Ezra carried the dead soldier's body over her shoulder, heading through the passageway. At the same time, one of the soldiers who dragged off a chosen prisoner came in her direction. Seeing the dead man over her shoulder, his eyes widened before narrowing suspiciously. His boots were heavy on the floor as he approached Ezra.
"You. What happened to him?"
His voice was low and thundering. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his body was set in a tense position. Ezra tilted her head back to look up at him.
3
"What do you think?"
She answered dryly, coldly. She noticed him clench his jaw, heard his breathing pace, and his heart sped up ever so slightly. Her senses were sharp enough for her to notice the slightest twitch of a muscle and the sound of blood rushing through minuscule veins.
"He was just fine. How did he die suddenly?"
Ezra shrugged, getting ready to walk past him.
"That's confidential. What happens underground, stays there." Her voice held a sharp tone, she moved past him before being stopped by a crushing grip on her other shoulder.
"That wasn't a request, guard."
The air stilled, becoming tense and colder. The soldier's eyes glowed a sinister colour. He was used to people cowering before his overwhelming gaze. He smirked, expecting the same from the thin, pale-looking guard in his grasp. Ezra tilted her head slightly to the side and looked back at him. To his surprise, instead of a shocked or fearful look, her eyes reflected boredom.
"You're new here to the lower sections, so your confusion is natural, but in case you didn't understand the first time--"
Suddenly, a burst of wind sent the soldier flying backwards. His back hit the wall with enough force to knock the air from his lungs, and he let out a low grunt. He slid down the wall, clutching his right ribcage. She stood over him and looked down at him with a condescending gaze.
"Never put your hands on the guard. As I said before, it doesn't matter how he died. Nothing leaves those steel unless it's a fighter."
She brushes off her uniform with her free hand before turning and walking in the original direction she was heading. The soldier glared at her back but could do nothing as he lay there, groaning in pain. Ezra passes a few lower-floor guards, headed to the final floor, Floor 30. On this floor, no humans resided, only killing machines and blood-starved beasts who would eagerly spill blood and guts for the love of the game. One by one, she passed the holding cells of all kinds of growling beasts, deranged freaks, and corpse eaters. She's been down there a few times, so she wasn't surprised at this point. A few growled and hissed and laughed manically as she passed. At the end of the pathway of cells was a door that opened to stairs that led down further. Ezra headed down the stairs until in front of her stood an enormous gate, mostly sealed. Only a small, human-sized cage made on the right side of the gate gave a view into the darkness inside.
"Sigh... I'm retiring as soon as that dumbass makes it out."
Ezra walks to the cage and drops the body inside. The body hit the ground with a low thud before rolling over. Blood was draining from his neck and severed arm. Ezra stretched, feeling the tension leave her back. She put her hands at the corner at her mouth and called out.
"KENSHIBA! COME FOR FEEDING!"
Her voice echoed through the darkness, and she coughed and spluttered as her voice recovered from the shouting. For a moment, there was stifling silence, only accompanied by an artificial and consuming darkness. She lets out a soft breath, listening intently. Then, the sound of Goliath's limb shifting and hitting the ground heavily filled the open space. Ezra stared into the darkness, waiting as the creature approached. Closer and closer it came, and soon the light caught its face. The creature had three distorted human heads that molded inside each other in a horrific display, each facing a different direction. It had no eyes; instead, tree branch-like horns protruded from what should have been eyes. It was hunched low, using two arms and legs to carry itself forward, four more limbs disgustingly sticking from its back, as if mimicking wings. Its form was like a human, furless and scaly. It twisted its neck sickeningly, the sound of cracking bones awful in the closed space. Ezra kicks the body further inside where the beast was before stepping back out and closing the cage. The beast dipped its head, assessing the body before letting out an ear-piercing screech.
"SCREEEEEEECHH!"
"AGGHH!"
Ezra stumbled back, the sound wave pushed her back. She dropped to her knees, covering her ears desperately with heavy breaths. Drops of blood spilled from her nose and ears, traveling down her arm as the creature continued. Then the space went silent, she lifted her head to see it staring down at her with an awfully wide, grotesque smile, and she shuddered and jumped to her feet.
"F-F**k!"
She immediately turns and heads to the stairs. She spares a glance behind her to see the creature still watching her with that bone-chilling smile. She shudders again, then quickly heads back through the door and seals it off. Shaking off that experience and regaining her nerves, she decides to head to the storage area on the fifteenth floor.
"Did you feed the demon again?"
"Damn, I wonder if she'll go mentally insane like the others?"
Two guards passing by comment, and the three others around them laugh. She shoots them a glare before deciding to ignore them. She heads to the sorted clothes sections in the storage room. These were old and worn clothes, but would hold up long enough until new ones could be given. She picks up two shirts, pants, a dress, and underwear.
"These should fit."
She packed them into a small cloth bag and slung it over her right shoulder, and she went back down towards the twenty-sixth floor, where Micah and Red were waiting.