The Plague Doctor [RATED R] ✓

(43) Two-day Trip

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I HELD ONTO THE strap of my suitcase while I stood at the main entrance of the manor. Lino, Laurence, and Adeline were standing in line behind me, while master Claudio, whose face looked neutral, stared at me while holding onto his plague doctor mask.

     "Mateo told me that it would only be for one night. I hope you enjoy your time with him, my dear Bishop," Claudio tells me, making me hold onto the strap of my bag even tighter.

     "I will see you tomorrow. All of us at the manor will be waiting for your return," he continues to say.

     Why did Claudio agree to this? Why did he tell me to go despite knowing the fact that I may never return again? Is he planning something? Should I just stay?

    "Why did you permit me to come on this trip?" I finally ask.

    "Teo told me that he'll bring you home safely after," Claudio answers instead, and I could perfectly guess that he's not going to tell me his reasons even if I force him to.

     "You trust Teo that much?" I ask him next, and this time, Claudio's expression changes. He paused and took a step forward until he was now standing just a few inches away from me. He then lifts his hand up and gently touches my cheek. "I do not trust him. But what I do trust...is your fear."

    Fear?

    "You will return, Bishop. Whether you decide to run away or hide, you will return to me. That is something I am certain of," Claudio says with confidence as his hand continues to caress my skin. I wanted to push him away from me, but before I could even make my move, Lino touched my shoulder, interrupting our pleasant conversation.

     "We should go," he says, looking directly at Claudio.

     Claudio looks back at him in silence, but after a couple of seconds, he chuckles and finally lets go of me. "You may go."

     Claudio continues to stare at me as Lino takes the suitcase from my hand and walks out of the manor. I turn my head and look back at little Adie and Laurence. Adie gave me a sad smile while Laurence spoke nothing but nodded his head as if we understood each other's silence.

     I take a deep breath and turn my head to look back at Claudio for one last time. He smiles at me and waves goodbye as I finally walk out of the manor—the Hell House.

     Lino was waiting for me outside, holding the car door open for me while I approached him. "Watch your head," he says as I finally head inside the back of the car. Lino closes the door and goes to the driver's seat. He adjusts the rear-view mirror and looks straight at me before starting the car and driving away.

     I look out of the window and stare at the manor as it becomes smaller and smaller. For some reason, driving away like this made me feel nervous. But what scared me the most were the words that Claudio told me before I left. This was the perfect opportunity for me to run away, but his confidence that I would return made me feel uneasy.

     "Do you love this man, Bishop?" Lino suddenly asks, making me remove my eyes from the window to look back at him through the rear-view mirror.

     "Who?" 

     "The police officer, Mateo Ricci. Do you love him?" He asked me again, and the question was so sudden that I wasn't able to give a reply. It wasn't because I was unsure or because I didn't know what the answer would be. I wasn't able to give an immediate answer because I wasn't the right person to answer it in the first place.

     "Are you asking me, or are you asking the others?" I ask back, making Lino furrow his brows in confusion.

     "Who else would be in love with him other than you?" He wonders, and I look out of the window again, catching a glimpse of the ocean in a distance.