Strings and Buttons

Chapter 14: Disturbing Paintings

He glares back at Shoto, who is looking at the mirror, staying a couple inches away from it.

"Why did you bring me here."

The cat looks at him then back at the mirror pointedly. Katsuki sighs and looks back, expecting to see his reflection with the dark hallway behind him again. 

Though that isn't all that he sees. His parents are standing together, looking around slightly confused, trapped inside of the mirror. Katsuki's eyes widen and his heart speeds up, now fully awake.

Mitsuki's eyes meet his and she slowly waves at him, catching his father's attention. He has his arm wrapped around Mitsuki, bringing her close. They both look at him, lost and confused.

 Their mouths moved, saying things that Katsuki's can't hear. Then, his mother breaths on the glass, fogging it up. Quickly, she writes out a message, her finger slightly shaking as she does.

H E L P U S

With one last fearful look, the fog disappears, followed by his parents. Katsuki stares at the mirror in silence, Shoto looking at him and letting out a small meow. Then, Katsuki slams his hands into the mirror of the glass, shaking it off of the nails holding it up on the wall.

 It falls, shattering somewhat. He kicks it over and over, sending shards of glass rocketing away from the mirror and to the floor, some shattering against his leg and arm.

Shoto watches, now backing away from the scene, cleaning himself. Katsuki kicks and kicks and yells until the mirrors glass is all on the floor and he's breathing heavily.

 He stands there for a moment before towering over Shoto. The cat looks at him blankly, as if to say, 'are you done?' Katsuki ignores him and walks past him towards the drawing room.

That bitch kidnapped them, he knows it. He can't call the police. What would he say that would sound believable enough for them to actually help.

 Nothing comes to mind. He has to handle it himself. He has to get them back, apologize and maybe shit will get better.

He takes the shards of glass out of his boots and ties them back on, opening the drawer in the drawing room and taking out a flashlight. He tests it out and finds that it barely works.

 He rushes to his room and grabs his backpack, stuffing it full of batteries, food, matches, and a pocketknife he got for Christmas. He makes sure the stone is still in his pocket, and he takes the button key, back into the drawing room. 

All the while, Shoto is following him silently, his footsteps padding on the carpet. He looks at the door, covered in dark shadows. It feels like the thing watching him from before is back, and now he has a better idea of who it might be.

 He holds the key up to the keyhole and puts it in. His hand stays there, and he doesn't turn it. The silence is loud, but this might be the only time he gets to think.

"When i was little, we all lived in this small apartment. My mom and dad didn't work a lot then because they had to take care of me. We used to all go to the park or hiking together, and it was always... fun."

"I remember how the two of them smiled so much, how they would ruffle my hair and squeeze my hand. I want that back. So don't you dare get in my fucking way."

He glares down at Shoto, who turns away from him, pawing at the door. Katsuki turns the key with a loud thunk. He lets the handle go and watches it slowly open with a drawn-out creak.

 A gust of cold wind blows, moving his hair back slightly. The hallway is even darker than before, cobwebs on the ceiling and black spiders crawling down from webs. He begins to walk.

He can smell the dampness of the hallway, swatting away spiders and cobwebs with the hand not holding the flashlight. The paintings on the walls are chipped and torn. 

He takes a glance at some of them, but after seeing the image of a girl with her limbs torn in grotesque ways, her face contorted in pure agony, he keeps his eyes ahead and avoids looking at them.

"You know, you could just leave them here."

Katsuki glances at Shoto, who is walking elegantly, paws pattering on the dark wood of the hallway. He swats another cobweb away from his face, letting out an annoyed huff.

"That isn't an option dumbass. I can't just leave my fucking parents."

"Of course, you can."

Katsuki stays silent, not wanting to humor this dumb cat and its bullshit. But of course, he doesn't stop fucking talking.

"There is a reason it was so easy for her to make this world despite her overwhelming hunger. You are unhappy here. Maybe leaving them and going on by yourself would make you happier."

Katsuki glares down at him, not stopping his pace or slowing down.

"Then that would make me a piece of shit son and a coward. And I'm not any of those things."

Shoto is silent. The hallway feels so much longer, going on and on no matter how long they walk. He's about to ask why the hell he would say something like that until his flashlight flickers. At first, he thinks nothing of the concentrated light flashing on and off a couple of times, but as they continue to walk, it only gets worse.

"Damnit, stupid fucking flashlight,"

He angles it and hits it with the palm of his hand, making it flick on and off violently. Shoto stops with him, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"When has hitting something ever made it better. Stop doing that and just adjust the batteries,"

"Don't tell me what to do icyhot, i fucking-"

The light flickers off one final time, not coming on again. They are now involved in the darkness of the hallway.

"Fuck!"

"I told you to stop hitting it."

"You better go back to not talking or I'm going to hit you with it!"

"How are you going to do that when you can't even see."

"I'll find a way icyhot, fucking try me."