Box

Mary and Lucius sitting on the floor, chatting about the place. Mary kept throwing him questions whenever he was done explaining a question.

Suddenly, a thought struck her head. She gazed to her right, looking for the lady's body while Lucius stared at her, confused.

He hissed at her and Mary glanced back at him. She indicated her finger to her right and asked in a terrified manner.

"Where did the lady's body go!? Did she escape!?"

He shook his head and wrote, using the pen that Mary gave him. He wrote on the floor and looked back at Mary, smiling. Mary switched her gaze to the floor and saw-She's dead so she was taken away.

"Wait! She died!?"

Lucius nodded.

"So...she vanished like the broken cracks on the floor and walls every night?"

He nodded again.

Mary looked back at the floor, where the lady died and now vanished. Suddenly, something caught her eye. She slowly stood up and walked.

She stood at the location, where the lady's lifeless body used to be. She bent down and took a small box in her palm, that seemed enough to only hold a pebble in it.

Lucius hissed at her, curiously as Mary walked back to his side, staring at the box. Mary held the box at Lucius's eye level.

He used his hand to take the cover off and took out the item inside the box. It was a piece of paper. Mary snatched the paper from his grip and looked at it. Then, she read it out loud for Lucius to hear.

"Second floor."Mary looked at it, confused. "That's it? Is there anything else inside the box, Lucius?"Mary asked.

He shook his head.

"No? So...what does this mean? Is it telling me to go up? But how did the box appear out of nowhere?"

Lucius rubbed the back of his neck and wrote. I saw it yesterday when I ripped the lady's neck.

Mary stared at him with a why don't you tell me expression. Lucius noticed her reaction and continued writing. I didn't know you wanted it.

Mary was still looking at him with a done expression. She reached both her hands out to his cheeks and pulled them.

Lucius hissed while pushing her hands away, gently.

"Remember to tell me whatever strange things you see or it will be more than just pulling your cheeks!"Mary said, warningly.

He nodded, understood while rubbing his cheeks.

"How're your wounds?"Mary asked.

He looked at Mary, beaming and wrote. It's not that bad now.

"That's good...Can you stand up?"

He pushed his upper body off the floor. He was standing but was wobbling left and right, unbalanced. Then, he slowly moved his tail and began to slither. He kept hissing from the pain the more he slithered.

"Stop!" Mary shouted, worriedly."Sit back on the floor. You're still injured. We will leave when you're healed."

He shook his head, stubbornly. Mary stood in front of him blocking his way and forcing him to sit. But he pushed her away and slowly slithered out of the room.

Mary tried her best to convince him to rest before they went out the door but he refused. Mary gave up after he opened the door. The outside was pitch black. Mary couldn't see a thing, it was too dark.

Lucius slithered out of the door and Mary followed, struggling to see him. He noticed Mary's movement became slower as he led her deeper into the dark.

He reached out his hand in front of her. Mary touched his hand and flinched, not knowing what it was. He hissed and she understood.

Mary slid her hand in his and he led the way. After a while of walking, they soon found themselves in front of a staircase leading up.

Lucius slowly guided her up the stairs and they found themselves back on the first floor.

"What!?" Mary shouted."So... we're in the basement the whole time?"

He looked at Mary, worried and nodded.

"Ugh! Oh, well then it can't be helped. Let's go!"

They slowly went to the staircase, leading to the second floor.