Hey Guys,
I'm so dumb haha, I forgot to address the reviews from the previous chapter! Blah, I'm going to chalk it up to coming down with a head cold, my brains a jumbled up mess :P But never fear, I will just address them in this one, along with the others.
Nobody: Lol I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed the chapter and as far as I'm concerned angsty is the definition of this story :P Thank you so much for the compliment, your continued support is so appreciated!
Feiy: Ah, thank you so much! I appreciate the compliment, though I dropped the ball a bit with the long overdue chapter. I hope my rapid double upload can help make up for that a bit. I really try to stay as true to Zack and Ray as possible while still trying to twist things to tell my story, so to see that being appreciated is so exciting 3
DramaDragon2(both reviews3): Thanks so much! To see that you've stuck around and still enjoy my story means the world! I hope that continues for this upcoming chapter :D
PinkiePieParty122894: Yay! I love to hear that people enjoy my writing, so I hope that continues with this newest chapter!
FiveftFury: Yes! I'm so happy you're still enjoying the ride! He's such an adorable helpless man :3 I'm so cruel to put him through such a rough time on top of everything, but alas, I do it for our entertainment! I hope you enjoy the rollercoaster that is this next chapter! And yes, I have every intention of continuing beyond the game ending ;)
Lil Lost Lady (Both reviews3): Yeah, I definitely don't want to rush Zack, or Ray for that matter. They both are treading unknown waters here so to have them suddenly couple seems unrealistic, and first and foremost I want this story to be believable :) And thank you, my boyfriend plans to get it for me :3 so now I just have to wait (impatiently) for Christmas! :D I'm glad to see my title could get that reaction from you, I was hoping someone would say something! Haha and yes, my avatar is a cropped version of the full photo I illustrated. It's hectic, but in a good way, I love the holidays so I don't mind all the craziness :P and yes, I know the struggles of a big family as well! Glad to see you like my little tweak, I just knew Zack would never imagine butterflies without barfing rainbows haha. As for the last part, you'll just have to read to find out ;) Hope you enjoy!
Phew…so now that I've fully appreciated all of my wonderful reviewers, I will get on with the story. This chapter was such an intense one to write, and I got really into the end of it *wipes stray tear* so I hope you guys enjoy it!
Here we go…
Chapter 9
It only seemed fitting that we were met with the longest fucking staircase known to man. Literally, I couldn't seen an end in sight to these god damn steps…what was this? The stairway to heaven? Just keep those godly references coming you bitch ass reverend, bet you won't be laughing from hell. Tch.
"Fuck, this shit looks like it goes on forever…" the words barely make it out of my mouth above a bitter grumble, this was sure to be a fucking blast. "You sure this will lead us outta here?" I question offhandedly, inspecting the red carpet covered stairs with heavy skepticism. I'm not really expecting much of an answer considering that nothing in this god forsaken place ever felt certain, and I certainly didn't expect Ray to have all the answers. Come on, I'm not that fucking unreasonable. I feel a slight tug on the sleeve of my sweatshirt, so I cast a glance down at Ray.
"Zack…" she trails off, seemingly thinking hard on something. Her brows pinch together in concentration as a little frown slips past her lips.
"Yeah, what's up?" I'm all ears blondie, spit it out already. Tch.
"I was blindfolded when I was taken here…but I do have a vague recollection of traveling down a very long staircase, which would mean that if we follow these steps, they will lead us to the surface." The soft spoken words are like music to my fucking ears. I'm so giddy at this news I could fucking kiss the brat…er-what? Let's just pretend that wasn't said…
"No shit? It's about damn time, let's not fuck around and get moving then!" I urge eagerly, not one that needed to be told twice when opportunity knocked. The determination was set in my bones, we were getting the fuck outta this shithole, once and for all. I'd be damned if anything stood in my way at this point.
Who knew your own limitations could be considered a fucking obstacle? No one told me, damnit!
My foot planted firmly on the first landing, and I could already feel myself becoming short of breath. I turn around, waiting for Ray to catch up as I observe how far we've come. Damn, that opening we came through looks so little…
Ray was just making it to me when suddenly she fumbled on the final step, I watched in seemingly slow motion as her legs gave out and she began falling forward. Sheer instict drove me to her in a flash, just catching her frail arms in my grasp before she face planted into the carpet. She hung limply in my hold, wincing in pain. "Hey, what happened? You're not usually so clumsy…"
She couldn't possible still be fucking tired, right? She damn near slept like the dead while I was on my wild goose chase. If anyone had a right to be tired, it sure as fuck would have been me.
I ease her down into a sitting position, releasing her arms which quickly move to embrace her lower leg. "Must have twisted my ankle…" comes her quiet reply as she rubs over the sore spot, and I'm left sighing in resignation. Fucking figures that something would happen to slow us down. I just didn't expect it to be Ray, herself. Fuck.
To my surprise though, she gets up rather quick, "…You gonna be okay?" I hesitate, concerned. If she just gets more hurt by pushing herself, we'll be in an even tighter spot later on down the line. The last thing I need is her biting the fucking dust on me.
"I'm fine," is all she says, her face meeting my curious gaze with an expression that somewhat stuns me. What kind of look is that?
Her lips quirk up the tiniest smidge, but her eyes…they seem so luminescent. They're glimmering brightly with a liveliness I never would have thought her capable of. "Hey, you look…" I trail off lamely, not knowing how to really finish that statement, or why I even thought to make my inner thoughts known to her in the first place. Seriously, I need to stop letting this shit get the best of me.
She tilts her head to the side curiously, probably trying to figure out what it was I was going to say. But the action just makes me pause further. Would you stop looking at me like that? It's…weird.
"…More human," I finally think to punctuate my thought. And she just blinks at me, pinning me with those deep blue eyes of hers. I shake myself, swiftly turning from her intense gaze and throwing over my shoulder, "Let's get moving…and try not to trip." Hopefully that'll snuff out any lingering weirdness in the air. I don't hear footsteps trail after me, so I pause my foot mid-step and glance back before continuing.
"What's wrong?" Ray inquires softly, before I have the chance to.
I'm left in a slight panic, wondering if she read something she shouldn't have behind my eyes. I'm usually good at keep a mask of indifference when I want to, but somehow this little girl is so fucking well attuned to my every thought or feeling. It's god damn unnerving. I feel the sudden weight of my knife as it makes its presence known inside my pocket. Ah, is this what a true saving grace feels like?
I quickly fish out the weapon, making my way over to the curious blond, before offering the blade to her. She observes the metal silently before her fingers reach out to grasp the hilt over my own grip. "You're letting me borrow it again?" her voice is light and I try not to hold onto the airy quality of her words. Her delicate hand coming in contact with mine is thoroughly distracting, as it sends a strange sensation zinging down my arm. What the fuck was that? I quickly slip my hand out from beneath hers. Trying all the while to ignore the feeling of her warm palm brushing over my knuckles.
What am I? A fucking pussy all of a sudden?
"I'm giving it to you." I find myself softening at the awe like expression on her face, tch. "It's rough and banged up, but I figure it's better than nothing, right?" I offer a gentle smile reflexively, and her lips seem to part as she takes in my expression. Bringing the blade closer to her, her inquisitive blue eyes inspect the edge carefully as she runs her finger over its sharpness.
She squints ever so slightly, before she moves her gaze back to me beneath her lashes. The look steals the breath from my lungs faster than those damn stairs ever did and I freeze as a soft, "Thank you," escapes her mouth.
Shit.
I cough suddenly, the air choking it's way out of my lungs roughly before I give the dangerous girl my back. Just what the hell do you think you're doing to me, Ray? Cut it the fuck out already.
Before I can think of how to redeem my pride in this moment, a harsh alarm rings out loudly. The sound echos, amplifying the ringing noise as it bounces around us. Well, shit. That's not a very good sign, is it?
"The emergency system has been activated,"
The loud voice answers my thought swiftly. Nope, not good at all.
"Initiating building detonation sequence from the basement levels."
More accurately, very fucking bad. "Shit," I hiss out, making eye contact with Ray in a furious panic. Things just got a whole lot more complicated.
Suddenly the building rumbled and shook, particles raining down from the ceiling above us as the place quaked from the foundation. "What the fuck is happen—" I begin to utter, completely stunned at the sudden turn of events. Ray, much quicker to gather her wits, interrupts my sentence with a frightful yelp.
"Zack! Come on, we have to run!"
Her fear lights a fire under my ass, finally waking up my senses enough for me to get into gear. "R-right!" we both break into a sprint, taking the stairs at a rapid pace.
It wasn't long before my lungs burned and my knees felt wobbly. My scythe was weighing heavily on my shoulder, mocking my weakness with its added pressure. Shut it, bitch. By this point, I was struggling to keep my legs climbing, but I was anything but a fucking quitter. I'd keep pushing till the bitter end. Our lives were directly on the line at this point.
At last we come to the next landing and if I ever thought for a moment that life couldn't get any crueler, then I was immediately proved wrong at our arrival. This fucking bullshit scene was almost too much for my fried brain to take in. They blocked the rest of the staircase off. Are you fucking shitting me?!
My hands lash out against the iron bars, smacking them with the pent up frustration and panic that kept accumulating more and more by the second. Ray is next to me, just gaping at the glaring obstacle. Oi, shut your mouth, it's not like—
Before I can even finish my thought, the ceiling is crackling above us, my eyes dart up just in time to see a chunk of it giving way and plummeting toward us. My arms are out and grabbing for Ray in the same instant, seizing control of her body as I plaster the blond to my chest, throwing our combined weight back and out of the way.
When the dust finally settles, I can feel my heart pelting against my ribcage erratically. Fuck, that was close.
My arms are still caged around the petite girl's body tightly, I can feel her tiny little fists clenching at my sides as her panting breaths seep into my clothing. Having her so close and pressed up against me is making my stomach do somersaults, the jarring feeling makes me nauseous. To relieve this I push her away from me abruptly, turning my back on her as I face the unwavering bars before me.
Not even a scratch, eh? Tch, what a fucking pain.
It's hard to keep my ears from honing in on her fumbling steps as she regains her balance from my shove, but I do my damned best to ignore my unwanted concern. I ready my scythe for the blows I'm about to inflict on this piece of shit blockade.
"Zack, wait!"
I ignore her outcry, wielding my weapon with no mercy. The blade sparks across the surface again and again. "Stay back, Ray!" I shout out my warning, afraid she might try to interfere somehow. "Just shut up and watch me!"
I'm unrelenting, using the blunt end to try and exploit some type of weakness in this fucking piece of shit. It yields bitter results, I scoff as I continue to waste my energy on such damn fruitless efforts. But what the fuck else am I supposed to do? Sit around and twiddle my fucking thumbs?
A searing heat begins to envelope my feet, I find myself frozen in a sudden paralyzing fear as I observe the flames licking the base of my boots. The air seems too thin in the atmosphere around me, I find each new breath harder to take. I turn in my spot, any thought of escape fleeing my brain as utter panic seeps in through every crack and crevice. Consuming everything until I find myself panting, wheezing in a pathetic attempt to breathe. But even that isn't a concern to me in this exact moment. No, all I can think about is the fire.
Boiling hot heat as it takes me over, singeing me to a burnt crisp until nothing is left but ash and dust.
I don't want to die. I don't want to die, by fire. "I don't want to burn to death…" I whisper out on a particularly shaky exhale. Only barely hearing the vague tones of a voice through the shrill ringing in my ears. I can't make out the words, but it sounds familiar. Is that…Ray?
"It's…don't worry…" the voice is getting a bit clearer now, the muffled quality lessening a bit.
I'm desperately trying to pull myself together, my hand clenching tight to the hood resting on my head. I feel my legs give up on their struggle to keep me upright. My ass comes into sharp contact with the hot floor, the heat is becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore.
"Zack!" the sheer panic laced in Ray's voice becomes enough to knock me out of my anxiety ridden trance. I blink slowly, taking in her form next to mine, her hand smashing the hilt of the knife I gave her into the bars repeatedly. A fierce determined expression is scrawled onto her face as I gaze up at her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the flames closing in on her bare legs. The image of her skin blistering as the heat rose to claim them plagued me. Fuck, pull yourself together you fucking idiot! Are you just gonna let her burn to death, along with your sorry ass?
I grit my teeth, a fury building at the thought of letting Ray be subjected to the slow painful torture of having your flesh melted off. Over my fucking rotting corpse…
She was still beating away at the iron, not making a dent but not taking a moment to quit either. "Ray! What the hell do you think you're doing?" I question. I admire her determination, but she needs to get out of the damn way or she'll be burned, can't she see that?! I pull on her shoulder when she doesn't immediately stop and answer me, she just pins me with this hell bent expression.
Punctuating it with, "I'm going to break open the iron bars." Her tone leaves no room for argument and I'm a bit taken aback at her sudden ferocity.
"Move." I state firmly.
I'm sure she notices the slight tremor of my hand still resting on her shoulder, but I'll be damned if I put this all on her in the end. I'm gonna get us the hell out of here if it's the last fucking thing I do. She hesitates and there's not time for patience in a situation like this, so I use my hold and shove her over. "I said move, damnit! I'll do it!"
She inches towards me, her mouth open as if ready to protest but I just growl at her before setting my sights back on this stubborn obstacle. I glare at it as if a manifestation of the one true fear I've ever had in my life; drawing on all my pent up rage and bitterness and unfurling it with a piercing war cry. I reel back to swipe at those bars with everything that I have, as if preparing to slice into that piece of shit man who ever had the audacity to linger in my memories, he wasn't worth shit. He was never worth shit.
The crossing slice is swift and clean, it severs the material as if it were butter posing as iron the whole time. The gratification that swells up in me as I watch them tumble and clank against the floor is indescribable.
"Fuck yeah!" I heave out with a loud exhale. Hefting my trusty weapon back on its rightful place over my shoulder, I settle my rising adrenaline, trying to focus my racing thoughts.
"Sorry," slips past my lips. It's directed towards Ray, and I'm positive she's listening. "I'm all good now…so," I glance over at her behind my back, finding my insides twisting a bit at the warm look she's giving me. "Let's go!" I grin, being met with a matching expression from my small companion as she nods in agreement.
I wait for her to pass me, before my long legs meet hers in their mission to overtake the remaining steps of this cursed staircase. Rocks tumble down around us as we make our ascent, but none of this phases me. I'm near giddy as I smash and carve out these speed bumps, making a clean path for Ray and I to soar through.
An especially big piece of debris, crashes down from above up ahead, taking out a huge portion of the steps along with it. I don't slow my pace, not even by a fucking hair. I hear Ray's worried voice sound from beside me, "Zack…the stairway is broke—" but before she can even finish that thought, I've snaked my arm around her waist. Fusing her body to mine in a tight grip as I take a running leap over the torn away section, unable to contain the chuckles that continue to bubble out from my mouth.
Her hands cling to me in a fierce hold, her legs bounding around my hips like a monkey as my arm secures her weight to my chest. Her face is buried in the collar of my clothing, my hysterical adrenaline being the only thing preventing me from losing my shit at the intimate hold I have on her as she presses flush against me.
We land gracefully on the other side of the gaping hole and I don't pause my forward motion for even a second. The additional weight of Ray surprisingly not affecting my stamina at all. It's like she weighs next to fucking nothing. Why the fuck did I even waste time having her follow alongside me before?
The absurd thought pulls another bout of laughter from my chest and I can feel as Ray lifts her face from the crook of my neck to observe me. "Zack? Are you enjoying this?" Her innocent question definitely could have been taken in a multitude of ways. Was I enjoying this destruction around us? No. Was I taking pleasure in blasting it to smithereens? Abso-fucking-lutely. Was I keen on having her body glued to mine is such an unsettling way? No comment.
"Quit your yapping, you'll bite your damn tongue off!" I chide, giddiness still evident in my tone despite the seriousness of the situation.
"I see the exit!"
Her sudden exclamation draws my eyes upward, catching a glimpse of the light that seems to be peaking through at the top of the staircase. Bout damn time! Freedom is so fucking close, I can almost taste it!
"Fuck yeah! Let's go, Ray!"
Her grip on me tightens, I can here the relief in her tone as her words ring out next to my ear, "Yeah!" Our excitement is short-lived, however. Soon after, the entire building groans, the debris falling even faster than before as the destruction picks up its pace. Giant boulders one after another fall right before our exit, effectively sealing off any light from the surface and snuffing out hope of a quick escape.
Or so you thought, fuckers.
A smirk slips its way past my lips, "Say Ray, you think I can break through that?" I ask more out of curiosity for her answer rather than anything else. I know I can do it. I just want to hear her say she knows I can too. For some reason, I've never wanted to hear someone say something quite as bad as I want to hear this from Ray.
"Say the word, Ray. Say you know I can do it, and I'll make it so." I grin down at her, I can feel her breath as it fans across my face.
Soon a matching expression graces her features and she urges out, "Zack, you can do it!"
I don't have to be told twice.
My heart pumps beneath my chest, my blood racing through my veins in an all too pleasurable way. I release my hold on Ray, watching as she hits the ground in a braced crouch. Her focus completely on me as I barrel towards the rocky obstacle. Watch me, Ray! Watch me as I smash this thing to pieces!
The laughter is uncontrollable by this point, my arms winding back to prepare for the devastating blow.
Amidst the contact, two thing happen simultaneously. One being the complete annihilation of the blockade, and the other being the complete annihilation of my scythe. I look at the severed hilt that remains in my hands as the blade soars off into the distance. Well, that fucking blows.
Useless. "Can't use that anymore…" I grumble out bitterly. I toss the garbage off to the side. Eh, picked it up in this hellhole anyway, only makes sense that I leave it behind. I'll get a new one soon enough, tch.
Before long, Ray and I are passing through the threshold of the exit. It opens into some under-construction building, but all I can focus on is the glaringly obvious doors that lead outside. We both stop in our tracks, willing out lungs to feed oxygen into our bodies and to slow our rapid breathing. "Damn, this fucking place had us doing fucked up shit to the bitter end, huh?" I state casually, trying to lighten the mood now that out salvation is staring us dead in the face.
"You did good, Ray," I praise sincerely. I turn my body to face her, letting her see the truth in my eyes as I continue, "I honestly don't think I would have made it this far, if it weren't for you."
"The same goes for me," she states back appreciatively. Trying not to get swept into the sappiness of the moment, I brace my hands on my hips and begin to trudge forward towards the doors. "Thank fuck we can say good riddance to this fucking place. It's been real, fuckers." I comment with a wave of my hand. I'm sure all those fucktards are burnt to a crisp by now, but it's the thought that counts, right?
Tch, look at me using my manners.
When I don't feel Ray following, I turn around to see what the hold up is. She's not looking at me, instead her face is downcast towards the floor. Now what?
"What's wrong?"
"After this…yo-you'll kill me, right?" she croaks out. The question wipes the expression from my face, my mask seals itself into place and I'm left wondering why she had to bring this up now of all times. So I ask her as much.
"Well…isn't that what you want too?" her question is innocent enough. Though I can't speak on her motivation to ask at this precise moment, we did agree upon as much. But that was the last thing I wanted to think about. I wanted to get the fuck out of here. Why did she have to spoil the mood by bringing this up?
"I still want to die…" the statement makes me flinch, I don't know why but it does. She doesn't notice my innate reaction, my features thankfully shadowed by the hood draped over my head. Otherwise she may have noticed the grimace that was etched onto my mouth, I couldn't seem to get it to fuck off. "I ask because, well…I only want you to kill me if that's also a desire of yours, not just for my sake…" she trails off lamely.
My fists clench against their resting place on my hips, I feel the frustration take over the longer this conversation continues. I just want her to shut the hell up.
"I still desire it…but the thought of being completely alone in death, it scares me. If possible, I want to share in that desire, to feel like we are both getting something we want in that moment…" She's only being truthful, I don't know why I hate it so fucking much, but I do.
Just stop fucking talking, Ray.
"…That would make me happy." It's such a simple way to end the confession. It's fitting, and yet it twists my fucking insides worse than any stab wound could. Why did you have to say that? Why couldn't we just—Wait, she said that it's what would make her happy, and for some reason that's important.
I finally face her, not letting anything show in my expression aside from my seriousness. "Why do you think I gave you that knife, Ray?"
"I know, it's a selfish thing to say after you gave me this to—" she holds the blade in question delicately in her hands, as if it were something sacred that could break just with a look, but I cut her off before she can finish her sentence.
"No."
She blinks at me, probably not expecting such an interruption. "I gave you it so that you could protect yourself, until it came time for me to kill you." The words taste disgustingly bitter on my tongue as the come out, but I force them out all the same. She gapes at me openly.
I cut through the distance between us, standing toe to toe with her, before I crouch down to her small height. "I've never given anything to anyone before, you know…" My hand comes up to grip her chin, tilting it up so that she looks directly into my eyes when I speak my next words, "And I never do anything I don't wanna do, Ray."
I let myself get lost in that deep blue whirlpool of hers for a moment. Relaxing a bit as the sentence soothes away the bad aftertaste from my previous statement. And I realize suddenly where my aversion to lies came from…
They taste fucking awful.
*Whispers* That was intense, yeah? Be sure to leave a review to tell me how you feel! :3
