Hayleen was stuck.
The thing, Estella if her guess was correct, trapped under the door was a ticking time bomb, the auburn haired girl didn't know anything about the creature currently out of commission.
It wasn't safe to stay in case the being wasn't dead yet, and it was even worse if she were to leave, Hayleen was also regretful of having broken the door down, she couldn't even lock the door to keep the thing trapped in this room now.
What do they say about situations like these? Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Yeah, that about summed this situation up perfectly.
She groaned softly and paced around, her steps louder than they should be, she stopped and then glanced at her phone...
There was an option she hadn't looked at yet, "Inventory".
"Here goes nothing." She said, clicking open the app.
__________
Inventory
Soul lamp *1
Resentment Hound *1
Resentment Hound *1
Resentment Hound *1
Resentment Hound *1
Random Reward *1
_____________
Unlike the other options that were shown as lists going down, the inventory was made out of 10 little boxes, six of which were occupied, the first little box displayed a lamp icon, the flames of which were a light orange, bleeding into white, the four following boxes were filled with animal icons.
The first of four animal icons was that of a black wolf like creature with glowing red eyes, the next was that of a white eyed, black furred horse with glowing gills, following the horse was a picture of another dog like creature, although it had the same black fur, its eyes were a burning white.
The last creature was also a dog but it had a pair of white antlers to accompany its eyes while the rest of the body seemed to be black.
Hayleen could see a trend there.
The last and sixth box was filled with a picture of a small chest, hoping for some kind of miracle, she tapped on it, watching as it was displayed on the screen.
________
"Would you like to open the mystery reward?"
[Yes] [No]
_
[Yes]
____
The chest clicked open and a text popped up on her phone screen.
"Congratulation for winning the item: "Inventory Upgrade."
"The Inventory upgrade adds 10 Inventory slots and expands the Inventory function, items below the Mortal-rank can now be stored."
"...What's up with my luck these days?" Hayleen mumbled as she read through the description of the item she had gotten.
She wasn't sure if the item was supposed to be useful to her, or if it was rare, but she would have preferred something a bit more useful for what was happening now.
She let her head hang and suppressed the urge to bash said limb against one of the white walls.
Pausing, she took a closer look at the walls, they were, as stated before, white, but they were a different white than the one in her room, in fact, now that she looked closer, the room looked... older than it should be.
Now, to be fair, the differences were light and easy to overlook but they were there, the hospital bed for example seemed to be another model than the one she had woken up in, it looked a bit more bulky and the buttons on it were different, the curtains also looked cheaper and the colour was off, the blue replaced with a teal colour, the light was also completely different compared to what she had seen in her hospital room or even the hospital corridors, something was off.
Pressing her lips together the girl strode forward and back towards the bedside table covered in papers and documents, she reached down to grab a paper that had fallen to the bare floor, instead of looking through the contents, she now searched for the date.
05.12.3006
"... This is just getting better and better, isn't it?" She asked aloud, suppressing a low groan of exasperation.
She looked back into the hallway, halfway expecting the colour to change, but the hallway had stayed the same, nothing seemed out of place, the pictures were the same and she could see the broken glass case once containing her temporary weapon in it, the floor still covered in the shards of the broken glass pane.
Dropping the paper back onto the pile she strode back to the windows to peer outside, nothing but darkness greeted her, clicking on the flashlight, she shone it on the glass, nothing changed, clicking her tongue she killed the light of her flashlight with the press of a virtual button.
She tapped her thighs in thought, opening the app back up and looked at the remaining items in her inventory that she had yet to see.
____________
Soul Lamp
Item Grade: High Spectre
Item Type: Support
Blessings: The blessing of the forgotten child, The blessing of the man with no voice, The blessing of the women in the gales.
Functions: The Soul Lamp can lead restless souls, ghosts and specters into the afterlife and absorb their remnants, strengthening itself and its owner in the process.
Blessing Functions:
-The blessing of the woman in the gales:
The Item Soul candle was created.
The Item Soul candle will protect the Owner from harm, misfortune and the cold.
(The Blessing was reapplied and upgraded, the item Soul candle (Mortal) was upgraded to Soul Lamp (Soul)
-The blessing of the forgotten child:
The Soul Lanterns flame will never be extinguished.
The Soul Lanterns Flame will repel beings that want to bring harm to the holder/owner.
The Soul Lantern will always give light, warmth and comfort for whomever bears witness to it and its ever burning flame.
(The Soul Lamp grade was upgraded from Soul to Spectre)
-The blessing of the man with no voice:
The Soul Lantern can change its form to fit what the holder/owner requires.
The Soul Lantern Flame will attract spirits, souls and other beings that wish to pass on.
The Soul Lantern can purify curses.
(The Soul Lamp was upgraded from Soul Lamp (Spectre) to Soul Lantern (High Spectre)
-The blessing of the betrayed:
The Item, Soul Lantern, is bound to Hayleen Simmers.
Item can not be stolen.
Item can not be forcefully removed.
Item can not be lost.
Item will return to owner (Hayleen Simmers) within a 24 hour time span if removed from her.
Note: Item was permanently evolved from Soul Lamp (High Spectre) to Soul Lantern (High Spectre)
Note: Because of the items unique function, the item can not be destroyed or permanently broken, item will restore itself given time and soul essence.
________________
Note: Double tap an Item to take it out, or say "...." to activate the advanced inventory function "Inventory in the outside world."
__________________
Now Hayleen was confused, first off, the item sounded OP, second the last blessing was not shown by the System, was it bugged?
Lastly, what did "...." mean, she gave it a click and watched another window pop up.
____________
To make the System usage the most pleasant for the "Risen" it can be, certain terms and names can be edited by the "Risen" in the "Options" menu.
Some of the changeable terms and names are marked by "...".
Do you want to rename "..." ?
Note: To access the "Menu", please tap on the Bloodmoon on the main screen.
___________
"Uhhh." The teen let her eyes wander, unsure, it was now or never, if this function really worked, then the System was as real as could be.
She was nervous now, she was caught in between wanting the System to be real and wanting it to be nothing but a cheap trick.
Although the claw under the door made her believe in the System, if nothing else.
"... How do I change "dot, dot, dot" to something I want?" She murmured, blinking at the System note.
"Change "..." to "something I want?"
[Yes] [No]
"Oh." After a small sound of enlightenment she clicked on [No] and tried again, a bit embarrassed about even trying something so silly, if it didn't work, that was.
"Change "dot, dot, dot" to "Inventory." She spoke, holding her phone closer to her mouth to avoid it mishearing her command.
"Change "..." to "Inventory."
[Yes] [No]
[Yes], with a single click the message vanished and up popped a last message.
"You can always change the terms and names in the "Menu".
___________
The disgruntled teen looked at the fallen door and at the phone held in her hand, she bit her lip as she just couldn't seem to bring forth the single word that she wanted from her lips.
The word seemed to be lodged in her throat, she gave a frustrated growl, cleared her throat and spoke, if a bit quicker than she needed to.
"Inventory."
She looked away after the last sound left her mouth, unwilling to see her failure of an attempt at something utterly impossible.
She was going insane, she just knew it, with a derogatory half-laugh, half-chuckle, she turned to face the music, only to freeze as she fully opened her eyes.
She hadn't noticed she had closed them.
So, she opened her eyes, fully expecting to be met with air, only to see a floating reddish screen hover in front of her face, it was made out of 20 little boxes, only five of them filled, a "Inventory" in a bold font and in a dark red placed in the upper left corner, outside of the little field of boxes and written on the edges that surrounded the boxes.
Feeling speechless, she soundlessly tapped on the screen, it felt like slightly denser air, like steam in a bath house, and tapped on the Soullantern.
It popped out of thin air in front of her face and she had to make a little lunge to catch it as it was dropped with no warning, it rattled slightly as she caught it and the bright flames danced uninterrupted even after the fall.
"So this is real... Fffu-k me." She cursed as the reality of the situation finally settled in, and just as she felt panic rise within her, she regained her clear head, she blinked, not expecting her panic to vanish, no not completely, she still felt a bit panicked, but it was in the back, she knew it was there, she felt it, but it didn't cloud her judgment.
Was this the blessing from the betrayed setting in? If it was then it was truly useful.
And just another sign that everything that had happened the night before was as real as could be, just another nail in the coffin.
___________
Step. step. step. pause. step. step. step. pause.
The sounds of heels clicking on the cold vinyl floor outside the room she was situated in startled her and as she listened with due attention as she felt a shiver crawl up her spine like a cold finger slowly wandering up her back, the nail scratching on her skin.
3 steps, a pause, 3 steps.
That was the obvious pattern Hayleen noted as she began to look around for a hiding spot or escape route.
It came from the right side of the corridor and was steadily moving closer and closer.
Taking out a small pocket mirror the girl always had on her person, she chose to peer outside with the help of her trusty tool.
The lights were flickering and it had completely died in the distance, the darkness consuming the light.
But Hayleen could see, and she saw the bloodied figure rattle a door handle only to find it locked and continued on, three steps all the figure needed to reach the next door.
If Hayleen had to guess, then she would assume that the bloody nurse that was steadily drawing closer had come from through the once closed doors leading to the operation rooms on this floor and if she did, with the rate that she was going, she would reach room 272 after she checked the remaining 10 rooms separating them right now.
The teen held the mirror in her hand and leaned back inside the room, carefully stepping over the door and trapped monster underneath.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
She knew how to fight and had a fireaxe if need be, but the nurse had a bone saw in her hand and didn't look human, the figure she saw in the distance being lanky enough that the ceiling looked small and the figure thin with disproportionate arms that nearly dragged on the floor as it hunched slightly forward, swaying slightly with every step.
Her gait was wobbly and her whole body moved with the motion, her feet dragging on the floor, the heels she wore producing ear churning screeches as they dragged along the floor.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
She hadn't seen the nurses face as it was tilted down to the floor, the black hair untied and hiding anything else from view.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
She looked around, biting her lip, she was trapped now, she couldn't leave the room, she was sure to be seen, and where would she go?
Every door except door 277 and 272, where she was now hiding in, was locked.
She gave a small whine as she glanced around, could she hide under the bed? No, too obvious, not well hidden enough.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
With every passing second, the being came closer and closer, Hayleens gut curling stronger and stronger the closer it got until the the tingling turned into a string.
Maybe the bathroom would due as a hiding spot, she could lock the door from the inside, right?
She turned to the closed door and debated if she should take the risk or not.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
Every step the beast outside took sounded like an executioner sharpening his blade for use.
No, she shook her head as she glanced at the teal blue door, she already had to deal with two monsters, she didn't need a possible third.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
The air grew colder and the steps got closer, they were out of place, as no other sound was heard.
She glanced at the curtains, a hiding spot a child would use, no.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
Hayleen could now hear it breathe, soft wheezes that sounded like someone trying to breathe through a broken neck.
Could she hide in the bed? No.
Maybe build a decoy? No not enough time.
Could she stall for time?
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
The chill was drawing closer and she saw frost collect on the window.
No, there was nothing big or heavy enough to block the door, and the door broken and on the floor was keeping another being at bay, no.
Step,
Step,
Step,
Pause.
Time was running out and she could now hear the clicking of the locked doors.
She looked at the last place, the wardrobe in the corner, instead of the wooden one in the other room, this one was metal with slits at the upper half, letting light in and air out.
Step,
Step-
She hopped into the locker and silently closed it behind her, she sank down in a corner and used the left over cloth to cover her body, hiding under a pile of old clothes.
Step,
Pause.
Something stepped into the room.
________
There was a sound as if something was carelessly thrown to the ground, it gave a loud clang as it clattered to the floor, the bone saw of the nurse like monster then?
There was the sound of dragging feet as the thing must be looking around the room, it walks around, the steps growing fainter and then louder as it searches for something.
Did it know she was here?
Then the footsteps stopped near the doorway leading out into the hallway, it grew silent for a moment, then there was a loud bang and the room shook with the force of the aftershock.
"ScreeeecH!" An angry scream and the aggressive stomping of feet that clicked on the ground as the heels hit the ground hard enough that the floor underneath seemed to crack.
"ChaaA!" An angry screech, then something was thrown into a wall, the room shook again and Hayleen waited with baited breath.
It seemed that the thing stuck under the door was not quite as dead as she thought it to be afterall.
Another thump and the wall shook again as something was slammed into it, Hayleen had no way of knowing which creature it was without leaving her hiding spot.
Insane laughter, likely from the nurse like monster as there was the sound of claws digging into the ground.
Hayleen gripped her weapon tightly, her fingers turning white with the force.
The sound of ripping fabric and a loud metallic clang as something landed on the ground with a thunderous bang made her flinch slightly.
The beasts were ripping each other apart and Hayleen hoped the winner would be half dead so that she could kill it.
The ripping of flesh, loud and guttural screams, another thump.
The sound of a chair being thrown and shattering.
The squeaking of a door and gurgling.
A loud clatter and ripping sound.
An inhuman growl, the female screams dying down as another scream, voice different but very much just as inhuman as the last one rose in volume.
The room shook again and there was another angry screech.
A pain filled scream.
A wet squelch.
Silence.
And then it stayed silent.
____________
Hayleen sagged a bit and listened for another minute or two.
She took a deep breath before stepping out.
She looked around, it was utter carnage.
The remnants of the hospital bed was turned on the side, the metal bent out of shape, there were large indents on both the wall and the floor, the curtain was on the ground, torn into pieces and the iron it was attached to half hanging on the wall and half dragging on the ground, pieces of broken wall and floor littering the ground.
The pieces of the chair that she had used to block the bathroom door were collected in a corner, some pieces lodged in the wall from the throw.
The wardrobe got away just fine, except for an indent in the wall right next to it and even a bit in it, a few broken pieces of the wall were surrounding the wardrobe...
...along with a bit of black blood that was slowly dribbling down.
_________
Hayleen balled her fist and re-tightened her grip on the fire axe as she turned and looked on top of the wardrobe.
A figure was looking down at her.
A deformed figure that was once trapped under the door.
The large claws it had for hands digging into the metal frame.
It didn't blink its wide yellow eyes as it silently stared at her.
"Estella?" Hayleen asked the docile figure on her former hiding place.
It tilted its head at her before grinning, it was sharp and it was large, the teeth reminding her of broken glass that was poorly glued together, then it nodded.
"..." Hayleen was a bit lost for words but asked the important question after snapping out of a small daze.
"Where are the other things?" Because while the room was in carnage, and there was a bit of black and red blood found in the dents or the floor every once in a while, there was no corpse to be found.
It raised a clawed hand, Hayleen tensed, and pointed.
Hayleen carefully turned, still keeping the thing in the corner of her eye.
It was pointing to the bathroom that was now open, the flickering light illuminating its interior and the two mangled figures inside.
It was obvious, in the fight between the Nurse monster, the bathroom monster and Estella...
Estella came out as the winner.