"Are you Johnny?" Will asked, his voice trembling with excitement. He never expected to encounter Johnny in such a place.
"Do you know me?" Johnny looked at Will with an incredulous expression, surprised by his enthusiasm.
"Did you come from the Ruined Village?" Will asked, pressing on with his questioning.
"Ruined Village? The place I lived in was certainly rundown, but it's hardly what I'd call a 'ruined village,'" Johnny replied, his face marked by confusion.
"Oh, oh, my apologies. I just came up with the name 'Ruined Village' myself," Will explained hastily. "Do you have a very elderly mother?"
"Yes, yes, I do. Have you met her? How is she? I should never have gone off against her wishes, leaving like that," Johnny said regretfully.
"Ah, your mother sent me to find you. I thought you were dead, but I'm so glad to have found you here," Will exclaimed, relief flooding his face as the grim expression that had lingered there vanished. He felt as though he had just completed a sacred test.
"She sent you to find me? Does she know I'm here?" Johnny asked, a trace of confusion in his voice.
"No, your mother only told me that you were taken by four people, that they were looking for a cure for your illness," Will explained.
"Yes, I'd love to kill those four myself!" Johnny said, his voice filled with anger.
"Ah, I heard from your mother that they're already dead," Will said, his tone softening.
"Really? That's wonderful! They deserved to die," Johnny said, his anger turning to relief.
"What happened? How did they deceive you into coming here?" Will asked, his curiosity piqued.
"They said there were people in this town who could cure my disease. At first, I was skeptical because I used to live here, and I knew this town had been destroyed by that very disease. But I still went with them. Then, when we arrived, we ran into those people in purple robes, and those four left me behind while they fled," Johnny said through gritted teeth.
"So, you've been locked up here ever since?" Will asked.
"Yes, and they didn't even give me any food," Johnny replied.
"What?" Will exclaimed, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"Look at me. I haven't eaten anything for six days," Johnny said, gesturing at his frail body.
Will stared at Johnny, his eyes wide with astonishment. The man before him, aside from the thin layer of white skin covering his frame, seemed little more than a walking skeleton. His arms appeared so frail that Will felt they could snap with the slightest exertion.
"I'm so far gone, I might as well be dead," Johnny said bitterly.
"No, that won't happen. I came here to save you," Will said, his voice firm.
"But you're in no condition to save anyone," Johnny responded, his tone somber.
"Ah, we'll find a way. Trust me, I've seen worse situations," Will said confidently, looking at Johnny with a reassuring smile.
"But first, we need to figure out how to get out of here. It's so dark," Will said, standing up and spreading his arms as if trying to feel his way around the surroundings.
"No need to worry about that. This is a secret chamber. Aside from the heavy wooden door right in front of you, there are no other exits," Johnny said.
"How is there such a place in a church?" Will asked, puzzled.
"This was meant to be a place for those who broke the rules to be locked away," Johnny explained.
"Ah, no problem. I'll deal with this door in no time," Will said, patting the wooden door with a confident grin.
"Don't even try. You don't know their true intentions, and you don't know how to get back to the church above. Going through this door won't help, and you might just run into those people in purple," Johnny said seriously.
"True. I can wait a little longer, but what about you? Didn't you say you haven't eaten for six days?" Will asked, concerned as he turned toward Johnny, who sat huddled in the corner.
"Me? Don't worry about me. I've got that disease. I'm probably closer to death than I realize," Johnny said, his voice breaking as he began to sob quietly.
"No. On my way here, I heard an innkeeper say that he had the same disease, but one of those people in purple robes prayed for him, and he was cured," Will said, offering Johnny a sliver of hope.
"Really? Is that true?" Johnny's eyes widened as he looked at Will, his expression changing as if he had just seen a treasure before him.
"Yes, it's true. But it was many years ago. Still, once we get out, maybe we can find one of them and ask," Will said lightly, trying to lift Johnny's spirits.
"I hope so. I really do," Johnny replied, his mood quickly turning despondent once more.
...
The next morning
"Ugh, ugh!" Johnny, still deep in sleep, suddenly began to vomit in agony. As the rumors had said, the liquid he expelled was a deep green, accompanied by a foul, grave-like stench.
The noise startled Will, who had been sleeping nearby. His curiosity piqued, he watched the scene unfold before him without recoiling, instead feeling an odd fascination with what he was witnessing.
"Are you scared seeing me like this?" Johnny asked with a bitter smile, wiping the green liquid from his mouth.
"No, I'm just curious. I've never seen this kind of illness before," Will said, his eyes fixed on the frail figure before him.
"That's not all. I also have nightmares," Johnny added.
"Nightmares?" Will asked, puzzled.
"Yes! They're the worst nightmares I've ever had," Johnny said, his face beginning to twist in fear. It was a terror that seemed to emanate from deep within him. Will observed Johnny closely, noticing that his eyes had become vacant and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"What did you dream about?" Will whispered, careful not to speak too loudly, fearing that Johnny might break under the weight of his emotions.
"Darkness, all-consuming darkness. But within that darkness, there was a voice echoing, deep and unintelligible. A language I couldn't understand," Johnny said, staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes.
"Then, suddenly, I found myself standing barefoot on the ocean, the cold water seeping into my feet. Before me, a massive structure, like a temple, slowly rose from the sea. From the dark gates of that temple, a tentacle shot out and bound me. The force and the dampness were so real. The tentacle tightened and tightened, and just when I thought I was suffocating, I woke up," Johnny said, pressing his hand to his forehead in pain.
"How long have you been having this nightmare?" Will asked, his voice low.
"Every night," Johnny replied, staring intently at Will.