(A/N: Hey Readers...sorry...I did it again with taking forever to update. Lots...of things have been going on and I've been trying to get back to updating so here we have Ch. 22 for all of you! WARNING: There is some gore in this chapter so please read at your own risk. Other than that, hope you all enjoy this new chapter finally!)
Y/N's POV
My eyes opened abruptly as though I had woken from a bad dream but a nightmare had not occurred. So why was I so eager to wake up? I turn my phone on as it sat beside me to see the time being 11:39 p.m. Midnight was only twenty one minutes away, I had twenty one minutes to either fall back asleep and relax or find that mysterious garden and get some answers. This shouldn't even be a choice, I should stay home and act as though the phone call I had received never happened and I only imagine it with my state of sleep deprivation.
I glance down at my lap to find Bill's head stirring slightly in his sleep. I must've passed out after him on the couch seeing as I had put him to sleep by playing with his hair and humming a tune that was stuck in my head...but I couldn't remember the title of what the song had been called or even the lyrics that had went along to it. I guess it didn't matter either way for Bill had still ended up falling asleep with his arms gripped tightly around me. He stirred more, his eye shutting tighter and his nose wrinkling. My golden demon is so tense, he shakes his head and grips onto me even tighter. Immediately, I begin to hum once more as my left hand began to stroke his messy blond hair.
Bill freezes slightly by this and stays completely still while his eye relaxes and his face is read to be calm once more. The rest of his body, however, still tense as his arms seem to only grip tighter. A nightmare could be the reason for this but...do demons have nightmares? If so, what type of nightmare could make him so unsteady, frightened even to the point he cannot relax once more?
It's possible it could be about losing me since he claims I'm all he has left but that statement he makes only makes me more curious. What happened to his family...if he had any? Why doesn't he speak about the flat dimension...if that dimension even exists? Shouldn't that be his home...another lie he would be keeping from me? Why though, why keep that a secret?
Glancing up at the clock once more it was now 11:42 p.m. I bit my bottom lip, unsure of what to do. The pressure of deciding is killing me; if Bill found out that I snuck out to learn the truth about him then it would be over between us, I'd mess up everything, but if he continued to lie to me and never share the truth...I feel as though either situation is a lose-lose. If I'm careful enough, he won't ever have to know and everything will be alright.
I guess I'm doing this...I know the consequences if he finds out I went and what may happen to us but that's only if he catches me. My hands move to his arms as I begin to pry them off of me only making his grip tighten by my action. Sighing, I try even harder, the moment I saw a gap between his arms I slipped out and stood up off the couch. Probably not the best way to get him off, Bill begins to whimper and stir more as his sleep form attempts to find me and latch onto me again.
I kneel down next to him as I begin to stroke his hair, humming the tune again. His arms wrap around my neck as he whimpers slightly again. "Shh, I'm right here...I need to go check on something, I'll be right back, I promise." I whisper softly as I kiss his forehead. I unlatch his arms around me and I hold both of his hands with one of mine while the other continues to stroke his hair. I hum gently as he begins to become soothed by my voice.
Asleep once more, I release his hands and quietly make my way to the elevator and out the door with Bill's sweater still on me to bring warmth to me on this cold, Fall night.
•••
I take deep breaths as the cold air lets me see the breath escaping my lips before taking in another freezing breath of oxygen. My feet walk slowly as I follow the map on my phone to make my way towards this 'garden'. I have traveled these woods enough to know that there isn't a garden out here unless I were completely blind as a bat to take notice.
I glance up from my phone and freeze, nearly dropping my phone. This can't be right, can it be? Standing before me was a golden gate that was at least 6 feet. The doors of the gate immediately opened as I stand there, considering to step in or not. 'A trap, this could be a trap and you're going to waltz right in clueless and unprepared!' the voice of reason in my head shouted.
Ignoring it once more, I stepped through as a strong force hit me in the face, making me stumble on my feet barely able to stand. Opening my eyes, not realizing I had shut them, I was met with a garden with a stone path placed before me to follow. Turning around I realized there was no way back, the gate had left me to this land of wonder.
If I can't turn back, I might as well move on forward.
My feet began to move before my mind could catch up with me, following the stone path to wherever it might be leading me. Roses, tulips, lotuses, and irises surrounded my path as the fragrance off of them only made me smile. This man may be mysterious and untrustworthy but he sure knew how to pick a place to meet, a place filled with beauty and wonder. Small blue lights dance around above each flower as I reached my hand out towards one, the moment my finger touched the small orb it's color changed to a vibrant green making a smile spread wide across my face.
"Wow..." was all I could manage to say from all this beauty. The lights, one-by-one, turned green as they began to move onto the path and lead me down further into this garden. I followed still as I found a giant willow tree come into view with a stone bench sitting underneath; apple blossom amaryllis circled the trunk with small red lights hovering above them.
The green lights moved behind me and began to push me towards the tree until I reluctantly took a seat on the bench wondering what was to happen now. I appear to be alone in this garden with no escape, am I trapped? Has the warning in my mind been right all along? I'm such an idiot, I should've stayed home in the arms of my love! Who knows what is to occur to me now.
My phone rang as I jumped, forgetting that was still in my pocket. Taking it out I saw that my phone had no service out here...wherever here was...yet it states that "Xqnqrzq" is trying to make contact with me. Hesitantly, I lift my phone up to my ear and answer the call as I wait to hear the man's voice.
"Well, my dear, I'm glad you finally came around. I would like to apologize for my absence, work came up as usual and I was able to slip alway to make this call." he spoke with a gentle yet alluring tone in his voice.
"The garden is beautiful, I'll admit that." I said quickly making slight small-talk. I heard him hum in agreement as I heard his feet shift slightly. "Yes, indeed it is. One of my favorite spots to go to. I especially love the deers and fawns that roam through the garden."
I froze in confusion, there weren't any deers around, I'd remember if I had came across an animal taller than me and the flowers while roaming around freely. "That's odd because there aren't any deers here." I said in a nervous tone as my hand shook slightly. Why did the thought of missing wild animals terrify me so much?
"Is that so? Have you tried looking up?" he asked. That's an odd question to ask, why would I need to look up to find a deer? I'm pretty sure I know my animal species and this type aren't known to fly or even climb for that matter.
Nonetheless, I looked up out of curiosity and a scream escapes my throat. Up in the willow tree hung a deer with its body distorted and blood dripping from every gap on it. Its eyes were soulless, no life within them, and its teeth taken from his mouth. I felt a small drop of deer blood land on my face and I begin to scream in horror again as I fall off the stone bench and back up to the trunk of the tree. No matter how badly I wanted to look away I couldn't. My eyes were glued and my heart was shattered, thoughts couldn't process as I realized it wasn't just one hanging but three. A buck, a doe, and a fawn were hanging by their necks as they seemed to have experienced the most gruesome death.
I find myself ducking my head between my legs as I dropped the phone, trying to wipe the image of those corpses from my mind but I couldn't. I sobbed slightly as fear has completely taken over me, my breathing unsteady and my heart feeling as though it may rip out of my chest from the speed it was beating at. I try to take in some oxygen, attempt to steady myself as I lift my head but not enough to see what was above me; I shakily lifted my hand and gripped my phone tightly as I brought it to my ear once more.
What was I to say after that? What did he plan to do to me?! I could only take quick, short breaths as silence came from the other end. I heard him clear his throat before speaking to me in a gentle manner. "My apologies if that startled you. I continue to forget the fact that demons and humankind don't have the exact same...mindset so to speak."
"Why?!" was all I could scream as tears continued to pour while the drop of blood ended up drying to my face. I hear him sigh as my jaw tightens and anger and fear both mix within me, boiling inside me.
"The death of the innocence is always a tragic thing, isn't it? Such a shame...especially when your dearly beloved finds it in good sport to take the lives of these innocent creatures with no way to defend themselves in cold blood then rip them of their pearly whites as a token for his actions."
I hugged my knees tightly to my chest as I lower my head. Quick breaths, Y/n, just stay calm. "W-What...what do you want from m-me?" I muttered as I sniffed, attempting to wipe the tears away was difficult as they continued to pour down. "W-What do you r-really want from m-me?!"
"My dear, you're still afraid, aren't you? I don't wish to bring any death nor harm towards you, only the truth. I'd rather let you know the painful truth of the man known as Bill Cipher rather than the beautiful lie you see and wish to believe in. I know you fear the gory death set before your eyes but this is the man you wish to love and I'm sorry you must learn it this way."
I shook my head vigorously as I try to ignore the words he speaks. "I don't believe you. Y-You're lying!"
"If you didn't believe me that would be fine by me, we could go our separate ways and never speak to one another again but that doesn't seem to be the case for if you didn't believe me...then you wouldn't be here."
I thought my heart stopped at that exact moment as I forgot how to breathe for a minute. There's no way I could actually believe him, right? I can't! I trust Bill more than this stranger, don't I? "I-I was just curious is all..."
"Hmm, curiosity. One of the strongest qualities the human kind possesses." he mumbled under his breath.
Taking a deep breath I find the strength to stand up while using my hand to block the sight of the corpses above me. I lower my hand to grip onto the tree as my legs still feel weak and I'm unable to keep balance of my stance. "I just want to hear what you have to say."
"You want to know the truth?"
"...I want to know what you claim to be true...doesn't mean I'll believe a word you say..."
I heard him chuckle as the call began to sound like static. Were we losing connection? Wow, coincidence? I think not. Was he really going to leave before I can hear anything he has to say? Coming down here was pointless if that is the case...besides the fact my mind has been scarred for eternity.
"I wish to apologize in advance, it appears my time to talk is almost up. I shall not leave you at a lost, however. Seeing as you came down here so desperate for answers I shall give you what you need to begin your quest on finding the truth." he spoke mysteriously as my grip tightened around the phone.
"Are you serious, you're not going to even up front tell me what you know?!" I shouted upset.
"My dear, no one deserves the truth until they've earned it. Besides, the quest won't be too hard. Look, inside the stomach of one of those deers holds a box. On the box are three locks that you will need three separate keys to unlock. Inside that box holds all you need to know about Bill Cipher. I'll send you your first clue to find the first key tomorrow morning."
My eyes widened as I glanced up and immediately felt nauseous. "You want me to go inside their bodies to search for some dumb box?!" I nearly screamed as I tried to keep myself from vomiting.
"You want to learn the truth or not?" he asked as static appeared once more. I shook violently at the thought and at the time of his voice as my legs nearly gave out underneath me. "Once you have obtained the box the gate will appear at the beginning of the garden and you'll be free to go home. Remember, all of this that we have discussed is only between you and I. No one else may hear a word that has been spoken tonight."
The line went dead as I looked down at the phone to make sure the call had completely ended. I looked up at the corpses and felt a cold chill run up my spine. This, this is wrong for me to do. I should let the dead Rest In Peace, why should I disturb their eternal slumber? It's wrong, all of this feels wrong...but I am only inches away from the truth. The truth that I have been kept from. This could all be a lie, just someone wanting to tempt me into a trap.
It feels as though this temptation is beginning to consume me, however, because the more I don't want to do this the closer I inch towards the bodies. All three fall to the ground at the exact same time out of nowhere with no force to cut them loose from the string, making it much easier for me to search inside them I suppose. I bent down and stare at all three, I don't want to search through all three only for my last guess to be the right one. 'The death of the innocence...' seemed to be the only thought playing over and over in my head. Out of the three, I would assume the fawn would represent the most innocence as it were the youngest and the most inexperienced.
Closing my eyes tightly, I ripped open the fawn's chest and begin searching for the stomach. My own stomach begins to turn as I believe myself to vomit here in a minute but if it were anything coming out I would assume it to be only vile as I have had barely anything to eat. I continued to search, nausea just about ready to take over me when I finally feel something hard and wooden. Gripping onto it, I quickly ripped it out and threw it to the ground while only focusing on the blood now stained to my hands. I was horrified and disgusted, I couldn't contain it anymore as I turned away from the fawn and threw up, only vile could come out as expected.
I stayed hunched over for awhile while at the same time trying to recollect myself. Maybe this was a mistake but either way I would not have been able to leave this garden without that box. So eventually... I was bound to do it, to rip open it's stomach. "I-I'm so sorry..." I whispered even though I was only talking to the corpse; a corpse that can no longer hear, see, or feel anything so it didn't matter if I apologized or not but I needed to. I needed to apologize to something. I glanced at the wooden box and I could only take any real notice in the three locks that were on it. Three challenges...was it even worth it? My bloody hand gripped onto the box tightly as I held it close to my chest, attempting to find the balance to stand. I begin to walk down the path as everything in the garden felt as though it were asleep now. No more lights to guide me this time.
As I came to the end of the path, the gate I had entered only a few moments before reappeared to let me free from this torture chamber. I stepped through it and felt the chill of the wind immediately blow against my face. I turn around and jump in slight surprise to find that the garden no longer existed behind me, the blood on my hands washed away, and the only thing I had to even have proof that this garden I went through wasn't just a dream nor an illusion was a small box in my hand that was going to change everything and all that I knew.