KILL YOUR DARLINGS ✸ Saltburn

𝒙𝒙𝒊𝒗. icarus falls

𖤐 𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑷𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑻𝑾𝑬𝑵𝑻𝒀-𝑭𝑶𝑼𝑹:
╰┈➤ icarus falls ༉‧₊˚.

THE FOLLOWING MORNING, MEREDITH was awoken to utter chaos. There'd been hurried footsteps in the hallways outside her door and when she peered out past the sheer curtains around her window, there had been people running all over, crying out and yelling.

Anxiety coiled in Meredith's stomach, overtaking her.

She quickly tossed her bedding over the side of her bed and rushed out of her room, desperate to uncover the source of the commotion. The once serene hallways now resembled a battleground, with panicked guests scrambling for answers. Meredith's heart pounded in her chest as she made her way through the chaos, trying to calm her racing thoughts.

She hurried down the hallway in only her white nightgown. Finally, in amidst all this chaos, she got a glimpse a familiar face--Elspeth.

The girl watched as Elspeth's face flickered with relief at the sight of her. "Meredith, darling," she cried out, her voice hurried and anxiety-ridden as she ran up to the brunette. She grabbed a hold of Meredith's arms and looked right into her worried brown eyes. Meredith had never seen the woman so frazzled and honestly, it was horrifying. "Have you seen Felix?"

Felix.

Meredith's heart stopped beating in that moment. She felt her knees attempt to go weak just at the mention of his name and the possibility of all of this being tied to him.

"He's missing."

Meredith couldn't help the gasp that would next escape out of her mouth.

"When did you last see him?"

She covered her horror-stricken expression with her hand and shook her head. Her mind was a blurred haze. She couldn't think straight.

Think, Meredith, she thought. Think.

"Last night--" she squinted, her head hurting to think and suddenly dizzy. Until it hit her. She met Elspeth's gaze with realization. "The maze."

Something flickered behind Elspeth's eyes and it was in that moment that the two knew their lives would be changed for the worse from now on.

Meredith took off, running down the stairs and out the building--darting for the maze.

As if, there was some sort of possibility that she'd find Felix just in time and he'd be safe and he'd be there and it'd be perfect.

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the perfectly manicured hedges that lined the labyrinth. Meredith's breath came in ragged gasps as she pushed herself further, her bare feet pounding against the cold ground. Her nightgown billowed behind her, a ghostly reminder of the life she had left behind in that moment of panic.

Every twist and turn of the maze was etched into her memory, each treacherous path a testament to their shared adventures. Felix had always loved the thrill of the unknown, his laughter echoing through the hidden corridors as they navigated the labyrinth together. But now, in this moment of desperation, his absence gnawed at her like a festering wound.