𝐼𝑁𝑁𝑂𝐶𝐸𝑁𝐶𝐸 𝐿𝑂𝑆𝑇 // 𝐴. 𝐷𝐸 𝑅𝑈𝑁𝐸

𝑋𝐼𝐼

| XII. La Morsure |

—

Their plan had gone to shit. Marion and Hugo went into a caged off area to grab a torch, the rest of the room dark and filled with rats, and the wood Amicia lifted to let them inside came crashing down. The floor was rotted, the wood easily crashing through it and leaving Amicia stuck in the dark with the rats.

"Amicia!" Marion cried, as she gripped the bars, ignoring the fiery pain in her palms.

"Amicia, how are we going to get back?" Hugo ran next to Marion, being careful of the torch in his hands.

Marion closed her eyes, and rested her forehead against the rusty bars. Perhaps if she just closed her eyes, this wouldn't be real, and she'd be back at the De Rune estate with Amicia and Lion. There wouldn't be any rats, Robert and Beatrice would be alive...

"Listen to me, as long as you have the torch you will be safe."  Amicia walked closer to the bars, slipping her hands through and gently squeezing Marion's wrists. "Now let go of these bars, you'll only make your hands worse-"

"But what about you?" Marion whispered, cutting Amicia off and opening her eyes to meet the brunette's.

The two girls went silent, the only sound being the rats that scuttled behind Amicia, waiting for the light to diminish so they could devour her. She could see through the brave front Amicia was putting on– the brunette was terrified.

"I'll– I'll figure something out." Amicia responded, her words low and unpromising, like she was also trying to reassure herself.

Marion sighed, before slowly peeling her hands off the rusty bars. She hissed, the unpleasant feeling made her grit her teeth and tense her body. When the torch began to wobble in the hand Hugo held it with, Marion gently touched the boy's cheek with the back of her knuckle.

"Hold it with two hands, Poppet." Marion instructed quietly, and Hugo nodded.

She looked back up at Amicia, whose eyes were locked onto the torch.

"The light will protect me too." The brunette spoke after a moment of silence, "We just– we just have to move together."

Marion nodded, and Hugo shuffled closer to the dark-haired girl. She took a deep breath– Amicia would be fine. They'd all be fine.

"Ready?" Amicia asked, hands shaking at her sides.

"Ready." Hugo responded quietly, and looked up to Marion for reassurance.

The brunette nodded, and the trio began to walk down the grating. Marion watched her step, careful to watch for any rotten wood. At the end of the grating, there was a small hole, not very wide but tall enough to slip the torch through.

"Amicia look, a hole!" Hugo pointed out, "Do you want the torch?"

Amicia nodded, "Yes, there are too many rats on my side."

As Hugo slipped the torch through the grating, Marion's eyes frantically searched for an exit. The only one she could find was a small hole opposite to the grating, just barely large enough for her to fit in. They'd have to separate from Amicia– Marion bit her bottom lip, her teeth picking at the dry and cracked skin.