Chapter 49 - The Worst Nightmare

"Are you okay now, Vera?"

Fayette checked Vera's leg, aside from the obvious missing cloth, she's okay... she doesn't know how many days it has been already, they have a few cold dishes but have eaten at least ten of them in this timeframe.

"Yes, thank you... it should be healed now, but... Vale..." Sensing Valentine's concerned glare, not at her but at what they just found, just like the two of them she also caught up with what the current situation is.

"..."

The situation is becoming dire by the second.

As his hand and Vera's leg healed, they coursed through the cursed alleyways but there is one issue.

The situation had been so frantic and survival-driven that when he cut down his own hand to escape, he forgot about the crystal inside... thankfully, the hand that got trapped within the vines was his left hand, not his right hand... had it been otherwise he'd be in all likelihood, fucked.

As his gaze covered the intersection to the front, patterns and encounters voyaged through his mind, seeking a solution.

It has been three times in a row where there are two paths blocked by the mahogany tree... leaving a single path to move through, fortunately, so far the path has contained mist but he and the blonde are starting to feel apprehension by the second, just now they walked and found an intersection as the mist was subsiding in the current block, and in this intersection, all three paths are blocked...

"We have to return, there is no other way... let's do it quickly." Valentine asserted, perhaps not as enthusiastic as before, and the trio turned heels to turn back, it has been a while since they found anyone, so far, it's only the three of them.

They had wanted to find that demoness or any other demon to find the answer to this 'riddle', he's convinced there is some kind of pattern here to be able to depart, he just hasn't found it yet.

At least they know that they can evade the creature by seeking the mist, the problem is... the mist is turning scarcer and scarcer.

"Vera, take this... if the time comes that we have to run, I want you to be in the front" Fayette took out her backpack, utterly forsaking the need for arrows and a bow that is clearly not paramount in the current situation.

"I understand, but... I'll be in guard as well just in case, do you want the Rose Thorn, Vale?" She inquired, perhaps thinking that he'd be more assured by having the strongest knife.

"No, keep it... it's yours, Vera... I want you to be on guard as well, but if the situation arises, run..." The three started to move back, knife in hand and ready for any complication.

"O-Okay" For some reason, she felt those words sounded ominous, but she'd definitely do as they said.

**

**

To the other side of this shadowy corridor, .once again, there is only one path... but this time, Valentine's fears became a reality, because this is the only path they have available and there is no mist coming from it, in fact, they can see, slowly but surely, vines starting to spread through it as if trying to close it!

"What do you think we should do...? I think we should go..." Fayette gulped a mouthful and clenched her knife.

If this remaining path is closed, won't they be encased here in this corridor? what if the creature appears here then?!

"I believe so as well..." Valentine's thoughts were a mirage of Fayette's.

"I-I think we could stay here... so far there is nothing..." And so were Vera's, but she's afraid of even stepping inside that cursed corridor and meeting the same chaos from before.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!"

!!!

They didn't even know why or when, but the trio brandished their knives when they heard a voice behind them!

Turning around like phantoms they saw a man in rags, running towards the other side of the corridor.

'Where the fuck did he come from?!'

It's as if he appeared from the nothingness right behind them!

The same continued happening, and then another and another... none even dared to look back.

Some of them missed their limbs, the story just repeating itself.

But only the three of them knew that to the other side of this corridor it's a dead-end!

...

"Let's go... it's a dead-end, prepare to run!" With no more doubt within his mind, Valentine knew this is the correct decision, this thing is trying to trap them inside this corridor!

"Yes!" (Fayette, Vera)

With humongous determination and restrained fear, the three of them stepped inside that shadowy alleyway...

And the Chaos didn't make itself wait.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

Once again the wails of despair resonated upon their tired ears, another day another struggle, this time, however, they had more experience and there were categorically fewer people.

They're falling like insects 

If before they had been a hundred, now they're a dozen at most, but... there are even more vines now!

"RUN!! RUN!!"

Valentine's shouts didn't make themselves wait, at least this time there are not that many people, but he can literally feel the vines scratching against his body!

They're everywhere!

Without looking back at the creature for a single moment, with Vera in front, they ran... ran for their lives.

The other side of the corridor can't be seen yet, but he can only hope... it's not a dead-end!

*FIIUSSH!!*

But right at that instant, Valentine felt how three vines latched tightly against his leg, making him fall face-forward to the ground filled to the brim with even more worm-like roots.

*THUD!!*

He fell, heavily... and right beside him another similar noise came when Fayette also fell.

He tried to desperately cut the vines restraining Fayette while the latter shouted... she shouted with her lungs on the line and moistened eyes.

"KEEP RUNNING VERA! DON'T STOP!!! DON'T STOP!!!!"

"I DIDN'T TRAIN A COWARD! YOU HAVE TO RUN FASTER!!"

...

Vera's eyes moistened, more from the fear of the whole situation, stepping on the roots and the bodies than anything else... she heard those shouts that motivated her to go along, so loud and clear that she believed Fayette and Valentine to be running right behind her.

Within the shadows of the alleyway, her figure disappeared.

...

"UGH!!!" Valentine felt yet another two vines tightly clench around his abdomen as he stopped trying to cut the vines, even if he cut Fayette's limbs by now, she wouldn't be able to run.

"Faye..." He didn't want to say those words, but as their tightly bound bodies were dragged towards the heavy noises in the distance, with the wailings souls as the background, hope became dimmer.

No white flames shone through his eyes at this instance, because... there is no way out.

"..."

"Please, don't apologise..." She sobbed, knowing fully well that they were not going to make it.

Nothing can cut these vines, as she saw her couple's pained expression, her tears gave out, rolling down uncontrollably, she didn't want him to feel guilty over this.

"I'm sorry..." But he still had to apologise, there were no tears in his eyes, in fact... his eyes looked at Fayette with a small smile despite his sorrow.

'At least I'm with her...'

"I TOLD YOU TO NOT APOLOGISE, IDIOT!!"

"I'm sorry... I should have gotten more information..."

"IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT...! IT'S OUR FAULT! I WON'T ALLOW YOU TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY BY YOURSELF, WE FUCKED UP TOGETHER, YOU HEAR ME!?"

"...I don't think we're going to make it, Faye..." The situation was more than evident, but he still needed to say those words, perhaps because her trust for him is always unbreakable, she might think he's going through solutions in his mind, but he has nothing... for the first time, he has nothing.

The only thing he could do, even in this situation was to move the only unrestrained hand he had and start fiercely clashing the Horntail knife against the ground, but sadly... this ground is not made out of stone...

He hoped to create sparks that could burn the tree, but... only roots spread through, and there is no way to create friction in the current situation.

He has nothing.

"I don't care..." She answered, still sobbing but less than before.

"...?"

"I don't care... I knew... this was going to happen eventually, this is hell, Valentine... the love we're experiencing... this paradise I'm living with you... it shouldn't have been UGH!- l-long-lasting."

She released a giggle even as one of the vines mercilessly dug inside her skin, the creature's steps sounded closer and closer.

"..."

"I'm a sinner... we are sinners... Vera is the only one that doesn't deserve this... as long as I go through this together with you, I don't have a problem, I don't care about anything else as long as I'm with you, do you understand me!?"

"..."

"Yes or not?!"

Valentine sighed... ceasing all struggle... he crawled up to his bound couple and embraced.

"Yes, me too... I love you, Faye... like I have loved no one." He confessed, perhaps not ashamed due to the feeling of fear coursing through his mind, fear he hadn't felt in so long.

"I love you too, please... regardless of what happens... remember that..." their shaking lips met at that moment, yes... fear.

There is fear in there, for the other party.

The two of them wouldn't think it twice about sacrificing their lives for the other party but... that option is not available.

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

"I'm worried about her..." He confessed, moving his gaze to the darkening corridor as the steps of the creature seemed to become imminent

"Me too... I think... we didn't teach her enough, she's going to have a hard time... she's still naive and doesn't think things too much... also a little fearful but... I think she will be okay... s-surely she will find someone to trust, other than us..." Fayette's lips quivered.

"She might try to kill herself..." He asserted, with sorrow.

"She won't... I told her before that if she tried to do so I wouldn't forgive her no matter what, I would haunt her..." The blonde said shamelessly.

"Then I guess that's the only... r-reassure w-we have." 

*BOOM!*

One of the legs of the creature stepped so close to his head, that it could have squashed to mush was it any closer.

*BOOM!*

The same happened to Fayette, the roots spread through their bodies, impaling and invading their flesh wantonly, destroying nerves, causing pain... torturing.

Trying to hold back from shouting her lungs out, Fayette and Valentine who had at this point get used to the pain of getting burned to a crisp, experienced a new kind of pain, one so surreal and horrible... that they couldn't even describe it, but Fayette still had one last question to ask before whatever fate befell them took over...

"D-do y-you... l-love her?" Perhaps she wanted him to be truthful with her in this situation, one where the two of them don't know if they're going to live or die.

"... I do."

And it was at that moment, that a relatively big piece of vine crawled up like a snake and fiercely penetrated their heads!

*PUCHI!!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH------------------"

"....