"…everyone, just crawl closer to the door. Don't move closer to me or any sound you hear." Rowan warned everyone again and stepped away from where the thread was. He soon collided with Scott's chest as if the man was trying to find him in the dark.
Drip, drip, drip. Sounds of dripping water echoed in the deafening silence, but Rowan knew better than to investigate. Soon enough, sizzling sounds came. It was as if whatever was dripping could easily corrode the cemented floor. It must be that kind of acid, based on the material the thread was made of.
One of the women asked with a muffled voice, "What's that smell? It's like something is burning. What's happening over there?"
"I'll tell you when it's done…" Rowan watched the faint glint of light hit the drops of acid traveling down the thread. They were also pooling on the crater on the floor that could only grow bigger from the corrosion the acid brought.
Soon, the thread began to circle as if in an attempt to make the hole a lot bigger, enough to have the people squeeze through it. Yes, someone was pouring acid to bore a hole into the floor.
Loud footsteps then echoed outside as if the guards were passing by their door. Rowan darted his eyes to the other exit, praying for no one to enter and find out about the plan. After all, he didn't have control over what might happen. Even if Rowan could fight one man, what if there were two? Three? Five?
Thunk! Something metallic echoed in the room. Rowan looked behind him and saw something glinting from the hole on the floor. Someone was calling their attention since the thread was pulled up again. When Rowan found the hole, someone was widening it by chipping the sides with a special tool.
Rowan's gaze met the smile of a busty young adult woman through the hole. When she managed to widen it enough, she then sprayed some kind of sealant to neutralize the acid. She then gestured for Rowan to hop down. The floor might be high from the one underneath, but another person was inflating an air mattress for the jumpers.
"Guys, slowly crawl to me and make no sound. We're getting out of here." Rowan smiled even if no one could see it. Of course, the woman underneath did.
"Let me through first… please…" The same woman from earlier crawled to him the fastest. Of course, Rowan didn't care and helped her down since she wanted to go. He just didn't realize that the woman was filled with scratches and only had tattered fabric for clothes. Her hair also had bald patches as if she was pulling on it too much.
No matter, she should be safe now.
One by one, the captives fell from the hole in the floor. Scott and Rowan were the last ones to stay, in case someone broke in from the door. However, no one did, so they managed to get down just the same. Scott dumped his coat on one woman who was nothing but naked as she sprawled under the light. After all, the miracle worker had a glow stick to see what she was doing.
When he got to his feet, Rowan raced to hug the young woman. "Arrow! I can't believe I'm so happy to see you right now!"
"I'm happy to find you, too!" The young woman laughed out as well, but the mockery in her voice was noticeable. "Now, Duke will be back to normal after getting his candy bar!"
"Why? What has he done?" Rowan twitched and pulled back, his eyes filled with worry.
The young woman cupped her hand on her ear as if listening well. "Wait for it… It should be coming up in a few seconds. Listen intently with me."
Everyone stopped moving or making any noise. They even held their breaths at the supposed small hint of what they were waiting for. However, a few seconds had already passed with nothing happening. Instead of complaining, however, most of them just stared at the young woman.
Even if she arrived with a strapping masked man, she was extremely out of place. Her short blonde hair was textured and full of volume. She also had a rather short stature for a bodacious figure. The buttons of her white ruffled blouse were even fighting against the pull of her bosom. Her plump thighs were also squeezed by the shorts she wore to such a dusty place.
"What are we—?" Scott finally grew impatient and asked, but he couldn't finish his question. All of a sudden, a loud explosion rocked the whole place. The people all fell down, but the strapping man caught the two girls closest to him.
"Humph, they must have detected us earlier than expected." Arrow caught the painter, who fell over as well. She then looked at the man who winced in so much pain. "Eh? What's wrong?"
Rowan pressed on his wound and felt something on his dark clothes. When he checked his hand, blood had already seeped from the crude bandages. "Shucks, I'm bleeding again. Moving must have aggravated it. No worries, I can still walk."
Arrow's eyes grew so wide at the claim, and she pulled out a small shot of morphine from her small bag. "This is supposed for any injured captives. If you're bleeding, I need to get you out of here as soon as possible. Duke is already in a terrible mood. I can't have you fainting in front of him."
"Missy, the successive explosions will destroy the outpost. Let's get going now." The man looked at Rowan, who appeared to be paler than earlier. "We might have to carry you, Mr. Riding Hood."
"Keep your hands free. I doubt you won't need to shoot anyone coming at us." Scott noticed Rowan sway back and was fast to catch and carry the wounded man. Even if Rowan had a shot of painkiller, he would probably slow them down. They had a lot of zombies with them, but those people's will to survive gave them energy and power.
Arrow only nodded and moved to lead them, the other guy watching the back. They all walked briskly along the path, ready for the coming tremors.
Rowan only sighed as Scott carried him instead. As they went, he stared at the back view of the young woman. He soon fell asleep to the thoughts of her as a member of Pareidolia.
…
Less than three years ago…
Click. The soft sound of an ended call came to Duke's ear. He looked at Rowan who was only sitting on the chair in front of the huge yet blank canvas. The poor guy was hugging a canvas bag filled with the paint they newly bought. They just returned home, and Archie already had a new assignment for Rowan.