in the way, but there was a small opening she could slip through. She slipped into the opening, halfway through.
“Little pig!”
A guttural voice rang out.
Violet was immediately grabbed by her shirt, and then by her neck. She tried to let out a shriek, air becoming restricted as she looked down at the individual holding her up.
He was horrifying.
He had no face, his mouth bared in a snarl. Blood covered his face and parts of his body. He looked strong, far too strong for her to take on.
She kicked her legs, using the momentum to raise her leg, trying to hit him in the chest or high enough in the face. Instead, he took her by the neck, using his momentum to throw her out one of the glass windows on the second floor.
She panicked, shrieking before she hit the floor, blacking out. When she came to, she was greeted by the face of an older man.
“Wha…Who–”
“Hush, child. You are safe now,” he hushed, looking over her.
Her vision swam as she tried to look at him, placing her head back on the floor.
“Tell me, child. Why are you here?” He asked.
Violet furrowed, keeping her breathing even. She slipped in and out, hearing his voice echo.
“Trying…to find…someone,” she answered, closing her eyes.
“Find someone?”
She hummed her answer, keeping her eyes closed.
“I see. Perhaps…yes, yes, this is a sign, a true sign of our savior, sent by the Walrider.”
She felt his hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.
“Keep your wits about you child. There are many dangers ahead of you, but the Walrider will guide you on your journey to…find…this….pe–”
His voice slipped away as she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.
It felt like her mind was slipping in and out, replaying memories from her past, from when she was younger to when she was in middle school. Some painful, some more nostalgic. She woke up a moment later, blinking a few times before she sat up, taking a cautious step up as she looked around.
“What’s wrong with this place?”
She took a moment to look around, something red catching her eye up top, on the banister of the second floor.
Praise the Gospel
She turned her nose up at it, remembering the man from before.
He wore some sort of…priest’s outfit, although he didn’t even look like he was a priest at all.
She took a moment to walk, weary of her footsteps and the pain in her side. Walking past the main room, down the hall past her, where she saw a group of men–patients–sitting, watching a static TV screen. She walked in front of one of them, bending down to look at him fully.
He stared. Blank, unwavering, unmoving.
She waved her hand in front of him, but he didn’t do anything.
No response.
She stood back up, continuing forth on her journey.
Miles told her to find an elevator. But where?
She walked down the halls, until she reached a security room, the door slightly ajar. When she walked in, she looked at the cameras, watching other people on the camera in each one. There was one individual walking around, carrying a pair of giant shears. Another was a man in a suit, walking, almost looking for something, but the priest was nowhere to be found. Behind her, she heard the shackle of chains, perking immediately.
“Little pig…”
She looked around, finding a place to hide. A set of lockers were next to her, and she quickly hid in one.
He slammed the door open, and watched from the slits in the locker of his huge form walking through the room.
“I’ll find all you whores…” he muttered.
Violet put a hand over her mouth, watching as he made his way to the lockers. He opened the one next to her, closing it with a dissatisfied grunt. He then sniffed the air, looking up and then down.
“I know you were here…”
He then turned, walking away from the room.
Violet waited until she couldn’t hear the clanking of chains, then stepped out of the locker. She looked back at the cameras. She looked for any sign of an elevator, seeing an open door in a room. The camera was labeled as “camera fifteen” but the location was unknown.
“Shit…” she whispered.
She stood up, her objective now of finding the elevator.
She felt a sting in her neck, and an arm holding her.
“I’m sorry, but you can’t leave now,” she heard the priest’s voice say.
He was holding a syringe.
“There’s so much for you to witness, to know our anguish and pain. You just have to see for yourself,” he continued.
Her eyes rolled back as she hit the floor once more, losing consciousness.
When she woke up again, there was a blinding bright light in her face. She exhaled through her nose, closing her eyes for a moment before getting up. Her side was killing her, probably bruising at this point. Looking around the room, there were crosses littered on them. Hymns and bible verses scrawled in ink.
“Jesus, what a fanatic,” she thought as she walked to the door.
There was a sudden mangled face, flinching back as she saw it. There was a click, and the face was gone. The door opened, and out she went to a prison block of some kind. Shouting and voices were heard. Below there were people, one banging his head against one of the pillars. She circled around them, careful of her footing.
“Who do we have here?”
“Looks like the savior Father Martin promised us.”
Violet looked around quickly, before she saw two shrouded figures in darkness, blocked by a jail doorway.
“She looks scared.”
“I would like to kill her.”
“No, we shouldn't. Father Martin has put his faith in her.”
“Kill me?” Violet whispered.
“So he believes she is truly the savior?”
“Indeed. He instructed us not to harm the girl.”
“She doesn’t look like a threat. So what do we do?”
“We wait, and watch her.”
She walked closer to them, to see them better in the light. Luckily she still had her flashlight on her, bringing it out to shine it on them.
Unfortunately for her, they weren't clothed. They were naked.
“Oh…God,” she muttered, shielding her eyes as she brought the flashlight down.
“She seems disgusted.”
“It appears so.”
Violet reared back, pointing the flashlight up at their faces.
They looked…odd. Big ears, large foreheads, misshapen teeth. They glared against the light.
She brought it down quickly, trying to steel herself not to look down.
“Are you…patients here?” Violet asked warily.
They perked up, listening to her speak.
“We were.”
“Until the Walrider was freed.”
“The Walrider?”
She walked closer to them, peering at them through the bars.
“Information that will come later.”
“In the meantime, follow the trail of blood.”
One of them pointed opposite to them, on the other side of the prison block.
“Follow the blood?” She repeated, looking back at them.
One of them nodded, the bald one.
“Yes.”
“You will find all the answers there.”
“What answers? What kind of place is this?” Violet asked more urgently. She hadn’t noticed before, but both of them were holding machetes to their sides.
“All in due time, child.”
“All in due time.”
They both assured her.
Violet backed away, still looking at them. She set her flashlight away, walking away to the other side of the prison block. There was a ledge that she crossed, keeping her sight focused on her feet, and not the floor below her. Once she crossed, she made her way down to an open cell, where there was a hole in the floor.
Scrawled on the wall, in blood no less, were the words that read follow the blood .
She scooted down it, landing on her feet as she did.
“Find the elevator. All I have to do is find the elevator,” she thought, looking around down the hall of the new area now.
Down the hall, it led to a dark hallway, illuminated by an eerie green light. Once again, there were words scrawled on the wall.
God always provides a way. Follow the blood.
She walked into the little room, the door closing behind her as a fine mist started washing over her. She coughed, waiting for the door in front of her to open.
“I hope this was worth it, Miles.”