Chapter 5 - Chapter 5

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 5: "𝕽𝖆𝖎𝖑𝖘 & 𝕽𝖚𝖎𝖓𝖘—𝕷𝖊𝖊"

We walked in. For a brief heartbeat, we existed only in our stride—nothing but footsteps and silence—until we found ourselves engulfed by immense, murky edges. We kept moving ahead, the dimness offering no silhouettes. The echoes of dripping of water can be heard clearly from the calcium build-ups.

It was gradually evolving into a labyrinth. This was no longer a cavern—it had become something far more disorienting.

This labyrinth seemed to stretch back to ancient times, though in truth, it wasn't that old.

The carvings on the walls were too precise to have formed naturally. Something—or someone—had been here once. It used to be alive with presence. Now, it's left to decay. It had been about tenyears, if I understood Ethan correctly back at the barn house.

I don't how I have managed to walk this far without fainting out of fear. We stepped into an enormous chamber, led by Ethan. 

Where the hell was he taking us? And how the hell did he know all his way around down here? What if he worships demons here or something?

I shook my head, trying to chase away the disturbing thoughts.

"How do you figure out where to go?" I asked skeptically. An attempt to break the thick silence.

"I came here when I was nine. I remember all the paths from when the sheriffs used to hold prisoners here," he said, continuing to walk ahead of us.

"And where exactly are we headed?"

"To the foyer... of the dungeons—the place where Abel was most likely killed."

My heart raced at that word: 'dungeons.' I cleared my throat, fighting to mask the tremor in my voice.

"So, there are three suspected locations, but no one knows where he was for sure?"

"Yes, the Bridge of Death, the dungeons here, and…"

"And—?"

"Shh." He silenced me, his posture suddenly alert.

"What—?" My eyes widened as he swiftly covered my mouth with his hand.

"Quiet, I said," he whispered, pulling out his dagger, I froze. At first, I was confused by his actions, but then it hit me—he was trying to protect us. His hand remained over my mouth as he silently dragged me behind a pillar.

We heard an eerie voice growing louder. "Did you hear that?" I asked, my voice muffled. We cautiously peeked from behind the pillar, spotting a massive shadow moving freely through the space—though there was no tangible evidence of its existence. My heart thudded in my chest, and I could feel his heartbeat racing as well. What is that thing—?

No way, this man—Ethan, no—here we go, time for a cat-and-mouse chase. I sighed.

"Shit!" He cursed after accidentally breaking a stone off the already shattered pillar. It fell, the sound echoing through the halls. The shadow disappeared right at the moment, which meant… it's coming.

"Run!"Ethan shouted, and we sprinted away from the place.

Rolling over the steel gate, his leg scraped against the sharp edge. A quick hiss of pain escaped him as he tried to steady himself, blood splashes, staining his hands. But without hesitation, we kept running, rushing into the dark tunnel ahead.

"You said it was abandoned!" I shouted, my voice rising from behind.

"I never said abandoned places are just sitting there!" he shot back, defiantly.

"You what—?!" He yanked me to the right, behind a pillar. Using his ability and anticipated the situation, he hurled a rock toward the far end of the tunnel. It vanished into a sudden drop, followed by a long, echoing clatter that slowly faded into the dark. We watched as the shadow followed the sound of the crack, then fell, letting out a horrible scream that we both muffled the noise with our hands to our ears. I hated loud noises. At least he got us rid of that thing.

We stood in the dark, secluded room until the eerie sounds started to subside. When they finally did…

"Sorry about that," he said, casually removing his arm from around my shoulder.

"Seriously?" I furrowed my brows. "You said—"

"Listen, I did say this place is abandoned but this area is restricted for a reason."

I sighed, adjusting my collar. "Alright then, looks like we're clear now." But then my gaze fell onto his injured, bleeding leg.

He bent down, poured some sort of healing liquid onto the wound, and it disappeared in an instant.

"What the—?" I stared in awe.

The bottle had a leaf emblem on it, something I only noticed after he tucked the empty bottle away. Probably from their Elixir Hall.

He didn't bother to look up. Instead, he opened a map from his book and began inspecting it. I peeked over his shoulder. That's when I heard his breath catch, and I turned to see his face go pale.

"What's the issue now?" I asked, still frowning.

"We're here," he muttered.

I realized what he meant, and we both turned our heads to the room we had been standing in so nonchalantly before. Our eyes widened as we took in the unsettling scene—chains dangling from the walls, cuffs scattered on the floor, and broken chairs in disarray. Needles lay carelessly around, their tips stained with old, dried blood, a grim reminder of the room's dark past.

"Is it… a torture chamber?" My breath caught in my throat, mirroring his reaction to my own question.

"This is the place," he exhaled shakily, moving forward.

The horrible sight stretched further—skeletons... countless skeletons, covered in half blood and half their own flesh. I averted my gaze, unwilling to look any longer. I could feel my sickness beginning to take its toll. I gulped.

"There's no sign of him," he sighed, rising to his feet after examining the stained cobblestones.

How is this man so keen-eyed?

"This isn't where he died?!" I asked, panic rising in my chest. Damn it, we're trapped, and the chances of getting out alive from this haunted cavern are slim.

"Ethan, listen—there has to be a way out!" I yelled out, my voice growing louder despite knowing I shouldn't. And that's when the inevitable happened.

A deafening crash echoed in my ears as I turned around, only to be confronted with a horrifying sight.

"Ethan!" I screamed in horror as the pillar crashed down, falling onto him just as he yanked me away. I hovered myself with my arms from the dusty collapse and the jagged stones fell.

Am I… alone now? He sacrificed his life. I had no idea what that thing was or what it wanted. I had no choice but to run, my legs moving faster than I thought possible. I bolted out of the room, refusing to look back—if I did, I'd be dead too.

Am I hallucinating? In front of me, a sea of dead bodies—yet they're alive! The floor cracked and broke beneath me, and from the ground below, a massive, wrapped corpse emerged—easily three times my size.

"Damn you!" I cursed. It looked like a dead pharaoh—what?! Wraiths? I have no idea!

"What the fuck are you?!" I yelled at it, my voice filled with anger, though my legs could barely move from fear.

"Come back!" Its voice echoed, a terrifying screech that sent shivers down my spine as it called after me. I ran in the opposite direction. There were two paths—back? Death. To the right? Probably the same. A dark rim of the cavern loomed ahead, so I guessed left must lead to death too. Without a second thought, I dashed to the left, not caring if it was a dead end. I was already dead.

I glanced over my shoulder while running. "This is all my fault—"

Before I could finish, I stumbled and fell hard to the ground with a loud thud, crashing into the wall. A groan escaped my lips as I clutched my left side, my head spinning. My heart thumped in my chest, as if I were trapped in a nightmare. Well, of course I was—I was in one. I was trapped…

"Goodness, you're alright!"

I rubbed my butt, my eyes widening in horror once more. Did I just bump into a talking wall?

I looked up, and a wave of relief washed over me. It wasn't a talking wall after all, but... there was no reason to be so relieved. After all, one more thing was lurking in that nightmare.

"Ethan, behind you!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet.

He nodded, acknowledging the situation with a grim expression. "We're trapped," he said, as if it were his last words.

We turned around, our backs facing each other, and fixed our gazes on the escalating danger surrounding us. Even behind his back, from both sides, that thing was drawing closer. We were cornered in a secluded room with no way out—except for the two tunnels, now filled with that… thing.

"Any farewell remarks?" I asked.

"I don't talk about him much, but…I guess you deserve to know…about my father—" but then he signed heavily. "Forgive me... This isn't the outcome I hoped for," he said, closing his eyes in frustration and helplessness.

I listened to him intently until I smiled faintly at his apology. "It's not—"

"Guess you figured it was time for a dramatic grand exit, huh?"

Ethan and I both snapped our heads towards the voice. "Zawi?!" We both called out in surprise.

"How are you even here?"Ethan asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"Bruh," he huffed. "I'm a ghost—forgot?"Zawi's voice, a deadpan humor.

"Well, keep that sarcasm to yourself for now,"Ethan shot back, his tone sharp.

"Yeah, yeah, sure, you decide to double-suicide here with her, but not me…"Zawi said, poofing up his forehead hair. "…Cheater," he added with a dramatic pout.

Ethan huffed at his remark. "You—" he paused, grumbling as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"Help us out—hurry," I said.

"Magic words?" the ghost demanded with a smug look.

Ethan looked at him, deadpan. "Please?"

"Huh! I can't hear you,"Zawi teased.

"Zawi!" We both squawked at him in frustration, but it was too late.

Our eyes widened in terror at the approach of death. The three of us clung to one another as both monsters closed the distance and struck with their fierce claws.