Chapter Text
Enis doesn’t stop, seemingly not content with just leading them out the other end of the secret passage which leads to some kind of billiard room, swiftly pulling them through another two rooms before finally letting go once they enter the ballroom.
Yan’s mouth drops open when they see it, in utter awe of the fact that such a grand room exists in this mad mansion. They glance around, their wrist pulling on the cuffs attaching them to Rowan as they turn. Rowan watches them and their face curiously.
“This is amazing.” Yan glances around in wonder at the large, somewhat neglected room.
“It’s a wreck.” Rowan comments. Yan just tugs on their cuffed wrists to silence him.
“I always wanted to grow up to go to places like this.” Yan confesses.
Even though it’s clearly in some level of disrepair, it’s still gorgeous and is exactly the kind of place that young Yan dreamed of finding themself in. Going to parties, with drinking and dancing, socialising with people who’d be oh-so-impressed with how funny, and smart, and beautiful they were.
“Why didn’t you?” Enis asks from where he’s perched on the stool next to the piano.
Reality comes crushing down and Yan’s smile falls. They’d always dreamed big as a kid, but it was only as they got older that they realised just how out there some of those dreams were.
“Nobody thought I belonged.” they mutter.
Belonged in the dance halls, belonged in the coffee shops, belonged in the various jobs they had over the years. As they grew up, Yan just remembers being told time and time again, ‘you don’t belong here’.
“That’s sad.” Enis frowns.
Rowan tugs on the cuff, bringing Yan back to themself, stepping forward and pointing back through the door Enis dragged them through.
“Enis, what was that thing?”
There’s a brief moment of wide-eyed panic before Enis’s face twists into a forced smile as he happily yells, “Isn’t this piano great!”
As he plonks his hands on the keys, it gives an out-of-tune discordant noise but Rowan is clearly not impressed, and both he and Yan can see this very poor attempt at distraction for what it is.
“Enis.”
“Wait I can do this, just give me a second.” Enis peers very intently at the keys, randomly pressing them. They are painfully out of tune. Enis giggles as he continues to press keys. “It’s been a few centuries since I last played.”
Yan’s eyes go wide. “Centuries?”
“He’s a vampire.” Rowan says off-handedly.
“What?!” Yan reaches up, running their hand through their hair in a mild panic. Vampires are a real thing?! And they’re in a room with one now?! Though taking a second glance at the sheer happiness on Enis’s face, it’s clear that there’s no immediate risk from this puffball vamp.
“Enis, you’re obviously trying to hide something.” Rowan steps forward, pulling on the cuff, Yan moving to keep in stride with him.
Enis thinks, biting on his lip as he tries to think of a lie. “Spiders?”
“Spiders that growl….” Yan says. They don’t believe that for a moment, but you know, Yan has been proven very wrong before so who knows? Rowan however seems to have no problem with possibly being wrong.
“Stop lying!” he shouts and Yan blinks at him in surprise.
Enis jumps at the shouting, looking between his two new friends no Enis not friends, friends don’t survive here and the anger they’re directing at him.
“……well-”
A low rumble of a growl, deep enough that you can feel it through the floor can be heard and if possible, Enis’s face becomes even paler before he leaps to his feet in fear. Rowan and Yan also try to locate the source of the noise, having to move together as they turn this way and that, desperate to figure out where it’s coming from.
Yan turns to the vampire and shouts at him “What is it!”
Enis just whimpers, leaping behind the piano as Rowan pulls firmly on the cuffs, forcing Yan to turn and see.
Through the closed door stalks a massive beast, twice the size of a wolf, with razor-sharp claws that shred the floor beneath it as it walks. Its scruffy, wiry fur is jet black, the tips dissolving into wispy smoke that trails behind it. In its snarling maw, a row of jagged teeth that could easily turn a man to mincemeat. From within the fur, two red eyes, trained on Yan and Rowan, as its nose sniffs at the air.
Yan doesn’t even think, pulling harshly on the handcuffs that links them to Rowan, dragging the droid closer. Turning their back to it, they place themself firmly between Rowan and the monster, wrapping their free arm around him, their cuffed fingers latching onto Rowan’s hand. They hold tight, pull Rowan close and close their eyes, knowing what’s about to happen, knowing that they can’t lose Rowan any further than they already have.
Before Rowan can react, the monster pounces, large vicious teeth latching onto the very base of Yan’s neck, almost tearing into the flesh of their shoulder. Yan screams out in agonising pain, their tight hold immediately loosening as every last bit of energy that they don’t have left is forced from them and the monster drags them back.
There’s a blast and a yelp before the teeth let them go. But everything hurts and they have no ounce of energy left. it’s so much easier to just stop fighting at this point.
They’re trapped in a mansion where the rooms don’t stay still, with a vampire. Any hospital they might get to will immediately turn them over to police. Rowan hates them, but he’s safe. This is it, Yan realises as their fingertips slip from Rowan’s, as the hands grabbing at their arms fail to keep them up. This is how they go.
There’s no conscious decision to stop, but there’s no chance they can survive this. Yan has no strength and what is left is all just drifting away. They feel themselves hit the floor. Everything else is pain and darkness