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The pitch black darkness of the area gives the floor a sense of being way larger than Damon remembered it being. While Kai is always jumpy, this time he can sympathize with him. It definitely is creepy down here.
Eva proposes checking the storage closets in pairs in search for the generator, and Kai releases a weary sigh.
"Pairs again?"
Damon catches his gaze in the dimly lit area of his trinket. Kai opens his mouth to say something, but Eva has already grabbed Damon's arm.
"I'm with Damon," she says firmly and Kai grimaces.
While the other pairs form, Kai reluctantly ends up with Grace. Damon hopes that doesn't end in a murder. Grace can be a force to be dealt with.
"Let's go," Eva says and tugs on Damon's sleeve. She sounds determined and that grounds him a little.
Right. It's just a blackout. It's not like there are monsters down here.
They make their way into their assigned storage closet and start inspecting the small room. Even with the little light source they have, a generator would probably be fairly easy to spot.
"Doesn't look like it's in here," Eva mumbles, "Bweh. Grace is going to call me useless again."
"Don't you think it's odd?"
Damon curls his finger under his chin. Being alone here in a somewhat safe area gives him some time to stop and think.
"Hm?"
"A blackout here. Doesn't it feel strange? This place cost a lot of money and then it runs so tentatively on an old generator with no immediate backup?"
"Maybe they've run out of money," Eva offers and Damon shakes his head. That can't be it, not with the way this place is stocked.
"No, this is way too elaborate. I think this was done on purpose."
Damon lets his eyes trail over the room. The generator isn't in here, so they'll probably have to wait until one of the other pairs finds it.
Maybe they should check if Grace strangled Kai yet. It wouldn't surprise Damon if he was sitting in the corner crying being locked up with her in a tiny room.
"On purpose? You don't think...?" Eva whispers. Her voice feels heavy inside the room, a suspicion that feels like a curse. It could turn real too fast if spoken out loud.
"No. I think Tozu is trying to scare us. Nobody would be killing anyone like this."
There's a tense pause before Eva speaks again.
"What makes you so sure?"
Her words come out strained. Damon can picture her fidgeting with her hair. Damn, why does she paint such vivid images in his head?
"Because even on the chance you dislike someone enough to kill them... You're not just killing one person. You'll be killing everyone if you're getting away with it. You will be taking the risk of killing someone you care about thanks to Wolfgang and his team bonding therapy talk."
Trust each other.
That's what Wolfgang wanted, to bring them together. Forge a bond that makes people unlikely to betray each other. But those bonds are fragile... Trusting someone also means turning your back on someone that might be holding a knife.
But that's Damon's thinking, the one who didn't approach Wolfgang with his blackmail. He doubts the others are smart enough to think that far.
"These people are far too naive to hurt someone they think they formed some kind of attachment to," he sighs, "Because they'd need to abandon that bond to escape. You will end up killing your friends if you take the step to start the game."
There's the sound of quick shuffling and suddenly, Eva's hands are tightly wrapped around Damon's arm, her body suddenly so close he can feel her warmth.
"You need to be careful who you trust," she hisses in a tone entirely unlike her, "You're too smart. People who stick their nose where it doesn't belong get picked off first."
"What do you mean?"
"You're a danger, Damon. You're not to be messed with. You can see a ploy from a mile away and you stood up against Wolfgang in the mock trial. It paints a target on your back."
Damon feels a cold sensation prick down his spine. Her words hit him like needles, as if she is so sure he's going to be in danger with his actions.
He shakes his head. It's paranoia because of the darkness, she's just panicking.
Nobody would take that risk. No, as long as he believes friends wouldn't kill friends, he can stay sane. Even if he doesn't believe in it, he can believe in the incompetence of the others.
"This is why I lied about my talent," Eva hushes, "Being a threat is better than being weak. Picking you out poses so much risk of being exposed. So maybe that makes you safe. Maybe it doesn't."
She's trembling. Damon reaches out his hand and rests it against her shoulder. She flinches.
"Are you alright? You're shaking."
"Just... scared of the dark," she says and clutches to him tighter, "I hope they turn the power back on soon."
And that's weird, because until now, Eva has been very calm. She proposed to split into pairs to investigate when everyone was still panicking. Maybe it's only now getting to her, just like Damon finally has a minute to breathe and think for himself.
"It'll be alright," he tries.
Damon has never been the best at comforting, mostly because he never cared about such things. He's not here to make friends either, but Eva...
It's different. Eva makes him soft in ways nobody else has ever managed. He should think she and her talent are beneath him, but Eva keeps meeting him on eye level time and time again.
Just who is this girl?
A noise interrupts his daydream and makes him perk up in alert. The cushioned sound of rapid footsteps running past the closet door outside. Damon strains his hearing, but the person runs right past without stopping.
Why? Was it someone from the other pairs? But why would they run past here and not inform them if they found something? Has Wolfgang managed to exclude him and Eva so much that they don't think that's necessary?
"Did you hear that?" Damon asks into the dark. He hopes he's not just hearing things for the lack of light and his mind playing tricks on him.
Eva's fingers clutch to him more.
"Yeah," she breathes out.
Damon taps his trinket to illuminate the space again. Something about this stirs uneasily in his gut. Something dark and sinister that makes his blood run cold.
As the light flickers and dimly illuminates the space between him and Eva, it briefly reflects in her eyes. They're open wide and he can see the white in them, terrified like prey caught between claws.
Eva looks at him with a mix of devastating fear and determination. She's standing in place but looks like she's fleeing at the same time, her gaze unwavering when one of her hands releases Damon's arm and grabs his tie instead, tugging it out of his vest.
"Out of time," she whispers so quietly he's not sure he made out the words right. Her fingers firmly wrapped around his tie, she pulls him in, kissing him.
The embrace comes with a warm exhale against his skin, deep and urgent and a tremor on her lips.
Damon stands frozen, his heart hammering and his mind racing. He doesn't even have the mind to close his eyes.
The footsteps.
The generator.
The boiler room.
The person came from the wrong side. He needs to get to that boiler room.
He gasps, like a car stuck in mud suddenly picking up too much speed, accelerating with the momentum. His feelings come crashing down on him like a tidal wave, but it's already too late.
It ends as fast as it came and Eva lets go of him, eeling past him to open the door.
Damon feels dazed when he stumbles after her.
The boiler room.
Who was running here? He can't stop his thoughts from tumbling all over each other.
She kissed him. It made his breath hitch, unable to react, but she kissed him like she meant it.
The boiler room.
They'll have time to talk later when the power is back on... He needs to sort his thoughts. He needs to get the power back on. He needs to get to that boiler room first and foremost.
He takes a deep breath. With the ghost of what will be their first and last embrace, Damon makes his way to the dreaded room to find the worst case scenario has come true.