A stench of engine oil mixed with blood seemed to fill the air. Lights could be seen everywhere, their source being huge bulbs of light that were perfectly arranged and hanging at least sixty feet above the ground, or so we thought. It wasn't the ground. It couldn't be the ground. It was harder than soil. Yes, it wasn't the ground. It was metal. Solid metal. The floor of this place was metal. Looking closer to the symmetrical light bulbs, you could tell the wasn't an opening above. No lights emitted above from the sky meaning it was sealed off. The sky couldn't be seen. These were the thoughts of the inquisitive Aria. She had just awoke from a slumber that seemed to last an eternity, however it was just a few minutes. The cab was still there, so also we're the people on this journey with her. Theodore had already gotten to work as he began tending to Milana who was still strapped to the stretcher, shaking as in a state of convulsion. The cab was still in tact. Damages could be seen in every corner, but the spot she rested her head and the floor under the feet of Theodore standing just few inches away from her was in tact. She decided to look away from Theodore who paid little to no attention to her and she realized the corners of the cab has been disfigured as if caught up in some sort of crash. However, the people that laid inside somehow survived the crash. For a moment she let out a little smile. However, on looking around and not finding Mark, she decided to call out to Theodore who was too busy to hear her cry the first time and she tried again
"Theodore!"
"What is it?" Theodore exclaimed.
"Oh no, your face. You're bleeding Aria. Wait. I'll get to you. I'm almost done here. I'm so sorry. You must be in a lot of pain now aren't you? Don't answer just, stay there! I'm coming." Theodore said, as he looked at Aria's face. He could see blood flowing down her head through the left side of her face. Her Godly-White hair had been tainted with blood.
"Whe.. Where is Mark?" Aria uttered
"Oh him? Don't you worry. He's okay. It would take more than what happened to kill him I'll give you that. Don't worry. He's okay."
"Your head. What about your head? It's bleeding is it not?" Aria asked with an even weaker tone.
"I see." Theodore said, as he touched his head. He felt blood. His blood.
"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. Come, we have to get out of this cab. Quickly. I don't know how long we have until the damages begin crashing in, us with it."
"I see." Aria responded.
"Yes, now I'll push Milanas' stretcher out. That I can do. You can handle yourself, yes?" Theodore asked.
"I don't think so. Theodore. I can't feel my legs."
On hearing this, Theodores' facial expression of outward confidence changed as it plummeted into a sympathetic state of shock. He looked at the position in which Arias' legs should be and what he saw was gore to his eyes. A large shard coming down from the roof had just gotten the best of her left leg. She was injured. Luckily, the wound wasn't bleeding. "Perhaps, it's still fresh? did it happen now?" Theodore asked in his mind as he looked on at the legs. Arias' wasn't focused on her legs at the moment. She was concentrated on finding where Mark was. Theodore's assurance obviously didn't get through to her. All this time, she had never trusted Theodore. She knew not why, but she just didn't. There was something about Theodore that screamed 'imposter' to her. On seeing herself in a state where she couldn't defend herself, Milana was in the stretcher and Mark no where to be found, Aria got a little skeptical. She was scared. Of Theodore.
"Aria, oh no. Your legs." Theodore said, as he quickly left Milana as her convulsion had seized, headed towards Aria and started trying to figure out what to do.
"I'll get you out of this, okay? Don't worry. Um, let's see. Does it hurt?" Theodore asked.
"No, it doesn't. I can't feel anything there, let alone pain." Aria said, as she looked Theodore in the face. She was trying her best to hide her fears and luckily for her, Theodore wasn't looking. Theodore wasn't concerned. He didn't care. He had no business with ambushing any one. This is what Aria didn't understand and just couldn't. All her life she has been told Wall Workers are not to be trusted. They are all Crafty Foxes that only work when it benefits them. She wanted to know why Theodore didn't fill into this gap.
"Perhaps it's another lie told to me by Tenebrae? Well, I don't even know what's true anymore" Aria thought, as she let out a gentle smile to Theodore, who was still busy trying to find which metal the shard piercing Arias' legs were connected to and he did. He found it.
Sweaty as blood gushed down his head, Theodore ordered. "Okay, Aria. Don't move. I'll pull hard. It's going to hurt like hell. Here," Theodore said, as he squatted, cut a piece of his fresh bandages and gave it to Aria.
"Chew on this. It'll help with the pain."
Aria, still scared, took it from the giant. She placed it in her mouth. She couldn't understand why he said so though because she wasn't feeling that leg. In her head at the moment, she had no left leg. Until Theodore began pulling the shard. He pulled with all the strength his giant body could bring forth. As he was pulling, Aria began to scream. The scream was being silenced a little by the bandages she was chewing on. Tears began flowing as she chewed on, screamed and cried. Halfway through, Aria stopped screaming. She had fainted from sheer pain.
Theodore took no notice of this. He knew, but he didn't want to stop. Not now.
"Almost there. Almost there." He said, as he finally got the shard out of Arias' leg. In this period, Aria was already fast asleep. She had gone mute in the middle of the procedure.
"Yeah, sleeping are we? I'm sorry little one. It must have hurt a lot. You'll get through it. Trust me." Theodore said, as he safely kept the shard he had just pulled off Arias' leg in a safe place. After this procedure, He quickly started the application of bandages on Arias' wounds.
"Please be enough, Please." He said because his bandages were on their last wraps. Luckily for him, not only was Aria a small human, but she also had slender legs. The bandages went round properly. The bleeding was stopped the moment the began. He tightened the bandages with one last time and with the final touches, he was done. He carefully carried Arias' passed out body, placed it on a side of the stretcher close to Milana and went for the door. On getting to the door, he pushed but of no use. Even the door took damage.
"What really happened here?" Theodore asked, as he kept trying to make do of the door, forcing it open eventually. On getting outside, he could feel the floor. It was of metal. Looking around, he easily figured out where they were. He had been to this spot before. He knew where they were. He immediately looked around as if searching for something and in a few meters gap, he saw it. The entrance to the tunnel that leads to Under. For a moment he was happy, until his mind unfortunately thought of Mark.
"Mark, yes, Mark!" He said, as he re entered the cab,looked around inside it, brought out the stretcher with Aria and Milana on it, Kept it outside, and entered again. He looked for Mark round but couldn't find it. He tried looking into the drivers' seat but it was so damaged that he realized no one was there. He immediately came out as he heard the metals in all corners had began making noises as the were about collapsing on each other. Making his way out, There he saw Mark. Covered in blood. He wasn't sure whose own. Mark was standing. His sword in his arms. He was looking at the stretcher. His eyes were shot. Closed but for some reason, he could know the situation around him as he stood in a position not too close to the Stretcher. It was obvious his Robes were gone as the only thing left could be his flowing trousers and the bandages wrapping his torso all soaked in blood. His long pony tail looked unkept and tattered, covering most of his face. From the bleeding creature arose the question.
"Which way, Theodore?" A gentle yet scary tone. Theodore was filled with so much fear that his reply was all stutter but he got the message through.
"W...w.. we'll f.. follow t.. that pa
....path." Theodore said, as he pointed towards the tunnel he had found moments ago. The tunnel was on their left. Mark turned his back towards the left and saw this path.
"Okay." He said, as he took the stretcher by it's grapple, and started carting it through the passage towards the direction of the tunnel as his paths were lit up by the white lights emitting from above. Theodore carefully followed him from behind. As he walked towards the tunnel behind Mark, he realized how much of a presence this seven feet guy bore. A presence significant to that of death itself. He reeked of blood, physically and bloodlust feelingly. Unmatched by none was his presence. Theodore was overwhelmed by it.
After a while of silence, Theodore had gotten the courage to ask what he wanted to some moments ago but couldn't.
"Mark, you okay?"
However, Mark didn't respond. He tried again but Mark didn't respond. He didn't know why. He didn't want to find out why. Mark was the scariest he's ever seen up until now. He wasn't sure of what to make out of this version of Mark and didn't want to make nothing of it. They soon arrived at the entrance of the tunnel. On looking into the tunnel, The saw a large pulley laying on their right. The entrance of this tunnel was so large that it made even Theodore look small. Getting into the tunnel, They were met with A gigantic cart. This cart was connected to a rail that led somewhere. The rails looked so rusty that Theodore wasn't sure if it would hold enough to make the trip to Under.
"Mark, I don't think we could make it. I mean, look at this." He said, as he pointed towards the rustiest part of the rail that had just recently been damaged. Don't be misled though, he wanted to get Aria and Milana to Under but during his travels with them, he's been threatened by death countless times more than he's ever been in his whole life combined. Anyone in his shoes would say something skeptical and feel the same way. He feared for his life.
On finishing his speech, He wasn't sure Mark was listening, as Mark was too busy lifting the stretcher into the cart that was in front in him. He decided to repeat himself, this time to the hearing of Mark.
"Mark, u don't think we'd make it. Please stop what you're doing right now and listen to me. I beg of you go to that."
Mark on hearing Theodore's pleas decided to stop and listen.
"I haven't been to Under in a while now and this is going to seem like I don't want you to go but this cart as it stands now is a death trap. I have no other way of...." Before the completion of his sentence, Theodore watched as Mark fell to the ground. He immediately rushed to him and caught him before he reached the ground.
"It's okay. You rest up now. I'll take it up from here " Theodore said, as he gently placed Mark on the floor and took measures in fixing up his bleeding body.