Chapter 5: Rest

Gently, I opened both sore eyes only to find myself in an eccentric place. I tried to shift positions, but the slight movement sent waves of misery throughout my shoulder. My head was spinning, making it seem like the walls were moving and mixing together. Bewildered, I closed my eyes in an attempt to block out the strange scene. But then I felt something brush against my back.

I looked upward and screamed, frightened by the appearance of something hideous. Its jaw hung loosely from its face, its skin tied to its body by rotting ropes. In a desperate attempt to hide, I dived from my spot despite my aching shoulder. I expected to feel the rough impact of flesh on stone, but when I landed in frigid water, I was entirely confused. I glanced back to my spot, but instead of seeing a disgusting beast, I saw Daniel and Isabelle.

"Felix!" Daniel screamed, "Get back here now!" I gave him a confused look, but when I saw terror in his emerald eyes, my confusion turned to panic. My two friends were balancing on a massive crate, obviously avoiding the water. At the tone of fright in Daniel's voice, I tried to wade back to him, but my whole body was sluggish. In frustration and terror, Daniel jumped off of the box and grasped my wrist. He tugged me onto the box in seconds, shaking and breathing heavily.

"W-why did you jump in?" He asked, seething with anger.

"I-I saw a m-monster…" I stammered, dumbfounded.

"There are no monsters except the invisible thing in the water!" He stated, pointing toward the cold water.

"I swear I saw something…" I mumbled.

"You must've been hallucinating." Isabelle spoke up, "You were injured quite badly. And you hit your head when you fell through the trap door." Now that she mentions it, I don't remember anything from earlier. Did I really get injured? That would explain my shoulder.

"W-where are we…?" I asked quietly, gazing into the water.

"The Cellar Archives." They replied in unison.

"Why are we on boxes?" I inquired.

"Well, there is something in the water that want's to eat us." Daniel said blankly, "I had to carry you through this whole place while avoiding the water. You're quite heavy, you know?"

"It's not my fault I got injured!" I snapped.

"It kind of is!" Daniel retorted, "You had to stumble!"

"I'm a klutz, I can't help that!" I shot back.

"SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!" Isabelle screamed. I flinched, caught off guard by her screech. "Why must you always argue?"

"I can't help it." Daniel shrugged, "Felix is just so fun to annoy." I was about to snap at the man, but a sudden splash to my right caught my attention. I turned to look, amazed at the obvious beast in the water. It was splashing, alerting us to its position. In fact, the thing was making its way over to our box.

"Great, our talking drew its attention…" Isabelle let out a sigh.

"I'll find another limb to use as bait," Daniel said casually, hopping nimbly onto another box.

"Limb?" I asked, bemused.

"There are some body parts strewn around the place; obviously the beast's earlier victims. If we throw them in the water, it distracts the monster." I nodded, slightly disgusted at the thought of picking up dismembered limbs.

Daniel soon rejoined us, holding an arm in his hand. With a grunt, he tossed the flesh into the water.

"We need to get the gate open while it's distracted." He stated, jumping back into the water. I finally realized that we were by some sort of metal gate. A wheel was attached to the wall, obviously the only way to open the gate. He started spinning the wheel frantically until the gate was opened enough for us to get through. Isabelle ducked under and bolted for the door at the end of the water-filled corridor. Daniel followed, and I tried but my shoulder began to throb. I gasped before collapsing, caught off guard at the sudden intensity of pain, but quickly regained my feet.

We burst through the door, only to find ourselves in another room. There was one more door in front of us, but after a few moments, we realized it was locked.

"Is there anything we can use to get this open?" Isabelle asked, her voice tense with fear. Daniel narrowed his eyes and scanned the dark room.

"There! We can use that needle." Daniel picked up a white, hollow needle and used it to pick the lock. The door opened into another long hallway. Of course, it was filled with water. But what disturbed me the most was what looked like flesh clinging to the wall. In fact, it looked like the same fleshy substance that had blocked the door earlier. Repulsed, I fixed my gaze on Isabelle, trying to avoid eye contact with the walls.

"It's too quiet in here…" Isabelle murmured as we trekked down the corridor, opening the doors that were blocking our path. When she opened the second one, a sudden splash sounded behind us. You're kidding me…
"I think it found us." Daniel whispered. After his words, the splashes suddenly gained speed, indicating the invisible beast had located us. We bolted instantly, slamming open the doors and jumping over the boxes with ease. The maze never seemed to end and I was worried that we were trapped. But then I saw the last door. We burst through with screams of joy, eager to leave that watery hell behind.

I collapsed onto the stone ground, gasping as my wound began to throb. Fresh blood began to stain my clothes, indicating that I had aggravated the injury.

"Felix, are you alright?" Isabelle asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I replied doubtfully. "All the running must've reopened it."

"I can't believe we made it!" Isabelle said with a squeal, forgetting my injury. "That water monster was terrifying."

"It's too soon to celebrate. We have a long way to go. But our number one concern is rest right now. I'm exhausted, what about you guys?" Daniel said. I nodded, eager to lie down for a few moments. My whole body was racked with fatigue from the hours of strenuous activity.

I climbed to my feet and we trekked up the long staircase that was to our front. When we reached the top, the castle expanded into some sort of clearing. There was an upstairs with two rooms. On the bottom floor, there was an odd fountain. Half of a woman's body was lying in the fountain, obviously made of stone. Another two doors were on our level.

"Should we explore first? Or is a nap more important?" I asked.

"I say we should sleep. I can't go on for another minute." Isabelle replied, strolling over to the eerie fountain. She sat on the edge and touched the water. After that experience, I'm never going near water again. I thought to myself as I turned to examine our new surroundings.

"I'm going upstairs." I stated flatly before climbing up the staircase. The first room was the Guest Room. That sounds promising… Daniel followed me in.

The room was a mess. Books, drawers, and all sorts of things were scattered across the room. Someone had obviously been searching for something. Taking a closer look to my right, I saw another room. It was just as messy, but there was a bed. I let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll go get Isabelle." Daniel said with a smile before leaving me alone in the room. When he was gone, I began to feel paranoid. Whipping around, I narrowed my eyes in examination. It felt like someone else was in here with me. It has to be my imagination. After everything we've been through, it's no wonder why I'm so nervous.

Hesitantly, I lay down on the bed. Immediately, exhaustion crippled my body and I fell asleep before Daniel returned.