Prompto's hand shook, causing the door to rattle as he worked up the courage to keep going. The breathing was clear by now, he could almost feel the puffs of air down the back of his neck, causing the hairs to stand on end. Biting the inside of his lip, he shoved all his fears and concerns to the side and just went for it, pulling the door open in one go.
There wasn't a chance in the world he could have reacted to what came next, and he wasn't even sure what it was, but he felt a weight on him all of a sudden and he was forced to the ground by it. His weapon clattered to the side, effectively knocked from his hand. A silent cry escaped as the breath was knocked out of him, and he was almost pinned by whatever was on him. And, there was something else, something wet running over him, but he couldn't see what it was, it was too dark.
"H...Help," he heard the faint whisper and he stopped his struggles. They just spoke. Of course they did though, he did just hear breathing after all. But, for some reason, hearing actual words threw him off. "Help...me," they begged again, voice strained and wheezing. His pleas broke off as he let out a wet cough, more of the warm liquid hitting the blond's neck and face and running down.
Terrified and bewildered, Prompto started to work his way out from under this person, on the verge of panicking. It was difficult, the guy was practically dead weight and was in no way any help. Once he was free, he stumbled to his feet, almost tripping over himself to make it over to the light by the bed. Fumbling around for a bit, knocking a couple things off first, he flipped it on, his wide gaze instantly spotted the red that stained his hand, the same color that was now on the lamp.
"What the…" he uttered, realizing what it was and instantly trying to wipe the substance off on his vest, only to see more of it covering him, soaking through his clothes in erratic blotches. His breath hitched, catching in his throat, and he was sure he'd never get it started again. And, was it him, or was the room starting to spin?
"P-Please?" he heard behind him, snatching him from his moment of reverie. He sounded to be in agony, and it was probably more than he could tolerate just speaking.
"Right," he whispered, rushing back over. He dropped to his knees and turned the man over to his back, earning an agonized gasp as his various wounds were revealed. He was completely covered in lacerations, all of which had clearly missed any vital areas. Whoever did this wanted it to be a slow death, wanting him to bleed out. What kind of sick and twisted person… "Who are you?" he asked, unsure why that mattered right now. Maybe he was just desperate to focus on something other than the blood.
Stormy eyes trailed over to look into his brighter ones, and he held that for a moment before replying. "D-Dino," he stammered, letting his gaze travel back to the ceiling. A spasm ran through his body, causing a harsh flinch and a hiss of pain. "D-Dammit," he groaned between tightly clenched teeth.
The blond nodded along, trying to remember that name and store it in his mind. "Ok, alright, uh…" he racked his brain for something useful. "W-What happened, why are you...what's with all the cuts?" he had a hard time deciding what he should ask.
Another shuddering and pained exhale left the man, and it was obviously getting more difficult for him to breathe or even stay awake. "Stay with me," he whispered, looking over his shoulder and snatching the top cover off the bed. Pressing a part of it against what he suspected to be the worst of the injuries, he asked again, "What happened?"
Dino shook his head slowly, apparently foggy on the details himself. "I don- um, he had a knife…" he relayed, not getting anything useful out. "He...attacked. I-I couldn't...see-" he coughed again, wincing and flinching as the movement pulled on his multiple wounds. He went on for a bit more, only he was making less sense and none of his sentences seemed to fit together.
Prompto was getting nowhere with this. "Can you tell me who did this then?" he asked, hoping he would have a bit more information about that at least. Fortunately, the silver-haired man nodded, his eyes dimming the slightest amount as he took in as much air as was possible in his condition. He raises his hand as high as he can and waved for the other to lean down. The blond did as he asked, bringing his head down until his ear was right next to his mouth.
As he spoke, there were a couple words spoken, his heated breath brushed by his ear as his own mouth hung open in shock. He knew who that was, he remembered seeing that person. He was still out there. "Do you know his name?" he asked, getting louder than he intended to, but it didn't matter, the man didn't react.
Concerned, Prompto pulled his head away and stared down, there was no light left in his eyes. "Hey," he uttered, giving a small shake, "You still there?" He gave another jolt, a stronger one in hopes that it would pull him back. But, it was too late, the form went limp, his eyes staying open and gazing up at nothing.
He was gone, he managed to stay alive long enough to tell who killed him, but that was it. Hopefully it wasn't for nothing, now he knew for a fact that he had to get out of here; if nothing else, then he had to warn the others. Noctis and the others were still in there with the real killer, and he couldn't fathom what he would do if anything happened to any of them He wouldn't let that happen.
"Thank you," he nodded down at the still form and pushed himself up on his feet. Pulling the cover the rest of the way over, he draped it lightly over his body, not wanting to leave it in the open like that. He stared down at it for just a few seconds more before moving on. He'd have plenty of time later to think about this, later he could pay his respects.
Stepping around, he scooped his candlestick back up and brought it back with him over to the window. He was filled with determination now, there wasn't time to waste. Drawing his arm back, he swung forward with all the strength he had. A moment later, everything was drowned out by the sounds of shattering glass.
The group mingled together, forming a disorganized blob of disorientation. They asked for each other's names, the ones that came here together making sure their comrades were still here. People clung to one another, trying to avoid those they didn't know at the same time. Even though hey hoped they were safe, pretty certain they had the right guy, they were still skeptical of anyone and everyone they didn't personally know.
"This is ridiculous," Noctis observed, watching the bunch of them devolve into that of cornered animals. At this rate, he was sure it didn't matter who the culprit was, they'd all be the end of themselves. They were so ready to take down any they had to, and it was quickly looking more and more like a crazed witch hunt.
"They're not sure if it was really Prompto or not," Ignis said, brows knit together, and it was clear he was still upset about that was well, but he was holding it together. "When people are put in these situations, they don't think for themselves, they look for someone to follow. And, at the time, that man who found the gun seemed like the best choice. And, now that they have another stepping up to the plate, they aren't hesitating to walk behind him."
Gladio could only shake his head, disappointed. "They're a lost cause at this point, they've already lost all logical thinking," he sighed, glancing down at Iris as she also watched them fall into such a state. He couldn't imagine what this was like for her, she was probably the youngest one here. Everyone else appeared to be adults.
"This isn't going to end well," she muttered, never blinking and never taking her gaze off them. "It's going to get worse, isn't it?" No one answered, but that was answer enough for her. She unconsciously inched closer to her older brother, seeking comfort in his presence.
Her brother rested one heavy hand on her shoulder and gave it a solid squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out, and we'll get out of this one way or another." She didn't look convinced, then again, he didn't feel convinced himself, but he went on anyway. "Prompto too, we'll find a way to prove his innocence alright?" He looked down, staring at her until he could get her attention on him. Slowly, she turned to look into his eyes and he could see the deep fear they held.
She only nodded, slinking her hand to lie over his as her attention slowly began to drift away. Iris still didn't believe him, but she appreciated the effort and hoped for the best nonetheless. "Yeah," she mumbled, finally looking away to look at the floor instead. She couldn't watch them with that way they were acting anymore, it really was turning into a pack of wild animals.
"Dave?!" a single woman's voice shouted above the rest, sounding frightful and on the verge of tears. "Dave! He's not here!" she yelled again, the rest of the crowd dying down as her voice pulled everyone in. "Where is he? I can't find him."
From where they stood, they could see her, running around, going from person to person to check their faces, almost as if he were just hiding from her. "Has anyone seen him?" she asked, fighting back tears as she checked the features of another man. "We have to find him, he's here somewhere, we came here together and I don't see him." She went in circles, repeating the same way over and over, rewording the same concerns.
At first, no one reacted, they merely stood and watched. It was like, if it didn't concern them, then they weren't interested in helping; it had turned into an 'everyone for themselves' sort of situation. Realizing this, she backed away, looking to them like they're monsters. "I have to find him, with or without your help, I'm going to look for him.
As she tried to walk away, Ardyn stepped forward and grabbed a hold of her wrist, ignoring the way she tried to twist and pull away. "Let go! I have to find him!" she screamed, pulling hard enough to cause pain to her shoulder. "He's alone and he hasn't come back; there's no telling if anything happened! Please!"
"Calm down," he replied calmly, voice low and velvety. "I understand you're upset, but you can't go running off after him alone. Everyone needs to stick together until we can contact someone," he said, his tone reassuring and far too friendly to be normal. "How about we go and have a seat? We can get you a glass of water and we can discuss where you saw him last. How does that sound?"
The woman was hesitant, but she looked into his eyes, and without a word, she nodded. He gave her a soft smile, and in a very gentlemanlike manner, he guided her towards the lounge where he helped her ease into a seat. There, they fell into quiet and peaceful conversation, someone else busied themselves with fetching the glass of water for her.
The others picked up where they left off, making sure everyone was present. So far that made one that they knew of that was missing, but so far, everyone else seemed to be there. But, that didn't stop them from checking a few more times. Soon enough, they were calming down, still not enough to start listening to anyone, but just enough to hear the scream that came next. It was a man this time, and it was distant, almost inaudible. It was definitely there though.
"That's Dave," the woman muttered, slowly rising back to her feet. Her previous hysteria was gone, replaced by horrified shock. "That's him," she said louder, now starting to pick up her pace. Ardyn made no move to stop her this time, but he did follow after her, making sure to stay close behind. As did the others, wanting to do as they were told and stay together for safety in numbers, the rest of the crowd followed.
That meant Noctis and them couldn't stay behind either. As much as they would have prefered to do so, staying here with just the few of them wouldn't have looked good on their part. The fact that they were Prompto's friends already made them suspicious and untrusted. No reason to give them more of a reason.
They went up stairs, and without anything else to go off of, they just had to search, guessing where he could have been. The woman was still leading them, moving as if in a trance. Her pace was slow and precise, but she walked with purpose and navigated the halls with ease. Hall after hall, turn after turn, they wandered until her foot slipped on something. Glancing down, she let out a surprised and terrified scream.
She instantly stepped back and away from the puddle, leaving reddened footprints as she backed away. "Is that blood?" Someone behind her asked, and she felt sick, her legs were becoming heavy, and if it weren't for the mauve man, she would have collapsed on the spot.
"I think it's best for you to stay back," he suggested, then looked past her at a man behind her. "You, would you mind keeping an eye on her, and no matter what, don't let her go on, alright? If this happens to be…" he left it in the air, "then it's best that she doesn't bear witness to such things."
The guy nodded, and gently lead her away. She was reluctant in doing so, but the sight of so much blood kept her from fighting against him. "Come on," he encouraged, wrapping an arm around her waist for support. "We can go back downstairs if you want and wait there." She nodded, too distraught to be bothered to speak anymore.
In the back, Noctis and the others stepped aside to let them through, glancing at the paleness of her face and then the red trail she left behind. They faded more and more with every step until they disappeared altogether. Looking from one to the other, they began to push their way forward even more, but they were unable to make it any farther than about halfway. Fortunately, it was close enough to at least hear what was going on.
Ardyn waited until she was out of sight, and he looked to the others. "I have no idea what's on the other side of this door, but I think it's time for a fair warning. If you don't wish to see anything, then I suggest you join the others downstairs." A few took the advice, deciding they've seen enough for one night. They didn't need more things to have nightmares about. Once he gave all a chance to back out, he gave them a nod and wrapped elegant fingers around the crystal knob.
Holding his breath, Ardyn thrust it open and let out a shocked gasp. It wasn't long for a few others to step behind him, their shoes squeaking on the blood-covered wooden floor. But, what was beneath their feet was nothing compared to what lied before them.
"Is that him?" someone asked. A few more people jumped in, asking their own questions. 'What happened?' 'How did this happen?' 'Is he alright?' There were so many, a lot were lost beneath the others. Swiftly, the man held up a hand to silence them. Gradually, they settled down, ready to listen to whatever news he had to offer.
"It's the only person it can be," he replied. "We don't know who else is missing, but there could be more. He stepped over, careful not to step on anything or in anything. Blood was already spread everywhere, the red substance had trailed between the tiles and created a few smaller pools in various spots.
Crouching, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. Quickly scanning it, he removed his hat to hold at his side. "It's him," he confirmed, handing the leather fold off behind him for someone to take. "If someone could please pass this on, I think it's best that she holds onto it."
Ardyn continued to look over the body, pulling the collar of his jacket far enough away to reveal the long and deep gash along his neck. Blood stained everything around the wound, his clothes soaking a good amount of it up. "His throat was slit," he announced, getting back to his feet and placing his hat back on his head. "I don't want a single person tell her what happened, all she needs to know, is he's gone. She doesn't need to hear how he went."
Looking back down at the body, he looked it over, listening as the group behind him again started to fall into discord and panic. He gazed down at the stains, then to the splatter that decorated the mirror to see his own reflection through the red. Brows furrowing, he spun on the spot, his coat tails flaring out with the dramatic movement, and he strolled to rejoin with the intensifying frenzy.