Chapter 11: Smilers

Asher and Sarah were on edge as was because of Elise so he felt that they could have done without this interruption. Dammit just as I was getting some answers.

"I mean you guys no harm I promise. Me and my group have found a way to escape this place so I've just been trying to spread the word." The mysterious man said. 

Elise shot up from her seat, grabbed her hand cannon and hopped over the office table. 

"What do you think you are doing?" Asher asked, still pointing the gun at her.

Elise stopped for a second and glared at him. "I'm going to see what's happening at the door to see if they are a threat or would you rather me sit here and do nothing? Look you don't trust me but surely your questions can wait until after we deal with this person?" Elise then continued and pushed passed Asher. 

As much as Asher wanted to persist that she stayed in place he knew that she was of more use to them freely moving around, especially if things escalated. He would just have to question her more later… well that's if there would be a later. He couldn't say why but the appearance of this man at the door and his words didn't feel right to him. Something about the whole thing just felt a little off. He and Elise approached the door where Sarah was already waiting for them. Sarah glanced back at them both noticeably nervous looking. Elise gave her a nod and Sarah opened the door revealing a young gaunt man with dark skin, brown coarse hair and black eyes eyes. Looking at the man Asher felt a chill run down his spine. He didn't know why but looking into his eyes made him feel uncomfortable. 

"I'm so glad you've opened the door, now I can lead you all to salvation." The man said warmly with a beaming smile. "Oh my name is Carl by the way." 

Elise scoffed, which seemed to agitate the man a little as Asher noticed his eye twitch. "So you want us to follow you, is that it?" Elise asked, not even attempting to hide her displeasure. 

Carl's eye continued to twitch until he responded. "Yes you are correct." He sounded a tad agitated due to Elise's tone. 

Upon closer inspection Asher had figured out what it was about the man's eyes that made him so uneasy, it was his pupils. His pupils had taken up his entire Iris leaving a black void looking back at them. Was he high?. No it didn't seem like it from the conversation so far. He looked towards Elise who was tightly gripping her hand cannon, she seemed extremely on edge around this man, more so than he had ever seen her prior. 

"So you expect us to follow a complete stranger gods knows where just because he told us we should? No, I think we are fine here but thank you for the offer." Elise replied as she nodded to Sarah who went to close the door but as she did the man slammed his hand onto the door to keep it open. 

"Wait! I think you've misunderstood me, I have to bring you with me. If I don't I won't be able to sleep at night knowing I could have helped to save your lives." Carl said with a sense of urgency. His eyes were twitching rapidly now and his demeanour seemed much more desperate. 

Seeing his behaviour Asher instantly went on guard. That lingering feeling in the back of his head that something was off was screaming at him now. He quickly looked around the station and peered through the window, nothing seemed out of the ordinary but then he turned around and standing there looking in the back window was an elderly woman staring in at them with that same creepy smile as Carl. Her eyes even from far away seemed to be just as dark and soulless as his. Seeing this uneasy feeling Asher had reached its breaking point. He tapped Elise on the shoulder. He leaned in close to her before whispering to her. "I think we are surrounded, there's a woman watching us through the back window." 

Hearing this Elise gave Carl dagger eyes. "Thanks sir but we are really alright, thank you for the offer though." 

As soon as Elise spoke these words Sarah went to close the door again but before she could the man lunged forward at her trying to grab her. Asher went for his gun but before he could even raise it up a gaping hole was put in his chest. Carl's body crumpled to the ground. As soon as his body hit the ground Asher turned around to shoot the woman at the back window but she was gone. 

"We have to go now!" Elise yelled as she grabbed Asher by the arm and dragged him along. She, Asher and Sarah rapidly exited the station and just in time because glass could be heard shattering all around the building. Asher glanced back over his shoulder, only to see that the entire building had been surrounded. There must have been over twenty people, all with those familiar dark eyes. Before he could even begin to move he was already being dragged along by Elise who had begun to run, as had Sarah, Asher began running too but after a few seconds he heard a horrifying shriek from behind him and then the sound of multiple steps. They were being chased! Asher glanced back to see all of these people sprinting full pelt after them, their faces contorted into smiles and grimaces stretching their skin. They didn't even look or sound human now as they began making eerie moans and shrieks as they chased them down. Looking forward again Asher to his dismay saw five more running directly at them, rushing out from a alleyway. They were rapidly approaching. Not soon after he saw them the nearest one's leg disintegrated as the body flopped down. Elise took aim at the second one and a moment later their head was missing. Asher raised his gun and began firing at the next one who fell after a few well placed shots.

"What are these things?" Asher asked, his voice shaky. More and more of these things started appearing from all around them. 

"Tsk. I dunno but they definitely aren't fond of us. We have to break through the ones ahead of us or we will be trapped." Elise replied. She took aim at another mere seconds away from reaching them and took his whole upper torso off with the shit, then another dropped and another but it was all futile. The more she killed the more that seemed to appear around them. Asher was firing as well but he was running low on ammo he hadn't taken much with since they left in a rush so he was trying not to waste his bullets. They had stopped moving now as the mad people began closing in on them from all directions. 

"We will have to clear a path and breakthrough if we want to escape." Elise said as she continued to mow down one after another. As soon as she said this she hunkered down and then exploded forward at a small group of three people… or whatever these things were. The first one was gunned down, but the second one was close and reached out at her but a fist connected with his jaw, tearing it from his face and sending him flying. The next one seemingly unbothered by the fate of her comrades leaped towards her only to catch a heel coming down on her skull from an axe kick. The woman's head exploded from the impact as a loud crunch could be heard. Turning back she yelled to Asher and Sarah. "Run!" 

Asher had shot down a few more before putting the gun away as he was out of ammo and instead took out a combat knife he had grabbed from the station, as soon as he took it out a hand grabbed his arm and insane eyes locked onto his. "We need to save you!" The man screamed as he tried to grab Asher's other arm but before he could a knife was plunged into his ear and into his brain killing him, as he fell another one dove at Asher but he ducked down and the person flew over him. Asher rolled forward and then shot up, running forward towards Elise and Sarah. A body lay at Sarah's feet but another person had grabbed her from behind and was holding her in place, all the while screaming at her that they would save her. Asher tossed his knife at her which she caught in her hand. She then swung the knife backwards over her head impaling the mad man in the eye who fell backwards onto the ground. Not a second later Asher reached her and they both began sprinting as fast as they could towards Elise who was shooting past them with her hand cannon taking out scores of these lunatics. As soon as they reached her they kept running forward through alleyways and streets as Elise covered them at the rear as they continued to run. Asher had taken out another knife, as had Sarah as they had to deal with any that appeared ahead of them, which was no easy task so they tried their best to avoid them as they ran, only daring to risk attacking them one at a time if it was necessary. 

Asher's lungs were burning at this point, they had been running non stop for a while now, only stopping to take out those that stood in their way. Behind them they could hear the inhuman moans and shrieks as well as the sounds of bodies hitting the ground violently as they reached Elise, who was dealing with them swiftly but it didn't matter if things continued like this for much longer they would all be surrounded and captured or killed or whatever it was that these things were after. 

"WE NEED TO SAVE YOU!" Multiple voices from behind screamed at them from behind as they continued running. 

Asher was deep in thought. We have to hide somewhere; it's the only way we might survive. But how? 

He couldn't think of a way to hide with how closely they were being followed. "Think Asher! Think!" he thought to himself as he became more panicked. "The lord will save you all!" A voice shrieked from behind them. My god those things are annoying, I mean they are already scary enough as is, do they have to be annoying as well? But hearing them speak gave him an idea. 

"Wait, stop!" Asher shouted. He knew this was a gamble but he figured it was their best chance. Sarah slowed down and Elise stopped as she noticed that the lunatics following them had all stopped willing to listen. 

"Have you finally seen reason and decided to follow us!" Said one of them. "Well, have you?" Another bellowed. Their voices didn't sound right, like they were desperate. 

Asher walked back towards Elise and the large group of these things that pursued them. As he got to her he whispered to her. "On my signal you take my mother and run. Tell her to wait at our old home and I will meet you there." He then walked past her and walked closer to the group. "I've come to realise that trying to run is pointless, you'll just catch us and bring us in the end." 

"Ah so you do understand." Yes, yes it's pointless to run from salvation." HE MUST HAVE HEARD THE LORD'S CALL!" The lunatics all began to speak at once. 

The whole group was now focused on him which was exactly what he wanted, he had his hands behind his back and in them was the smoke grenade he had taken off the young man from earlier. Who knew he'd have to use it already, he had hoped to keep it for a while longer but he didn't really feel as though he had much choice. Even though it didn't seem like any of them knew what he was up to any time their hollow eyes met his own, a shiver went through his whole body. He stopped a few metres away from the nearest one who was giving him a frighteningly wide smile, to which he nervously smiled back. Just as he did Asher pulled the pin and dropped the smoke grenade on the ground. He sprinted into an Alley on the left before any of them knew what had happened; he had covered a decent bit of ground with the smoke obscuring their vision. That was just the first part now came the part he wasn't looking forward to. "Hey you psycho fucks! Come and get me, I'm over here!" He had to lead at least half or more away from Sarah and Elise or it all would have been pointless. It would be easier to lose a smaller split up group of these things than have them all following after them until they ran out of stamina and were caught. He knew that with Elise by Sarah her chances of survival were better off than with him and he figured that like him they had covered a good bit of ground while the lunatics were momentarily distracted. For a few moments he thought his plan had failed as he looked back over his shoulder at the smoke cloud enveloping the street, but then he heard those same unsettling croaky moans and shrieks and then he saw a mass of bodies burst through the smoke, all coming for him. 

Hooray my suicidal plan worked. Asher groaned as he ran as fast as he could away from the hoard that pursued him.