53: Locked
Hunter Chamberlain pushed open the front door of the large manor, sighing with relief upon slamming it shut behind him after he had stepped over the threshold – for it had been raining quite relentlessly, and would likely have rendered him sick for the next few days if he had remained out any longer.
The now – closed doors behind him blocked out the rhythmic sound of the pouring rain – and the brown – haired witchdoctor now became aware of the dead silence that enveloped the entire interior.
And this unnerved him –
For he could not even hear Dangler.
Ever since the marksman – Decimus – had disappeared, she had changed, and definitely for the worse.
As if something unearthly had taken control of her mind and body, for the last several days, Dangler had done naught but roam about the house aimlessly, caring not about how her limbs or sides would collide with the furniture as she did so, as if she could not feel the impact.
Where is he, where is he, where is he, she would whisper, and occasionally, she would scream – as if it was the only sentence that she had ever known throughout her lifetime.
It would have been a relief, perhaps, to hear her doing such again now, for at least it was somewhat familiar – but no.
Instead, all that he heard was silence.
Fearing the worst, Hunter flung his hat and coat to the ground hurriedly, dashing here and there about the massive manor in search for the distraught woman, initially thinking that she could have collapsed upon the ground in exhaustion – but she was nowhere to be found.
She was not in the lower dungeons either, he found, after searching throughout that floor just as thoroughly – and this only left the upper floor…
Without hesitation, Hunter bolted up the towering spiral staircase, ignoring the burning in his legs that flared up during the last few seconds as he finally reached the upper floor, his breath now made shallow as he sprinted to the door that led to the bedroom that he and Dangler shared…only to find that it was locked.
"Dangler?!" Hunter pounded the door several times with his fist, gripping the doorknob partially for his own stability and partially in hopes that it would turn.
However, he received no direct response – instead, there was merely a crash from within, from what certainly sounded like the large glass vase that had been located on the table in the far corner of the room, immediately followed by a high – pitched, unrestrained shriek –
"Dangler! Open the door, please, it's me – "
"WHERE is he?!"
Not again.
Another thud came from inside the room, presumably from her overturning one of the tables, or possibly the wardrobe – and Hunter flinched, a mental picture of his beautiful lioness in such a state of fury and sorrow flashing through his head as he attempted to use his own hoodoo to unlock the door – only to find that it was to no avail, as she had already sealed it shut with unknown magic of her own.
He did not stand a chance against her powers, he knew – and so he would remain locked out – out of her mind and out of her head, even when she so desperately needed him – but how was he to help her, Hunter thought, if he remained like this – unable to reach her?
More Hunter angst, just because he has so much of it - and because as an author, I do love the pain of my characters ^^
I hope you enjoyed, and be sure to leave a review!
- Severina
