Books [eNVy]

chapter 18 - basement

Tessa and J snuck through the empty halls, every human already cleared out and in the Gala Room. They looked around for some sign, Tessa still unsure of what she was really looking for.

"How do you reckon we murder us a robo-child Jade?" Tessa asked, crouching down as she was on the second floor of the manor, the next floor being visible from below. Though Tessa could never be too careful, she did this to stay hidden.

Suddenly, she bumped into a statue of a knight, causing it to fall over. Tessa panicked, catching it swiftly before it fell. She looked at it, her eyes still anxious before glancing at the sword it held.

She might need a weapon to fight Cyn, so she took it. She looked over at J, who was looking at a display case before weilding a gun. Or was it a revolver?

"How about this?" They exclaimed in sync, holding their newly acquired weapons they had. They looked at each other's items before swiftly switching, Tessa gaining the gun and J, a sword.

They smiled at each before Tessa heard her name whispered behind her.

"Pssst, Tessa!" N whisper-shouted, waving over to her in a panic. The curiosity N had about Cyn's basement only made him nervous which prompted him to act in some form of panic.

J and Tessa looked at eachother confused before Tessa flinch at the feeling of something falling beside her.

The two girls glanced at the floor to which something had fallen, shattering in the floor as it was made of mostly glass; them being glasses.

They, including N, looked up at the ceiling with caution. They saw what looked to be a drone crawling, its flesh growing like wings and a tail of some sort. The thunder clapped, only a meer shadow taking the drone's place before disappearing completely.

N walked to Tessa and J, the two of them already in a fighting position as frightened as they were.

They stuck side by side, looking in all directions they could, N down the right side of the hall, J looking down the left, and Tessa in front.

"Cyn's gonna macaque the Gala!" Tessa stuttered quietly, a tinge of feat in her voice as she was still startled by the sight.

Speaking of her; "About Cyn, I need the basement key, something just doesn't feel right about her anymore-"

"Oh, so now the moron catches on..." J rolled her eyes, still keeping herself open if anything were to attack her.

"Jade- thats-" Tessa tried to correct her, however before he could finish, the entity came pouncing onto the trio from behind through the window, glass shattering and badly missing Tessa's skin.

They fell back, the drone's claws reaching out to Tessa. They looked different however, not flesh as V had but, metal? N looked at them carefully before registering what situation his friend was in.

J shoved Tessa out of the way, her falling back and out of the way of the broken glass. She showed off her sword before the drone finally was able to be seen.

It was in fact, V.

She looked strangely different, as she did in the pantry which seemed like a while ago. Her claws were silvery and her outfit was dirty with oil. Fresh oil.

Had she been eating drones? But how? She was unconscious for all that time for all N knew. Though she was the same.

The same blonde beautiful hair she always had and her eyes. Even if it oddly was still an X, she would always be amazing to N.

"Do your basement thing! We got the coma patient you creeped on!" J snapped.

"Not creepy! Sweet!" N bickered back, Tessa telling N multiple times that it was sweet he gave her company. Suddenly, he looked to his right, revealing V with a frightening look on her face.

She attempted to attack him, but missed ever so slightly, the boy backing away immediately and ducking down to avoid so.

J took the key from out of her front pocket before launching it at N, too much happening at once for him to focus. He tried his best to catch it, but V grabbed it instead.

N tried to fight for it back, attempting to grab it. She, however, raised her hand away from him in a taunting manner. N was soon getting annoyed before Tessa threw her gun at the drone's stomach.

[PROCESSING ERROR] Plastered on V's visor, this being the perfect opportunity for N to grab it after waiting a few seconds.

"Tess you're not supposed to throw it-" J said, before being cut off by V taking a knight's sword for herself and fighting J.

She shielded herself with her own sword, grunting before pushing her away.

The two swung their weapons back and forth V now in the air by her wings and Tessa watching it all happen.

N looked down slightly next to the fight to see V's broken glasses. N ran towards them near the fight before a sword brushed the top of his worker hat. He yelped and picked up the glasses before running past Tessa.

He looked at her, giving her the eye of if she wanted to go with him, in which she shook her head.

She'd rather help J and N, of course, understood this.

He was on his own now, running from the fight with the basement key and V's broken glasses.

Small shards of the glasses fell as he walked, making him feel bad for how bad of a situation they were in.

Nonetheless, he had to get to Cyn's basement to cure his urge to learn.

As he walked through the eerie empty halls, flesh patches were prominent in corners that weren't there before. Small tentacles and tendrils made themselves noticeable by grabbing onto N's leg in which he shook off in desperate fear. Drone bodies had long sharp teeth with the same wings as V and similar claws.

N walked through the library as these things became more common. The place he used to spend his time in all the time now corrupted with whatever this all was.

He peeked behind a shelf to glance at the basement entrance. The carpet was still pulled back as fleshy goop filled the crevices and cracks of the wood floors.

Behind him, he heard mechanical wires whirl, alerting him and, through instinct, running him to the basement trapdoor.

He jumped as adrenaline pushed him further to the door, the fear he felt more eager to be set free. The tension was builded up to this very moment.

He landed his jump in his stomach, the key going into the keyhole before turning clockwise, the door flying open.

A camera bodied drone with the robotic voice of Cyn spoke:

"Jumpscare, grab," As if it was stating its actions.

N felt something grab his foot, him looking down at it immediately. He hissed at the feeling of the tendril now dragging him into the basement. He yelped and cried for help, however no one else was there. His adrenaline still pumping, he kicked and pried it off him in a desperate attempt to free himself though it was no use.

He was now fully dragged into the basement.

V suddenly stopped fighting J and Tessa, Tessa now attempting to fight back with J. The two were confused by her behavior, before it's feet met the ground and she ran past both J and Tessa after N.

The two were confused, but knew they had to make it to the Gala before Cyn did.

"Jade," Tessa stated, prompting J to look over at the girl. "Promise me whatever happens in there, you'll remember that I love you, ok?"

J blushed, the couple at the front door of the Gala room.

"Of course boss," She nodded, bringing Tessa's hand up to her mouth and kissing it lightly.

Tessa cringed, but mostly enjoyed it. They let out a big breath, before opening the rustic wooden doors.

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get ready

word count - 1307