Killed Killers (NaNoWriMo 2015)

Chapter Thirty Nine

    They plunged down the stairwell in record time, Ere working hard to avoid tripping over Gem's feet as he descended in front of her.

    They reached the bottom all too soon for Ere's liking, and Gem didn't hesitate before he pulled her out into the cavern.

    The sight that greeted them was not pretty. Furniture that Ere had never seen before was overturned on the main floor of the room, and the fountain that Ere had admired the first time she had seen it had been ripped apart. The plants lay scattered all over the landing, dirt from their roots scattered over the stairs. The wall of the fountain had been pulled down, so that the water didn't circulate properly, causing it to flow down the center of the stairs and pool on the floor below. Bodies lay around the room in awkward positions, around twenty five by Ere's count. She tried not to look too closely at the corpses, but she couldn't help but notice that one of them had a crushed skull, the mace that had been the tool of his death still lying on top of what remained of his head. She suppressed the urge to throw up, instead opting to focus her gaze on Gem's face. He had managed to get himself under control, and his face had returned to its usual composed position. Ere felt a twinge of disappointment, which confused her. Gem's moment of vulnerability had struck a chord somewhere inside of her, and something about his return to how he usually looked was semi depressing to Ere. She shook off the unwelcome emotions and focused at the task at hand.

    She could hear sounds that suggested a fight coming from above them to the right, and she prodded Gem gently with her elbow, motioning towards the sounds with her head when he looked down at her. He nodded, and they headed up the stairs, taking as minimal time to survey the damage as they possibly could.

    When they reached the balcony, Gem released her hand and took the lead. Gem tested the handle on the third door they passed, seeming unsurprised that it was locked. He grabbed his sword with both hands and threw his body weight against the door, shoulder first. The wood moved slightly, but the door didn't give way. Gem backed up and tried again, this time causing the door to collapse inward with a crash. Ere froze, fearful that the noise had alerted someone of their presence. When no one came after them, she relaxed slightly, turning her attention back to the room Gem had just broken into.

    The scene inside the mid sized room wasn't much better than any of the others they had chanced upon. It looked to be a bedroom, for either Cayde or Monica is what Ere assumed by the ornate decorations that hung on the walls. There was a large four poster bed standing in the middle of the room, and Gem seemed to be all eyes for it. Ere turned her attention to the bed as well, soon realizing what had Gem's attention.

    Monica was sprawled on the bed, her fiery red hair spread across the pillow as if she was asleep. She was dressed in a simple black gown that looked like what Monica would have considered casual attire. Her face was cut, and there were red blotches that Ere assumed would have formed into bruises. One of her eyes was covered in blood, so that Ere couldn't even tell if it was open or closed. The scrapes on her face weren't what was most concerning to Ere, though.

    Monica's limbs- her arms, legs, and head- looked as though they had been brutally hacked off. The attacker had severed her limbs and then placed her body on the bed, laying her severed arms and legs as though they were still attached. Gem reached out and touched her forehead, the light pressure that he applied causing her head to move away from her body, making it all the more clear that it was not attached any more.

    "Still warm." Gem said, pulling his hand back and turning away from her corpse, back towards the door. "Come on."

    Ere didn't hesitate to follow him, sure that Monica's body was already going to haunt her dreams, and sure that it would never leave her in peace if she didn't look away.