Saving the Villain

If Maxen and Remo were a character in a horror film, they would die first. That was what Cosette and Luke initially thought when they proposed to check where the sob was coming from. In their defense, it was probably someone getting locked up in a room and couldn't go out.

Well, that made a bit of sense, but there should be doors banging or crying for help, right? But no. What they heard for a couple of minutes was a girl's faint crying echoing and amplified in the silent hallways of the building.

Maxen and Remo told the two to leave the premises and wait for them. But alas, since Cosette and Luke were both scared, they obliterated the idea aggressively. Furthermore, in most horror films, the common stupidity the characters would do was to split up.

There was no way Luke and Cosette would do that. Over their dead bodies.

The reason they stuck with the fearless Maxen and Remo. Cosette clung to Maxen's arm while Luke held him on the other arm. Luke didn't feel secure enough, so he held Remo using his other arm. Their steps were careful — thanks to Cosette and Luke's snail-like pace.

The four of them carefully took the stairs to the third floor where the crying from and the closer they were, the more distinct the cries sounded.

"I'm scared." Cosette stopped and completed the second they reached the last step to the third floor. "Max, let's just run from here. I don't think someone is locked in here."

"I agree with her." Luke held Remo and Maxen's arms firmly, nodding profusely. "If someone truly needs help, they will just cry for help, right?"

"What if she's been crying for help and realized no one is coming?" asked Remo monotonously, gazing down at Luke as if he was way taller than the three of them.
"When you've been crying for help for a long time, do you think people still continue doing it?" Maxen added quietly and calmly. "No, Luke. If you've been crying for help but no one comes, you simply stop asking for help. But that doesn't mean you stop crying for yourself."

Maxen and Remo kept their eyes on Luke silently. Their situation before was probably different, but both of them could relate to this. As young people who had been struggling at a young age, Maxen and Remo had been through rock bottom.

Remo might've resorted to violence and exploiting others, but that was because he realized being good and honest would take him nowhere. It was the same for Maxen. Just crying for help wasn't enough. They had to save themselves if they wanted to live — whatever means it was. But that didn't mean they didn't feel helpless. Knowing they had no one to fall on to if they failed was cruel and crippling, yet they had to go on.

"What…" Luke opened and closed his mouth. "... you two, that's deep."

"But what if it's a ghost?" asked Cosette with a nervous voice. "I want to help, but it's scary. What if after this, we'll get cursed or something? Are you not watching horror films — so much for what you just said you don't want to become a character in a horror film?"

"But this isn't a film." Maxen's eyes slid to the corner. He didn't know this thoughtless remark he had spewed moments ago would backfire on him this soon.

"Let's just check it." Maxen cleared his throat, looking around the floor as they stood several steps from the stairs they came from. "If there's a ghost, we'll run as fast as we could."

"Is that the best plan you can think of?" she frowned. "Fine. We'll run if there's no one, okay?"



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"Mhm."

"This is freaky…" Luke commented through his gritted teeth, taking a careful step as they resumed.

Because of Luke and Cosette's stalling, the hallway grew darker and darker. If not for the lights coming from the windows mounted on the walls, it would be total darkness. The three of them walked carefully and as silently as possible, following the sound of cries to a particular classroom.

The closer they were, Luke and Cosette's hearts thudded. They walked with bated breaths, ready to run for their life if worse comes to worst. But when they were a few steps from the classroom, the crying suddenly stopped.

This slightly startled Cosette and Luke, putting their steps to a halt. The four of them looked at each other with furrowed brows. At this point, their eyes had already adjusted to the dark, so they could see each other quite clearly. The lights coming from the windows were helping, too.

"Dude, this is the common sequence in a horror film," said Luke nervously, focusing on their faces instead of their surrounding. "The jump scare will follow — I'm sure of it."

"We can still run," added Cosette, tugging Maxen's arm.

"I'll go," Remo proposed without a second hesitation. Luke and Cosette were too scared, but because of this, they were also stalling time. If not for them, they wouldn't stay inside the building until the sun was already down.

"You three will stay here and I will check." He kept his eyes particularly on Maxen since he calls the shot.

Maxen darted his eyes between Cosette and Luke. The two of them were looking at him with anticipation, waiting for him to agree to Remo's proposal. It was quite harsh, in a way, he thought. Remo would surely not mind, but it still felt like these two were prepared to use Remo as a scapegoat.

However, Maxen also understood that Remo's proposal was the best they have at the moment.

pAn,D a-n0ve1,c-o-m "Sure." Maxen nodded in agreement, setting his eyes back to Remo. "We'll stay here."

A deep breath escaped Remo's nostrils, looking down at Luke. The latter immediately let him go, only to hug Maxen's arm tightly.

"Tell us if it's a ghost or if someone is actually there," said Maxen, and Remo just nodded as an answer.

With that being said, Remo walked away without any trace of fear. Perhaps it was because Remo had already realized people were far scarier than ghosts, that he didn't care if this was just a supernatural thing.

Remo stopped by the door of the upper window of the classroom to take a peek. Fortunately, he was tall enough to reach it. But as soon as his eyes looked around the classroom, his pupils dilated and his breathing stopped for a moment.

"Hey!" he yelled, his lungs out, startling Cosette, Luke, and Maxen, who just stood several steps from him.