Act II | part 10

he sky was painted in shades of red as the sun was about to set. The forest swallowed in silence, echoed by the slightest croaking by the ravens outside.

Ava opened her eyes as she felt a kiss on her cheek. She wasn't asleep, just daydreaming, waiting for Lynn to spring out of his coffin.

"Sleep well darling?" He said softly, moving a lock of her messy hair to better see her face. "Sorry I'll have to leave in such a short notice, but I need to be out as soon as night falls in order to get back home by sunrise."

She gave him a warm smile and sent him off shortly after. Now was the time for action. She sprinted to the basement, which was locked. Of course, she expected no less. Lynn must have taken the key with him too. He was smart enough to do so.

Luckily, the girl had more than just some general knowledge about lock picking. Back in the day, whenever she would found herself out of money, she would resolut to stealing whatever she could find in the locker room of one of the diners she worked at. Not her proudest moment, but it was better than starving.

All she needed was a wire, she could twist and use to align the pins. It was a slow process. She had more than enough time to think about what she might find there and if it was something she really wanted to do at all, but the curiosity had gotten the better of her. Even though she wanted to trust him, she had to know.

After a numerous attempts, the door was finally unlocked. Every step she took down the stairway made an unnerving creaking sound. The premise smelled of mold and firewood. There were spiderwebs in every corner, lots of pipes, empty bottles scattered around, old furniture. Nothing out of the ordinary. When she reached the ground, she felt a small furry creature graze her foot, which made her jolt in disgust. Guess he wasn't lying about the rats after all.

She lifted up the gas lamp, she was using as a light source to take a better look around. There were hardly any signs of someone or something living here. The unbearable stench made her want to go back as soon as she stepped foot in the place. Just as she thought it was time to take her leave, as there was apparently nothing else to inspect, she heard that sound again. That murmur. It seemed to be coming from the empty bookshelf underneath the staircase.

"Hello?" Ava spoke as she got nearer. There was no answer, the sound suddenly falling silent after she approached.

"Hello!?" She raised her voice.

"Who is this?" She heard the words of an old man coming from behind the bookshelf. They were barely audible but words nonetheless. Her heart froze. Upon closer inspection there was a door with iron bars, behind that shelf. Presumably leading to a hallway, the other end of which the person was locked away in.

"Honey, who are you talking to?" A female voice followed.

"There is someone else down here." Said the man in a hoarse tone before turning to Ava."Are with him? Did the vampire send you here?" The voice was filled with fear and despair.

Ava just backed away nervously. Her head was swarming with questions. Her breathing getting quicker and heavier. Who were these people? She was almost too afraid to ask.

"Did he do this to you? Did Lynn lock you up here?" She finally uttered. Her hands were shaking as she struggled to hold the light straight in order to see through the iron bars, but the hallway was too long.

"He pretended to be our friend at first." Said the man. "Me and my wife were lost in the forest one night, until he showed up and offered us help. He didn't hide the fact that he was a blood sucker. For a long time we weren't even bothered by it. That was until we found ourselves prisoners in this house. Never to see the light of day again."

"Please child, you must help us!" The woman chimed in. "If you don't let us out, we will rot in here!"

The girl attempted to move the shelf, but it proved too heavy for her scrawny hands alone. Even if she did move it, the lock on the door would take her another hour or so to pick and there was more than likely another one at the end of the hallway.

"I will have to come back at another time." She said with a trembling voice. "I'm not leaving you behind... I-I will... I just need to think of a plan, okay." Her eyes filled with tears, as she sprinted up the stairs and shut the door behind her.

She fell to her knees, sobbing helplessly as panic settled in. What was she supposed to do now? Was all of this an act after all? After all the time they spent together. All the times he said he loved her. All the things he did to her. All the things she let him do to her. All the pleasant memories turned dark all of a sudden. Stained by the knowledge she just received. Was she going to end up like these people, or did he have other, much more sinister plans for her...?

Then another terrible realization hit in. There was no way to lock the door behind without a key. Leaving irrefutable evidence of her breaking in. Whatever actions she decided to take, had to be done before his return. Unfortunately due to all the shock she experienced, combined with the nasty fumes coming from the basement, she felt dizzy and fell to the ground. Everything turned black.

The dream she had every time she fell asleep was replaced by nothing but infinite darkness. A thousand hands pulling her deeper into the void. Suffocating her. Their nails ramming into her tender flesh. Covering every inch of her body. Until there was nothing left.

She woke up to the chirping of birds outside. The clock showed 6:30 AM. It was too late. There was nothing left to do but await his return.