This makes things harder, that's for sure. Now I have to find a way past this elevator if I ever want to get out of here. I make a quick check of my mental map of the building to see if there are any other accessible elevators. When my search comes up fruitless, I step into the elevator.

"Hm, in emergency situations, there's always a way out of the elevator, like a hatch or something. Let's see if I can find one." I find that thinking aloud helps a great deal, as it keeps me from thinking about how fucking insane this entire situation really is.

I cast my gaze around the interior of the elevator, and sure enough, I find a hatch in the roof of the car. Grinning, I grasp the handle and yank downwards...only for me to realize that it's locked. "Come on, can I get a break here?!" I snap at the hatch. Unfortunately, the hatch doesn't feel like explaining itself.

It seems to be held shut by a simple deadbolt. I whip out a lock pick and...pah, I wish. That would be dumb. Nobody knows how to use a lockpick in college, especially not a nerd like me. Dammit, why can't I be like one of those characters in stories that are perfect at everything?

I hold both hands over my head and slam them into the hatch, hoping to force it open. Seeing how rusted everything is, I'm thinking that the deadbolt may be in a similar state of disrepair.

The hatch resists the first hit, though I can heard creaking and snapping. I hit it again, and get a similar result. Two more hits and the deadbolt snaps, allowing the hatch to open outwards. Finally, some good fortune at last. Now let's get out of here.

I reach up and grab the edge of the square hole. Now it's just a matter of pulling myself up. I strain my muscles as hard as I can, but it really hurts. Damn, how does that Tomb Raider chick make it look so easy?! Ignoring the pain, I hoist myself into the elevator shaft. I almost fall down when I realize that the elevator car is not stable. I can hear a creaking sound again, and my blood runs cold when I see that the cables holding up the car are practically rusted through.

I hurl myself at the ladder on the wall of the shaft just as the cables snap with a horrendous screech and the elevator plummets into the basement level of the building. I grab desperately at the rungs of the ladder, but the first one I touch breaks under my weight and I fall several feet before I grab a lower, more stable rung.

Finally in a stable position, I remain as still as possible as I wait for my heart to stop beating at my rib cage. I feel like I'm about to hyperventilate. Then, I wince as I hear the sound of the elevator crashing into the lower floors.

"Son of a bitch, that was close," I pant. My voice echoes into the blackness of the elevator shaft, twisting it in a strange manner. Well, I'm not going to talk until I get out of the shaft. That was fucking creepy.

Okay, let's get moving. One rung after the other. One rung after the other. I've got a long way to go before I reach the top floor. When I reach the gap in the ladder created by my desperate fall, I end up having to balance on the unbroken rungs with only my feet, while one hand reaches for the next intact rung. Praying that it will hold, I latch onto that one rung and pull myself up, ignoring the pain. I can hear the concrete cracking, so with one very painful burst of strength, I launch myself up to the next stable rung. Just in time too, because that rung I was yanking on just fell out of the wall. Goddammit, I wish I knew more about what happened to this place.

The next few minutes seem to blur together. It feels like every part of my body hurts. I can't keep myself from grunting in exertion every time I change rungs. I hate ladders. When I get out of here, I will light every single ladder in existence on fire.

On my way up, I pass two more doors that lead out into the second and third floor, respectively. They're both closed, which means I'm going to have to find a way to open the one up top without falling to my death.

When I reach the fourth floor, I edge my way onto the tiny ass ledge in front of the door, glad to be off of that infernal ladder. I take a moment catch my breath. My arms are burning like crazy, making me regret being too lazy to hit the gym.

There's barely enough room to stand on this thing. Oh god...one wrong move, and I'm dead. When I look at the door, I'm suddenly happy. The door is ajar already, but not by much. It's enough for me to slip through into the fourth floor.

If I remember correctly, the security room is at the end of this hall. I'm not under any illusions that the consoles will even work, but I feel like there should be some form of backup power, especially for security footage.

Honestly, I just want to see what happened between me and that man from a different perspective. Maybe that'll help me get a sense of how I ended up in this situation. So it doesn't matter how slim the chance is.

I don't get much further down the hallway before I am stopped cold. On the ground, with its spine braced against the wall, is a human skeleton.

"What the fuck?!" I scream, getting as far away from it as possible. "What in the hell happened when I was out? How did he die? HOW LONG WAS I OUT THAT HIS FLESH HAD ENOUGH TIME TO ROT AWAY?!"

I'm starting to get a terrible inkling of what may have happened, but there's no way I'm going to acknowledge it. Whoever that was is dead now. That skeleton won't hurt me...but it's creepy as fuck. I'm getting scared. I know this place is dangerous because of how everything is in terrible condition, but is there something else out there? Something dangerous enough to warrant shooting at it all these bullets whose casings I see everywhere?

I can't think that way, or I'm going to go insane. I move past the skeleton. As I do, I notice that it's holding a rifle. Holy hell, if that thing still works, that'll do wonders for making me feel at ease.

The skeleton's hands are clenched around the handle of the rifle. I cringe as I try to take the gun from it. I'm trying not to touch those bones...I've never touched a dead body, and I'm not about to start. I shut my eyes and tug on the gun. I hear a sickening crack, and the gun comes free. I open my eyes again to see that I had torn its finger bones off, and they were now scattered on the floor.

I have no fucking idea how to use this thing. I know you point and shoot, but I don't know anything about how to hold it to keep from getting hurt. Where's the safety on this thing? There it is. It's on the side. I'll leave it on.

Turning the gun over gives me no clues on what kind it is, nor if there's even any ammo in it. I'll use it when the time comes, but if worst comes to worst, it'll make a good club.

The door to the security room is...on the ground, shattered to pieces, the wood now rotting. On the larger pieces, I could see...are those claw marks? I can't help it. I start hyperventilating. I can't seem to get enough air, causing me to fall against the doorway.

I need to get out of here. I'm going to do what I came to do, and then I'm getting the absolute fuck out of dodge.

In the security room, the computer consoles are arrayed against the opposite wall, with several damaged monitors covered almost the rest of the wall's surface area. There are cords running everywhere, and I even think...oh hell yes. There's a separate generator in this room. Damn, I love life sometimes. Only sometimes though. I'd love it more if I was back outside.

A single punch of the power button later, and the generator in the room sputters to life. Some of the screens power on, though a lot of them are corrupted with static or broken screens.

To my surprise, there's no login screen. It immediately takes me to a screen where I can access the security footage. That's odd. If I were in charge, there would be password locks all over this. What sort of crisis could cause the administration of this school to bypass all security protocols?

Well, whatever the case, I can access the footage I need. However, as my eyes scroll to the first video, I start. What? The last date of recorded footage was on February 12th, 2083?! That has to be a typo, or a miscalculation. Putting that aside, I begin to scroll down, but then I note a file marked by an exclamation mark.

02/27/2014 Southern Stairwell: Math Wing: Concerning Subject Alpha

The 27th? That's today's date. Or at least that's the date my phone is telling me. Who or what is Subject Alpha? That sounds less like school administration and more along the lines of...military. Of course. For some reason, the military entered this building while I was unconscious. That explains why I found a damn rifle on a dead body. The staff didn't have that kind of weaponry, nor did they need it.

I hesitantly click on the file, and the video starts to play. An image of the stairwell that I had fallen unconscious in appeared, in the later part of the school day. I can see all of the different students walking to class. Then, I see myself walking through the bottom stairs, on my way to computer science. Wow, that's weird. No matter how many times you see it, you never get used to seeing yourself on camera.

But this means that I'm an hour behind what I want to see. I fast forward until the time when my class ends is displayed. Now, it was about the time where the students were already home, as there aren't that many that take late classes.

Finally, I see the man who had hit me walked into the bottom of the stairwell. I watch him carefully, hoping to see something that would help me understand all of this.

Strangely, the moment he walks on screen, a label appears above his head. It read "Sombra." Is that his name? It's definitely not a word I've heard of before, so I guess that's a safe assumption. At least I can call him something other than "the man."

Sombra raises his hands in the video, and a strange green orb appeared between them, steadily growing in size until it was about the size of a soccer ball. My eyes bug out. He just created something from nothing. What sorcery is this?! Despite how impossible this seems, that explains the strange green glow I saw.

Then, I see myself walk out from the top floor, listening to my music like an idiot. Then, to my shock, a label appears above me as well. This one read, "Subject Alpha." So I'm Subject Alpha? I'm so confused. I feel there is something huge going on behind the scenes that I just can't see. What is the connection between Sombra, me, and the state of this place?

My past self collides with Sombra just as I remember, but this time I see that same green orb go right into my chest, disappearing into my body. I instinctively look down at my chest, but there's nothing to indicate a change of any kind. So what that green orb the "spell" Sombra had been going on about? But...that would hint that he had been using magic. That's not possible. Magic...isn't a thing. Trust me. If it is as easy as believing in magic to use it, then every kid should have been able to do it. Magic is just the brainchild of creative authors, not something...that could have put me out for hours on end. I don't want to think about this. I don't want to admit that my preconceptions of this world could be wrong. Hell, it won't just be my preconceptions, but those of every single scientist in the world!

The video continues on, and I again watch Sombra fucking manhandle me like I'm nothing, and then doing his creepy stalker shit where he circles me and starts talking in early modern english. But I don't care about that. When it gets to the point where I've fallen unconscious, I start watching carefully.

I watch with disbelieving eyes as my unconscious body rises into the air, my limbs flopping around like a ragdoll. That same green glow is emanating from my chest like a damn spotlight. Then, the green orb that was in my chest suddenly expands to encompass my body entirely, and then orb, me, and everything within a short radius of me completely winked out of existence.

The video ends there, but my shock doesn't. "What in the world did I just see? Sombra...what did you do to me?" I whispered, my voice shaking.

I have to see more. I click on the latest video; this is the one that was mistakenly dated almost eighty years in the future. When this one plays, it's actually a recording of this very room.

"This is the final report of Captain Maka Rogers, dated February 12th, 2083. The Oppressed have broken into the building and are demolishing our defenses. Our escape routes have been cut off; it's only a matter of time before they get here," the woman in the video says urgently, though the audio is scratchy.

Wait a minute, Rogers? Come to think of it, she looks a lot like my brother...but how is that possible? 2083?! You mean that wasn't a typo? THAT SOMBRA BASTARD ZAPPED ME INTO THE FUTURE?!

Behind Maka, I can see other heavily armed soldiers running to and fro. I can even hear the sounds of gunfire in the distance. What in the hell was going on? What were the Oppressed?

"Our struggle has ended. This recording is a means of saving information for the next civilization to discover. The one who has defeated the human race calls himself King Sombra, and not only possesses untold power of an unknown nature, but also the ability to twist and contort human flesh into grotesque quadruped forms that we call the Oppressed," Maka continues. Before she can keep talking, a soldier runs up to her.

"Captain! They have broken past the third floor barricade and are heading this direction!" the soldier shouted over the gunfire. Maka looked grim.

"How much time do we have?" she demanded.

"Three minutes, at the most," the soldier admitted. For some reason, Maka smiled, placing a hand on the soldier's shoulder.

"Private Grant, it has been an honor working with you. It has been an honor working with all of you," she calls to the other soldiers. In response, the other soldiers voice similar reactions or solute. "My last order to you...is die with honor, and join our families in the heavens."

Maka turns back to the consoles as the soldiers cheer. I can see one of the soldiers shutting the door to the security room, deadbolting it shut. Seconds later, something hits the other side, and the door splinters.

"To whoever hears this, I have one last piece of advice for you. Sombra has already returned to the future, but his goal is clear. You MUST not let him find Subject Alpha...my uncle. If he does...then..." Maka says, but before she can finish explaining, the door is completely annihilated, and then a veritable wave of twisted, grotesque...things swarm through the door like the tide, slashing and biting everything in their way with long, sharp claws and vicious, slobbering teeth.

I clap a hand to my mouth in horror, trying not to cry out as I watch the soldiers die en masse. The soldiers can't do anything. They can't even manage to fire their guns more than once or twice before they are torn apart by what equates to quadruped zombies.

Maka manages to deal some serious damage with a grenade, but she can't stop their immense numbers. I can only watch as one of the Oppressed grabs her by the throat with one of its...hands? Claws? Paws? Hooves? Fuckin...whatever. But right before it tears her to pieces, she lifts up a detonator and presses the button.

I have to look away, tears running down my face. I hear the explosion, but I don't want to look at those things tearing that brave woman apart.

The video ends there...and so does my mental strength. I collapse into a sitting position against the wall, even as the computer shuts itself off as the generator uses the last of its fuel. So much new information has been handed to me. So many thoughts run through my head, I can hardly sort through them even as I write this. I'll attempt to summarize them, though.

I have to sort through all this. Whether or not I believe it is besides the point. That man who used his sorcery or whatever on me...his name is King Sombra, and he apparently came from the future and exterminated the human race. For some reason, I'm really important to him, which makes sense considering how angry he was when I absorbed that...whatever it was.

That's not even the worst part...I'm in the future too. By at least eighty years. Which means...that everyone I know and love is probably...oh fuck, if I accept that as true, they are already dead because of Sombra...which means...

I fall onto my knees, tearing at my hair. I can't help but sob into my hands. My mother is dead. I'll never have another argument with her again. My brother is dead. I'll never watch anime with him again. Amaryllis...is dead. I slam my fist against the ground, not even caring when bits of debris stab into my skin and draw blood. Amaryllis is dead. I will never...I will never love again. This isn't fair. In what seemed to be less than a few minutes, I've lost my entire life. Everyone I've ever cared about is gone. The niece that I didn't even know I had is dead, torn apart right in front of me.

Fuck, I'm not even out of college. I'm not strong enough to deal with all of this. No one should have to deal with the death of their entire race.

"God...goddammit...why?!" I scream at the ceiling. When I think about it...my niece...she was named Maka. My brother...Adam...he named his daughter after the main character of Soul Eater: the first anime we had ever watched together. This fact just makes me cry even harder. I don't know which is worse, knowing that someone would never love me, or that someone did, and I put them through the same pain that I'm feeling now.

Adam...I'm so sorry. I wish I had told you how much you meant to me. Only now do I see just how much I meant to you.

Maka...I wish I had been given the chance to love you the way you deserved. That was no world to raise a child in.

Mother...I wish I had told you I loved you on the phone earlier. She's dead, and the last conversation I had with her was me being an ass, as always.

Amaryllis...why had I been such a cynical asshole? Why couldn't I just grow a pair and tell you how I felt about you? You were my only real friend...the only one who understood me. Hell, you knew me better than I knew myself. Why couldn't I have just told you? You deserved to know...you didn't deserve this fate I left the world with.

"THIS ISN'T FAIR!" I yelled as loud as I could, until my voice gave out. I stood up slowly, the anger roiling inside of me like a hurricane. I grabbed a table nearby and threw it at the now useless computer monitors, shattering them. I stormed around the room, destroying anything I could find.

When there was nothing left to destroy...I stood in the last bastion of mankind. I was the last one of our kind. The last human. Why am I the one who gets to live, when everyone else is dead?

One thought was present in my head as I turned my empty eyes to the doorway.

"I'm going to fucking MURDER that Sombra," I growled, my voice coming out hoarse from all the screaming.

As I move towards the door, I hear something. It almost sounded like a horse was walking down the hallway, only instead of clopping, its hooves were making a strange click-sccraaape. I freeze, knowing exactly what it was that was outside that room. That rhythm...it had four legs. That clicking and scraping...it has claws. It makes sense that there'd be one left.

"So...the Oppressed have come for me, huh?" I said in an oddly calm voice. I hefted the rifle, clicking off the safety. There's only one way to find out if this thing still works.

I turn the corner and charge down the hallway towards one of the creatures responsible for the death of mankind, not caring at all that I could get myself killed. Everyone I knew and loved is dead. Why the fuck should I care that I could die too?

The creature I'm running towards is a complete mockery of mankind. It's as if someone had completely ripped the skin off of a human being, and then haphazardly wrapped it around the wire frame of a small horse, like a pony. It looks nothing like a horse. It is an abomination.

What is worse is that I can tell who the Oppressed used to be. That blonde hair. Those empty green eyes. I'm looking at what's left of Maka. My rage peaks.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" I yell at the creature, getting its attention. It snarls and moves to attack me, but I'm already there. The butt of my gun slams into the side of its head. The Oppressed is knocked to the side, as I had put all my strength into that hit.

I'm not done. I leap at the creature and bash down on its head with enough strength to break through the skin, drawing blood. I don't stop. I continuously bash down on it over and over, ignoring the agonized screeching it was making.

Suddenly, the creature slams the back of one of its limbs into my stomach, winding me and pushing me back into the wall. My back collides with the wall painfully. The Oppressed is on me like a whirlwind, its claws whipping through the air. I yelp and duck under its claws, which cut into the wooden wall like it wasn't even there.

I ram my shoulder into its chest, putting all of my body weight into the attack. I knock the creature back, but its claws rake along my shoulders, tearing my shirt and drawing blood.

When the creature tried to rise, I ran at it. I kicked it viciously, and then rammed the barrel of my rifle into the creature's gaping mouth. I pulled the trigger with a roar. The ancient gun roared to life, deafening me, but it was still one of the most glorious sounds in the world, topped only by the agonized screaming of the Oppressed as the bullets shot through the soft inner lining of its throat, into its brain, and out the other side, painting the wall with its blackened blood.

I keep firing until the gun runs out of ammo, and then I step back, watching the remains of my niece breathe its last. "If I can never love you like you deserve to be loved...freeing your soul from...this...is the least I can do for you. Rest in piece, Maka Rogers." I utter reverently in a wavering voice. The tears come once more, but I don't break down like before. I let the liquid drip down my cheeks as I walk down the hallway towards the stairwell.

The roof access is just inside the stairwell, consisting of a crimson ladder that led to a hatch that was designed so that it could be easily opened. I climb the ladder, noting with some satisfaction that the rungs were still sturdy. I reached the hatch and untightened the wheel keeping it shut.

The moment the hatch was free, it slammed open without me touching it again. A fucking torrent of dirt cascades over me, knocking me off the ladder and to the ground. "Fuck!" I yell out as several pounds of dirt cover my body.

Once the stream of dirt dissipates, I force myself to stand up, letting the earth slide off of me. Now, what with the blood and tears, I'm a total mess. My clothes and skin are covered in dirt. Now I need to find some water to clean my wounds, or they are going to get infected.

Looking back up at the hatch, I sigh and get moving again. I climb through the hatch and find that I'm in a very narrow tunnel of dirt that leads up...to the night sky. Oh praise the whatever...I'm outside again!

I lever myself out of the hole and onto the ground once more. I breathe in a good lungful of that fresh air...and then promptly bend over and have a coughing fit because dirt got in my throat.

A quick look around the area lets me know that I'm in a forest. This isn't that surprising, considering the tree roots poking through the entire building. No, this is good. In a forest, I can find food from small animals, and water from creeks and rainfall. If I'm the last human, then there's nowhere for me to go. Everyone's dead. There's no civilization.

Just great. I'm motherfucking Robinson Crusoe in a post apocalyptic setting. Or I could just die of exposure. Or an animal could kill me. Fuck, I don't know what I want. Should I keep living? Or do I just lay down and die, and hope that I can join my family and friends up in the afterlife?

I can't make that kind of decision just yet. I pick a random direction and start walking. The makeshift bandage that I've been using is now completely soaked through with blood. I don't have anything to patch it up with. I guess I'll be dying of blood loss in the near future. Well, until then, I might as well keep exploring.

This forest is one messed up place. The plants are all twisted around the trees like parasites, and the trees themselves are warped and gnarled. What is this place, the fucking Korcari Wilds?

I can hear the animals skittering around the underbrush, but none of them are stupid enough to walk into view. That's fine. I'm gonna die anyway. Might as well make it happen sooner rather than later.

I don't get much farther before I hear a rustling from a nearby bush. I turn my head, and the first thing I see are two glowing green eyes. "That...can't be good," I said haltingly, taking a step back.

A growl not unlike that of an angry dog emanates from the bush, and then the weirdest fucking creature stalks out. It's a wolf. But not just any normal wolf. This thing is made out of wood! It literally looks like a wooden wire frame of a wolf! How the hell is it moving? How is it alive? Where are the vocal cords needed to make those growls?

Science aside...those teeth look really sharp. And I think it wants to have me for dinner. How it'll digest me without a stomach, however, is besides the point. The point...I would rather not have anywhere near me. "I don't surprise you're friendly?" I ask it hopefully.

The moment I finish talking, the wolf leaps at me with a snarl. Its front claws slice down on my chest, even as it knocks me clear off of my feet. Once again, I find myself landing on my back.

Right as the wolf is lunging to bite down on my face, I bring up my rifle and jam it into its open jaws. It's crazy strong for such a thing wolf, so I have to use both hands to hold those snapping jaws away from my throat. Since both hands are occupied, its front claws are tearing at my arms, causing me to cry out in pain.

I bring my knee up into the wolf's middle, and I hear something snap. The wolf backs off, yelping in pain.

So what does a man do when he's bleeding heavily and has only an empty rifle for a weapon? He runs the fuck away. So that's what I do. I turn the other direction and just fucking book it.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!" I curse even as I run. "This day just gets worse and worse..."

That's the understatement of the century. I'm sprinting through the undergrowth now, knocking thin boughs and thickets out of my way as I blindly try and put as much distance between me and that goddamn wolf. What do you even call a wolf made of wood? A timberwolf?

I chance a look behind me. What I see spurs me on to ignore the pain in my everywhere, and put on a burst of speed. Behind me, not only is that one wolf really trying to catch up to me, it also brought friends. Yeah. An entire pack of fucking timberwolves is chasing me. Why is it that everything I've met since waking up wants TO FUCKING KILL ME?!

A leafy bough that I pushed out of my way swipes back in my direction, cutting into my cheek and leaving behind a stinging gash. "Ouch, goddammit," I hissed in agony. Looking ahead, I spot a light blaring from the darkness. I don't care what it is. I change my course to head straight for it. I can hear the damn timberwolves catching up to me. I don't have much time before they overtake me and rip me to shreds.

The source of the light reveals itself as a window carved into the side of a large tree. There's even a door set into it, with a menacing looking mask pinned to the trunk above it. Fucking...I don't even stop to think about it. I hurl open the door and slam it shut behind me. The wolves slam into it seconds later, barking and whining in frustration.

"SUCK IT! I'M NOT DYING TODAY!" I shout back at them, even though I doubt they can understand me. I let out a crazed laugh, reveling in my newfound safety. "I must be going crazy."

"Well, now, this is quite the surprise. What manner of being presents itself before my eyes?" I hear a deep, female voice say. If I didn't know better, I'd say that her voice had hints of African American descent in it.

I raise my eyes to see the strangest creature. If I had to guess I'd say I was looking at a zebra, but it seemed too small. Its blue eyes were also larger than they should be, and let's not even count the rings and earrings decorating its body, almost as if it had personalized its appearance.

"I know you are able to speak. Use your voice now, don't be meek." My jaw drops as I see the zebra moving its lips. That fucker is talking to me.

"Yup...I'm definitely going crazy."

---

I had a bit of trouble writing this one, so I certainly expect some criticism. I'm not that good at emotional breakdowns, but I think I managed to get down the structure of what he was thinking/feeling at that moment. I can just build from here.

Indeed, and now King Sombra and Zecora make their appearance, which means we are finally in the world we know and love.

I'll have the next chapter out soon.