The Slender Man (a Hetalia fanfiction - Book 2)

Chapter 20 - Hast du immer noch Angst?

Rosalie's P.O.V.

My hands keep trembling as I kept them tight in fists. A few times I have squeezed my eyes shut in frustration and in attempt to block out this weird voice, but, for a split second, I saw something. No, someone, in my head the second I closed my eyes.
I couldn't tell who it was, because it was only there for a second.
"How can you live with yourself?"
What are you talking about now?
"You left him there. You left him there to die."
I didn't leave anyone anywhere!
"You left Romano at that cabin. Now he's going to die."
I halted to a stop. England and America noticed and they stopped to look at me with confused expressions, but I can't explain myself.
What I saw wasn't Romano.
"Perhaps not, but that doesn't mean he isn't there."
I took a deep breath.
"He's still there, you know. Time is slipping away, Rosalie."
"W-We..." I murmured, but then I spoke up. "We need to go back to the cabin."
England's thick eyebrows furrowed. "What? Why?"
I shook my head, but that voice in my head spoke again.
"You better hurry. Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock..."
"We just need to go back. Now," I said, my voice had a hard edge to it. By now, everyone had stopped to give me looks of confusion, but before anyone can say anything, I had turned around and ran.
"Hey! Rosalie!"
"What the bloody hell are you doing!?"
  "Tick...Tock...Tick...Tock..."
Is he really back at the cabin? Or are you lying to me?
"I guess you have to see it for yourself."
What are you saying?
"That if you really care for that fool, then you better run faster."
And so I did just that. My head throbbed harder as I did, but I tried to ignore it. I can almost hear a clock ticking in my head.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
No, not again...
"Slow down, aru!" I heard China call after me.
The cabin is in sight now.
"If you really want to see him, you need to go into the basement."
The basement? I didn't know that cabin had a basement! Where are the stairs?
"Idiot, there aren't any stairs inside. Go around to the side and you'll find a way into the basement."
My flashlight tight in my grip, I ran towards the cabin, but then I decided to go to the right side.
"Good girl. You're almost there."
I quickly caught sight on what looks like a storage cellar hatch that would lead beneath the house.
I ran to it and grabbed the cold handles and pulled, but it wouldn't budge.
"Crap!" I muttered through my teeth, yanking and using all the strength I had.
"You're not strong enough."
I swallowed hard and rubbed my already sore hands together.
Wait, strength...
I looked up to see everyone running towards me.
"What's...what's that?" Spain panted once he saw what I'm standing in front of.
"A wine cellar latch," England said, making his way to my side. "How did you know that was there?"
"Bro, I need your help with this." I told America without hesitation, ignoring England's question.
"Why?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowing. "Didn't we already get the note from this place?"
"You better hurry."
"Please! Just help!" I begged, now starting to pull on the handles again.
America was silent for a second, then spoke up. "Alright! I got this!"
He stepped in and grabbed the handles too, then we both yanked hard.
We heard a crack, so I knew we're making progress.
"Time's running out, Rosalie."
I know! Give me a moment!
"You don't have time to waste."
I gritted my teeth together in frustration, and we yanked a few more times, and then the little doors finally flew open, a broken lock hanging on one of them.
The doorway into the cellar is pitch black, but then we brought the lights of our flashlights into it and found a small set of stairs.
"Let's go," I said and immediately began walking down the short wooden staircase.
"Wait, it could be dangerous down there!" I heard Japan call, but I'm too busy looking at my surroundings to reply.
I soon heard the footsteps of the others walking down the small staircase, too.
What I can see as soon as I stepped in was a dim light shining in the middle of what looks like a pretty spacey area, but that light didn't light up the whole room.
With the help of our flashlights, I can see some shelves, some empty and covered in dust, some carrying miscellaneous items and tools.
"Wait, do you guys see that?"
"Huh?" I asked, looking towards where Prussia is pointing his flashlight towards the cement floor.
A few of us walked over to where he was to get a better look.
There are droplets of blood.
"Look, there's more!" Canada said as he pointed towards where that dim light shone on the floor.
There indeed is more blood, a lot actually. It looks somewhat fresh, too.
"Whoever it was looks as if they were deeply wounded," England murmured, as if in thought.
Then I heard a thud.
"Whoa!"
We looked in the direction where we heard the voice, but it's outside of the light so we didn't see much.
"Spain? Was that you?" France called into the darkness.
"Si! I tripped over something. Something big, but I can't see it. Bring some flashlights over here!"
And so we all quickly ran over, our flashlights searching for the Spaniard, and we soon found him.
He's supporting himself on his elbows and once light reached, we all looked at what it is lying by his feet, the culprit of Spain's fall.
Romano is completely still as he lay on the cement floor, a puddle of blood beneath one of his legs where I can see his injury. But...it doesn't really seem to be bleeding much further. One arm covered his head as if he was trying to protect himself from something.
His eyes are open, his hazel irises are unfocused, lifeless, and staring blankly into nothing.
My flashlight slipped from my grip and clattered against the floor, killing the silence.
In the back of my mind, I can hear cackling laughter.