Chapter Text
“I’m sorry, the first thing you think of when you see our names written in this book is to simply follow through with whatever rooms we were assigned? Are you truly so reckless?”
“Hey, I’m only saying… if we were put in here by some sleazes for their entertainment, would it not make sense for them to leave us a little breadcrumb trail?”
“That’s still the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard!”
“Doesn’t seem like you’ve been hearing many, dunno if you can afford to be picky.”
Your eyes flit between the two women as they continue to argue, their voices beginning to fade away into meaningless noise as your mind begins to wander. To wake up in such a place surrounded by nothing but strangers… some even more odd than this entire mess of a hotel…
You must really have some rotten luck, huh? Part of you wonders who you must’ve pissed off to find yourself here.
Not that such an answer was bound to be coming soon, your mind still as muddled as when you’d first opened your eyes to be greeted by nothing but unfamiliarity. Regardless of how much you dug into the few memories you had, anything of importance slipped past you… until you found yourself instead focusing on how you even got to this point.
The floorboards beneath you creak painfully as you pace around the room, more and more dust dancing in the air and sparkling against the bright lamppost fixated onto the ceiling - enough to make your throat ache and nose itch. You rub a hand down your face, trying to settle your building nerves.
Then again, you found it rather difficult to be truly calm after waking up in a room completely foreign to you. Despite how heavy your body felt, you didn’t really feel as if you’d been ripped out from unconsciousness, rather it was as if you’d been manifested here in the blink of an eye… only with zero recollection of what had been happening prior to this. Regardless of your lack of memory, the bones beneath your skin writhed with unspent energy, as if you had been in the middle of something important.
A sigh rips out of you as your frenzied steps finally come to a halt, the room growing eerily quiet without the presence of your footsteps. Your fingers squeeze themselves into the flesh of your cheeks as you wrack your mind for any sort of explanation. Had you perhaps been knocked out…? You wrap your hands around your head, searching for anything tender.
Hmm, nothing… the only option then must be that you were drugged…
One of your hands nervously reaches to your throat, your fingers hovering atop of it, with it now feeling drier than sandpaper. For someone to go as far as to take such extreme means to bring you here… just who could you possibly be to warrant something like that?
There’s a blankness in your mind that serves as your answer.
Who were you actually?
Your brows furrow as your arm drops to your side, dangling limply while the question bounces against your brain fruitlessly. At least until a name begins to rise in your head, one fuzzy yet oddly familiar.
[Y… Y/N]...
That had to be your name, right? It would be horribly embarrassing should you claim it only to find it had been for another this entire time. Though you can’t help but feel as if something is missing, much like the rest of your memories. Regardless, you supposed this was a step in the right direction. Had you been struck by some sort of substance you presumed the blurriness in your mind must be some sort of side effect - a temporary one, hopefully.
Sucking in a breath, you refocus your energy around the room, deciding to take a closer look around it now that you feel slightly calmer. It felt strangely empty for a room so small, you were sure you’d be able to go from wall to wall in just a few steps. Speaking of it, the walls were covered in peeling emerald wallpaper, revealing rich umber wood beneath, speckles of whiteness clear amidst the dark grain. The sight had you grimace, suddenly aware of the musty smell wafting around… you could only hope nothing dangerous was growing in here.
Only one thing hung onto the aged walls as decorations, that being a murky mirror trimmed in gold that spun into leaves and flowers you could not recognise. A sight that surely would’ve been more breathtaking were it not left so dirty, with it barely able to reflect you back amidst all the grime. Instead all that you could see were blurs of colour that came together to make something you vaguely recognised as yourself, a strange feeling blossoming in your chest at the sight of it. You were almost about to wipe some of the filth away in hopes of seeing something clearer before your lips turn downwards in disgust.
Alright… maybe you’d looked over there enough.
You spin around slowly, taking in the furniture strewn about. The largest piece was a decently sized bed tucked at the rightmost corner from you, large enough to host two people should they squeeze together close enough. Dark wooden posts fashioned from the very same that made the wall hugged the mattress tightly, one left naked in the absence of any bedsheets or other decorations. The closer you got, the more you noticed the yellowing stains left on its white flesh, your nose scrunching at the scene.
Taking a step back, you decide to instead focus on what was behind you, your eyes landing on a large wooden wardrobe. Golden embellishings glinted against the tenebris despite their long-gone luster, your reflection distorted amidst the cloudiness. You tentatively reach out a hand, an uncomfortable coldness seeping into your skin. With one harsh movement, you pull out the topmost drawer, the wood creaking unceremoniously as it slowly spat itself out. Much to your disappointment, however, nothing but cobwebs and a thick layer of dust greeted you.
The same followed with the rest of the remaining drawers, each leaving you more and more frustrated. Perhaps you were too hopeful to expect anything from such a dump. Kicking the final drawer closed, you moved closer to the exit to the room, stopping by a tall lamp standing by the door - the last remaining furniture piece.
You craned your neck around in search for any switch, only to halt your search when you released no bulb laid beneath the beige lamppost. The sight had you raise a brow, wondering if someone had been here before to grab it. Though you didn’t know if the prospect of you not being alone was a comforting one at the moment…
With nothing else to see, you shift your body to face the door, your heart beating wildly the closer you get to it. Your hand moves gingerly, unsure if the door was even left unlocked. Yet despite your doubts, your hand firmly wraps itself around the aureate handle, the metal being fashioned with the same whimsy of the mirror’s frame. A similar chill to that of the wardrobe’s handles digs itself into your palms, one that brings some level of relief since you can at least take it as a sign no one else has been here recently.
Not that the feeling lasts very long, instead quickly becoming dampened with the anxiety that whirred in your stomach at the thought of what could lay beyond. Untimely death… unfriendly faces… the horrors were endless. Though you supposed there was little you could do here other than curl in a ball of worries, a useless act in your eyes.
And so instead, you push your hand down with determined force, the door creaking loudly - much to your surprise. A feeling that is only heightened as you find yourself almost barrelling into the body of another, only being able to stop yourself a hair away from the wide brown eyes of a woman radiating the very same uncertainty as yourself.
She quickly takes a step back from you, her movements wild and fearful, as if she were a newborn doe. In fact, the more you looked at her, the more she seemed to resemble the animal. Large downturned eyes, a flat, broad nose and plush lips turned downwards sat harmoniously onto her round face. Her tanned skin complimented by the dark brown waves that ended just above her shoulders, strands of hair sticking out awkwardly.
The woman tucks her arms close to her chest, the oversized sweater wrapped across her lithe body almost swallowing her whole. It’s only then that you’re able to pull yourself together enough to try to speak, raising your hands upwards in an attempt to show you’re no threat.
“Woops, sorry. I didn’t expect to be seeing any other people around here so soon,” you keep your voice light, hoping it sounded soothing enough. “Would I be correct to assume you’re in a similar situation to myself?”
Silence stretches on awkwardly, with each second causing your shoulders to fall as you find your smile growing tighter. Did you truly look so dangerous for her to give you such a prolonged, wide-eyed stare?
Eventually - much to your relief - the woman nods slowly. Whatever she must’ve deduced from looking at you that long was clearly enough to relieve some of the tension in her figure. Though no words leave her lips just yet, the weight of trying to kindle a conversation remaining heavy on your shoulders. Afterall, it’d be rather foolish on your part to not try to pry as much information as you could, as useless as it may be.
“Then you must not know much of what’s happening around here either?” You tilt your head, offering her a small smile.
She doesn’t return it, instead choosing to glance down the hall to her right, “I’ve… only happened to find myself here not too long ago.”
The woman’s voice is airy, a slight hoarseness intermingling with her words, as if she hadn’t spoken out loud for quite a while. While you couldn’t ignore some mild disappointment brewing in yourself at the lack of any substantial answer, at the least you could feel some relief at not having been the only one to have woken up under similar circumstances.
…unless she was simply putting on an act, of course.
Your gaze sharpens as you sweep over her figure once more. She’s quite tall, you realise, though the way she hunches into herself makes it rather difficult for her to appear as imposing as she could. Coupled with the nervousness brimming from her… this woman would have to earn an award to get away with such an act.
The sound of shuffling in front you causes your eyes to flit upwards, falling onto her face as she looks at you in discomfort. Right, letting yourself fall into daydreams certainly wasn’t doing you any favours. You supposed you could afford to slip into your mind once you find something important to chew on.
“Well then, looks like we’re in the same boat,” you drop your arms to your sides. “Ah right, my apologies. I suppose I should introduce myself before I get too carried away.”
You let out a short laugh, the emptiness of the sound masked with practiced sincerity. How strange… why would such a thing slip out of you so easily? Regardless, you don’t dwell on the thought, instead raising a hand outwards to keep with the pace.
“[Y/N], do you happen to recall yours?”
The woman stares down at your hand for a few moments, almost long enough for your arm to ache in loneliness. Luckily, your hand is eventually met with warmth, her hand awkwardly falling into your own for a haphazardly shake.
“Yomiel… at the very least I believe that to be my name,” her brows furrow slightly, expression fading into thoughtfulness.
There’s an ache in the back of your head as Yomiel introduces herself, though no new memories are sparked from the sound of her name. Though with how hazy the rest of your mind is, crossing out the idea that the two of you might’ve not known each other wasn’t in the cards yet. Both of you being here made the idea of many others all the more probable, and should such a mass kidnapping take place, surely each victim would have some sort of connection. Perhaps you both were acquainted with another… or even frequented the same places…
At the very least you hoped it would be the case, it would certainly make gaining an understanding of the mess you’ve found yourself in easier.
You crane your neck, glancing at the hallway behind her, “have you happened to explore much around here yet?”
Yomiel follows your gaze, turning momentarily before slipping her gaze back onto yourself, “um, this is the first room other than my own I came to.”
She points a thumb behind her, causing your eyes to land on the door right in front of yours. Had you all been taken to the same hallway then? It’d certainly be less trouble for whoever took the time to bring you to this place… could that mean some were still unconscious? You wondered if the other you woke up in had any sort of significance.
“Right… guess we have our work cut out for us then,” you hum, taking a step forward and out of that stuffy room.
Yomiel quickly staggers back at your movements, putting in some respectable distance between you both. Perhaps you’d been too prompt in assuming you were both on amicable terms, at least judging on the uncertainty written plainly across her face.
“Do you think it’s a good idea? To explore, I mean,” the meaning behind her words is clear, dangers were likely to be hiding around here, afterall.
“Well, the only other option is to sit idle. At the very least exploring may bring opportunities at getting a better idea of what’s happened to us.”
You turn your head from side to side, taking in the hallway. It seemed to stretch infinitely regardless of where you looked, neither end visible from where you stood. The sight was certainly an uncomfortable one, your legs already dreading just how long you’d have to walk to get anywhere. It didn’t help that your body still felt as if it’d been stuffed with cotton, your movements bordering on sluggish.
The same emerald wallpaper followed you out of your room, though in much better condition, you’d noticed. Not that such an improvement was particularly difficult, with the slight darkening at the upmost corners causing a grimace to fall onto your lips. It almost looked like black soot, darkened tendrils beginning to creep downwards to further taint the evergreen. You would’ve thought this place to be abandoned were it not for the running electricity.
Other than the worrisome mold that continued to ravage each wall you looked at, the very same emptiness you’d found in your ‘own’ room remained, the bareness almost bordering on discomforting. The only break in sight were the myriad of doors evenly placed at each side of the hallway, the dark wood similar to that of the furniture you’d seen. Though curiously, a glint of gold caught your eye, enough for you to stride past Yomiel to take a closer look at it.
Your reflection stared back at you against the aureate plate stamped firmly across the door, small enough to only hold a few words at most. Though perhaps you weren’t on the right track, an itch in your brain causing your eyes to narrow as you tilted your head slightly. Could they be… for room numbers? But why keep them blank then?
More importantly, just why did it seem so clean? The rest of the golden embellishments you’d found were too hopelessly cloudy to ever show yourself in a way as clear as this one…
“Um, there’s nothing important in that room, I don’t think. The layout was essentially the same as yours… though the drawer was completely empty,” Yomiel’s soft voice rips you away from your questions enough for you to glance over your shoulder.
“Hm,” you reply wordlessly, instead choosing to look at the rest of the doors nearby, noticing the same golden plate on each one. “You didn’t happen to see a number plate on my door before you opened it, have you?”
Yomiel blinks at you, a second passing as she thinks back before answering, “I don’t believe anything was written on it… why? Do you think it matters?”
“Perhaps, I doubt we’d figure out the significance with what we know now though,” you shrug, moving away from the door as you fully turn yourself to face her. “Eitherway, the best path is forward. Together I presume we’ll have higher chances of finding something worthwhile anyhow.”
You raise a hand and point towards your left, your decision based purely on nothing other than a vague sensation in your chest and unfounded hope. Yomiel gives you a sidelong glance, hesitation never having truly left her gaze. She seems to take a moment to juggle the options before her, eventually settling down with a nod in your direction, tucking her arms beneath her knit sweater.
And so the two of you venture downwards, the floorboards squeaking as you do.