Pandemonium

Stage Five Part II

"Why should we help Hyde?" Claude snaps. "Hyde has done nothing but act like a menace towards us! We need to press that button, open the door, and get a move on." Typical Claude. Anyone else? Would anyone else at all like to provide their input? 

"We shouldn't cast others aside," Odette glances towards Claude. "There has been enough of that going on lately."

"Please don't worry about me," Hyde shakes their head. "In order for me to be set free someone has to take my place. The person who presses the button underneath the red-eyed gargoyle will be that sacrifice."

"Then why did you try and force us into it in the first place?" Claude frowns. "See? I told you we couldn't trust this person."

I look to the left and to the right. No text on the walls. Nothing of much interest. Just the colors of their eyes. "What would happen if we chose to push both of the buttons at the same time?" I offer, trying to provide other solutions. I don't want us to get trapped in the ways of thinking so inside the box. Uhm. No pun intended? 

"What?" Hyde's eyebrows furrow.

"Have you never tried that?"

"No, I don't believe I have...but in all honesty, wouldn't everyone just die in that case?" Hyde frowns and crisscrosses their legs as they sit down, resting their head against a bar of the cage. "Please, just leave. The longer you stay the more likely I'll laugh, shift, and then try to force you into pressing the other button."

"Shift?" Claude scoffs. "Is that what you call your parlor trick?"

"You have no right to speak," I snap at Claude, taking a step closer to Hyde. "We aren't going to leave you here. That's not in our policy, or at least, not in mine. I don't know about the others, and I certainly don't know about him," I shoot my step-father a glare. "But, I don't want to leave you here alone, Hyde. I think you could be a great asset to us on future floors."

"Thank you, really, bu-"

"Leave them," Faust half-pleads. "It's not worth it to try and save Hyde. Please, listen to me when I say this, but Hyde cannot leave this floor..." Is this the first time Faust has genuinely showed some emotion? I can't place another time but it's unsettling. What is so bad about Hyde? Why can't Faust just tell us the issue? 

"I don't trust Faust and I don't trust Hyde but at least Faust has some sense," Rose nods.

"I don't want to leave Hyde either, Hendrix," Odette agrees with me, smiling. Lucien nods in her favor, reluctantly. I guess he just can't say no to his sister. 

"Is there something bothering you, sweetie?" Hyde's expression changes slightly, a hint of a smirk.

"You know exactly what is bothering me..." Faust looks towards the gargoyle with red eyes. "I wish," I hear them mutter. "I wish I could just take your place..." There are a number of things confusing me about Faust and Hyde's relationship. Actually, there are a number of things about Faust that are bothering me right now. They keep switching back and forth between their actions and what they say. I really can't get a good read on them but this has to be the most puzzling thing so far. 

"I vote to save Hyde," Gilbert raises his hand.

"I should be the one that most wants to leave Mx. Hyde behind since they used me as a hostage, but I also believe we should try and help them out of this cage. It must've been terribly lonely all of this time, you know?" Pandora raises his hand slightly, mimicking Gilbert. More than enough people are willing to try my theory if it means potentially saving Hyde. Other opinions don't really matter at this point. And by other opinions, I mean Claude's opinion, his opinion is the least valuable. 

"Then, let's do it," I smile. "Who wants to test the buttons? I will do the red-eyed one as long as someone will press the other."

Lucien crosses the room to the other wall and I move to the button I suggested to do. Faust crosses their arms and bites their lower lip. Odette folds her hands and closes her eyes as if praying. Gilbert and Pandora hug each other for moral support and Hector watches Claude carefully, making sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

"Here goes nothing," my finger hovers over the button. "On the count of three, ready?" Lucien nods. "One...two...th-"

"Wait! Stop!" Odette grabs my arm and forces my hand away. Hector breathes a sigh of relief, I guess he was planning on stopping me too before Odette took up the challenge. "I will do it. You don't need to risk your life any further."

"Odette," Lucien frowns.

"No, we do this together. Okay? We're twins. We have to do this together. Ready?" He shakes his head but nods again. Hyde stares at the both of them. He glances back and forth between them, a hint of laughter escapes.

"Twins? How poetic. Such justice," Hyde can't help but smile.

"Hyde, please," Faust moves towards the cage, kneeling down to Hyde's level. "Be nice to them, won't you?"

"You always were one to take their side over mine," they muttered back.

"Please?"

"Alright, alright, just thi-" Hyde slaps their hand over their mouth, holding back the laughter trying to escape.

"No! Not now! Stop laughing!" Faust stands up and slams their hand down on the bars of the cage. "Press the buttons while you still have the chance! Do it!"

"I still say you shouldn't do this at all," Rose speaks up.

"If you're going to do it, do it!" Faust snaps. Laughter continues to escape from Hyde. Odette and Lucien give each other one final glance and press the button before Hyde's complete transformation. The entire room rumbles and the gargoyles open their mouth. The one with the green eye shoots an electric current downwards, at Lucien. He stares up, bewildered and unable to move.

"Lucien!" Odette shouts, running as fast as she can towards him, trying to save him, but unable to. The cage breaks, freeing Hyde as their long hair returns. Hyde pounces on Faust, grabbing their neck. A crazed rage fills their eyes.

"Hyde..." Faust forces out, grabbing Hyde's arms with their hands. They don't try to escape, just hold them, staring up at Hyde. 

"You're right, killing you this way won't be that much fun, darling," Hyde snickers and stands up, offering their hand to Faust. "Let's get a move on, shall we?" They rush over to the edge of the room and feel the wall very carefully before pressing a button under the base of a brick. The room stops rumbling and the wall turns to show the staircase leading to the next floor.

"Odette," Rose places her hand on her shoulder, about to comfort her in some way. Odette shakes her hand off and walks towards the staircase. Tears streaming down her face but her determination to move forward outweighed it all. 

"I don't need your 'I told you so,'" she states simply. We all follow her down the stairs into the next room.

I curl my hand into a fist and grit my teeth. Hector grabs my arm, hugging it. "This isn't your fault. Trying to save everyone isn't a bad thing."

"But, I always get it wrong."

"That's not true," I hear Pandora's voice behind me. "We are all here because of your quick brain. We wouldn't have made it this far without you."

"Yeah, Hendrix, not everyone has all of the answers. None of us are perfect," Gilbert shoots me a smile but I can't stop the lingering feeling of imperfection from welling up inside me. This is my fault. I know it is. The sound of Claude's voice inside my head affirms my beliefs.