Chapter 3: Wine Cellar
My hands were shaking as I slid the key into the door, wincing as I turned and unlocked the entrance. The thought of returning to this place sent fear throughout my body, and I couldn't help but think about my wound. What if the monster is still in there? I don't think I can do this. I should tell the others.
"I think I'm going to stay here and keep watch…" I mumbled, voice barely audible. Daniel and Isabelle gave me a strange look.
"How come? Is Felix scared?" Isabelle taunted. I shot her a look of pure fury and she recoiled, surprised at my sudden ferocity.
"Yes, I am scared." I declared, straining to keep my voice steady, "I woke up here! And the monster happened to be in the same room at that time. That's how I got injured! So of course I'm going to be nervous."
"I-I didn't know…" Isabelle apologized. I let out a snort, ignoring her quiet voice. I turned to Daniel but his gaze was elsewhere. He was staring intently at the door, visage absent in thought. After a few moments of dreadful silence, he turned his emerald eyes to mine.
"You need to stay with us Felix, even if you don't like it." He said sternly, "You're more vulnerable when you're alone." I dropped my head, disappointed, but nodded in agreement.
"Let's go then." Isabelle said impatiently, shoving open the door leading into the Wine Cellar. I swallowed the lump in my throat and followed her into the wall of darkness.
Instantly, eyesight became futile. I could barely make out the figure of Isabelle in front of me as we descended down the staircase. This is where the monster started chasing me… I thought grimly, resisting the urge to flee. I could hear Daniel grinding his teeth behind me in concern.
"We need to check each room," Isabelle whispered, "But be careful. I can hear footsteps." At that, my eyes widened in alarm. Nervously, my gaze flicked from the doors to the walls, intently searching for any signs of danger. When my eyes landed on an open door, I nudged Isabelle.
"Let's go in there," I whispered quietly, pointing. She nodded and all three of us tip-toed toward the door. Shoving it open as gently as possible, I examined the room. There was what looked like organs strewn across the ground. The acrid scent hit my nose instantly and I withdrew, feeling bile rising in my throat. Daniel patted my back soothingly before entering the room. With sheer reluctance, I followed, unwilling to be left behind. We wandered throughout the gruesome room before Isabelle let out a squeal of surprise.
"Look!" She said excitedly, "It's some sort of chemical."
"Chemical?" Daniel and I said in unison.
"Yeah, it says Aqua Regia." Isabelle said, narrowing her eyes to read the handwriting. I've never heard of that before. I thought briefly.
"Take it," Daniel stated, "We might need it later." Isabelle nodded and grabbed the bottle. She stuffed it in her dress and we exited the room. I was grateful to leave it behind. We then silently traveled to the nearest room. As we entered, I saw that the table was flipped over. Some sort of green substance was splattered across the floor. My emerald gaze followed the trail until I saw the source. It looked like another chemical bottle. With curiosity, I walked over, ignoring Daniel's warning. Bending over to read the label, I saw it said Calamine. Tentatively, I picked up the bottle, wincing as my hand brushed against some of the liquid. It stung greatly, but didn't seem to scar my flesh. I gripped the glass tightly before turning towards Daniel and Isabelle.
"I found another," I stated, "Maybe there are more that we need to find."
"What do we need them for?" Isabelle asked.
"I'm not sure, but let's take them anyway." I reply before turning to exit the room. I wonder how many more are left. After further exploration of the Wine Cellar, we had found one more chemical: Cuprite.
"Is this all of them?" Isabelle said with a snort of irritation.
"There's one last door we haven't checked." Daniel stated flatly. "It's behind the staircase." I nodded; reluctant to go anywhere near the stairs, but we needed to check the place out thoroughly. Exiting the room with extreme caution, the three of us quietly made our way to the door behind the staircase. Hesitantly, I opened the door, only to reveal a long corridor. The darkness felt strange and unnatural, and I knew to be on alert.
"Felix," Daniel whispered, "I want you to go left and check things out. Isabelle and I will go right. We'll meet up in the main room by the stairs in a few minutes." I swallowed nervously, afraid to explore by myself, but nodded in agreement. I don't want them to think I'm weak or helpless. I thought bitterly, as much as I hate this, I'll prove them wrong.
I leisurely made my way to the end of the left-side. It ended with a wall, which strangely disappointed me. The only thing was a shelf to my right. But something caught my gaze.
It looked like a bottle, only it was maybe six inches in height and filled with a strange green liquid. Curiosity overriding fear, I edged toward the glass cylinder. With haste, I snatched up the bottle, but almost fainted when a thundering growl echoed down the corridor. Panicked, I scrambled to hide behind the shelf, struggling to control my rapid breathing. Why now? Why do you have to come when I'm alone? I wailed mentally, cursing myself for splitting up with Daniel and Isabelle. Taking a quick look from behind the shelf, I could see the silhouette of the monster in the distance. It was just standing there, waiting for me to make some sort of noise. After a few terrifying moments, my apprehension faded into frustration. Move already! I had been staring at the beast for a few minutes now.
Then an idea came to mind.
I tentatively stepped out from behind the shelf, wincing as I became fully exposed. The monster didn't seem to notice, thankfully, as I drew closer and closer. Suddenly, the beast lurched forward and I dove to the walls, desperate to hide. When I saw that the thing was moving away, I blushed, embarrassed at my frantic actions.
Since the monster was now absent, I decided to track down Isabelle and Daniel. The mere thought of them sent anger throughout my body, but it quickly subsided. I could've protested against Daniel's idea, so it wasn't entirely his fault. Quietly making my way down the corridor, I soon could hear hushed voices. Entering the next room, Daniel and Isabelle were standing next to a chemical.
"Oh, Felix!" Daniel yelped in surprise as he turned around, only to be inches from my face. "When did you get here?"
"Oh, let's see," I said, seething with anger, "Right after I had an encounter with the monster!"
"Are you alright?" The man said, emerald eyes glistening with concern. What took me off guard was the sheer intensity of his gaze, like he really was worried for my wellbeing. Shaking my head from the thoughts, I turned to respond.
"I'm fine, just shaken. I was trapped behind a shelf for ten minutes until it finally left!" I said with a snort of exasperation. Daniel smiled slightly, amused at my anger.
"We found another chemical," Isabelle broke in, "I think it's the last one."
"If it is the last one, let's get the hell out of here!" I said, eager to leave this dreadful place. The two nodded and we made our way to the staircase, and soon we exited the Wine Cellar.