BATIM: Bloody Heart REMAKE

Chapter 8

Startled, I woke up.

"Don't you realize how dangerous this is!" A familiar voice, that is usually quite warming to listen to, shouted, making me sit up. 

"Do we have a choice?" A deep, perhaps unfamiliar voice, said calmly. 

"I don't want to risk it. I'm not ready to lose her again. She was my-" I stood from the bed, listening silently, and walking equally silently across the floorboards to find something to see my reflection in. I found a piece of glass and was able to manage my bed head, untangling the piece of hair that formed a nest. 

A sigh came from the conflicted voice before the deep voice explained, "You'll rush in to save the girl anyway, so why are you worrying?" 

"I could fail."

"No, you won't." I quickly walked down the hall and into the large room, "I don't know what you're talking about, but I know that you won't fail." A small, reassuring smile met my lips. Ben looked, meeting my eyes, and "Boris" groaned, quite forcefully averting his eyes. 

"Thanks," Ben said, holding my gaze for a few more seconds before looking away, embarrassed. "So what's going on?" I say, my voice stronger than assumed last night, but I honestly don't know what time it is, or even how long I've been asleep. Heck, I don't even know the date!  

"We have to confront Alice," The wolf said with an atrocious smirk. Alice?

"Who's that?" I ask, walking over to a chair that was beside Ben, but not sitting in it, and rather standing behind it. I watched the wolf's eyes dancing in amusement as he looked into mine, resting his head on his upright hand and his other arm resting across the table. Under his arm were drawings and notes, stains of ink blocked out several words, making the sentences seem unreadable. 

"Hmm," The wolf hummed, his eyes still dancing, and yet was able to darken, "You'll find out." A smirk made its way to his pale, dirty, handsome features. My stance stiffened, but it quickly softened as the trickster's arm that was across the table twitched and then reached below the table to grab a lever piece.

We, Ben and I, watched him stride towards the door, serving us a glance then placing the lever in a space in the wall. He pulled it down, and the door, with a loud machinery clatter, slowly opened up. "Let's get going, shall we?" Without a response, he walked through the doorway. Ben and I exchanged glances until I followed him out the same doorway after he stood up. 

A few steps into the new hall, I asked, "So what's the plan?" I walked beside Ben and we walked behind Boris, who led the way. "When we come across Alice, um, Boris can explain instead." The wolf jerked, then groaned, seeming bothered. 

"I don't need to know right away actually," I said, staring at the wolf's back. His shoulders relaxed from being stiff and I smiled to myself. I guess I did him a favor. Ben noticed my smile, looking at me for a second before looking away. He questioned himself, but then quickly he put aside his thoughts. There are more important things to worry about right now. 

Boris grabbed the flashlight that resided on the wooden desk and headed towards the pitch-black hallway. Ben and I glanced at each other before I went through the corridor before him, and him quickly following me closely behind. The only light that appeared in front of us was Boris' flashlight, if that is even his real name.  

Eerie, this felt, but it would be stupid to walk the other direction back into his "home" since I can't even do anything there except for sleep, listen to music, and torture myself with bacon soup. It looks like ink anyway. Just the thought of it makes me unhungry. Ew.

I try making out shapes in my surroundings. Machinery surrounded us, along with shelves and moving wheels. Loud and terrible sounding rackets followed us from all sides as we continued walking forward, taking turns to reach our craved destination, wherever that was. Boris proceeded to lead the way, Ben and I standing next to each other, a few steps farther from the wolf.

I eyed my surroundings as much as I could, and Ben was there to stay with me and my curiosity. Boris, who seemed to only care about getting out and away from the darkness, didn't notice our wavering and simply proceeded to walk. "Y/n," Ben said, grabbing hold of my attention. I look towards him, then behind him, where Boris kept walking.

Looking back to him, I apologize. With one last look of the machinery, I take long steps to reach a step behind the wolf. Up ahead, there was a closed door. "Dead end," the wolf muttered. Then, behind us, a loud shutter made the floor shake. The loud shutter from the door closed and trapped us in the room!

"What," I breathe out, "How do we get out?" Looking around the room, I notice a vent closer to the door, which is blocking the way we need to go. The other two had noticed the vent as well.

"Well get down there, "Y/n." 

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me." Boris tried handing me the flashlight.

"Y'know, you're a really funny man. That's a really funny joke. Hahaha." I look towards Ben with pleading eyes. No way am I going down there! There could be a dead body back there for all I know.

"Boris, she's not going into the vent," Ben said, a calm demeanor. 

Boris turned, then tried to give the flashlight to Ben, "Then you go!"

"Wow, he really is funny! Haha, that is a really good joke! No." Ben retorted, "It's been years since I've been down this way. You, on the other hand, practically live down there." His lips lifted into a smile. Pushing the flashlight to Boris' chest, Ben said, "Have fun!" 

With a grimace, Boris faced towards the vent, tore off the shaft, got onto his knees, then crawled through. Of course with every action involving some kind of curse towards us or a swear word. I laid the shaft up against the open space of the vent. Staring at the door that should open any second now for a few seconds and then I finally looked to Ben.

"Hey," he looked towards me, and I felt panicked, "Do you,"

"Do you know if I've been here before?"