"If you die, I'm leaving your corpse in there to rot," Rosario said.
"Deal," Finn chuckled. "Wait, I might have something."
He walked back to the same cabinet and pulled out a dagger.
"It's said to stun anyone it pierces for a short while. Even immortal beings have to wait to be able to move again," he said.
"Slit his fucking throat," she said.
They stepped through the portal and out in the hallway. There was no one there but they could hear joyful music and happy voices from afar.
"Sounds like there's a party going on," he said. "Let's join it."
She slapped him as hard as she could. He placed his hand on his cheek and looked at her shocked.
"You're letting them get to you. That's how fast they work," she said.
"Wow," he said. "I needed that pain to bring me back. Fuck, that hurt. You got some power in that hand."
"I'm a doctor. I have to restrain patients or angry family members sometimes," she said.
"That makes sense. Feel free to slap me if they get inside my head again. Meanwhile I'll try pinching my thigh or something to stay grounded," he said.
She blew out her breath and slowly started walking down the hallway with him next to her.
"Remember that the kindest faces sometimes hold the darkest secrets. Behind every smile is a predator waiting to strike. Don't get swallowed up in the music just because it makes you happy. Stay grounded. Trust your guts," she said.
"Huh?" He asked.
"I'm trying to remember what my aunt wrote me about this place," she said. "Follow the light out of the darkness."
"Follow the light," he mumbled. "That makes sense. We're in the shadow world."
"Shadows my ass!" She growled. "It looks the fucking same. Almost."
They reached the end of the hallway where the door leading to the outside was. He looked at her and she nodded.
"This world has many beings, and not everyone wants what's best for you," she said.
He placed his hands on the door and pushed it open.
"Sometimes the monster under the bed tries to get into it. Don't allow it," she said.
"But you did allow it," Roman said. "I was there not too long ago."
Roman stood right outside the open door. Finn's jaw dropped.
"But he looks just like a normal man," Finn said.
"What the fuck did you expect?" Rosario asked.
"I don't know. Something a little different. I'm kinda disappointed," Finn said.
Roman grabbed Finn's throat and started squeezing.
"Let him go!" Rosario demanded.
"Give me the necklace and I will," Roman said.
She moved fast in an attempt to knee him in the balls again. He sidestepped her and instead grabbed her throat as well. He was holding them both in a hand each, slowly squeezing the life out of them.
"The necklace!" He barked. "Or I will kill him. You, my dearest Rosario, you I will keep alive and torment until you can't stand it anymore. Give me the necklace now and I will spare you. If I have to wait another minute, you will never find peace."
"He's lying," Finn got out.
"Silence, little man," Roman said.
Roman squeezed harder and Finn couldn't get a breath in. He raised his hand with the dagger he had brought. All he could hear was Rosario's voice telling him to slit Roman's throat. He lifted the dagger and did just that. Dark blood started pouring out. Roman let go of both of them and they fell to the ground. Roman ran a hand over his throat and the wound closed on its own.
"What the hell?" Rosario asked.
"Why can't I move?" Roman demanded to know. "So that's where that dagger is. I want that too, little man."
"He's stunned. Run!" Finn yelled.
Rosario and Finn jumped to their feet and ran down the hallway. They just needed to get back to the office to close the gateway behind them.
"I don't need to be able to move to get you!" Roman yelled.
"I thought his entire body would be stunned!" Rosario hissed.
"So did I," Finn said. "Apparently only his feet. How the fuck should I know? I've never used it before."
"Rosario!" Roman yelled.
Roman lifted his hands. Shadows around them suddenly came closer. They grabbed Rosario's ankles and tripped her. She landed on the floor on her stomach.
"Finn!" She screamed.
She was pulled backwards by the shadows. Back towards Roman. She knew she was done once she reached him. He was no longer going to ask. He was going to torture her until she gave him the necklace.
"Finn!" She screamed again.
"Follow the light out of the darkness," Finn mumbled. "It better fucking work."
He pulled his phone up from his back pocket and turned on the flashlight. He ran towards Rosario while aiming the flashlight at the shadows. They let go of her and retreated into the other shadows.
"No!" Roman yelled.
"Up you go," Finn said.
Finn grabbed Rosario and pulled her to her feet. They ran down the hallway with shadows following from a safe distance. Finn kept the flashlight on until they made it through the gateway. They both turned around, and the hallway felt normal again.
"It's closed," she said.
"Okay, so that necklace is real," he chuckled.
"Of course it's fucking real, you asshole!" She yelled.
She slapped him again and he started laughing.
"I deserved that," he said. "Thank you for showing me their world. I've seen enough. And I think I know what to do. We need to stop by my place first."
"I got my car outside," she said.
She drove him home first where he picked up a glass box and a glass bowl. Then they drove to her place.
"Which part of this house do you use the less?" He asked.
"I never use the basement. I keep the door locked at all times. I don't like the idea of being locked down there by accident when there's no windows to escape out of," she said.
"Basement it is," he said.
He carried the glass box down in the basement. She watched as he placed it in the far end corner. He ran up the stairs again and came back down with the glass bowl full of water. He walked back to the glass box and placed his hand on top of it.
"This is special made. Legend has it that it was blessed by all kinds of creatures. Dwarfs, fairies, mermaids, whatever you can think of. All the good guys," he said.
"What does it do?" She asked.
"It can hold anything it needs to," he said.
"How does it work?" She asked.
"I don't know. It's supposed to just know what to do. It's different depending on who's using it. So let's try it," he said.
He put the glass bowl with water inside the box.
"Come to me!"
"Shut up!" She hissed. "I'm so fucking done with you and your world, Roman."
"Can you hear him?" He asked.
"Since I got that necklace, he's been calling out to me. Like constantly. He's driving me insane," she said.
"Let's see if we can drown out that voice," he said.
He held out his hand. She took off the necklace, and placed it down in the water.
"It's already freezing in here," she said.
"That means it's working," he said.
She pulled her hand out of the glass box, and he closed the glass door. He locked it and pulled out the key. They both watched as the water instantly froze to ice. The necklace was a beautiful, frozen piece. Almost as if time had stopped completely and only left that turquoise pendant in the gold chain as a distant memory.
"There. It should stay frozen on its own now for as long as you keep the door closed," he looked at her. "Do you hear anything?"
She looked around, trying to find that dark voice of his.
"No, he's gone," she started smiling. "I can't hear him, Finn. He's fucking gone. That box fucking works."
She hugged him and started crying. She was happy and exhausted at the same time, and the tears just kept running.
"You still need to write a will," he said. "Someone has to get it once you're gone. You could get hit by a car tomorrow and die, and they will be able to take it."
"I got a plan," she said.
She walked up the stairs, and he followed behind. She locked the basement door, sat down at her kitchen table, and took out her phone. She put it on speaker and dialed a number.
"Paul Heyman speaking," he answered.
"Hi, this is Rosario. You recently did my aunt Charo's will," she said.
"I remember you. You got the mysterious box," he said. "Was there anything interesting inside it?"
"There was something, alright," she said.
She looked over at Finn who placed a hand over his mouth to not laugh out loud at that statement.
"I have something of value that I would like to donate to the Bliss museum if you know what that is," Rosario said.
"Is that the museum with the rule that it's only to be owned and run by women?" Paul asked.
"Exactly," Rosario said.
"Damn, that's clever," Finn whispered.
"Is it possible to create a will saying that the owner will inherit something, and that the item forever shall be placed in a glass box at the museum but to never be touched by anyone? And that on top of it, it shall always be passed down from owner to owner?" Rosario asked.
"If it's interesting enough for them, I'm sure they will agree to those terms," Paul said.
"Oh, they will want this. Trust me. There's only one in the world," Rosario said.
"Well then, let me call the museum and make arrangements so we can write a formal contract for both sides to sign, and then we can write your will. Stop by my office tomorrow morning," Paul said.
"I'll be there," Rosario said.
She hung up and looked over at Finn.
"That's a fucking clever move," he said.
"I hope so," she said. "Thank you for all your help."
"Do you want the key for the box?" He asked.
"No, you make sure that key disappear for good where I will never find it. It's best to play it safe," she said.
She yawned and he grinned at her.
"You need to sleep," he said.
"For an entire day. Luckily I'm off work until tomorrow night. I can catch up on my sleep before that," she said.
"I'll leave you to it," he said.
They stood up, and she walked him out to the front door. He stepped outside, turned around, and smiled at her. He pulled a business card up from his wallet and handed it to her.
"Call me and let me know how it goes," he said.
"I will," she nodded. "What do I owe you for the glass box?"
"Nothing," he smiled. "You gave me something worth much more than money. You gave me an experience I always dreamed of seeing. You took me to a world I've read about for years but never knew if it actually existed. I will forever be grateful for that no matter how fucked up that place is."
"And now it's closed for good," she said.
"Hopefully," he said. "But call me, please. Let me check in on you from time to time to make sure those hellspawns stay where they belong. You're not alone in this anymore. I still got my dagger if you need it."
She let out a laugh and nodded.
"I'll call you, Finn," she said. "And now I really need to sleep."
A/N:
Sequel coming in a few days.