Marcus half-carried, half-dragged Lucas down the hallway deeper into the power station, desperately searching for any sign of an exit. The sizzling, bubbling mass of ooze continued its relentless pursuit, gaining ground with each passing second.
"The pipes were the only way in," Lucas gasped, his face contorted in pain from the burn on his leg. "We're trapped!"
"Shut up and run!" Marcus growled, his eyes darting frantically from side to side as they stumbled forward. "There has to be another way out of here."
They rounded a corner, the corridor stretching out before them in an endless expanse of metal and slime. Marcus could hear the wet, squelching sound of the ooze drawing closer, feel the oppressive weight of their impending doom pressing down on them.
"There!" Lucas suddenly shouted, pointing weakly ahead. "Emergency exit!"
Marcus's eyes locked onto a heavy metal door set into the wall, emblazoned with faded emergency symbols. Hope surged through him as they lurched towards it, the sound of the pursuing ooze growing louder with each step.
"There's a suit."
On the wall next to the door hung an unused space suit, little more than a thick pair of clothes and an oxygen tank, but it would be enough for a short walk.
"Only one," Lucas said. "There's got to be something else."
"There isn't," Marcus said. He propped Lucas against the wall and grabbed the suit down. The slimes were still in the distance down the hallway but sliding toward them.
"You take it."
"Not a chance," Marcus said. "You can barely walk. I can outrun those things and find another way out."
He started sliding the suit over Lucas shoulders and suddenly Lucas grabbed his hand, expression grim.
"Don't you dare die."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
Lucas stared at him for another moment and then let go, helping slide the suit on. It was bulky and awkward and fit too snugly, but they got it on. By the time Lucas was ready the slimes were only a few dozen feet away.
"How are they even alive?"
"Who said they were?" Marcus asked. "All I know is we have to get you out of here."
"Got it." Lucas said. "When it opens, it's going to suck all the air out of here. The pressure lock will activate after a few seconds and close those blast doors. You need to get back out of here."
Marcus rushed back down the hall past the open blast doors and turned back. Lucas slide the helmet over his head, and nodded at Marcus.
"You get the hell out of here, alright?"
Marcus nodded. Lucas gripped the handle, turned it, and shoved. There was a loud grinding sound, followed by a screech, and then the door was ripped open as the vacuum of space sucked air through. Lucas felt himself sucked forward and instantly felt like he was trapped in a hurricane.
Lucas disappeared through the opening, heading toward the hangar bay. Marcus watched him go and started to turn, heading deeper into the power station. Suddenly, he lost his grip on the wall and slipped, sucked backward by the vacuum. A loud alarm started to blare and the lights started flashing.
He stumbled, gripping for anything he could, but there was nothing to grip. He hit the cold metal floor and started to be dragged backwards. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he saw the blast door engage, slamming closed with thousands of pounds of pressure.
The hurricane force winds disappeared and there was a loud missing sound as new air was pumped into the hallway. For a few seconds, he couldn't breathe and felt intensely cold, and then gradually, the feeling faded. When he got his bearings and looked around, he realized the blast door had closed inches from his feet. Had it closed milliseconds later he would have lost a leg.
Or more.
The alarm kept blaring and the lights kept flickering, and Marcus started to laugh at the absurdity of his situation. He had a pistol and a flashlight and was trapped in a power station. The only way out just left with Lucas, and he didn't even know if Lucas would make it.
He climbed shakily to his feet, praying for a miracle.
