Reflections of the moon's gentle glow radiated off of an arced blade, held tightly in a silver haired woman's grasp. Her skin was pale and her hair was worn long, held back by a headband; an ornament of the ancient black armor she donned. She inhaled slowly, and puffed her chest out drastically as the air came into her lungs. She was athletic and well figured, but her heart ached in such a way that left her weak to the knees, slouching, and practically gasping for breath.
She knew she needed help, but not a thing on the planet deserved her trust after she just slaughtered the elder's of her own village, collapsing the sacred shrine around them. She had been sentenced to execution for treason, and she had to make a move or lose her life, but the decision meant that home was no longer a welcomed place to be.
She stared longingly at the road ahead of her, completely unsure as to what path she should take. Unable to make a choice, she slowly marched forward, hoping that something would come by to give her guidance in her time of need.
After an hour of walking, holding her blade tight in one hand and gently rubbing her shoulder with the other – a simple act that seemed to provide warmth regardless of who did it – she came across a small shack resting on the side of the road, half embedded in a mountain.
She walked towards the shack and leaned against the door, using it to support herself. Her hair fell in a scraggly mess against the wood and she tried steadying her breath to listen to the inside. It was relatively silent, so she moved to open the door. The latch held tightly so she mustered the strength to slam her shoulder against it until the hinges gave way. A slow scan revealed that no one stood on the inside.
She approached the bed lying in the corner, slightly aglow from the rays of light seeping through scattered cracks in the building. She ran her hand along its covers and a thick line drew into the dust lying over the surface. Scattered particles littered the air, forcing her to brush them out of her view.
A few tools sat along one of the walls, including a shovel and a torch. She surmised that it may be a grave keeper's shack of sorts, and dug through the pantries in search of some food. She found dried fruits and nuts – nonperishable items – and stashed them in a sack she pilfered the room as well. Munching on the snacks, she slowly walked towards the end of the room she had not searched through yet.
More odds and ends were strewn over the floor so she pushed them aside with her foot, making sure no surprises lay in wait. As she cleared the ground, a strange metallic sound resonated through the room. Confused, she set down her weapon and patted the flooring trying to mimic the noise. It seemed that a circular segment of the floor was made of metal instead of wood, and she tried to pry the panel up. Taking her weapon back in hand, she popped the tile out and gazed down to the tunnels beneath. With only a soft glow beneath her to acknowledge its existence, she decided to slide down and begin to scour the strange place.
Still without any idea as to where she was headed, she pressed forward for a perpetually long time, just wanting to see a face of someone she did not already know; perhaps for comfort, or perhaps just to know that she was not the only person in the world who was alone.
A light shone from far away, almost as an exit appears to be a small dot inside a train tunnel. Intrigued, the woman began to jog towards the source until a strange chime echoed out from the same direction. It was so peculiar that she locked up completely, enticed to just gaze to the distance, wondering what the foreign sound was.
Wind rushed past her with such tremendous force that she had to shift a foot back and face the gale head on to stay upright. The light began to become larger and larger until it completely engulfed her vision. Turning her head to the side, she saw a large red and gold figure blur past her, causing her to react with a loud scream, and all was still. She rotated to see the light fade out in the opposite direct just as quickly as it had come, and a gentle jingle rang in air.
Her hair fell back to her side as the wind left, and she turned to continue down the original path, not seeing any sort of additional harm befalling her from the creature that had passed. But only a few steps further and another noise bounced off of the tunnel walls.
A squishing sound grew louder and louder, alternating like footsteps of a person running. She braced once again, prepared to face whatever else lurked in the strange complex.
Moments later a large green gelatinous figure rounded a nearby corner and halted in its tracks. It stared with a broad smile and slicked back the top of its head, much as a man would do with his hair.
"I was scared stiff champ. Thought someone was in serious trouble. You doin' alright?"
"I..." the woman croaked, unsure how to respond to the talking humanoid blob.
"Oh, where are my manners. Name's Zac. You?"
"Um... Di... Diana. My name's Diana."
"Lovely name. Do you need any help Diana? I heard a scream."
"No I..." she paused, taking a moment to reconsider her words. "Well, I am not in danger. I just saw a mouse. But I killed it. Dead."
"Oh. Um..." Zac stammered
"Sorry, I... Can you help me get out of here?"
"Yeah. Where are you headed?"
"I don't know. I just needed to see a friendly face. Traveling alone is cold."
"Ha! That it is. C'mere champ. Let's get back to the surface," he said with a wide smile.
"Yes, please."