"Cole? Cole?! Where are you? Mama needs you to come out. You must be prepared for supper."
Amira, no, that thing isn't the little girl that I thought she was. It's an IT. Nothing else.
The Somata is calling for me as if it doesn't know where I am. This corridor made of flesh, I can hear it breathing. It feels like every step I take, it knows what words I'll say or how hard I'm breathing. It probably knows how fast my heart is beating.
That thing is treating me like a toy. It's madness. Utterly so.
Everything is dark. I could barely see my hand in front of me. Despite the darkness, there's the glowing redness pulsating from the walls, giving the corridor enough light to understand what is wall and what is not.
Keep Moving...
Don't Stop...
I hear that voice again. It burns against my ears. I suspect what it is—the flame Ikaris gave me. It's trying to keep me alive. It's a guiding hand that I'm glad to have.
But I can't keep running endlessly, not knowing where to go. At some point, I will grow tired. And when I become exhausted, that thing will kill me and take my soul.
Somehow, I must escape this domain of flesh.
Is that even possible? Even if I could somehow escape, what'll happen to John and Morgan? Will that Somata, that Matriarch, consume them if it can't get to me?
I don't know what to do.
What am I supposed to do?
I have nothing. There's no weapon to use to defend myself. Even if there was something sharp or hard enough to use against the Somata, I doubt it would have any effect.
I'm alone.
I'm nothing.
I'm just a boy.
I am only prey.
Your Pocket...
Pick Up The Blade...
A blade?
What blade?
I reach into my pocket, and... there is something. It's a knife, the same knife Morgan gave me before he fought those marines. It's neither too long nor too wide, making it a perfect knife for cutting rope. Not really a weapon to defend myself from the creature I'm facing.
Yet my grip is tight on the handle.
I keep running, hoping to put more distance between me and that Somata. I know it's pointless, but my heart still beats, and my mind still thinks, my ears still hear.
My body still works.
I don't want to die yet.
In the middle of my running away hopelessly, a random thought appeared in my head. I'm not sure why I'm thinking of this now. It serves me no purpose, just like this knife.
But the thought can't help but circulate through me, especially since that Matriarch decided to bring up those memories of my mother. However, it makes sense to think of her now, since we're both going to end because of the Somata. The only difference is that Mother kept them from killing her, but she let their venomous words poison her. And I let them kill me.
How did she keep the Somata from attacking her? I had the same thought when I slept in that church, but that question still lingers, even heavier than before.
What is a Seer?
Ever since I've heard that title, it has been hanging over my head. It's probably the reason why I'll die.
Seer? Why Seer? Was my mother a Seer? Is that how she kept the Somata away? If so, how did she do that? I thought Seers only see through what others cannot; they see through the darkness and see what lingers.
Is there more than just seeing?
My legs are starting to get heavy. The corridor isn't growing smaller. I haven't seen a single turn in minutes. I bet that Somata is slowly strolling toward me, allowing me to waste my breath.
I stop running and begin walking. There's no reason to waste energy.
And soon, I stop moving entirely.
I look up despite there being no stars, only a flesh ceiling. But I begin to imagine the same stars that my mother stared at every night. She was glued to them as if she saw a message written among them.
Why did she do the things she did? What was the purpose of her actions? What was the essence of it? Was there any reason, or was she insane?
That word, essence. What is my Essence?
My lungs swallow a deep breath, knowing I will need it. My heart beats faster and harder, pumping my blood through my body. There's only one feeling that I know is true: I am afraid.
Terror fills my entire being. I couldn't grip the knife harder than I already could.
I don't want to die. I want to live. I want to experience the joys of life. I want to see what the world has to offer. There are so many types of people I haven't met or spoken to. There are many opportunities that I haven't been able to take advantage of.
I want to live.
I want to live.
I Want To Live!
I turn around and step toward the direction where John and Morgan are being held. Toward that Somata that's coming for me.
In the distance, I hear its voice again, echoing like an unholy lullaby. It's calling me.
Every step is met with resistance. For some reason, this fleshly corridor is slowing me down from meeting with the Somata.
Amira. Did that name belong to someone who lived? Did that used to be a little girl who never got to experience life? Was her life taken from her because the Somata could? Because they were hungry?
How dare they?
The Matriarch will not have my soul, my Essence.
I will not die.
Not here, and surely not to Somata.
I feel Ikaris's flame begin to grow within me, burning a desire to strengthen my will to fight. And fight I will. Whether it be with a gun or this blade I hold.
I will fight.
And I will live.
Because I know this one truth: a dead thing cannot win against life.
I am Cole Sear, and I will live.