2 Chapter 2: The Good Trap (2/2)
We got out of the hallway but stuck in a fucking library.
”Dude it's not that bad,” Wes tried to calm me down, but I didn't realize until then that I was visibly upset.
”We're stuck in impossible rooms, how is this not bad?” I asked.
I didn't mean to chew his head off, but I was getting annoyed.
”My family does worse than this,” he said.
”I doubt it.”
He wrapped an arm around me and made me lean back against a wall with him.
”Russel once got into a fight with a sea beast, and he threw me in the water to get away.”
”That's...,” I stumbled.
”My grandparents invite me to a Christmas party every year, but it's really a creature orgy,” he continued to say with little sign of embarrassment.
”Ok, I think I get it,” I said before he cut me off.
”My dad doesn't wear parents around the house,” he said.
I was confused, and as I raised an eyebrow he must have known.
”You don't wear pants anywhere,” I said.
”Yea, but he's my dad, and he doesn't have the fur to naturally cover up down there like I do,” he said.
He was joking, and it made me laugh, but I understood he was telling the truth too.
”Alright, so both our families are weird, but that's not gonna help us get out of here.”
”Well, I didn't want to fuck up your mom's house, but I could probably punch a hole through the wall,” he said so casually.
”You'd do that?”
”Sure,” he said, standing up straight cracking his knuckles in preparation like a tough guy.
I'm not sure if it was romantic for Wes to literally punch through walls for me, considering he was the type to take the direct approach either way, but it was cool watching him go all out. Satyr weren't pacifists, but they were easier going than most. Seeing Wes go ballistic was like a house cat turning into a lion at mealtime.
It wasn't working.
As quickly as he chipped away at the stone wall, the faster it repaired itself.
”If there was enchanted paper, I could write a spell to get us out,” I said, watching Wesson's blows slow.
He was determined if nothing else but to no avail.
”Just give me a minute I'm sure if I punch harder,” he said through grunts and exasperated breath.
His knuckles were turning purple. He was at his limit.
”If you punch any harder you'll break your hand,” I said, finally stepping in to stop his next motion.
We had to take a break to regroup. With no way to tell time, we might have been there for minutes or possibly hours. It was deathly silent. Even the sound of wind or air was absent, which made sense, but also made no sense at all. The room had to be sealed off and completely airtight, but we never struggled to breathe. If anything, our breathing was the loudest thing we could focus on.
”Why don't you 'Danger Rabbit' the room or something?” Wes asked.
We were silent for so long I almost forgot he was there like a statue blending into the corner of my eye.
”Why don't I what?”
”You know, use your bad luck to knock yourself through a wall,” he said.
”I can't do that on cue,” I said.
”Have you ever tried?” He suggested.
”How would I even,” I started to say, but glancing over the look on his face told me he had an answer already.
”Maybe if you break a mirror, or walk under a ladder,” he said.
”We don't have a mirror,” I pointed out.
”But there are plenty of ladders,” he said, gesturing to the bookshelf ladders.
I couldn't talk him out of it. Within minutes he had at least 5 or 6 ladders gathered and lined up to form a tunnel he intended me to run through. In theory, I had nothing to worry about. There was no evidence that I had power over my luck. On the other hand, testing it was risky.
”Wes, this is crazy,” I said, standing before the first ladder afraid to take even a single step forward.
”I'm cool with waiting for your mom to get back, but if you still think we should leave,” he teased, knowing how I felt well enough to motivate me past my fear.
I made a single stutter step that left me waiting under the shade of the first ladder. Wes came up behind me and gently pushed me to keep going. I passed under the first three ladders, and nothing happened. By the time I came out the other end, l was surprised the room didn't implode.
”I really thought that would work,” Wes said.
We both laughed at the ridiculousness, but it was a breath of relief too soon. There was a sound, a very distinct sound that I couldn't name until I saw the source. All of those bookshelves were so tall looking up at them they seemed ready to topple over. As I took another glance, I could have sworn they were leaning. They were. Like dominoes, they fell over one by one till the stack approached Wes and I. There was nowhere to run to. We had to take the full force of the room crashing down over our heads.
Everything went black at the moment of impact, but I wasn't knocked out.
”Well, that worked,” I said, standing in absolute darkness.
Those books should have killed us. But there was nothing around.
”Wes,” I called out, unable to see my traveling partner much less my own hand in front of my face.
”I'm here,” he said.
We both felt around in the dark until we connected with one another. The oddest thing was discovered at that moment. In exploring for Wes, I found what felt like a pair of pants, a jacket, and even a Tshirt hanging before my face.
”I think... I think we're in a closet,” I stated unassuredly.
Sure enough, the next thing my hand found was a cord. I pulled it, and a light flicked on to reveal that we were standing in a closet. To be fair, it was a big closet. My closest. Finally able to see Wes again, I noticed that everything was not alright. We managed to get back to somewhere reasonable, but at what cost?
”Wes,” I said, attempting to avoid eye contact with the anomaly atop his head.
”What?” He asked.
”Your horn,” I said.
”My what?”
”Your horn,” I repeated.
He felt the top of his head till his hands found one of his horns was missing. It must have snapped off when the bookshelves hit us. Then again, I never felt anything touch me, so he probably took the blow for both of us.
”Oh...fuck,” he said with a grin and what seemed to be a laugh.
He laughed, but it had to be serious. It felt severe to me.
”Don't worry, it'll grow back,” he said in an attempt to put me at ease.
”You're sure?”
”Might take a while, but it should,” he joked.
As we started on our way out of my closet, I stepped on the fallen appendage. Picking up the snapped horn, I felt it had a heavier weight than expected. How did he walk around with two of those things on his head? I tried to hand it to Wes assuming he'd want it, but he wouldn't take it.
”You keep it,” he said.
”What do I do with a horn?” I questioned as we stepped out of my closet and into my bedroom.
The sun hadn't moved. It was still dawn or close to it. We spent hours in the endless hallway and even longer in the library, but somehow time hadn't moved.
”I don't know? Souvenir,” he said.
With a shrug of my shoulders, I slid the horn into my pocket.
”How did we get in your closet,” Wes asked as he continued to feel the spot where his horn should have been.
I had to hope he wasn't lying about it growing back to save me from feeling bad. Even if it would grow back, I knew how important horns were to a satyr. They were symbolic of so many things. I had a hard time believing Wes could just shrug off having to start at square one again.
”I don't think we ever left my room,” I said, looking out the window at the sun still rising over treetops.
Walking back over to my bedroom door, Wes and I both were hesitant to step out into the hallway. We open the door, and there was no endless hall, but that wasn't enough to convince us.
”I'm pretty sure if we go through the door, we'll get stuck in the hallway again,” I said.
”So, we're waiting for your mom then?” Wes asked.
”After all that? No!” I exclaimed.
I opened my window.
”The window?” Wes asked.
”I've taken higher falls, but if you cant,” I said.
”I can probably handle it,” he said.
I was asking too much. His knuckles were bruised from punching walls for me. He broke a horn standing in front of an avalanche of books for me. Jumping out a three-story window was pushing his limit after all that. Wes had so much positive energy; he probably saw it all as another adventure. I wished I could see things that way.
He stepped up to jump first, but I stopped him.
”Hey, I'll try harder to get your traditions and stuff,” I said.
If Wes was willing to do so much for me, then the least I could do was let him try to get closer to my family.
”So, we can wait for your mom?” He asked.
”Oh, no. We're definitely leaving, but if you still want our parents to meet, I'll have my mom and dad come to your place,” I stated clearly.
He could get to know my mom after we left her house. I had about enough fun house antics for the day.
”Thanks, Pitch.”
He hugged me, and then we jumped.