𝙃𝘼𝙉𝘿𝙋𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙎 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙎𝘾𝙍𝙄𝘽𝘽𝙇𝙀𝘿 𝙒𝙊𝙍𝘿𝙎; 𝙃𝙊𝙊𝘿𝙔

Chapter 26

        I looked up at the building in front of us. It was broken down and looked like it was rotting. The walls were beat up and torn apart on the outside, but who knew what it looked like on the inside. The white paint covering the metal plating of the house was chipped and full of rust. The windows were busted and broken; however, someone had boarded them up with wood that was slowly gaining water damage.

Skully kept walking ahead of me toward the beat up wooden door. They had pulled one of their guns from their pocket and held it carefully in their hand. They had already turned off the safety, and their finger was resting on the trigger.

I slid my hand into my pocket, the feeling of the cold metal of Hoody's gun pressing against my fingertips. It was strange to have it, but it made me feel more protected. I pressed down on the safety, and it gave out a little click, letting me know it was turned off. Wrapping my fingers around the grip, I moved my index finger to hover over the trigger. It was heavy in my hand, but I expected no different from the metal object.

The hoodie was keeping me warm against the slight chill of the forest. I merely assumed it was getting dark, but with the countless trees surrounding me and the leaves blocking the sun, I couldn't tell for sure. There was a burning in my legs from all the walking, and I almost wanted to just lay down and never get back up. The thought of saving Hoody, however, prevented me from doing that.

I followed Skully up to the door, cautious as the stairs and porch creaked beneath my weight. They lifted their unoccupied hand up to the handle and twisted it, attempting to push it open. Surprisingly, it opened with a loud groan. The hinges must've been old and rusted.

My nose scrunched up at the scent that wafted into my nose. It was a musty smell, the mildew and mold forming a displeasing smell. I stared into the house, noticing the beat-up and old furniture. There was mold that covered the corners of the ceiling, and when we walked in, I noticed there was a faint cigarette smell.

The carpet was torn up and stained with various colors. The hardwood floors were losing their color and ability to stick together in the strong way that they were put together. I could only guess how many weak spots there were in it.

The doors were either busted or swung wide open. The cabinet doors weren't in any better shape either. Candles littered beat up and rotting tables, and a couple of different lighters were strewn across the room. Most of the candles were almost completely burnt, causing them to be almost useless.

Skully moved farther into the living room, signalling me to shut the door behind me. I pulled the gun from my pocket and held it in a shaky hand as I followed behind them. I looked around nervously as they led me into a hallway. I noticed several shattered picture frames with a random family hung up on the walls, ready to give into gravity at any moment.

The doors around me showed a couple of bedrooms and a bathroom, all as damaged and beat up as the rest of the house besides the master bedroom. It looked to be in better condition than most rooms in the house.

There were a few candles on the nightstands and dresser, as well as quite a few packs of cigarettes and multiple lighters. The windows were boarded up, but the door leading into the room was in better condition than most doors. The bed was large and unmade, the comforter thrown off a certain spot on the mattress where there was a relatively flat pillow for the head.

I didn't notice I had stopped walking until Skully snapped their fingers quietly to get my attention. My head quickly turned back to them, and I carefully made my way to them. My footsteps were small thumps on the creaky floorboards.

Unlucky for me, my foot went through the floor, but on a lucky note, Skully reached out quickly and was able to prevent any severe damage. I hissed at the pain in my ankle, but I was still able to put pressure on it. They guided me to a rotting door, and we slowly descended the steep stairs.

Compared to the rest of the house, it was bright down here. The walls and floors were of stone, so the sound of our footsteps echoed through the basement. The smell of mildew and cigarettes got worse the further we went into the lit up room. Boxes littered the basement in many different states. Some were open, some were taped tightly shut, and some were torn up in random places.

The shelves that lined the wall were sagging as the books and trinkets threatened to make it collapse. Battery-powered lights kept the room brighter than any other in the house. Tucked away in the back corner of the room, you noticed a door that was in the same condition as the one for the master bedroom. It was next to a smashed up washer and dryer.

"Skully," I whispered, pointing at the door with the hand not holding the gun. They stared at it before quickly moving toward it. I followed cautiously, watching as they reached for the door and twisted the handle.

Anxiety twisted my gut as I peered over their shoulder. My heart stopped as I saw who was sitting on the floor, bound to the same position. I pushed past Skully, ignoring as my ankle protested the sudden movement in favor of getting to my soulmate.

I pushed the safety back on and shoved the gun in my pocket as I sat down next to Hoody, looking at the rope wrapped tightly on his wrists. Digging through the pocket of the borrowed hoodie, I searched for a knife. I pulled out a switch blade and noticed that he was knocked out.

His breathing was labored. His cheek was bruised. There were scars covering his arms, but a small, circular one was a bright red ring on his pale skin. Concern tore through my chest as I noticed everything.

Those steel eyes grew visible as they opened, eyes trailing up to meet my eyes. They were quick to turn into the liquid mercury I had seen once before as the rest of his expression stayed the same. His eyes carefully looked at my features as his eyes grew glossy with tears.

"Please tell me I'm not dreaming..."

His voice came out in a hoarse whisper, and I shook my head with a soft smile. "You're not dreaming at all. I'm here." I placed my hand on his non-bruised cheek, rubbing my thumb against his cheekbone. He leaned into it as his eyes fell shut, the bags and dark purple beneath obvious.

I removed my hand from his cheek and steadied the knife. I moved it down to the ropes and carefully wedged it between two of them. Taking in a breath, I tried to cut it, but the material resisted, not wanting to move.

My eyes widened as I tried again, but I just couldn't cut it. I looked back at Skully, who quickly made their way over to me. They kneeled down, taking the knife from my hand. They readjusted it and successfully sliced through the rope.

We were swift to carefully pull the ropes from his wrists. The skin was a fiery red, most likely from having the irritating material of the ropes rub it raw. There were darker splotches of red in the band of colored skin. Some of the skin peeled back, showing the sensitive skin beneath.

Skully lifted Hoody up from his armpits, pulling the man to his feet with a grunt. He fell against them, barely able to stand on his own. "Brian, we gotta get out."

"Can't walk." He managed to rasp into the quiet air, making them swear under their breath. I stood up and helped to take some of his weight off of them. We readjusted him to have an arm around both of our shoulders and began to carefully guide him through the halls.

Hoody nearly tripped over his feet, stumbling forward slightly. I did my best to stabilize him as Skully pressed a hand to his chest. "C'mon." They mumbled, eyes swinging around the dark area.

I silently wondered how we would make it back easily, not even knowing how far into the forest we were. "Dorm." Skully gave me a questioning look after Hoody got out another word, head barely staying up as it bobbed in place.

"Go to my dorm? How close even is it? Plus, how would I even sneak you two in?" I questioned as we moved out of the door. Mercury eyes barely managed to meet mine, turning a little bit into the steel color they usually are. He opened his mouth to speak, but ended up coughing violently.

I sprawled a hand on his chest as I stared at him in concern. He wheezed slightly when he finally managed to calm down from his fit. Skully made eye contact with me, a determined fire in their barely visible, hazel eyes. They nodded at me, which relaxed me as we coaxed Hoody to begin walking again.