Echos In The Catacombs

Chapter 19: Inside The Walls

A/N: Apologies readers for no chapter on Friday, I was out all day and didn't get home until late. So I will bring you two chapters out today (and maybe two this Friday because I feel bad) 😊
____________________

Lizzie's P.O.V

I was currently observing the scene in front of me. Violet had taken one of the shovels from the graveyard and she was trying to dig up a fresh looking patch of dirt close to the Skeleton Tree. She was so determined to find something buried under there.

Meanwhile, Riven was in a world of her own. Staring up at the building in front of us. I knelt down in front of her just to make sure she was okay.

"Come on Violet you've been digging for a while. Nothing is buried underneath this dumb tree." I heard Pene say.

Right at that moment we all heard a 'clunk' noise. Violet had found something. She actually found something.  

"Aha!" Violet exclaimed. "Ha ha ha ha!" She was ecstatic. "Eat your words Pene! Eat 'em now!"

Pene folded her arms and shook her head with a sigh. "Fine, fine I'll eat them." Then she attempted to speak in reverse.

I smiled to myself. At least they're more trusting of each other.

Riven gasped, she snapped out of whatever phase she was in.

"Oh look who came back from her imaginary world." Vice said bluntly. I shot him a dirty look.

"Was it Narnia?" Violet asked.

Noire gently hit her on the back of the head. "That's through a wardrobe idiot."

Violet shook her head and turned her attention back onto whatever she dug up.

"It's a little box?" Violet spoke as she grabbed it from the dirt. "Skeleton key!" She practically yelled as she opened the box.

I stood up and faced them. "So you were right." I said softly.

"So I was. This doesn't happen very often so don't expect it to happen again." Violet replied, gently tossing the key over to me.

Riven tugged on my hand and pointed at the building. 

"We're going in there. Everyone has to face their past at some point in their life. You can't hide from it forever." I spoke gently. 

Riven took a firm grip of my hand as we walked into the building. The others remained outside for obvious reasons.

The walls were sparse. They looked as though someone had painted them with splatters of blood. 

I looked down at Riven. "Do you remember where your old room is?" I asked.

She held up four fingers.

"Fourth floor, got it." 

This building was only five stories, the fifth one was off limits to anyone but the staff. I'm pretty sure the police found some disturbing things up there when this place closed down in 1920.

We had made it to the fourth floor. My guess was that this skeleton key would unlock her room.

Oh boy was I wrong.

When we got to Riven's room the door was, to my surprise, unlocked. There was writing all over the walls, in English not whatever language it was written in the first time I met her.

As I glanced around my surroundings, a blank patch of wall caught my eye. I let go of Riven's hand and made my way over. The bricks were loosened, like someone was trying to hide something inside the walls.

I grabbed one of the bricks and managed to wiggle it out of the wall. I peered inside the gap and there it was.

"There you are." I spoke as I reached to grab the object.

I held up the file to Riven. "Found it."

Riven wore a big smile on her face. Maybe she's happy to finally found out some of the truth?

I opened it and read aloud. "Subject name....age....yada yada."

I skimmed through the 'non-important' information. "Observations. 'Subject constantly making odd facial expressions as if having a conversation, no words are spoken.' Do you know what that means?"

Riven tapped her temple twice with her index finger.

"It's in your head." I sighed.

I carried on reading. "Hold on. 'As I am writing this I am not able to determine what exactly has happened to the subject. She calls it 'Brakten', or that's what we've been able to figure out from the writing on the walls.  We do not yet know exactly what 'Brakten' is.' The rest has been smudged...." 

Riven gave me a look of despair.

"Riven.." I sighed. "They don't know what they've done to you. They don't know what they've created."

I handed the skeleton key to Riven. "Could you hold onto this? Protect it with your life."

She nodded and gave me a reassuring smile. I clutched the file and and took a hold of Riven's free hand with mine. "We have to leave."

We made our way outside to where the others were, if you could call it, waiting.

"You have that determined look on your face again." Violet spoke. "What happened?"

"I am not telling you here. We are all going somewhere safer, and I know just the place."
____________________

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 19 of Echos In The Catacombs
Chapter 20 should be out soon

Catch You Later~