Haereditas: The Lost Art

Chapter 7: If Skeletons Could Dance

The walls up ahead seems to be closing up on them, forcing Lorelei to grab on to Francesco as she flinched. Beads of sweat trickle down his temple as he looks ahead and sees nothing that might look significant. Darkness stretched infinitely, and the chasm was never-ending. Their ears rang with the silence, and the air turned heavier with each moment that passed. Her legs ached intensely, and every step that she took caused a sharp pain to course from her leg up to her neck. She was struggling to even stand up straight, but the thought of having Francesco worry and fuss all over her gripped her throat shut. The mission takes priority, she thought, and to have him worry for her will just slow things down. Seeing as how Francesco's eyes burned with passion and the eagerness to finally end this ridiculous tradition, she just couldn't make herself do something that might just extinguish that flame.

"You sure you're okay?" Cesco asks, noticing her difficulty in lifting her legs as they proceeded.

"Nah, it's just a bit numb," she stomps her foot to fake it but ends up sending another wave of pain through her body, "Dam- I-I meant, look - see, it's all okay!"

Francesco didn't look so convinced, "Are you really sure? I could've sworn I saw your skeleton jump out when you did that stomp."

"Really," she breathes deeply. "I'm fine."

She continued to walk ahead of Francesco while grasping the walls for support. She could feel the humidity of the room from the moss and fungi growing from the crevices of the walls. The ragged finish and the crumbly exterior was all that was left from the years of damage that was caused by the water that seeped through the cracks. It all seemed very old, ancient - one that might've been around for 100 or so years, or maybe even more.

"It's surprising how plants can still grow down here with no light at all," she fumbles with the tiny leaves that she could feel. "Do plants even grow with no sunlight?"

"Supposedly, they couldn't," Francesco ran up to her to feel the plants himself. "It really is surprising."

"Come on," she gestured up ahead. "Maybe something ahead can explain all this."

As they continued, they found some more things that was more disturbing than the plants that grew in the dark. As they marched forward, crackling sounds seemed to resonate throughout the room, and an arid smell coated their nostrils. The walls changed from concrete to brick - layer upon layer of massive rectangular pieces that were pieced together to form a larger hollowed-out path than before. The smell of burning sulfur stung their eyes to tears, puffy and swollen to even see the darkness clearly. They staggered and struggled to keep their bearings straight as they passed through the brick tunnel. With no clear vision and their lungs slowly giving out, the only way out was back to where they came from, but they both knew that it was a long way back.

"God this smell is so disgusting," Lorelei gagged as she tried to soldier forward. Francesco tried to lean her onto him for additional support, but the weight was simply pulling both of them down.

"Come on," his throat hacked for a breath - seemingly closing up due to the lack of air. "We should keep on moving forward, we can't go back now,"

"We certainly can't," she replied. "Move me closer to the wall, I'd lean there instead. I'll bring you down with me if you keep on supporting me."

He coughed violently in response and shook his head in approval. "Good idea," he says as he moved towards the wall, leaning her back to other side.