Noel (ON HOLD)

Chpater 8: My Face

"Are you even listening?! She had my fucking face!"

"I heard you the first time Noel, and to be honest you sound like a wanker. Calm down and we'll figure this out later. We need to get out of here." His cool composure irks me so much. Is he not surprised at all? I just don't understand him. With a pout on my face and his arm around my shoulder, we carried on. We reached southeast safe and sound. Leon led the way, since he knew this side better than I did. It wasn't long until we reached our destination.

"Lady Durante is indeed a nice woman, however she shows compassion differently than others. Get to know her before judgment." He warned me. I rolled my eyes at him.

"How terrifying could this woman possibly be?" I marched on ahead of him. I heard him mutter under his breath "you'll see" as I knocked lightly on the laboratory door. At first glance, it appears to be a house, but something felt "magical" about it. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It was made of smooth red brick, and the rooftops were flooded with green. Green meaning plats, a lot of plants. In fact the plants grew so much that vines spread along the red brick wall. The front steps were simple and sensible cement, my boots clicked as I stepped lightly. The front door was a normal wooden door with a golden door handle. I grabbed a hold of it and knocked again. She has yet to answer the door.

"Is she not home?" I ask aloud. Leon tried to knock himself.

"Lady Durante, you may not remember me, I'm Leon? Leon Clarke?" There's still silence. "I used to visit you all the time back when I young chap. I'm here with a friend, her name is Noel Blakeway. We need your help Madam." The silence turned eerie and chilling. Leon was about to give up.

"Leon, think of all we've been through to get here. We came for Elise Durante, and that's what we're going to get," I put my hand on the knob, "Madam, I-" the door suddenly slid open. I looked at Leon, confused. He nodded reassuringly and went ahead of me.

"Lady Durante?" he slowly stepped into a dark and silent room. "Are you here milady?" Carefully I searched my pocket for matches and lit one illuminating the room. He turned to me with careful eyes. "There might be dangerous chemicals and experiments here. Best be cautious with that fire." He turned and confidently step forward. "We wouldn't want the poor woman to 'burn in hell' now would we?"

"I ought to burn you, damn fool." I knew it was impossible, but somehow I heard him crack a sinister grin, silently teasing me. Knob head! As we continued on, we avoid furniture in the dim light of fire. Once we were a few feet away from the door it suddenly closed on its own.

"It's just the wind." Leon reassured. I went over to the door and tried to open it, but it didn't budge.

"Does the wind usually lock the door?" I started pounding on it and kicking it to get open, but it wouldn't budge. "Hey, since you're such big strong man, you want to give me a hand?"

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm."

"I don't appreciate useless men." I proceeded in kicking down the door myself.

"Hey, where's the ol' inquisitive Noel eh? Let's worry about getting out of here after we take a look around yea?" I was appalled.

"Just what kind of gentleman goes snooping through some lady's home?" I yelled, pointing my finger at him.

"I'm a serf. I have no business being a gentleman, come on let's go. She might be in here somewhere." And she slowly walked inside.

"If she was really here then why couldn't she just open the door like a normal person?!" I complained. There was a long hallway ahead of us. The entire house was in darkness and silence. We moved forward slowly and with caution, for the wall was our only guide. A single match would only do so much. We were led into someone's personal chambers, probably. I saw a lamp and lit it with the match. Once illuminating the atmosphere we saw that the room was relatively untidy.

"It looks just like your room." I jabbed Leon in the shoulder for his rude comment.

"Where do you think she is? You don't think we have to search every room in this building do you?" I asked him with an annoyed expression. Leon looked equally annoyed at that suggestion.

"I don't know, for now let's just wait outside, we'll break the door down if we have to."
*SLAM* *Click!*

".... What was that?" I said, shivering in my boots. We immediately turned around to see the door we just entered was shut, locked, and even worse, bolted. How could this happen? Adrenaline ran through my veins, I was petrified.

"It's magic, it must be. That chemist is playing games with us. Break it down!" I started pounding on the door, but it was no use. It was bolted shut. Leon grabbed a chair and hauled it at the door. It didn't even make a dent. We were desperate, screaming and begging for our freedom.

"Oi! Lady Durante! Let us out! Please!"

"Please!! Let us go!"

Suddenly there was a large gust a wind. It blew out the lantern and left us in darkness. It blew like a storm. I couldn't even stand. I tried to grab on to something, but I couldn't see anything. I hit the floor. The wooden floor broke into my skin leaving splinters in my cheeks. I let out a large wail.

"Noel! Noel, are you alright!?" I couldn't open my mouth to answer him. I grabbed the floor the best that I can, scratching and leaving pieces wood under my fingernails. But it wasn't enough to hold me down. My fingers failed me as they let go, and I was swooped into the air. Up was down, left was right, I lost all sense of direction in orbit. But it wasn't long for the force to push me into a hard surface. With a quick whoosh, my body smacked into the wall. My body went numb. Then suddenly I hit the ground, and all the pain burst out of my skin. It stung like a knife, but the pain circulated. First my chest, then my stomach, then my back, then my arms and legs, then my chest again. I let out a loud shriek, and suddenly sank low into a pit of darkness, silence, and pain.