Chapter Ten
“Cliffhanger Underground”
“Alright, then...uhm...left?” Swift said in an inappropriately happy voice.
Red and Akari trailed a little ways behind her, losing all motivation to go on. Swift tried her best to study the map, and thus far, it didn’t seem like they were getting anywhere.
Red and Akari walked and stopped by Swift’s side. Akari glances at Swift wearily, “Swift, I’m tired. Where the hell are we?”
Red would’ve put the question in a lighter tone, but that pretty much covered what was on his mind at that moment. “Well...?” Akari asked, running out of patience.
“Can I see the map?” Red asked. Swift hesitantly handed the map over. Red glanced at it for a moment, trying to get their bearings, “Ok,” he points at a small point in the map, “I’m thinking we’re here.” The others poke their heads in to see.
“According to the map...” Red continues, he points to his right, “We should head right.”
“Actually...” Swift said, “I think its left.” She points to the left.
“No, no no! You’re both idiots!” Akari snatches the map away, she examines it and points forward, “It’s up ahead!”
They all turn to each other and begin to argue.
Vale opens her eyes slowly. She stared at the ceiling as her vision began to readjust itself. She saw a plain white ceiling. She turned her head to the left to see a small stool and table beside her. The table had needles and a few other cutting instruments. The first feeling she felt was a throbbing sore pain in her throat. She was very thirsty. She couldn’t move her right arm; it was in a cast or a sling of some sort. She felt bandages wrapped tightly around her stomach.
Vale already figured out where she was. She was in a hospital of some sort.
“You’re awake.” a voice came from Vale’s right. She turns to see a middle aged brunette woman standing there in a nurse’s outfit.
“Where am I?” Vale asked.
“Why, you’re in the hospital, of course.” The nurse replied.
Vale shook her head, “I know that, but...what town is this?”
The nurse walked up to Vale and examined her carefully, “You’re in Lakel.”
Vale sat up slowly, “How did I get here?” she asked. The nurse replied, “Well, a young girl carried you in a week ago.”
“A week?!” Vale exclaimed in disbelief. This didn’t make her throat feel any better and she regretted it as she coughed. Each cough gave her more pain, which in turn, gave her more coughs.
The nurse picks up a glass of water from the table nearby and hands it to Vale, who drinks it heartily.
“This girl...how did she look like?” she finally asked as her coughing died down. The nurse thought for a moment, recollecting her memories, “Well, she had blond hair, blue eyes...she seemed very young, and I think she was thirteen, fourteen...no, fifteen years old. The thing I noticed about her was the strange object strapped to her side; I have no idea how to describe it.”
“Where is she?” Vale asked. The nurse glanced out the window and said, “She left the same day she brought you in.”
“Oh...I guess I’ll never get to thank her...” Vale sets her head back down and closes her eyes.
She mutters to herself, “...Sakura...” she lays there for a few more seconds before the truth finally strikes her, she sits up in alarm, “Oh, dear gods, SAKURA!!!”
The nurse jumps in surprise, dropping the tray she was holding; she rushes up to Vale to see what’s wrong. Vale turns to the nurse, wide eyed, “Sakura is Ken’s sister! She’s alive!!!”
She grabs the nurse by the collar and shakes her, “How could I have not realized?! Tell me!!!”
The nurse yanks herself away and stares at Vale with a disturbed look. Vale, seeing the look she was getting, realized that the nurse had no idea what she was talking about. She calmed herself down and set her head back onto the pillow.
She glances at the nurse for a moment, hoping she doesn’t get labeled insane, she adds, “Uh...sorry about that...I just uh...realized something.”
The group of Red, Akari and Swift walks through the last bushes and encounter what appears to be an abandoned mine. The mine was drilled into the side of a very, very steep mountain. There was no other way to pass the mountain except to climb it or go through the mine.
The three stare at the mine, and then back at the map. Akari turns to Swift and points at the mine’s entrance, “THIS is the shortcut?!”
“Uhm...I don’t understand. The map never said anything about a mine being here.” Swift mumbled.
Red sighs and shakes his head. Akari snatches the map from Swift and asks, “Just how old is this map?” Akari glances at the publishing date on the map and shakes with anger, “This map...is over ninety years old...!!”
Instead of sounding shocked, Red and Swift’s eyes light up in delight, Red exclaims, “That means the maps a relic, right?!” Swift joins in, “Yeah, we could sell it and make oodles of cash!!!”
Akari stares at the both of them and yells, “Idiots!! This map is WORTHLESS!!! No ones going to want a crappy map that’s out of date!”
Red and Swift, their dreams crushed, put their heads down, “...Oh.” they said at the same time.
Akari rolls the map back up and forcefully hands it back to Swift. She walks towards the mine. She stops by the entrance and turns back to the others, “Aren’t you guys coming? Or are you planning stare and wait for the mountain to disappear?”
Red glances at Swift before walking towards Akari. Swift stands still, not moving a muscle. Akari sighs and calls out to Swift, “What’s the matter now?”
“I-I don’t...like mines very much...it’s really dark in there...” she said timidly.
Akari, tired of all the mishaps, waves Swift off and walks into the mine, “Well, see ya, then. Have fun playing by yourself...”
Red hesitates, not wanting to leave Swift behind, “Akari, are we really going to leave her?”
Akari glances at Red and yanks him into the mine, “Trust me, she’ll follow.”
Red, unsure, says, “Are you sure?” Akari sighs, “Of course I am, dumbfuck.”
Red sighs, “You know, you should really stop cussing so much. It’s not very...uhm...lady-like.”
“...lady-like...?” Akari thought about this for a moment, “That’s an interesting take on things, so let me respond in the following way: Kiss my ass.”
Red just puts his head down and shakes his head. Seconds later, Swift cautiously enters the mine and joins them. “Glad you can join us, Swift.” Akari said, giving Red an ‘I told you so’ look.
“It’s kinda dark,” Swift said, looking into the depths of the mine, “I don’t like places like this.”
“Well, yeah, what part of 'Abandoned Mine' don’t you understand? Don’t be such a pansy.” Akari said and walked towards the darkness, “This is a mine, so theres probably a way to light the way or something. We’ll probably run into a few torches here and there to help us along.”
“No,” Swift said, drawing an arrow from her quiver, “we don’t need the torches...”
The other two turn to see what she meant. They watched as Swift concentrated on the arrow. Almost instantly, the arrowhead glows with a bright light. “The Light Arrow!” Swift declared triumphantly. Akari and Red just stared.
Thirty minutes later, the group was still wandering about the mines. Every minute that passed, gave each the impression that they were lost in this dark labyrinth and weren’t getting out.
Swift held the light arrow and stepped lightly to the right of Akari, who had made herself leader while inside the mine. Red was to Akari’s left.
The group stopped at two branching tunnels, “Great,” Red muttered, “a fork in the mine’s passageway. Which way, Akari?”
Akari thought for a moment, “Let me think for a sec.”
It was at that moment, that they all heard a sound echoing along the walls of the mine. The sounds they heard were footsteps...heavy footsteps. Whatever it was, it was huge.
Red and Akari drew their swords. Akari had a short Sheikah sword drawn, while Red had his traditional sword.
Swift’s hand reached behind her to draw her own short sword, it was only an inch longer than Akari’s.
The trio glanced around cautiously. The mine was eerily quiet now. None of them dared to make a sound, “I think,” Red began with a whisper, “whatever that was, sees us right now.”
“Obviously.” Akari agreed.
Swift begins to slowly back up. She suddenly bumps into something large and hard. Swift turns slowly to see what it was, her heart was racing wildly. Red and Akari turn quickly as she lets out a scream, coming face to face with the source of the sounds. She drops the arrow, their only source of light, and everything goes black.
