The light in your nightmares

The boy feels cornered.

He doesn't think he'll find any answers here.

The atmosphere is overwhelming...

Red doesn't complain when Dust already asks to leave the place.

So the two of them move towards the exit door.

The smaller one's back may be more bent than when he arrived.

Once out, they are caught in an unusual hubbub in the castle grounds.

Brown eyes and blue eyes observe these people who come out of nowhere.

In the corridors on the ground floor and at the foot of the main staircase, another dozen strangers are chatting among themselves.

There is a woman in a long skirt and blouse who is leading a conversation. She moves her long carmine nails in all directions, almost scratching her interlocutor. A small woman with a belly round enough to deceive the observer at first glance and make him think that the latter is pregnant.

Two men stand apart, of similar height and both frowning they take the side of the smaller of the two.

Three against one.

The tone rises.

When Red and Dust pass by them they hear a few sentences in a very angry tone:

-Cassandra what do you want us to do?!

-Believe me!!

The scream of the woman with the earrings is so piercing that Dust shakes his head as if to prevent the sound from piercing his eardrums.

Again the duo does not linger.

They arrive at the foot of the steps, facing the clock and the large doors Pony accompanied by Potatoes and the old man are also in deep conversation with two other strangers.

They are two mens, one has a long black beard with a hooked nose that supports a thin pair of glasses, the other built like a lumberjack, has a pleasant face and brown hair held in a bun.

The five are much less noisy than the previous one, Pony glances at Red and Dust when they take the stairs but she doesn't speak to them.

After two floors they come across yet another newcomer.

This person has such androgynous features that Dust cannot tell if it is a man or a woman.

In any case he or she nods when they are seen and addresses them a "hello" in a thin and timid voice.

The two men return their greeting without further ado.

Dust counts:

The chatterbox arrived with 3 companions, plus the 4 who are arguing, 2 in front of the doors then 1 upstairs...

11 Newcomers in a short period of time...

The boy's stomach growls. He doesn't know if it's hunger or anxiety that's causing it but his stomach hurts.

In any case he's starting to like the room he's taken over. Going in gives him the feeling of coming home.

Once the door is closed on his quarters Red turns to him.

Dust therefore feels like he has to fill a void:

- A lot of people have appeared...

At this evidence his companion only comments with a stretched "mmm".

The young man waits but there are no other reactions, to fill this time the void in his stomach he goes to the bathroom to drink a little more water.

Red follows him obediently and asks him:

-What do you want to do now?

The only answer that comes to him is: "Nothing" but after a moment he wonders if he heard the conversation from earlier...

The girl, they called her Cassandra? Is that a nickname they gave her?

The boy drinks until his stomach feels too full.

Red waits patiently by his side.

His proximity as well as the growing number of occupants in this castle offers him comfort. A feeling of security that cannot be ignored.

However, the fact that there are a lot of people may not be a good sign.

Dust would ask his companion what he thinks but he will probably behave as usual: nonchalant and indifferent to the question. Unless he is amused by it and decides to tease him on the subject.

The boy glances at the man over his shoulder and the latter arches an eyebrow while waiting patiently.

Dust runs a hand over his face before returning to the room:

- Don't you think we should search our apartments to see if there are any secret passages or not?

Red gives him a bright smile, all teeth out, squinting his eyes to the extreme so that only a blue glow can be seen where his eyes are.

Dust is not sure what such a smile means.

The two start to move the bed, the carpet, the mirror then move to the small living room, and there behind a magnificent dresser that decorates the wall a small trapdoor is discovered under the carpet.

It is a simple square, a small layer of blackened metal that opens onto steps.

Another hidden staircase in stone spiraling into the darkness.

The whole search, according to Dust's estimate, took them an hour or two.

The two mens look at the hole without comment and Dust doesn't look more closely into it. He pushes the couch to blocks the hidden entrance with its weight and call it a day.

The red-haired man watches him but this time does not help him.

The sofa with wooden legs scratches the parquet floor, making a noisy, scraping sound.

Red-cheeked and short of breath, Dust slumps down on the floor once his task is done. It shouldn't take him so much energy but this couch is heavier than any he's ever known, he's sure of that even without his memory.

His companion goes back to the bedroom.

Dust waits sitting on the floor for him to come back, thinking that the other will probably ask him again what happens next, but the man changes script.

As the silence continues to flourish, the boy gets up to also go to the other room.

Red is lying down again, the green covers pulled up to his shoulders.

Under the owl chandelier he already closes his eyes.

Surprised Dust looks at him with raised eyebrows:

-What are you doing?

Red does not move from his position to answer him:

- I'm sleeping.

The boy looks at him more insistently and cannot help but specify to the other as if he did not know:

- You've only been awake for a few hours...

The man keeps his eyes closed, determined to stay nailed to the bed but explains anyway:

- We can't stay here forever. We might as well rest as much as possible for what's to come.

His voice is devoid of any sleep but almost peaceful, sure of what he is saying. It seems like he has already accepted the inevitable while Dust is still trying to resist.

The boy turns his gaze back to the velvet curtains that hide the Gothic arched windows and the opaque black outside.

If he concentrates he can hear the whisper of the wind outside.

After thinking about it his hand grabs the silver clinche, the metal wing is activated and he closes the door on the room.

Not content with just that he uses the same trick than like that and put a random object on the floor like that the door will it and warn them with the noise if an intruder enter.

Dust lies down next to Red staring at the ceiling.

The candles burn eternally, the wax never running out either. He stares at them so much that he begins to see a blue halo that surrounds the flames

His vision begin to blurry, he blinks to chase away the tears.

-The stairs don't make sense.

Red doesn't answer him right away, the boy feels that he is moving under the covers:

-What? Nothing makes sense here Dust.

The smaller of the two doesn't care about his comapanion's answer.

More for himself than anything else he continues:

- The spiral staircases shouldn't be able to reach all the rooms on the same floor of the same wing of the building.

Red seems to understand that Dust is talking into the void, since he sighs a simple "yes" at this observation.

Somehow his attitude irritates the boy.

But he refrains from any comment by clenching his teeth and fist.