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Echoes in the Night

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Echoes in the Night



Black. That was all I could see. Darkness in all directions. Up, down; left, right. And it was cold. So bitterly cold. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering from not only the cold, but also in fear. Where am I? How did I get here? I couldn't remember a thing.

"H-Hello?" I called timidly, my voice barely above a whisper. I strained my ears to hear a sound, any sound, any signs of life.

But nothing. Just absolute silence.

The phrase "silent as the grave" entered my head, and I shivered again as chills went down my spine. I began to walk forward slowly, my steps echoing throughout this eerie place. I had absolutely no idea where I was going, but it was better than just sitting doing nothing. I had to find some way out.

After walking for some time, the darkness began to recede a bit, from a pitch black to a charcoal gray. I could now see a little ways away, but not very far, as a fog had seemed to settle over the area. It felt as if I'd been walking for ages, but I knew I had to keep going.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I suddenly noticed a dark shape appear several yards in front of me. I gulped nervously, wondering who or what was waiting for me in the mist. I took a couple steps forward, gathering what little courage I had left to confront the shadow. Maybe it was someone who could help me.

As I drew closer, I began to make out distinct features of the shadow. It was very tall, much taller than my height of 5 foot 4 inches, but it seemed to be hunched over a bit. Taking a few more steps forward, I could make out the features of its head. A long, hawk-like nose; large rounded ears. I even noticed a tail lying limp on the floor behind it. My heart leapt as I recognized the famous profile. If anyone could help me, it would be him. Before I could stop, I found myself call his name hopefully.

"Basil?"

No response.

The figure just stood there, as if it unaware of my presence. I took several more steps forward, and called a little louder.

"Basil?"

The figure let out a sigh. As I drew closer, he finally lifted his head and looked at me. I smiled in relief.

"Basil, it is you!" I said as my steps hastened toward him. I had been alone for so long. I wanted to feel his strong arms around me. I wanted to feel the beating of his heart against mine as he wrapped me in his warm embrace. Because I knew that he would always protect me; that that's where I would always be safe.

But as my chocolate brown eyes met his emerald green ones, I froze again. Instead of the warm loving gaze I had been expecting, I was met with a look of complete and utter sorrow. His glistening eyes were filled with such sadness and despair, it caused tears to come into my own.

"Basil, what's wrong?" I asked quietly. He didn't answer.

His disheveled appearance caused me even greater concern. The famous deerstalker hat and Inverness coat was missing, along with the silk tie; his vest was ripped open, his shirt untucked and also ripped in several places. And he appeared completely exhausted.

"What happened to you?" I asked, stepping ever closer. He just looked at me, almost as if he were afraid to speak. And I noticed as I stepped toward him, he seemed to grow alarmed. I slowly held my hand out to him, but he seemed afraid to take it.

Now, only inches away from him, he gasped softly. As I reached out to touch him, he opened his mouth to say something.

But suddenly, a large shadowy figure swooped out of nowhere, stepping between me and Basil, and shoved me backwards. As I fell onto the cold floor I looked up, and to my absolute horror, Basil was gone.

I stumbled to my feet and looked all around. But there was no sign of Basil, or his captor. I immediately began running, calling out into the darkness, repeating his name over and over.

I soon lost track of time as I ran, stumbling and tripping over my own feet, groping in the darkness hoping my fingers would meet his soft fur.

I paused briefly, bent over with my hands resting on my knees, catching my breath. How on earth would I ever find him in this place?

Then, as I glanced to the right, I gasped as I saw Basil standing as before, this time his shoulders slumped and head bowed even more. I immediately sprinted to him, and gasped again when I saw the numerous cuts and bruises that covered his body.

"Oh, Basil," I whispered.

The poor mouse was shivering as I stepped closer. It was a wonder he could even stand. Again he looked to me sadly.

"Please, help me…" he whispered.

My heart broke seeing him in such a state… but my blood was also boiling. Whoever that shadow figure was would pay dearly. I wanted to make him suffer for the harm he had caused Basil.

"Basil, who did this to you?"

He hesitated, glancing around nervously as if afraid that someone was listening. I reached a hand toward him to caress his cheek. This time I wanted to be the one to comfort him, to hold him and assure him that everything was going to be ok. To protect him from all that would do him harm.

But as my fingers came within inches of his face, the same black shape appeared, forcing us apart, and shoved me backwards onto the floor again. I looked up to see Basil struggling in the grip of two black claws. A pair of glowing yellow eyes gazed down at me, white fangs flashing as the monster's laughter echoed all around us. I froze in terror at the sight.

Ratigan.

I recalled all the horrible things I knew about the criminal mastermind. The millions he'd stolen, the widows and orphans he'd drowned, the hundreds of innocents he'd harmed…and the beating he'd given Basil on the clock tower of Big Ben. He was even more terrifying in person.

I snapped out of it when I heard Basil calling my name.

"Amber! Amber, get out of here!" Although he was using all his strength to try to get free, Basil was very weak, and the rat's viselike grip held him firmly in place.

"Aw, how sweet," Ratigan said mockingly, a smirk plastered on his face. "He cares more for your wellbeing than his own."

I slowly rose to my feet to face the nefarious Professor, feeling extremely intimidated. Basil was tall for a mouse, but Ratigan was well over head and shoulders taller than even he. I felt so small and insignificant as I looked up at him, but the love and protection I felt for the mouse in his tight grip lessened my fear of him. "Let him go!" I demanded angrily.

Ratigan only gave a chuckle at this, apparently finding it amusing that a small 20 year old girl was demanding something of him, the Napoleon of Crime. "Hmm…I think not. This mouse has been a thorn in my side for years; and now that I have him in my clutches, do you really expect me to just let him go?" He chuckled again, this time more darkly. "Au contraire, my dear. You see, I'm afraid he belongs to me now. And there is nothing you can do to stop me."

Unfortunately, he was right. There was nothing I could do. There was no possible way I could fight him, especially without a weapon. I looked to Basil helplessly. Of course he tried to put on a brave front, but I noticed that he was trembling slightly. He knew firsthand just what Ratigan was capable of, and had the scars to prove it. The thought of being his prisoner was terrifying, to the both of us.

Ratigan clearly knew that he held all the cards, and chuckled once more. "You might as well find a new hero to fantasize over," he taunted with a smile. "Ta-ta, my dear." With a dramatic flourish of his cape, he turned and walked away, dragging Basil along beside him.

I clenched my fists by my side. Weapon or no weapon, I knew I had to do whatever it took to save Basil.

With a yell, I leapt at the Professor and began pounding on his back as hard as I could. And although the attack seemed to surprise him, it clearly wasn't doing him any harm at all. He laughed harshly at my feeble attempt to stop him, and turned grabbed my wrist, twisting it painfully and causing me to cry out.

Basil growled in anger. "Leave her alone, you filthy rat!!!" he yelled. He sunk his teeth into Ratigan's hand, causing him to scream in pain. While Ratigan was distracted, Basil yelled, "Amber, run!"

However, I stubbornly refused. "No! I'm not leaving you!" I latched onto Ratigan's other arm, trying to loosen his grip long enough for Basil to get away.

But Ratigan was still too strong, and despite both our efforts, he kept a firm grip on Basil. With a growl of anger, he shoved me to the ground again, livid with rage at what Basil had called him. "I…AM NOT…A RAT!!!!" he roared in Basil's face, shaking him violently with each word.

"NO!" I screamed. "Stop it! Let him go!"

Ratigan turned back to me, bloodshot eyes flashing, causing me to freeze in fear as he towered over me. As Basil groaned faintly in pain, the rat's mouth curved into a sickening grin, and he held Basil forward towards me.

"You want him?" he asked. "Fine. Come get him."

With that, Ratigan strode away, dragging Basil away from me once more. As Basil began calling my name, I struggled to get to my feet, afraid that I would lose him again.

And so the chase resumed. I ran as fast as I could, following the sounds of Basil's cries and Ratigan's laughter. They faded from view, and I lost them to the darkness again. Tears stung my eyes as I stumbled forward blindly. I had to find him, and I wasn't leaving without him.

By now, my run had slowed significantly, and I was growing tired. I felt so sluggish, as if my feet wouldn't cooperate. It was quiet once again. I felt like kicking myself. If only I were stronger! I felt horrible for not being able to protect Basil. If it had been me in danger, Basil would have saved me by now. But I had let Ratigan take him away, and there was no telling what horrible things that rat was doing to him.

Tears began streaming down my face. I was beginning to give up hope of ever seeing my beloved detective again. But then I saw another shadow ahead. It was smaller this time. As I got closer, I thought it looked like someone laying on the floor. When I heard a soft groan, I gasped and rushed forward.

Sure enough, it was Basil, lying on his side, covered in even more cuts and bruises. He flinched when he saw me approaching; but when he saw it was me, he sighed in relief. I knelt down by his side as he sat up painfully. I opened my mouth to speak, but he hastily put a finger to his lips and shook his head. I nodded in understanding. I didn't speak for fear that Ratigan was nearby and would take Basil away from me again.

We sat there for several minutes, just gazing at each other, afraid to speak. How would we ever escape this nightmare?

Basil suddenly inhaled sharply and grasped his ribs. I winced as I saw the various marks that covered his body. It was clear that Ratigan had punished him thoroughly for calling him a "rat." Tears came into my eyes again and I mouthed the words "I'm sorry."

Basil looked up at me again, shaking his head. He didn't speak, but I knew that he was trying to tell me that it was not my fault. Yet I still felt guilty for not being able to keep Ratigan from hurting him.

Seeing the my downcast face, Basil slowly extended his hand towards me. I reached out as well to take his hand in mine.

Yet before I could even touch him, to my horror, Ratigan suddenly appeared again, looming up out of the darkness behind Basil. I screamed at the sight, and before Basil could react, Ratigan grabbed him from behind and began dragging him away.

"NO! Please no!!!" I screamed, but all I got in response was a harsh laugh from Ratigan. I scrambled to my feet again as they faded into the dark, Basil struggling with all his might and calling my name. I automatically broke out into a run, but I was so tired. I felt as if I was moving in slow motion. I had to move faster!

The sounds of Basil's cries and Ratigan's laughter faded more and more, until I was once again left alone in the dark. I called to Basil over and over, but the only response I got was my own voice echoing back at me.

I paused to rest once more, wondering how on earth I would ever be able to go on. I lifted my head, and there was yet another shadow ahead of me. As I drew closer, I saw that it was indeed Basil again. Hearing me approaching, Basil turned to me, relief in his eyes, but he glanced around hastily. Both of us expected Ratigan to jump out of the shadows at any moment. I then broke out into a run at full speed, my weariness forgotten. I couldn't lose him again.

Basil took a few staggering steps towards me as well, reaching both hands out to me. Each of us longed to at least touch the other, if only for a moment. I urged myself faster, growing ever closer, closing the distance between us.

With only a few feet between us, I lunged towards Basil, my hands extended in front of me. But something suddenly yanked Basil backward, causing both of us to cry out in horror. Ratigan's maniacal laughter echoed all around as he yet again pulled Basil out of my reach and carried him away.

I soon lost track of time as this same process was repeated over and over. I would see Basil ahead of me, and run to him as fast as my legs could carry me. Our fingers would be just mere inches away from each other when Ratigan would appear and drag him away. I would follow the sounds of his laughter and Basil calling my name until I finally found him, only to have that monster take him away from me again.

I grew more and more discouraged as I stumbled along in the darkness. How I wished I could just take Basil away from this place; I longed for us to be able to hold each other, kiss each other tenderly; just to feel safe in each other's arms.

I had slowed down to a walk, and began to grow more worried as the minutes ticked by. By this time, I had usually found him. What was taking so long? I began to panic, rushing forward blindly, calling out to Basil, hoping for some kind of response. But none came.

No, I couldn't accept it. Basil had to be here somewhere, he just HAD to. I continued to move forward, tripping over my own feet in clumsiness, my eyes stinging from the tears that were now streaming down my cheeks. My broken cries were only hurled back at me as they echoed throughout the darkness. It seemed as if hours had passed by…but there was no sign of Basil, or the monster that had taken him.

I finally sank to the floor in defeat, holding my head in my hands, and sobbed uncontrollably.

He was gone. My beloved detective was nowhere to be found.

And then I woke up.

Yep, this was an ACTUAL dream I had two nights ago. True, I added a few details to make it more interesting, such as some of the dialogue between me and Ratigan, since I couldn't remember exactly what we said to each other... but 98% of this is exactly what happened. The dark place I was in was just like I described it, and all of what Basil said really happened, and the feelings I was having was true. And I know some parts of it may seem kinda sappy, but I've never written anything even remotely close to romance before, so please bear with me :aww:

I felt so sad when I woke up because I wasn't able to save him. I always hope that Basil makes his way into my dreams...but I admit I sure wasn't expecting something like this... :O It was so frustrating!!!

You know, I've never written about ME before. I've drawn pics of me and Basil together, but I've never written me interacting with him before...despite the circumstances of that dream, I actually enjoyed writing us interacting with each other. Definitely makes me want to do more! :D Maybe a sequel to this in which I find a solution to save him???

Hum...so yeah...me and my strange dreams. I really ought to keep a dream journal... might make for some interesting reading later ;P

EDIT 11/2/11: I just couldn't leave this story with that ending, so I've decided to turn it into a larger story! :aww:
Next Chapter: als123.deviantart.com/art/Echo… :D

EDIT: Here is a wonderful piece of fanart for this chapter by the extremely talented :iconnightmagican:


And here is a piece from yours truly:

And here is the comic version, also done by me:
© 2011 - 2024 ALS123
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DawnDewdrop's avatar
hope you make a sequel. I like this story.