Ah. Dust should have known it. Even without memory he should have guessed that his luck is very bad.
If not, how come the second he wake up he find himself in this kind of place without knowing even his own name?!
Now even if he isn't willing to admit, it he has too.
After all, how come the nightmare he had, seem to be his reality ?
He has shitty luck.
-Did you all heard in your dream the voice? the one who speak about guest…(Princess frown, casting a grey line on her forehead, as thought she tries very hard to recall the exact word) Guest, Guest of horror or something?
-Yes. i heard it.
The answer come from the back of the group. Dust nearly jump surprised.
He really thought that the last to come up was the two girls.
This kind of tone, it is really ominous.
They look at the newcomer, but can only see the outline of his sharp shin, everything else is hidden by the lack of light. As his lamp torsch point toward the other nine, he, himself, is in the dark.
Eyes take a step away from him and Dust follow. The girl who accompany Princess shrink a little. But everybody else stand their ground.
The appareance of this man is really suspicious, how can he suppress his aura that easily before?
Purple belly step in.
-Then… Shall we look for the key to open the door?
He gives them an ankward smile, looking like he will start to laugh to dispel the tension in the air in a second or two.
This time it is Pony who answer.
She walks like a cavalry horse ready to break through the enemy ranks, big confident strides take her in front of the door.
-It is just a door and it is just a dream.
Her hand fall on the clinch and she push it down under their eyes.
But the door stay closed.
She tries again with a bit more force.But it still doesn't budge.
Stubborn, she shrugs, and declares without backing off, her back facing the group.
-If it's locked, the door can still be broken down to get out.
She takes a couple of steps back, readying herself to push her way out with her body.
The old man in the middle of the circle of light projected by the light bulb stop her.
-Wait. breaking a door isn't that easy. You may break your shoulder.
While he speak his gaze shift over the group at the top of the staircase.
His grey eyes taking a silver shine because of the lighting.
Dust now is more anxious than he already was. He clench his lamp torch with much more force.
He doesn't want to appear too crazy, but really if so many things are the same as the dream, would this be that suprising if the monster in it, is here too?
This idea seems to be shared by the others , if he judges this by the anxious expression of those around him. But nobody dare to speak about it out loud.
Could this be real? A dream becoming real, a shadow like creature hunting human?
He isn't willing to gamble.
His foots take him to the wall at his left. Where an empty shelf stand alone, full of spiderwebs made black by the dust.
And like the man in his dream, he takes support on the rocky wall with his back,slightly raising his flasch light in front of him.
Surely, his lamp torch will not go out in a critical moment?
Eyes send him a questioning glance.
Dust can only beckon him with a wave of his hand to come closer. When his friend does so, he whisper in his ears after the boy bend his neck for him to reach.
-Put your back on the wall. Ah, aren't you waiting for something to come behind you and drag you who know where?
The brown-eyed boy is near enough for him to be able to see his expression. All over his face Dust can read " Are you crazy to believe this?"
He scoffs but he put his back against the wall too.
Dust has the feeling that the suspicious man look at them after their previous action but he isn't sure.
Old man open his mouth apparently wanting to speak however the Suspicious, as Dust now name him, speak first while walking forward.
-I will help her.
He takes big steps, pass in front of the older one, his frost like feature only visible for one or two second before he leaves the cercle of light.
His red hair appearing bloody.
Then he stops next to Pony.
-We need to hit the door with our foots. Just under the lock.
Directly after saying this he gives the first strike, Pony does the second.
Soon they can only hear the noise of their repeated hits.
The door vibrates under their attacks, cloud of dust rise, and the echo of the repercussions spread in the room like death knell.
Dust watch in the sideline with bated breath, the light of his flash light trembling faintly.
The more time it takes the more he sweats.
Sometimes his eyes go back to the stairs they climbed, stairs who seem to taunt him.
He can only see the first steps, the rest plunge into the obscurity.
Next to him, Eyes has a heavy breathing, his Adam's apple going up ans down like crazy.
Two minutes after, they are still hitting the damn door which remain intact.
Pony pants, but instead of stopping she gets excited and start to swear.
-What kind of fucking wood is this?!It is just wood! Fuck, Are you putting any strength in it?!
Suspicious answer her critics by stopping his actions toward the door. Returning to the light circle.
-Where are you going?!Keep on going!
Now under the light bulb, his blue eyes can be clearly seen, his eyelashes so thin that it is like he had none , similar to a deep blue lac covered by ice with nothing around it. His facial features are too wild and too sharp to be beautiful or handsome.
Something in him clash terribly. The passionate dyed hair, warm and wild against his eyes of ice. His sharp nose like an arrow against his full lips titling upward. Blue veins creep along his neck, visible under his pale skin,some smaller ones are under his eyes, giving the rising tilt of it a more dramatic effect.They all can see he is lean, and tall with traced muscles.
-The wood should have given way long ago.
Pony turn around to look at him, saying with certainty.
-If it doesn't give in after a few kicks, it's because it needs more kicks.
A more discreet voice argue. It belong to one of the two boy huddled next to Princess and her friend.
Dust had noticed them when he woke up but they didn't catch much of his attention compared to the more outspocken old man and Pony.
Well, he is kind of an invisible person himself too, realises Dust.
He casually give them a nickname. One for the smaller one, Two for the taller one.
-But, it really has no visible damage.
As he spoke his eyes darts to the door
illuminated by the flashlight of the strong women.
It's really like he said. No impact can be seen.The women, as stubborn as a bull, keep her position.
-And what? It' s still wood, it ain't unbreakable.
There is a silence. It's hard to go against this logic but even without their memory they all can feel that this situation isn't normal nor logical. The door clearly isn't normal either, the door is as strong as steel.
The old man swept a glance, this time looking beyond the group that form Princess, her friend, Two and One, to look directly into the dark.
Purple Belly wriggles, his hand flattening the crease on his suit. His smile scretching naturally.
Dust can help but think that this middle aged-man must be a saleman. A sly one at that, who adapt fast. Even without memories, habits and mannerism are kept.
-The door clearly is more solid than we thought. Why don't we think about it more?If the dream was more than that?
(Purple belly open his mouth again but this time he asserts himself more confident than before) Wait a bit lady, please. We are a group, we can decide together.
He gives a circular glance to everybody and carry on.
-We can hit the door taking turns, or we can go down and look for the key. I, in my opinion,( he say it in a placating manner, keeping a eye on the Bull like women)think it is useless to hit the door, and want to search after the key.
-What if there isn't any key?
Eyes surprises Dust in intervening.
However the Middle-aged man just look in the direction of the boy, his answer coming as a matter of fact.
-We won't know if there is a key or not if we don't look after it.
Eyes nod.
-What about… i mean if we all have the same dream surely you all noticed that something was chasing after the man … What if …
Princess stop there, not daring to say more. But there is no need too.
What if the creature is here too?
Purple belly has a complicated expression on his face, finally he avoids the question.
-Nothing happen to us, we all came here without problem.
Everyone in the room look at him, hesitating but not willing to go down.
The old man hit his limping leg softly but in a rythmic manner with the flaschlight.
-If there is something ( he emphasizes on the word "something" his yellow teeth showing when he lowers his voice) we aren't defenseless.
The old man shake his flash light to add weight to his words, the line of light blinding for a second Dust when it swept acrosse his face.
-I want to go look for the key too.
After saying this he give a glance to Pony.
Pony, who suprisingly enough, change her position on the matter. She joins the Suspicious and the Old man and shrug her shoulder.
-Okay,if we find nothing we can still try again with the door.
Purple belly is now in the middle between the circle of light and the other half of group made up of Princess, her friend(That at a afterthought Dust renames Follower) One and Two.
In the end the man with a few steps join them under the light bulb.
Dust and Eyes are in the sideline, watching, their back against the wall, without moving.
Dust can't help but think that a shift of power has occured. And that clearly, they aren't part of the leading team.
He also notices that since earlier Suspicious and the old man keep themself safe bathed by the light.
Eyes touch his arm, when he raise his eyes to look at the other brown eyes he already know what he will say.
-i want to go too.
Dust doesn't need to think about it. Staying with this mate is a better choice than being alone. And without key, he can't go out anyway.
-We will go down then.
His voice is far from being loud, very far, it is like the squeak of a mosquiteo and only directed to Eyes. Just like that Dust discover that he doesn't like to speak in front of so many people. His friend smile to him and say it louder for the other to hear.
-We will go search the key with you.
Purple belly nod at them. His round eyes expressing satisfaction in their depth.
-And you?
The answer of Princess isn't immediate.
Her little Follower stick close to her and is visibly waiting for her opinion before taking a decision. One seem displeased by the course of action, while Two keep being impassive, his finger pushing his glasses up his nose.
The mature women turn to face the stairs, and then examine those around her. Really, like a ruler checking her troop. All can see that she is reluctant when she finally agree.
-Yes, i will go, but i won't be the first in the line to go down.
With her saying that, her follower agree too, then One while frowning, let a slow Yes leave his lips.
Two keep quiet. But when they go to the stair he follow.Those who take the lead are Pony and Suspicious, the light of their lamp torsh opening the way.
Then it is the old man moving down carefully. After that it's Purple belly and Princess.
This women and this man have the best post if somebody ask Dust, just in the middle.
There you just have to protect your left and your right.
If they stand back to back it's totally feasible.
Dust drags Eyes by the wrist without a care in the world and bypass One , Two and the follower to go behind Purple belly and Princess.
Perfect. He thinks to himself.
When they climbed the stair to go up it was fast but now that they are going down, it appear to be a bit slower than before.
The light bulb is still bright and still fight the darkness enough to have a somewhat clear view of the corridor.
The smell of the water leaking through the rock fill a new time the nostrils of Dust.
He can feel his nose and his brows wrikling the rest of his face. Slowly, more wary now they go to the end of the hallway, ignoring the room with the beds, knowing that no key is there.
He quietly asks Eyes to keep a eye on his left while he keep watch on their right. For now they only see the uneven wall of the corridor but after this, it isn't sure where they would end up.
There is no noise, no suspicious sound, nor growling.
Just absolute silence.
They feel under their feet the floor sinking in a gentle slope, the concrete floor fading away replaced by pebbles and a cold hard soil.
Darkness is more opaque the farer they walk.
The wall curves more ans more, and end up being just a tunnel in the rock.
It is so quiet that their breath seem as loud as thunder.
Dust can actually hear his heart thumping. The tunnel is getting narrower by the minutes, and colder too.
Eyes is pressed against him. Sometimes his elbow hit the rib of Dust.
Then like a lone lighthouse in a dark night they see another light bulb blinking its light every second.
The accompanying buzz weighs on the atmosphere.
Behind it, two paths, two tunnels who go deeper and lower.