this story was originally written and posted to ao3 on 2/6/20.
Cling To Me If You Have To
Nao's yelp speared through Reko's ears as darkness surrounded them. The hallway they had been standing in suddenly darkened like they had entered a long, underground tunnel. She felt chills around her and realized it was Nao rapidly cutting through the air with her flapping hands.
"Wh-what happened? Why did the-why did the lights go out?" she cried, Reko squinting in the direction of her voice.
"Probably one of the dolls' tricks! I bet it's that little jackass Ranger messing with us," Reko hissed and clenched her fist. The lights had been working fine when they entered the hallway. For them to suddenly shut off must have been Ranger's handiwork. Perhaps he had been watching them and flipped a switch causing an electrical malfunction, and considering his disdain for humans, that seemed to be the most plausible reason for the outage in her opinion.
Over her shoulder, light bled in and grayed the entrance. The hallway they were currently in was on the second floor and led out to the staircase leading down to the foyer. All they had to do was walk a few yards back in the direction they had come, and they would be back in the light.
"Well, this way's a no-go. Let's head back," Reko said, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She trained her ears on the sound and picked up only her heels clicking. Sweat clung to her brow, and she quickly turned around, hunching forward to prepare for a strike. When nothing happened, she cleared her throat and asked, "Hey, Nao, what's wro-whoa!"
She nearly flinched at the owl eyes gazing back at her. They seemed to illuminate in the darkness, drawing Reko closer. She outstretched her hand and managed to find Nao's shoulder, but she felt her wince and pulled back, afraid that she had hurt her.
Bony fingers clutched her palm and pulled her back. "I'm-I'm sorry. I know-this is so-" Nao gulped, and in their closeness, Reko thought she resembled a ghost. Her features were colorless, stark contrasts to the vibrant hue of her hair and eyes. With the pallor of a ghoul haunting the hallway and her teeth chattering like the jangling chains it would have worn, Nao remained frozen on the spot with her words coming out as whispers.
"Are you scared? It's okay," Reko murmured, threading her fingers down Nao's arm. She felt her shiver and cupped her hand, slowly bringing it between them. "It's not that far. Just hold my hand."
"I know, I know," Nao blurted, a hint of shrillness in her tone. She tucked her chin to her chest and rubbed her throat. "This is-this is so childish of me. Being unable to walk to the entrance, I can't believe I'm-"
Reko squeezed her hand and silenced her self-deprecation. She hoped Nao adjusted to the darkness so she could see the grin on Reko's face. "Nao, don't be so hard on yourself. Anyone would freak out if the lights suddenly went out."
"But would they act like they can't even move when the entrance is right over there?" Nao mumbled, Reko's mouth twitching downwards.
"I can't speak for others, but cling to me if you have to." Reko's cheeks burned as the offer left her lips. She glanced at the floor, noticing the violet rug coming back into view. "I won't judge, I mean, you know-" She rubbed her neck. "-since we're already holding hands."
Silence lingered. Reko bit her tongue and waited. All she heard was her blood rushing between her ears and her heartbeat thudding against her ribcage.
"Is that-" Nao uttered a chuckle bordering on nervousness. "-is that okay?"
"Of course, yeah," Reko replied, nodding curtly.
Nao laced her fingers with Reko's and loosened her grip. She leaned into her and let Reko guide the way out of the hallway. Their footsteps matched, and keeping pace, they left the hallway behind and entered the well-lit room leading to the spa.
"Thank you for looking after me," Nao said, slowly withdrawing her hand and fidgeting with the hem of her smock. She bunched it up and played with the newly-formed wrinkles. Quirking her lips into a smile, she added, "You're too kind."
"Nah, nah, I just-" Reko waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine, totally fine. You can always rely on me no matter what. If this place ever goes dark, just lean on me, and I'll barrel our way outta here."
Nao chuckled, and her cheeks rosied. Reko scratched her nose and laughed with her. She knew that moment would be one worth remembering when they finally escaped. She'd treasure it, letting it fuel her throughout the uncertainty of the dolls' torment. So long as she was with Nao, Reko believed she'd guide them both through the darkness of the death game.
