Author's Note:
That's right! we are drawing nearer and nearer to the thrilling climax! Thanks for your loyalty, folks! Glad to see you all reading! :D
The train sped faster and faster down the railroad. Lucy looked out the window, having nothing better to do. Even if Natsu was awake, she still wouldn't talk to him, however, so she was trapped to merely looking around. The world outside the window looked like someone had painted a nice picture on the canvas, then taken a dishrag and smeared it while the paint was still wet. This was because Natsu had insisted they take the high-speed train to get to the town quicker. Lucy turned to Happy, who was staring intently out the window as though he was looking for something. She laughed.
"Oh, Happy," she said, "you won't find anything at this speed! Everything is so blurry!" Happy turned to her.
"I think I'll be able to spot Death's Ally, even at this speed," he assured her. Lucy tilted her head, confused.
"Death's Ally?"
"The town Hell's Edge is in," Happy explained, "The train doesn't stop there, so we're gonna have to jump." He turned back to the window. Lucy's brown eyes widened in shock.
"JUMP!?" She screeched. All eyes on the train turned towards her and she blushed furiously, looking down. Happy sighed.
"Yeah, Lucy, jump," he said mischievously and blew up his cheeks with air, "and Natsu will catch you." Lucy glared at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" She growled. Happy just giggled and looked to the window. Lucy rolled her eyes, but felt her stomach twist at the thought of jumping out the window of a high-speed train. However, she had done crazier things in her life and she trusted Happy. Oh yeah, and she trusted Natsu, even if she was pissed with him at the moment.
The train didn't slow down, but Happy then smashed his paw against the window.
"THERE! THERE! DEATH'S ALLY!" He shouted. Train-goers stared at the little blue cat, scowling at being interrupted. Happy, showing no humiliation, shook Natsu as hard as he could. "Natsu! Natsu wake up!" Natsu groaned, running a hand through his spiky, salmon colored hair. "Naaaatsu!" Happy was getting desperate, "we're at Death's Ally! Hurry or we won't be able to jump off in time!" Lucy looked slightly worried. So Happy was serious about jumping off the train. Oh lordie.
Natsu was suddenly alert, and he held on to the bottom of the window and yanked. The window stuckfast.
"It's not going to open," Lucy sighed, "this is a high-speed train. The windows aren't going to open no matter how hard you pull." Natsu's eyes widened with desperation.
"WE NEED TO GET OFF THE TRAAaain..." his voice died away and he doubled over, clutching his stomach. Happy turned to Lucy, looking worried. Lucy looked around for something she could use to break the window. Looking down, she dug around under the seat and found what she was looking for. A nail. Yanking the hammer used to break open the fire safety box (there was one in every aisle) towards her, she put the tip of the nail against the glass and tapped the head with the hammer. The glass cracked, and with a sharp kick from her high heeled boot, it shattered, the pieces flying down behind the train. Wind blew furiously through the broken window, and peoples papers were flying everywhere. Lucy's hair whipped around in the wind. She screamed over the wind,
"Push Natsu out!" Happy nodded and, with the aid of Lucy, shoved him out the window. He flew backwards, and Happy dove after him. Lucy shut her eyes tight and jumped. Her hair whipped out of her face and she felt the train come dangerously close to running into her. As she flew through the air, she already imagined the pain, hitting the ground and breaking every bone in her body. She curled up in a ball, expecting impact, but instead felt herself hit something warm and soft. She looked to see Natsu's face, his eyes clenched shut as he feet pushed against the ground. When he finally stopped moving backwards, he opened his eyes.
"N-Natsu..." Lucy stuttered. Natsu set her down.
"I recovered pretty quickly, so when Happy told me that you were about to jump of the train, I prepared myself to catch you." He dusted himself off. Lucy noticed the deep rut he had made in the dry, cracked ground from the impact of her body against his. She looked around the town. It looked barren. There were no other towns near it, and there was a canyon just behind a giant mountain. Dark storm clouds circled in the distance above the mountain, and Natsu turned to face them.
"There," he told her, pointing, "that's where the guild hall is." Lucy nodded and then looked around.
"Where is Happy?" She asked.
"Here!" Lucy heard the blue cat's high voice and watched as he flew from behind Natsu. Lucy smiled.
"Thank you Happy and-" she turned to see Natsu running in the direction of the guild hall. "NATSU!" Lucy yelled, "COME BACK!" She began to run as well, faster and faster, literally into the mouth of Hell.
