Chapter Five - Couldn't Stop

     Since I'd met Toby he'd been nothing but nice. Now he seemed like he would burst into flames if you looked at him wrong. Something about that told me Aeroden was quite important to him. He hadn't moved from his place on the floor at all. No words were spoken because, honestly, I think Felix and I were more scared of Toby than any pig monster. Without warning Toby stood, making Felix flinch. He ran a shaky hand through his already disheveled hair and turned to us.

     "So what now?"

     "Are you okay, bro?"

     "I'm fine." He nearly growled. Then he shook his head, breathed in, breathed out, and repeated it, gentler this time.

     "Toby, I'm sor-"

     "Save it. Let's just go." I nodded and proceeded to exit the room. We travelled in the direction none of us had searched yet. It led us to a very small iron door with very detailed swirling patterns in it. Felix reached out and pulled it open. I froze. It was a small box of a room. There was a hand rail lining the walls and a lever on one side.

     "El-Elevator."

     "Yeah, Cry, they have those." Felix began to enter it but I grasped his shirt and yanked him back, doing the same to Toby with the other hand. "What are you doing?"

     "Just no." They stared at me confused though my gaze stayed locked on the elevator. Did we circle back to it? I remember stairs. This could be very bad. I jumped as a crashing sound reached my ears. Then I watched Piggeh's malformed body break through the roof of the elevator and locked onto us. Yep very bad! Instinctively, I threw the two towards the way we came, making sure to keep them ahead of me. Behind us I closed every door I could manage, though it offered little help. This thing was persistent and it was kind of starting to piss me off. I ordered them to break left which led us down a very lengthy hall before opening into a water drenched room. Hurriedly we hopped across the given boxes. Splashes in the water trailed up in front of us and all movement stopped.

     "Awe c'mon! Splashy and Piggeh? We are so dead." Toby grunted leaping to the same safety zone as Felix and I. I glanced back to catch a glimpse of Piggeh crashing through the banks of boxes towards us, and fast.

     "He's on our tail, keep moving friends!"

     "Move where? We're trapped!" I groaned, picking up a random rock and chucking it across the room. Splashy left to inspect it so I pushed the two on. There were no other boxes or things to stand on so we just sprinted our way through the tunnels. Eventually that route led us to a red door. Our hands landed on it to be transported to the other side. With a simultaneous sigh of relief we checked our surroundings.

     "Aye I got a key!" Felix cheered from a table in the corner. Toby informed us of a supplies cabinet but I was too busy to hear him clearly. I was intrigued by a note left on a desk.

           I've done it, after all these years. It's been created. A machine
     that can morph together the DNA of pigs and humans. This creature could
     boost productivity in the castle. It could better the dungeon and
     eventually, the world. They will pay for what they've done to me. I will
     be sure of it.

                                                                   - Unknown

     "Someone's got problems." I mumbled as I finished reading. Shortly after that, Felix's scream made me fling myself into the nearest wall. In my peripheral I caught Toby ducking behind a bookshelf but I was pinned against the wall. Felix had screamed because he'd noticed one of the monster's had spawned in the center of the room, looking directly at me. I was frozen in fear though I probably could have ducked around it and escaped. My vision blurred and everything looked shinier. The thing struck me in the head and poofed away. Somehow I was on the floor, my mouth tasting strongly of rust. I ran a hand through my hair then looked at it. It was red. At that point I just started laughing. I didn't know why but I just couldn't stop.