All Novel Full 126 Sol: Worst Nightmare
[Seventh Floor]
“Wakey, wakey! It’s time to get up!”
Yeong-Un screamed out from the top of his lungs while in the midst of dodging a strike from a two-headed centipede.
He stomped down once landing, roaring out as he slashed his dual blades, cutting the monstrous insect into multiple, fleshy bits.
“Huh…Is nobody on this damn floor?” He huffed, wiping the sweat from his chin.
After finishing the large centipede off, he continued down the hall as his open, dark-blue coat was brushed by a passing breeze.
“Is a window open, or somethin’…?” He questioned in a mumble.
He stood still for a moment, listening in to the silent, seventh floor for any prowling entities. All of his senses were alert, heightened by the urgent situation.
“Guess it’s nothin’,” he mumbled.
Just as he stook a step forward–
CRASH.
The entire wall to his left was shattered apart with a brutish impact as chunks of the white material flung outwards.
“Poundin’ time!”
“I knew it!” Yeong-Un grinned.
It was incredibly fast, but he saw it: the one who charged through the wall–a towering man of heavyset muscularity, wielding massive twin gauntlets, an all-black uniform, and a smiling mask that hid his face.
“Yer’ one of those GOETIA bastards, arentcha?!” He asked in a smiling yell..
He was holding back one of the steel gauntlets of the much larger, dreadlocked man with both of his twin blades crossed over one another for extra sturdiness.
“Huh?! Ya’ actually blocked that one? Ya’ might be some fun, after all! Ha-ha!” The burly man laughed out from behind his glowing mask.
With a single step forward, the man exhibited overwhelming strength, digging his boots into the ground as he pushed his armored fist forward, knocking the dual spellblade back.
Damn, he’s strong as shit–! He thought.
In that moment in which his soles slid back against the carpeted floor with his guard broken, he saw the gauntlet-wielding man rushing towards him with his shoulder held forward like an American football linebacker.
But, what he saw was more like a bull charging at him with its horns on display, however, once that broad shoulder slammed against his solar plexus, what it truly felt like was–
A train…! It’s like a fuckin’ train just rammed into me–! He thought.
The impact alone from the shoulder bash released a minor shock wave, sending him flying back as he rolled across the corridor carpet.
“Pyah…!”
He spit out as his breath left his lungs harshly, rolling over and quickly throwing himself back onto his feet with his animalistic tenacity.
“–That’s the way! Don’t let me break ya’ that easily!”
As he got up, that steel-clad set of knuckles was already mere inches from his face, coming towards his skull in what felt like slow-motion that came as the advent of certain death.
In that crawling moment, the boisterous, maniacal laugh of the masked, burly man rang against his ears, taking pleasure in the very act of violence.
–Still, Yeong-Un wasn’t somebody who sat around and lamented his own shortcomings.
“Yer’ annoyin’ me! I got a damn mission here, so beat it!”
He yelled out after ducking beneath the fist, moving low in an unnatural way as he simply relied on his core strength to move as if on all fours, yet only using his legs.
“Wha–?!” The masked, dreadlocked man let out.
It was an unnatural movement, making it jarring to witness as he used the opportunity to rear both of his twin blades back for a counterattack.
“Black Dragon, Red Phoenix!”
A mixture of seething flames and dark lightning manifesting from his swords before he slashes them directly towards the man’s bare abdomen, targeting his chiseled, tan-skinned stomach with the mixture of vicious elements.
The resulting impact left an explosion filling the hallway as the fire released into a volatile explosion, producing the hissing, black strands of lightning within its small radius.
“Serves ya’ right, bastard,” he said, jumping back as he wiped the sweat from his chin.
As the aftermath of the elemental explosion settled, he was surprised to see the large, gauntlet-wielding man still standing, though he wasn’t unscathed.
Most of his black uniform had been destroyed, leaving just tattered of fabric clinging to his tattoo-clad, muscly body as he stood there–huffing and puffing heavily as blood seeped from multiple wounds.
Cuts and bruises alike were inflicted, and various burn marks.
“Yer’ one tough sonuvabitch,” he muttered quietly in surprise, looking on with his blue-and-gold eyes.
The man laughed quietly as his dreadlocks flowed in the passing winds of the element’s trail, “And yer’ not so bad yourself, brat.”
Even though he was battered and roughed up badly from the direct impact, the man, whose smiling mask was cracked and peeling, still looked towards him.
“But…Playtime is over,” the burly man raised his gauntlets as something began to manifest around him.
…Yer’ kiddin’ me, right? He thought, seeing what it was that was manifested.
What surrounded the burly man in the air were astral manifestations of what looked to be percussion instruments: snare drums, bass drums, tambourines, and even a giant, golden gong.
“–It’s time to show you the Rock N’ Roll of Doh!”
—
[Sixth Floor, The Same Time]
Rumble.
“What was that…?!”
Sol, rushing through the sixth floor to look for Yeong-Un, nearly fell to the ground as the building shook from an impact resounding from directly above.
Why is this happening while everybody is asleep?! Why do I have to be the one to–no…I was trusted with this! Get it together! He urged himself.
Slapping his own cheeks hard enough to momentarily turn them red, he stood himself up before marching forward, looking around.
“Yeong-Un!” He yelled out as his voice echoed down the dark corridors, “–Yeong-Un!”
Another rumble gripped the walls, shaking it vigorously as he struggled to maintain his footing, placing his left hand against the wall for balance.
As he looked up at the ceiling, a sprinkle of dust rained down, prompting him to cough and shake his head as his unkempt, hazel locks shook as well.
“…I don’t think he’s on this floor,” he mumbled.
Just as he turned around, he felt his skin crawl for some inexplicable reason. It was as if a cold air, separate from the norm, brushed past him like cold fingertips trailing his skin.
“Huh…?” He let out quietly.
Swinging back around swiftly, he thrust his spear with a battle-cry, “Raaagh!” to counter whatever may be lurking behind him, but nothing was there.
He let out a sigh of relief, sweating already, “…See? It was nothing but your imagination.”
BANG. SLAM.
“Kyaaaah–!”
A girlish squeal left his throat as he jumped at the aggressive, sudden noises that came from behind him, prompting him to turn around–nothing.
“Something is here…! I’m not crazy!” He mumbled to himself as his teeth chattered.
“–“
Directly against his ear, he felt a cold breath, exuding against his pale, left ear as it went red and tickled from the foreign sensation, causing him to jump once again as he stumbled forward before actually turning to face what it was.
–Nothing again.
“H-huh…?!”
After such an experience, he scrambled to his boots, picking himself up as he hastily moved towards the door to the stairwell.
Sorry, Yeong-Un…! If you’re on this floor, I’m sorry–! I’m not sticking around any longer! He thought with teary eyes.
Reaching the door, he attempted to yank it open by the handle, but it didn’t budge in the slightest.
“What?!”
The almost comical fear exuding off of him increased tenfold with this revelation as he continued tugging on the door desperately.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
“Kyaaaa—!!!”
He screamed out again as banging sounded out throughout the halls, creeping up closer and closer as he pulled on the door with all of his might, planting his boots against it to pull with his entire body weight.
BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG.
It sounded as if somebody was pounding the walls, floor, and ceiling as they ran down its length, but he was hesitant to look back as he desperately tried opening the door.
Just as he was turning around to finally check–
–Suddenly, it stopped.
“…Huh?”
An eerie silence filled the shadow-filled hallway of the sixth floor as he gulped, not knowing how to feel as he continued trying to tug on the door.
Click.
It unlocked. Though it should’ve never been able to lock from the other side in the first place, he was just thankful that it did.
“Phew…” He sighed out, closing his eyes momentarily as he opened the door to the stairwell.
Opening his eyes again, he looked up–immediately coming face-to-face with something standing in the threshold of the door.
A pale, lacerated woman whose foot hovered just above the floor, wearing a dirty, white gown with lengthy, jet-black locks of stringy hair that hung down over her face.
“KYAAAAA—!!!!”
This time, his squeal-like scream surpassed all others as he fell backward onto his rear, quickly crawling away backward as the poltergeist hovered towards him slowly and silently with its arms hung limp at its sides.
“Get away! Get away! Get away–!!!”