The Necronomicon

Chapter Forty Two

They were standing in Dmitri's study. The keys were still dangling from Olivia's fingers, and she had a bright smile painted on her face — too bright it didn't seem at all real. Meredith looked at the trapdoor Olivia had uncovered, and sighed. "Should one of us stay to make sure he doesn't wake up?" Olivia asked, edging away from her.

"Should we?"

"I'll stay." Olivia offered, turning away.

"Olivia —" Meredith said, reaching out her hand to her, but she closed the study door behind her as she left. She was all alone again. "O — Okay."

Another trapdoor — she'd been through too many. How had they been built? And why did Dmitri and Frederick have one — what could they possibly need to discuss so urgently that they needed to be available to one another at all hours? She ducked into it, landing with both feet. Meredith didn't close it behind her; she just walked through the dirt underneath it, making her way through the tunnel there.

Eventually, she happened upon the other end, and tentatively opened the trapdoor at the other end. She had no way of knowing if Frederick was here or not. She prayed he wasn't, and that he was sleeping: but she was often unlucky.

She managed to lift herself out, making as little noise as possible as she rose to her full height. Meredith's eyes swivelled around the room she found herself in — there was no Frederick to be seen. She tiptoed forward silently.

Meredith could hear nothing — no snoring, or the tap of feet on wood coming to see what the noise is. All her ears could register was the sound of silence. If Frederick was here, and asleep — Pippa resided under his bed. She was going to have a nightmare getting her out. Meredith crept onwards, tensing as she hit a creaky floorboard.

She stumbled around until she found the bed — it was a proper one, not a futon. There was no Frederick in it. She bent underneath the bed — Pippa was still there, pushed further back now, her hair tangled with the dust, her skin ashen. "Pippa," Meredith whispered — and to her surprise, Pippa's eyelids fluttered open.

"Meredith, you're — you're here to help me!"

"Pippa," Meredith smiled, casting thoughts of Alfred from her mind. "I'm here to help you. Can you stand?"

"I haven't eaten in days," Pippa responded. "I'm weak. I can't move. I'm just waiting to die, Meredith. Death is —"

Meredith silenced her by grabbing her arms and hoisting her out that way. Pippa smelled awful — like she was decaying, mixed with the putrid scent of dirt. Meredith pulled her nose as far away from her as possible, and instead hauled her to the tunnel.

"Is Alfred alive?"

"I conversed with him earlier today," Meredith replied, trying to sound like she didn't care. The word talked seemed too intimate, too close — conversed seemed more formal.

"In here," Meredith commanded, and Pippa dropped down, her legs buckling — then giving way. Meredith plopped down beside her, and shut the trapdoor completely.

"I can hardly walk." Pippa breathed; her breath had a horrible stench, like rotten eggs. Meredith looked away from her, escaping the stink, instead leading her onwards. Both of her arms were wrapped around Pippa's waist as they slowly but surely began to walk along the tunnel. Several times Pippa made a gagging noise, and Meredith feared she would throw up — but Pippa never did. Instead they powered on, until they hit the end of the tunnel (quite literally — Pippa fell upon the dirt wall).

"We're here, Pippa — we've made it." Meredith beamed. Pippa clutched at Meredith's clothes, pulling her backwards, towards her chest. "Pippa —"

"Why are we here, of all places?" Pippa asked, and Meredith sighed.

"I'll explain everything later — but for now, I'll just say this: it's the only place I can be. Now, shush, and come on."

Meredith tugged her along with her. There was an aura of expiration hanging around Pippa's head. She didn't seem to have long for this world. But Meredith had to get Pippa to continue breathing, to live — or at least let her see Alfred one last time.

Dmitri's study seemed to be full of shadows — Meredith peered into every corner with darting eyes. "We need to feed you. I don't know how you could hide with me: you..."

"I'm dying," Pippa said. "I know it, Meredith — you don't have to think it. You can say it."

"We can't stay here — we're delusional to think we can. We need to get you some food, some water. Alfred — he can help us. And now that we've got you, Pippa — we can go. Far away, so Frederick doesn't come to take The Necronomicon from me. I took it back, Pippa. He's after my blood. He's a greyhound, hunting down my flesh and bone."

"Alfred, then."

"We'll go to your hut, now — if you can make it." Meredith looked Pippa in the eyes. "We can do it."

"We can." Pippa agreed, and she reached out a hand and took Meredith's. "Let's go."

Meredith, without thinking, picked Pippa up. She weighed far more than she'd expected, but Meredith held on to her as best she could. Opening the study door with her hip, Meredith tumbled through it, pressing Pippa close to her bosom. She jogged forwards, into the main part of the hut. A groggy voice — Dmitri's — saying "What?" rang in her ears as she dashed to the door. Instead of setting Pippa down, Meredith leant backwards to give her arms more space and opened the door. They rushed out, slamming the door behind them.

Leaving Olivia behind.

Meredith almost felt bad; but she knew that Olivia would be sure of where they'd gone. Dmitri was probably going to inspect the study right now anyway. Pippa tried to speak, but her throat was dry and cracked, and her lips peeling. "Wait, Pippa, just wait." Meredith whispered, her voice ragged from the exertion.

Pippa's hut was just up ahead: Meredith barrelled into it. Throwing open the trapdoor, she dropped down inside, taking Pippa with her. As quickly as she could go, Meredith thundered down it. She bumped into the other end, and nearly squealed from joy. It was almost like she could feel Pippa's breath leaving her soul as she cradled the woman close to her stomach.

The trapdoor was torn open, but not by Meredith. Instead, Frederick's handsome, bronzed face stared at her. "Got you," He said, and he reached out an arm to grab her.