The Dark Descent
As I woke up from a coma-like slumber, I noticed my surroundings, and my best friend, Stefano, who was lying next to me.
"Where are we?" spoke Stefano groggily.
"I don't really know, but it kind of looks like a castle." I said, looking around the room. I noticed some old barrels, and some rusty suits of armor. We both sat up, realizing that this place was not safe. Someone, or something, was here.
"Do you have your knife, Felix?" Stefano asked me. I checked my pocket hurriedly and realized that my knife was there- we were safe for now.
"Let's get out of here."
We both stood up and started towards a dark corridor. Along the hall were many doors, which were all locked. There were miscellaneous, bloody, limbs such as whole torsos, and arms missing fingers and hands. The hallway was more eerie than coming home to find your door unlocked. Something really wasn't right. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure.
"What is that?" exclaimed Stefano. The creature came out of the shadows, stepping towards Stefano and I. It growled ferociously. It's left hand was cut off and had been replaced by crude iron blades that were covered in blood. It's eyes resembled those of a lizard and it appeared to have it's lower jaw completely severed, considering that the whole bloody thing flopping below it's chest. Stephano and I screamed and ran, the creature following us. We ran into a room, the taste of sweat and fear on our tongues.
"There! The closet!" I said, pointing to a small cabinet in the corner of the room. We ran and climbed into the cabinet, closing the two doors, our breathing heavy.
"Shhhhhhhhhhh..." Stefano whispered. I could hear the creature stepping towards the wardrobe. I bit my tongue so hard, it started to bleed; the metallically taste filling my mouth. I could hear the creature's low-pitched growl like it was right in front of my face. I could smell the foul scent of rotting flesh. All of my senses were elevated. All of a sudden, the growling stopped, and the smell went away completely.
"Is it gone?" I whispered to Stefano.
"I think so." he whispered back.
"Okay, so let's get out of here."
We ran down three flights of stairs, into the dungeon, filled with skeletons hanging from the wall and rats squeaking across the floor.
"I can't see anything!" said Stefano.
"Use your other senses. I can feel a brick wall and... water coming up to my knees."
"Your knees? It's up to my waist!"
"Yeah, me too."
"Oh no! The place is flooding!" screamed Stefano.
Soon enough, the water was up to my neck and I was swimming- trying to stay afloat.
"I found somthing!" shouted Stefano! There was a small brick in the corner that stuck out from the others. I slowly swam over to it and pressed it in, revealing a staircase. We were rescued! Stefano and I ran up the stairs, the water pursuing us. We closed the thick, wooden door behind us and I slowly slid down the wall and put my head in between my knees, hyperventilating. Questions raced through my head intensively. Why were we here? What did we do to get here? What was chasing after us? How did the dungeon flood? How are we even still alive?
"Woah, Felix, look where we are!" When we had gotten into the room, I was so scared I didn't even look around to where we were. As my eyes panned the room, I realized that it was an antique study. There were gigantic bookcases, a desk in the middle and a bed in the corner of the room.
"Let's try to get some rest," spoke Stefano, crawling under the bed.
"We have to stay under here so If one of the things finds us, It can't see us right away." I crawled under the bed next to Stefano and we conversed softly.
"So, what do you think those things are?" I asked.
"I think I know."
"What are they?"
"They're called Servant Grunts. They wander around abandoned buildings, and they can't talk. I kinda' feel bad for the guys, being alone and all."
"Huh," I replied. Stefano was right. The poor creatures sempt and looked like they had been brutally tortured.
"Let's get some sleep." I said, as my eyes closed.
"Good night." said Stefano as slumber overtook the two of us.
"Felix..." Stefano nudged me hurriedly.
"Felix!" Stefano's voice filled my ears, along with the faint sound of a Servant Grunt 's growl.
"What, Stefano?" I asked angrily. I turned around to face him.
"A Grunt! It's coming!" We could hear the heavy steps of a Servant Grunt coming towards us. Stefano put his index finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet. All of a sudden, Stefano was pulled out from under the bed!
"Felix! Help!" Stefano shouted. I started to get out from under the bed, but retreated. Stefano would be okay, right? I heard a struggle between the Grunt and Stefano, seeing his blood drip to the ground in multiple splatters. He screamed loudly... and dropped to the floor. The blood was metallic as it dripped down his cold, un-living, forehead. I heard the Grunt walk away.
"Stefano! No! No! No!" I hurried out from under the bed and held him close to my chest, in tears.
"Why?!" I spoke to the ceiling.
"Why did you have to take him? He was the only one I had! You killed my best friend! Why?" I realized that where I was now, there was no god. And that I was just truly speaking to the ceiling. The salty tears dripped from my eyes on to my lips. I dropped my best friend's head to the floor, my hands covered in a warm mixture of blood and tears. I crawled slowly, back under the bed, not knowing what to do.
I cried under the bed for two days, silencing my tears whenever I heard something coming. I missed Stefano. He was the only one I had, considering that my parents had died three years ago, when I was nineteen. I couldn't think of any other way to mourn and Stefano was always there! He was always there for me! Whenever I needed it! How did I let this happen? I cursed under my breath, and I knew that I had to get out of this castle- alive. I had to do it for Stefano.
Slowly, I crawled out from under the bed, collected myself, (but not really on the inside) and walked around the room, searching for a strategy or a way to get out of here. I barricaded the wooden door and didn't want to go out again that way, so I tried to find a different way out. I moved the desk and checked it for secret buttons and compartments, but didn't find anything. When I walked over to the bookshelf, something seemed... wrong. I shoved the book shelf to the side with all of my strength, breaking an old bust and denting a dusty globe. I had found a door! I unlocked the door, and went through it. It turns out that the door led to the corridor that Stefano and I had walked down when the first Grunt came after us! I knew where I was! I walked the other way down the corridor to find a wide, open dining room. It was filled with beautiful, mahogany tables that had velvet table cloths and antique candelabras on top of them. All of a sudden, a Grunt came out of the darkness. I knew this Grunt. It was the one who had killed Stefano. It had murdered my best friend. I got my knife out of my pocket and stepped towards it.
"Did you have fun? Killing my best friend?"
"Aaarrrggghhh."
"See, I used to feel bad for you, but the sympathy is completely gone. I will get revenge." In that moment, there was so much adrenaline flowing through me that I had no idea what I was doing. In the heat of the moment, I ran towards the Grunt angrily and tried to stab it. Before I could stick the knife in it's stomach, it clawed me, right in the shoulder. It then bit me in the neck and I fell slowly to the floor. I knew that the Grunt was right behind me and I tried to crawl away.
"You'll never, EVER, get me. You won't take me! No!" The grunt bent down, bit my foot, and scratched my leg ferociously with it's hand-claws. I saw my blood drip slowly off of it's fingers and as my vision turned white, I thought of Stefano, and the short life that I had lived. I had this dream, that I would find the perfect girl, have a couple of kids, and live a happy life. Maybe in Heaven.