A Serenade for the Innocent - 115 Meet the Dungeon Crawlers

A woman slowly raised her body as she slowly adjusted her sight upon the dimly lit place. After a few seconds of heavy breathing, she finally realized the full extent of her situation when she beheld her position. The perfectly square-shaped room made the girl’s breathing more cumbersome. She heard water droplets ringing from outside when she realized that all of the room’s four sides leads to a darkened hallway. The flickering orange bulb above her sends tremors throughout her spine. Seeing the mossy cobblestone walls that showed the ancientness of the surroundings made her feel like she must have finally descended to hell.

Meanwhile, the moist ground she’s laying on, which pride itself upon its roughness, almost made her skin bleed. All of these are what welcomed the shivering body of the poor nurse. One could quickly tell that she is one just by seeing the dirt-filled nurse uniform she was wearing.

“Ah, you’re finally awake.” A voice echoing from the hallway behind her almost made her scream her soul out of her body.

Tears then started to well up in her eyes before she replied, “Where are we?”

The man who’s walking towards the girl from the hallway behind her finally revealed himself. He was a muscular policeman who’s not afraid to show off the bulging muscles ripping his tanned skin. “Miss, usually, people ask someone’s identity first before asking where they are.” He was carrying an empty yellow body bag on his shoulder as he replied to the girl’s pleading tone. The policeman then dusted the pads of his police uniform as he towered over the nurse who’s still lying on the floor.

“You’re here with me, that means I know enough about you to know that you’re either just like me or worst!” The nurse

The police officer then showed a worried and sorrowful look after seeing the woman’s suspicious gaze. He then knelt and showed her a dazzlingly, gentle smile. “I’ve heard about this place before from one of my pals.” He then outstretched his arms wide as a way of highlighting the ghastliness of their doom. “This is the Antonova Family’s Dungeon—I don’t even need a sign for me to know that. If rumors are to be trusted, we’ll either die here of starvation or through something else much, much more gruesome. Either way, we won’t live to see another day.”

“That’s…” The nurse said as a tear swiftly fell out of her right eye. “That’s horrible! HORRIBLE! What even is the point of being imprisoned then!? Veronica should have just executed us!” The nurse’s woeful voice rang all over the area, sending tremors throughout the room.

“No, no, no, Miss, don’t cry!” The police officer said as he leaned his body forward with a puzzled expression with his brown knitted upward.

“That’s because what all of us did is probably something so fucking disgusting and vile that the whore of Plural Heights wouldn’t even wanna BAT AN EYELID to watch us die!” A slurring voice roughly roared out of the darkened hallways on the right side of the nurse, making her shake even more. The police officer then turned his head to face the man who suddenly interjected with such a rude tone. “Veronica just wants to be done with us, and she doesn’t even wanna watch us while we go!!!” The man then revealed himself from out of the shadows with his arms crossed as a demeaning sneer contorted his wrinkled face. What they saw was the image of a fat gentleman with bulging stomach making the button of his suit pop to the point that it almost looked like it would come off the fabric. Just like the policeman, the fat old bastard was also carrying an empty yellow body bag.

“Sounds like we got ourselves an expert.” The policeman joked, but his stern expression did not at all show a hint of joy. He then stood up and extended his arm towards the nurse before lifting her up gently away from the wet floor. “You got a name?” The tanned police officer said as he directed his gaze on the suited bastard again.

“Just your usual run-of-the-mill salesman. Nothing special!” The burly salesman said as a way to show his down-to-earth attitude, but based on how he lifted his head up with a cocky smile while fixing the collar or his suit, the police officer and the nurse knew that his words mean anything but humility. “You should take that bag with you, lady!” The salesman articulated well as she pointed at the yellow body bag beside the nurse’s feet using his thick lips. “It has everything you’ll need to survive at least a day in this hell.” The man articulated each word as slowly as he can, as if telling the other two that he alone can stand being in this place for more than a day.

The tanned policeman then clicked his tongue and was about to approach the fat old salesman when the shrill sound of a man screaming stopped him from moving. The high-pitched yell of a man echoed from the left side of the nurse’s room, which continuously rang as it hurriedly approached their direction. All of them then showed varying reactions to whatever they had just heard. The policeman shielded the nurse’s body immediately with her arms as he looked at the darkened hallway, waiting for the screaming man to arrive. The nurse then promptly grabbed the police officer’s sturdy arms as he trembled with fear rushing out of her sunken gaze. The salesman immediately took two steps back with a silent shriek as he shielded his fat body with his arms while sweat started to trickle down her forehead.

When the screaming man finally arrived, what they saw was a man wearing nothing but silver—nay, he’s so silver that even his face is painted with silver and his hair is dyed into a silver hue. He was wearing a shiny silver tuxedo with a silver collared shirt underneath, silver slacks, silver gloves, and silver boots. Everything that is silver on his body, which means literally everything about him, is covered in sparkling glitter. He was carrying his yellow body bag on his right hand while his other hand holds a sparkly silver top hat.

“The hell?” The police officer scowled as he slowly relaxed his stiffened body. He then quickly dropped his arms away from the nurse as he approached the silver man. “Are you okay?”

“Yes… Yes, I…” The silver man panted and gasped heavily as he leaned his body forward while his arms left arm rested on his knees. He then wore his top hat as sweat rushes from all over his body while smiling as best as he could. The short and petite young man continued to release perspiration all over his body. However, whatever is making his skin silver isn’t coming off, so that must have meant that he’s wearing some kind of silver paint to make the entirety of his very being become a silver mess. He then showed a dumbfounded gaze at the confused stares of the people around him slowly as he looked at himself while stretching his hands forward like a fool. “Oh! HAHAHA! Don’t mind this, everyone—I’m a circus performer, you see! I’m sure you’ve seen one of those weird people in the streets before who acts like a statue but would suddenly move if you put money on a box in front of him!” The silver man blabbered without even stopping to take a breath.

“YOU SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF ME!” The burly old man said while stomping his feet on the ground as his thick eyebrows knitted together with a quiver.

“Now, now, let’s not get too violent!” The police officer, who was about to act violently earlier, calmly said while looking at the man. He then smiled at the nurse before tapping the silver man’s shoulder. “Are you really okay? You were screaming quite loudly out there!”

“Oh, yeah… I’m really fine!” The short silver man chuckled with a pained smile as he scratched his silver nape. “I just uh… I just saw a skull in my room…” He weakly reiterated while pointing his gaze into the wet cobblestone floor.

“S-skull?” The policeman moved his body away immediately after hearing this with a frightened look on his now pale face.

“Are you okay?” The nurse quickly approached him without even caring about what the silver man has just said and the implications behind it. “Things like that can leave a mental strain on people.” She then looked at the rest of the men around her with a determined ember in his pupils. “We should all stay together, no matter what! That way, we can minimize the amount of trauma we might get. I am not a doctor, unfortunately, but if we all stay together, I can at least see what I can do once you received some kind of injury! We can also—” The nurse carefully explained as she conveyed her points accurately while firmly establishing eye contact with all the men around her.

“SHE’S RIGHT!” The tanned policeman screamed, interrupting the nurse with a scowl. He then moved in front of the nurse with his arms crossed, covering her small body away from the other men’s gaze. “I SAY WE SHOULD ALL BAND TOGETHER! WHO’S WITH ME?”

“ME!” The silver man

“Didn’t you just repeated what she had… Ugh! You know what, whatever! I’ll do whatever you guys decide.” The burly salesman said as his face dropped onto his palm.

“IT’S SETTLED THEN!” The policeman continued to scream while the nurse quietly fidgets behind him. “WE NEED TO—”

“… help…” The sound of someone whispering in agony at the final dark hallway made the people realize the gravity of the situation they’re in as they all stayed in the dimly lit room, screaming about unity and all that awe-aspiring foolery.

“What is that…?” The silver man quietly asked as he trembled in fear before he approached the side of the tanned police officer.

“Let’s check it out.” The salesman uttered with a groan as he walked towards the direction of the whisper without second-guessing. “Y’all wanted to stay together, right? We can’t leave that guy if you’re so adamant about that staying-together shit.” He said while waving his hands in the air beside his head as the darkness of the hallways swallowed him whole.

The nurse who suddenly turned stiff as a rock suddenly slapped her cheeks as another fiery expression crept upon her face. “He’s right!” She said before following the salesman without looking back.

“Err… of course, let’s go get him!” The tanned policeman quickly followed them with swift footsteps, making him lead the party in no time as they all walked straight into the long, dark hallways. They then saw a flickering light in the distance as another groan echoes throughout the surroundings.

“Help… meee…” The same agonizing whisper sends a shiver down their spines as they all hurriedly came to find where that voice is coming from.

The first to arrive in the room is the tanned policeman who stopped on his tracks immediately when he saw the origin of the voice. It was a bloodied priest with his arms tied onto the ceiling as he spoke a bunch of indescribable and weakened words with a hefty amount of bruises and wounds all over his face.

“Are you okay!?” The nurse immediately ran towards the priest as she raised her hands to loosen the rope tied around his arms.

No. I am definitely not okay, lady! I specifically asked Christopher and Alejandro to beat me up till I turned to look like a homeless guy in Detroit just so I can make this performance a lot more convincing. So yes, nurse-lady, I am NOT okay!” I… am… fine… please just… I need water…”

“Of course!” The nurse immediately took his yellow body bag and opened it to see if there’s anything in there she can give me. Obviously, there is. She then made me drink the water in the large plastic bottle inside of her yellow body bag without even thinking about what she would do now that she doesn’t have any water in her bag anymore.

“He has no body bag…” The salesman said as he rushed towards me with a frightened gaze. He then quickly and forcefully pulled the rope tied around my hands while the nurse carefully let the water wet my now dry lips with a gentle yet worried expression.

The police officer then gasped as he realized what he’s happening, for he was there the whole time, solid stiff, while his arms are wrapped tightly around his body bag. “Get out!” He then pushed the fat salesman away with a loud groan as he swiftly untied the ropes tied on my wrist immediately. “Are you okay?” The police officer said as he gently moved my body down, making me lay on the rough and moist cobblestone ground.

“Here. Lay your body on this.” The nurse swiftly moved beside me as she placed the body bag beneath my bloodied body. She then promptly checked on my body while periodically making me drink from her water bottle. “He has a few broken bones on his feet; we need to—”

The tanned police officer then moved towards the nurse and gently shoved her away so that he could be the one sitting beside me. “Please, miss, just stay there in the corner. I’ll take care of our priest friend here, and stay on the corner with the other men.”Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.novelhall.com for visiting.

“Sir,” The nurse said as she placed her palm in front of the police officer’s face before continuing, “I know what I am doing. Please, allow me to do my job, so we can all help our patient.” She then hurriedly took her water bottle on the floor and handed it to the policeman. “Why don’t you help me instead and make father properly hydrated? Make him sip slowly every two seconds, okay?” Placing the water bottle on the dumbfounded police officer’s hands, she continued to look after me with a scrutinizing gaze as she rummaged throughout her body bag. “We don’t have  bandages!” When she said so, she very effortlessly ripped the fabric at the end of her long white skirt and wrapped it around my now exposed and bloodied torso. “You will be okay, father, we will take care of you.”

The fat salesman then immediately hurried towards me with a small yellow bottle. “I have some Betadine in my bag. I have some minor first-aid knowledge, so can I treat his other wounds with this?” The salesman said with a stern expression as he showed the Betadine and a white handkerchief towards the nurse.

“That would be great, sir.” The nurse promptly replied, while still ripping the fabric on her blouse this time.

“You’ll be okay, father. We’ll find whoever did this to you later, okay?” The tanned policeman said with a sigh as he looked at the nurse and the salesman while making me take a sip of the water in the bottle.

Meanwhile, the silver man sat on the far end corner of the dimly lit room with trembling feet as he looked at the happening around me.

“Thank… you…”

Oh, I will be okay, alright.

I’m not so sure about all of you, though.