Ghost of the Core Part 8

Previous: Ghost of the Core Part 7

In the most secure parts of the building, there were bound three pokemon, these three were captured. All of them were caught doing very nefarious acts through out Lithium. A Sandslash, Raichu, and a Pidgeotto all were behaving very strangely, especially for wild pokemon. Now they emitted a great amount of strange, purple smoke in their chambers. The purple smoke worked its way through the air vents, and all throughout the building. Rhys stood in the middle of the main lab, and he watched as the purple smoke filled the room.

Pear: [Called over the intercom] Rhys! Quickly! Get to the observatory! We need to lock down this building! Hurry!

Rhys tried his very best as he scurried up the stairs toward the observatory. The purple smoke engulfed him, and he started to cough as he stumbled a little. He fell to his knee on the stair, and panted for breath. It was such ahav horrific smell, the same kind of smell that seemed to involve death somehow. That smell, why did it seem to familiar? Why did he find it so welcoming to him, like a fresh load of laundry that was washed with pure liquid mold and sadness.

That was when Rhys started to feel as if he was moving in slides, he started to not even feel like he was moving, he felt like he was phasing from one position to another. Everything moved in segments, and everything turned a purple hue that he could not get out of his eyes. Needless to say, it was a comfortless experience. He felt light headed, and not in control of his body. That is why he did not feel it when he fell from the stairs, in his mind he was moving in segments until he hit the ground far slower than he should have. He lifted himself from the ground, and looked up to see a girl about his age in a school uniform, she looked toward him in real motion, and grinned his way. Before he knew it, he was back in full motion as well, though everything was still tinted a purple color, and it all still felt so surreal to him.

Rhys: Where am I? What just happened?

She merely laughed, giggling in the school girl fashion with her fingertips against her closed mouth. That was when she motioned for him to follow her, and she began to skip down a very long, and dismal hallway. There were no lights, but for some reason Rhys could see just fine. Against his better judgment, he began to follow. From the end of the hall, there came a deep, guttural sound, and vibrations that made him pause for a moment. That was when the little girl put her head against the wall with her eyes closed. Then she began to count. Her tiny, meek little voice was heard from a distance, and Rhys recognized this. He backed away, and then he began to run. When she was done counting, she turned toward him, and he could feel her deep, dark, bloodshot eyes open wide toward him. That grin on her face was disheartening, and fear ran deep in his chest.

He finally found a hiding place, and he ducked down into a deep chasm. He had no idea where this chasm was, but it seemed to be the best place.

Girl: Ready or not... heeerrreee IIIIIII cooooooome. [Her body began to move slowly, and that look on her face never went away.]

Rhys heard every step. There was no barrier between that world and anything. The darkness was all that there was, and those red, horrific eyes glared at every crevice of that place, wherever they were. He curled into a fetal position, he felt exposed, and naked. Then she began to chant something, something that Rhys could hear every word of, and made him shiver up his spine.

Girl: Blood and guts of laughter, making babies fatter. Drain him with a feather, spinal fluid's better.

That dark place, he knew he wasn't safe, but he couldn't move. He knew he had to fight, but something stopped him. Fear, unbridled, pure and simple fear. It made him shake uncontrollably. He was going to die, and every facet of his being knew it to be true, yet he could do nothing. There was no hiding place, he was exposed for the world to see, and he felt the looming darkness as it closed in on him from all sides.

That was when it happened! The cover over him was lifted! The girl lifted up the whole floor above him as it tore open and her eyes glowed a sinister red as they glared at him through her sadistic grin!

Girl: Hiiiii!!! The game was fun! But now it's over!

Her face began to twist into something more horrific than he could imagine. A light began to blink all around them, and as it did, her form began to grow into something far from human. Her arms stretched into bloody tendons, and her torso stretched, pulling apart her flesh to show the black sludge beneath it! Her eye sockets became hollow, and her teeth grew as her skull became exposed, and black oozed down out of every orifice!

Girl: Tag! You're it! [Her voice was grim, deep, and vibrated his every being.]

Her outstretched fingers that grew into horrific claws as they reached for his face ever so slowly. His face was drenched in sweat, and the blinking light turned red as she neared him, and he could see the abyss far beyond her as it began to suck the entire world into it! Everything became a shadow in the world, just as it was about to end.

Alexia: Flareon! Fire Blast!!!!

In an instant, the visage of the monstrous creature became engulfed in flames! As this happened, all of the images went away, and there stood a Gengar before him, who flew into the wall beside him in the hallway, and smashed into it.

Alexia: Fire charge! NOW!

The Flareon engulfed itself in flames, and began to charge into the ghost Pokémon! However, the Gengar frowned toward the impending attack, and sunk through the floor in a retreat. The Flareon stopped, extinguishing its flames and growling at the escape.

Alexia: Rhys! [She ran to him as he dropped down to his knees once again, sweat drenching his face]

As he was about to fall over, she caught him and held him up. He was exhausted, and his heart was throbbing far too fast. He was dehydrated, and hyperventilating to a horrible degree!

Pear: Alex! What happened? [She ran toward them from the room, and looked down at him.] Dear lord! Get him to the infirmary! Tenshi!

Tenshi: [Ran up beside her.] Yes, Professor! [Helped Alexia get him to his feet and walked with her to the infirmary.]

Their equipment was mainly for Pokémon, but they purposely purchased medication that could help humans as well. They hooked him up to an IV that would help him hydrate, and placed cold rags on his head to regulate his temperature. He was in shock, and was in need of immediate care. As they got him stable, Alexia volunteered to stay with him to keep him under surveillance while the rest of them went to the other parts of the laboratories to find out what exactly happened in there.

That was when Duskull appeared through the wall of Rhys's room.