RESIDENT EVIL VILLAGE - The House of Dimitrescu

Chapter 20 - Close Quarters

Panting hard, Y/N groaned slightly, before sitting up and turning to Bela, peering through the darkness of the hidden corridor. Outside, the beast continued to roar and pound on the hidden door, and as dust filtered down from the roof, Y/N saw Bela's pale face staring wordlessly back at him. 

'Are you okay?' He asked worriedly, getting to his knees and shuffling forwards towards her, taking her hand and helping her to sit more upright as she groaned in pain. Her evening dress was a mess. Four long slashes had ripped the front open at the waist, and three shallower ones had split the back straight down her spine. 

There was another rip which ran from Bela's shoulder to her hip down one side of her torso, which had caused the fabric covering her chest to fall away slightly, and as Y/N came towards her, Bela clasped one arm in front of her chest, pulling the fabric back into place across her as she held her other hand over her stomach, wincing in pain. 

The cuts across her stomach were not bleeding, but as Y/N watched, he saw wave upon wave of dark flies spilling out of Bela's dress from her midriff, pouring over and around her hand as she tried to stem the flow, before crawling up and back into the wound in an endless cycle of damage reparation. 

As Y/N watched, he saw Bela's eyes go wide, and she began to gasp rapidly, hyperventilating as a cold draught of air began to flow through the passageway in which they were sat. 

With a flash of realization, Y/N quickly shoved the keys into his pocket, then stripped off his dinner jacket and shirt, both of which were still intact from supper earlier, and wrapped the shirt around Bela, buttoning up the front before wrapping the jacket around her as well. 

'S-so... t-this is w-where you were hiding....' Bela shivered horribly as the cold air continued to circulate through the freezing network of hidden passageways. 'I-in... i-in the walls?'

'These passageways have holes to the outside in them.' Y/N explained hurriedly as he wrapped the jacket more tightly around Bela, trying to ignore the screaming beast barely meters away from them on the other side of the wall. 'When I was hiding, it seemed like the perfect way to keep you out, because you would freeze if you tried to follow me in.'

'y-you w-were r-r-right.' Bela shivered, and Y/N helped her to her feet where she hunched over, still shivering violently. Her already chilled skin was paling even further, with crystallization from the cold, but slowly, and Y/N quickly evaluated their options. 

'Okay, we need to move.' He told her, glancing backwards as yet more howls and screeches caused more dust to fall down from the ceiling. 'I don't know if that door will hold it for long. We need to get you out of here.'

'T-t-through the t-tunnels?' Bela yelped, here eyes widening suddenly. 'I c-can't! Please Y/N! I can't!'

'I'm afraid we have to.' Y/N told her gently, taking her arms through the shirt and turning her around, moving past her as he began to lead her further into the passageway. 'We can't go back out while that thing's there.'  

'Vârcolac.' Bela told him. 'It's a... a m-mutated L-Lycan.' She was still shaking horribly under his hands, and Y/N held her tightly as he began to lead her along the passageway.

'I'm sorry Bela, but I'll keep you safe, okay? You're safe with me. I won't let you freeze.'

Still shivering, Bela hesitated, then nodded, though it might have just been another shiver, and began to follow Y/N through the darkness. Y/N sighed in relief, glancing past Bela as the Vârcolac continued to pound and roar against the hidden door, and led the blond-haired girl towards the slingshot lift. Carefully, he helped her up onto it, then squeezed onto the rickety wooden pallet beside her.