England
"Why the bloody hell is this maze so long?" I grumbled under my breath.
We'd all long since grown tired of the stale, underground air and my eyes were irritated from the seldom interrupted dark. Dim lanterns were hung on the wall every few feet or so but none of them were doing their job particularly well. Old stone surrounded us in a series of many long, thin corridors that formed a massive labyrinth.
"We're going from Virginia to D.C. I'd be surprised if it was any shorter," said South.
"It's another dead-end. Go back," Canada announced in a tired voice.
I glanced back to South. "He could have made it a bit easier on us and not have made it a maze."
"If it leads to the White House, then surely Alfred would want to secure the passage," Japan added, turning around to face the two with a sigh. "We can't blame him for wanting to defend his capital city."
"It'd still be nice if he'd put a map up somewhere," noted Italy and I couldn't help but agree. It would defeat the purpose but would undeniably be appreciated.
"All we have to do is continue until we find the exit. It's the only thing we can do at this point," Germany then admitted.
No-one actually said anything but the internal groan within each of us was apparent by the atmosphere looming over us. We'd almost reached an hour of wandering so we were all sick of being lost.
"Let's take a break for now. We should gather our thoughts so we can find the way out." Canada leant against the wall of a small opening and stared thoughtfully at the five corridors leading out of it.
We all accepted the break but couldn't help but remain disheartened. I rubbed my forehead and though but couldn't think of which way wouldn't end with a wall.
Germany scratched a small 'x' into the threshold with a piece of metal he'd picked up a while back. It looked like an old hinge and he'd been using it to track where we'd already explored. When the mark was decently visible he pocked the metal and joined the rough circle we'd formed.
"We've tested three out of the five doors from this room and all we've found are rats. We can continue doing things the way we are but it's too inefficient."
France nodded in agreement. "At this rate, it'll be midnight before we find a way."
"But it's not like we have any other options. We have to search until we find the exit. It's the only way at this point," Russia said.
"Hate to agree but that appears to be right," I confessed.
"Al would know the way but I guess he didn't have time to tell us personally." Canada readjusted his glasses idly. His eyes were dancing around behind them, trying to figure the way out.
"Yeah. And he probably didn't leave any clues behind so Harris' people couldn't follow him," South guessed. "The call to Artie was spur of the moment from the sound of it, meaning it's even less likely Alfie could've left us a hint."
I sighed, exasperated. "Leave it to him. He expects us to save him but made it as difficult as..."
"Quiet," Germany ordered. I scowled and was about to respond but then he caught me. He shushed me and I crossed my arms defiantly but kept an ear out as he was.
There was a small tapping sound, quiet from distance, but I couldn't identify what was causing it. Not until I noticed Germany's face light up like a Christmas tree.
"Bacon?" he called out hopefully.
"What?" I demanded incredulously just before the noise became close enough to identify, and close enough to jump on me. "Gah!" It wasn't my most dignified moment.
Bacon jumped onto my shoulder and dug his claws into my sleeve to stay in position as he assaulted my face with affectionate licks. I put up my other hand in an attempt to preserve my face from more 'kisses' but the dog just switched targets to my palm. Inevitable chuckles escaped my lips from the tickling so I caved in and hooked up arm under Bacon so he wouldn't fall.
"Yes, y-yes," I chortled. "L-Lovely to see you again as well."
"What's he doing here?" South wondered. "Didn't we close the door behind us?"
"I've heard that some pets learn to open doors. With Alfred being away in his New York house Bacon would have needed an easy way in and out, anyway," Canada speculated. He smiled. "Al didn't leave us without clues after all."
I rolled my eyes but returned the smile with consent. It was a rather convoluted way to show us the way but was showing us the way regardless.
"Come on, Bacon." Germany stepped forwards, an ear-to-ear smile hardly being contained, and plucked him off my shoulder. "Are you here to help us find, Alfred?"
At the sound of his owner's name, Bacon yipped joyfully. He leapt out of the German's arms and spun around in an excited circle, wagging his tail and barking. We all watched him dance about before turning back to the present dog-lover.
"Los gehts. Bacon, show us to the White House," Germany commanded.
Bacon paused and held out his nose, sniffing the air for any signs of America, before bounding into one of the unchecked corridors connected to the room. We ran after him, squinting to spot the brown fur in the low light, but moving with a confidence we hadn't had beforehand.
We passed more and more old stone brick walls and countless glowing lanterns on our chase through the American labyrinth. Bacon stopped briefly numerous times to give either us or him a break but we made our way forwards at a good pace. It was a great improvement to the trial-and-error stroll.
Bacon didn't hesitate at choices or ever have to backtrack. It was odd for such a little dog. Bacon was obviously very close to America but his knowledge seemed to be more than following a familiar smell. It seemed like America had brought Bacon this way previously. Was this where he brought him on walks or did he actually train Bacon for a scenario like this?
I glanced forwards at South and Germany, then momentarily behind me to glimpse at Russia. I'd been informed that the three of them had searched the office and their findings were troubling to say the least. If he'd been wary of Harris for longer than we'd originally thought then it wasn't so absurd to think he'd trained Bacon.
After another half hour of progress it finally ended. Bacon skidded to a halt in the centre of a much larger room than any of the others. Lights hanging from rope dotted the higher ceiling meaning it was well lit and the two side walls supported two separate piles of stacked barrels and crates. The air didn't feel quite as oppressive and didn't smell nearly as stale. Jutting out of one of the side walls, there was a shorter partition that didn't span the entire room. Thin beams of light shone into the cracks on the floor near the far wall, a tell-tale sign of something else giving way to brightness.
"Ve~" Italy sounded relieved. "I thought we would never get out."
Meanwhile, I was moving across the room. What I'd assumed was a simple wall turned out to hiding a wide wooden staircase. My eyes followed it up to a slightly blackened line of brick. A complete rectangle formed out of light stuck out of the darkness, hinting at the door loosely cut into it.
"There's an exit over here," I called to the others.
Germany knelt on one knee so he could pet Bacon's head more on the dog's level. "I'm sorry, Bacon, but I cannot let you come with us. It would be too dangerous."
Bacon flattened his ears and whimpered but could understand that Germany's bright blue eyes were serious. Germany patted his head and the dog went back on his way. He strolled towards the door but after a reassuring look back to the nations he ran off, returning to his home.
Germany stood up and sighed in relief. "Thank goodness that's over."
"We still have to actually rescue America, Ludwig," Russia reminded him.
"But still...That maze was awful. If it wasn't for Bacon we would've been stuck there," said Canada.
"Yes," I muttered, then louder I said, "I think Alfred and I have played too many magic dungeon games together. The damned maze almost cost him his 'heroes'."
"I thought Alfred stopped inviting you to play those," Canada noted.
My face blossomed with red. "How dare he do that? I know real magic. I should be an honoured guest!" I huffed indignantly, revealing I wasn't quite as over the matter as I'd thought.
"I think that's why, Angleterre."
"What do you mean by that?" I demanded.
"That is enough. This is not getting us any closer to finding America." Germany hushed us all. "From now on we need to concentrate. We cannot afford to give ourselves away in such hostile circumstances so no bickering."
France and I exchanged irritated glances before mutually relenting. Germany was right. Finding America was our priority and we couldn't waste time with arguing, thousand year old feud or not.
"Of course. Sorry for that."
"Oui."
"Looks like some of us may have to duck," warned South. He pushed the stone square and it swung open on eerily silence hinges. The exit reached up to just past my ribcage in height which meant it would be even more awkward for the taller of us like Russia and Germany.
Japan was standing in front of the entrance and stooped over to pass the threshold. "I think we may all have to." He straightened up on the other side and the rest of us were quiet as he surveyed the new area. All I could see clearly was a clean red carpet Japan was fast to assure us it was empty.
I waited for Canada, South and France to join Japan before following myself. I stepped into the White House with little confidence. We were all walking into a building full of people intending to foil our attempts and an insane president who'd already caught one nation.
I dusted myself off casually. Then again, not many people had much confidence against eight.
"And so it begins. The true quest for America's freedom has started with a single step," says a cool trailer voice I could never manage. But that's the joy of reading for you :D
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review with any comments, questions or suggestions because I really appreciate them all.
Thanks you for reading! :D