On the Other Side of the Tunnel
A/N: I experienced an "Attack of the Plot Bunny" a week ago, and here is the result. Hopefully it's not a bad fanfiction (if it is, tell me in a review). The genre of this story will be Humour, but this chapter isn't as humorous as the rest will be since it's only the prologue and leads up to the main part of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own.
Prologue
Underneath a cloudy, gray sky, Amy and Dan Cahill were in trouble. They were running for their lives, chased by a horde of angry guards—Vesper spies, no doubt. The ring was clasped tightly in Amy's hand, and she was already starting to tire. She hoped Dan's asthma wouldn't act up, for they needed to find Fiske and Nellie immediately. A fresh wave of worry gave her a surge of energy, and she pounded on. Each footstep seemed to match the beating of her heart and the ragged breaths she was taking.
In other words, it was a normal day for the two Cahill children, now also Madrigal agents.
"Stop!" the lead guard howled, hot on their heels. "The ring rightfully belongs to us! Give it back!" His red, pudgy face contorted into a fierce and angry expression. He had not liked the fact that these children had sneaked into his building and then recaptured the ring. Now they were escaping, and he couldn't possibly allow that to happen. If his boss heard of this—he concentrated harder on running. Now he thought that he should have left his large overcoat back in the office, and a small bead of sweat ran down the back of his neck.
The other guards joined in, creating a cacophony of angry sounds. It reminded Amy of a flock of angry birds—vultures, maybe—spiraling in for the kill.
At least, Amy was glad these were amateur agents. She didn't want to know what their chances of stealing back the ring would have been if they were confronted by top-notch Vespers. It had been enough already, sneaking into the large, winding building and incapacitating the guards and finding the ring. But now, she had no time to think about that. It was over and done with, and now she was facing a new problem—the new, fresh wave of guards.
Dan suddenly grabbed Amy's dark sweater, pulling her to a halt. "This way," he gasped, jerking his head at an alley in the distance. It was barely visible, behind some little brick houses. The duo quickly skirted around garbage cans, careful not to knock them down, and bolted for the shadows.
"Duck!" Dan yelled at her.
As soon as Amy did so, she saw—or rather, she smelled—something hurtle over her head and land somewhere off to the right. She wasn't keen on knowing what it was.
Then they continued to run towards the alley that was getting closer and closer, an end to this winding maze.
Just a bit more, Amy thought, and then we'll be safe.
For a little while, at least, she added.
Then they rounded a brick corner and flew into welcome darkness.
Amy heard something squish under her shoe, and she cringed slightly, but shook it off. She'd encountered worse during the Clue Hunt. That was another event she'd rather not dwell on.
"Dan?" she whispered. Her eyes were wide, trying to capture as much light as she could. The overcast sky had not provided much light outside, and now in the alley, there was even less to see by. Her brother's outline was barely visible.
"Right here," he whispered back.
"Do you think—" she started to say.
He already knew her question. "I can't hear them."
"I don't want to find out what's at the end of this alley. Maybe we should just wait here." Her hand reached out and brushed the bricks of the wall, relieved there were no cobwebs.
"They'll find us eventually," Dan reasoned. "And there should be a back way out of this. I'll lead, if you're so scared of the dark." Unknown to the two Cahills, a light started to appear behind them in the alley. If they had noticed, perhaps they could have prevented all the troubles that were to follow.
"I am not scared!" Amy retorted. "I just—"
Whatever she was going to say next was cut off as the guards stepped into the alley.
"There!" cried the lead guard, pointing. The others surged forward like an ocean wave. They had no problem spotting the duo.
Amy and Dan turned and ran towards a faint light that was shining in the distance.
Yes! Amy thought. This is just a short alley; we'll be out soon. In the open, we can lose them more easily. And Nellie and Fiske will be able to find us.
However, as they got closer, both Cahills could see something was wrong.
The light was not from the end of the alley. For one, Amy was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to be sparkly purple. Still, whatever it was, it had to be better than being captured by the guards.
They ran into the light just as the lead guard dived towards Dan, his dark coat flapping like a hummingbird's wings.
Once they were fully in the light, it started to spin rapidly around and around. The darkness of the alley faded, and the brightness made them squint uncomfortably. The Cahill boy felt as if he was hanging from a roller coaster going at a hundred miles per hour. To make matters worse, he felt as if he was hanging from one hand, which slipped a little more each time the coaster did a loop-de-loop. He didn't know if he screamed or not, because there was no sound in the tunnel. The blood roaring in his ears was the loudest sound.
In reality, Dan and Amy were simply spiraling in the tunnel, being thrown around like cloths in a washing machine.
As waves upon waves of nausea danced around them, Amy thought she could vaguely see an end to this whirlwind. There was some grass, and a few flowers, and in the distance, a—
She saw no more as both Cahills blacked out.
When her mind finally cleared, Amy gasped at the landscape in shock. She was lying on her side in the grassy meadow, Dan a few feet beside her.
This was not the alley; that was for sure.
In fact, this did not even look vaguely recognizable.
One question popped into her mind: Where was this place?
