LI: The Silent City
The four travelers raced down the slope toward Clover, anticipation of urban comforts fueling their energy and their grinning faces.
"I can't wait for a hot bath!" Lucy shrieked.
"And a good meal!" added Nasu.
"Fish!" Happy suggested.
Erza declared, "We're doing nothing until we get my strawberry cake!"
They froze at the outskirts of the city, something in the air gradually causing their smiles to falter. Windswept and panting, the four companions stared at the buildings for a long time, trying to figure out what about them provoked such uneasiness in their chests.
It didn't take long for them to figure it out.
"Why," Lucy whispered, "is it so quiet?"
Indeed, Clover was virtually still, completely devoid of the busting commotion that was so often associated with cities. There were no voices carried by the breeze; no uneven cadence of footsteps on cobblestone roads; no carriages pulled by squeaky wheels; no rumblings of a train. It was so absolutely still and silent that even Lucy's hushed voice seemed loud.
Erza drew her sword. "Something's not right. Follow me."
The foursome tentatively started forward as the last rays of the setting sun disappeared behind the mountains. The light lacrima mounted to the tops of streetlamps illuminated the city with a cool white glow, casting everything in sharp relief. This is the perfect setting for a horror movie, Lucy thought with a shudder, closing her fist around Leo's key and edging closer to Natsu. Even the Dragonslayer seemed unnerved by their surroundings.
Erza and Natsu came to an abrupt halt ahead of her, causing her to run into the latter. Lucy was just about to protest, but she stopped when she caught their wide-eyed, horrorstruck expressions. Heart pounding, fear clogging her throat, Lucy followed their gaze.
Then she saw the bodies.
Lifeless people littered the streets, looking as though they'd all dropped dead where they stood. They sat slouched against benches or buildings, sprawled on cobblestones, thrown perilously over ledges. Even inside windows Lucy could see people slumped in chairs and resting on counter-tops.
She covered her mouth with her hands, stifling a scream. "Wh-wha - ?" Lucy stuttered hysterically, but she couldn't even get the words out.
Erza rushed over to the nearest body and pressed her fingers to the man's throat. Her eyes widened with hope. "He's alive!" she called out. "He's still breathing! He's alive!"
"No way," Natsu said, running over to another person and doing the same. "This lady's okay too! And her kid!"
Lucy followed their example and searched for a pulse in the neck of a man slouched on the bench. Her breath caught when she felt a throb under her fingertips. "He is too! What do you think happened to them?"
"I don't know, but it's definitely something magic-related," Erza said, her eyes flashing dangerously. "When Master Makarov told me about the distress call in Clover, I never imagined it would be this severe."
"Wait," Natsu interrupted, "you knew about this?"
"No. I knew there was trouble in Clover, but I had no idea what expect. He didn't give me any specifics," Erza snapped. She looked around with a frown. "I don't know what caused this, but we better be careful. Cover your mouth and nose as best you can in case it's airborne."
Even as she said it, a mask appeared on her face. Natsu pulled his scaly scarf over his nose, and Lucy grabbed two bandannas from her pack for her and Happy. Thus prepared, they began wandering the network of streets in the city, pulling people out of the roads and searching for any clues as to how this phenomenon might have occurred.
"How long ago did Gramps get the call?" Natsu asked, his voice muffled by the scarf.
"About two days before I left. I've been traveling for three," Erza answered.
"Five days," Lucy murmured. "These people have been asleep for almost an entire week."
Happy, who had been flying around the perimeter looking for other conscious people, landed on the ground beside them with a grim demeanor. "I didn't find anybody," he dutifully reported, "but there is a tower on the far side of town, and there's a light coming from a few of the windows."
"Good job," Erza praised. "Keep flying, and we'll investigate."
Happy nodded and took off again.
Solemnly, the other three headed toward the direction that Happy indicated. They walked for a while until they came upon the tower he'd been referring to. It was made completely of stone and very tall, even taller than Lucy's tower, and there were five windows in the front side all glowing with a soft yellow light.
The three gaped at the tower with unreserved shock, because there was one little detail that Happy had forgotten to mention.
"It's carved out of a mountain!" Natsu exclaimed.
The tower did seemed to grow and form out of the side of the tallest of the mountains surrounding Clover. There didn't seem to be any identifiable path to the mountain, other than to directly ascend by scaling the craggy surface.
"Now what?" Lucy huffed.
"We need more information," Erza said ferociously, setting her shoulders but looking slightly green. "We're going to climb that mountain and see exactly what's going on here." She took one step forward, toward the tower on the mountain.
Suddenly the earth shifted beneath their feet like liquid, knocking them flat on their backs. The cobblestone streets rippled like a rug being aired out, and Lucy found herself ripped from her companions and thrown down the street in the opposite direction. She clawed at the ground until her fingernails were sore and bloody, but it did no good. "NATSU!" she screamed. "ERZA!"
She heard Natsu shout her name back, but it was faint and far away. With one last excruciating jolt, the ground settled and became solid again. Lucy struck the ground hard, knocking the air out of her lungs. She struggled to push herself to her feet, surveying her surroundings. Natsu and Erza were nowhere in sight; she was in narrow, dark alley. The stones at her feet were damp. "Help!" she called, listening as her voice echoed through the silent streets. "Natsu, Erza! Where are you?"
Lucy whirred around when she heard soft chuckling behind her and the clack of heels. She saw someone shift in the shadows of the alley. "Who are you?" Lucy cried. "Show yourself!"
"Bossy much?" said a snide woman's voice, but with another sharp clack she stepped into view. She had short white hair that swirled atop her head like a halo. Her dark eyes were sharp and slanted, her face pale and pointed. She wore a white dress made of feathers with a plunging neckline and wings in the back, as well as black tights with equally feathery shoes.
Lucy's heart raced and her breath hitched when she saw a glimmer of gold in the woman's hand, and she heard the soft tinkling of metal brushing together. The woman didn't have to tell Lucy who she was. Lucy already knew.
"Hello, Lucy Heartphilia," the woman smirked. "My name is Angel."
