"Come to me."
He mouthed over and over like a broken record.
The next few seconds came a bit as a blur to her.
Just as she stepped over, Xander appeared from nowhere and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her back inside.
Her vision was hazy and unclear.
For the moment, only Xander's seemingly concerned yet indignant expression was visible.
♦
"Hello there sleeping beauty."
A familiar voice called the moment she opened her eyes.
"Xander?"
Xander strode to the bed, smirking teasingly.
"I know you were expecting your prince charming, but he's out fighting for your life right now."
"What do you mean fighting?" Rena got up, concerned.
"Relax Red. He's probably doing better than you are right now."
Rena pulled a confused face.
"Meaning?"
Xander sat beside her.
"You're getting weaker Irene. At least, your body is."
"But, why?"
Xander looked away, as if regretting speaking the next words.
"Because the darkness in you is getting stronger."
An uncomfortable feeling crept up on her.
"So, what does this mean?"
"Let's leave that up to fate." He smiled assuredly.
"After all, nothing is set in stone, right?"
His rhetorical question left her mind in a daze.
Did he mean there was a possibility she could actually die?
"Where are we?" She asked him, trying to steer her mind away from those thoughts.
"Is this a... Cave?"
The place looked like an unimaginably huge cave, that evidently stretched out for miles on end. Its walls glistened with dark blue lights, and its floors were carpeted. The place also had a somewhat homey feel to it.
"A cave?" He laughed.
"No, Red. We... Are in hell." He smiled evilly as if trying to frighten her.
"Really?" She gasped in surprise.
"Well, not the deep darkest abyss of it, but definitely within its borders." His smile grew significantly.
"Why here...?" She suddenly asked. As far as she knew, they were supposed to be away from, not near the demons.
"What? You're not afraid?" He asked, genuinely curious.
"As long as you're here, not really." Her eyes continued to scan the 'cave', mesmerized.
Surprise flashed in Xander's eyes. He walked closer and sat next to her on the large bed.
"What reason do you have to trust me? You do realize that I could secretly be working with whoever's trying to get to you, right?"
Rena turned to him, unamused.
"Stop trying to frighten me, Xander. You're not good at it." She rolled her eyes.
"Besides, if Darien trusts you, then so do I."
Suddenly, a white puppy ran inside, instantly jumping onto Xander's lap, licking him affectionately.
Rena was stunned into silence for a while. Her thoughts drifted back to Darien.
"He really brought you here huh..." She exclaimed as she reached out to pet the little canine.
"What's his name?" She asked.
"Blizzard."
♦
