Warm...
Warm rays of light...
My chest feels a bit heavy.
But other than that....it really is peaceful here.
The waves soothing my soul.
The sun's gentle caress.
Warm...
Warm rays of-
...
My chest aches a bit now.
But it's still warm...
The waves are growing uneasy.
I wonder why.
Warm rays...
...
The pain....
Ha...why am I laughing.
It's unbearable now...
Warm...So very warm.
...
Oh...
The pain is gone.
But.
...
Where's my heart?.
...
H-
Hey.....
Hey...
HEY!
I jolted awake, a floating mass of blue bubbling in front of me.
"THIS IS THE 3RD TIME!"
Rusty continued.
"The third time you are falling asleep!"
Blirp... Borp... Plip... Plip...
Hammel joined in, his deep hue swallowing the flickering torch light.
"Yeah, even Glint can stay awake longer than you at this rate"
The yellow eyes of the glittery blob opened at the mention of his name, lazily looking around, pretending he wasn't asleep.
...
"Okay maybe you can stay awake longer than Glint but you get the point, we have a plan remember?"
Rusty lectured , floating around my head.
"Yeah-yeah I get it Rusty."
"We move after one more of his patrols"
I replied with a resolute nod, shaking off the lingering drowsiness.
Freya was carefree as always, running around.
Plip...Plip...Prlooop.
She nestled herself near my foot, the blanket of moss on her head giving her a rather endearing look.
"Seems like Freya has taken a liking to you."
Rusty scoffed.
"The kid never learns*
He floated toward the hallway, glancing both ways.
"We have around 3 minutes before it comes around again, so here's the plan."
Hammel, Glint and Freya gathered round, there eyes focused on Rusty as were mine.
"It passes by this stretch of hallway every 1 hour or so, from the left to right and vice versa the next hour."
Rusty spoke, his blue glowing eyes unfocused and thoughtful.
"So a full round of this place takes him 2 hours total."
I spoke up, drawing rusty's glance.
"Probably."
"We can't ignore the possibility that it patrols only a certain area and not the whole."
The entangled strings within him thrummed faintly.
"So according to your claim Rusty and if it indeed patrols only a certain area of these halls, then there is a possibility of there being more than one of 'it' right?."
I followed up, stretching my arms overhead.
"Indeed, that is a possibilty and don't call me Rusty."
A smirk from me and a few gurgling plips from Freya signalled that the name was there to stay.
...
"So uhh...what do you guys do in your free time?".
I questioned, my mood rather uplifted from the nap.
"Search for an escape route obviously. "
Rusty quickly followed up, seeming rather uninterested in continuing the topic.
Freya on the other hand drew my attention signaling to a corner and hiding behind it.
"You guys play hiding?".
I guessed, which got a slightly nervous bubble from Rusty.
"P-Proposterous...I-I do no such thing!".
Turning away, he exclaimed, I obviously saw through the lie and couldn't hold my laughter.
"Hahaha!...no way....pompous Rusty plays hiding and seeking"
I burst out, clutching my stomach, wiping tears
"Absolutely amazing. "
I continued laughing, even managing to make freya burst into bubbling which i assume were laughs, even glint and Hammel seemed rather entertained at seeing their usually stoic leader so flustered and embarrassed.
"Don't worry Rusty, your secret is safe with me."
I patted the top of his body which i assumed was his head, cackling quietly with a crooked grin.
As time passed, the chatter and laughter died down, everyone went about their own business, preparing themselves.
I had the bright idea of placing a broken old pail I found under a stream of water trickling down the walls before I had gone for a nap, the vessel had numerous small leaks sure but the water held for just enough time.
I washed my hair, face, arms and legs using the water I had collected and felt rather satisfied with my intellect.
'Guess im a born genius'.
I squeezed and dried my hair, the lack of anything to dry myself with was rather triggering but I wasn't one to complain.
...
Thud...
Splosh...
Thud...
Splosh.
Sigh.
I let out a deep sigh as all of us looked at each other, all our expressions serious.
We all moved to one cell,as the steps grew louder in the distance.
"Alright, stick to the plan and keep quiet."
Rusty bubbled, diving into his usual spot, the metal pail to hide.
I retreated to my dark cell, curling up in a corner.
...
...
Thud...
Splosh...
Thud...
Splosh.
I watched as it passed by once again.
Pained groans, a behemoth of grotesque beauty.
Faceless, featureless yet possessing an aura of bizzare danger that rang alarms in my head.
It slowly heaved past, the heavy viscous slime leaving a faint trail in it's wake.
Thud....
Splosh...
Thud...
Splosh...
Th-...
As the last vestiges of it's presence vanished down the hall, I cautiously made my way out, where Hammel, Glint, Freya and Rusty where already waiting.
We offered each other acknowledging nods, and taking a deep breath stepped forward.
'Here goes nothing'
I muttered inwardly, as we walked left into the dim stretching torch-lit halls, leading to either freedom or into the belly of the beast.