( chapter twenty-nine ! )
"Do slow down a bit!"
A repetitive click sounds against the floor of the first-class passenger hall. Accompanying it is the sound of labored breathing and an occasional falter in their steps if you listen closely. The clicking sound? Leah Barrett's dark green heels that no longer match her clothes—the green gown long gone, only to be replaced with a bloodied chemise and a corset too tight.
Ahead of her, she keeps her gaze settled on Sebastian with Ciel in his arms, struggling to close the distance between them. She can see that they're conversing with another man she faintly recognizes, but she pays it little mind.
Ciel is drawn away from the conversation by Leah's voice though, whipping his head around. "What are you doing?!" his voice is sharp.
"I'm here to help you!" exclaims Leah as she finally manages to catch up and can slow her pace.
"Help with what?" Ciel asks incredulously.
Leah tilts her head with a pout of her lips. "I'm not sure exactly, but there's certainly something that needs to be done if you are choosing to willingly stay on a sinking ship! Besides, if I can't die, then you can't die either."
A sound of both irritation and confusion escapes Ciel. "You should be on a lifeboat," he snaps, eyes narrowing at Leah. "What could you possibly accomplish by staying here?"
Leah's chest rises and falls rapidly, her breath still uneven from the frantic chase through the halls. The thick scent of salt and smoke clings to the air, and every so often, a distant groan of the ship reminds them of its inevitable fate. The floor beneath them feels unsteady—not quite tilting yet, but shifting in a way that promises it soon will. And still, the first-class halls are eerily empty, as if the ship is already abandoned.
She takes a moment to push a damp strand of hair away from her face, ignoring the way her chemise clings uncomfortably to her skin. "I imagine the same as you," she finally replies, breathless but unwavering. "And if you're allowed to make reckless decisions, then so am I."
Ciel's grip tightens where his fingers curl against Sebastian's sleeve. He's pale—paler than usual—his features drawn with exhaustion, but his irritation keeps him sharp. "This isn't about what's fair," he bites out. "This is beyond reckless. You need to leave."
A set of dull, blue eyes belonging to Leah flicker toward the floor. There's a thin sheen of water creeping along the carpet, darkening the fabric as it seeps forward. How long until the hallways are completely submerged? How long until escape is no longer an option?
Her eyes lift back to Ciel, her expression unwavering. "And go where, exactly?" she asks, gesturing vaguely around them. "There's hardly an inviting path to safety."
The conversation is interrupted by a smooth, familiar voice. "Lady Barrett."
Leah stiffens. It takes her only a second to recognize him—the perfectly styled blond hair, the gloved hand lightly gripping the base of a wine glass, the ever-present air of smug self-importance. Even through the haze of urgency, Viscount Druitt is impossible to mistake.
He smiles, ever the picture of effortless charm, as if they are not standing in the halls of a dying ship. "What a vision you are, even in distress," he muses. "I have heard much about you.. All good things."
Leah barely spares him a glance before returning her attention to Ciel. She has no patience for Druitt—not now, not ever. "I don't intend to stand around chatting," she says, lowering her voice. "Whatever you're doing, I can be of use."
Ciel glares at her, jaw clenched. His lips part, undoubtedly to refuse her again, but before he can, Sebastian shifts his weight, adjusting his hold on him.
"My Lord," Sebastian interjects smoothly, "we should move. The water is rising."
Swallowing his frustration, Ciel's stare burns into Leah for a lingering moment before he exhales sharply and looks away. "...Fine," he mutters, irritation heavy in his tone. "But do not slow us down."
With the tension slightly easing, Leah releases an exhale. The weight of her decision is pressing in on her, but she forces herself to push it aside. If there's anything to regret, she'll do so later.
For now, she simply nods. "I wouldn't dream of it," there's a small pause. "There is no doubt Thomas is following me as well. If anything, he will speed things along."
"How kind of you to acknowledge my skill, My Lady."
The sentence is hardly heard when a shrill scream overpowers it followed by Leah whipping around with a hand on her chest. "Don't just sneak around like that!" she screams, though she tries to hold some of it in.
Thomas doesn't bother answering, opting to bow his head in mock shame. Such a surprise entrance doesn't stay the center of attention for long though as the sudden sound of eerie laughter can be heard ahead.
Standing amongst the men carrying the mysterious machine is Undertaker, his signature smirk plastered on his face. Despite his attire standing out, no one notices him until now.
"Undertaker?! What are you doing here?" asks Ciel incredulously.
Leah stops listening as the conversation picks up, watching as Ciel has Sebastian step closer and start whispering. The weight of her decisions is slowly starting to creep up on her, but she tries to ignore the loud voice in her head. Her legs fall into autopilot and before she knows it, they have reached the first-class passenger lounge.
It is still as large and spacious as it was earlier in the night and the days before it. Unfortunately, it is now barren. No longer is it overfilled with bodies and the tides of high society conversation. Now, blood trails the stairs and the only bodies in the room have gone cold.
"Please be careful, that's worth more than your lives."
Shifting her attention back to reality, Leah stares as the small group of men gently lowers the strange device onto the floor. It is large, strange, and foreign. For all her education, she's never seen anything like it and for once, she can't envision learning to be a good thing.
"Are you going to activate it?" Ciel speaks up from further behind.
Viscount Druitt looks to the side. "Not yet. The cast is still incomplete."
Sharing a glance with Thomas, Leah raises a brow in confusion. None of what is being said makes sense. English, but it doesn't feel like English. In her gaze, Thomas gives a firm nod. What to? Only her subconscious seems to know.
"Bastard! Why did you take the device?!"
Everyone's head snaps up to the second floor of the lounge, another familiar face in sight. Ryan Stoker, his face filled with anger.
"Welcome, Ryan. I was waiting for you," Viscount Druitt stretches his arms out dramatically with a smile on his face. "Tonight the empire you built will collapse like Pompeii and in its place, my new realm will be born!" he holds out his half-full glass of wine. "With the power of this device, I will create a new empire!"
Leah crosses her arms over her chest, hardly impressed. "With a brain so delightfully uncomplicated, it is a wonder he has even heard of Pompeii, let alone comprehended its fate."
An audible chuckle escapes Thomas. It is an unusual sound, rare and uncanny. For a split second, it almost sounds as though it comes from all directions. Regardless of this, Thomas doesn't wait for a signal to move in.
"The one who conquered eternity shall rule—" Viscount Druitt's words die in his throat when his wine glass suddenly falls apart.
By falling apart, it is key for a gloved hand wrapping around it and crushing it in one swift blow. Behind him, Viscount Druitt can sense a presence—a sinister one that creeps up the back of his neck. He can see images flash in his mind. Images that aren't truly there, as though they are being communicated subconsciously. The images do nothing to calm the Viscount, rather, it is something he would see in his worst nightmares.
Leaning his face down, Thomas presses his lips against Viscount Druitt's ear and lets his sharp teeth graze the skin. "Turn it on," he demands with a voice unnaturally calm.
Wine pools beneath their feet and shards of glass sparkle under the light, staining the already-ruined carpet that lines the stairs. The sudden shift fills the air with tension. Even Leah, so accustomed to Thomas' antics, didn't expect him to make such a bold move.
She glances over at Ciel still in Sebastian's arms and decides to make her way over in the case she needs to avoid the line of fire—knowing how Thomas gets when he's like this. However, just when Leah thinks things can't get any stranger, more glass around them shatters. Except this time, it's the walls and the hands of corpses trying to grab her for what feels like the hundredth time that night.
The obnoxious sound of groans fills the room, powering over the screams of shock. Hundreds, if not thousands, shuffle their way inside, all heading towards the group standing on the stairs.
Thomas, beginning to lose his patience, grabs a fist full of Viscount Druitt's hair and yanks his head back, nearly snapping it in the process. "Now."
"Well.." Viscount Druitt gives a nervous chuckle and bends down, albeit the best he can with his hair being gripped so tightly. "This isn't going how I planned, but I'll show you how the dead prostrates itself before me!"
When his fingers make contact with the button, there's a moment of silence and baited breath waiting for the supposed effect on the corpses. It is a long moment. Silent. Waiting. And nothing comes.
"Uh..?" Viscount Druitt stares down at the machine in confusion.
Body tensing in irritation, Leah cocks her head in a dramatic manner. "Are you serious?" she is starting to regret having chased Ciel.
Undertaker bursts out into a loud fit of laughter as he watches the corpses bite at the air, proving the uselessness of the machine.
"Ryan! The device you built isn't working!"
"T—That is.."
Ciel, hearing Viscount Druitt's words, begins to sweat. "So it wasn't you who built it?!"
"How could I build something like this?" asks Viscount Druitt, placing a hand over his chest with an exaggerated look. "I just decided to borrow it."
Leaning over the railing, Stoker can't hide his anger. "Bastard! So you fooled me?!" he shouts.
Ignoring Grell jumping over the balcony, Leah turns her head to stare at Ciel incredulously. She can hear the sound of commotion around her, something about not killing people accompanied by the sound of something colliding. Yet, she never takes her eyes off of Ciel.
"You truly believe a man of Druitt's.." there is a long pause, "intelligence could build a device like that?" asks Leah. 'I thought Ciel smarter than this.'
When she doesn't receive an answer from her fiancé, she follows his gaze and finally watches the commotion. It's nearly over though and all she catches is the word 'shinigami' before it is quickly followed by glass raining from the sky.
'Shinigami..? I believe I read of those in a book once.' Caught up in her thoughts, Leah doesn't even recognize Thomas shielding her from the glass
"How sad it would be, should laughter disappear."
The sudden remark pulls her from the thoughts of questioning, but she isn't truly focused. She can hear everything around her. Undertaker? A shinigami? 'If demons exist then other entities I thought weren't real must be!'
As soon as Undertaker's voice leads into a long-winded explanation, Leah's eyes settle on Thomas. Their eyes lock, almost as though they are looking at each other's souls. If Thomas has one to see, that is.
Undertaker's voice drones on in the background, a low, unsettling melody that echoes through the cold air. His words blur into a sinister hum, yet every so often, a sharp phrase cuts through the fog of Leah's mind—"..the souls, incomplete... unraveling threads of death..."
Ciel sits unnervingly still in Sebastian's arms, jaw tight, though the faint tremor in his hand betrays him. Leah, standing close, feels the weight of the explanation settle over them like a shroud—each fragmented word painting a picture darker than the last.
Hardly able to blink before her view of Thomas is shrouded by sudden objects flying around her, Leah chokes on air. All she can see is film flying around her. 'I can't see..' her brows furrow. 'What is this?' the delay of the information finally hits her brain. A cinematic record. But before she even gets a good glimpse while focused, it's gone.
Undertaker's explanation drags on, filling the room with a chill that no fire can warm. Minutes—or has it been hours?—pass in a haze of unsettling revelations, until finally, his voice falls quiet.
At least as quiet as it can be now that others are interfering.
Leah watches as Grell, Ronald, and Sebastian all close in on Undertaker for what she can only assume is a fight that will end in casualty if she gets too close. Even considering this, she looks at Thomas without a second thought.
"Get rid of him," she demands, pointing at Undertaker.
She has heard enough. Bizarre dolls? Shinigami's? Depravity? This entire time she thought he was merely eccentric—made her uncomfortable during their few encounters, but never thought of it too seriously. Now knowing this knowledge that he is far from a good person, let alone human, she's fed up with the night.
"Yes, My Lady," says Thomas, hopping over the balcony without another word.
The fight, barely beginning, is kick-started by Thomas' body colliding with Undertaker's, sending the both of them into a wall with a loud crash. From there, it only gets worse and more chaotic.
Bodies fly. Things crash and break. Words are exchanged. Leah watches as flashes of color chase after each other. Despite Undertaker being outnumbered, they all seem to be equally powered and that alone saves Undertaker's skin.
Pulling her gaze away from the scene, Leah locks eyes with Ciel and runs towards him. "We should leave while we have the chance!" she suggests, then looks down at his injured ankle. "I can carry you."
"I can't!" Ciel shakes his head. "I need Undertaker."
Leah's brows furrow. "Surely Sebastian or Thomas will succeed. Now come we—" her words come to a stop when Ciel is suddenly whisked into the arms of another.
Undertaker.
"I can finally put you in one of my specially-made coffins, Earl.." the smile on his face speaks of underlying trouble.
The sheer attempt is a failure though when Sebastian forces his way between them and sends Leah flying back in the process. This unintentionally saves her life, as she avoids Undertaker's scythe piercing through her skin.
Now, for the second time ever, she sees the horrific, dead eyes that belong to Sebastian. She doesn't even register what Undertaker says to the butler, staring in shock as the eyes are obscured. 'A cinematic record..?'
The film dances around Leah, showing her brief glimpses of Sebastian's life. It makes her uncomfortable. Feeling as though she's watching something she shouldn't. She even notices herself. A younger Leah. An interaction she hardly remembers.
Her observations are short-lived when a sudden figure emerges from the film and she hardly has time to react before the death scythe covered in Sebastian's blood is raised above her head.
"You, my dear, should have minded your business."