Seeking a Better Ending - Seek x Reader

A Better Ending?

The hotel rang with strange and unfamiliar noises that echoed through the strangely familiar series of rooms. Your footsteps echoed off the walls, steady and monotonous. The dim lighting only served to worsen your anxiety.

You shoved open another wooden door, hearing the now-familiar beep as it opened. The lights flickered and you immediately tensed, throwing yourself into a closet and waiting for that dreadful screaming to fill the air once more. You waited in that closet until you could hear your heart pounding in your chest and the dissonant, quiet whispers that cried get out and the air grew thick and heavy, but nobody came. Stepping tentatively out of the wardrobe, you glanced around the small room. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary- well, whatever that was here anyways.

You twisted the doorknob to the next room, briefly noting that the door was labeled 32. Seconds later however, more flickering lights caught your attention. You should have been scared, you knew, but you also had the strangest feeling that nothing would happen.

"Huh," you said to yourself, your voice penetrating the eerie silence that you had thought was supposed to be filled with that horrible screaming upon seeing the lights blink in and out of darkness.

As you moved to open the next door, something caught your attention and you jumped back. An eye, peeking out from behind the bookcase. It blinked at you, and you blinked back. Slowly, you stepped towards it.

"Uh, hello," you began, before stopping. This had happened before. You had been here before.

There was something- someone?- you had to remember. Who was it?

You glanced back at the eye on the wall. Why did it look so familiar?

Oh.

Seek. How could you have forgotten Seek?

"Seek?" you asked tentatively, unsure of whether or not it could hear you. The eye blinked twice, its pupil contracting in what you thought was surprise. You heard your name from somewhere behind you, soft and disbelieving. You turned around.

Seek was standing at the entrance to the room behind you, one hand on the doorframe. Its eye was open wide in shock, and black slime dripped from its arms. You ran towards it, embracing its cold angular form in a warm hug. It wrapped its arms around you in return.

"I'm so sorry," it whispered, "I shouldn't have left you."

"I'm just glad you're here now."

"How... how do you remember...?"

"I don't know... did you know this would happen?" Your voice cracked just slightly at the end of the question. Seek stepped away from you.

"The humans who come here have always come back when they die," it said, "unless they give up hope completely. But they always forget what happened before, except maybe some instinct that tells them what to do." it mumbled something under its breath.

"Oh... I see," you said, "then why...?"

"What do you remember?"

"I died. I know that for sure... and everything after you saved me is pretty clear, but before that I don't remember much. It's really hazy."

"You remember me...?"

"Yeah. Actually, my memories of you are the clearest."

"Oh," Seek said. It sounded almost flattered by that. Though, you supposed, it probably didn't receive many compliments here. That was unfair, you thought, fire running through your veins. Seek was a better person than most humans you'd met. It deserved better than this.

"What now?" You asked. Seek shrugged.

"I don't know... I suppose you could go back through the hotel, but I don't know if you would want to. Especially after.... well."

"Yeah, I don't think I could take that." You grimaced, rubbing your neck.

"Well, then, maybe you could stay?" Seek asked quietly. You glanced up at it in surprise.

"Stay here...? With you?" That sounded like a better offer than you would have expected.

"Yes. Figure and the others will not hurt you if you are not trying to escape." So you could live here. In theory.

Maybe.

"What about food?"

"This place exists outside of your reality. You don't need to eat here," Seek said, a hint of desperation in its eye. It was lonely. So were you, come to think of it, and Seek was some of the best company you've ever had. Besides, you didn't know if you'd ever be able to escape. It might be better for both of you if you decided not to go.

On the other hand, you would probably never see another human being again- at least one you could interact with. Also, Figure scared you... but you trusted Seek. If it told you Figure was not going to harm you, you would believe it.

"Okay. I'll stay," you said finally. Seek instantly perked up, its eye widening with joy.

"Thank you," it said. You smiled.

"Always."