The Necronomicon

Chapter Forty One

They had been quick. Olivia stood, squashed against Meredith, shushing her. Above them, Alfred greeted Frederick. Olivia began to move forwards, and Meredith followed her. The darkness cloaked them: they were on their way back to Pippa's hut.

Soon enough, they were there: Olivia popped up, out of the trapdoor. Behind her, Meredith stuck her tongue out as she tried to pull herself up. Sighing, Olivia turned around and gave her a helping hand — and Meredith managed to scramble out of the inky blackness.

Pippa's hut was the same as before: Meredith had no idea why she'd expected it to look different. Olivia was already at the hut door — Meredith looked back at the walls. How come Pippa was allowed to have pink walls? All the other huts she'd been in had just had normal wooden, or whitewashed ones.

"Come on," Olivia beckoned her over, deadly serious. "Let's hope we can get back before Dmitri does. Only then do we stand a chance at getting you inside." Meredith trudged over to her, and together they left the hut. Meredith didn't bother to hide her hair, letting it cascade down her back instead. Together both women made their way back to Olivia's hut.

It was a beautiful night. The trees around them framed the orange sky — the sun was setting. Already stars were gleaming, studded in the heavens. It was ethereal — Meredith's jaw dropped gazing at it. The crescent moon winked at her as she marched along at Olivia's side.

Up ahead, it loomed — Olivia began to run. Meredith met her pace, and then they were at the door: Olivia opened it —

"Darling?" Dmitri's voice.

Olivia sighed, stepping inside, ushering Meredith in, who shook her head. "C'mon," Olivia hissed, and finally Meredith entered. Dmitri was nowhere to be seen. "Yes, it's me." Olivia called, in response to Dmitri's comment.

"I'm just finishing up in the study — I'll be right out."

"Okay, my love," Olivia turned around, and lowered her voice. "Dmitri and I don't sleep separately — there's no other space for you to sleep. I suggest you hide now, anywhere, and let's hope we can get the key."

"Where is the key?" Meredith whispered.

"Around his neck," Olivia sighed, and Meredith's eyes widened. "He doesn't even let me touch the keys, Meredith. However, I do have an idea — he takes them off when he sleeps. I'll just — I'll pick them up and give them to you when he falls asleep. He goes to sleep pretty quickly. Now, hide! And — Meredith —"

Meredith swivelled around to look at her. "Good luck." Olivia finished.

"You too."

And with that, Meredith went to search for a hiding place: there was nothing. She heard the click of a door opening —

Olivia and Dmitri's hut had 4 doors in total — the front door, the door to his study, the door to the bathroom, and the door to the bedroom. Meredith was frantic — she threw herself at one of the doors.

Inside the room she scuttled, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She did not know which one it was; far away, in the other room, Olivia's heart sank. It was the worst possible room Meredith could have chosen.

There were next to no hiding spaces in their bedroom, apart from the closet... and Dmitri would open it to get changed tonight...

They were screwed.

"If you get dinner, I'll close up all my drawers in the study — we can have a romantic night tonight," Dmitri told her lovingly, kissing her lightly on the cheek, and he turned around to the front door.

Just as long as he didn't find Meredith.

"Sure, honey." She planted a kiss on his forehead, and then spun around to go. He smiled at her retreating back, re-entering his study.

There was a really big mass on the floor. Meredith couldn't wrap her head around it — what exactly was it? It looked almost like two futons strapped together. Could it possibly be... a bed?

No. No.

Of all the rooms she could have chosen, she went into this one. Of course. It was just her luck...

She glanced around — there was a sort-of wardrobe to the side. With a quick look at the door, she pulled the wardrobe door open and stepped in with light, fairylike feet. Meredith's heart was beating so loudly, so rigorously, that she was surprised Dmitri didn't burst into the room looking for the source. It was hard to see now — impossible, in fact. Meredith drew backwards, thumping against the wall loudly. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the fallout...

Nothing. She was safe.

"Who's there?"

Never mind.

Meredith could hear him as he walked through the hut. He sounded closer with every footstep. Her hands shook; she pressed them firmly over her ears so that she couldn't hear him approach, so that she couldn't hear the impending doom...

It never came. She took her hands off of her ears after a few minutes, and she could hear Olivia's voice speaking. She was back — Meredith was in the clear. Olivia would keep Dmitri from entering — she'd tire him out until he went to sleep, and then she could hop into the bedroom and give Meredith the keys, and they'd unlock Dmitri's study and save Pippa.

Pippa. For some reason whenever Meredith heard her name her heart sank. It was like a reminder of her existence, of her connection to —

No. She couldn't.

It wasn't possible. She hadn't saved Pippa before because of him — she'd thought his name and hadn't been able to bring herself to grab his fiancée by the arms and drag her out of that perilous situation. Meredith gasped audibly — then inwardly cursed herself. It didn't make sense...

Her stomach growled with intense hunger — it didn't help that she could hear Olivia and Dmitri chattering as they ate. The food's aroma was wafting through the room — she could smell it clearly. Meredith found herself salivating — she could almost taste the scents. Rice, some sort of vegetable... perhaps green beans?

She would literally kill for a salad right now.

Olivia must have said something funny — Dmitri was chuckling. They sounded so intimate together — Meredith couldn't help but wonder how two people that were so close to one another could keep secrets from each other.

Over the course of their meal she could hear snippets of their conversation. They spoke in comfortable tones, and though to Meredith their conversation was quite boring, she knew they must be loving every minute of it by their words. She could almost hear the grin on Dmitri's face in his voice.

Olivia said something to him, and Dmitri giggled. Meredith rolled her eyes — how long was this going to take?

It was as she had this thought that she heard their footsteps, loud and distinct,, over and over again, and she drifted even further towards the back of the wardrobe. Her back hit it, once more, but this time there was no call from outside. She nearly yelped as the door to the bedroom opened — she could hear Dmitri laughing.

"Lie down, my love. You must be tired," Olivia said, and Dmitri answered in the same soft tone.

"I am a bit."

"Here, lay your head on my arm, and you can sleep."

"Sleep," He mumbled, and Olivia began to sing a soft lullaby, her voice smooth and sweet. Meredith couldn't help but feel she was intruding on a private moment, and, embarrassed, she plugged her ears.

When she unplugged them, she heard soft snoring — and the wardrobe door opened. "Sorry about that, Meredith; I didn't think you'd come into the bedroom, of all places. Now, come on, let's go."

It was Olivia — and she had the keys tightly clutched in her right fist.