The Tunnel (Part 4 of 4)

The bodies were littered all over the facility in pieces. Some were deflated like balloons, I believe Paul's tongue like vine had slurped up every drop of their blood like a straw. I was waiting for death, expecting to get ripped apart, like the man I assumed I had smoked my last cigarette with. 

Rash, I believe his name was, was decapitated. I was smoking my cigarette, sitting in a blood of meat and blood. I stared at the headless corpse in front of me, wondering where his head went. I think it flew over the railing, but it was much too fast for me to notice. 

The screams became like a melody after awhile, and I no longer found myself caring about the people that were dying around me. I was laughing at some point, but it could have been all in my head. And I would never wish this one anyone, but listening to the sound of skin getting forcibly removed from a body is like hearing paper shredding.

It's the worst sound in the world, and I wished my ears had somehow been hacked off during the carnage. Then after a long time, though I'm not sure how long how much time had passed, there was only silence. 

Not a single soul stirred. 

Only soft squishy sounds that echo closer to me. The footsteps stop in front of me. I lower the cigarette from my lips, and I feel a drop of wetness land on my head. I looked up and felt my heart stop. Paul's face was right above me, a huge grin on his face. Blood was on his teeth, and it dripped down his lips like saliva. His hands were behind his back, almost like he was about to ask me to dance. 

"Hello, Ale. How are you this fine evening?"

I didn't know how to react to his sudden politeness. It was so unlike him to sound so…normal. It was like the old Paul had returned. 

He pointed a bloody finger against his head. "I guess I needed a good feast. My brain felt so foggy beforehand. You know the sensation of how it feels like to be drunk? That's exactly what it felt like."

"Why…didn't you kill me?"

"Because I think we could use each other. You're different compared to everyone else here, Ale. You waited for death, and you were the first one to stand up to the boss. Also, you were nice to me a few times since we worked here."

"What was…on the other side of that tunnel, if you don't mind me asking?"

Paul looked down at me, his smile growing wider. His lips spread back, his new tongue flicking over the blood to clean his teeth. 

"Does it matter?"

He removed his hands from behind his back, holding a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. His tongue opened the pack, and took out a cigarette. He extended his tongue to me, the cigarette right in my face. I took it, and he turned on the lighter. A laugh burst out of me as I smoked the cigarette. 

Paul laughed along with me. 

And that was how we became partners. 

Our friendship lasted for years, and he never aged. It was strange to see him remain the same, and he never stopped feeding. If he didn't have a proper amount of food, he would go on a rampage, and kill multiple people at once. I knew we would have to leave Earth, because the last thing we needed was to accidentally erase Paul's food supply. 

Of course, I attempted to kill him many times. He was unnatural, and did not belong on this planet or anywhere else. Every time I tried, he would always tell me to try harder.

Over time, I gave up. Not because I wanted to live, but it was the fact that I did value our friendship. Even though he was a monster, he was still Paul to me. I always wondered where Paul went, but I never wanted to know the truth. I saw what it did to our old boss. Obsession is horrifying, something that destroyed the entire lab, and killed everyone. 

I only hope that I never become consumed by it. 

Because maybe one day, Paul won't spare me. 

But perhaps death would be sweeter. 

After all, I deserve it. 

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn