Chapter 28
We were back on the train for another eight hours or so. By the time we rolled into the station, we were tired, hungry, and really sick of each-other. We ended up bunking in a small town called Irontown. It's really close to the Seiiki Mountains, so there's a lot of mining, mills, and machine shops down there. You can practically smell grease and coal in the air when you first pull into the train station. You get pretty used to it, too. Except Elsie, who is too stubborn to get over the fact that we're out of Grimm's Hollow, which is over-populated with bakeries and little food stalls all-over. It smells real good there. I kind of miss "home", but it's not so bad to be seeing a lot of the country, because I've never actually been farther than a few towns away from Grimm's Hollow. Okay, got that so far? It's just one totally, completely, normal day. We'll get up bright and early, catch the eight a.m. train, with a full eight hours of sleep under our belts. Right?
Yeah. And I have a purple pet hippopotamus at home in our bathtub.
Four a.m.: A huge blast shakes me so I fall out of bed and onto the cold wood floor. Elsie has already shot up, pulled her shoes, and grabbed her bag of who-knows-what. Probably some of those poisonous knives that'll melt your face off if you get splashed with enough of it. Or something really nice like that. I strap my knife to my arm, pull on my boots and a jacket, and hop up. Naomi is already up, and if I'm guessing right, ready to move. Elsie opens up the door. At exactly the same time, Falcon opens the door across the hall, making them almost knock heads. At any other time, I would laugh. I take a deep breath as we run down the hallway. No, we're not running away.
We're running towards the danger. Yes, we're crazy like that. You either get over or it, or stop reading. Your choice, no pressure.
Smoke billows from the roof of the local Dealer Quarters. On top of that roof, stands a man dressed completely in black. I wouldn't be able to see him, if it weren't for the fire. An Enigma, I gather.
Running closer, I can see a battle raging on ground level. Two guys, who look almost exactly alike, take on three Enigma. Another man is viciously fighting two more. And I can see someone else in the shadows, although I can't quite make out whom they are, fending off two. Even though their effort is overwhelming, I can see it's a losing battle. I squint to see if I can make out some of the shadowy figures. Most of them are young-ish men, with a few women scattered about. One of them has dark hair running down her back, and the distinctive bright red lips that just strike up recognition. And then, it hits me: The Enigma woman who attacked Donnie and me. I cut her pretty deep with that poison. I mean, it should've taken her more than a few days to heal- shouldn't it?
"What're ya doin', kid! Get outta here!" One of the identical men yells.
Kid? I'm not a kid, thanks for asking. Not if I have to deal with this crap, along with other issues in my oh-so exciting life. I let out a huff.
Falcon comes into view, battle face on. "Been a while, guys," he says to the two men while immediately side-kicking one of the Enigma they were battling.
The Enigma grunts. She speedily launches an attack in response. The Enigma woman throws a dagger at his head, her psychotic. It barely misses his head. Yep, it's definitely her, I'll tell you that.
I feel a rush behind me. That little sixth sense that most people seem to have is screaming at me that someone is watching. I pull my knife out of its sheath. My muscles tense. I swear there's someone standing behind me. I quickly spin around, just to be greeted by no one.
"'Sid, behind you!" Donnie yells.
I look over my shoulder. A fist meets my face, slamming into my nose. Blood gushes down my face. I wipe what I can, and quickly regroup.. I've been in a lot worse shape, so this is nothing.
I put up my guards. I spit some of the irony blood out. And now for the real fight.
