The Vault

7.

Her heart thumped so powerfully that it felt like it was going to explode as she dizzily fell to the floor.

Abraham placed the candle on the floor and grabbed his daughter's shoulders. Her eyes rolled about loosely as he held her upright and called her name. She had fainted.

Picking his daughter up, he carried her into the living room and carefully placed her on the lounger before quickly scampering into the hallway to grab his light.

Her eyesight came back with a distorted, hazy vision. In front of her, the ghoulish, pale face slowly turned recognisable. Her father sat there with a concerned expression, before smiling courteously when he realised she had regained her senses.

"Feeling okay?" He asked congenially.

"What happened?" Alice asked with a groan as she rubbed her head.

"I was hoping you could tell me, I came across you looking down the tunnel before you started screaming hysterically."

"I don't remember," Alice replied.

"I think I must have involuntarily scared the life out of you, you poor thing. Let me get you a glass of water," Abraham said calmly before making his way out of the living room.

The wind outside whistled loudly as it forced the congregations of plant to shake side to side. She watched the faint outline of tangled overgrowth rattle away in the darkness, and it sparked a faint memory in the back of her head.

Abraham walked back into the lounge with a glass of water, placing it into his daughters hands and sitting on the chair beside her.

"I was woken by the weather," Alice said before taking a sip.

"Yes it has taken a foul turn tonight," Abraham said. "It's quite the distraction, luckily I can't hear it down in my.. study," he joked.

Alice smiled slightly before taking another drink from her glass.

"If you are scared about anything, you are welcome to stay here tonight, I will only be down the vault if you need me," Abraham continued.

"You can't possibly be serious," she answered.

"I can't waste this creative spark."

"You need to sleep, it's unhealthy that you keep getting up in the afternoon, and even more unhealthy you are planning on being down in that dingy pit until the early hours of the morning."

"It's what works best for me," Abraham said sternly as he rose from the seat.

Suddenly, Alice reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Father, please," she pleaded.

She clearly looked scared. "Go to bed," she continued.

Abraham looked down at her with concern, he could see the genuine terror in her eyes. Accepting his daughter's feelings, he reluctantly agreed. "Very well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get an earlier night."

He held out his hand to help her up and they walked out of the living room, leaving the tangled mess of flora beckoning behind them. "Go on, get yourself another glass of water," he ordered his daughter, and she made her way into the kitchen, leaving Abraham behind in the dark corridor, hidden away from the candle's light.

Standing there in the darkness, he heard that repetitive whisper ride the wind out of the vault. "Abraham..." it whispered gently.

"Father?" Alice said curiously as she stood at the bottom of the stairs, ready to go.