Chapter Text
CRASH!
Esmé barely managed to duck beneath a swinging stone arm, her hair and shoulders now sprinkled with dust and debris from the wall. She bolted while the living statue collected itself, luring it to the other end of the dark hallway.
“Any luck yet!?” she called out.
“I’m lookin’, I’m lookin’!” Fae replied, her voice ringing out from a half-destroyed office room. Her shaky hands fumbled with her flashlight as she frantically searched drawer after drawer, desk after desk, for a keycard to the next room. Briefly, the light caught the face of a tall, void-black beast, illuminating stark white eyes and sharp teeth. She flinched with a yelp as the creature hissed, swiftly deeming the room useless and scrambling to another.
“Come on come on come on come on-!” she stammered under her breath, sweeping the office with her light until a glint of bright blue brought a wash of relief over her, though it wouldn’t last long.
“He’s after you, Fae!” Esmé warned from down the hall, her voice barely rising above the approaching footsteps of the Candlebearer.
With a panicked curse, Fae grabbed the keycard and turned to leave, only for her heart to sink as the creature bent down and squeezed into the small, cramped room, blocking her way out. Terror gripped her heart, but she refused to lock up, luring the living statue around a desk before rushing around the other side. She nearly slammed into her companion on the way out, but managed to maneuver around, her adrenaline carrying her to the locked door faster than she could have blinked.
“Pleasepleaseplease work-!”
Hearing that affirmative chime, she barely waited for the door to finish opening, dashing through into the light that their pursuer seemed to despise. She whirled around to shed her light on Esmé’s path, just in time to watch the tall woman dodge another swing before she joined her in the light. The Candlebearer stood at the threshold, lingering with a faceless stare before turning, its thunderous footsteps growing quieter as its silhouette faded into the black.
At long last, the tension left their bodies, a near-synchronized sigh slipping from them as they took a moment to collect themselves.
“You handled yourself pretty well, Amica.” Esmé complimented between panting breaths, offering a tired, but genuine smile to the shorter woman. “Didn’t lock up once!”
“Th-thanks...” Fae muttered, brushing her overgrown bangs out of her face. “Wouldn’t say I’m gettin’ used to stuff around here, but it’s not as... unfamiliar, I guess.”
Esmé nodded. “You hold onto what you’re learning, hun. That’ll help you last longer and longer down here.” She gave her young friend a pat on her shoulder. “C’mon. Let’s keep moving.”
The next couple of rooms were blissfully uneventful. Stretches of hallways with overturned furniture, searching the desks and drawers for anything useful, until the next door gave way to a massive room; a tram station. Fae’s heart sank, face pinched in displeasure. Please, Almighty, not another ordeal with those Vultus things...
Before she could voice her concerns, the overhead speakers chimed, and the deep, authoritative voice of Urbanshade HQ came through.
“While not the fastest, this will be the safest path to Z-2.” he announced, his voice effortlessly filling the cavernous space. “NAVI will be guiding you through any unavoidable detours. I suggest taking that time to get your bearings and prepare yourselves for what lies ahead.” Quieter, he added, “You’ll need it.” The speakers played an ending chime, leaving the two women in silence once more.
“That’s one way to get a break in this place.” Esmé mused, stepping forward to make her way down the stairs to the main platform. Fae’s outlook wasn’t so cheerful, but she supposed she had to appreciate Esmé’s optimism.
As Fae began to follow suit, the lights overheard flickered, and their hearts skipped a beat.
“Fuck, what do we do?” Fae looked to her companion, eyes wide with mounting panic. “There’s nowhere to hide in here!”
“C’mere, quick!” Without waiting for a response, Esmé whirled around and swept Fae up in a bridal carry, prompting a squeaky yelp from the girl as she made a mad dash for the opposite end of the station. The approaching sound of the creature they now knew as the Angler sent a surge of adrenaline through her; without a second to spare, she reached the top of the stairs, ducking behind a desk with Fae curled up in a ball in her arms, shielding her from the creature’s wrath...
... and then, the scream faded away. No treacherous jaws of too-long teeth tearing them to pieces, no beady eyes staring them down, nothing. Slowly, as if a bomb had gone off, the two tentatively peered out of their hiding spot, equal parts relieved and confused.
“... huh. Where’d it go?” Esmé murmured mostly to herself, rising to her feet before setting Fae down.
“Maybe it went down one of the tunnels?” Fae suggested, adjusting her eyes to the dark. “Didn’t even know those things could get in here-”
Her eyes widened as she cut herself off, peering around Esmé. A distant flicker of candlelight from the now-dark hall they just emerged from caught her attention, and if she strained her ears, she could hear the distant, approaching footsteps…
“Esméit’scomin'!” Fae spilled out, before darting past the taller woman to the safety of the tram car; at least, she hoped it would be safe!
“Wh-” Esmé spun around to follow her, brows knit together in confusion and concern. “What’s coming?”
“ESMÉIT’SCOMIN'!” she repeated as she disappeared into the tram car.
“I-” Esmé finally caught sight of the hulking statue as it ducked through the doorway, approaching the stairs like its sole mission in existence was to crush the pair into a fine paste. Blurting out an ‘oh, shit-!’, Esmé dashed for the tram, joining Fae as the doors sealed shut just in time to block a hit from the Candebearer. The tram car swayed with a loud, metallic creak, but was soon on its way, leaving the stone creature to see them off in silence before it lumbered away.
The two women practically deflated from relief, their hearts still slamming against their ribs before their pulses began to calm.
“Good lord...” Esmé sighed, finding her way to a seat and sinking into it, elbows resting on her knees. “If it’s not one thing it’s another...”
“I hate this place, I hate it so much...” Fae leaned against a metal pole, letting her temple rest against it. “There’s monsters everywhere, the other prisoners are all douchebags, I shouldn’t even be here, and just-!” She brought her hands up, burying her face in her palms as she groaned in frustration. Esmé watched her with sympathy in her emerald eyes, her expression soft.
“Have a seat, Amica.” she urged gently. “Sounds like we’re in for a bit of a ride. We could both use the break.”
Fae drew a few deep, steadying breaths before she lowered her hands, her expression weary as she made her way to the opposite bench. She lowered herself down, legs pulled together with her hands resting in her lap, her mind carrying her back to the dark, cold submarine that brought her and her former companions here.
“... you know you’re allowed to take up more space than that, right hun?”
“Huh...?”
“You don’t have to make yourself so small. Who are you saving the space for? It’s just you and me in here.” Esmé gestured to the spacious, empty car. Fae was quiet, glancing off to the side before easing back just slightly, relaxing her legs and letting her hands rest on her abdomen instead. Esmé cracked a smile. “There you go. Better?”
“... a little.” Fae murmured in response, turning her head to stare out the window, watching as the cavern around them gave way to dark water. The spotlights that lit their path illuminated the marine snow falling gently down, mimicking the snowflakes of the surface as it made its way to the ocean floor. The pair should have been taking this time to rest, a rare opportunity in a place like the Blacksite, but she couldn’t help her mind wandering, dwelling on the horrors they had witnessed so far, and on what lay ahead of them both.
What ate at her most was the uncertainty. Would they find their way to that crystal at all? Would Urbanshade stay true to their word, offering the money and the pardon they promised? If they didn’t, would they get shipped straight back to prison, or executed on the spot once they had outlived their usefulness? Would that strange man in green bring them back again after that?
... what would happen if they procured the crystal, but only one of them got the promised reward? Would they have to fight amongst themselves? She... wasn’t sure she could do that to Esmé. Not just physically, but Esmé had stuck with her through so much, gone out of her way to keep her safe, even when it would be more convenient to leave her behind...
“So what did you do before all this?” Esmé’s voice roused Fae from her thoughts.
“Pardon?”
“Before the Blacksite, before... y’know, prison.” She reclined a bit in her seat, allowing herself a bit of comfort for the ride ahead. “If you don’t wanna share, it’s fine. I know nobody signed up to make friends. But, we got some time to kill, and I figure it’d be nice to know a bit more about eachother if we’re gonna keep sticking together. Up to you, though.”
Fae fidgeted a bit with her fingers, thinking. For a moment, Esmé thought they would, in fact, be sitting in silence, until-
“... if you’re talkin’ about work, I had a job at a bookstore back home. Mostly did a lot of organizing in the back rooms, nothin’ too exciting.” the younger woman finally replied. “Didn’t do college or anythin’. High school was enough of a nightmare, and I don’t wanna deal with student debts and all that other shit.”
“That right? I won’t lie, hun, the first time I saw you, I thought you were a college kid.”
Fae huffed and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, everyone’s always surprised when they learn I’m in my twenties. It’s what I get for bein’ short and babyfaced, I guess.” she replied dryly, folding her arms. “Anyway... when I wasn’t workin’ I did a lot of urban exploration. Recorded old derelict places for, uh... amateur film projects. Like, horror stuff.”
“Ohhh, so you’re a creative type!” Esmé’s eyes sparkled with interest. “So by ‘horror’, do you mean ‘found footage’ things?”
“Um... kinda, I guess.” Fae shifted, feeling a bit sheepish at the interest, but she failed to fight back a tiny, crooked smile. “It was all short one-offs, but before, uh... everything, I was putin’ together plans for somethin’ a little more ambitious.”
“Yeah? How ambitious are we talking?”
“Longer, for one. Was also thinkin’, like… actual props, and maybe getting a friend or two involved so it can have a cast and not just me playin’ some faceless rando like the rest of my projects.”
Esmé beamed. “Maybe when we’re out of here, you can show me. I’d love to see!”
“Oh god, they’re so corny, though!” Fae sank into her seat, face flushing a bit from embarrassment. “Most of ‘em are just ‘girl goes explorin’ and regrets it’!”
“So? They’re still things you made, things you put your heart into!” Esmé reasoned kindly. “Even if you think they’re silly, I’d love to see your creations.”
Fae peered at her through her bangs, the encouragement giving her pause. “... sure. If... if we get out of here, I can show you.” Clearing her throat, she changed the subject, still feeling an inkling of embarrassment. “What about you, huh? What did life look like for you before you got here?”
“Well, I ran an antique shop back home. Not a massive operation or anything, just enough for my kids and I to be comfortable and happy.”
“Wait, kids?” Fae’s expression softened a bit. “You’re a mom?”
Esmé’s expression warmed, though the look in her eyes was bittersweet. “Yup. Got five little ones back home.”
“Five?”
“Five.” Esmé chuckled as Fae blinked in shock.
“... what are they like?”
“Oh, Amica, I could yap for ages! Happy to talk about ‘em, of course, but I’ll try to keep it brief so I don’t talk your ear off.” Esmé laughed. “There’s my twins, Ezio and Monica, they’re the eldest. Ezio’s hit a bit of a punk phase, but he’s got a heart of gold. Monica’s always been pretty quiet, ever since she was little, but she’s always had such a vivid imagination, having all these stories in her head that she dreamed of sharing with the world one day.” Her expression was warm as she reminisced, but that melancholy never quite left her. “Then there’s my daughter Allison, she's a little menace who we all adore; my son Rin, he’s such a sweetheart and he always wants to help out around the shop, even though there’s not much for a five-year-old to do; and... my baby girl Dorothea - she was less than a year old when I brought her home. Dot, we call her. The twins are my biological kids, the rest are adopted, but they’re my babies all the same.”
“Wow...” Fae went quiet for a moment as she took that in. She always thought just having one child seemed like so much work, she could hardly imagine what it took to raise five! “Did you have a spouse?”
“Goodness, no.” Esmé laughed softly. “Didn’t have much time for dating, though I’d like to find a wife someday, if I’m able.”
Fae tilted her head a bit. “... wait, then how did Ezio and Monica-”
“Sperm donation.”
“... oh.” She dipped her head and cleared her throat, embarrassed, getting another laugh from the woman opposite her. Esmé’s smile, however, was short-lived, that flicker of mirth giving way to something melancholic as her gaze wandered from her.
“... they must be so confused. So scared.” she murmured with a sigh. “My family’s taking care of them now, but that whole ordeal with the courts, and the trial, and... sentencing...” She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “They must be terrified, thinking their mom’s never coming home.” Fae unfolded her arms, her hands settling on the tram bench. She opened her mouth to speak, to offer some sort of comfort to the older woman, but she failed to summon a single word. Before the silence could turn awkward, Esmé sat up again, a furrow in her brow and a glint of drive in her emerald eyes. “But I will get back to them. I will if it’s the last damn thing I do.”
A lengthy silence passed, and without thinking, Fae asked, “... how did you... end up in prison?”
Esmé’s expression darkened ever so slightly, though the small spark of ire she felt in her chest wasn’t directed at Fae. “... some creeps thought they could kidnap my Allison and live to tell the tale. I showed them otherwise. Tracked them down before they could do the worst to her, and made sure they’d never hurt another soul.” She turned her gaze to the cavern full of glowing, rotten coral that now surrounded them. “Not that the courts seemed to care that human scum got wiped from this earth. Or that folks were outraged when I got the death sentence.” She scoffed, her expression as bitter as Fae had ever seen it.
The young woman found herself at a loss for words. Throughout their time together, she had wondered what someone like Esmé could have done to land herself on death row, and now, all at once, she had her answer. Still, even knowing she had a murderer by her side, she tried to at least find solace in the fact that Esmé did what she did to protect her family... though a different kind of anxiety stirred within her, unsure if she could bring herself to tear a mother from her children, no matter how badly she wanted freedom herself…
“What about you, Fae?” Esmé’s voice drew her from her thoughts, her tone softer than before, though a hint of pensiveness lingered. “Anyone waiting for you out there?”
“... jus’ my Nana.” Fae answered after a beat. “My parents had me pretty young. Mom was still in college when she found out she was pregnant, and Dad worked a lot to support us, so she helped ‘em take care of me from the start. She’s… basically a second mom to me.” Her brow furrowed beneath her bangs, her mind wandering to sorrowful memories. “... my parents died when I was ten. They drove out to the next town over to help a friend of theirs move, only to get rammed off the road by a drunk driver. Ever since, it’s just been me an’ her.”
“Ohhh...” Esmé nodded slowly, her expression somber. “I’m… sorry to hear that, hun. I’m glad you two have eachother, still-”
“Had eachother.” Fae corrected bitterly, not meeting her companion’s eyes. “As far as she knows, she lost her only granddaughter months ago, watched her get dragged out of a shitty courtroom to be shuttled off to death row, and now she’s all alone, waitin’ for old age to come an’ take ‘er, wonderin’ where everythin’ went wrong...”
She folded her arms and leaned back as much as her diving tanks would allow, an uncomfortable silence falling over the tram car, broken only by the mechanical whirring of various mechanisms, and the Blacksite’s unsettling ambience around them.
“... Fae.” Esmé spoke slowly, gently. “You said earlier that you ‘shouldn’t be here’... what did you mean by that? How did you end up here?”
Fae’s eyes reluctantly met Esmé’s before she breathed a deep, weary sigh. “... ‘member how I said I did a lot of urban exploration? Well, one night, I kinda… broke into this derelict buildin’ that was off-limits, just to have a look around. I had my camera with me, but I didn’t expect to find anythin’ worth recordin’.” Her face pinched slightly, as if she had tasted something deeply unpleasant. “... wish I was recordin’. Then maybe everyone would’ve believed me...”
Her nails dug into the fabric of her jumpsuit as the memories began to creep to the forefront of her mind. “Looked around for a bit before I heard scufflin’ and yellin’ on the floor above me. I should’ve left then and there, but like the fuckin’ idiot I was, I kept goin’.” She tapped a finger rhythmically against her arm, brow furrowed in frustration at herself. “Things went quiet by the time I got up there. Pressed a little further, and I found...” Her voice caught, but she willed herself to continue. “... found a body.”
Fae’s eyes remained fixed on the view outside the tram, trying to focus on anything other than the visceral images her mind tried to conjure. She barely registered Esmé slowly rising from her spot, stepping closer to lower herself into the seat beside her, concern in her eyes. “... wasn’t anyone I recognized. Even if it was, I wouldn’t’ve known from how busted his face was. All I could tell was that it was a man. I... I went up to see if he was even still alive, there was blood everywhere, it got all over my hands and my clothes, and…”
She felt her stomach churn and clench at the memory, a quiver in her hands as she paused for a steadying breath. “... police pulled up not long after. Saw me hunched over the guy, covered in blood, must’ve made up their minds then and there.” She let out a scoff. “Didn’t question how a grown man got beaten to death by a hundred-pound girl. Even the guy’s family looked incredulous when I got brought into the court room, but I guess the judge n’ jury were the only ones that needed convincing. Before I knew it, I was behind bars, and now, half a year later,” She made a gesture to their surroundings. “I’m here.”
‘... girl goes exploring and regrets it...’ she thought to herself, ‘Like one of my projects come to life...’
The silence that stretched on was heavy, so palpable it seemed to muffle the rattling of the machinery around them. Tentatively, Esmé raised a hand, letting it linger by Fae’s arm before resting it on her shoulder; a hand that had taken lives, now offering comfort. Rather than flinch away, however, Fae found herself leaning ever so slightly into the touch, letting Esmé express her sympathies.
“We’ll get out of here, Amica.” Esmé assured her. Her voice was soft, but held a quiet, unwavering promise. “We’ll make it out alive, we’ll get our freedom back, and we’ll find our families again.” She gave Fae’s shoulder a squeeze. “We will. You hear me?”
Fae’s voice caught in her throat, eyes stinging with a faint mist of tears that she tried to hold back. She looked up with tired eyes, nodding once as her words failed her.
“Atta girl. Can’t give up hope just yet. That green fella must be keeping us going for a reason, right?” Esmé smiled, warm and determined. “We just gotta keep fighting.”
After what felt like both ages and mere moments, the thrumming of the tram grew quieter as it slowed, pulling up to their destination, the doors flying open with a metallic sound. Just like that, their respite was at an end. Fae breathed a deep sigh, wiping the moisture away from her eyes and clearing her throat to collect herself. It wasn’t the time to let her emotions bubble up. She had to shift back to survival mode.
“Guess this is our stop.” Esmé mused, giving Fae’s shoulder a firm pat before pulling herself up with a stretch. “If you need a minute, though, we can wait?”
“And have that guy on the surface pop our heads off for draggin’ our heels? No thanks.” Fae scoffed quietly after finding her voice, rising from her seat. “Sooner we get the hell outta here, the better.”
Esmé laughed, heartened the flicker of the redhead’s attitude. “Well said! Let’s get a move on, then, before that Angler thing or any of its buddies show up.”
The pair disembarked from the tram, giving the station one last sweep for any research or supplies they could find before heading on their way. There was still an uncertain feeling gnawing at the back of Fae’s mind, a stubborn anxiety that refused to leave her. One could never truly feel comfortable in the Blacksite, after all. Yet, she found herself feeling... not quite hopeful, not quite optimistic. But, looking up at her companion – her friend – and how she flashed that warm, friendly smile, this nightmare they had found themselves in felt a little less bleak.
They had to get out of here. They had to. For themselves, and for everyone waiting for them.
Some way, somehow, they would see the light of day again.