Chapter 1: Death is Earned Not Given
Are you ready to change the world for the better!? Are you ready to make a change to improve life as we all know it!
If you said yes to these questions come down to Rexland Laboratories! Where you can change the future of the human race for a longer and happier life!
"Bullshit!" Jackel yelled ripping down a poster off the walls. "Jesus man calm down its just a poster, nothing to get work up over." said Jack looking over at Jackel who was flaring his nostrils in anger.
"Its a perfect reason to get work up over, these motherfuckers ruined our lives, not just us... but every fucking ones!" Jackel countered back.
"Calm down we need to think of a way out of this city." I said pulling off my plaid green hoodie. "I agree with Devon." said Nightmare who was sitting down in the alleyway we were currently in.
"Alright any ideas... anything?" I said looking back and forth between my new comrades. "Well if memory serves me right, the lab might be a safe place now that the scientists are all dead... we could check it out." replied Jack looking at me with his hand behind his head scratching it.
" Ya and then get caught by those bastards again! I don't fucking think so!" Exclaimed Jackel taking a step towards Jack.
Looking like he might kill him I decided to say something " Alright." I said looking down at the ground.
"What!?" both Jack and Jackel replied surprised that I would agree to such a thing. "I agree with Devon again." Said Nightmare still sitting down. "Well of course you would! You probably suck his cock too!" Retorted Jackel In a mocking tone.
At that moment Nightmare moved in a blinding speed pushing Jackel against the wall with such force that it cracked some of the bricks in the structure. Holding a blade to his throat he said very angrily "The reason I listen to him is because unlike you he went through this hell head first before any of us!" Nightmare was fuming with anger and slipped the knife closer to Jackel's throat.
"Oh for fucks sake knock it off you two!" I said looking at the two fighting over the decision.
"Hmp" was all that Jackel said as Nightmare slipped away from him returning to me. "Fine I'll go... but I swear to god if Jack so much as complains once... I'll kill him!" Jackel said sighing and dropping his hands to his hips.
"Good...Now lets go!" I said gripping my hands together in front of my face. With that we started walking towards the place that started all this hell in the first place... Rexland Laboratories.
It didn't take us very long to get there, it was only an hour trip through the empty streets of New York City. These homes that used to house good people, now only housed terrible nightmares. Abandoned to the point that no one would ever dare return to them.
It gave me mixed feelings of what went down in this city. I didn't remember much since the Lab. My mind was foggy and I always had a crippling headache, we all did.
I made Jack curious since mine was the worst. Sometimes it was so bad that my head felt like it might burst open in a fountain of blood, but oddly leaving me alive to see and feel the pain.
As we approached the doors that lead to what we all considered the portal to hell itself, I made a mental note of the reactions of my friends, or... associates. The doors were made of a solid titanium that slightly resembled an old safe. It was oddly shiny considering what was happening around us.
Its was also covered in blood and gray matter but greasy to the touch. We all started looking for a keypad. It had to be here somewhere.
As I was looking I started to separate unknowingly from the group, something that was very costly in a world like this.
I had no idea how dark it was getting, not until I started having trouble seeing in front of me. I looked up at the stars, they were barely visible. It had to be around dusk, It was damp and cold and was shivering.
I finally made it to a little shack next to a small fenced in area. It looked like it had used to be a kennel. I walked over to the door and tried to open it.
"Locked...shit!, now what?" I said putting my hand on my chin. "Wait... I'll bust down the door! Ha ha ha perfect!" I replied to myself.
I took a few steps back and readied my shoulder. After taking a few breaths I rushed the door at incredible speed. I felt the adrenaline pumping and the wind flowing through my hair and the-! *Bam!* I collided straight into the wooden door bouncing off it onto the ground. "oof!...ow,
well that could have gone way the hell better."
I said lifting myself off the ground shaking my head.
After i got back on my feet I noticed something shimmer in the corner of my eyes. I went over to the fence line to inspect it a little further.
Bending down onto my knees I picked up a shard of metal off the ground. It was too dark to see what it really was, but it felt rough and it had teeth like bumps on the end. I decided to see if it might be useful on the door. I got up and walk to the door again. I tried inserting the object into the slot in the doorknob and twisted. "Click" I pushed the door open and entered the tiny shack. The inside was no bigger than an office cubicle.
Seeing this I decided to have a look around. Its was really dark in the shack so I had to feel my way around. I decided to look for a light switch. After searching for awhile I finally felt a plastic knob on the wall and flicked it, it immediately brightened up the shack. I had to shield my eyes from the sudden harsh light, after adjusting to it I started to search the room. It only took a bit to find a desk, it was right next to the only window in the tiny space. I rummaged through the desk ignoring the crimson mess in the corner of my eyes.
Finally getting tired of looking, I decided to look else where. Noticing a hanger with a tiny metal object hanging from it. I walked over to it inspecting it. It was small shiny metal necklace in the shape of a triangle. It had small bumps on the ends that were circular in shape, it was smooth yet bumpy on my fingers. It hung from a black thread tied in the middle of it. I figured it was important... or at least cool, so I pocketed it. Just as I was going to leave I decide to have a look in the desk one more time.
I once again started to look inside the drawers. I didn't expect to find anything of real value in there but decided it was worth a try. I was so immersed in looking through the desk I didn't notice the shadow outside the window.
*Tik...tik...tik, scrap* I looked behind me for a second just to be safe. After not seeing anything for a bit I turned my attention back to the desk. Not even a second later the window shattered in a violent reaction only measurable by a hand grenade going off.
"Ahhh!" I screamed as a bloody claw wrapped itself around my neck throwing me and the creature to the ground. "Rawwwwwwwwwer glagla!" it roared at me sending fear down my body. As I stared into its cold dead unforgiving eyes, I felt like I was ice cold. Frozen in place awaiting my death.
It looked like a dog and human had been sown together after an unfortunate accident...or a shredder. It raised its claws and swung them at me. I ducked and raised my legs to its chest and kicked as hard as I could. Knocking it onto its back. I made a run for the door, but it was too fast and recovered quickly from the kick. It grabbed my leg causing me to tumble to the ground. I groaned from the pain and gasp for air releasing it out of my gut. I noticed a piece of paper under a chair next to the door. I didn't have time to inspect it, so I grabbed it and raised my foot again kicking with all my might.
The kick was successful and landed straight into the monsters face cracking it into an unnatural position. With it stunned and howling in pain I got back onto my feet and made a break for the door. After clearing the entrance I kept running until I was almost at the lab entrance. Before I could shout to my comrades the monster slammed me once again to the ground making me see stars. "Ahhh, dammit you son of a bitch get off me!" I yelled puffing out my chest while grabbing my gun from my pants pocket.
I pointed the small revolver to the monstrosities head and slipped my finger onto the trigger. "FUCK YOU MEAT WHORE!!!!" "POP"! With a single pull of the trigger the monsters head disappeared in a flash of fire and smoke. Leaving only a bloodied stump behind. It fell to the ground, dead as it could be, and to be honest I don't know how much more it really could get. Standing up I flicked off the blood that splattered onto my face and walked back to the boys waiting for me.
"Holy shit are you ok!?" Jackel asked clearly worried. "Ya I uh... kinda had to deal with a problem back there, but don't worry its good now." I said with a few pants then nodded. "Oh wait! I think I got something you guys might like!" I said with a small smile. We all gathered around the paper to inspect it. It had a little blood on it but was still legible, it read: 4401-5. "Wait I think these are the key codes!" Nightmare said. "That reminds me did you find the keypad?" I asked. Nightmare nodded then pointed to a rough looking box. "Yes ha ha!" I exclaimed with a little victory dance.
We gathered around the pad and let Nightmare put the code in. After a bit the the gate jumped forward then started to hum while steam shot from the sides. It sounded like a washing machine turnabout while a circle in the middle rotated around in the center. It was tolerable for a bit but then started to sound like a rock had been thrown into the mix. After cringing from the sound the gate finally died down. We all stared at the open gate, to a place that we despised so much was our only hope. We all took a deep breath and looked at each other one last time. With that out of our systems we started towards the gate and entered the lab. Not aware of what was ahead of us.
The lab was dark and eerie, but nothing new to us. We wandered for a bit but decided that we needed to find a new living space. We counted our ammunition and checked our gear. "I'm good you guys?" I asked looking at the men. "Ya i'm good... but whats that noise?" said Jackel. I looked around the halls in fear something was there. "What noise!" I asked. "SMACK!" "Ow!, that hurt you moron!" Jackel started laughing uncontrollably. "Ha ha I thought I heard the sound of a dumb ass!" After some mild fighting among the group they started to make progress again.
I heard a slight humming noise in the distance. I told my group about it and decided to see what it was. "Ach uhmm" I moaned in pain as my head started to pound. " Hey you gonna make it." Jack said reaching his hand towards me. I swiped his hand away and stood up. " Ya I'm ach!" This time the pain knocked me off my feet. I landed on the ground in front of the door that was humming. My group rushed to pick me up off the ground just as Nightmare opened up the door. Inside was a purple box hooked up to a large machine.
I staggered to my feet, scanning the room at the same time. "What the hell is this?" said Jackel as he stumbled around the room. "It looks like some kind of gate." Jack answered. "What kind of gate looks like that?" Nightmare said a half whisper. "An evil one..." I said still holding my head. Jack and Nightmare walked over to the box and began studying it. "Those two just love strange things, why is beyond me." Jackel said. He then gave a small chuckle. " So what does this switch do?" Jackel asked pushing a button. " No wait!" Jack yelled shoving Jackel to the ground. With Jackel seeing stars I stood up and examined the control panel. It had only three switches labeled: Transport, Receive, and On/Off.
I walked over to the box and looked at its features. Its was shiny and perfectly square, a light purple hue. It moved slightly, appearing to float while tubes and wires ran all around and on it. I reached up and touched the box. "Its smooth." was all I said. "Really let me see?" Jack said putting his hand on it. The Box let out a quick but loud screeching noise along with a bright flash of light. I was about to ask what happened but got my answer as a Jack flew across the room. "Don't *cough* worry *cough* I'm fine." he said resting his head on the floor.
The quiet of the room ended just as fast as it started. "RRRRRRRRNNNNNGGGGGG!" "The fuck is that?" Jackel asked looking up. "I might not be a scientist but I'm pretty sure that's an alarm.. which means they found us..." I said with my eyes widening.
Looking down the hall with our weapons in hand we noticed what looked like the charging of bulls. "Sweet mother of god what the fuck is that thing behind them!?" Nightmare yelled pointing to a large metallic object. It looked strange in the distance but the closer it got to us the more I realized it was built here. "Wait is that one of those mechanic body guards they used to have?... I remember they used to talk about how they would change the future of protection." I said to my team.
" Who cares shoot it!" Jackel yelled pulling up his Jackhammer shotgun. "Seriously where did you get that!" I yelled at him with a confused look on my face. *Crack Crack Crack!* Shooting off a few rounds at the horde I realized we were cornered. "Shit!" I yelled turning back to the box. The horde was being thrown around by the metal giant that was approaching us.
I ran to the box while my team opened fire on the monstrosities approaching us. I grabbed the switch that said On/Off and flipped it, then flipped the the Transport switch. Looking up the box started glowing. " What are you doing!" Jackel yelled at me. "I have no clue but I hope it works!" I snapped back with a bit of hope in my voice. "Oh god no!" I heard someone scream as I turned to see the giant running head on at me along with my team pinned to his torso. "...Fuck." was all I said as it slammed into me. It ran into the the machine creating sparks. The machine smoked and creaked, before I could say anything, the box said one word " Meltdown" Suddenly it exploded around us, then ... nothing.
"Ugh... my neck..." I said groggily. "Ow my head and leg." someone said. "Oh shut up... ach my everything." said a voice I assumed was Jackel's. My eyes snapped open and I began to look around frantically. " Are we dead!? Are we safe!?" I said with panic. I rose to my feet and grabbed my chest. *Thump Thump, Thump Thump* (No...my heart's beating.) I thought "Is everyone here?" Nightmare asked.
"Ya... but where is here?" I said rubbing my sore neck. " Some kinda forest I think." Jack said shrugging. " Wheres that machine?" I asked looking around. "I believe the bastard went deeper into the forest." Jackel replied. "Hey guys look! Smoke!" Jack said in a cheerful tone. "So, I care why?" Jackel said with no enthusiasm while shrugging. "That means fire, and fire means people. Then again a dumbass like you wouldn't get that would you now." Jack said looking at his nails while smiling. "What did you say you little b-" Jackel started but was cut off. " Stop this useless fighting and let's check it out already." Nightmare said with a menacing glare. "Whatever." Jackel growled crossing his arms.
We had been walking for about thirty minutes. We saw a few animals along the way which made us jump at first, we weren't used to things that didn't want to kill us. Trapping a few we decided to keep moving. "You here that... voices." Nightmare said putting his arm in front of us. "Really? In that case lets see who-" as I was talking Nightmare grabbed me and pulled me into the bushes. "Ow fucking thorns." I whispered. We all sat in the bush and watched to see who was coming along.
"The fuck is that... are those-" "Horses, and their damn colorful at that." Jack finished Jackel's sentence. "If that's it I'm out." I said as I stood up and walked up to the horses.
"Hi there cuties, you're so small." I said petting one on the head." "Looks like you got a bad cut there." I said looking at a slice mark on one of it's front hooves." "Oh this I got from a kitchen accident, Name's Golden Spork and you are?" it said.
"THE HELL! It talks!" I said jumping back nearly toppling over.
"Well duh I talk we all do... how do you not know that?" Golden Spork said as if it were obvious. "Well excuse me if I forgot to read the memo, but still horses don't talk." I said sarcastically. "First of all I'm a pony... got that pony! Calling somepony a horse is like insulting their mother, it's a big no no here." Spork said. I stared at Spork thinking of how humorous it's choice of wording was. "Oh where are my manners I'm Devon Pfenning." I said sticking out my hand. Spork raised it's hoof and slapped my hand. " Nice to meet you... whatever you are...what are you?" "Im a human... how do you not know that miss-er Mr- um ya." I said nervously scratching the back of my head.
"One, never heard of a hue-man before some kinda monkey thing right, and two I'm a mare and slightly offended!" Spork said raising a hoof up in the air as if I the ground was smoldering hot. "I.. I'm so sorry I'm from the city so I don't get to see many farm animals." I said shaking my hand in front of me. Spork look at me as if I had just killed her favorite pet. " Excuse me but what did you just call me! How dare you call me some farm animal I am a respective citizen of Equestria!" she exclaimed baring her teeth. "Oh shit sorry I-... wait come again... citizen of what?" I asked with my head cocked to the side.
"Equestria... okay now I know you're not from here. It's the name of the country we ponies live in."
"We" "You mean like a whole country of talking ponies?... yep I'm dead." I said shaking my head in mental defeat.
"If you don't mind me asking where are we right now?" Nightmare said walking out of the bushes with everyone else.
"Wow there's more of you, so many colors ! Oh I like the red haired one!" she said pointing to Nightmare. He flicked his hair off his ears then smiled. "I like your golden fur, it compliments your orange mane, but I digress, could you tell me where we are and where shelter is." Spork blushed then nodded. "Yea this is the Everfree forest, home to dangerous and mysterious creatures... and the occasional squirrel."
"Everfree, HA! More like were ever fucked if we don't get food soon." Jackel said giving an annoyed smirk. "He's right for once." I said "Hey!" Jackel Yelled. "We need a place to rest up." I finished. Nightmare looked at Spork and said, "If it wouldn't be too difficult could you show us a place we might be able to stay?" he then gave a small smile.
Spork's cheek reddened slightly as she nodded again. "Follow me." As she started to walk to the smoke something caught my leg. "Ahh FUCK!" A large thorn had cut open my leg to a large degree. It bled profusely and ran down my leg.
"Oh my celestia are you ok!" Spork gasped as she tried to help me. She tore off a large leaf and tried to tie it around my leg.
With little effect she backed up looking at the injury. "Ah you're bleeding everywhere, I got it all over my hooves, wait here I have a medical kit in my house." She stated with a hint of panic in her voice. As she tried to run off she tripped and tumbled over her front hoof. "Ow Darn it I cut myself again! I'm so clumsy sometimes." "Hey hurry and get the kit we'll catch up." Jack said pointing to the house.
Spork looked at my leg and shook her head in disgust. "Okay." with that she took off, tripping and falling as she walked.
"How is she not freaked out by us?" I asked. "Maybe she's tougher than most of these peop-... ponies." Nightmare said. Catching himself.
After a short walk we made it to the house. "Where is she?" I whispered, suddenly feeling sleepy from blood loss. "I'm not sure but I-" Nightmare began just as two other ponies came bursting from the house in tears. One turned toward us and looked me in the eyes. "Why...?" she said as she began crying again. Nightmare grabbed his MP5 and ran towards the door. Entering the house he noticed its ceiling was low and crowded. Moving around the house he came to a door that was slightly ajar. He swallowed hard, took a breath, then kicked the door open. He raised his weapon up and pointed it into the room. The walls that used to be a navy blue now had a crimson tint to them. Looking around he noticed what looked like a mangled corpse. "Oh god...Not here too."
