Chapter 6: Faith
As much as it hurt him to say it, he did. The thought of him simply leaving his brother in such a place hurt him tremendously. He surely wouldn't want Cain to do that to him, and Adrian wasn't so sure about leaving him behind anyway. But after what he had just witnessed, he wasn't so sure he wanted to stay much longer. He shook his head and rubbed at his left eye to make sure he didn't start to tear up before he walked picked up his pipe and walked out of the restroom, where things just got a whole lot more different.
The clean and tidy look of the restaurant changed dramatically between the time Adrian was out of it. The chairs were knocked over as well as the tables, most of the walls, floor and ceiling had seemed to be badly charred. Adrian looked around in total shock- this wasn't something he could explain rationally, and he doubted that anyone else could do that for him, either. He looked around as his grip on the steel pipe tightened. Things were certainly becoming very strange in the quiet town.
Adrian's eyes scanned his surroundings- he was almost positive that this was not the same restaurant he had first awakened in. Not knowing what else to do, he peered out into the darkness and questioned, "...Hello?" And suddenly, his sense of hearing was jarred as the sound of a slamming door raced through his ears and sent chills up and down his spine several times over.
His grip on the steel pipe was one of iron. He glanced over at the only door in his line of sight and walked up to it. He grabbed the doorknob with one shaky hand while his other held the pipe in a death vice. The door creaked as Adrian tugged on the doorknob. Another restroom, which looked just as trashed and bloodied up as the previous one did, with a horrific stench of burnt flesh to boot. Adrian quickly put the collar of his shirt over his nose and looked at the three stalls to his right in the rather small sized rest room, each of the stall doors closed. Adrian dropped down on all fours and peered under the stalls, but it was no use, it was way too dark to make out much. He would have to open all the doors and make sure.
He approached the first door and kicked it open before he quickly got into a fighting stance. Although he was immediately relieved to see there was nothing on the other side of the door. He moved to the next one and kicked that one open. Nothing there either. Adrian could feel his heart pounding in his chest, almost as if it were going to burst out and say hello. He slowly moved to the third door and brought his right foot up and kicked at the stall door hard. Immediately afterwards he was blinded by white light and a female voice screamed at him. "Ah! No please! Don't!"
Adrian jumped back at the white light and fell on his ass. A wave of stupidity rushed and got up onto his feet to apologize.
"Shit! I'm sorry, miss, but I.. it's just..." He stood up and realized the white light still shined at him but no voice continued to speak. Adrian put one hand over his eyes to shield himself from the brightness that shined on him and leaned forward to grab the flashlight with his other hand, dropping his steel pipe in front of him in the process. "Could you get that flashlight out of my face please? I can't see any-" He cut himself off as he snatched the flashlight without a fight. He turned the light around to shine it in the stall... nothing. Nothing but a stall drenched in a deep, dark red color, and the empty toilet paper dispenser that the flashlight had rested on.
'No... where are you? I heard you now where -are- you?!'
Adrian could only stare helplessly at the stall as he slowly reached down and lifted up his steel pipe, putting the flashlight in his breast pocket so he his other hand was free. he then turned around and felt that death grip he had on his steel pipe once again as one of the stall doors creaked shut. His newly acquired flashlight shined over at the door as he took one step towards it. He then carefully tip toed in another step. And another. And eventually passed the closed door, ran out of the rest room, and slammed the door shut before he ran a good safe distance away from the door, backing himself into a corner to make sure nothing had blindsided him. That was, until another voice called out to him. Female, but not like the one he could have sworn he heard in the rest room. "What are you doing cowered over there?"
There was the sound of amusement in the voice as it spoke apparently to Adrian. He turned slightly to the left and his light caught a glimpse of a young woman, wearing all black. Her hair was black as well and went well past her shoulders. The only thing of any color to her besides black were her enchanting green eyes and the pink ribbon that was atop her head, sticking out like a sparkling tiara given the darkness of the room and the black kimono the woman was wearing. She even had on black lipstick which made the smirk on her face all the more distinguishable, which Adrian had indeed noted quickly in the light he shined on her. He was too scared to speak. And the chipper expression on the woman's face had frayed his nerves even more. He didn't know whether he was supposed to be more afraid of the blood and charcoal like texture of the walls or the woman and her creepy smile. Or better yet, the fact that she could possibly smile in such a place. All Adrian could say in response was a single question, "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The woman sucked her teeth and took a step towards him, speaking in a cold manner. "Hmph, only fools answer questions with a question. And you should be ashamed asking me who I am, especially in such a tone to me." She took another step in his direction, and Adrian retaliated by lifting up the steel pipe in a threatening gesture. The woman then stopped and took one step back, smiling as she put her hands up defensively and showing off two tattoos, one in each hand of some kind of design inside of a triangle, which Adrian couldn't exactly make out. "Okay, if you are not simply playing dumb with me... Raven Dremora at your service, my love."
She bowed as she spoke, lowering her hand to Adrian who's eyes widened. He was definitely freaked out at this point. Raven lifted her head and noticed Adrian's look of fear which was obviously from her presence, and she turned and paced around, as if a bit frustrated. "Is it really possible you do not remember me? Could that be such a possibility? I never thought you would forget me. No, not even you. I would have thought Sam had told you all about me." She then turned to face Adrian again as her eyes seemingly lit up and she smiled a dark, sinister smile. "Oh, I see... you have not met him yet."
Adrian slowly moved out of the corner. She was crazy, but she didn't seem to be much of a threat to him. "Could you please tell me something I can understand?" Adrian asked pleadingly. "Like maybe if you've seen my brother. Or even a police officer?" Adrian looked at Raven angrily and leaned towards her, his self control to hit the woman fading away. "Or perhaps you can tell me how the fuck it went from daytime to night in a matter of minutes! That would be a bit of a help in its own right!"
Raven looked into Adrian's eyes with a slight bit of shock, before she covered her lips with one hand and let off a small, barely audible giggle. "You haven't a clue, I see." But then, her laughter faded and a look of concern spread across her face and she took a step towards him, her black shoes clacking against the burned floor. "They haven't hurt you that badly... they couldn't have, they promised me they wouldn't." she let one of her hands trail along Adrian's face, which soon trailed down his chest and under his shirt. "What about the scar? Is it still there?"
"You do not touch me..." he muttered bitterly as he yanked her cold hand away from him and set it at her side. "All I want from you is to tell me what you are hinting to me about. Don't toy with me like I know a fucking thing you're talking about, cause I don't, lady!"
Raven backed away and immediately seemed apologetic, her hands held together as a worried look was etched into her eyes. "Oh," she said softly and remorsefully, "I'm sorry.. I didn't mean to do such a thing to you. My love for you is undying, even in this confused and very different state of physicality and mentality you appear to be going through." She reached out and snaked one of her hands into his.
"Please," she begged, "come and I will show you everything."
Adrian pulled his hand back. "What the fuck did I just say?!" His patience was dwindling, alright. Raven frowned and stayed quiet for a moment, before she slowly nodded her head in obedience.
"Yes, I'm sorry. But if you would please follow me.. I'll show you everything. Please trust me, darling.." Adrian shook his head and took a step back from her, which prompted her to question his actions yet again. "Have you still no faith in me?" She asked him. "Haven't I been patient and caring enough to you to garner your trust yet?" Adrian shook his head once more.
"Why can't you just tell me here?" He replied. She was beginning to seem as confused as he was.
"I cannot tell you in a way you will be able to under-"
"Look, lady.." he trailed off long enough to grab the woman's left arm harshly, "I've had a really painful bloody and totally bad fuckin' day. So I suggest if you have answers to my questions that you give them to me right now."
Raven simply looked into Adrian's eyes, and the look she gave him was one without fear. Almost as if she knew that she would not be harmed. She spoke a bit softer, just above a whisper. "I cannot tell you in a way you will be able to understand. You seem to remember not a thing about me, and I fear you wouldn't believe a word I confess to you. I can only show you, as that's the only way I believe you'll have faith in the memories I have to give back to you."
She then looked down at the floor and frowned. That was, just after Adrian slowly relinquished her arm. "But I do not blame you for forgetting the past. It has been so hard on both of us that I want to block the memories from my mind as well but I can't. They will not have that from me.. no matter how loyal to them I strive to be." She walked over to Adrian and rested her hands on the sides of his face. "Please, love, you must remember something about me. Do you remember where we used to play together when we were children?"
Adrian looked into Raven's deep green eyes and wordlessly expressed to her his complete and utter confusion. She let go of him and turned away. "Alas, you do not." She paused for a moment, and showed off a half smile. "You do have the key, however? Right?"
Adrian cocked an eyebrow. He did have a key, but whether it was the key, he did not know. He dug into his pants' pocket.
"By any chance do you happen to mean this thing?" He pulled out the key he had found in the fry cooker a little while ago and held it out to her.
She turned and eyed it and nodded her head, her smile growing a bit. "Yes, that is exactly it!" She reached into her kimono and pulled out a folded up piece of paper, handing it to Adrian. A map. "I have marked this spot and the location I wish for you to go. I hope you remember it. We used to play there all the time..."
Adrian eyed the map and noticed the x mark over the Happy Burger restaurant, where they were right now, and the second x- all the way on the other side of the map, marked over a church. Adrian sighed and Raven took note of it. "There something wrong?" She asked.
'How the hell am I supposed to get all the way over there?'
"No.." Adrian retorted. "No, everything is fine." Raven smiled and leaned forward, catching Adrian by surprise and kissing him on the lips. She pulled away, and smiled in satisfaction.
"I hope in time everything will truly be fine." There went that freaked out look on Adrian's face again. However, Raven didn't notice it. She had turned her head to the front door of the restaurant. She, too was now beginning to look frightened.
"What is it?" He asked her. She gasped as the doorknob began to rattle.
"Th- They do not wish for me to speak with you this way..." she backed away from Adrian in a panic as the doorknob loudly shook. The radio in Adrian's pocket began to give off static that was off the charts.
"Who doesn't want you talking to me? In what way?" Raven could not answer the question, she was quickly cut off by a large blade penetrating the wooden door. Splinters of the door flew forward as the blade then swiftly, cleanly cut the door in half. One half crumbled forward and the other backward, to make way for something huge. A gigantic knife, followed by a large hand around the blade's thick handle. And then, a foot. And another. And finally, the figure's entire huge, demonic body in all of it's hellish glory had stepped into the doorway.
Raven screamed and turned to the restroom Adrian had climbed in and out of the restroom from. "Run!" She yelled. "Go to our special place while you still have the chance!" And with that, she slammed the door. But Adrian hadn't paid attention to a single word she said in that last sentence. He was too fixated on the monster that walked into the room.
It had the frame of a human, wearing big black boots and what was an extremely bloodied butcher outfit. However, the one thing that stood out the most was the figure's face, which wasn't one that Adrian could pull out from in his worst nightmares. No fairy tale's most sinister monster could possibly become the equivalent of what Adrian was looking at. That... that thing. A head in the shape of a triangle- of a pyramid, which looked burnt beyond recognition. And as it glanced at the slamming restroom door and then slowly over to Adrian, that's when one single word Raven left him with had echoed through his mind.
'Run...'
