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Montresor thought it's over. He'd sliced through the last monster, and had been about ready to sheathe his sword and take in the state of his companions and assess their gains or losses.
And then he hears Will shouting.
"No! Ah, let me go! Help!"
Montresor has never turned around so fast in his life. He's barely registered what he's seeing before he's dashing forward.
Will is on the ground, a pack of ghostly dogs surrounding him. With mounting horror Montresor realizes they're dragging Will to the gaping hole he has avoided like a devil avoids the cross.
A gateway straight down to the Underworld. He'd preferred not to think about it at all. Quite frankly, it unsettled him, more than he'd ever admit.
And yet now he runs straight to it, slashing the hounds in his way, and lunges forward to grab Will. He manages to take hold of his forearm and tugs him forward, but there's one last wretched mutt with its teeth around his leg. Will yells out in pain as the dog pulls him over the edge, and Montresor loses his balance and falls flat on his stomach. For a terrifying moment he thinks they're both goners. And then Will manages to grab onto the rocks with his free arm and frantically kick the mutt away. Only then does Montresor allow himself to breathe.
"Gotcha" he mutters, more to himself than to Will, and shifts his grip to pull him back up. He digs the tip of his sword into the ground to use as leverage and rises to a kneeling position, pulling Will along. For a second he thinks they've made it.
And then everything goes to shit.
Out of nowhere the ground beneath them shudders and gives out. Will yells something out, but Montresor doesn't hear it. His stomach swoops as they plunge down together.
They come to a sudden halt as quickly as they began to fall. A pained cry tears itself from Montresor's lips, and he hisses in pain as his shoulder begins to burn.
By some miracle his sword has gotten lodged in a crack in the jagged walls, and Montresor, still holding onto the hilt, might've just gotten his shoulder dislocated from the jarring movement.
Will lets out a whine.
"Monty, what-"
"Shut yer trap!" Montresor snaps. His body is already starting to shake from the strain of carrying not just his own weight, but Will's too with just one injured arm. He quickly realises Will is a dead weight in his other arm, and scrambles to adjust his hold before he drops him.
Fuck. Fuck, what now?
His mind begins to race. He takes in the situation and tries very, very hard not to panic.
His boots can find purchase on the rocky walls, but he can't do much with both his hands occupied. In theory, climbing out is possible, but...
Will must realize it too, because he suddenly lets out a shaky sigh.
"Monty" he says quietly. "Let me go."
"As if."
"Monty, please-"
"If you don't got nothin' helpful to say, Will, then keep that damn mouth shut."
"You can't save us both" Will continues, just as quiet. "It's alright. I understand."
"For the last fuckin' time, shut up."
Montresor tries to pull himself up by the sword, and barely bites back a shout. It hurts. He can't do it like that.
"Could'ya make yerself useful now and put yer legs on the wall?" he says through gritted teeth. "Need more leverage."
A beat of silence that feels like an eternity. Then Will's dull voice makes Montresor's blood freeze in his veins.
"I... I can't. I don't think I can move at all. Reckon... something in the dogs' bites might've paralyzed me."
Montresor feels a wave of despair wash over him. Suppose that explains why Will's hanging off of him so limply. Montresor's arm around his middle might very well be the only thing preventing him from falling.
"I'm sorry" Will's defeated voice makes Montresor feel many things at once. Rage, confusion, fear.
He focuses on the rage. Rage is easy.
"Don't start actin' like some damn quitter now" he hisses. "I can still-"
The words die on his lips. He can what, exactly? He can't pull them up. He'd never drop Will, even if it might be the most logical solution. His arm is burning, his whole body aching more and more by the second.
And there's this damned pull. As if the gaping abyss below has a hold on him and is trying to drag him down. It's getting harder to resist.
God, they're truly doomed, aren't they?
He can feel delirious laughter start bubbling from his chest.
"You can still save yourself" Will insists. "Please, Monty. I'm begging you, don't let me be your demise."
"Must be goin' deaf or somethin', Will, 'cuz I believe I said I ain't droppin' you twice already."
"But-"
Suddenly Montresor hears shouts from a bove. When he looks up, he sees a head of ginger hair and wide, terrified eyes. Morella.
A smidge of hope rekindles within him.
She says something, but Montresor can't hear it. His breathing is becoming laboured from the strain. The hand wrapped around the sword's hilt is starting to slowly slip, and he reckons his fingers will be hurting for days. If their group is planning to do something, they better do it quick.
Morella turns around and says something to a person Montresor can't see. A second later Prospero appears next to her. He looks just as scared as she does. A bad sign if Montresor has ever seen one.
And then a realization hits him.
And he wants to start laughing again. Because there's no saving them.
"Monty?" Will asks quietly.
"It's gon' be fine, Will" he replies. "Death's gon' be quick, I bet."
"What do you mean?"
Montresor smiles bitterly. He raises his head and gathers all his strength to shout up at Morella.
"Y'all can tell Calamity Jane she can stop frettin'! Her prophecy ain't 'bout her an' Annabel Lee!"
Morella furrows her brows and leans forward, prompting Prospero to grab her by the shoulder.
"What are you talking about?" she shouts. "Prophecy?"
Montresor doesn't reply. He finally releases the agonizing grip he has around the sword's hilt and lets the abyssal pull drag him down.
He thinks he hears Prospero scream out his name. How funny that is. Just this morning they'd been at each other's throats. Now he almost sounds terrified for Montresor's life.
What a pathetic end it'll be.
Darkness quickly envelopes them. By pure instinct Montresor pulls Will closer, and finds some comfort in his warmth.
"Monty" he breathes, a hint of hysterics in his voice. "Monty, gods, why did you-"
"'S destiny, Will. Can't outrun it. Believe me, I've tried."
It's hard to talk with the air rushing past him, stealing the breath from his lungs. How long would they fall for? Would they suffocate before hitting the bottom?
In any way, Montresor owes Will an explanation. Lenore can be mad all she wants. They'll both be dead.
"Some time ago" he starts. "Lenore... me n' her, at the training grounds before sunrise. Neither expected to see the other, I bet. We argued. Then outta nowhere she got a vision."
He chuckles dryly.
"Don't recall it all, but one part stuck out. Two souls intertwined must pay death's toll. God was she scared. Made me swear not to tell no one 'till she figures out what it means. Well, no need to wonder no more, huh?"
Willl is silent for a few moments. Then he hesitantly speaks up.
"Two souls intertwined?"
Montresor would shrug if he could.
"'S what she said."
Will stares at him for a long time. Something in his gaze shifts, almost making Montresor uncomfortable.
"The hell's that look for?" he scowls.
"I don't want to die with regrets."
And then Will's lips are on his. It's clumsy, it's desperate, but it's what steals whatever air is left in Montresor's lungs.
When Will pulls away, he's smiling.
"I'm sorry" he whispers. "Wanted to be selfish just for once."
Montresor wants to reply. To say something, anything. But he's getting light headed. Perhaps it's the lack of oxygen that'll kill them.
He passes out with the memory of Will's kiss on his lips.