Slowly opening my eyes, I saw my arms tightly around Gale. She had her head resting right on my shoulder as she pressed against me. Her arms wrapped around my neck snuggly to keep herself in place. I began to shift to see her face. Bruises filled it from our previous battle. Her breaths came out raspy as if she had trouble breathing. Guilt filled me. I felt as if her current condition was my fault, that I was too weak to protect her.
I shifted back to the position I was in previously. However in doing that Gale began to wake up slowly. She held me tighter as she yawned. "5 more minutes..." she said in a tiresome tone. The only thing I could offer her was my compliance, so I continued to lay in the tub. Even while being in pain, a small smile broke through while being here. Her eyes began to open wider before turning to my face. Her smile quickly faded as she jolted up. In response to that, she fell down back onto me. Her blood pressure was too low to do sudden actions like that. She gave an aggravated sigh. "Don't get the wrong idea, Faust. You're just comfortable to lay on." I gave a silent nod before she got back up slowly, wincing as she rose.
I got up with her as I picked up my equipment scattered around the room, while Gale did the same. I looked towards her, she was having difficulty moving around. "Gale, do you want me to go and scout ahead." She turned towards me with a pensive look. "As long as you promise to come back and not die." I shook my head before stretching slightly. "I don't plan on ditching you or dying, so don't worry." She gave a slow thumbs-up as I began to walk out. I looked behind and saw her leaning on the sink as she began to wash her face. I closed the bathroom door and then the main door of the room before exiting.
Looking at the hotel's halls, it was very eerie to see such a dilapidated building be completely quiet. I walked towards the end of one of the hallways as I approached a window. Looking outside of it, the hotel and its foundation were still being moved towards a certain direction. The eternal night made it hard to see where we were, but there were no lights to illuminate any path. I wouldn't be able to tell if there was an ocean or land below. Glancing to my right, I saw a staircase that continues downwards as I slowly began to make quiet steps while going down.
Down one flight of stairs, I opened the door to the next floor. As soon as I did, a wave of pure darkness enveloped my surroundings. It was an abyss that took residence in this hall. I closed my eyes as I began to sense the aura of heat in the environment. Many lifeless bodies laid around as I began to tiptoe around the bodies. There was one aura that stood out from the rest. The outline appeared to be of a petite lady sitting down. As I approached her, I began to hear crying. I saw the head turn towards me as I raised my hands above my head. "I don't wish to fight, I'm trying to get out here as well." The lady stood up and faced towards me. "You're able to see me?" I nod a tiny bit. "Somewhat. I can only see your outline, but I know you are there." She turned around as she sniffled a bit. "I tried to protect the others. They all were fighting one another, so I enveloped them in the darkness." I looked back at the dead bodies and turned back towards her. "So why are you still here then?" She gave a begrudging sigh. "Everyone is still trying to kill one another, and if I remain here, I may not be viewed as alive in the competition. In shortest terms, I'm just trying to live."
I bit my lips as I thought about it. I have to figure out a way to avoid being the final bounty hunter to save Gale as well. I doubt many would follow my idea though. However, one more ally is one less enemy. "If I win, I'll make sure to keep you safe as long as you help me out." She walked closer towards me as the lady tilted her head. "How many people are dead on this floor?" I asked. A humming noise came from the lady as she responded. "A little under 50 people." 50 people... ultimately I realized it didn't matter how many were dead. There was bound to be only one or two survivors per floor that are most likely approaching downstairs to all fight. The lady tapped my shoulder as I turned to her. "What's your name by the way, and do you have any allies to assist you in winning?" She asked quietly. "I have one ally, she's resting right now though. Also, the name's Faust."
The woman hummed softly. "My name is Luna, nice to meet you." She extended her hand forward as I went to shake it. I held my hand out not knowing the exact location of hers, but she eventually clasped mine and giggled. I began to feel a bit light headed as she held on to my hand. Eventually, I snapped out of it as I looked back towards her. "Sorry for doing that, but this will serve as a link to talk telepathically. Anyways, you should get back to your teammate, they are probably waiting for you." I gave a nod as I waved goodbye and began going back upstairs.