-Chapter 9-
-Uneasy Respite-
Jessica grunted quietly as she supported Jacob whose left arm appeared to be badly injured and his right leg limping. Jacob tried to support himself as best he could, but would fall victim to an occasional stumble. Jessica gripped his other arm that had been wrapped around her neck and tried to keep her other arm firm against his waist. The two students made their way through the dimly lit hallway, the walls dark with the slick, black fluid that had been caked over every section of the walls and floors. Jacob kept turning his head around, trying to find a room they could hide out in. Most of the doors they found were either missing or boarded up carelessly with wooden two-by-fours. They walked for some time until Jessica spotted a door with black letters that spelled "Lounge" on the dirty window. She guided Jacob towards the wooden door and watched as Jacob took a firm hold on the doorknob. Expecting the door to be lock or the metal knob rusted, she prepared herself to start moving again. However, she was surprised to see the doorknob gave way gently as Jacob twisted the metal object. Jessica led the way into the room and scanned the new surroundings.
The lounge was actually a room for the faculty of Hope House. At the far end of the room was a large oak table that looked like it had been ripped in half, wooden splinters sticking out from the torn edges. Situated on the far wall was a countertop which was the home for many kitchen appliances. A coffee machine sat next to a sink filled with dirty and broken plates. One of the cabinet doors under the sink was open, exposing a pile of dirty rags and cleaning supplies. Lining the walls were windows, but they had all been boarded up. Jessica saw Jacob point to a couch that was placed a few feet away from the door and guided him gently to it. She tried to carefully place him on the couch, but his wounded right arm slammed against the back of the couch, sending a wave of sharp pain up to his brain. He stifled a groan, but Jessica looked at him sadly, figuring it must have hurt like mad. Jacob turned his body enough so that his back was facing the door and resting against the arm of the seat. Jessica ran back and shut the door, leaning against it after she heard the soft click of the metal fitting into the space on the doorframe, sealing them away from the hall. Jessica crossed her arms against her chest, trying to get the sound of the Sister being torn apart out of her head. Both she and Jacob tried to get away before anything could happen, but the screeching and tearing was so loud. Jessica had almost heaved, but she willed herself not to do so. The girl looked over to Jacob who was trying to adjust his arm into a comfortable position. Her eyes displayed sadness as she watched him. He had tried so hard to keep her safe from the creature, placing himself in danger and even prepared to end his life for her safety. She walked over to the couch and sat across from him, sitting on her legs. Jacob smiled at her softly.
"Hi, there."
"Jacob, are you okay?"
Jacob looked at the young and disheveled girl in front of him. Her face carried a light sheen of perspiration, her hair was tousled, many strands of it held against her cheeks from the sweat. Her shirt and skirt carried several rips and tears, but on the whole she looked all right and relatively uninjured. He tried to smile as he answered.
"I could be better."
Jessica smiled back at him, trying to hide the sadness she felt for him. "You did pretty well back there."
"You're the real hero, though. You managed to get it near those things. I'm just glad you didn't do what I did. I mean, the creature's skin was like concrete."
"Jacob, what was that thing? Why did it look like a Sister?"
Jacob thought for a moment. He wanted to know why the creature wore the clothes of a Sister. He also wanted to know why the monsters in the main hallway wore the school uniforms. Furthermore, what was the deal with the religious seal doing on the wall close to such an ominous phrase? Figuring out the Sister was the least of their problems, Jacob thought.
"I don't know, Jessica. I've never seen that in my nightmares. What we've both have been through right now is more than I have ever seen. I've never seen the seal here, either." "What could that mean?" Jessica asked. "Why would the seal be here? It could be a positive thing, but then I remember the phrase about the 'Crimson One.' I don't know about you, but the phrase really didn't comfort me." "Me neither. Perhaps...perhaps is has something to do with the group Alexander told me about. He said that before the excommunication, the extremists were still part of the group and brainwashing people in its name." Jessica furrowed her brow in thought. After a moment, she spoke up. "Maybe we are reliving the past." Jacob looked at her quietly, taking in this thought. "How can you figure that?" he said finally. "Well, I don't know. But there has to be some sort of connection between the terrible creatures here and the presence of the seal. It's possible that we could have been brought back to the time when the extremists were around."
Jacob shrugged his shoulders, it seemed pretty farfetched that they could be in the past. But then again, with what he has seen and experienced with the sirens, the Pyramid Head, the Sister...who's to say Jessica did not have a point? Perhaps they could be in the past, yet was Hope House this dirty before? He looked up into Jessica and saw a flicker of sadness.
"What is it?"
"You don't believe me, do you, Jacob?"
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I wish there was a concrete answer. One that could lead us away from here.'
She nodded her head, thick strands of her long hair falling over her face. Jacob watched as she conducted her little ritual, grasping the hair in her hands and gently guiding it to the back of her ear, tucking it into place. She ran her hands over her face and looked at the small patches of dirt and sweat that came off her cheeks and into her hands. She saw Jacob watching her and smiled, wiping her face with her torn sleeve. He enjoyed watching her and seeing her smile because watching her brought him calm. Jessica was the only source of hope Jacob believed in because he felt so strongly for her and wanted to keep her safe. Maybe she was brought here with him for a reason? Maybe together, they could find a way out. If they did, he would most definitely run away from Hope House and take her with him.
"What is it?" Jessica spoke, halting Jacob's thoughts.
"Nothing. I'm...I'm just glad you're safe."
She smiled at him. "I have you to thank for that, hero."
"Nah, you're the real hero. You showed that monster what for."
Jessica let out a quiet laugh as Jacob mimed chopping movements with his hand. She moved closer to him and pressed her body against his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. She buried her face against his right shoulder and spoke to him. "Thank you for protecting me, Jacob."
"I'll always protect you. You know, I was thinking that maybe you were brought here with me for a reason."
"How so?"
"I don't know...but I feel better with you here. In my nightmares, I felt so hopeless, I always thought I would end up dead if I didn't wake up. I couldn't handle what I saw happen to Will in my nightmare. If I didn't come too, I felt that I would surely die and never see you again."
Jessica pressed against him tighter as Jacob wrapped his good arm around her.
"I think," Jacob continued, "that together, we can make it. With us looking out for one another, me may be able to beat this place."
Jessica lifted herself up from Jacob's body. She smiled at him tenderly, feeling happy even in this dark place. Jacob felt happy as well, their collective emotions bringing them respite from the uneasiness the environment created. Jacob watched as Jessica slowly moved closer to him, her eyes half closed. Jacob felt his own eyes shut and waited for things to happen, to feel the tender kiss from Jessica's soft, pink lips. Jacob felt a little awkward when things didn't happen for awhile, perhaps he was so caught up in the moment that a simple wait felt like an eternity. He was curious with the sight in front of him when he opened his eyes. He saw Jessica's eyes wide open and wet, her lips trembling. She pushed herself away from Jacob and scurried on the couch so much that she had fallen off, hitting the hardwood floor. She tried to push herself further away from him, letting out small cries. Her eyes were looking at something just above Jacob's head. Quickly turning around, Jacob discovered what had caused Jessica to act so strangely. Standing silently behind him was Pyramid Head. The door into the lounge was open and the creature was standing directly in front of the couch, looking at the student's back. Jacob froze at the sight, trying to take in the horrible monster that towered over him, a large pike held in both hands.
"Why didn't I hear you—"Before he could finish speaking, a field of bright white stars entered his blurring vision. He was caught off guard by the sharp sound brought on by the butt of the pick smashing against the back of his skull. He fell face first onto the hardwood floor, his good hand gripping his head. The stars and the blurring made things impossible to see, a loud ringing forming in his ears. He felt himself frozen on the floor, his head resting in at an angel enough to watch as Pyramid Head slowly made his way towards the girl. He saw her mouth open and shut rapidly, but couldn't hear what she could be saying because of the ringing flooding his ears. He was uncertain, but he assumed she was screaming. He tried to move toward her, but the blow to his head made him feel weak, his vision becoming more and more difficult. Before he blacked out, the last thing he saw was Pyramid Head grip Jessica's hair and slowly drag her out of the room.
-Uneasy Respite-
Jessica grunted quietly as she supported Jacob whose left arm appeared to be badly injured and his right leg limping. Jacob tried to support himself as best he could, but would fall victim to an occasional stumble. Jessica gripped his other arm that had been wrapped around her neck and tried to keep her other arm firm against his waist. The two students made their way through the dimly lit hallway, the walls dark with the slick, black fluid that had been caked over every section of the walls and floors. Jacob kept turning his head around, trying to find a room they could hide out in. Most of the doors they found were either missing or boarded up carelessly with wooden two-by-fours. They walked for some time until Jessica spotted a door with black letters that spelled "Lounge" on the dirty window. She guided Jacob towards the wooden door and watched as Jacob took a firm hold on the doorknob. Expecting the door to be lock or the metal knob rusted, she prepared herself to start moving again. However, she was surprised to see the doorknob gave way gently as Jacob twisted the metal object. Jessica led the way into the room and scanned the new surroundings.
The lounge was actually a room for the faculty of Hope House. At the far end of the room was a large oak table that looked like it had been ripped in half, wooden splinters sticking out from the torn edges. Situated on the far wall was a countertop which was the home for many kitchen appliances. A coffee machine sat next to a sink filled with dirty and broken plates. One of the cabinet doors under the sink was open, exposing a pile of dirty rags and cleaning supplies. Lining the walls were windows, but they had all been boarded up. Jessica saw Jacob point to a couch that was placed a few feet away from the door and guided him gently to it. She tried to carefully place him on the couch, but his wounded right arm slammed against the back of the couch, sending a wave of sharp pain up to his brain. He stifled a groan, but Jessica looked at him sadly, figuring it must have hurt like mad. Jacob turned his body enough so that his back was facing the door and resting against the arm of the seat. Jessica ran back and shut the door, leaning against it after she heard the soft click of the metal fitting into the space on the doorframe, sealing them away from the hall. Jessica crossed her arms against her chest, trying to get the sound of the Sister being torn apart out of her head. Both she and Jacob tried to get away before anything could happen, but the screeching and tearing was so loud. Jessica had almost heaved, but she willed herself not to do so. The girl looked over to Jacob who was trying to adjust his arm into a comfortable position. Her eyes displayed sadness as she watched him. He had tried so hard to keep her safe from the creature, placing himself in danger and even prepared to end his life for her safety. She walked over to the couch and sat across from him, sitting on her legs. Jacob smiled at her softly.
"Hi, there."
"Jacob, are you okay?"
Jacob looked at the young and disheveled girl in front of him. Her face carried a light sheen of perspiration, her hair was tousled, many strands of it held against her cheeks from the sweat. Her shirt and skirt carried several rips and tears, but on the whole she looked all right and relatively uninjured. He tried to smile as he answered.
"I could be better."
Jessica smiled back at him, trying to hide the sadness she felt for him. "You did pretty well back there."
"You're the real hero, though. You managed to get it near those things. I'm just glad you didn't do what I did. I mean, the creature's skin was like concrete."
"Jacob, what was that thing? Why did it look like a Sister?"
Jacob thought for a moment. He wanted to know why the creature wore the clothes of a Sister. He also wanted to know why the monsters in the main hallway wore the school uniforms. Furthermore, what was the deal with the religious seal doing on the wall close to such an ominous phrase? Figuring out the Sister was the least of their problems, Jacob thought.
"I don't know, Jessica. I've never seen that in my nightmares. What we've both have been through right now is more than I have ever seen. I've never seen the seal here, either." "What could that mean?" Jessica asked. "Why would the seal be here? It could be a positive thing, but then I remember the phrase about the 'Crimson One.' I don't know about you, but the phrase really didn't comfort me." "Me neither. Perhaps...perhaps is has something to do with the group Alexander told me about. He said that before the excommunication, the extremists were still part of the group and brainwashing people in its name." Jessica furrowed her brow in thought. After a moment, she spoke up. "Maybe we are reliving the past." Jacob looked at her quietly, taking in this thought. "How can you figure that?" he said finally. "Well, I don't know. But there has to be some sort of connection between the terrible creatures here and the presence of the seal. It's possible that we could have been brought back to the time when the extremists were around."
Jacob shrugged his shoulders, it seemed pretty farfetched that they could be in the past. But then again, with what he has seen and experienced with the sirens, the Pyramid Head, the Sister...who's to say Jessica did not have a point? Perhaps they could be in the past, yet was Hope House this dirty before? He looked up into Jessica and saw a flicker of sadness.
"What is it?"
"You don't believe me, do you, Jacob?"
"It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that I wish there was a concrete answer. One that could lead us away from here.'
She nodded her head, thick strands of her long hair falling over her face. Jacob watched as she conducted her little ritual, grasping the hair in her hands and gently guiding it to the back of her ear, tucking it into place. She ran her hands over her face and looked at the small patches of dirt and sweat that came off her cheeks and into her hands. She saw Jacob watching her and smiled, wiping her face with her torn sleeve. He enjoyed watching her and seeing her smile because watching her brought him calm. Jessica was the only source of hope Jacob believed in because he felt so strongly for her and wanted to keep her safe. Maybe she was brought here with him for a reason? Maybe together, they could find a way out. If they did, he would most definitely run away from Hope House and take her with him.
"What is it?" Jessica spoke, halting Jacob's thoughts.
"Nothing. I'm...I'm just glad you're safe."
She smiled at him. "I have you to thank for that, hero."
"Nah, you're the real hero. You showed that monster what for."
Jessica let out a quiet laugh as Jacob mimed chopping movements with his hand. She moved closer to him and pressed her body against his chest, wrapping his arms around his neck. She buried her face against his right shoulder and spoke to him. "Thank you for protecting me, Jacob."
"I'll always protect you. You know, I was thinking that maybe you were brought here with me for a reason."
"How so?"
"I don't know...but I feel better with you here. In my nightmares, I felt so hopeless, I always thought I would end up dead if I didn't wake up. I couldn't handle what I saw happen to Will in my nightmare. If I didn't come too, I felt that I would surely die and never see you again."
Jessica pressed against him tighter as Jacob wrapped his good arm around her.
"I think," Jacob continued, "that together, we can make it. With us looking out for one another, me may be able to beat this place."
Jessica lifted herself up from Jacob's body. She smiled at him tenderly, feeling happy even in this dark place. Jacob felt happy as well, their collective emotions bringing them respite from the uneasiness the environment created. Jacob watched as Jessica slowly moved closer to him, her eyes half closed. Jacob felt his own eyes shut and waited for things to happen, to feel the tender kiss from Jessica's soft, pink lips. Jacob felt a little awkward when things didn't happen for awhile, perhaps he was so caught up in the moment that a simple wait felt like an eternity. He was curious with the sight in front of him when he opened his eyes. He saw Jessica's eyes wide open and wet, her lips trembling. She pushed herself away from Jacob and scurried on the couch so much that she had fallen off, hitting the hardwood floor. She tried to push herself further away from him, letting out small cries. Her eyes were looking at something just above Jacob's head. Quickly turning around, Jacob discovered what had caused Jessica to act so strangely. Standing silently behind him was Pyramid Head. The door into the lounge was open and the creature was standing directly in front of the couch, looking at the student's back. Jacob froze at the sight, trying to take in the horrible monster that towered over him, a large pike held in both hands.
"Why didn't I hear you—"Before he could finish speaking, a field of bright white stars entered his blurring vision. He was caught off guard by the sharp sound brought on by the butt of the pick smashing against the back of his skull. He fell face first onto the hardwood floor, his good hand gripping his head. The stars and the blurring made things impossible to see, a loud ringing forming in his ears. He felt himself frozen on the floor, his head resting in at an angel enough to watch as Pyramid Head slowly made his way towards the girl. He saw her mouth open and shut rapidly, but couldn't hear what she could be saying because of the ringing flooding his ears. He was uncertain, but he assumed she was screaming. He tried to move toward her, but the blow to his head made him feel weak, his vision becoming more and more difficult. Before he blacked out, the last thing he saw was Pyramid Head grip Jessica's hair and slowly drag her out of the room.