Ｈｏｕｓｅ Ｏｆ Ａｌｔｅｒａ || 【ᴀᴏʙᴀ ᴥ ᴄʟᴇᴀʀ】

II. Cellar

I awoke sprawled out onto the floor, face pressed against the floorboards. With narrowed eyes, I pressed my palms against the floor, supporting my weight. Halting, I listened closely in attempt to recall the sounds that lulled me to sleep. But the sounds of crippling sobs and struggling chains were replaced with silence, and the quiet hum of the House. Getting to my feet, I noticed the door was shaken open and beating against the front of the closet. Closing my eyes with a huff, I kicked the door stop roughly back under the door. Timidly, I peered out into the hallway. Disheveled wallpaper scraps and dust hung in the air, not a figure to be seen throughout the hallway. I cautiously stepped out, each step I took was reverberated, answered with quiet groans of the House. Stepping into the main corridor, Mink stood at the table once more. A troubled expression on his face, as he massaged the bridge of his nose. I walked up to him, and gave him a questioning look. It was returned with one of angst, he spoke gruffly.

"Two of our attendees have vanished." the words slipped from his mouth, as he finished writing their names on the scrap of wallpaper. I opened my mouth to speak in return but he silenced me with his own voice, "They were children, their guardian has told us they heard something from the cellar and decided to open the door." he balanced the pencil eraser on the tip of his bottom lip.

"But she states that they were too afraid of the dark, and could not find their way back to their room after leaving the cellar, so as we're aware they could be lost somewhere in the house." I blinked, kneading my fingers through the back of my hair.

"Mink-san, what exactly is in the cellar? If it's not too much to ask.." I muttered quickly, averting my gaze to avoid scolding from Mink. After remaining silent for a period of time, "I don't know." he spoke bluntly, and it startled me. I nodded in respect, "Thank you." Trailing off, I turned to leave.

"At all costs, keep those doors sealed." Mink called, before dissapearing into another distant corridor of the house. I halted in the middle of the hallway, my eyes crossed with the place he once stood.

"What is this House trying to hide?"  as if to answer me, the House breathed shakily. I placed my hand against the decomposing daisy wallpaper, as if to soothe the timid structure. But it only hummed, as if deaf to everything around it. Retracting my hand, I paced to Koujaku's room and knocked softly. Immediately I was grabbed and launched inside. He was panting heavily, "Aoba."

I wheezed, peering up at him with a puzzled expression.

"Tell me you heard those noises last night." he was severely jittery, his hands shaking. I opened my mouth, and questioned.

"What noises are you talking about?" his grip around my wrist tightened and I whined, "Koujaku, ti-.." He released his hand, and exhaled breathlessly.

"I heard something like metal, contacting with stone. It kept me awake the entire night, and I swear I could hear someone crying.. Wait, don't tell me that was you?" he gave me a serious look, and I quickly realized this wasn't a joke.

"It wasn't me, I heard it too." I spoke reassuringly, and broke my voice down to a whisper.

"I think it was from the cellar." The floorboards creaked, and I clenched my fists. Koujaku looked back absently, "I agree, but maybe it's just the House. It is old after all." His words do not give me any assurance, and I embrace him with a grin.