Xerxes had a bad premonition, mainly due to previous events. He was still a bit on edge. He called out her name again, this time in a much quieter voice, as he neared the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. He clearly remembered that he had left the door wide open when he ran out of there. Hypothetically, Bailey should be inside the room.
However, the bedroom was completely devoid of any humans, much less Bailey and Elise. This was the last room they could be hiding in though, so Xerxes wasn't sure of it just yet. He looked behind the door and searched the few hiding places. He was about to look through the wardrobe when he heard a gasp from under the bed.
Xerxes spun around to face the bed. He had yet to check under it, saving it for last because he was daunted by the thought of something actually lurking beneath. Maybe he had just seen too many horror movies but there is always something under the bed.
Xerxes swallowed nervously as he slowly bent his body. His knees met the wooden floor, and he tilted his upper body to the side, instantly locking eyes with the person underneath. He was barely able to hold the scream inside his mouth. The only reason he did so was because it was Bailey—not anything else.
"What are you doing? I kept calling your name—" Xerxes couldn't finish his words as Bailey gave him a horrified look and tremblingly put her index finger over her lips.
"Shhhh! She will hear us," Bailey said as her eyes circled around the room, scanning for something or someone.
"Who are you talking about? Savannah? She's not here anymore. You can come out now," Xerxes whispered, guessing that Bailey was still stressing over the dispute with Savannah.
"No! No, you don't get it. It's not her." Bailey shook her head wildly while whispering, "Take Elise with you. She'll get her too otherwise. Keep her safe, please. This will be the only time I'll burden you. Please." Even in a psychotic state, the safety of her daughter was at the forefront of her thoughts.
Xerxes had no other choice but to grab the baby, who was sleeping without a care in the world, entrusted to him by force. "Are you alright, Bailey? Just come out. Staying with others is still safer than staying alone." This statement was half wrong, half right. Anyone could be possessed at any given moment, but having others by your side brought a bit of comfort and security too. It was far better than swaying alone in the ocean.
"I'm coming. Just take her with you first. Hurry." Bailey aggressively pushed Xerxes to leave. He didn't have a chance to refute, since she agreed to follow him soon, but he felt bizarrely perturbed by it all.
"Let's go together after all, Bailey," Xerxes said, turning back, shaken by the sight of Bailey sitting on the windowsill, swaying her legs playfully in the dark outside.
"Bailey, get down from there! What are you thinking?" Xerxes' voice shook with panic as he rushed toward her. But Bailey didn't wait for him. She leapt from the window without looking back, as though it was nothing.
Although it wasn't much of a distance, it was still the second story. In the worst-case scenario, she could hit her head on the ground and die on the spot. In the best-case scenario, she would get a few sprains or broken bones. Xerxes tried to catch her with one of his hands, but he was unsuccessful. She had vanished after leaping out of the window.
Xerxes was on the edge. His head throbbed as if it might split open at any moment. He glanced up at the moon, usually round and glowing brightly, but now obscured by clouds. Even the moon seemed to have had enough.
***
Returning alone with Elise in his arms, Xerxes was lost in thought. He felt numb, as if everything were a cruel joke. What was he supposed to feel right now?
"Where's Bailey?" The question Xerxes had been expecting from everyone hit him harder than he'd imagined. He was lost too. Where was she?
Nova grabbed Xerxes by the shoulders, gently shaking him. He asked again, "Where is Bailey? What happened?" Xerxes struggled to meet their questioning gazes, feeling like a criminal condemned. He lowered his head, dejected.
"She jumped out the window. I tried to catch her, but she just... disappeared into thin air..." he replied, his voice heavy with remorse.
After a moment of silence, Nova sat back down on the couch, sighing heavily, his face buried in his hands. Lucas and Kai also had nothing more to say. They were seated right next to each other. Kai's left hand was gripping Lucas's black jacket, holding on to it in case Lucas decided to remove it and he had to put it back on him.
"This is the last time..." Xerxes's voice broke through the stillness, capturing everyone's attention once again.
"What are you talking about?" Nova asked, his voice laced with confusion as Xerxes became the center of attention. Xerxes felt awkward saying it, but he knew he had to.
"This is the last time someone other than me will die," Xerxes said, his expression unwavering, his voice calm but resolute. There was no hint of doubt, no quiver in his heart. He would not run from this anymore. Xerxes would face death head-on, no hesitation, no delay.
He didn't announce it just to solidify his own resolve. He wanted to give the others a chance—an extra life. Just like in video games, if you know you have an extra life, you can act without restraint. Where fear of dying makes you hesitate, if there was even the slightest chance of clearing this dungeon, everyone needed to feel free, knowing they had a life to spare.
So, he would become that extra life for them.