Ruin Maketh Me

9 - Hark! The herald angels sing

     I fall down and down in darkness. There's not even a single glimmer of light except from the hole to the open sky, now disappearing farther and farther away. Now, I'm Alice in wonderland. Am I going to die again? Only a day into my new existence? 
     If only I can grab onto something, anything. I flail midair, but nothing. There's nothing. Then I break through something, a thin barrier, swimmers break through water. Gold light flashes all around me.
     And nothingness.

     My eyes blink open. I'm in a catacomb like stone hall. Although my limbs are sore, nothing feels broken or twisted. It doesn't seem like I'll die just yet.
I stand up and look around. There's no sign of where I came from. There's no hole in the impressive stone ceiling. Nothing. Magic again, probably, what with the golden light and 'barrier'.
Where is this place? The whole interior looks like an underground tomb, and there's candelabras holding lit candles as if someone's been in here recently. Damn it. My luck is just as bad as it used to be.
There's only one obvious way out hidden behind an archway. I stride into the dark passageway. The longer I stay here, the more dangerous the situation. No food, no water, no means of communication... A heavy sigh slips from my mouth. Fuck whoever decided to dig a hole in the ground.
I stumble deeper into the passageway. Fuck the person who decided to make the floor uneven. Fuck the person who decided not to put any lights in. Irritation grows like an itch. Fuck the person who built this place.
Bang! Pain splits through my head like a sledgehammer. Goddamnit! Why in all hell would the fucker put a wall here? I cup my screaming head and place my hand in the wall in front of me.
     It's solid but doesn't radiate coldness like the rest of the stone. I tap my knuckles on it, and it echoes hollowly. There's something beyond it! I take a few steps back and turning my torso, whip my leg out,
landing a solid kick on the plank.
     That's. Thunk. What. Thunk. You. Thunk. Get. Thunk. For. Thunk. Building. Thunk. A. Thunk. Goddamn. Thunk. Wall.
     Crash.
     And a sea of faces stare back at me.
     Holy shit.
     Where the fuck am I?
     "Run!" My heart screams. But I can't go back there. Not now. They've already seen me. I clench my fingers behind my back and step out into the light.
     I'm on a stage in the biggest hall I've ever seen, and a thousand faces stare up at me from the rows of seats below. Beautiful women and men and girls and boys and beasts and everyone, everyone looking up at me. And god, it's terrifying...
     It's exhilarating.
     And something starts raging inside of me like an unstoppable, crashing wave.
     "Who are you?" A magnificent voice resound besides me.
     And I turn to look at him, a tall middle aged man with brilliant gold hair, and I say, laughing, "I'm the fallen Luchus."
     What am I doing? I don't know. I don't know, and I can't stop myself. I must be going crazy, finally. Everything's clearer than it'd ever been, the man's wide, wide eyes and red, red mouth.
     It's your fault Jacques.
     It's your fault I've lost myself in front of so many people.
      I try to close my mouth, but I can't, "And who the fuck are you?"
     I think I might die.
     My feet move me forwards and forwards, until I can see the white of the eyes of a bunny girl in the front row. But I think I like the boy next to her better and his black, black eyes.
     Broken mirrors.
     Bloody knuckles.
     Pale face, red hair, black eyes.
     Fuck you, Cynder, fuck you.
      "I've had enough of this bullshit."
     Then I turn back to the golden man, staring at me like his stupid face is going to cave in, "Get me the hell out of here."
     Or I might do something I regret.