Hels Rebellion

Chapter 23: It's just an Escape Room

Bdubs awoke into a small room with noticeably gaudy wallpaper. It was warmly colored, and reminded him of a fancy hotel.

The ceiling was a light cream and the floor a carpeted mix of black and red. There was a din yellow light flush with ceiling that gave off a comforting glow.

He blinked a couple of times, taking in his surroundings. He was lying in a bed - not unusual to wake up in - but it didn't feel like one of his. It was too firm, and Bdubs was a plush kind of person. If he didn't wake up cradled by eight pillows and sweating a bit; it wasn't his bed.

He sat up, and a wave of pain traveled through his head. He grabbed at his head and let out a grumble - resisting the urge to lie back down.

He glanced to the side. There was another bed - and another person.

A female. Short brown hair. Stress? Why would she be here?

Why would he be here?

He looked around for a second longer, taking in the other details of the room. It was a near perfect square with two doors. One, a brown wooden door with a golden handle - and the other: a slate gray prison door with no visible lock.

Well, that probably wasn't good.

The man pushed himself out of the bed, trying to stave away the insisting headache. He stood on shaky legs and made his way to Stress. Her back was facing him, and he wanted to ensure it was her and not some complete stranger.

He whispered her name, but she didn't respond. He frowned before saying it a bit louder, "Stress?"

Still nothing.

He stepped closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. He shook lightly and repeated her name, but it still did nothing.

He rolled her over so that she'd be facing up.

His eyes widened.

Across her face were three long gashes, a claw mark down her entire cheek, dangerously close to her eye. The wound was somewhat old - the blood had dried and there was no blood on the bed; meaning it had dried before she was put here.

Bdubs' breath caught in his throat. He stepped back and looked around, trying to find something to clean the wound. There was nothing available within sight, so he looked to the brown door.

He made his way to it and cracked open the door just slightly. It was a bathroom. Toilet, sink, shower - everything. Was this actually a hotel???

He grabbed one of the hand towels by the sink and ran it under the lukewarm water. He checked the single cabinet below the sink to see if there were any medicines, but unfortunately it only contained toilet paper... and a wrap!

A single unlabeled gauze and one roll of medical tape. He took the towel back over with his new medical supplies, and hesitated once again.

On one hand, the blood could be the start of an infection in the wound, one too close to Stress' eye. On the other... the dried blood was sealing the wound. He had gauze, but not much. Opening the wound could be more dangerous.

Bdubs' swallowed nervously, holding the damp towel against her cheek. What was he supposed to do? Stress was the medical hermit!

With trembling hands, he began to wipe gently at the edge of the laceration. Luckily it was slightly smaller than the dried blood made it seem. The wound was a mess, and he took great care to wipe it down.

Stress' shifted just slightly, making a sound of discomfort. She winced and her eyes fluttered open, looking to the male.

"Bdubs?" she whispered, "What are you-?"