Autumn Walker, a courageous individual in the exploration front, was hiking out a long overgrown trail with her close friend and research partner Jessica Lee. The Sun beginning to set as Autumn pushed through the murky outdoors effortlessly, Jessica trailing behind slightly, never really being a hands-on researcher Jess didn’t handle being outside very well though she didn’t mind it all that much. Looking up to autumn like a sister, they had grown up together for as long as either could remember and bonded over their passion for mysteries and investigating the unknown.

Pushing a low-hanging branch out of the way of her trekking, Autumn scrambled up onto a cliffside.
“Come on slowpoke!” Autumn giggled to herself reaching a hand down to help Jess.

“I-I’m not that slow! I-I’m just admiring the.. Scenery.” Jess stuttered, a slight blush striking her face as she was pulled onto the cliff ledge. Turning around they were met with what was supposed to be an empty field, one that was instead taken up by what seemed to be an old research lab. Equipment was destroyed and strewn about around the camp. Within seconds Jess’s poor heart was beating loud enough to hear as her legs quaked in fear.

“What the hell? This was marked as uncharted?!” Autumn snapped, immediately trying to call headquarters to see if there was a mix up, no signal. Jessica was almost gasping for air, she didn’t know why but she knew this place but something awakened in her memory. Something suppressed long ago.
“We need to go inside.. now!” Jess grabbed Autumn’s arm and without hesitation started running towards the lab.
“Jess?! Calm down! What's going on?” Autumn at that moment, for the first time in a long time was actually scared, Jessica had never acted like this before. Pulling Autumn into the dilapidated ruin of a research facility and locking the door. “Jess? What's the matter? I don't understand”. Her face was expressionless, this was a bad place she just couldn’t remember why, this dread she felt was unnatural it made her feel weak and scared. Autumn got down on her knee and hugged her friend gently. Despite the alarm and confusion, she felt helping Jess was her first priority.

The lab wasn’t very big, just the room they were in which seemed to be a lounge-esque area, a heavily corroded couch sat by the back wall with pots of long-dead plants in every corner. A steel table, resting in the middle, stained by a dark red and one door with a cracked sign almost falling off labeled “living quarters” and a screen mounted to the wall farthest from them. Gently letting go of Jess to let her rest she began Feeling around for some kind of light switch Autumn pulled down a lever. Within moments the emergency generators spun to life, the dim light flickering on accompanied by the soft static buzzing of a radio.

Feeling slightly more at ease Jessica stood up, panting and dizzy but better.

“You can’t open the door” Jess’s voice was still shaky but her message was firm.
“Why? What’s going on here?” Autumn knew Jess was handling this poorly but she needed answers.
“Just promise me you won’t open the door, not until morning at least” Jessica’s cold stare cutting through Autumn’s questions.

“Fine! But you’re explaining this all come morning! You’re scaring me!” Autumn snapped at her friend, slumping down on the couch. 

Without either individual noticing, a pair of eyes peered in through the window accompanied by a growl and the rustling of metal before whatever it was vanished without a trace. After the heat of the moment had cooled down they both ended up on the couch together, huddling for warmth. The screen unexpectedly began whirring to life displaying a rather loud and staticy radar. Other than the noise it seemed to be in working condition which would be weird because of the bright green dot circling the lab with every flash. Autumn stood up to check it out after Jess had fallen into slumber, stepping carelessly over to the monitor.

“Thing must be busted, it says.. There's three of us in here and.. Someone outside..” The confidence in her voice flushed away as she looked at the readings, something odd showed up on the sidebar, a set of differently coloured names “Autumn Walker” which was grayed out “Jessica Lee” which was green and “Amanda Sparks” which was a dark red. “Why would.. Why would we be here? ''she kept looking. Checking files trying to figure out her connection with this place, clicking on Amanda, an individual that seemed familiar but she couldn’t recognise. The subtext for her profile was exactly what Autumn had feared “A. Sparks: Deceased”. her heartrate sped up significantly, something catching her eye. Amanda was labeled as a Synthetic. “But I thought Synthetics were still in development?” she pondered curiously. A bit more at ease now, at least mildly reassured that her dead coworker might not have been human.

Jess opened her eyes and glanced around the room. The sky was still black as night continued forthwith, Autumn rushing over to help her up.

“Hey Jess have you-” A loud banging suddenly ruptured the lab’s door interrupting Amber’s attempt at asking questions. The door denting, holes puncturing through the metal as it was attacked mercilessly.

“There's no time! We have to go into the bunk room!” Jess was pulling her peer towards the door to the living quarters with all her might.

“But you said..” spouted Amber giving a little resistance, her eyes locking with Jess’s, seeing her tears.

“It doesn’t matter! I can’t lose you again” Finiking with the override code she opened the electronic door and pulled Amber in.

“A-again?!” The confusion and fear striking her face was unmatched by any as for a glimpse between the lab door breaking off its hinges, and the electronic door of the bunks closing Amber swore she saw a mangled humanoid crawl into the room.

“Okay what the fuck was that thing” Autumn snapped “i can’t take anymore of this without you telling me where we are, why it says we’ve been here before and what the absolute fucking hell was outside that damn door”

“I-I don’t.. I wish i didn’t know what that thing was, we’re at an old research lab used for testing employee loyalty…we were sent here with a seemingly broken synthetic and you were instructed to fix her, i left the room for just a moment i didn’t know it was gonna happen.. I-I’m so sorry” Jessica started crying as she relives her past trauma.

“What happened Jess..” Autumn was stern with her voice. All the gentle undertones had left.”
“You.. you died…”

“I what? I’m right here”

“N-no you’re right there” Jessica pointed to the greenhouse outside the back door. In the middle of the broken shack of tinted glass was a rudimentary gravestone made from two planks and electrical tape.

“No that’s not possible! I’m talking to you! I’m alive right now!” Autumn snapped back, in too much of a panicked state to listen to reason

“You’re a synthetic!” Jessica cried out, their shouting caused them to be far too distracted to notice the vent beginning to unscrew.

“h̶̃e̵̗̿y̷͆ ̵͋gi̶̇r̵̈́ls̶” the strange voice that echoed from the vent caused them both to fall silent before a glowing red eye appeared, a synthetic’s arm or at least what was left of one reached out from the vent. Blood staining it’s claws, the artificial skin hanging off in clumps revealing the rusted animatronic skeleton below “I̶͋́t̵͂'̵̓s̴͝ b̵e̸͆è̵̟̽n̵ s̸ő̶ ̸l̵o̷n̸͗̕g̴”

“Amanda” Jessica growled as the steel abomination cackled maniacally.

“Ḯ̵̙'̸͈̄v̵͐e̵ ̸b̸e̶e̷n̴ ̶w̶a̵i̶t̸i̴n̸g̵ ̵f̶o̴r̷ ̸y̷o̸u” Amanda declared before the lights shut off.

“Jessica i’m scared..”

”It’ll all be okay i promise.. B-but i have something to say just in case i never get the chance..”

“W-what is it Jess? i’m so sorry i got mad”

“I lov- Ghhk! Y-you” Jessica’s body crashed to the ground as the laughing started again

“O̸̕h̴̶͒ b̷͠o̵o̵̽̑ ̴̡̑̔h̷̀o̶̐̊o̶͒” Amanda giggled as the lights flickered back on. Amanda removing her sharp claws from Jessica’s bleeding body. Amanda’s overconfidence sees to be her downfall as she was expecting Autumn to be grieving, instead she had pulled the fire alarm. “H̴̿̏̅ů̴̽ĥ̴̛̒?”

“Hasta la vista bitch” Autumn grinned as the sprinklers started. Amanda had screamed out in agony as her exposed circuitry was soaked in ice cold water “y̴̩̓o̸u ̵fo̶ol̴͋ I ̷w̴̽as ̷̈c̸o̴d̵ë̵́d̸ ̴to-”

“Meh” Autumn kicked over the rusty pile of bolts before stomping on Amanda’s chest cruising her power core, her eyes going dark.

Immediately after autumn rushed over to Jessica and lifted her onto one of the beds, hugging her tightly.

“Please stay with me it’s all gonna be okay” Autumn cried out softly hoping desperately she was right. Jessica smiled softly and kissed her cheek.

“See you later hun, I’ll wait for you..”

“No no no no please it’s all gonna be okay” Autumn started to scream as Jessica closed her eyes and went limp in her love’s arms. Autumn, regretting everything. Hating herself for not realizing what her emotions were sooner.

As the sun rose the next morning a second grave had shown up beside the first, each bearing the crudely cut inscription of “my dearest that I wish I could love more than I was given the chance.” Autumn was nowhere to be found. A burning pile of scrap resting in the middle of the encampment. Something moved within the fire, a scorched metal hand reached from the flames.

“A̷͗l̶̇ͅwa̴͚͝y̶̯̒s d̴o̴͈̿ub̶̺̐ḻ̸͛e ̸̲̽t̶ap̸ A̷̲͗ú̸̢tú̶̞m̷̤͆n̴͊ d̸̉ar̸lin̷g̴̬̔”

To be continued…

(not really)