Rudolph, SunnySide, 2067
The three-eyed cyborg stands before Rudolph and the kids. Its eyes scan up and down. The cyborg's height is about 2 meters.
Rudolph grabs the kids and brings them in closer.
'How did it ever get to this? Weren't we just after some killers? Why are we now fighting for our lives against cyborgs?'
Thoughts like these continue to run through Rudolph's brain.
'Just who is William Frances? Is he one of the killers we have been after? What's his end game?'
The three-eyed cyborg continues just to stand there, scanning them with its small white lights.
Rudolph continues to hold the kids still, watching and hoping the small white lights don't scan over them.
Rudolph looks down at the kids. Clark wraps himself around Rudolph, and Cynthia grips Rudolph's hand. Tears begin to run down each of their faces.
Rudolph gives a small exhale.
"Hey, I may not have known you kids long, but I'll make sure you guys get out of this place alive."
Rudolph begins to plan as he watches the small white lights grow closer.
Rudolph's chin lifts slightly.
"Kids, I want you guys to run the path straight ahead that goes left. And as you guys are getting away, I'll try to distract it."
Rudolph looks over to Clark and gives a gentle smile.
"I want you to hold Cynthia's hand at all times. Don't leave her behind."
Clark nods and grabs Cynthia's hand.
Rudolph brings them together, then carefully guides them towards the path. But Rudolph doesn't let go of them yet.
"Alright, when I say go, you guys go."
Cynthia and Clark nod their heads.
Rudolph begins to count down from three.
"1…" The light is centimeters from Rudolph.
"GO!"
Clark dashes as fast as he can towards the path while holding Cynthia's hand.
Rudolph watches them, then he stares at the cyborg, who has now officially scanned Rudolph.
In a flash, the cyborg leaps onto the ceiling and grabs onto it with its six spiked legs. Then, where its mouth should be, a compartment opens, revealing multiple razor-sharp moving blades.
Then those blades begin to point outward, forming a drill. A very vast moving drill.
Rudolph watches in complete awe.
'This—this isn't good.'
In a flash, the three-eyed cyborg darts across the ceiling, but instead of going for Rudolph, it goes for the kids.
Rudolph's face goes blank. His body is still, like he's paralyzed. He tries to move his body, but is unable; he can only manage to get words out.
"Run!"
The kids stop in fear. Cynthia, who can't see what's happening, knows that something bad is coming for them.
Clark, who can see, sees the three-eyed cyborg approaching them at high speed.
And in that moment, Clark lets go of Cynthia's hand and runs.
Cynthia, who is just standing there, still has her hand in the air where Clark was holding it. Tears slowly start to fall down her face, her lower lip quivering, and she begins to cry out:
"Clark! Don't leave me!"
While standing there and crying, Cynthia senses something sitting above her.
Cynthia sits down on her knees and buries her head in her arms.
The sound of the three-eyed cyborg's sharp razor drill picks up speed. It detaches itself from the ceiling and points its drill towards Cynthia.
Cynthia, who is unaware of what's about to happen, suddenly gets picked up by Rudolph, and they manage to jump out just in time; the three-eyed cyborg only managed to graze Rudolph's back.
The three-eyed cyborg's drill gets stuck in the ground, and it just stops moving.
Rudolph looks down at Cynthia and clenches his teeth.
"You okay?"
Cynthia nods her head.
"That's good."
Rudolph picks up Cynthia and slowly stands up, trying to hold back the screaming pain in his back.
"We need to move before that monster gets back up again."
Slowly, they start to walk down the path until Cynthia points behind them.
"Sir, I think the monster is back up again."
Rudolph turns around, and the path is dark with only one candle making up the light. Even with the minimal light, Rudolph can still make out the three white eyes staring at them from the darkness.
Rudolph carefully sets down Cynthia. Then he stands up straight and takes a grappling stance. One arm in front of the other, his palms open, ready to grab or block.
Rudolph takes a deep breath in.
The ground begins to shake ever so slightly, and the monster is charging at Rudolph.
Cynthia, who can't see what's happening, plugs her ears and begins to scream.
Her screams bounce off the walls, echoing through the whole maze.
And just as the monster is about to attack Rudolph, it stops…
The fast razor-sharp drill stops just inches before reaching his chest.
Rudolph, who is breathing heavily, steps back and falls. Sweat was streaming down his face.
'What happened?'
Rudolph looks over to Cynthia, who is curled up, crying in her arms.
After a few seconds, Cynthia suddenly screams.
"What's happening!"
Rudolph stands up quickly and runs to her.
"What…What!"
Cynthia's screaming pauses, and she slowly lifts her hand out of her head.
"I–I don't know. It was like a big migraine. It hurt so bad."
Cynthia paused, then she spoke again:
"It was like I felt something with that monster…"
"...Like a connection."
Cynthia then started to scream again.
"What!" Rudolph screams in fear.
Everything goes quiet; Cynthia slowly raises her head from her hands, and tears roll down her face.
"I…I can see again."
Rudolph, who is speechless, asks:
"What do you mean…you can see again?"
Cynthia pauses.
"I'm able to see…but what I'm seeing isn't from my body…it's from the monster."
Rudolph, who doesn't know what to say, silently gets up and walks in front of the monster.
"Can you see me?"
After a pause, Cynthia speaks:
"Yes, I can see you."
"Rudolph begins to wave in front of the monster.
'Just what is happening? How is she able to do this? What did William Frances do to these kids? Are all the others like this? Is this a power of some sort?'
Rudolph puts on a forced smile.
"From trying to catch killers to dealing with the supernatural."
Cynthia, who is seeing through the monster, moves the monster's head up and down.
"Sir, I can see… It's not very clear; the eye holes are small, but I can kinda see."
Cynthia begins to smile and laugh.
Rudolph laughs with her.
"Can you see me?"
Rudolph puts his face very close to the monster's eyes.
While Rudolph tries to get Cynthia to see him…
Clark slowly crept up from behind, and he raised his right hand in front of him, aiming it at the candle.
The candle slowly rises in the air, then, with a grunt from Clark, he throws the candle at the monster.
The flames slowly envelop the monster.
Clark puts on a wide grin, his eyebrows raised, tears falling from his face.
"I…I…I did it! I killed the monster!"
Cynthia screams, and she loses control of the monster.
Rudolph, in a hurry, runs over to Cynthia, who is now unconscious.
"What's happening? Who did that?"
Rudolph turns to look behind him, and he sees Clark just standing there, with a big grin on his face.
Rudolph then turns his head to the monster, who is now back. And he watches as the flames slowly destroy the monster.
The monster, in pain from the flames, slowly walks backwards into the darkness.
The only light left is the flames that are on the ground.
Clark looks over to Rudolph.
"Sir…are you proud of me?"
Rudolph, who is once again speechless, picks up Cynthia and limply walks over to Clark.
Rudolph puts his hand on Clark's head.
"I don't know what you did…or how you did it, but we had the situation under control, Clark."
Rudolph sighs.
"What I'm more concerned about is why you left Cynthia by herself?"
Clark looks up at Rudolph, tears flowing from his eyes.
"I'm sorry, sir, I was just so scared."
Rudolph grabs Clark's hand, and they begin to walk to the nearest light in front of them.
"If there's a next time, don't leave Cynthia alone like that again."
Clark nods his head.