Turney screamedas the creature’s serrated teeth sank into his shoulder. All his tugging and yanking did nothing to get the thing off of him. Even tearing at its oddly shaped body, his nails sinking into its torso and coming away with chunks of flesh, hadn’t worked.
He bellowed when it clamped its jaw down hard. Gritting his teeth, Turney grabbed onto the back of the thing’s head and just squeezed. Ignoring the feeling of his hands puncturing through the skull, blood dripping down, he pierced its brain. With that, the creature went slack.
Turney sighed in relief and shoved the dead thing off of him. He shook the gunk off his hand, grimacing. Turney laid there on the ground for a brief moment, before forcing himself to move.
He wasn’t sure what the fuck he just killed…but he hoped he didn’t find another one. He eyed it as he limped past it. It was like a cross between a squid and a person. The head was bulbous and the body was humanoid, but…jiggly and slightly translucent—he shuddered.
Turney had passed all sorts of floors, and had been injured a little more each time… He was also leaving a bloody trail behind him. At least, if the others escaped from wherever they had been taken, they’d be able to find him.
Turney turned the corner and paused, shocked to find the way to the other side unblocked… Had he reached the top floor? He listened. As always, he could hear clocks everywhere, and the seven other heartbeats. Five were below, which told him it was the others…but two were close—right above him. Octavius was near…
He quickly limped forward and found an entrance to a stairway. Oddly enough, when he entered, he found another door to a second set of stairs. The stairs leading down looked normal enough, but the ones past the second doorway were spiraled. There was a black rose petal path leading both down and up. Turney kicked the petals.
Dayan really was a… “Fucker…” he growled.
Shaking his head, Turney ascended the weird ass steps, bleeding the whole way.
Octavius fell back, hissing at the wound that opened up on his chest. He rolled just in time to avoid being stabbed again by Dayan. Octavius sprung up, ignoring the pain in his left leg, and put some distance between him and the Knight.
Yeah, he was bleeding from multiple places at the moment.
At least Octavius wasn’t alone. He eyed Dayan. He’d given as good as he got. For each wound Dayan had given him, he’d given one back. They were pretty equally injured, limping, and in pain.
“You won’t win this, Octavius. Why try so hard?” the Knight asked, head tilting as he stared.
Octavius rolled his eyes. “Why do you ask such stupid questions? You literally captured my people, and have me locked up in this place, surrounded by who knows how many ghouls. You have no doubt already killed my friend. You want my lover, my friends, my family dead. Why the hell would I sit back and just accept that? Are you really that deluded?”
Dayan scoffed. “Not deluded. I have simply accepted that you belong to me. You’ll see that once you do, things will be so much easier for you.”
Ugh—if he hadn’t already had reason to hate this man, the way Dayan thought would be enough to push him over the edge. The asshole was fucking insane and infuriating. “Just shut up and die already!” He sprinted forward once again, engaging with him in battle.
They clashed blades and claws once or twice, before Dayan pulled another sword out of his ass and started to wildly swing both at him. Octavius retreated back, the Knight following him.
He cried out as he tripped over something and tumbled to the floor. Dayan was on him in seconds, plunging his swords deep into both of his shoulders, pinning him to the floor. On the ground, he realized it had been the piece of wood he had broken off from the bed that he’d tripped over.
As the Knight got on top of him, pinning him further, he gripped Octavius near his elbows and forced his knees between Octavius’ legs.
Dayan grinned smugly down at him. “See, this is where you were always meant to be—beneath me.”
Octavius’ eyes widened when the Knight’s face started to descend. He barely held back the flashbacks of the past. Mind scrambling, Octavius struggled. Even though his reach and movement were limited, he felt around for anything he could grab hold of. His hand froze for a second, when he brushed against his right trouser pocket. Slipping his hand inside, he grabbed a handful of the contents.
Right as Dayan was about to put his filthy lips on his, he headbutted him.
Dayan cried out in pain, jerking back. Putting his full strength behind the action, Octavius ripped his right arm free from the Knight’s hold. As the blade sliced further up his shoulder, he tossed what he had in his hand into Dayan’s face.
The Knight bellowed, clawing at his eyes in vain as the finely ground golden glitter coated them. Dayan continued to scream in pain as he stumbled back. Octavius reached up to his shoulders and yanked both swords out, one after the other, with a grunt.
Without hesitation, he attacked, thrusting his clawed hand into Dayan’s chest.
Blood spurted from the Knight’s mouth, his glitter coated eyes popping open in shock.
“This is for Turney, for Cynthia…for Godric. For all the people you have hurt before and after me! I wish I could make you suffer, as death is too kind, but as it is the only revenge I’ll be given, I’ll take it,” he growled. “Now, die like you should have all those years ago!” Octavius ripped his hand free, widening the wound as he did.
Dayan slumped to the ground with a graceless thud, coughing up more blood. His reddening eyes staring up at him. The Knight stared for a moment longer before throwing his head back and letting out a wet laugh.
Octavius frowned.
The laugh stopped as abruptly as it began and the Knight tried to speak, but the sound of the door opened had him pausing.
