Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from Escape the Night. I just own any and all characters that I just happen create.
CHAPTER TEN: GRIEF SO STRONG…
*****
As the train engine headed back toward the train station, Aqua removed the gags from the twins’ mouths while Axel untied them. “We got you, who did this to you?”
“We don’t know,” Zachery admitted, looking scared and confused. “Isabelle and I hid in the back of the train for one more ride, and when the train went through the tunnel, we both got grabbed and something covered our faces.”
“It was sweet-smelling,” Isabelle added. “We both fell asleep and we woke up here, tied up and gagged. And no one could see us or even hear our muffled screams.”
“We never saw who took us,” Zachery concluded. “We just want to go home.”
“And you’ll go home, we promise,” Axel promised.
*****
Yandel and Dawn were still outside the train station, refusing to go back to the mansion to wait, and so they heard the crashing of the train that made them fear the worse…that all three of their friends had been killed – and so they both nearly fainted with shock and relief when Aqua, Axel, and the twins came running out of the train station.
“Aqua! Axel!” they shouted, running up the stairs to hug them, and saw the twins run out of sight in the direction of the main gates, so they knew that they would be returning back to their own time and to their parents.
Once the hugging was done, Aqua and Axel confirmed that Sally hadn’t made it, for she had been on the train when it derailed and went into the lake.
“If Sally hadn’t insisted on trading places with me-” Dawn began, feeling guilty since she’d been voted to go into that challenge.
“No, don’t talk like that,” Yandel interrupted, fixing her with a stern look. “It doesn’t matter who goes into the challenges, what matters is that we’re closer to defeating the killer, and those twins are finally able to go home to their parents. Yes, Sally died because she volunteered to take your place, and Axel could’ve died since he volunteered to take my place in the challenge. Either way, someone was going to end up dying because of the killer putting us all through this hell.”
“I know,” the brunette whispered, the tears were spilling from her eyes, “but the guilt…it’s so strong…”
“Hey, hey,” said Axel, going over to her as she sobbed, “let’s get back to the mansion, and take a short break, ok? We’re all feeling the guilt with what’s happening, come on…” And he, Yandel, and Aqua guided her out of Critter City with William and Misty following them.
*****
Once they got back to the mansion, Aqua took over on helping Dawn up to the stairs to guide her to the master bedroom while Yandel asked Misty to fetch some tea or something to help them cope with their guilt and nerves, and Axel went to his bedroom get rid of the jumpsuit and locate another pair of boots since his had gone missing, along with Aqua and Sally’s shoes from the train station for some reason.
*****
Once in the master bedroom, Aqua convinced Dawn to lie down on the bed, wrapping her with a blanket, and sat next to her, stroking her hair as she sobbed into the pillows, overwhelmed by the grief and guilt over the lost of their friends.
She started when there was a soft knock on the door, relaxing a little when Yandel poked his head into the room, and waved him over when she saw that he had a cup of tea for their friend.
“I’ll sit with Dawn while you change your outfit,” he whispered, setting the cup on the nightstand as he sat on the side of the bed. “And more tea is going to be brought up, so you can let Axel know to come in here.”
Aqua nodded and left the master bedroom, while he turned his attention to Dawn, who was now sniffling, but he could tell that she was still upset, and he knew that it was going to take a while for her to calm down.
*****
Meanwhile, Axel tossed the jumpsuit into a corner of the room, pulled on another pair of boots that were identical to his missing pair, and he sat on the side of the bed, trying to process what just happened.
‘If I could’ve saved you, Sally,’ he thought, feeling guilty that he couldn’t have warned her of what was going to happen after he found that infernal note, ‘I would’ve…I’m sorry that I couldn’t save you, Sal.’ And he was startled out of those thoughts when there was a knock on the door.
Axel went to the door and carefully opened it, finding Aqua in the hallway. “Hey, is Dawn…?”
“Yandel’s with her,” Aqua informed him. “And tea is going to be brought to her room, so you can go there when you’re ready, and I’ll head back there once I get out of this stupid jumpsuit.”
Axel nodded. “Ok, see you in a bit.” And he waited until she was gone before he stepped out of his room, shutting the door behind him, and he headed for the master bedroom. He wasn’t much of a tea drinker, but right now he was willing to do it in order to cope.
*****
Aqua entered the bedroom, shut the door, and worked on getting the grimy jumpsuit off, wishing that her shoes hadn’t gone missing as she didn’t have another pair that matched her outfit, and so she had to make due with a pair of plain-looking black heels instead.
She wasn’t overly picky about her clothing, but she really did like those shoes, and she wasn’t sure that she would be able to find another pair like it when she did get back home…she hoped she would be able to go home.
“I am going to make it back home,” Aqua told herself, checking her clothes to make sure that they hadn’t gotten ruined, and finding nothing wrong, left her bedroom to go back to the master bedroom to be with her friends…this wasn’t a great time to be alone.
*****
While all of that was going on in the mansion, the killer walked through the amusement park with a particular location in mind, and it wasn’t long before they stopped in front of one of the buildings that looked like an old house that’d fallen into disrepair with cracked windows, shingles missing from the roof, and off to the side in a fenced off area was what looked like a graveyard.
If Dawn had been there, she would’ve realized that this was the haunted house and graveyard from her nightmare.
‘This was the location I’d been looking for,’ the killer thought with a smug smile on their face. ‘I suspected it was…but still everything has been working out so far, despite some unexpected issues here and there with that second SAE agent. How did I not sense that she was with that infernal society? Doesn’t matter, after the next one, I will get what I want, and Driscoll will finally be freed.’
The killer has been very patient, and they could wait a bit longer as they were certain that they would win just before sunrise.
To Be Continued…
*****
I have so many, so many regrets.
So many lies, so many broken ties.
I wish for my old life.
Wish I could fix my strike.
Cause no one truly escapes the night.
Oh, won't you help me escape the night.
Oh baby help me escape the night.
Escape the night.