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It happened.
It was her fourth night inside of the structure – the fifth one for Basil – when it finally happened.
Amy was well aware that Planet Baby, or the old Orsk store as she still called it sometimes, could be a ruthless place. It could deceive them with hallucinations just to mess with their head, or show them things that appeared to be fake but were very much real and dangerous. Every evening before their secret shift to rescue Matt and Trinity, Amy kept hoping that the Beehive would spare her the sight which would often haunt her dreams. But even more, she was afraid that each night was going to be the one she'd run out of luck.
And this time, she was correct.
It was around 01:00 A.M. when Basil checked his watch. According to their plan, they had three hours left before they were done for the night. They had spent the first three doing several sweeps of both the first floor and the Showroom, but now it was time to get into the real action. Staying until dawn was unproductive as Basil pointed out: they had to get enough sleep to be ready for the next morning. For once, Amy agreed with him, that deadly place feeded on tiredness and fatigue. The first night they tried staying for longer, only to leave far too weak and exhausted for their second, unsuccessful expedition. Amy and Basil couldn't allow themselves to waste their time and energy like that.
“Best to take things nice and slow.” They kept saying.
So they nicely and slowly opened the fake door in the Nursery section where Bedrooms once was, and walked right into the heart of the Beehive.
No matter how hard it would be and how long it would take them, they were going to get Matt and Trinity out of there.
Amy and Basil took one sharp turn after another as they moved forward through the narrow tunnels. Their huge, heavy backpacks filled with all kinds of different gear would often get stuck in the tightest spots, while the rancid dampness got stuck in their nostrils instead, and quickly crawled its way into their bones. On a bright note, both by name and by nature, at least the two coworkers weren't wandering in complete darkness. They had covered some of the walls with streaks of glowing tape, and they were carefully swinging their torches from one side of the hallway to the other.
They came well-prepared, and started out strong.
But then Amy and Basil marched inside of the cells, and their hearts skipped a beat when they spotted a first batch of prisoners not so far from them.
As they hid under a very conveniently placed dining table, they could sense their confidence slowly leave their bodies. The distress on Basil's face was almost palpable. He had closed his eyes, panting heavily. Amy grabbed his forearm with one hand and pressed her finger against her lips with the other, urging him to be quiet. Not that she was in a better condition, she could feel the adrenaline pumping in her veins, but at least she was doing everything in her power to keep it down. Luckily enough the ghosts didn’t seem to notice their presence and once they got past the piece of furniture, Amy and Basil managed to relax eventually. A few minutes passed, after which they declared it safe to abandon their hiding spot and resume their exploration.
«No wonder you couldn't find Matt and Trinity the first time you came here alone if this is all you've been doing.» Amy mocked him.
«What do you mean?» A confused Basil asked.
Amy said nothing. Instead she just started mimicking his puffing and squinting earlier under the table. Basil raised his eyes to heaven and gently pushed her shoulder.
«Very funny.» He replied, pretending be offended and trying to mantain an annoyed, sassy expression. «But it's not like you came out into the open to chit chat with our dead friends either.»
Just like that, Amy and Basil were bantering and teasing each other like two little kids. An immature behaviour to be sure, considering the dreadful situation they were in, but it was the only way to release tension and lighten the mood after their supernatural encounter. Though the cheerful atmosphere didn't last long, engulfed by the heavy, putrid air of the Beehive. Eluding the penitents was much easier now that they were finally free from Worth's control, but that didn't mean Amy and Basil could let their guard down. Last time they did, they were entombed into a couple of wardrobes and left there to drown. Let's say they weren't very eager to relive that experience. The two of them didn't feel like blaming those poor lost souls either. It wasn't their fault. They weren't moved by personal hatred. They've just been bound to those decayed walls for far too long.
Amy and Basil ventured deeper inside the prison, cage after cage, some of them empty, others filled with agitated hands trying to catch them through rusty bars. Amy guided Basil behind her and they proceeded with caution. There was no way of completely avoiding their grasp, but with the help of their knives – as Basil's pepperspray turned out to be useless – the living were able to keep the dead at bay. Still, the ghosts managed to rip a small chunk of Amy's hair out, much to her indignation.
After a few hours of restless wandering they had reached a wide open space, a round, moldy room from which four or five maze-like paths departed. Amy and Basil looked around, and then at each other with uncertain eyes.
«So, where are we going? Should we split up?» Amy whispered.
«That's out of the question. Let's just pick one.» Basil replied urgently, pointing at the routes in front of them.
«Okay, okay, I was just kidding. Try to keep your voice down!» She shushed him.
They agreed on following the passage to their left, but before they could leave, a second group of prisoners appeared from the opposite side of the chamber. Amy examined the place again, and to her distress, she realized it was completely empty. Not seeing any kind of hiding spot, her gaze unwillingly fell on the ghouls in front of her.
She noticed that this time, something was different.
This time, one of the figures in that ghostly crowd seemed a little too familiar.
That's when it hit her.
«Ruth Anne?» Amy whispered in disbelief. At the mention of that name, Basil looked in her direction, and let out a loud gasp.
Her eyeless face was so bloody she was barely recognisable. But her puffy, blonde hair, her fingers consumed down to the bone and the old Orsk uniform she was wearing revealed her identity. It really was Ruth Anne. Or Ruth Anne's ghost, to be exact. The prisoners weren't attacking her and she looked unfazed to stand among all those vicious shadows. Amy knew right away what she was glaring at, though she found it hard to accept. She and Basil were both shocked to see her spectral form roaming through the establishment.
«It can't be. Please, it can't be. Why are you making me see this? Why are you making me see her?» She kept repeating almost imperceptibly as if she was directly speaking to the haunted building. She knew it would happen one day, and yet it felt so unreal. So unfair. It wasn't enough that the store took Ruth Anne away from her friends, did it really have to rub it in their faces like that?
The ex-cashier turned around to address her old colleagues, and so did the rest of the spirits.
Shit. They had nowhere to hide and barely any time to react.
«Run!» Basil shouted. There was no point in trying to keep his voice down, they'd already been spotted.
Every single one of Amy's muscles desperately tried to flee from there but she was frozen into place, incapable of looking away. Meanwhile, the ghosts were getting closer and closer. What the hell was happening to her? Why wasn't she moving?
«Amy, let's go!» It was only thanks to Basil's rapid reaction, taking her hand and guiding her, that she was able to unglue herself from the spot.
Ruth Anne was dead, Amy was sure of that. She saw her die with her own eyes. And she turned into one of those monsters, there was no way she was still alive, the evidence was right in front of Amy. But then why did it feel so wrong to run away from her? Why did it seem like Amy was leaving her dear coworker and friend to the mercy of Worth's penitents once again? Was her remorse overpowering her? Or was that place slowly invading Amy's mind, telling her to give up?
Without even realizing it, she tried to free herself from Basil's grip, which only made him tighten it until she could hardly feel the blood flow in her wrist. In that exact moment, something suddenly switched in her brain. It was as if that unexpected hand squeeze reminded her to overthink less and run more, and Amy's legs sprinted on their own as fast as they could. They retreated back to the tunnels, back to the hands, where Amy lost another lock of hair while Basil ended up with scratches all over his face, and finally, back to the Showroom. They kept running for what seemed like an eternity, their lungs hungrily gasping for air, their burning limbs begging them to rest, until Amy gathered enough courage to turn her head. She let out a sigh of relief. Behind them there were no ghosts in sight.
«I think we've lost them.»
Basil wasn't entirely convinced yet, and it took him a couple more minutes to fully stop in his tracks. Now they had found themselves right between the Care and the Toys sections of the store. In the distance to their left, endless rows of dolls and stuffed animals were laying their lifeless eyes on the two colleagues. To their right, colossal shelves full of baby products projected tall and unfamiliar shapes in the darkness, so many that Basil and Amy were almost expecting to see something moving among the shadows. Their heavy breathing kept interrupting the eerie silence in the frightening emptiness that surrounded them. Both of them knew they couldn't stay there in the middle of the hallway, exposed, vulnerable and worst of all, tired.
«Come on, I know a place where we can lie down and hide for a bit.» Basil suggested.
Just like that, they were on their way once more, always on the edge, carefully checking every corner, ready to dash again at the slightest sound or movement.
«There!»
Basil led Amy in the huge indoor playground area of the store, where they ended up resting inside of a small, castle-like playhouse. The hideout was completely covered and closed off, except for a tube slide, which was mounted on one of its plastic walls, and a climbing section right on the opposite side. There was barely enough space for the two of them to sit – Basil's tall and wobbly figure was struggling in particular – and to make things worse, the smell of rotten flesh had gotten almost unbearable. However, not even the nicest scent outside would've convinced them to abandon their makeshift shelter. They weren't really in the position to be picky about the home fragrance choice.
«It's not one hundred percent ghost-proof, but it's one of our safest options. I spent my first night here before you came along.» Basil explained. «And before you say anything, I know, I know. No wonder I didn't find Matt and Trinity if this is where I've been hiding for the most part!» He moved his hands in the air dramatically, imitating Amy's voice, but his faint smile faded away when he saw her indifference towards his miserable attempt at a joke.
Clearing his throat, he then proceeded to open his backpack, take out two bottles of water and offer one to Amy. She took it without paying attention or even drinking from it. She was clearly focusing on something else.
A few minutes passed, and Amy felt a slight pain in her hand. She looked down at her palm: it was all red and she could still see Basil's fingerprints on the wrist.
If it wasn't for him, who woke Amy up from her trance, who knows what those ghosts would've done to her.
Who knows if Ruth Anne too, would've joined their attack…
Amy's mind began racing restlessly, so fast she couldn't stop and focus on each thought, but at the same time all she could feel inside her brain was numbness and static.
Ruth Anne. That name was at the center of everything. It's not like the two of them were the bestest of friends, but she truly was one of the kindest, loveliest women Amy has ever known, up until the very end. And it was destroying her to remember the last time they met. Amy could almost hear Ruth Anne's terrified screams of help, and see her hollow face as life left her eyes so abruptly.
“It wasn't my fault. All of this was nobody's fault.” Amy thought to herself. But no matter how much she kept repeating that, she could hear another inner rumble drowning out her own monologue.
“You could've saved her. Had you come to her rescue sooner, you could've saved her.”
Amy knew. She knew it was the Beehive talking on her behalf. It was worming its way into her brain again trying to silence the rational side of her mind, and it was working way to well. Amy begged it to stop, but despite her attempts several flashbacks of her last, brutal moments with Ruth Anne kept popping up in her head. And it was painful. God, it was so painful to relive them over and over.
Basil's voice was the only thing able to stop her trip down memory lane.
«Are you alright, Amy?»
She turned to face him. He was staring at her hand as well, and he looked genuinely concerned.
«I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you earlier, but…you were hesitating. And I was getting worried.»
Amy wanted to lie and tell him she was fine, but nothing came out of her mouth. Basil's body went tense as he continued.
«Ruth Anne…This has been my first time seeing her too, since I started coming here. I still can't believe she's…you know.» He sat there waiting for a reaction, but all Amy could do was stay still as a speechless statue.
«It's weird, isn't it? To meet her again in that state.»
Now, even if she was trying to hide it, Amy's lips started trembling and her eyes watered as she avoided his gaze. Why was he doing this? It was hurting enough already, she didn't need him to put more salt in the wound. With a deep sigh, Basil approached her and laid his hand on her shoulder.
«Amy…talk to me, please.»
«And what do you want me to say, exactly?» She finally replied, with frustration in her broken voice.
«I don't know, anything…Just tell me how you feel.»
Part of Amy was too ashamed and embarrassed to speak. She would've rather shut herself off and bottled up her pain, promising herself to be strong or at least pretend to be so, but the big bomb of sorrow had been ticking in her chest for far too long and whether she liked it or not, it was about to explode and let it all out.
«You wanna know how I feel? Fine, I'll tell you. I feel like the worst fucking human being to have ever walked on earth.» She snapped. «Ruth Anne, she...She's dead because of me. If I didn't waste so much time, if I didn't let Worth take over me so easily, she'd still be alive. But I gave up too soon, and I found her too late.»
«You shouldn't blame yourself, Amy.» Basil tried to comfort her. «You did everything you could. I'm blaming myself, if anything. I was the one who put all of you in danger in the first place. I was the one who got Ruth Anne killed.»
Amy shook her head in disagreement.
«Stop it, Basil. Stop. You couldn’t possibly know what was about to happen. Then once we were in danger you've been nothing but perfect the whole time. You cared about our safety from the very beginning. But I…I-» Amy had to interrupt herself to let out an uncontrollable sob as she closed her shaking hands in fists. «For fuck's sake, Basil, I was about to get away with my car and abandon all of you!»
Those were the last words she could blurt out before she broke down completely. Now tears were running down her face like a waterfall and she shivered, curled up in her desperation. Basil felt helpless watching her in that state, and did the only thing he could think of: he opened his arms and held her in a tight hug. Amy's head ended up resting on top of his shoulder while she cried her heart out and let her river of guilt, anger and disappointment run wild with every teardrop.
«I was a coward. I was a coward and Ruth Anne had to pay the price. Meanwhile Matt stayed behind to look for Trinity. And you…You didn't hesitate one second to risk your life for me.» She wept. Basil took a deep breath.
«Look, Amy, as the store manager I was responsible for all of my staff's security. Of course I had to try and keep you safe at all costs.»
«But what if you weren't the store manager, Basil? Wouldn’t you still try to rescue me?»
Amy bit her tongue, hoping to stop herself mid-sentence, but it was already too late. She didn't quite understand why asking that question embarrassed her so much. All Amy knew was that she was more and more glad to have her face buried into the crook of Basil's neck, where he couldn't see her awkward expression. She heard a gulp coming from down his throat. He was thinking carefully about his response. The answer was yes. Yes he would. With or without his job position, the thought of leaving her behind would never even cross the back of his mind. And he wanted to tell her so badly, but that would've only hurt her more. Because it would've proved that he was the brave and selfless one, and that she was right to call herself a coward. So he lingered in a limbo, trying to formulate the most neutral reply possible.
«Listen, Amy,» he began with a firm voice. «When you're stuck in whatever the hell this is, there are no good or bad decisions. We’re all just terrified people. And terrified people can't expect to think or act rationally all the time. You might not have been able to save Ruth Anne and had your moment of weakness, but remember what else you did? You came back for me when I was captured. I'd be dead if it wasn't for your help. And now you're here, ready to put your life in danger again for Matt and Trinity. I know there’s a voice trying to tell you that you’re a total letdown, Amy. Don’t listen to it. You’re more than your mistakes, so much more than that.»
Basil moved his right hand on Amy's head, his thumb gently stroking her hair. His voice softened again.
«And I'm not saying this as your supervisor. I'm saying this as your friend.»
Amy was staring into the void while listening to him. She didn't know how to react, this wasn't how she imagined her conversation with Basil to go. She expected him to do nothing but recite the same old Orsk mantra that was basically printed into his brain – what better occasion to use it than with a miserable, demotivated employee? However, there had been moments in the past when Basil proved to be full of surprises and this time, she found out, was no exception. She didn't think his motivational speech would actually work, and yet somehow it was able to calm her down a bit.
Maybe because he was right, Amy did come back for him and she did come back for Matt and Trinity. She might have been a gutless quitter prior to those events in the store, but that first night had changed her. Ruth Anne's death had changed her.
Or maybe, rather than Basil's talking, it was his listening that did the real magic. In the beginning, Amy was too scared to speak. Speaking meant vulnerability, and vulnerability meant pain. It was the total opposite of what she promised herself to be. She wanted to be tough, she wanted to ward off her inner ghosts. She wanted that fragility to stay as far away from her as possible. But now Amy got to know how good and liberating it could feel to be fragile in front of someone she trusted, someone who could understand her. Someone who wouldn't let her go through all that mess alone.
Thinking back to the way she used to despise Basil, Amy's regret grew more and more. In their old Orsk days he'd been the walking portrayal of the flawless, immaculate store manager that would devote his whole life to his meaningless job. Basil treated the store's handbook like his own personal sacred text, and he couldn't stop bothering partners and clients alike with his stupid lectures. Amy used to see him as nothing more than an empty shell filled with Orsk propaganda and an off-putting, obsessive pity for her, and that was enough to explain why he made her blood boil.
But a year ago, during their very first cursed shift in the store, she realized that her perception of Basil was the furthest thing from who he truly was.
Every time she'd thought he was all talk and no action, she'd been wrong: he didn't pity Amy, he actually cared about her, just like he cared about being a team, a family, and he had proved he'd do anything to protect his staff and friends. Basil could still be a bit annoying sometimes – old habits die hard and his habits were dying even harder – but he didn't deserve her hate. He didn't deserve any of it at all.
Without thinking about it, Amy wrapped her arms around Basil to bring him even closer, and she lowered her eyes.
«I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for all the times I've been an asshole to you.» She mumbled to him.
Basil tried to contain his loud gasp. It was as if he didn't think those words would ever come out of her mouth, and so he replied at the speed of light, almost scared he'd otherwise lose that rare, precious moment.
«And I'm sorry if I ever made you feel like you were not enough, Amy. Because you are. You're a wonderful person.» He apologized too as he caressed her back, waiting patiently until Amy finally relaxed her rigid body.
She sobbed one last time before her crying stopped altogether. When she felt something moist against her cheek, Amy looked down at Basil's collar. It had become soggy from all her tears, like someone had spilled an entire bucket of water on it. Her face flushed.
«Ah…I got your shirt all wet. Sorry about that too, I guess.»
A small chuckle escaped Basil's mouth. «It's all right. I was planning to wash it anyway.»
They both laughed it off as Amy's sadness was slowly being replaced by pure bliss.
It was nice to be so wrong about him. It was nice to have someone genuinely believe in her despite her failures. And it was nice to be held in his warm embrace. An embrace that for a brief instant made it feel like all that danger, all those worries were gone, and she was safe from everything.
But speaking of danger, her expression changed into something more serious when she thought back to her two friends, still lost somewhere in the store. Was it stupid to assume they were still alive? If they hadn't fallen into the hands of the penitents yet, did they even have enough resources to survive for a whole year?
«Do you think Matt and Trinity are okay?» Amy asked.
«I don't know.» Basil admitted.
«What if we find them and…they’re like Ruth Anne?»
«I'm…trying not to think about that, for now.»
Both of them sighed helplessly, and chose to stay silent for a while. Amy was glad he didn't try and sweeten the pill for her. Just as she needed his comforting words before, now she needed his hesitation. A friend was sailing that scary sea of uncertainty by her side, and that was enough to save the small seed of hope planted inside her.
Then Basil checked his watch: fifteen minutes to 04:00 A.M. It was almost time to leave.
«Should we go?» He suggested.
«No, please.» Amy begged and pressed herself against Basil a little more firmly than she intended, almost crushing him. «Please, I…Let's stay like this just a little longer.»
Basil let out the quietest, gentlest laugh. «I was hoping you'd say that.»
A mild smile appeared on Amy's face when she felt his head drop and rest on top of hers. Now their heartbeats and breathing were so synchronized that Amy's hiccuped, shaky huffing was starting to feel like an old, faded memory.
It was ironic – she thought – how a year ago she could barely stand to breathe the same air as Basil, and now, after all they'd gone through, his presence alone was enough to put her at ease and give her enough strength to tolerate that nightmare.
They hadn't even parted ways yet, but she was already excited to see him again the next morning. And whatever the store was going to throw at them the following nights, Amy was ready and glad to face it all together.