Chapter 20: Blindness

Blindness

“How come...? Weren't we sure what to do...? Tsk...”

The old-fashioned clock beside him pointed to 5 a.m. Jevo Deems, rolling up the sleeves of his new, long shirt, left it behind to continue on through the second floor.

It seemed there would be no plan to follow this time, not after the chaos that had erupted after the blackout at the Saggiatore’s residence.

The hallway he was walking through was indifferent to the rest of that mansion, no matter how you looked at it, due to its intense darkness.

Windowless... No more than 4 meters away, the fine wooden floors could be seen; a place that clearly referred to a labyrinth combined with an elegant dungeon.

Watching his step, Jevo held onto the walls to guide his own steps.

The critical situation turned out to be similar to what had happened at the San Ramael Institute, which he assumed couldn't be worse, but unfortunately, it turned out that way. The difference was that he was completely alone, locked 'between four walls' like a fearful laboratory mouse.

The noises in the distance, both near and far, forced him to stop, crouch down, and check his surroundings, again and again and again.

After an endless minute, he reached a point where nothing but his own footsteps could be heard on the fine ceramic.

And then, with no specific direction, indescribable murmurs hovered near the boy.

He stopped again, expecting the worst, but nothing happened. Then, stretching the turtleneck of his shirt to swallow, he continued walking.

It wasn't long before he found a closed door on one side of the hallway; a door that was strangely blocked by a chair against the handle. A conversation could be heard inside, and this immediately caught the attention of the desperate Jevo, who was seeking human interaction.

He moved the chair that was blocking the way and, turning the handle, slowly entered the room.

His first expression was the joy that marked his face at finding someone inside the labyrinth. All sorts of opportunities would open up for escape.

The person inside looked like a child. Given the lack of visibility, that's what Jevo believed.

He deduced that someone had locked him inside that room for his safety.

"Hey, are you okay? Your parents... Will they be back soon?"

Jevo approached, moving the furniture and old pieces of wood that were in the way; the child was squatting in the middle of the room, talking to himself, too distracted to take the hand Jevo extended.

The little infant stood up when he heard him, putting aside his babbling. The darkness barely made him visible from shoulders to feet.

And that's when Jevo understood.

Both of the child's legs were broken...

"AAAAAAAAAH!"

Staggering from side to side, Jevo watched in amazement as the creature ran toward him as if unharmed.

There he understood, as clear as the sweat running down his forehead, that it was anything but human.

-[Ø]-

On the opposite side of the second floor, a boy was testing the power outlets inside one of the mansion's variable rooms.

Adjusting his new baseball cap, he was none other than Chase Termiane, in a situation as precarious as his companions.

However, he was fortunate to have the light on his cell phone, though it wasn't something that calmed him at a time like this.

"Shit... Isn't there a way to recharge this thing in here?"

By then, he'd confirmed the obvious: the power wasn't coming back, and there was no sign that it would.

He just kept pacing in circles, uselessly, with no idea what to do.

“(Tsk, seriously, I can't believe we split up like this... Did they forget... everything? Bunch of idiots)”Chase thought, rummaging through the drawers of the tables he found “I don't even know what I'm still doing here. I'm leaving.”

Stubbornly, he left the room to find himself in the hallway, right in front of a small window; a possible exit. But again, his luck wasn't as good as it seemed at first glance.

He leaned closer to peer through it. The dim sunlight barely allowed him to gauge the height from the floor.

“(If I tie the sheets together and make a rope...? Nah, you only see that crap in movies... At this height, I won't risk breaking my legs).”

Then he changed course back toward the dark hallway.

Two options ran through his mind: wait approximately an hour until dawn to find the steps to the first floor, or start looking for them right then and there.

“Okay... (Maybe if I hide under the bed in the meantime----) Gh!”

“...”

He was about to head back into the room when he heard voices, incoherent babble of ambiguous origin surrounding him.

“I-I know you're there, asshole! “Chase shouted, pointing his cell phone's light in every direction. “I see you!”

Somehow that did the trick; it drowned out the voices, and silence returned.

A little relieved, Chase calmed his ragged breathing.

“(There's no way I'm staying a single second more in this damn place).”

He walked down the hallway opposite the one he thought was the source of the disturbing murmurs.

The end of the path split in two; left or right. He peered carefully to check if they were empty, and as he did, he managed to make out the sign for steps at the end of one of them; the steps leading to the first floor. Although it was surrounded by similar doors.

"(For heaven's sake. Finally...)" the boy rejoiced.

However, after taking the first step, his cell phone turned off.

"Tsk, damn shit! This isn't the time to let your battery run out," he said.

So far, yet so close. Only from a distance of three feet would he be able to recognize the correct door.

Then he quickly removed the cell phone's battery, rubbed it against his shirt, and put it back in its place, hoping the primitive method would fix it.

He waited patiently for the device to turn on.

And it worked. The light from the screen illuminated his own black shirt…

And that of someone else motionless in front of him.

"Fu--!"

His response was as natural as his escape. He fled in any direction in the darkness without a second thought.

His cell phone, falling to the floor, remained on for only a few seconds, allowing a last glimpse of the feet of the silent entity that slowly began its pursuit.

-[Ø]-

Let's take a tour of the first floor of the mansion, the objective of all those fleeing within it.

Knowing for sure if anyone had already managed to escape was impossible to determine. For the survivors, such was the faith that distracted them from the worst-case scenario.

They, running through the dark corridors of the labyrinth, hoped never to see such an atrocity again.

We are talking about Rousset and Earlene. After the blackout, they met in one of the hallways.

It was nothing more than a mere coincidence, but unlike the others, at least they had someone watching their backs.

"Ah... Ha... Ah... Could you... Gh... Ah... let go of my hand?"

Earlene caught her breath next to her companion.

Ever since they met, the latter had refused to let her go; she didn't want to be alone, which was understandable given the situation.

"Ah... I-It seems like nothing's following us anymore..." Rousset announced, while Earlene shook her aching hand.

"Ouch... Where are we?"

"I think... I-If we keep going straight, we'll definitely reach the exit..."

"You've been pulling me all this time... and you don't know it..."

"..."

Rousset looked around, trying to prove she was right. In doing so, she spotted some paintings on the walls that gave her a hunch.

"That's right. I remember we were here at some point..."

"Yes, over there! The kitc---! The dining room!”

"Shh, lower your voice..."

The young blonde pointed to a door a few feet away from them.

They both approached to confirm it, and cautiously opened the door. They pressed one eye over the other through the crack to peer inside.

It was barely possible to make out what was inside. Furniture and food lay scattered everywhere as if a storm had swept through the place. It was nothing compared to the bustling dining room they'd been in just a few hours ago.

After hearing something rummaging through the trash, Rousset slowly stepped back and closed the door.

"Alright, let's see... From the dining room... We just have to go back down this hallway."

"Okay..."

Earlene still had her doubts but followed her instructions. After all, she didn't want to be alone either.

They continued along the path a few feet with extreme caution. They were two hallways away from reaching the main hall and, therefore, the exit.

Or so they thought. One mistake and they'd be lost in the maze again.

Near the end of the first hallway to continue down the last, Earlene suddenly stopped.

"Rousset..."

"W-What's wrong?!" she was startled. "Don't scare me..."

The small blonde just held her companion's shirt lightly, without saying a word.

"What? Are you too scared or some...?"

"..."

Indeed, Earlene stood motionless, paralyzed with terror, but it wasn't caused by the reasons the young woman with orange curls supposed.

She could hear clearly, which Rousset couldn't.

But it wouldn't take long for the two of them to sync up.

At that end of the hallway, footsteps were suddenly heard.

"AAAAH AAAH AH HA AHHH!"

A meter away from them, a man carrying a flashlight crossed from one hallway to another.

“Aaaaah...”

And behind him, something was chasing him closely on all fours like a tarantula chasing its prey.

“Gh...”

They dived back into the darkness in the distance; the same thing they would do on their side.

Terrified, they ran through the hallways without thinking, as fast as their lungs could carry them.

Rousset could be grateful that she had gone jogging in the mornings back in her high school days, unlike Earlene, for whom she had to stop to catch her breath in the first room they came to.

“Ah ah... We lost them...”

“And we are too... Ah ha... Ha... Ah... Again...”

“W-Wait...”

The room they entered could be called the "engine room”, as it would be easier to explain the amount of machinery it contained in such a small space.

But this wasn't what surprised Rousset; it was the glimpse of faint shadows in one of the corners of the room.

"Ma'am..."

And Earlene quickly corrected her assumption.

It was the person who had greeted them upon their arrival, Bemi Perke, busy with some plastic packages she was carrying.

It wasn't clear what she was doing, but knowing it wasn't "someone" else had calmed Rousset enough to notice the open box on top of the woman.

"That's the fuse box, isn't it?" Rousset commented, approaching Earlene to inspect it. "The breakers must have been deactivated because of the blackout... You just have to..."

"Don't touch it! Tsk…”

Raising her hand, Bemi stopped them from taking another step, though she couldn't bear to hold it up, dropping a handful of keys she was holding.

Apparently, she was injured in both an arm and a leg.

"W-Why? Exposed wires or...?" Rousset questioned, moving closer to pick up the keys.

"I see it's you..." Bemi intervened. "I-I need your help. I have to get her out..."

They hadn't noticed until they were close enough. Bemi was squatting down, treating the maiden in white next to her.

"Is Cadie...?"

Her purity had been stained crimson.

The sight of her dress in tatters and her body covered in bruises was insignificant compared to the violent muscle spasms she was suffering.

Tears flowed from her emerald eyes, sliding down her pale cheeks until they combined with the saliva overflowing from her thin lips.

No one would ever imagine seeing a woman of such purity in such a deplorable state.

"My dear, don't go to sleep, d-don't," Bemi repeated tirelessly. "We have to take her to her brother's place, as soon as possible."

"I-Is he a doctor?" Earlene asked.

"He's probably in a bigger settlement than this one in La Quilla North. He'll have everything she needs."

"...Isn't it a little... too far?" Rousset intervened. "What about the hospital in Matri---?"

"Impossible... Tsk... My leg," Bemi complained, as she stood up and carefully lifted the young Cadie. "Only Mr. Clay would have any idea... Those keys you have are for the car we'll be taking her in. Please help me take her to the parking lot. I won't ask for more, young ladies."

"Uh… What are you saying...? You don't need to ask..."

It wasn't necessary; Rousset was already lifting Cadie's arm over her shoulder. She signaled Earlene to help her. After all, Bemi could barely stand on her own.

"Thank you, thank you... Tsk..."

"Uhm... Do you know the way out?"

"Of course. Go."

They left the room and headed back toward the mansion's dark hallways, hoping the person who knew this best would be their guiding light.

They shouldn't waste time. Every second and every step increased the possibility of encountering something that didn't belong there.

Caution and silence were key, even though the sound of the dying Cadie's legs dragging was unfortunately unavoidable.

They couldn't think of any other way to carry her, and their height difference only made the task more difficult.

"Do you know anything... about the other residents?" Bemi questioned as she followed closely behind the girls.

"Gh... After Earlene and you... We haven't run into anyone else... Phew..." Rousset said, carrying the young woman.

"I see... We're almost there. After that hallway and to the right..."

"Good... Did you hear that, Earlene?"

"Ah... Ah... Yes... I'm right here... Ghhhh..."

That was good news. Without realizing it, they had already quickened their pace.

As they turned the corner, they caught a glimpse of a faint beam of light at the end of the corridor.

They couldn't help but smile, a smile that would literally light up as they took the last step.

They had reached the main hall.

The place was empty. Between the voluptuous marble columns, only a fine mist of dust lingered through the rays of sunlight that entered through the windows.

It was already dawn.

"Finally... We made it..." Rousset announced. Turning to make the obvious clear to her companion, Earlene stared at their backs with a doubtful expression.

Rousset followed the trail of vision.

"...Ma'am?"

Mrs. Bemi Perke was no longer with them.

As if she had vanished into the same mist that surrounded the three girls.

"Ah..."

Rousset was about to call out to her but held back. She remembered what it would mean to make noise inside that mansion.

"Should we..." Earlene murmured.

The girl rearranged the saffron curls that were getting in her view and shook her head, denying. A simple answer.

"But..."

"...W-Wait until we get to the parking lot first, okay?"

She had taken a look at the young woman they were carrying, Cadie, and she didn't look well. Her labored breathing only agitated Rousset's even more.

They couldn't wait for someone who probably had forgotten something behind them. Or so they wanted to believe.

They then crossed the thin fog and the dusty floor of the grand main hall until they reached the entrance. Finally, they saw the sun rising over the mountains in the distance.

They turned to the side, along the stony path, heading for the parking lot.

From their position, they could hear screams coming from inside the mansion, which they decided to ignore for their own emotional health.

Exchanging the stones for asphalt, they had managed to reach the parking lot.

To their surprise, in such a vast space, there were only two vehicles: a large black three-row car and the other... They weren't sure if it could even be called a car.

It was oval-shaped and had no windows.

Clearly, the second one wouldn't be the first choice to test the keys.

After a few tries, Rousset managed to find the right one.

"Good. Let's put her in the back seats."

"Hm..."

For a moment, lifting the unconscious body into the car felt like one of those mob scenes from the dramas Earlene enjoyed so much, causing her to let out a short laugh, out of place for the seriousness of the situation.

"What?"

"Nothing..."

Once they finished the task, the young girl focused her blue eyes on Rousset and asked.

"Are we going back?"

"...”

It wasn't just Mrs. Bemi. Chase, Jevo, Brawell... She was even concerned for Vines's well-being.

What had happened to all of them?

Rousset swallowed to soothe her dry throat and took a few seconds to answer.

"W-We'll do this. You stay here and wait for me. I'll go. If I don't see anyone, I'll come back."

"... Okay."

"Get in the car and wait. Don't dare to leave until I get back."

"I couldn't if you take the keys..."

She held them tightly in her sweaty hand, and Earlene had noticed.

"Right, right. Just wait for me, okay?"

"..."

Clearly her intentions were different, but she still made the enormous effort to return to the front door.

Tired of walking the same rocky path, she reached the entrance without noticing what lay before her.

"Ach!"

She bumped into something, or rather someone, but there was barely any resistance.

When she recovered, the first thing her eyes recognized was a boy trembling on the ground, staring directly back at her.

"J-Jevo?"

His hands were stained.

To be continued…