Tʜᴇ Pᴀᴛʜ Tᴏ Hɪɢʜɢᴀᴛᴇs

Sᴘᴀʀᴇ Mʏ Hᴇʟʟ, Tᴏ Hᴀɴᴅ Mᴇ Hᴇᴀᴠᴇɴ

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 70

"I feel like I'm in ein Brüder Grimm story."

Reich gushed as he glanced around. At either side of him were lines of cells, divided by walls, closed by iron bars. Straw scattered in each, acting as some sort of padding. Gas lamps lit the way— the cobbled ceiling low, the floor sucking every and all sounds into it. Muffling everything around you.

It was impossibly quiet.

"I felt zat every time I vent into zee ozer holding area." Reich continued in that whispery tone— trying to hide his voice in the silence. "Not zat I go down zere often." He spared a glance behind him, assuring himself Salem was still following intently.

She seemed to know there was something amiss. Her eyes wide and pupils expanded unto an endless black hole. Skittish and jumpy. The silence was getting to her.

Your eyes examined every nook and cranny. Your neck rolling back and forth. Each cell was empty— say for a bucket in the corner of each. None of them had that cold plank you remember from yours. The filthy roach-infested straw was all these people would sleep on, it seemed. How bad a crime would you have to commit to be held in a place like this?

You tore your eyes away from a cell, then over to Reich.

"What do you mean other holding area? Where is the one you're on about?" You asked.

Reich glanced at you, then set his eyes straight again— opting you to do the same. "Vu vere in zee ozer area. It's under zee vest ving of zee house. I alvays zought it vent under zee entire vest perimeter. But I guess zis is zee ozer part of it." He gestured behind him with a flick of his hand. "Zat vall back zere probably divides zem. I didn't know about zis area."

You hummed, then listened to the silence.

The corridor was musty, almost suffocating. The air tasted damp and humid, a certain smell hung low. Something subtle and clingy. A stench you were aware of, but couldn't quite concentrate on.

The dark cobbles were sprinkled in that orange glow from the lamps. Gently bathing the atmosphere in an auburn that turned your eyes a little darker.

The sound of silence was everywhere.

No matter how far you walked down that corridor— it never relented. There was just— nothing.

You weren't sure what you would do if it turned out to all be a red herring. That truly, there was nothing here. It was all in your head. This wasn't the answer to everything— you somehow overlooked the very obvious things you should have seen, in replace for something that simply led the wrong way— if that were so. You didn't know what you would do then.

You didn't want to have to run back to him— all over again.

"Which one?" You asked, swallowing a lump in your throat. Squeezing your eyes for just one moment.

"Vhich one vat?"

"Which Grimm Brother's story does this remind you of?"

You didn't have to look at Reich to know he was smiling. He was easy to understand— he struggled with a poker face. You would always appreciate that about him.