The muffled sound of rain drops caused my consciousness to slowly return. A blurry man was there to my welcome my awakening- his image swaying side to side.
"Oy! This one's wakin' up!"
My vision cleared to see a scruffy looking man, wrinkles and scars plaguing his face, and the lightness of his hair signifying his years. He grinned and squinted at me, happy to see that I've awoken. A voice from behind, somewhat distorted by the roaring of the rain, caught the old man's attention. The other voice had a lesser tinge of an accent, might be british- after all, who better to recognize it than one who is?
"What about the others?"
'Others?' I mentally comment. Surveying my surroundings, I discover other folks that lay beside me.
Even with my hazy memory, I could easily manage to remember them.
The Gertude Family. For someone as rich as them, you'd wonder why they wouldn't be careful as to not go about in this sort of weather. Can't say I'm any better. I, after all, took their deal.
"Not good, seems like this one's the only early riser."
The old man gazed back and forth between the other unconscious personnel.
"Well, who is it?"
"Er, ah, the one wearing the weird jumpsuit thing!"
"That one's the pilot, Duncan."
"Yeah, ain't that what I said?"
"No, Duncan, you didn't even know it!"
"What ya talkin' about, Moikey? 'Course I do!"
"Earlier you- Nevermind. Why am I even trying to bother with you?"
Just as the bickering of the two stopped, I found myself able to proper sit-alas, the dull sensation of pain from my bruises ensured that I was still hardly in tip-top condition. At least I now knew where I truly was- a boat; a fishing boat to be exact, judging from the piles of bait, fish, and what-nots you need for this kind of business. I've never found it to be a compelling hobby; so understandably, I knew nothing of what these equipments do.
"..Where are we going?" I asked the first question that lingered in my mind. The heavy rain and the strong wind that carried it hindered vision from escaping the vessel. The old man, 'Duncan', noticed my question, and pointed to the light in the distance.
"We're goin' to that lighthouse, lassie." His grin practically reached his ears. Truly I wonder what has gotten him so jolly. The rain continued strong, and all the boat's passengers are completely drenched.
There wasn't much else to talk about as the boat approached the lighthouse. It perched itself upon a tiny island, isolated from the rest of the world. The moment the boat had landed on the dock, the two men had carried the Gertudes into a worn-out shed just besides the tall building. They had started to cater the family, tending any wounds that they might have. Never been any good with taking care of folks, might as well help out through other means.
Got to find something to dry them off with- there's nothing in this shed, so maybe the lighthouse has something we could use?
It only took a few steps for the grizzled, yet still beaming old man notice my actions.
"Where ya off to?"
"Checking things out. I'll be useless here anyway." I see no reason to lie to the man, yet for some reason I can't find myself trusting him- something just doesn't seem right. The look on his face tells he shared the same sentiments as I, that is, he wasn't too keen on the idea of me leaving his sight.
"Yer hurt, sweetheart, I rather do it myself."
The geezer wanted to say more, but the british man was more than happy to interject.
"Just let her go, will you, Duncan? At least she's helping. I don't want more baggage."
I swear I could have almost see this 'Duncan' choke a scoff. The other male, having enough of the conversation, went back to silently care for the family once more.
'Thanks.' I would've said it properly, but it was clear that the man would not talk to either of us, so giving a mental shrug; I trudge upwards, feet splashing on each slippery step, inching closer to the brick tower.
It didn't take a while to reach the destination, as the little speck of light from a distance before now stood as a silent behemoth before me.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Hello, is anyone in there?"
I bashed on the wooden door. Even if might look that it could quiver with enough force, it's metal frames keeps it firmly rooted to its walls.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"We're in terrible need of assistance! Hello?"
'Is nobody home after all?'
In frustration, I absentmindedly reached out for the door once more. It, much to my surprise, opened the moment I turned the handle. A small peek through the small opening I've created showed the stacks of wooden crates upon the aged wooden floor. The smell of dust and abandonment filled the insides of the building.
'I suppose I should take a look around.'
It didn't take long to notice a few coins just laying infront the door. Upon inspection, the quarters sported the emblem of an eagle with "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" embossed all around its edges. I tucked the silver eagles into my pockets, just in case I might have to use them later.
I rummaged each box I could find, most turning out empty, some having ragged, dusty, clothing, and some only containing the same quarters I picked up earlier. After a few minutes pass, I was on the last box I could open.
'Hopefully, there's something here I can use.'
The lid fell down with a thud as I begun expecting its insides. It was the same as others, except for a small leather bag covered by the rags. Pulling it out, I notice a red cross emblazed on its side.
"Bingo."
Bandages, a few shots of morphine and a couple of penicillin. Aspirin would've been appreciated, but, I digress. No one's going to miss this, judging from how old and worn out the place looked to be.
Alas, that same description was truly a double edged blade, as it took only a few steps towards the entrance before the floor groaned loudly and gave in. A few meters deep, I figure from the pain of the fall.
'This keeps up and I'm going to need this medical kit more than the ones at the hut.'
I collected my bearings and stood up from the pile of rubble that softened the impact. The gap between me and the floor of the lighthouse was far too long to reach, even by jumping. A few moments of lightning gave a better view of where I was- another staircase, going down and further into the earth. I followed it, hoping the path leads to a basement, or a more preferably, a ladder. The steps twisted and contorted, with only the dim light of the moonlight illuminating it, and even that proved more and more useless as I ventured deeper into darkness' curtains. Then, there was no more. Darkness embraced my vision, leaving me to feel my way downwards. I was this far, there wasn't much point going back.
It was then that I felt softness underneath my foot, as the squirming of my boots before now muffled by a thick carpet.
'There should be something I can use for light.'
I pull up my sleeves and feel my around. From the walls, to the ground, I searched for anything I could recognize. It was then that my hands caught a pillar, tracing up to it, I felt strange curves and a pole attached at the top.
With a pull of the lever, the ground shook; gears crackled, engines roared, metal plates screeched as it collided with one another, and pipes hissed steam to release the pressure of the machination's work. It was a brief cacophony of thundering sounds, and once it was done, the whole room returned once more to still and silence, save for a soft, barely inaudible hum of a machine.
It was then that a tune started playing. The music came from every direction, with static enough to distort some of the song.
~Will you .ver see such a wonde..ul sight?~
~Any..ere else on … world?~
~In this …. we trust, in Terra we live~
~All away from the na..ons' …..~
~Come .. …. and sing with us~
~Come on down to...~
On cue, spotlights on the floor flared up to life and lit up the area, with shining, marble fonts hanging on a metal wall, boldly exclaiming the place's name;
"Terra Feronia."
~Terra Feronia!~
Author's Notes: Hello, everyone, I had to change parts of the chapter (more like the entire half) because I wasn't really satisfied on how it came out the first time around. I hope you don't mind seeing as I haven't uploaded a second chapter yet.(when I figure out how to city actually looks I would post it, lol) I guess the best way to think of this is as a Alternate Universe story. Please Read N' Review!