The sound of footsteps echoed in the hollow corridor, with every step causing heavy breathing. Tension filled the air with the intoxicating scent of panic. One can simply assume it was because of the walls that had claw marks all over them.
The marks of an animal or whatever crept into the room from its claw marks. The floor was covered in dust and dirt, leaving no trace behind. The walls slowly started to narrow as Kace and Orette walked further into the dark abysses.
Crack, Crack, Crack
The edges tore the wallpaper, creating small homes for the insects crawling on them.
Crack, Crack, Crack
"Damn," cursed Kace when he saw a side wall painted off white that had little splashes of dull red printed on it. "Please don't tell me we are in a psycho's house."
Crack, Crack, Crack
"If that psycho is a five-foot brat, having anger issues", Orette paused and continued, "And for God knows what, she doesn't seem to care that there are people who can't afford what she has. Then yes."
"Oh come on, she's not that bad", Kace pleaded, but instantly stopped walking when he saw a rat pass by him. "She's definitely not going to be happy about the condition of the building."
Orette chuckles and said, "Yeah, I can just imagine her face when she sees this place; she'll be like 'WHAT A CONTROSCOPY, DISASTER, SUCH A HIDIOUS PLACE.", she stops and gesture her hands indicating her body, "' IS THIS HOW THEY TREAT ROYALTY, AN ELITE. OH GOD! MAYBE MY DAYS ARE NUMBERED!'".
"Wow", Kace clapped, "I could almost see her in you".
"Oh, please, this isn't the best part. She would handle this situation by blaming it all on me, like 'I KNEW YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT, GOD, THIS IS WHY I SHOULDN'T HAVE TRUSTED YOU AND YOUR RIDICULOUS PLAN. UGH! JUST LOOKING AT YOUR FACE MAKES MY BODY SUFFER FROM AN UNCURABLE DISEASE OF INSANITY'".
"Oh, please. My cousin wouldn't go that far". Orette gives him a are-you-sure look. "Okay, maybe...she might, but deep down I know that she cares about you".
"Well, I don't", said Orette as she started walking towards the narrow dark corridor.
"You don't mean that", said Kace as he followed behind.
"Of course I do", she muttered, knowing where Kace would drag this conversation.
"Then how do you explain_".
"The only reason I'm helping her is because of someone's request", she turns to him, "If you knew what I did to survive from my enemies, my twisted mind, myself from whatever unbothered creature I have to face, you might as well choose to side with her all you like".
"But I thought you've changed, you know?".
"Emotionally. Yes. Mentally. No".
"However, I thought that_".
"What you thought was a simple chance of hope that maybe I've changed for the better, well, sucks to know that's not the case."
Kace halted his footsteps and stared straight at Orette, "I thought maybe there was a chance we could communicate like friends, you know...."
"Friends, huh?" Orette stopped and smirked, "Then let me ask you this."
She moves towards Kace, calmly, knowing his emotion. "Let's say there was a situation where you had to choose between saving your cousin or me. Of course, every good-knowing character will choose to sacrifice themselves, but here's the plot twist."
She was standing right in front of Kace, gesturing a cross from her fingers, "You can't, it won't make a difference. So tell me, buddy".
She steps a few inches back to give him some space, "Who's it gonna be, me or your cousin?".
Silence spread through the air like wildfire. There was no sound, no echo, not even the tiniest of disturbance. Orette waited patiently, with her head cocked to the side, her arms folded, and her expression filled with amusement.
"Cmon now." She breaks the quitness, "Don't tell me a cat caught your tongue."
Kace said nothing, not uttering a single word. His expression stilled, hot with fury, but consumed with pity.
"That purple Syrium inside your veins, do you know what it means?".
Still and silent.
"It means Contraption, a machine that is complicated and precarious. You don't know how to think outside the box, do you, Kace?".
"And what about you? Who would you choose if you were in my shoes, my cousin or me?".
Orette chuckled again, but this time her smile was genuine. "Eeni meeni mini moe, simple," she said.
Kace blinked his eyes in confusion, trying to process what this person in front of him was trying to say. "What the he_".
Just before he could utter a single word, Orette hushed him and pointed towards a huge metal gate at the end of the corridor.
The gate was huge, with four huge horizontal silver plates attached from top to bottom. The sides were covered with huge grey screws surrounding the silver plates. There were small, tiny hole patches made on the left and right of the gate.
Orette made her way to one of those holes and tried to peek through it. Her eyes darted from left to right, searching for something, but the space was dark.
Not a single light could be seen through the holes; the gate was rigid and strong, almost as solid as a concrete wall. Kace tried knocking a few times, checking to see how durable it was.
Not to his surprise, he said, "It's no use going through it, it's built is massive and kicking it isn't going to work." He turned around to face Orette, who was attempting to kick the gate.
"We don't know if we haven't tried". She said and attempted to kick, only leaving a small scratch. "Well, that didn't do the trick.", she turns to Kace. "This might be the right time to use your portal."
"Wish I could", Kace peeks through the small holes, "But it's so dark, I can't see anything".
Orette held back a bit and tried to sort something in her mind. "Can you find a lock screen or some keyhole or something?".
"I don't think there is a thing for this, it's like it's being controlled by a remote or a controller".
"Remote or controller, huh?" Orette took a moment or two to finally give in to her thoughts. She approached slowly in front of the gate and removed her black gloves to reveal her small, thin hands.
"What are you doing?" asked Kace with curiosity.
"Just watch", Orette murmured.
She spread her palms against the hard silver gate and kept a distance of about half a meter, and stood firm. She closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders, allowing her to remain calm.
Kace tried to approach Orette to ask her again what she was doing, but the moment passed by in an instant. The sooner he came close, the more he saw what she was getting at.
Blue electric volts were observed through Orette's hands, as if in some sort of shock. Then that shock got larger and larger, so Orette had to clutch the metal gate in pieces and push it further and further till it made a small opening.
Orette released her grip and let her hands go as gravity took control of them and dragged them down. Her legs caught her firm, and she didn't lose her balance. But her expression was miserable.
Kace caught hold of her, but Orette only pointed at the black gloves, gesturing to him that she wanted them back. He did as he was told and focused on the opening in front of him.
Orette stood beside him and said, "I'm getting a bad feeling about this."
"Tell me about it." Kace then faces Orette. "Are you okay?".
"Yeah". She comforts him, waving her hands to show that they were perfectly alright. "Shall we?". She then gestures inside the gate, showing nothing but darkness.
Kace nodded and took the first step ahead. Orette was right behind him, scanning the room with her brown eyes. Trying to find some light or something.
Kace stopped for a second. Orette stumbled over him, her face almost mashed over his back. She retreated a few steps and tried to question Kace about why he stopped, but all that was gone in vain when she heard something.
Breathing, heavy breath. Orette again scanned the area, positively near the breathing sound, and felt something off. Unlike the room, this specific area was more moist, a bit of damped.
Kace immediately got a clue and rushed past that very specific area. Orette was right behind him, searching for where that sound was coming from.
And then she saw it, no, she felt it. A pair of red eyes emerged through the darkness, showing anger, fury, and rage. At that moment, Orette knew what those eyes were saying.
"Took you long enough, you pathetic piece of shit."