✔ | PAINTED IN CRIMSON | T. SHARPE

FOURTEEN | PROMISES TO THE DEAD

❝I'll walk an other mile
to chase the thought of you. ❞

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FOURTEEN | PROMISES TO THE DEAD

"Damn it," Josh said to me as he slowly climbed the steps to the foyer, "it's freezing in here," I heard him mutter under his breath, rubbing his hands together.

I tried to stay close to him all the time, so whoever saw him -either Lucille or Thomas- would know he was with me. Josh stood at the door to the kitchen, talking about how 'insane and amazing' the place was. I looked up at the archway, which had the family crest on it, I read the 'Mors vincit Omnia' again and again, this time it wasn't only an inscription in a piece of wood, I began to think if that inscription would come true. The sound of the old elevator made me return to reality.

"Josh?!" I called, rushing to the elevator, fearing something bad had happened to him.

"Hey, you didn't say anything about an elevator," I sighed when I heard him and waited for the elevator to then join Josh in the mines, "it's pretty amazing how everything works, despite all these years," he said, I got in the elevator and Josh helped me to open the door when I got down there.

"Thanks- wait, my laces are undone." I said, crouching down to lace them up. Josh stood by me looking at his surroundings. My boots were stained with clay and it didn't seem like it would be easy to clean up; I had to stop bringing good stuff to that place.

"Hmm?" Josh hummed.

"What?"

"Nothing . . ." he said, walking to one of the vats. I dusted my clothes and made my way towards him, "Is this the clay?" He asked.

"Yeah," I saw the pencil I used to touch the clay the first time I had come to the mines and did the same with it. I slowly dipped it into the red substance, "how deep do you think these vats are?"

"I don't know," I gave him the pencil and he touched the clay as I bent over to see it closer, "look at that one," he said, pointing and walking towards another vat, it was empty, "I think that answers your question-" he suddenly stood straight and put the pencil on the edge of the vet, "alright, will you stop?"

"Stop what?"

"Oh, come on, you don't have to speak in whispers to make me believe in ghosts-" he hadn't finished the sentence when he jerked, turning his back at me and taking a step back, pushing me into the vat and making me scream his name as I tried to grab hold of his arm.

"Adeline!" He cried out and reached out to take my hand, but I went all the way down the vat, hitting the fairly hardened clay, "Adeline, are you okay?" He shouted. Slowly, I sat up, wincing in pain as I touched my arm and looked for injuries, "Adeline, talk to me!"

"I'm fine!" I managed out in a trembling voice and I heard him muttering something I couldn't quite understand with the echo.

"There's a rope in the car, I'll be right back, you heard me?"

"No!" I said immediately. I couldn't let him walk around the house alone, "Uhm, I'm sure you'll find something here-"

"There's nothing I can use to get you out of there-"

"Just try!" I cried out. I saw him disappearing up there and I continued to examine my arm, which had a bruise now, nothing really serious. I took a step back and I heard something cracking under my boot. I pulled out my phone and used it as a torch, since my own shadow obstructed the poor light coming from above. A high pitched scream left my lips and my back hit the wall.

"Adeline?!" I heard Josh's voice echoing in the empty vat as I stared at the figure on the ground, "Ad?"

"I'm okay," I said, "did you find something?"