Chapter Four

Lucy wheezed, a large weight compressing her chest. She opened her eyes to see a tangle of pink hair blocking her vision.

"N-Natsu… Get off me…" Lucy tried to shove him off, but Natsu was out cold, having hit his head on something on the way into the room. "Natsu?"

Lucy breathed deeply, trying to wiggle out from underneath the dragonslayer. She heard a floorboard creak and she froze.

"H-Hello? Is someone there?" No reply. But the girl could pick up the sound of deep breathing from her feet. She swallowed, cringing as the smell of rotting flesh met her nose. "Natsu please wake up!" But the man didn't move. Lucy managed to roll him off her, sitting up before she froze again at the sight before her.

Three figures loomed over her, blocking out the moonlight coming from the boarded up window. Their scaly skin was bubbling and green, parts of flesh fallen off from decay. All three of them had glowing white eyes and black vomit spilled off their chins. They moaned gazing at her, their heads and bodies twitching.

Lucy trembled, her eyes wide as her lungs refused to allow air into her system. She let out a strangled noise, her hand fumbling around to try and find her companion. She shook Natsu's shoulder furiously, trying to wake him. But he remained lifeless beside her.

The sudden terror of being alone made her entire brain shut down. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. All Lucy Heartfilia could do was tremble in fear as the undead twitched before her, starting to move closer.

"Pl-Please…" Lucy begged weakly, her body paralyzed. Why can't I move!? Move! Run! But her body didn't respond.

The zombie closest to her reached out, his knuckles brushing her cheek. She winced, leaning away. Lucy started to scoot away from them, but one of them had her by the throat before she could even blink. She choked, being lifted in the air easily by the undead demon.

Lucy struggled, clawing at the hand around her throat as her legs kicked in the air. She was brought closer to the face of the zombie, cringing as his overwhelming stench made her head burn. She kicked out, hitting what would have been the demon's sensitive area, as he looked like he used to be a man. But the zombie didn't even blink.

Lucy started to see black as she reached for her whip and keys. She fumbled with one of them, feeling magic energy swell in her chest.

"Open-" She stopped short as another zombie took her arm, starting to pull on it. Lucy winced as the demon tugged harder, causing her to let go of her key and cry out. It placed one hand on her ribs, using the leverage to try and tear her arm out of its socket. The last zombie took her other arm, pulling on it as well.

Lucy choked, her arms being extended as the demons tried to rip them off.

She heard a sickening crack and she screeched, pain shooting through her ribs as one of the zombies dislocated her left arm. Tears streamed down her face as the other zombie pulled, close to popping her other arm out. Her left arm was being extended still, the undead nearly successful in ripping her limb off. She kicked furiously, screaming and crying. The zombie holding her throat tightened his grip, bringing her close to his face.

It opened its mouth, preparing to bite into her face when she let out a hoarse cry again, tears streaming down her face and struggling.

The hold on her throat let up and Lucy gasped, sobbing but still in severe pain. She fell to her knees, coughing but was still being held by the other two zombies.

Natsu had tossed the first creature into the wall with so much force, the impact caused stone wall to crack. Lucy's left arm was dropped and she let out a cry of pain, the dislocated, overextended limb falling to her thigh. The demon abandoned Lucy to walk toward the dragonslayer.

Smoke was billowing from Natsu's mouth as the zombie jumped at him from behind, latching onto his back and going to bite his shoulder. The pink-haired man growled, enraged, and grabbed what was left of the zombie's shirt over his shoulder, whipping it off of him so it went crashing into a dresser. Natsu's fists enveloped in flames and he charged, punching the undead hard in the jaw.

Lucy winced as she felt a tug on her right arm again. The last zombie, having no interest in the fight unfolding before them, shoved Lucy onto her face, twisting her arm behind her and trying to dislocate her other limb. She cried out, unable to fight him off as her other arm remained unmoving at her side.

"Stop! Please! Stop it!"

Natsu's sharp ears picked up her small cry and he whirled around, immediately spitting a wild flame at her assaulter. The zombie was thrown back, slightly charred, but still moving as Lucy gasped, rolling over onto her back and scooting to the corner of the room, her functional arm gripping the shoulder of her dislocated one.

Natsu was charged by the two zombies before him and the last one was getting up, making his way toward Lucy again.

The dragonslayer roared in anger, jumping forward and grabbing one of them by the face. He smashed the zombie's head into the wall. There was a splatter of black blood as the zombie's head split like a watermelon, and it fell limp to the ground. Natsu turned to face the second undead, his eyes glowing with unbridled anger.

Lucy was backed into a corner, laying on her back and kicking at the zombie approaching her. It stumbled slightly from the hits she landed on its legs but it showed no sign of being in pain, continuing its gait closer to her. Lucy was panting, screaming slightly in angry fear. She was not going to die like this. She kicked it more, sending it back a couple feet. But it just continued to walk toward her again.

Natsu hit the zombie he was battling on the side of the head, flames starting to cover his entire body. But the zombie just twitched reaching for him again. The zombie latched onto his arm with a tight grip. Natsu just looked into its dead eyes angrily, turning himself into a human bonfire. The demon pulled back, it's hand completely disintegrated. Before it could reach forward with its other hand, Natsu expelled a huge fireball, sending it flying into the wall. He charged it, hitting it square in the face with a fiery fist. The zombie's skull shattered, the stone wall behind it making a crater. It's headless body fell with a thud.

Lucy gasped as the zombie assaulting her caught her ankle, pulling her off of the ground by her leg so she dangled. She winced as her dislocated arm whipped above her, hitting the ground. It moved to bite into her leg and Lucy screamed.

Suddenly, Natsu was at its feet, hitting it hard in the jaw so it let go of her leg. Lucy hit her head on the concrete, seeing stars as her body thumped to the ground. Natsu pinned the demon against the wall before it could get it's bearings.

"No one touches Lucy!" He took a step back, breathing fire with a rage. The zombie let out a small cry as it was slowly burned alive (well… undead).

A collection of ashen bones was all that was left when Natsu was done, clattering to the ground.

"N-Natsu…" Lucy whispered, looking up at him. He stooped down next to her, helping her sit up. She gasped in pain, her arm tender. Natsu looked at her arm, touching it gently. Lucy hissed and leaned away at his actions, pain shooting through her back again.

"I need to pop this back in." Lucy panted, looking at him.

"W-Will it hurt?"

"A lot."

Lucy gritted her teeth, turning away as more tears streamed down her face. Her arm already hurt so bad; she couldn't think she could handle anything worse.

"On three." Natsu placed one hand on her back and the other on her arm. "One…"

Lucy squeaked as her arm was shoved back into its socket with a pop. He was right. It hurt really fucking bad. She gripped her shoulder, the pain subsiding and she turned to glare at him.

"I thought you said on three!" Natsu just shrugged, a goofy, lopsided grin revealing small white fangs.

"It usually helps if you don't know its coming."

Lucy just huffed, rubbing her shoulder. It was still in pain, and she couldn't move it.

"Here." Natsu took the scaly white scarf off his neck, taking her arm gently. He wrapped it in a sling around her neck, supporting her injured arm. Lucy blushed as he breathed close to her ear, finishing tying the scarf. Before he could move away, Lucy leaned her head against his, tears falling over her eyelashes.

"I was so scared…" She whispered, her legs trembling. Natsu kneeled beside her, a little rigid at first. But he relaxed, wrapping his arms around her. She moved into his neck, using her right hand to grip his vest.

Neither of them really knew what they were doing, but it felt, right. Natsu sighed. He was right regarding his earlier comment; she really did smell like home.

"Luce…"

Something cleared up in his mind and he blinked furiously, thinking hard. Lucy...

But just as it started to come back to him, the ground below them began to rumble and they pulled away from each other, looking around.

The floorboards below them started to fall apart, revealing a gaping hole in the floor, growing ever wider and starting to swallow everything in the room. Before Lucy could stand, a dark shape, like a shadow come to life, wrapped around her ankle. One went for Natsu's leg as well, but he punched it with a flame and it disappeared. Lucy gasped as she was dragged forward by her leg. Natsu grabbed her tightly by the waist, trying to pull her away, but the ground beneath them crumbled.

Natsu was quick, grabbing onto the window sill before they were pulled in, the other hand gripping Lucy's. She screamed in pain, her good arm still sore from being over extended. More shadows came up from the hold in the floor, grasping onto Lucy and trying to pull her down.

"Don't you dare let go!" Natsu grunted, trying to pull her up, but to no avail. The forces tearing her from him were too strong.

"L-Let me go!" Lucy choked, looking up at him through tears. Natsu stared at her in shock. "I can't hold on!"

"I've got you! Don't give up!"

"Natsu, you can make it out of h-here!" The shadows around her were getting stronger and she squeezed her eyes shut through the pain. "L-Let me go or you'll get pulled down with me!"

Natsu gritted his teeth as his hold on the window sill started to slacken.

He looked down at her hand, noticing the pink insignia. He glanced into her eyes. She was sobbing, terrified and in pain, but Lucy's words were serious.

Natsu let go, falling with her and pulling her into his chest as they plummeted into darkness.

"I'm not leaving you, sunshine."

I'm not really into watching horror, but I love writing it. Did I do okay?

~Cas