Chapter Text
To be honest I have no clue where to start on this absolute tomfoolery that is happening in front of me.
Or rather the lack of vision since I am grabbed in a box. The last thing I remember is a bunch of horses and a carriage but I assume that was for a movie set on a retail street. Am I dead? Am I in the morgue!? Am I going to deal with the paperwork of the medical examiner missing up and having to prove my identity to the DMV again to get the stupid real ID?! How am I going to explain this to work.How am I going to explain this to the church!?
Am I .. am I in hell? Of course not, I'm just kidnapped. I should have gone home after class but no, I just had to stay til midnight at the library and then go to a study cafe til 3 am. Did I get kidnapped in the parking lot? Did I crash from the cold brew? Probably since I had 3 of them in the past 22 hours.
Dios mío, por favor protégeme. I am not even catholic but I am trying to remember all the saints because I was kidnapped.
BANG! A loud thump on the cover of this box I am in.
A flash of blue fire was the first light I have seen. My eyes glared at the sudden change in
lighting. My hands went into a prayer and started to beg God and at this point any deity to save me in my mind.
“Come on open up! I better hurry up and get a uniform! Meheheheheh” A disembodied voice said.
The flames blocking the view, the walls are a deep purple. I followed the voice and looked down. Aww a cute little kitten.
“Who…who said that.” My voice started to sound a bit deeper than normal. It sounded like when I am slightly sick and have a small jazz singer voice. The problem is I don’t feel sick. I blinked as my vision started to refocus.Everything now feels sharper like before I needed glasses. Where are my glasses anyway?
My hands moved to my forehead and managed to find my glasses that were stuck at an awkward angle to my face. I brought my glasses down to my eyes.“Hehehe silly human. Give me your uniform” Came from a voice below.
“Huh?” My eyes looked down to see the tiny grey kitten with tuff of white fur. The tail grey and at the end .. is that a pitchfork?
“What are you looking at?” The cat sneered, “Give me your uniform! Come on! Now!”
I screamed because this little hell cat is talking. “What the fuck!?” Then I noticed that the cat has fire-like tufts at the end of its ear. “Why is this cat talking?” I whispered to myself.
“I am not a cat! I am grim, the magnificat! Now give me the uniform!” The cat went closer to me. I jumped out of the box and stumbled out as this beast started to ponce at me. My hand reached the end of the box that I was supposedly kidnapped in. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and a lump starting to form in my throat. I can feel my body reading as my eyes take all the information that is in front of me.
I was joking because using dark humor is a common fear response but this is not funny.
I stepped out of a coffin.
The whole room is covered in coffins. I think magic must be real because why are there coffins floating?
A part of my brain that is analyzing the absolutely beautiful aesthetics. A large dark coffin with golden engravings on the cover. Feather and bird-like imagery surround the top cover of the coffin and at the center, probably the torso, a keyhole. The craftsmanship was clearly custom made for each of the corpses. Or each of the kidnapping victims? Or… Am I in a cult?
The center of it all is a large mirror. The mirror reminds me of something but I can’t for the life of me remember what it is. The pit in my stomach is forming into an abyss of just pure despair. The fact I can't remember a detail will be the direct result if I live or die at this moment. I don’t see anyone else in the mirror and hear no other noises besides the cat thing.
The other part of my brain is shaking in finding what mode to choose: Fight, Flight, or Freeze.Am I that selfish? To leave the other people who might also be kidnapped? I am really in hell if I only care about myself in this situation. I can feel the light lick of heat from a flame. The cat showered flames again.
“Hey Human! Can’t you hear me? You must be too dumb to be a student so give me your sweet uniform!” The Cat shot out more flames.
“A cat has flames..” My breath shakes as I feel my calves harden.
“I am not a cat! My name is Grim! You will remember it!” The cat, wait Grim yelled as they jumped to me.
A squawk-like scream ruptured from my throat. A few steps back as I got away from the cat- wait Grimmm- Crim- Grim! The little hellcat that was talking had their focus on me. “Stupid humans, give me your uniform!” His voice is getting higher in frustration and I can hear it has a bit of mischief in its laugh!
In flight, I ran to the first door I saw. The theater is like seating that couches the mirror in the center of the room. The stained glass windows were dark and its weather a false sense of time or a poor aesthetic choice in the designer.
I opened the wooden door. It looked heavy but it truly felt like a bag of grapes. I never thought I would experience superhuman strength when being terrified for their lives. Blood pumping so fast I can feel it thumping in my ears. Left or right? I am not sure what I chose to be honest as I ran til I felt my lungs expand and deflated like a rubber tire on the 101 that popped and caused 2 hour long traffic.
I felt like I was getting outside, but maybe this place is like an outside school? I feel like I understand why people go on runs, it is high. I hate adrenaline junkies. Why do you get pleasure in doing the most stupendous things? Left right left, I jumped for the first time in my life over 3 stairs and did not fear my knees.
I opened the long tall doors and I saw the world for the first time. The sky was full of stars. The lack of light pollution made me realize that I am far from home. I can feel my feet wanting to stop for a moment to grasp the situation of the stars.
“Human! Stop running!” Grim yelled from behind. They were only a few feet away and that was all the motivation that my feet needed to know. A burst of energy ran in my calves again as I ran down the stone stairs. I can feel the warm air rushing on my face.
Everything is familiar but is so different at the same time. It is as if everything is in a messed up dream, hazy at the edge of my eyes. I know I am awake, the burn in my veins that help pump blood in my legs. The shiver of my body as I reach a studious building. The two columns seem to be the tower of education over me. I opened the door and breathed a sigh of relief as I stumbled into a row of books and chairs. I turned over to hear the door close and then bend over holding my hands on my knees.
Panting as I look over the rows and rows of book shelves. Some titles seemed familiar but a misprint on the tiles. The warm wood made the entire engulfment of books create a safe and neutral ground.I think it's the bookworm in me that finds the comfort of the written works to calm my senses. I realize where I am now at the very least.
I made it to a Library.