A Box Of Kittens

Chapter 43

WOAH, I GOT 100 FOLLOWERS!!!!!!! DUDES, WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?! THAT IS SO AWESOME! I love you guys so much, thanks for sticking around for as long as some of you guys have (almost a year and a half, can you believe that?!), all your support has helped me SOOOOO much

 ♪───Ｏ（≧∇≦）Ｏ────♪ .

 You guys are truly amazing, this wouldn't be possible without your support. 

(Finding ARMY at a theme park is super awesome, he was so kind! Also, his bias is Jungkook. Any Jungkook stans out there, it looks like you've got competition!)

"I highly regret splitting up, now," (your name) groaned to Undertaker as they trudged on through the darkness of the tunnel, the sound of arguments bouncing off the damp walls, causing a painful thumping in her head. 

"Not much we can do about it now, I suppose," Undertaker laughed half-heartedly. Seems he, too, had a headache. How did the argument start, you ask? Grell. He simply didn't know how to keep his roaming paws to himself. This had angered William, causing him to snap and to turn around to face the offender, his voice raised as he scolded the bright red kitten. Grell yelled back, appalled that he thought that he had the audacity to 'use that tone with a maiden, such as himself'. 

Edward growled in annoyance, walking close to Elizabeth's side protectively. Snake's snakes, the adorable little worms of fluffy fur slithering beside him, became agitated, their fur standing on end. "'All this noise is hurting my ears!' cried Wordsworth," Snake cried out suddenly. 

(your name)'s brows furrowed in confusion. "Do snakes even have ears?"

"'Of course we do! We feel the vibrations the noise make through our jaws!' Oliver is quite right about that." Huh. The more you know.

Alois had distracted himself from the noise, choosing instead to prance around the group, wiggling his flank and his paws, crying out a loud "Olé!" that echoed louder than the Reapers' argument. Ciel was visibly irritated, with his fur standing on end, his tail puffed up. Wolfram and Sieglinde shared amused looks between them. Finny was murmuring to the other servants of how his paws hurt.

"Alrigh', c'mon, kid," Bard sighed, lying down in front of him.

Finny clambered onto his back, gripping tightly- but not so much that it hurt- onto Bard's fur. "Thank you, Bard!" Finny smiled broadly, his bright turquoise eyes glittering happily.

"Yeah, wha'ever. Don' worry about it." Bard dismissed, grunting slightly at the boy's weight as he struggled to stand. His legs wobbled underneath him, threatening to give way, but he forced them to stop shaking, puffing out his chest as he carried on walking, now with the addition of a very happy kitten on his back. "Anyway, can't be much longer, can it? This tunnel's gotta end at some point."

"You're quite right about that, Bard," (your name) said, turning her head over her left shoulder to smile at him. When she turned around again, her face met with that of a wall. The others winced slightly upon impact, watching as her nose squished against the brick, staining the dull grey of it with a crimson red- blood poured out of both nostrils. (your name) nearly dropped the candelabra she was holding; a shaking hand flew up to her nose, catching the steady flow of coppery blood as it flooded into her open mouth. "Jesus, well done, (your name)," she said sarcastically to herself.

Undertaker's hand vanished within the depths of his robes momentarily before he ripped out a handkerchief from within, handing it over to (your name), who gratefully took it, replacing her bloody hand with white cloth. The white colour didn't remain for long, however, as blood seeped onto the material. Undertaker giggled maniacally and the sparkle of chartreuse-coloured eyes shone from behind his fringe of grey hair. "Are you quite alright, my dear?" he said in between giggles.

(your name) rolled her eyes, smiling. "Yes, I'm alright, just a little blood, you know?"

"I'm guessing that's not the way to go," Ronald added unhelpfully. To which William replied with a "of course it isn't!" of his own.

"Well, we can just go back the way we came, yes we can!" Mey-Rin replied happily, the small, round glasses slipping down her nose. She pushed them up hastily with her paw.

Alois groaned. "But we just came from there! I don't want to go back, it's so boring!"

"Yes, well, Trancy, it is the only other way from here," Ciel rolled his eyes, a scowl set upon his features. "There's simply no other way. It seems like our butlers chose the correct path and we didn't. We'll have to go back." He turned abruptly and without warning, and left, tail held high as he walked through the darkness by himself. The others soon caught up and, with (your name)'s candlelight, make their way back through the darkness.

~~~

Sebastian and Claude emerged from the tunnel behind a painting. They pushed it forward and, as if on a hinge, it swung forward, admitting them into the room ahead of them. Dust littered their uniforms- not the tailcoats!- and stained their gloves a dirty brown. Sebastian's brows crumpled in disgust, it being mirrored by Claude. The putrid smell of rotting flesh hit their flared nostrils and their eyes darkened, glossing over with a light fuchsia hue.

They appeared to be in a bedroom of sorts, if one could even call it that. The windows had thick boards nailed over them, light barely escaping into the room through the cracks; the curtains had a thick coat of dust and dirt coating the heavy fabric. Parts of the ceiling had fallen in, debris littering the wooden floor- wooden boards jutted out at odd angles, the faintest stains of blood on the sharp corners of wood. A body lay on top of dirty sheets, her feet caked with dirt and her own blood. Her body appeared almost skeletal, her skin clutching closely to her joints and bones, peeling away in places to reveal maggot-infested wounds.

Her hands clutched to her chest, bony and willowy. Her mouth hang open, forever caught in a scream of... what was it? Pain? No, something more than that. Fear? Perhaps. Her hair was greasy and thin, clumps of her scalp visible through the dull brown locks. She was naked.

The demons approached the body carefully, crouching down next to the body as Claude lifted her hair away from her neck. Bruises littered her now exposed neck, the green-black contrasting with the paleness of her skin. After checking in concern, Sebastian confirmed what had happened mentally to himself. Dried blood painted her behind and had dripped down onto the back of her thighs.

"I see what sort of room this once was," Sebastian mumbled to himself and Claude  nodded.

"So it seems," Claude stood up abruptly, traipsing his was across the rubble to the door. He ripped the door off of its hinges, throwing it down behind him. He turned to Sebastian, motioning with a gloved hand. The demon in question nodded, appearing at the other's side.

They split off in different directions, Claude choosing to check down the hall while Sebastian headed up the stairs to the roof. He kicked the door the roof's clean away. The wind whipped around him as he emerged onto the roof, dropping into a low stance and whipping his hidden knives out from up his sleeve. The figure sitting against the chimney chuckled quietly, turning to face him. 

"I thought it would be you."

Hello again. Exams are fun, aren't they? We have them tomorrow and the rest of the week. No lessons, just straight exams. Fun... Unfirtuntely, that's life. What is also unfortunate is that the next chapter (or the one after it) will be the last chapter! Sad, right? Depending on those who want it, I'll consider writing a sequel. Only if it's popular <3.

Word count: 1311