Work Text:
The lights flickered and screams echoing from the halls made Arsine’s skin crawl. Digging and burrowing beneath his skin into his veins and muscles to tell him if he didn’t stop moving, he would be dead. Of course, that had been a constant motto his body constantly reminded itself, however, that didn’t stop the adrenaline from spiking.
His radio buzzed, a static voice ripping through the intercoms, “We got a jester!” Cursing, he flickered it on, “I got my own shit to deal with right now!” His voice crackled under the pressure, running its course, ready to give out. A little girl giggled, her footsteps suddenly picking up speed behind him. Arsine didn’t dare turn around, only flinging himself down a different hallway. He wasn’t sure how well fooling a ghost would go, but it was the only thing he could do. “Jay?! Miss?! Where the fuck are you?!” It yelled out, mind tripping over itself with how quick its thoughts were going. “Dine?! W-Where are you?! I-I can’t find the others!” A woman's voice called out–Miss, who was a sweet employee with a soft voice. Now it was broken and trembling.
“I can’t get this door open, please, Dine!” She begged, and Arsine could faintly hear the rustling of a door. “Keep talking, Miss, I can hear you!” The woman kept calling out, trying to filter out the other noises of creaks and groans–or the little girl still coming after him, but that was beside the point.
Turning another sharp corner, it saw the door Miss was behind, “Dine! Oh my god, there you are!” Running up to it, he immediately tried to unlock the door, but to no avail. “God fucking dammit.” Miss tensed up, her eyes going wide as her breathing quickened. “Calm down, calm down. Just…back up, I’m gonna ram into it, alright?” Without responding, Miss quickly backed up, constantly peering over her shoulder. Maybe this was a fun game for the little girl, playing hide and seek, waiting to find him to tag and tell him he was it. She had to be enjoying this. Taking a deep breath, Arsine braced himself before kicking his foot hard into the door. A loud jolt echoed as a sharp pain shot through his leg. Clenching his teeth, Arsine prepared himself once again.
Nothing happened. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Before another kick could be thrown, a faint song played. A winding tune growing louder, its haunting charms singing their demise. “Oh god. Dine, Dine, please.” Miss suddenly whispered, borderline sobbing as she started to rip at the door. “Get me out! Get me out now!” Miss sobbed. “I’m trying!” Arsine yelled.
Ripping his knife out from its sheath, he desperately tried to jam it between the door, fidgeting with it. There would be an occasional click from the key lock mechanic before he would have to try and steady his shaking hands to get it again. All the while, Miss pleaded, her sobs echoing in the halls of the quiet facility.
A loud pop was heard behind Miss, as Arsine could only stare off into the dark hallway, the jester standing perfectly still.
Miss screamed, a blood-curdling one, as the jester ran up to her. Arsine watched in horror as its large skull slammed down its jaw around her head, there was a piercing crunch as her body went limp, falling to the ground. Arsine backed away, unable to breathe as the jester shook the door, staring at him with hollow eyes. Its mouth still holding Miss’s head.
Someone giggled, and Arsine couldn’t stop himself from ripping around to look. The little girl stood not too far away, a wide smile on her face, her eyes barely visible. “ You’re it. ” Before disappearing.
Arsine started to run, his body moved for a reason he did not know, realizing he could have been running into death any second–as if death was not coming after him. The jester slowly busted the door open, trying to shove its mangled head and neck through the small door frame to chase him. It made the decision to go down a path he hadn’t recognized, even though it would most likely result in his own idiotic death. Rationally he knew closing every door did nothing, the jester was relentless like everything else in this godforsaken complex. If something wanted an employee dead, it would not be stopped. At least, most of them were like that.
Lights flickered as metal shook with vibrations, and walls groaned with anticipation of what would come next. Throwing himself up some stairs, he frantically looked down both hallways as the Jester was tearing apart the door below him. The girl laughed, a bubbly ecstatic one that made Arsine sick to his stomach. As the door flung off its hinges, Arsine saw the soft red light of a fire escape.
Holding his breath, Arsine ran, ripping one of the metal shelves down as he lunged for the door. The Jester’s head reached out, its shallow breath hit his skin from mere inches away.
Arsine shoved himself through, out into the outside, taking too harsh of breaths that made his lungs burn further. Rain shot down on him as another employee looked down at him, “Dine?” Turning to look, he simply yelled, “Close that fucking door!” Without a word, Hook slammed the door shut, stumbling away, visibly shaking. He crawled further away from the door, Miss’s screams still ringing in his ears. He wanted to sob. Nothing would come out. He just wanted to be home. Every step was slippery, unable to properly move in the wet, muddy ground. Hook quickly picked it up, bringing them back to the ship. Back where his son was.
Back where things would be safe, just for a little while again.
He couldn’t do this any more.