Coffin & Feathers [Elisop]

Chapter 3

Since that weird evening, Aesop couldn't help but be drawn even more to that mysterious blue light he saw every night. Sometimes the owl would come and rest on his windowsill and let the embalmer caress it. He was always fascinated by its blue feathers and found comfort in touching the animal. The creature's name was Brooke Rose, according to Norton, but that seemed to take a long time to say.

"Brooke." he said in a soft voice.

The bird hooted at his name. The young man smiled, a smile that was visible since he wasn't wearing his mask during the night and was alone in his room. He passed his hand over the bird's head once more before going to bed.

A week passed. Aesop didn't talk about Brooke Rose in Norton's presence, he knew that the latter didn't like the idea of him being in contact with her for some reason. However, his curiosity was beginning to consume him horribly. What was he hiding from him ? It was becoming so unbearable that the ashen-haired boy sometimes stepped out of his comfort zone and went on his own to engage some of the survivors in conversation to ask questions about the bird. He didn't ask Patricia, Victor and Andrew, for fear that they would pass the information on to the prospector.

Unfortunately, those he approached fled either because they found him creepy or because of the mention of the blue bird. They all had embarrassed expressions and tried to change the subject awkwardly. Why ? Was it some kind of taboo ? Aesop was walking down the hallway, lost in thought, when a grip came to rest on his shoulder. He then turned around to come face to face with the prospector who had a rather serious look on his face.

"Can we talk for a moment ? In private if possible."

"A-All right..."

The embalmer knew very well what he wanted to talk about. In a mansion where thirty or so survivors were stuck together, news passed very quickly and it was hard to keep a secret. He sighed lightly behind his mask and headed for his room on the third floor, followed closely by the prospector. Once in front of his door, he opened it and left enough room for Norton to walk past him, then closed it once he entered. Aesop sat down on his bed, a little anxious. As for the other man, he was leaning on the chair at the boy's desk.

"So... what did you want to talk about...?"

"I know you asked about Brooke Rose." he stated.

"Are you upset...?"

His anxiety began to take hold of him again. What if he was angry that he had lied to him and asked the others about the bird ? What if he stopped being the only one he could consider a friend in this hellhole ? A drop of sweat beaded from his forehead as a tornado of negative thoughts clouded his mind. Norton seemed to notice because he got up to sit next to him and ruffle his hair.

"I'm not. I'm sorry if I pressured you with that story but it was simply for your own good."

"Y-You're not mad at me...?"

"Of course not ! You're my friend and I'm also at fault for keeping the truth from you."

Norton smiled at him and Aesop smiled back, although the smile was invisible because of his mask, it was still noticeable thanks to his slightly squinted eyes. This simple action was enough for a strange feeling to arise in the prospector. He found it strange but not unpleasant. But he decided not to dwell on it for the moment and instead, answer the embalmer's questions.

"What do you want to know ?"

"Well... Who does it belong to, is it a hunter or a survivor and then why does everyone seem to be uncomfortable every time it's mentioned....

"Wow that's a lot at once. I mean, for starters, it belongs to a hunter named Eli Clark."

Eli Clark. It was the first time he heard that name and yet his heart clenched when he heard his name. According to the description given by Norton, he was a little taller than the height of a normal human due to the fact that he was a hunter. He wore a long black robe held by a leather belt and a cape of the same color covering the top of his head with feathers hanging from it. He had a falconer's glove on his left hand and a mask covered the upper half of his face with the part of his nose that was pointed like a bird's beak.

Even though his eyes were hidden, a strange bluish glow came from the eyes of the mask. Blue...? Everything seemed clearer now, this light that he crossed every night, he was sure, it was him, Eli Clark. 

But why was he particularly watching him of all people ?

He put that thought aside and continued to listen to what the prospector had to say. Other than by name, the hunter was better known as the Seer. Why such a name ? Simply because he could see the position of all the survivors at the beginning of the game thanks to his divinatory abilities. His owl wasn't just for show either. The predator may have looked beautiful from a distance, but during the matches, it would come and slash at the survivors with its sharp claws. All this while his master stood behind, a machiavellian smile drawn on his lips. Only once during the game did he also have the ability to inflict a blow on all the survivors at once with the screeching of the owl that echoed throughout the map.

When he arrived at the mansion, Eli Clark seemed like a very nice person. He was friendly and very polite to the other hunters and survivors alike. So everyone lowered their guard around him. Until they discovered his true nature... A cruel being who sent his animal to shred the skin of his victims while he watched them fall to the ground with a sadistic smile. If he had already put them on a chair once or twice, instead of doing it again to send them back to the mansion, he would just hit them and then stand in front of them smiling, letting them suffer until they bled out and were out of the game. An angelic smile to hide the horror he was capable of.

His reputation only deteriorated after that and everyone avoided him like the plague. Some hunters seemed uncomfortable around him, of course there were exceptions like Joseph Desaulniers, the Photographer, who was strangely his best friend. According to him, Eli was an interesting and friendly person, cruelty and sadism aside, and the two of them could often be seen hanging out together, sometimes in the company of Xie Bi'an and Fan Wujiu, the White Guard and Black Guard respectively.

The prospector left the embalmer's room after telling him about the seer, warning him one last time to stay away from him if possible. Aesop closed his curtains and lay down on his bed. Tonight the hunter was not watching him. He dropped onto the mattress and buried his face in his pillow. His curiosity had been satisfied, but what now ? He learned that an extremely sadistic mental patient seemed to be dangerously interested in him. Nevertheless, because of the environment he grew up in, he didn't really like prejudices and couldn't help but doubt the accuracy of his friend's words.

What if there was a reason behind his actions ? What if he wasn't a dangerous monster like everyone thought ? Perhaps there were circumstances that forced him to act this way. He fell asleep, his mind clouded by all these questions about the one called Eli Clark. He would like to meet him. He would like to ask him why he was watching him every night almost without exception. But was it the right thing to do ? What if... this was all a terrible mistake.