Children of the Clergy

Season 1 | Episode 7 | •••_*••*•••*••*_ _ _*_•*•••

Secondo gently pushed the door open, peering in at his parents. Papa Nihil had his arm around Seestor Imperator, both sleeping peacefully in their bed. He slid through the door and closed it behind him, trying to make as little noise as possible. Silently, he crept through the room. He paused in front of the bed and stared down at his parents. They looked so comfortable and he didn't want to risk waking them. But he was also still scared. Hesitantly, he pulled back part of the covers and snuggled into bed with them, wrapping his arms around his mother. Her breathing hitched before returning to its normal pace. He sighed, nuzzling his head into her chest. Suddenly, he felt a hand reach up and comb its fingers through his soft black hair. Papa had Primo's buzzed a few weeks ago, but that was only because it had been his seventh birthday. For some reason, on each of the brothers' seventh birthdays and for all of the rest of their birthdays until they were eighty, Papa had decided that he would buzz their hair. It was a tradition in the Emeritus family for every son, and Papa was determined to keep that tradition going. Seestor didn't necessarily want him to, but she still respected his family's tradition and agreed that he could. She continued to stroke Secondo's hair gently, her hand gliding through his dark locks. He cuddled into her, comforted by the sympathetic touch. The smooth strokes calmed him and made him forget about his fears. The touch got rough. The hand yanked on his hair. The lights were off. He sprinted through the halls. They ventured through the large bridge between the two worlds. The lights flickered. They wouldn't catch up to him, he wouldn't let them. He searched through the room for a way out. The systems kept switching on and off. It wasn't a very appealing environment but they didn't mind. The voice called to them from the other side of the door. It hurt his eyes. It was the only way across. The lights flashed red and black and the alert siren blared through the large speakers all around him. He ran, pulling them along with him, and hid behind a small filing cabinet. They strode through, feeling the sandy textured floor beneath their shoes. The sound was deafening. Why was this happening? He kept running. The walls and ceiling had the same sandy feel to them. The door was forced open. They'd never had electrical problems before. It was slightly off putting. Was it something to do with the new load that had been brought in? He held his hand over his mouth and their hand with the other. He was too scared to look back. They both tryed to quiet their breathing. The dark and merky colours made their heads spin and, without realising, they found themselves near the edge of the bridge between their world and the other one already. Had they caused this? They walked in. He wouldn't risk it. They called for them to come out and the lights they were all holding shone around the room. The lights hurt his eyes. They sped up. There was a ringing in his ear. They walked closer to the small filing cabinet. If he tryed to check if they were following him, it could end up being the last thing he ever did. It was a strangely exciting experience. This may be his last chance. They looked down. The unfamiliarity of it all was intriguing. They started screeching. They shone the flashlight directly into his eyes, but they couldn't see him. He could not afford to mess it up. They didn't know each other very well, but they still felt connected in some strange way. They clawed at the masks on their faces. He ran like his life depended on it, because it just might have. It was a comforting feeling. He wouldn't let them see him. They were trying to pry them off. He stopped them. They huddled together, slowing their pace. The lights hurt his head but he kept running, never looking back. The masks fell to the floor with a loud clanging sound. He turned down a corridor to the right. Now that they were here, it all felt a little too simple. They continued to screech, this time in rage instead of pain. They moved on, telling the others to secure a perimeter. He turned down a corridor to the right. Just stepping out into this new world felt all too unreal. They'd had enough. The door closed. He turned down a corridor to the right. The surreal feeling of it all was, in some way, exhilarating. He turned down a corridor to the left. Everyone else in the room backed away. He got up and took them over to the small air vent on the wall. He turned down a corridor to the left. They all stepped out together. He turned down a corridor to the left. They were angry, and rightfully so. He took the front panel off and told them to climb in. He turned down a corridor to the left. The marble floor felt strange compared to the rough, sandy feel of the bridge between worlds. They'd been controlled for so long. They went in first and he followed on, putting the panel back in place behind him. He didn't stop running. They looked back. They crawled through the air vent slowly, trying not to make too much noise. This was their chance to either get revenge or get out. The merky coloured tunnel was shaking. They chose to do both. He could hear their voices all around him, but he knew that they couldn't see him. He couldn't afford to. All of the clocks in the room read 4:32pm: now the official time of the accident. They crawled out through the end of the vent, which led out into the forest surrounding the building. He could hear them yelling his code from somewhere behind, but he didn't stop. They backed away. They jumped down first and he followed after them. It began to shake more violently, the colours seeming to merge together in a horrifying array of light. The first turned to the exit and ran, scratching a few people as it went. It wasn't a chance he could take. The others followed suit. Small fragments of the walls began to break away. His ears rang and his head was spinning but, still, he never stopped running. His coat caught slightly on a sharp corner of the vent. The maze like building had to have an end at some point, he just had to find it. They ran as fast as they could out of the building, clawing anyone who dared get in their way. Pretty soon, the entire bridge between their world and this one had completely collapsed and faded into the wall. A small piece of fabric tore off. They looked around at each other. They were furious with how they'd been treated. They paused before hearing the loud siren coming from inside the building. It hurt to leave them behind, but they were just corpses now. They took off, running through the forest as fast as they could. And, in his opinion, they had every right and reason to be. They weren't sure what to do now. He wasn't leaving anything behind that was still alive at least and, sadly, that was the only comfort he had about his situation. A strange feeling invaded their bodies, like there was something missing from their group. The search light hovered over the forest, looking for them, but it couldn't see him. They ran out of the outer gates and into the forest grounds. Their screams haunted him and he desperately tried to push the thought out of his mind. He stopped it from seeing them, just like he'd done to them earlier. They looked around. There was a large wall around it but he doubted that would keep them in. It hurt to think about them and the added sound was not helping. They recognised that they all had that same feeling too. They kept running, him staying close behind to make sure that nothing crept up on them. He felt as if he was going to pass out. They were determined to get out and so that was what they were going to do. They were so close behind he could almost smell them. They made it to the edge of the forest greeted instantly by the bright lights of the city. The feeling got stronger and an irresistible urge to find their missing piece took hold of them. They didn't care anymore. They found themselves unable to fight it and started to venture down the corridor, in search of their missing piece. He would never let them trap him in that nightmarish room again. The people's opinions no longer mattered. They smiled at each other, dashing down the small hill and straight into freedom. The exit was right in front of him and, luckily, the guard that should have been there had left to assist the others in the control room, leaving him free to finally escape. They didn't know what exactly they were looking for, but they knew that they needed it to free themselves of that feeling. They were going to be free.

"He keeps seizing up and muttering the same five phrases to himself, but he still isn't really awake."

"What are the phrases?"

"Flashlight."

The light was almost blinding as she shone it into their eyes.

"Three right turns."

"Four left turns."

He ran, not caring to look back. They left the room, finally. The search almost seemed pointless but, none the less, they continued.

"Tunnel."

They would stop at nothing to get out of that place. The colours shifted together, forming a disturbing array of purples and blues. Their screeches echoed through the halls. The sound of the siren drilled into his mind, driving him mad. Still, they did not know what it was they were missing. This was his last chance to get out, away from them. The light stalked them through the maze of trees as they fled.

"4:32."

It hurt. They didn't know what to do. What in the nine rings could have driven someone to do that to another? No-one dared to move any closer to them. The flashing red and black was either a warning, or a sign. It drove them on and they couldn't bring themselves to question its judgement. Why was this happening? He didn't even know how long he'd been running for but, still, he refused to stop. Not even they knew what waited for them on the other side of the forest. They couldn't stop themselves, they had to. Their voices called from all around, multiplying their fear tenfold.

Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.
Flashlight. Three right turns. Four left turns. Tunnel. 4:32.