No Title - Chapter 2 Scene 2

Dave and the others were hiding in a rather large closet that they'd found. They were all sitting on the floor. The group had been here for about half an hour. Renee had been having a hard time dealing with the situation. Nicole and Dave had managed to calm her down though. Now she slept with her head on Dave's shoulder. Shea was in the corner half asleep. Lee was next to the door, listening to what was happening out there.

A shadow often blocked the light coming from under the door. For the past five minutes Lee had been trying to find an opportunity to leave. He felt they'd rested for long enough. Lee wanted out; out of the closet, out of the factory.

"That's been the first one to go by in five minutes," Lee announced to the group. "They're either giving up or searching other parts of the building. This is our chance to leave."

Nic nodded. She shook Shea back to reality. Dave did the same to Renee.

"Are we all ready?" asked Lee. They all nodded nervously. He nodded back. "Let's go."

Lee opened the door cautiously and peered out. Clear. He opened it wider and glanced the other way. Nothing. He sighed with relief and walked out. The others followed.

They went left, the opposite direction the shadow had moved across the door. They made sure to move fast, but to be light on their feet. Lee sneaked up to the right-side corner. He stared down the opposite hall, then leaned over and peered around the corner.

"Clear," Lee called to his friends following him. He was nervous. He didn't want to run into any of the demon-kids. He rounded the corner and the others followed in a light jog. They went straight down this hallway for a long time; slowing down at intersections to make sure it was clear on each side.

After a while Lee saw that their hallway was going to end. He turned right, and stopped dead in his tracks. It was a body.

The mangled body of one of the little children lay as a blackened mess on the ground. Shea walked over to it and picked up a gear that was sticking out of its shoulder. "It's a machine," she stated.
Renee noticed many more gears and a few of its metallic teeth scattered around the ground. It was true. Now its white eyes made more sense.

Dave knelt down next to the machine searching it for anything useful. He had an odd smirk on his face, suggesting he enjoyed seeing one of the "little demon children," as he'd called them earlier, smashed and unmoving. Who did this, Lee thought.

Lee looked at Dave, who had been searching for anything of use: a weapon, a map, a radio, anything. Dave shook his head. "He's got nothing," he said too cheerily.

Lee gave him an odd look, but just shook his head and walked away. Three of the mechanical children ran by at the closest hallway. Lee froze. The girls gasped. Dave smiled to himself, oblivious.

Lee moved to the hallway the machines had gone down. The girls were right behind him. Dave took a little while to figure out where everyone had gone. Lee was glaring down the hall. The things hadn't cared for Lee and his friends at all. Where were they heading off to in such a hurry? What could have them so worried? Lee looked back at the body. Is that why?

Renee thought out loud, "What if it's Joe?"

Nicole laughed. "Wouldn't surprise me."

Dave smiled. "Crazy bastard."

"Let's follow 'em," suggested Shea.

So the group of friends took after the machines they'd previously tried so hard to avoid. They saw a few more mechanical, oil-covered bodies along the way. They all had slight smirks and were anxious to find their misguided friend.

The machines ducked into a room on the left. Everyone followed after them cautiously.

They had entered a large, unfamiliar room. It appeared to be an auditorium. Hundreds of rows of tattered, red-velvet seats lined the majority of the room, leading up to a large stage blocked by a huge red curtain at the opposite end. It was empty.

Everyone was already in the room. Shea, in front, began backing up and motioned for the others to do so as well. Something wasn't right.

Clang! Renee backed into the closed door. "Oh shit," she said as she turned and shook the door.

It wouldn't budge. The group whipped around. Silence.

Renee slowly let go of the door and began to move forward. She was scared. Her heart was beating faster than ever before in her life. Her breathing was shallow and quick.

Renee led the group forward, checking the rows for anything that might attack. Dave followed right behind her, back in reality. The group moved slowly. The aura of the group came close to that of Joe's when he believed he was losing it. The moved cautiously, but as a group, they seemed to be comfortable; prepared.

Before they knew it they had reached the stage without anything trying to kill them. The group hobbled onto the stage and tried to look for a door that led out. Those kids had to leave somehow, Renee thought to herself. Or else, it means that they're still here. Somewhere.

The curtain opened. A spotlight shined down on the group. The all cringed under the offensively bright light. Through the glare, Renee could make out people in the chairs, clapping. What is this place? The light shut off. The audience was there, clapping; but something was off. The people were see-through.

"Wha..." started Shea mesmerized. Then, the people began to disappear; they faded as if being blown away by a nonexistent wind.

The group stood there, confused. They looked around nervously while exchanging glances with each other. Several thoughts raced through the group. What had just happened? Was anything nearby? Were they being watched? Were they going to die?

Then all of a sudden, they appeared.

The mechanical children began climbing out from the seats. They gnashed their teeth angrily. Their smiles now had an even more menacing look. One busted through the door on the opposite side, cackling menacing, he was holding something.

The color faded from every member of the group as the watched in horror as the army of children marched towards them. The faces of the five friends quickly contorted with horror when the child that had burst through the door started lighting the chairs on fire. The thing he was holding was a flamethrower.

Shea was the first one to start moving again. She began looking for a way out. Soon the others follow her lead, in a more desperate mood than before. Everyone became anxious. Some even began to feel like they wanted to cry.

Finally, Renee called, "Hey, over here!" Everyone soon gathered and saw what she'd found: a vent.

Dave reached up and ripped off the flimsy, rusted cover and offered Renee a boost. Next went Shea, the mechanical horrors were climbing over the rows quickly. Then went Nicole, the machines were just a few rows away from the stage. Lee was next, the little things were glaring over the top of each other, now at the stage. When Dave finally pulled himself up, with a little help from Lee, the creatures were jumping at his heels.

Now that everyone was safe from the machines from hell, a sigh of relief flew through the group. After crawling a little ways through the narrow tubes, turning left and right with their instincts, they decided to stop and rest for a while. Everyone was sprawled out in what little room they had. Nic rested her head on Shea's legs. There was now an air of rest and unwinding. The first time that had happened since entering this crazy place. Everyone drifted off to sleep.