Demons Ascension - Elevator

[Posted by Ted H]

Aw snap...climax in sight!

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[Demons Ascension - Elevator]

            James wasted no time deciding where to go when he entered the lobby. He made for the stairwell and all but tumbled down the stairs as he made for the basement. Once there, he sprinted for the next downward staircase that led him to where the alter was. The next level down was flooding with blood up to his ankles. It was pouring down from all the walls and James didn't bother wondering how. The ceiling was giving off a soft, reddish glow, allowing James to see.
            The door ahead was still kicked open. James pushed ahead and didn't bother with subtlety with his approach. He was attempting to mess with a gods plan to cement his ascension, he figured the direct approach was just as likely to succeed as a ninja approach, and the ludicrously of it might catch Croatoan off guard.
            He charged into where the alter was but found nothing inside. "Uh oh," he breathed as he looked around, feeling the pressure of time as he wondered where else Croatoan might attempt the final sacrifice. "Where else would he finalize his ascension?" he said as ran both his hands through his hair before he stopped. "Ascension..." he said "...Up."
            James looked up to find the ceiling wasn't even there. The entire building above him didn't seem to exist, but there was something to see up in the distance. Two figures floating essentially in midair. "His room," James said as he spun and made back for the staircase. It was too dark to read his watch clearly, but he knew time was oppressively short. Having to struggle his way through the now knee deep blood wasn't helping.
            He made it back up and into the basement and sprinted for the stairs before stopping at the sound of the roaring that echoed down the stairwell. "Not good," he said as he backed away from the entry. His mind raced quickly for a way to hide before he rushed for the elevators and pushed the call button.
            "C'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon c'mon," he kept repeating as the roars from the stairwell grew louder. "Ding!" the elevator sounded as the doors slowly opened and he threw himself into the elevator and slammed his finger into a random floor button. The doors then began to close at a snails pace as he noticed a huge human hand with large claws protruding from where the fingers used to be reached out from the stairwell entry and slice into the wall. There were tatters of skin hanging off from bright red and bloody patched of overstretched muscle. In the darkness, James could see a pair of bright eyes shining through and looking directly at him. The doors finally shut and the elevator began its ascent just as the beast was beginning to stick its head out and let off a tremendous roar.
            "I've got about ten seconds," James said to himself as he stepped onto a rail on the elevator and lifted himself into the air and reached for the roof hatch. He pounded at the hatch until it popped off and he began to climb through. As soon as he was through, the elevator shook and stopped. He looked back down to see a claw tear through the floor like butter. The elevator then plunged a foot suddenly and James fell over and almost back through the hatch. His mind raced for a plan as a second claw reached in and began to peel through the floor to get in.
            James grabbed for the nearby ladder leading up and pulled out his knife. He reached out with the knife and began to cut at the wires holding the elevator up until he realized this wasn't a movie and he wouldn't be able to cut steel cables with a pocket knife. A new idea struck as he idly waited on the ladder. He heard one beast finally pull itself into the elevator and then reach its arm through the hatch.
            "I'm right here!" James yelled "Come get me!" He was still nearby, but defiantly out of range of the swinging claw. It reached out and tore through one of the steel cables and, as James had hoped, cut through it like nothing. There were others and James continued to yell out and taunt the beast, attempting to keep it in a blind frenzy as opposed to allowing it to attempt to tear its way out.
            One final cable eventually remained as a new arm tore through and James knew time was running out. He cupped his one free hand to his mouth and threw his voice over to where the last cable was, drawing the swinging claws in that direction. One final and fatal swing severed the cable and the heavily damaged elevator began a free fall back to the basement level. The beasts were down, but defiantly not out as James began a frantic climb up the elevator shaft. Several floors up, he pried a set of doors open with his knife and made for staircase just as the beasts managed to pull themselves free from the wreck and each other at the bottom of the cramped shaft.