"Fuck!" Lara cried out as she hit the sewer floor. Going too fast, she thought as she picked herself up, You're not going to get to Spear's with a broken leg. She had essentially ran the past few tunnel turns, jumping down ladder chutes, plunging herself into the darkness. The bats grew scarcer and scarcer the closer she came to the Center sector of True Gotham. She hurried herself so that her own fear would not have the chance to settle, her goal was to push through and reach the South end as quickly as possible. There was no telling what level of the sewer she was on anymore; she had lost track of the ladders she climbed. She only knew that she'd reached the bottom when her feet splashed into a shallow puddle. The roof of the sewer tunnel became invasive, she crouched as she began her walk into the dank center of the decadent sewer. This smell, she gagged, no wonder no one lives here, you'd have to be a mutant in order to tolerate the smell. The smell was a sweet odor, sickeningly it would infect the nostrils of those who traveled through, and its repugnant stench would cling to the survivors for days. I wonder if I'm lost, I haven't come across a turn in a long time...then again, maybe that's a good sign. She pointed her flashlight at the walls again, but there were no bats to guide her: She was in the right place.
She continued on straight, until the small tunnel emptied into a large pocket, where a rift in the ground carried the current. Lara stood up carefully, unsure as to the height of the pocket, and examined the structure. Everything was pitch black, aside from her own light. The walls and ceiling were covered with old mold and rust, must be where the smells are coming from she rationalized. Ahead, lay three sections, each leading off into a different direction.
Lara pulled out her compass from her pocket. It was an old item, an item from a distant past it seemed. She could barely remember who gave her the trinket. Whoever it was, she would tell her siblings around the campfire, I owe them my life. Looking down she sought out the arrow pointing South, looking ahead she saw it pointed directly to the left tunnel. She flipped the item onto its back, etched into the compass was a solitary bat. Ari had carved it into the surface.
What are you doing!? she remembered screaming, as her sister stooped over in a crouch carving away. We're new here, she remembered Ari stating solemnly, And in case you haven't noticed, there are a lot of dangers. A lot of people and things will lead you in the false direction. When you're lost, you're afraid...so I'm making this for you...This is your true North, your anchor, Lara, whenever you're unsure or scared, flip this over and it'll help you. She remember the alien feel of the compass when her sister handed it back to her, she remembered flipping it over to find a deep engraving of a bat. It's just a fucking bat, she spat at her sister. She remembered her laughing, No Lara...it's a symbol.
Lara had to be halfway through the center, she had been walking for about two hours now. The tunnel was completely silent, the absence of noise disturbed Lara, but she swallowed and reminded herself that it was always silent in the tunnels. She could hear the sloshing of her boots as she kicked up the water and the tiny clatters of little paws. She focused on remembering the owner of her compass, the story shifted every time she told it: It was her mother's, her father's...she could never get it right in her head. Maybe it had been Ariadne's, she shrugged to herself, Maybe I'll ask her when I see her. After a while she stopped to rest, sitting along the edge of the wall. She pulled from her pack a browning apple and chomped on it greedily. She didn't dare turn off her light like, unlike her sister, she was terrified of the total darkness that the lower levels contained. The thought of being in the dark sent chills up her spine, she curled herself tightly at the thought.
It was in the middle of her break that she started to notice the strange air that slowly filled the tunnel. Something that had been absent before; a vibrant and electrical energy: Life. She felt small ripples climb up her back, as she turned from the wall she sloshed the water and immediately stilled herself. Something rumbled on the other side of the wall. Lara leaned forward and placed her hand on the grimy wall.
"Movement?" she whispered in a terrified voice.
Suddenly, a sound erupted. A dark rumble that came from the far entrance of her tunnel, like nothing she had ever heard before, it was a deep voice that seemed to settle in the walls. Continuing on and on, Lara stood in petrified terror, not even allowing herself the privilege of trembling. Not a voice, she thought, a sound...a drum of some kind. The noise resonated for several minutes with muffled booms and groans.
I can't stay here, Lara thought to herself, It's probably some gang she thought to herself.
She began to slosh away while the noise carried on and on as she moved silently through the tunnel. She continued on in mute terror, the drums pounding and pounding in her head until she thought that she was mad with delirium. She almost stopped again, but then in a flash, the noise dissappeared and a profound silence overtook the tunnel. A pressure swirled around Lara, she felt nauseous and dizzy. Gripping the compass tightly in her pocket, she gritted her teeth so that she would not cry. Just some gangs, that's all that was, just some gangs. In that silence her self-lie was dissipated as a demon voice echoed throughout the walls. It crawled along the length of the tunnel until it found her foot, it raced its way up her leg, slithered up her back and swirled around until it reached her ear. The voice was like black tar; sloshing throughout her ear, she heard its toxic message. She felt its power and malice, making her tremble and chatter her teeth.
The message was brief and terrifying: "Rises." it stated. "Rises, Rises, Rises."
Lara felt the world slip away from her at that moment, she didn't even remember hitting the ground. She didn't remember her wide eyes close or her body go numb. The only thought she held onto was the clenched fist in her pocket, gripping the only thing in this world she trusted. It's a symbol Lara, and a symbol is without fear Ariadne smiled at her, that cocky smile that made the freckles on her face crinkle. Lara always thought she was an idiot for saying that, how could a symbol not have fear? All symbols came from men, and if it was one thing that men had...it was fear.
Lara awoke with a gasp, twitched her body into movement and craned her head to see where she was. She was still alone in the tunnel, but the noise had dissappeared, it was silent once again. She picked herself up slowly, her body ached, how long had she been out? After she gathered her scattered belongings into her pack and set off once more to the South ends. In a matter of minutes she had reached the end of the tunnel; she only turned once, peering into the inky black tar of the tunnel. She made a decision there, that after Spear's she would go to Top Gotham and ride the trains back, she knew it would take longer, but she would rather risk being caught by the cops than hear that sound again. As she reached the ladder she thought she heard the rumbling again, taking a deep breath she began her climb upwards towards the south tunnels. Before long she found herself looking upon the familiar sight of white bats, but relief only came when saw several lamp lights at the end of the tunnel.
The tunnels emptied into a low, but wide terminal, Lara remembered what her teacher had said about the South sector, how it used to be the Old Gotham's Train Terminal. Looking up she could see that: Old molded bridges stretched across the air and emptied into easy exits that probably led up to some boarded up entrance to the surface. The lower ground was fossilized in the old train tracks, and the area was populated with rotting train cars; areas where the southern dwellers slept. Above an old clock hung, she craned her neck only to realize that the clock's face had been smashed and that moss had grown all around. Great, just great, she thought bitterly. As she entered the train cars she noticed the looks that came from the passengers. She must've been filthy, even by sewer standards.
"Child," one of the women asked, "what side'd you come from?"
"The North side, why?"
"Kid, do you know what time it is?" asked an old man.
"No." she answered curtly, how the fuck would I know what time is, you old fart. "I haven't had the chance to look at a watch yet."
"Well you should think about gettin' one." chuckled the woman.
"Like I haven't thought of that before." Lara sassed, "so why don't you tell me what time it is or point me to where Spears is at."
"He's over there," grumped the old man, "and you can ask him the time, you brat."
"Uh-huh." Lara replied.
She walked over to the exit door of the train to find Spears sitting along the wall next to a fire. As she approached she took notice of all the old parts of various tech surrounding him. Spears was a slender, wiry man; he had a scraggly stubble that led to his short fused brown hair. He wore broken glasses that stooped over his long nose. He was an intimidatingly smart man, he often took pleasure in tricking people with his rhetoric, enjoyed having them talk themselves into circles. Lara seemed to be the only person who could keep up with his games, the only person who seemed to enjoy his company.
"Heya Spears." she waved.
"I thought I told you, I don't appreciate being called Spears." he said as he meticulously prodded the wires sitting before him. "I can't believe your sister came up with that, what a fucking moron."
Lara chuckled. "Well I like it, it's tougher than your real name anyway."
"It's a shame, maybe I should call you Can or Oven, you know? Because Lara is such a silly name."
"It's better than Edward." she smirked.
"So what can I do for you, Can?" Spears sassed.
"I came here to pick up the transmitter for the heater, Ari should've put in the order a week ago."
"Yeah she came by, you have the money?" he asked looking up form his work for the first time.
"Yeah." Lara replied reaching into her left pocket. "Here."
Spears counted the money, he looked unsatisfied, letting out a frustrated sigh as he rubbed his temple. "This...is not enough, this about half of what I asked for."
"It's all we can do Spears, it's fucking dead up top."
"Don't make excuses, it's you who's fucking dead, not them. You want money, go get fucking money."
"Just give me the part, here, I have some money of my own." she reached into her army jacket's pocket and pulled out a substantial roll of cash. "There, asshole." she spat as she handed Spears the roll.
Spears took the roll into hand and held it for a minute, slowly a cruel smile spread across his face. "You should learn to remember the price of things girl, people aren't as nice as me."
She merely rolled her eyes as she took back the cash, an amateur mistake to be sure. "I seriously doubt that, just give me the transmitter, dick."
"Well, riddle me that," Spears snarked as he picked up the part. "The sister of Ariadne, ungrateful, who would've guessed."
"Who would've thought." she mumbled as she took the part into her hands. She crouched down and began to stuff the item in her pack. "What's the time?" she asked curtly.
"What time do you want it to be?" he smirked, "I mean, what difference does it make in this pit? It could be night or day...Time in my oh, so humble opinion, is a construct. Especially down here."
"It makes sense if you put it like that, doesn't matter, I'm going up top anyway."
"Really?" smiled the riddler. "I don't know if that's such a good idea."
"Why?" Lara turned, curious she lifted her eyebrow. "I'd just as soon as send my brothers in there than go back."
"Well that's the kicker, I hear Manny's crew is running around down there."
"What does that have to do with my siblings? They're on the West sector." she snapped.
"You're a smart girl, you know how Manny just loves to have others around him. Especially, if your brother is as fast as Ariadne says he is," he gave a brief cough as if to emphasize the stupidity of Lara's questions. "No, I heard that they were all running around down there today, trying to find something. But you and I both know what they're really looking for, what they'll really find...so if I were you, and I'm not saying that I am, I would suck up whatever problems I had and go back down there."
"How the hell do I know they're even down there?" she asked.
"How do you know that they're not?" he replied rhetorically, he laughed as he returned to his work, he didn't even glance up as Lara briskly walked away. "Goodbye, Lara, hope you find what you're looking for."
The only thing I'm looking for is a way out of this place, she thought bitterly.
As she climbed down into the lower levels once again, she felt her terror growing;If I find them down here, that crocodile will be the least of their problems.
It may have been true what Spears said and time may have been a construct, but she felt that it was night and she knew that if it was, then she had made the biggest mistake of her life. She climbed down slowly, what difference would it make, she asked herself. Going faster would only plunge her faster into the tar pit. She had reached the bottom before she even realized that she had been traveling without her flashlight. She turned it on briefly and approached the mouth of the tunnel, walking through it she took deep breaths and even began to hum a nameless tune to herself, she only stopped once she heard the hums echoing throughout the tunnel; she was even careful to walk on the edges of the tunnel sides since the water would make too much noise. When she reached the opening glanced quickly around, No one she thought, she walked forward, fighting back laughter. It really must've been my imagination. A sound disrupted her walk towards the far tunnel, it sounded heavy, like a step.
Curiously, she turned and shined the light towards the middle tunnel and then a flash: She saw it, there it stood, It was tall and bulky. She saw that it wore some kind of mask, but she couldn't tell, was it even human? Her eyes widened as she stared at the distant figure, but even from the distance she could tell that it had seen her, some great beast looking into her eyes. Instinct took over as she switched off the light, and all went black. She stood petrified, no movement, not a breath from her lips. Trodden steps were heard, they boomed and shook throughout the hall: It was coming. She trembled as she heard the footsteps approach her, silent tears ran down her face as she heard its alien rasp echo off her body. It must've been a hair's length away, the pressure was excruciating. She felt herself sinking into the ground; it felt as if an invisible hand was tracing the outline of her head and shoulders, her face and chest. If she had turned the light on, she was sure that the creature's face would be staring into hers. Staring into her should with its red eyes, its blood red eyes. It breathed like an animal, rasping like an inhuman beast. There was only one name that ran through her thoughts, an old legend that her mother whispered to her at night, something that dwelled deep within the maze. A creature of sin and death: The Minotaur.
She felt a dry sob come out of her throat, clasped her hand over her mouth, she was assured that death would follow. And then, several things happened at once:
A voice and light emerged from the black, "LARA!?" she heard a familiar voice scream. She saw the light out line the creature, and she saw its eyes, they board like drills into hers with an intensity that matched the sun. The contours of the face seemed displace and contorted, but it she had seen its mouth, she thought she would have seen its twisted grin, dribbling with ink and blood. This creature, monster, stared at her and only her. A scream arose from her lips, a call to wake the dead. And then suddenly, the light went out: The monster merged with the darkness and all went black.
Immediately, Lara turned and fled, ran as fast as she could, felt the beast closing in. She didn't dare stop, she ran like a wild animal being hunted. Her arms flailed and her legs struck out at odd and imperfect angles. She tripped herself with those legs, fell to the ground with a great crash. Something snapped in her shoulder and a great cry of pain rung out in the black. She curled up and waited as she sobbed. She could hear the steps approaching, she closed her eyes and awaited the fate of all those who traveled after dark. The last thing she would see is the terrifying monster that lay in the tunnel. They were right, she thought, I was wrong, Ari...Ariadne was wrong.
"LARA!" came a crying sob. She opened her eyes to see the light of her sister's flashlight, her face, as it came toward her. Her sister crashed down beside her, a hysterical sob poured from her mouth. "LARA, WHAT WAS THAT, IT WAS THERE-AND YOU WERE THERE-YOUR ARM!?"
"Sara, help me up," Lara commanded quietly through her coughs, "and keep your voice down."
As she sat up, pain shot through her. Sara hysterically cried out. "Lara! Lara, I think your arm is broken!" Lara could barely make anything out through the pounding in her ears and the terror that still pulsed through body. All she wanted was to pass out, Don't you dare she commanded herself, don't you dare leave her alone here.
"Sara, please, be quiet." Lara sobbed weakly, "It...it might come back."
"N-n-n-n-no..." Sara replied shaking her head weakly, "I think...I think...I think it's-g-g-gone."
"Sara, I think my arm's broken."
"Looks that way, oh Lara, what-what was that!?" cried Sara.
"I have no fucking clue." Lara paused, looked into the face of sister and saw that something was missing: James. Where was her brother?
"Where's James?" she breathed. "Where is he?"
"I-I-I DON'T KNOW!" sobbed Sara. "We got separated, down in the tunnels, I don't know where he is, or who he's with!" she hiccuped, Lara knew by her state that she had been in the black for hours. By herself, terrified and alone. "We...we were forced...they were gonna hurt Gale...and then, and then they left! I tried to find them...and then I tried to find a way back...but there were no bats...and then I heard drums, and voices...but they weren't any I recognized...I...I...ran as fast as I could away and then I found you! AND THAT MONSTER!" Sara completely broke then, sobbing weakly into her sister's chest. With her good arm, Lara held her close, they sat there for an unknown amount of time, until Sara's shakes had quelled. Never once did Lara tell her it was okay, she wouldn't lie to her sister like that. Not here, not here where false hopes could mean the end. She just held her and kissed her hair, it's all she could do.
The noises began again, soft booms from the black. Sara started to scream, Lara quickly covered the child's mouth.
"Come on, Sara" she whispered to her sister, never once did she take her eyes off the black contents of the tunnel. "We have to get out of here."
"What about...what about J-J-James?" she asked as the stood up.
"James? He's probably back home, probably already with Ari...come on, no more talking now."
As they climbed away, the noises faded into faint pings, faded until there was complete silence. Not once during the time did either of the children speak, not even to cry out in pain. But Lara did cry, silently, but not for her broken arm, but for the lie that she knew that she had told her sister. For her brother, for her lost brother. She had no wish to return to Ariadne, and tell her about her failings, she knew that her eldest would run blindly into the black after their brother. Then there were three she thought bitterly, and then two, until finally, the black would consume them all.