The Metaphorical Key Book II- Forge the Path

XVIII

yeah boys I have WRITER'S BLOCK
so this is probably real bad
but!! we're almost done!! a few more chapters, I think. maybe five, maximum?

Aiden darted towards his friend, crouching down beside him and shielding him with one arm, sitting on his heels and curling his hands into fists. Will stood to his right, hand slapped over his mouth. 

The creature in front of them... unlike Hihe, it was far from friendly.

It resembled a cat, he supposed.

But it wasn't a cat.

No, it towered above them even taller than Hihe. Its claws were needle thin and horribly sharp, poised exactly right to kill them in a simple swipe of its powerful paws.

Its jowls were pulled back, snarling and spitting something that smelled awful.

In place of a muzzle, there was a hooked beak filled with teeth that closely resembled those of a shark.

"LEAVE," the beast bellowed in a strangely human voice. "LEAVE BEFORE I TEAR YOU ALL TO SHREDS."

As if to accentuate its point, it spat out some more foul smelling liquid that sizzled and burned through the stones lining the ground.

They ran.

Some fifteen minutes later, they once more crashed to the ground in a sobbing heap.

But this wasn't a trick by the woods to leave them at the mercy of whatever waited beyond. This had nothing to do with Coldgrief or whatever.

No, this was real.

So much had happened in the past several weeks - Aiden wasn't sure precisely how long it'd been.

He'd first been accepted into The Ravens.
Then the mission.
Curtis' death (it still stung, still hurt. Aiden would grieve for a while yet and maybe the loss would never stop hurting.)
Getting caught at Records.

Meeting Will.
Fleeing.
Almost dying at the hands of the trusted king.

Pollux's panic attack.

The car breaking down.
Being attacked.

And everything after.

It was far too much to deal with.

The dam broke.

Aiden stared at his palms, his arms, still marred with burn scars from that day. His posture was bent down, curled into himself on the forest floor. He stared off into space with sightless eyes, staring up at the stars and wondering if Curtis was among them and how many would join him.

"Why?" He croaked.
"Why what?" Will's reply was equally shaky, venomous and spitting.
"Everything. Why me? Why you? Why Pollux? Why anybody, why anything? Why are still alive, Will, can you answer me? Why are we still alive when so many people have died. How many more, Will, how many more? How many more people are going to die? Who decided we were worthy of life and so many other people weren't? What sick joke is this?"

"I don't know," Will said, biting his lip. "Hug?"

Aiden shook his head.
"No thanks."

Pollux raised his hand shakily.

"I'll take that hug, if it's still up for grabs."

Will laughed wetly.
"It is."

He wrapped Pollux up in his arms, the other boy shaking.

Maybe things would be alright.

But for some people, things would never be alright.

And that, Aiden thought, could not possibly be right.

It was a few days later when the group finally came across a hotel in the middle of the woods.

They exchanged confused glances, but opened the door to the Eastern Canopy Motel.

Upon walking inside, they were immediately greeted with the sound of a lute playing in the corner, a crackling fireplace, quiet chatter, clinking cutlery, and soft footsteps pattering around the room.

Except it was empty.

The door at the other end of the room was swinging open and shut on squeaky hinges.

A note fell from the roof.

Welcome to the Eastern Canopy Hotel! Check-in and check-out times are always! Rooms free for the recently deceased!

Will laughed in what Aiden assumed was hysteria.
"What on earth?"

They headed up to the front desk, which was empty just like everything else - until a man appeared.

Yes, appeared.

Aiden couldn't see his legs. There was a dent on the side of his head, like somebody had smashed it in.

His greying, red hair was short and curly, parted evenly on both sides and neatly maintained. His eyes were steely grey and bright with life, despite clearly being dead. His skin had taken on an unsurprising deathly pallor.

"Children!" He chirped. "Rooms free for children, new rule! Just added yesterday - or perhaps thirty-odd years ago. Isn't time funny?"

Aiden found himself agreeing, although he couldn't stop his eyes from straying to the man's bashed in head.

"You looking at this?" The man asked, tapping the wound. "My wife was angry with me. Staged an accident, but she grabbed the cooking pot and hit me in the head with it. Clever lass, never did get any jail time. You'll be taking a floor on the second floor, here are your keys!"

He tossed them a pair of rusting keys. Aiden grabbed them in a hurry and darted away.

"But we didn't ask for a r-" Will started, but Aiden cut him off.
"No. Shh. We got a room, let's go to bed. This place gives me bad vibes."
"Probably the dead people."

"Most likely."

Pollux sat down on the third bed beside will. Aiden was fast asleep in his own bed.
"Will?" He started.
"Yeah?"
"I've had some time to work things out and think about my feelings, and... I'd like to officially be your boyfriend, if you'd like that?"

Will beamed.
"I'd love that."

"Great. Well, uh, goodnight?"

"Goodnight - darling?"

Pollux smiled, going slightly red.
"That works."

They kissed each other goodnight very briefly before heading to their separate beds, curling up with smiling faces.

After a long train ride, Kayden finally shook Dulcie awake.

"We're in Parin," he said, voice soft and slow.

Dulcie woke up equally slowly, blink here eyes open groggily and stretching out like a cat.
"'M glad," she murmured, swinging her cramping legs out of the seat and stumbling out of the train, leading Kayden across the city to one of the better hidden entrances.

There was somebody there.

His eyes were bright blue, electric and cold, only adding to the unapproachable, prickling aura he gave off with the frown on his face, absence of smile lines, and the furrowed brows that indicated a scowl.

His hair was stark, platinum blond, and unkempt, shaggy and the only part of his appearance that looked even slightly untamed.

He was wearing a formal suit in a pale lavender colour, as well as a maroon vest over top of it and a pair of grey pants held up with a narrow belt.

"Hello," he said as the exhausted duo approached. "The name's Prosper - don't laugh, I don't know what my parents were thinking either. I'm an ex-Catago member, and I'm sorry to tell you, but your friends aren't in Parin."