Arisu [ #JustWriteIt - Horror - Complete ]

Chapter Thirteen - Skull And Crossbones

"Give me the gold of this manor's wealth!
Your life is mine to control.
Now lead me to it before the bell's next toll!"

His muscles were burning - screaming for him to stop running. Eventually he had to obey. His chest heaved, his heart was pumping, and his legs gave in so easily when he dropped down to his knees.

They hid in the kitchen, behind a musty counter that was unexplainably covered in green moss. It wasn't the most ideal place for a break - but they'd have to make do.

Coryn mustered up a smile, determined to hide his fatigue from Alice, who slipped from his arms and sat alongside him on the dusty checkered floor.

"H-Hey... How are you holding up?" He asked, giving her a playful poke on the forehead. The little girl just shook her head. She was still holding the rabbit plush, peeking out from between its bent ears.

He leaned forward, resting a hand on the floor to keep from toppling over. Coryn knew his body needed a short rest - and he was determined to find out why Alice was maintaining such a grave silence.

"Sweetie, are you okay? You didn't... You didn't look into that creature's eyes, did you?"

She shook her head.

And then all of a sudden, tears started streaming down her face. Coryn pulled himself forward to give her a hug, unsure of what had upset her so badly.

"Shhh... You're going to be fine now, understand? We've all survived worse." No, they haven't. I have.

Gently, he pried the rabbit plush away from her grip. It felt soft and warm - but damp too. As he'd suspected, she'd been crying for quite awhile.

"Oh Alice..." Coryn felt his heart seize. He couldn't keep the despair out of his voice.

Her mouth was sewn shut with dark stitches, like some sort of doll. Thin dribbles of cherry-coloured saliva trickled from between the puncture wounds.

He couldn't bear to look at her, but he couldn't bear to leave her scared gaze either.

"I just need m-my grimoire and I-I'll have you right in a jiffy..." How hollow it sounded.

Coryn wasn't shivering out of shock. His words didn't tremble out of horror, oh no. He'd built an immunity to sickening sights a long time ago.

His expression was darkening. He had so much rage inside - just so much fury waiting to lash out like a venomous snake that was desperate to spread its merciless poison.

And Alice could sense that.

Gingerly, she took his hand and clasped it tightly. When Coryn looked her way, she shook her head. Her eyes pleaded with him to come back to his senses.

Coryn's robotic eye stopped glowing so brightly. It toned down to a dull gleam.

He sighed, a well-meaning sort of gesture to let her know that he wasn't going to lose his temper.

"Is the front door missing, by any chance?"

Nod.

"That's what I thought. It doesn't want any of us to leave. Ummph! This is all my fault! How could I have been so naïve? I waltzed us straight into the claws of the exact thing I wanted to avoid at all costs!"

There was something blissful about how Alice soothed him as he directed a vocal attack at himself. She gave him such a look - he knew exactly what she meant.

It's not your fault.

Coryn opened his mouth to say something to her.

But his voice was overthrown by an instinctive yelp. He yanked her closer and hugged her tightly, turning his back to the counter to shield her as a violent quake shook the kitchen with frenzy.

Massive clouds of dust were kicked up and ancient pottery tumbled off the shelves and in the middle of the chaos, a pair of red orbs cut through with their demonic glow, each bigger than a fully-grown pumpkin.

Coryn gritted his teeth and looked towards the orbs with his robotic eye. The surrounding dust was like red mist. He could feel dread creeping over his skin; they were in true danger indeed.

The dust settled. He almost wished it didn't.

A bunny, standing on all fours in a predatory pose. But it wasn't like the storybook ones. No, no, no. This rabbit was a skeleton. A skeleton full of sharp bones, grinning sets of razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws.

A colossal skeleton that was over fifteen feet tall.

Coryn looked away, struggling not to drown in the panic. Such a creature dwarfed him in size - and something told him that those bones weren't brittle.

What chance do I have against that awful thing?

Alice had dissolved into a shivery bundle of warmth in his arms, terrfied by the sounds. The last thing she needed to see was the White Rabbit's monstrous transformation.

The skeleton took a thundering step forward, sending tremors across the shuddering floor. The checkered tiles cracked underneath its "paws."

It must weigh a ton when it materialises. Coryn thought. I wonder if that's why it was so slow to follow me and Alice....?

A faint plan was begining to sketch itself out in his head, but he was unsure if he should try inking it in. If it didn't work, the price would be heavy.

Another step. Another tremor. Another series of heavy cracks. It was getting closer to them. The orbs pulsated, snugly hovering inside the gaping sockets of the rabbit's eyes.

Coryn made up his mind, rigid with anxiety.

He could barely remember the correct way to breathe.

"A-Alice? I know this sounds disastrous, but I want you to hide in here, okay? Find somewhere that the mean rabbit won't find you..."

[Coryn has a plan - and I hope you're prepared for a battle, dear reader! With love, from Phantom.]