VAESEN - The Ruins of the World

Chapter 22 - Into the Dark

His brow furrowed; Zane watched the blond for a few heartbeats before turning his head and peering cautiously into the corridors behind them. It was almost too quiet, and he liked it less and less.

The whole thing seemed far too... light.

As he opened his mouth to express his distrust to Myra, he was interrupted by a stone scraping. A tile slid back in the stonework, and a dark slab in front of their feet lifted a few centimeters. Casimir grabbed the lifting edge and pushed the heavy slab aside as if it weighed no more than a sheet of paper.

"You want me to go in there?" Zane growled softly, stepping closer and peering into the hole, the bottom of which he couldn't see in the darkness. His eyes glanced suspiciously back and forth between Myreille and Casimir.

"What's the problem? Are you scared? Either get down there or face death here, puss," Casimir grinned cheekily into his face, and the Cait-Sith felt his lips lift before the growl escaped his throat.

"How about I send you ahead with broken bones first?" he snapped back irritably, and Zane showed his sharp fangs in an open threat. The claws on his hand were extended, already twitching with greed to squeeze the life from the undead body.

"Stop it, both of you! We don't have time for such nonsense," Myra intervened, giving him and Casimir a warning look before approaching the hole herself. "I'll go first," she intervened as if she sensed that Zane wouldn't set foot in this darkness, which he suspected was more of an ambush than a refuge.

Before he could speak, Myra disappeared into the darkness with a single movement.

The two who remained behind briefly exchanged hostile glances. Then Zane followed so that Casimir could close the escape tunnel again. Once at the bottom, the two vampires took the lead.

It was so dark in the corridor that Zane could barely make out the figures before him. Instead, the tips of his boots repeatedly bumped against small stones, which rattled and shattered the silence for a brief moment.

The air was stuffy and musty. Not a breath of air strayed into the dark corridors. Instead, every step they took was reflected by the walls. There was an eerie silence down here. His every breath seemed unnaturally loud.

Under his fingers, the Cait-Sith felt damp earth and the occasional rough wooden beams that supported the tunnel. The two vampires in front of him advanced further and further as he fell back.

His steps became increasingly unsteady. Again and again, his injured leg buckled under him and caused him to stumble. His face contorted; he repeatedly had to lean on the old walls to keep from falling to the ground. The only ray of hope was the bright glimmer that blinked at him from a distance, accompanied by a light breeze.

"Zane?"

He flinched, startled when he suddenly felt a cold hand on his arm. Tingling sparks flew from the touch, sending his body a cozy warmth. He felt the gaze of the silver-white eyes glide over him. Appraising, with a spark of ... Concern?

"Let me help you."

Even as the strigoi spoke, he felt her lift his arm. Just a little, then pulled him onto her shoulders. Something inside him whispered that he should lean, but...

"Don't touch me!" he hissed threateningly instead. Although she only meant well, he yanked her arm away before pushing himself off and continuing down the corridor, growling quietly to himself towards the night's glow.

Part of him knew it was stupid and ungrateful to refuse her help. But another part was stronger: his instinct and the martial teachings that had been instilled in him over the years, his rejection of her kind, his pride, and his stubbornness.