Drake's POV:
The opening behind me slides down, making it impossible to turn back. The corridor isn't overly long, the walls are crimson red that fades into a maroon colour the higher it gets, looking up there doesn't seem to be an end as it's pitch black. The width is small, cramped but thankfully it allows me to hobble along using it as a support. It's quiet. All I can hear are my footsteps and my heartbeat as I walk along, I can see the end where a shine of light floods out from the right. I hope it's not another task, I just want to get out of here... I head towards it, turning the corner I stop dead in my tracks as my eyes open wide.
"Armen!" I yell, using up most of my energy just to get besides him.
He's on the floor with his back against the wall, hands and legs chained tightly, he seems to be unconscious. From what I can see his body bares bruises and cut that slightly bleed into his dirty clothes. Kneeling down I observe the chains, however I can't see any way of opening it. Unsure about what to do I gently shake Armen, slowly his eyes flicker open as he turns towards me. A smile appears on my face, I've found him, he's alive! This is the happiest I've been in a long time... but I need to get him out of here first, before anything happens to either of us.
"... Drake?" He mutters, sounding tired, I nod and tell him it's me.
"Wait... DRAKE!?" He suddenly yells, "What the-"
"Hey hey, it's okay. I'll get you out of these chains then we can leave." I reassure him.
Armen's expression consist of shock and confusion. He scans around nervously as his breathing starts to quicken. I grab the closest chain and start fiddling with it, seeing if there's a flaw or if there's an easy way of destroying it.
"Drake." Looking back at him he's staring right at me, "Why are you here? How are you here?" Armen asks, worry clear in his voice.
"I'm here to get you out!" I say.
"But how did you know I was here? How did you even get here? You couldn't have gotten here alone... is Grayson with you?"
I halt my movements. Fuck. Holding the chains in my hands I debate over what to say, hesitation has probably told him it's true but... he'll probably wonder why he's not here. Thinking about it I don't know if I'll ever see him again, he could be dead for all I know. What do I do?
"Drake...?" Armen asks cautiously which snaps me back into reality. I don't look at him as I continue to fiddle with the chains.
"Yes... but he... he... we got split up." I say, not looking at him.
He doesn't reply as I continue to aimlessly move the chains. I wonder what he's been through... it's been a month and a bit and he's just been here, I can't imagine what it'd be like... nor to I want him to stay in this hellhole. I hope things go smoothly.
I finally focus on the chains, I should've been paying more attention then I would've noticed there's no key hole. I look up as my eyes scan the area for any sharp objects to help create some form of a dent in it. My search is stopped as an audible sigh comes from Armen.
"There's no point. Only he can unlock them, they're magic and nothing you can do will unlock them. Also, you didn't answer my other questions, how did you know I was here?" He says, monotone lingering in his tone.
I release the chains from my grasp, despite wanting to carry on I just feel tired... I want to sleep... taking a deep breath I look at him in slight confusion. He should know what happened, "Well, you asked for help back at my house... then Grayson and I found our way into hell to get you." I say.
He looks at me with uncertainty and clearly doubts what I said, "Drake, what are you talking about?" He asks in a worried tone.
"Your spirit, your message, don't you remember sending it?" I ask. This isn't right.
"The hell are you talking about? People can't send spirits! Even if that was true I wouldn't have gotten the chance to, I've been monitored every day every second... every second." he drifts off as he anxiously looks around once again.
"I- that doesn't make sense..." I mutter. I though it was possible... were the books wrong? Either way I definitely saw one and it felt like his aura, so how could it not be him? Thinking through the possibilities I can't seem to wrap my head around what happened... if it wasn't Armen, then who sent it? Who'd want to get me into hell...?
Closing my eyes I shake the ideas off, I shouldn't worry about that. Grabbing the chains with my hands I place my feet against the walls and tug at them, using all my might to hopefully tear them out.
"Drake?!" Armen says looking back at me, "What are you doing? You're going to get yourself hurt!"
"Does it look like I care?" I growl, eyes focused on the wall whilst my arms feel like they're burning.
He doesn't say another word, instead he turns his head away in guilt whilst disappointment takes over me. I've come all this way and yet I can't get him out of some stupid chains. I'm weak. I'm useless. Give up. Pulling tighter I feel my hands sting as the metal refuses to budge. I let go as I catch my breath, my hands are red with the occasional piece of skin grazed or peeled. Silently sighing I turn back to him, still facing away. I'm getting nowhere with this... once again I peer around us hoping that something could help me... click. The sound echoes from behind where the chains are now off, laying on the floor as Armen stares in shock at where the clasps one were. Despite his freedom being prominent he frantically searches around before grabbing me on the shoulders.
"Drake, you've got to hide." He says quickly but quietly.
"What? Why!? We can leave! We can-" I claim.
"No. You have to hide! He's coming and I don't want you to be-" but before he could continue footsteps tap from the door before abruptly stopping. We both look over to see who it is... then our eyes go wide in shock.
There stood a figure with a ragged cyan t-shirt with a lighter blue undershirt that slightly pokes out. Dark blue trousers with rips that lead down to bare, dirty feet. His skin is pale, almost deathly, where as his brown hair is curled, messy and a bit lively. The one thing that stood out above the rest are the white glowing eyes that stares down at us.
"Hero..." Armen mutters with utter disgust.
Armen's POV:
There the demons stands grinning at us. I grab my wrists to prevent myself from shaking, I feel scared but I attempt to be brave and stand my ground. I'm worried for what could happen to Drake, what if he came all this way and died... I don't want that to happen. I move in front of him, attempting to block him although it's a fruitless effort as the demon laughs.
"Come on now. I just want to have a little chat with our friend, no need to 'protect' him." He says with a sinister tone that I've almost grown used to.
"He isn't your friend! And you better stay away from him!" I shout.
"Or what? You'll hurt me? Do you really think someone like you is capable of something like that?" I glare at him.
His attention moves over to Drake who's still lying on the floor, he seems exhausted so I highly doubt he'll be able to get up... what is Hero planning? What am I going to do? How are we going to get out of this? And where in the world is Grayson!? I stand my ground as he gives out a sigh.
"Well? How about we have a little talk? I'm sure you'll be ecstatic about what I have to say." He claims, words aimed towards Drake.
"I'm not leaving Armen." Drake growls, glaring at him.
Hero smiles, chuckling as if he'd heard a joke. I look down at Drake who seems confused. That quickly changed as he grips his head, yelping out in pain. I kneel down to him, trying to snap him out of it. His eyes are closed and his body shakes for reasons I don't understand. I call out his name but I get no response. No reaction just pain filled face. Looking back Hero's standing there, smiling.
I glare at him, "What have you done? Stop it! He's in pain!"
"Let me think about it... no. We'll be off now, have fun.~" He says.
"Wait-" but before I could finish my sentence both of them disappear, leaving me behind.
"Damn it..." I mutter to myself. Useless.
I stare down at my hands, carefully lifting up my gloves reveals marking that wraps the whole way round, not too deep but it'll stick for a while... how long have I been here for? A month? Three months? Feels like a life time since I've been... well, 'free'. I guess I've gotten used to it; fire, blood, death... Hero hurts other demons when they fail or do something he doesn't like, hearing them down the hall is painful, possibly more painful than the torture itself.
I slide down, resting my back against the wall. What am I meant to do now? There's point in running, this whole place is like a labyrinth... what if he does something to Drake... what if he... no, he wouldn't make a second deal, would he? I look back at my wrists, the marks are just above my gloves making it easy to hide them. Despite the urge to scratch them I push aside as it'll only make it worse.
I start to think about Drake and how's he's changed so much after all these years. Watching from the side lines wasn't fun, especially when it's your friend's life on the line... however, his white eye is a shock, I distinctly remember it being a deep blue. Why did it change?
I snap out of thought as I hear footsteps coming from my right, I can't see who it is since the bloody throne is blocking my view. I don't know who it is and I don't recognise the footsteps so I sit there, quietly listening whilst not making a single sound. The footsteps stop and it's silent for a few seconds. Then, the person speaks up.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" They say with a voice that's a bit higher than Drake's but lower than mine.
I recognise the voice... but from where? I know they're not from here since all demons know not to come in and wander aimlessly. It's not one of Hero's lackeys. So I must've heard it before or during the four years of possession but my memory isn't doing me any favours, so who could it be? I wait there, hesitantly going over my options before coming to the conclusion of looking. I quietly peak around, eyes locking on the person. My eyes go wide in shock, I lower my guard as I get up in excitement.
"Grayson!" I yell happily.
He jumps from the sudden sound before turning around, "Armen!?" He says in disbelief, "I actually found you! I knew that door was the right one." he looks like he won something.
He looks me up and down before looking around. Upon spotting something he smiles and heads towards me.
"If you're okay we should be able to leave. I believe the exit is over there." He says happily, pointing towards the entrance.
I shake my head, "Just before you came Drake was here but Hero took him... I don't know where they are but we need to get him!" I explain. At the mention of Drake his smile faded away.
Waiting for a answer I notice his reaction doesn't change, he doesn't seem to like the idea of saving Drake... was there more to their 'split up', what exactly happened between them? I should ask what happened, there doesn't seem to be a better idea.
"Grayson." He looks at me, "What happened? Do you want to save Drake or not?" I question.
He roles his eyes, "It was just a little squabble. Nothing big."
Lie. There has to be more than that. People don't do this based on a small argument. I press on only getting an agitated sigh.
"Armen. Just- we had an argument. There was a choice we didn't agree with. We chose different things..." He says, clearly hesitant in his words.
"Why would you be that angry at him over a decision? Hell, when I mentioned you to Drake he froze like a statue! What did you say to each other? Do you want to save Drake?" I continue to ask. I want to know the truth, I want to understand what happened. I don't like being lied to.
"I said he could die and I wouldn't care, I said everything that's been on my mind ever since I met him. I told him we weren't friends and he agreed... I wanted him to realise I can do things! We yelled at each other... I left and didn't look back. I don't... I don't know what I want to do..." he rants, shouting at the start only for it to turn into a saddened mumble.
He looks away, guilt is riddled all over his face. That isn't right, they'd never say those things... surely. Why... maybe it's... they wouldn't say that, it must be a lie but it seemed to sincere... I've been told bits and pieces about how hell works, how it effects 'mortal' emotions. Maybe this is what they meant? Having certain feelings amplified and exaggerated, that must be it. I don't want them to be angry at each other, I really hope neither of them meant it... I sigh, who am I kidding? I've not talked to either of them in years, so much happened and I highly doubt they'd stayed the same people I knew back in the Arctic base. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, reminiscing on the past won't help, maybe if we get Drake that'll fix some things up. Maybe they could explain their actions. Maybe things will go well.
I hear a shocked noise come from Grayson, his eyes are locked on the entrance where Hero is looking away in disgust. On the floor Drake is still in the same position as before but he's looking at his hand in fear. I rush over to Drake and kneel down beside him, his watery eyes looks at me for a second before turning away with an ashamed look. A small growl escapes my throat as I stand up and face Herobrine.
"What the hell have you done to him!?" I shout.
He smiles, "He just chose the song to your little show. I hope you can forgive his... 'rash' decision."
Before I could say anything a sudden ringing pierces my ears, I attempt to cover them but the noise stays constant. The look on his face isn't pride, it's disgust, anger. The pain gets worse and I shut my eyes tight, I listen to the sound as it slowly starts to die down. Upon being bearable I open my eyes only to be greeted by different surroundings: rotting oak planks plastered on the wall and displaced, rigid, mossy stones that plague the floor. I'm facing towards a window that's shattered at the corner, outside there's trees, grass and the occasional bush. To the left of it there are splintered stairs that lead up to another floor that overlooks the main area that we're in. In one of the corners of the room there is a small kitchen with dusty seats and a chest that rests next to a fridge. There's a counter that has two backpacks and swords on it, they seem recognisable. A smile spreads across my face as I finally process the area, it's my house! I'm in my house! I get excited for what feels like the first time in forever, this is the first time I've been in control for so long... I'm finally free. I snap back into reality as I hear a painful grunt come from Drake, looking at him he seems to be in extreme pain, his breathing is quick and he's shaking. I ask if he's okay but I don't get a response. Upon trying to shake him into reality he pushes me away, refusing to look at me.
"Don't touch me..." He says quietly.
"Okay... Can you tell me what's wrong? You don't look well." I ask.
He doesn't look at me, he doesn't respond, he doesn't move. He's stopped crying but his face is a bright mix between red and purple. I ask him again but still no answer. Then Grayson finally speaks up after silently standing there for who knows how long.
"Alright. I don't know what's wrong with you but you need to tell us what you did with him." he says, walking over and staring down at him.
"I... I can't, I- I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he spurts out in a panic as he clutches his head with a hand only to collapse seconds later.
We both look at him in pure and utter shock. What in the world... Grayson gives me a 'you deal with this' look before claiming he'll scan the area for any threats. I roll my eyes before turning Drake over, I place my palm against his forehead and immediately retract it. He's boiling up, how the hell does he have a fever? I look up and down him to try and see if there's anything to indicate how this happened, there's nothing. I sigh and give him a worried look. They travelled through hell just to get me out and now only for them to have a fight then Drake gets taken away and I- This is all my fault. I look behind me as Grayson walks down the creaky stairs. I tell him about Drake's condition and he sighs, sounding a bit disappointed.
"I've looked around and everything seems fine, I've also had a look in the backpacks and it turns out that their ours. I guess when we lost them they just turned up here. We should be able to stay here whilst he rests." he claims.
I nod. I look at him for a bit before turning away, there's still so much I want to ask but I don't know if he'll answer anything... honestly, I feel tired, after everything that's happened all I want to do is sleep... I get Grayson to help me lift him up, carefully getting him to his bed where we place him down. There he lies peacefully in a bed that's too small for him. It does surprise me at how this place has managed to stay the same after years of being abandoned.
I stare at him for a while before heading to my room, flumping down on the bed I rest my head against the wall. I finally relax as I glance around my room, dusty and slightly dirty, the torches are burnt out and cobwebs cover the ceiling, the only source of light is coming from the widow that rests behind my head. The soothing sound of the leaves outside shaking in the wind as I feel sleep take over me... I guess... I guess a little sleep wouldn't hurt...