It was a sound he’d come to dread, the warning siren overhead as flashing yellow lights would alert those around of danger. Nothing good ever came from those doors- that much he’d learned in his time down below. How many lives had he seen get taken from the beasts they’d unleash from their confines to let run free. Gooseberry, Coyle, Franco, The Twins- the list only grew longer in the time he’d spent down here. All of them equally deadly, and yet none compared to the one he ought to fear most.
The Groom- his groom. One could not be seen without the other when it came to these twisted games. To think the title of The Bride became his being, a role he never anticipated, yet over time began to encompass all that made him who he was. Maybe that was the purpose of these trials, to reshape and form people into a twisted design of Easterman’s desires. The lines between his life before and the person he was now only blurred further at the edges. Denial, in being the wife to this man- and yet still he stood, unmoving as those doors would open to reveal who would join him in the dark- waiting for a glimpse of him, despite knowing what would come should they meet face to face.
He would know him by his footfalls alone, the soft hum he always seemed to carry on his breath. How it made his heart leap into his throat, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through him at the sight of him. His lover- his husband- his hunter. Night vision of his goggles gave clear view to the man that loomed down the hall, each step down causing him to backstep in return. If he wanted to leave the trial- he had to stay focused, complete his objective- the last thing he needed was to be-
The crackling of glass would break the silence, his own, shuddering breath giving way to his location. A hand would clasp over his mouth, trying to catch himself as he’d stumble back, shards of glass opening up his palms, crunching beneath his feet as he’d try to catch himself, turning to run. Droplets of blood would be left behind, leaving a trail for the other to follow. Grasping the wall, he’d try to cut the corner, break line of sight and gain some distance between them. If he could- there was no stopping the man once he knew he was in the trial. Everything, everyone else wouldn’t matter now.
Unfortunately for him, there was to run to- even fewer places to hide. His trembling hands were brought close to his chest, feeling the warmth of blood as it would run down his wrists from his injury. It was only a matter of time before he’d find him, the darkness closing in as his headset would dim. He needed to find a way out- stumbling further into the room with the hopes of finding a door- a window- some way to get out. Running into a table, it was at that moment he realized the room he was in was a kitchen, tripping on kitchen items that lay strewn about, colliding into the nearby countertop with force, the air being knocked from his lungs as he'd try to catch himself on the floor. A sound of pain slipped from him as the glass in his hands only sunk deeper.
