Chapter 16:

The group ended up staying in Boris' safe house for a few days, just recovering their energy and coming to terms with the situation. Henry especially had a hard time once he had time to really think about what they went through. His coworkers and friends had possibly all been turned into monsters, most likely by his former best friend and partner. It was a lot to take in and Henry needed some time to himself to morn.

The others took less time to recover, as they didn't really have any personal attachments to the studio or the people that used to work here. So they ended up passing the time in sharing stories as Marinette and Adrian got to fully understand both sides of their partners. They also played a lot of cards with Boris. Even though the cartoon wolf couldn't speak, they learned to understand him pretty well and they enjoyed being in his company. Henry joined them in playing cards once he was able to recover somewhat. He was really good and he and Boris often won their games.

It was another quiet morning. Most of the teens were in the main room with Boris, sitting at the table while they waited for Henry to wake up. Adrian had excused himself earlier and was in the bathroom, standing in front of the sinks while Plagg floated nearby.

"This place is the absolute worst!" Plagg complained, sighing dramatically. "The lodgings are terrible and I haven't had any camembert in ages! I don't know how much longer I can survive without my camembert!"

Adrian smiled slightly as Plagg continued to ramble. He knew Plagg was just saying these things to distract himself from his discomfort and his worry for Adrian. Adrian tuned out his kwamii as he rolled up his sleeve and unwrapped the bandages around his shoulder to his inspect his wound. The cuts from "Bendy's" claws were healing pretty well, though he was pretty sure there was going to be a slight scar. His real worry was the black veins that had appeared around the cuts and were slowly spreading.

"It's not going to get better is it," Adrian sighed, putting the bandages back in place.

"Not as long as we're stuck in this corrupted sinkhole," Plagg replied quietly, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "That abomination managed to infect you with its twisted magic. If we were away from this place, my magic and your own body would be able to fight it, but as long as we're here and surrounded by all this magic, the infection will only grow. I don't even know what effects it'll have on you."

"Will it affect my transformation into Chat Noir?" Adrian asked, glancing over at Plagg.

"It's hard to say," Plagg shrugged, glaring at where the marks were hidden. "The magic is so twisted and corrupted it's hard to predict what it'll do. It might have no effect, it might make you stronger, or it might just stop you from being able to transform. Most likely though, transforming will only cause the infection to spread. So it's best to keep from transforming at all cost."

"I may not have a choice," Adrian murmured, looking over at the doorway. "I have to help make sure that we all get out of here safely."

"Then tell them what's happening to you!" Plagg insisted, floating directly in front of Adrian's face. "At least tell your precious Ladybug. If she knew what might happen, she'd stop you from transforming."

"Which is why I can't tell them," Adrian replied firmly. "We have enough problems as it is to worry outside of what might happen to me. Please Plagg, let's keep just keep this to ourselves."

"Alright," Plagg sighed in defeat, his ears drooping. "But the minute you get any worse, I'm telling them."

"Deal," Adrian said with a smile, though Plagg didn't return it. They left the bathroom and back to the main room, where Henry had now joined them.

"Good, everyone's here," Henry said once Adrian walked in. "I think it's time we leave continue to try and escape this place."

Everyone agreed with Henry. Even though they were safe in the hideout, they couldn't stay here forever. They had to get out, even if it was dangerous. Henry went over to the door and was about to open it when he noticed that the lever was missing.

"Hey buddy, have you seen that lever handle around?" Henry asked, turning to Boris. "Or are you holding it hostage until I make something to eat?"

Henry could always tell what Boris was thinking, far better than anyone else. It was almost as if they had known each other for years. Boris gave Henry a nod.

"I thought so," Henry said with a chuckle, turning to find some soup cans. "See what we've got."

It a few minutes, but Henry found several soup cans and heated them up on the stove. Once it was ready, Boris made sure that they all ate. They reluctantly complied, feeling a little tired of bacon soup after eating it for several days, but not having any other options. Besides, who knows when they'll have another time when they'll be able to just sit and eat. Once Boris was satisfied with the amount of food they had eaten, he pulled out a toolbox which Henry opened to find the handle. He put the handle in the door and opened it.

"I doubt we'll be able to come back once we leave," Henry said as everyone gathered around the door. "So don't wander off."

"We should probably transform," Marinette said in thought. "But I don't know if it's the best solution, because if we run out of time it'll be hard for our kwamii's to recharge quickly."

"We could just wait until we actually run into danger," Adrain suggested, hiding his worry. "That way, we don't waste time."

"It's a good thought, but I don't know if we should take that risk. Not when there are so many monsters lurking around and how quickly they attack." Marinette replied, thinking it over. "I know, how about one of us transform at a time, just to be safe and the other won't transform until necessary. I'll transform first, alright?"

"Alright," Adrian agreed reluctantly. He didn't like the thought of Marinette being in the line of fire without him, but there wasn't another choice.

"Tikki, spots on!" Marinette said as she once more transformed into Ladybug. Seeing that everyone was ready, Henry lead the way out of the safe house with Ladybug right beside him. The rest of the teens and Boris following right behind them