Second Heartbeat

Down the Rabbit Hole

Warning: Mature (sexual) content towards the end!

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"Are these them?" Noctis asks, his white handkerchief covering his nose as he stares at the five wooden caskets lying before him on the grass of the local graveyard.

"Yes," the undertaker agrees with a nod. "All five of them."

"Poor girls," Noctis muses quietly as two men run forward, prying off the lid of the first casket.

"Poor girls? They were stupid enough to walk inside of the forest by themselves," the undertaker retorts, earning a confused glance from the young man beside him.

The two assistants jump back slightly as the lid finally flies off, gagging quietly at the smell as they shuffle backwards. Noctis strides past the assistants, kneeling on the ground. One of his hands keeps the handkerchief attached to his nose as he leans forward. The stench of rotting flesh rises through the air, his eyes watering.

"Would you like to be left alone?" the undertaker calls out.

"Yes," Noctis replies. "Thank..." He trails off when he glances over his shoulder, realizing that the three men are already halfway down the hill. "... you," he finishes with a sigh.

He returns his attention back to the body before him. Thankfully her face has been covered with a thin cloth, but her body is almost translucent it's so pale. Thin blue veins are almost popping out of her skin, most likely an effect of being drained of all blood. He picks up a limp arm with his free hand, closely examining the clammy flesh. There's not even a bruise. It's like she just lost all of her blood in an instant, and it's like nothing he's ever seen before.

Noctis' eyes narrow as a small flash of red catches his attention. Quickly fiddling with his glasses in his bag, he shoves them on his face and hovers over the girl's body. The smell is hardly affecting him anymore as he moves the girls' head to the side, revealing her neck... complete with two, small puncture wounds. The marks failed to heal, so it was made either after death or right before death... How had no one seen this?! Idiot doctors in small towns, they're so simple-minded compared to those from the city. With a heavy heart Noctis moves towards the second victim, even more confused than he had been earlier.

[❥] 

Why you were sent on grocery duty instead of one of the maids is beyond you, but it ended up working out for the best (or worst, depending on how you look at it). As you're walking down the street with two heavy bags filled to the brim with cheeses, sweets, and meats, two welcomed faces greet you.

"Hey, need some help?" Roxas asks, sounding a bit more friendly than he did yesterday as he grabs one of the bulging bags from your arms.

Axel grabs the other bag without even asking, and you smile slightly as you rub your sore shoulder.