Chapter 7 – George the Mammoth
Gray held his breath as he creeped into the dark office. He knew he wasn't allowed to be here, but for the past few days, he couldn't scratch the thought that Natsu's death wasn't as plain and simple as a suicide. It just wasn't him. Natsu loved his job, loved his life.
Gray took soft steps towards Natsu's desk. It was an utter mess. Quite like Natsu to leave it looking like a pigsty before his death. Gray took a seat in Natsu's large leather chair and started sorting through his papers. Most things looked normal, including zoning papers, building contracts and other legal documents that Gray didn't pay much attention to.
Gray whispered to himself, "Come on Natsu…give me something to work with…"
"This is impossible," Natsu panted as he swung at another hellhound. He had lost count of how many had attacked him. "At this rate, I'll never get there." His left shoulder still stung from the first bite. He wondered if he could 'die' in hell.
"Nonsense!" Lucy exclaimed as she lounged on a flaming rock. She inspected her claws casually while she watched Natsu almost being ripped to shreds. "They're just happy to see you."
Natsu huffed as he finished off the last one. "I don't see why you're here if you're not going to help." It sounded harsh, but he couldn't help but feel irritated after being ambushed by monsters while Lucy simply sat there.
Lucy's face fell, and her tail drooped. "But you're the most fun I've had in decades…" She turned back towards the way they had come and started walking. "It's okay…I'll go."
"W-Wait!" Natsu shouted, reaching his hand out. "You don't…have to go…" A part of him was afraid of what it would be like to be alone in this place. As unhelpful Lucy was…he kind of liked her presence.
Lucy turned her head. "Really?"
Natsu nodded. He felt the flames within his body warm when she smiled in return. Lucy skipped back down the steps and rejoined him at his side. As they walked, Natsu thought about Lucy's words. "Say…Lucy?"
"Mmm?"
"How long have you been here for?"
Lucy contemplated her answer. Her horns followed as her head first tilted, then shook. "I don't remember. A really long time…"
"Do you ever get lonely?" Natsu asked.
Lucy flinched, but she quickly rebounded to her cheerful self. "Nope! There are newcomers almost every day. And torturing isn't too bad once you get the hang of it. Sometimes, us demons play games to see who can force the loudest screams."
Natsu grimaced, but tried to hide it from the demon. "Well, I'm not really into the whole…torturing scene. But since I'm already here anyways, you're free to stay with me. I-If you want that is."
Lucy looked surprised. Her eyes flickered towards the ground in slight embarrassment. "O-Oh. Thanks…"
Natsu grinned, "Come on then." He grabbed Lucy's hand and started running into the darkness, not caring that he couldn't see.
Lucy stumbled behind him. "Natsu I'm not sure you want to run like this…"
Natsu paused. "Why not?" With the way Lucy had said that, he suddenly had a bad feeling in his stomach.
"Because running attracts more beasts," Lucy answered.
But it was too late. Suddenly, there was a large, blaring noise. Something akin to a trumpet, but twisted and deformed. The ground started to shake. Natsu heard thump after thump getting louder by the second. When the monster emerged from the darkness, Natsu's heart stopped.
The beast was massive. The best description Natsu could offer was that it looked like a rotting mammoth. Similar to the hellhounds, the elephant-like beast had exposed raw flesh. It also sported fangs the size of his own body.
"Oh! It's George!" Lucy exclaimed with a bright smile.
Natsu didn't even have the time to comment on Lucy's odd naming conventions. He quickly grabbed Lucy's hand again. "Run!" He pulled her back in the direction that they came, racing across the stone steps.
"Your solution to a problem you caused by running, is…more running?" Laughter bubbled from Lucy's lips. She looked quite calm, but then again, Natsu figured she wouldn't be the one the crazy mammoth would be hurting.
"Come on!" Natsu dragged the blonde behind him with haste. He leapt across stones and climbed over boulders to avoid the massive mammoth. A sharp contrast to Natsu's growing fear, all Lucy did was giggle and laugh. He must be going insane. Running for his life and Natsu still managed to find that her laughter sounded like wind chimes on a breezy summer afternoon.
Unable to shake off the beast, Natsu decided to take a chance and raced into the darkness. He forged through the unknown, using his adrenaline as fuel to keep pushing forward. As he ran, he found that his radius of sight started to grow. More and more of his surroundings revealed themselves to him. Deep lava pits, cracked stone ledges and flaming geysers materialized until finally, Natsu located a cave.
"Here!" Natsu ran inside, with Lucy still following behind him by the hand.
"I'm not sure about this…" Lucy whispered as they hid. Natsu stayed quiet as loud, ground-shaking stomps headed their way. They stopped right by the mouth of the cave. Natsu heard heavy breaths coming through the cave entrance.
"Nat-" Natsu covered his hand over Lucy's mouth before she could speak. He could tell through her narrowed eyes that she wasn't pleased by his actions. He hadn't noticed it before, but Lucy spoke a lot through her large, chocolate brown eyes. He could see dark swirls within her eyes that almost seemed to shift with her irritation.
When the mammoth finally passed, Natsu removed his hand.
"Now, what were you trying to say Lucy?" Natsu asked.
Lucy turned to the side and pouted, "I don't remember."
Natsu frowned, "Lucy…" He swore, sometimes Lucy acted like a complete child.
Lucy huffed, "Fine…I was going to say-" Suddenly, Natsu started to hear new sounds. Scrapes against the rock wall, clicks of tongues and low hissing coming from further in the cavern. "-that this cave houses deadly monsters as well."
Natsu's girlish scream echoed for miles.
