Chapter 49: Going the Distance
Neither Henry nor Crystal says anything to each other; it's not like they really could because they are pushing their bodies to the point of total exhaustion trying to put as much distance between them and their former base… and Fiona. It's not an easy run through the woods either, having to avoid tripping over roots and ducking under low-hanging branches. They stumble and nearly face-plant into the dirt several times, but they manage to hold onto one another to prevent this from happening.
Eventually, their legs hurt so badly that they have to stop. Crystal leans against a tree to prevent herself from falling over and Henry stumbles over to a rock before collapsing on top of it. They huff and wheeze from having to make such a frenzied and impromptu escape. Blood rushing through their head and their bodies, attempting to compensate for the sudden increase of "running for your life."
The only sounds around them are their laboured breathing, as well as the birds and a few other animals chattering and going about their business. It felt so normal and calm, which is what Storybrooke was supposed to be like. The serenity of the area and lush surroundings were two of the reasons that Crystal had left New York in the first place and had planned to move here. It was as if in its own little world, untouched by the chaos of industry and big city life. However, the curse had completely destroyed the idyllic image and turned it into Sin City. At least, there was still some natural areas that had been spared and if provided them with much-needed cover.
"N-Not exactly how I imagined we'd spend Friday night," Crystal pants heavily while managing a small smile.
Henry shoots her a look of anger and annoyance. He grinds his teeth, unable to contain his emotion.
"Just trying to ease the tension," she mutters.
"Not the time," he barks. "Because if you haven't noticed, we've lost magic, Belle and our base of operations!"
"Whoa Henry, take it down a notch and breathe Man. I feel the same way but yelling at each other is not going to help."
The teen author inhales again before calming his body down.
"You're right, I'm sorry. It's not your fault… I guess I was just looking for someone to blame."
"It's not your fault either. We were blindsided by Fiona and her being able to catch on so quickly. I was sure the clone we made of you would have made her think that you'd given up on breaking the curse and we'd have time to do more… to find our family."
"At least… at least Belle got away," Henry adds. "Who knows what might have happened if Fiona had gotten to the house first?"
Both shudder at the thought.
"But the question is, how do we find her? If she's out in the woods with nothing, no doubt she'll die of exposure or thirst."
"Well, we're not exactly equipped for the woods either," the author moans, holding out his backpack. All they had was his storybook, his pen, Belle's copy of Her Handsome Hero, the list they'd made, and a bottle of water. Henry gazes up towards the trees, noticing that daylight was slowly fading. Despite living in this town his whole life, he knew never to venture too far into the woods lest he become lost and they became even more difficult to navigate at night. He remembered doing a few hikes with his mom, Regina, when he was younger, but since she was always so busy as the mayor, it was a rare occasion. His adopted mother was not a woods person and even when they did go on these hikes, she always kept him within earshot to ensure he was safe and they had things like water, hiking shoes, and a compass to keep them on track. The one time he and Archie went out into the woods alone, they ended up falling into a sinkhole, which was really a cover for whatever the Evil Queen had been hiding down there at the time. He did know a few things about the woods, taught by his bandit grandmother and Robin Hood, that moss grew on the North sides of trees and to always mark your path to know where you've been.
He spies a sharp rock on the ground and scoops it up. He goes to the tree Crystal is leaning against and marks the tree with an "X."
"We should try to get back to the city," he says. "If it gets dark, there's no way in hell we'll be able to find our way out."
"Plus, with the temperature dropping, we'd get hypothermia easily," she nods in agreement.
Henry checks the tree for moss and the two begin trekking North, stopping every so often to mark the trees or share sips of water between the single bottle of liquid they had. They don't speak to each other, lost in their own thoughts. The silence is deafening on their ears, despite the sounds of wildlife around them; they both feel lost in a void, navigating blindly back to the city ruled by the Black Fairy… where she had the most control and could make anything happen. Where they could be jumped and mugged by some random street gang or run afoul of some drunk bikers, living the dream.
"Do you think that once we get back into the city, we should go back to my room at Granny's? Crystal asks as Henry marks another tree. "I totally forgot to pay her for that. I hope she wouldn't mind me paying for a few more nights."
"I guess so since the penthouse at the hotel is out of the question."
"Definitely."
The two are silent for another stretch of time, the light becoming grayer and grayer with the setting sun. They prayed they'd be able to reach civilization before darkness completely consumed the forest.
All at once, the sounds of birds and other animals are drowned out by horns honking, sirens wailing, engines revving, people shouting, and other miscellaneous sounds heard in Stygian, a crime-ridden, thrill-seeking metropolis. In the distance, they can see the flashing colourful lights blinking beyond the tree line. Both let out a sigh of relief as the haze of dusk was overtaking their surroundings. Never had Crystal been so grateful for the noise of drunken, angry people.
Henry and Crystal come out of the trees in what looked like an abandoned parking lot behind some condemned buildings. Neither of them wanted to know if these were components of Storybrooke that were meant to be destroyed to ensure this scar of a city remained and cut through some of the alleyways between the hollowed-out structures, trying to get a sense of where in Stygian they were.
"Before this crap comes to an end, maybe we should invest some money in a map of this place?" Crystal suggests as they climb over another fence. The noise is getting louder and a plethora of flashing lights are up ahead.
They finally step back into the chaos of this crummy city. People are hurrying along the sidewalks towards wherever their greedy and likely intoxicated minds desired, cars are stuck in a deadlock on the streets, bikers are smoking and drinking in front of various outlets, and various prostitutes are standing on street corners in revealing clothing in the hopes of catching someone's attention for a fun time and a few bucks.
"Wonder which way will lead us to the Storybrooke area?" Henry ponders. They pick a random direction and begin walking.
It's then that his stomach growls aggressively. He realizes that he hasn't eaten since this morning. Crystal feels the same way, and the hiking had drained them of a lot of energy.
"Want to grab something?" she suggests.
Henry nods.
The two drifting individuals find a food truck parked on a nearby street corner. No doubt doing this illegally, the two pay for a hot dog and a burger, some fries to split between them, along with bottles of water.
They sit on a nearby bench and eat in silence, watching the city nightlife rush past them in almost a blur.
"You know, this used to be my life in New York," Crystal mutters, chewing on her hot dog.
"Mine too," he nods.
"Oh, that's right! I forgot that you and Emma technically lived in New York for a year," she remembers.
"Yeah."
"That must've been fun."
"It was," he admits. "It was nice to be normal and forget about curses and stuff for a while, but it wasn't real."
She nods in agreement. "I'm pretty sure my life in the city, wasn't real either. Suppressing my magic, denying who I was."
"It just sucks that we're back in the smelly life of big cities when neither of us asked for it."
Just then, a group of what look like gang members walk past them. Neither looks up from their conversation or their food, but one of the passersby notices them and recognizes one of the faces. He lets out a snarl and immediately charges at them. The other members of the group are confused at his sudden change of course.
Crystal has little time to react when Henry is yanked up by his shirt collar by some leather jacket-wearing thug. All their food goes spilling everywhere and the young teen is forced to look into the eyes of someone he'd already encountered.
"Remember me kid?" he hisses, his breath stinking of cigarettes.
It takes Henry a minute to gather himself, but he does recognize the sunglasses and the fake gold tooth. The only difference is that there is now a large black bruise on his forearm, in the shape of something long and skinny.
He swallows.
"Do you remember me?" he snarls.
"Y-Yes," he manages to say.
"I think it's time for a little payback. Don't have your rich daddy here to protect you."
"He's not my dad!" Henry snaps, even though that hardly matters at the moment.
"Whoever the hell he is, no one hits Double D and leaves unscathed. Maybe your girlfriend would like a show."
Crystal feels herself being grabbed from behind as several of the other gang members grab her arms so she can't interfere. They are a lot shorter than her but just as strong. She immediately begins to twist in their grip, hating of having to watch as this drunken jerk beat up a fourteen-year-old boy.
"And maybe we can shake that cash out of you," he adds, reaching into his pocket for some kind of weapon.
The daughter of the Dark One sucks in a breath. She wishes she had her magic right now to make these guys pay and allow her to protect Henry, but she didn't have it. She'd have to rely on other skills, ones she learned from her days on the streets and in the gangs.
She looks to see that one of the guys has one of those fashion chains hanging from his belt. That could be perfect as a weapon. She then twists herself in their grip, just enough that she's able to bite down hard on one of the guy's grimy hands, right next to his brass knuckles.
He lets out a howl of pain, releasing her to nurse his wound.
The lead thug looks over in confusion to see the chick fighting back. Crystal turns and uses her free hand to land a punch on the other guy next to the eye. He lets go and she dives for the chain around on his waist. She rips at it with all her might, taking the guy with it.
"Hey…" he groans, by the sudden pull from this girl. She wrenches at it again, but it's still stuck to him. "What the…"
Fortunately, it was the crappy kind of chain that wasn't meant to stay in one place. Crystal knocks the guy to the ground and finds a gap in the chain. She unhooks it, only to be caught in the cheek by one of the member's fists. The side of her face explodes in pain, but she bites her lip and takes it. She then wraps the chain around her hand and retaliates, getting the guy under the chin. There's a flash of red and the daughter of the Dark One knows she's drawn blood. The thug who punched stumbles back into a light post as another tries to go in for a shot at her.
Crystal unwinds the chain from her hand and swings it at the incoming member. It strikes his cheek and distracts him long enough for her to nail him with a knee to the crotch. When he's doubled over in pain, she tosses him aside.
This entire time, Henry is still being held by the lead aggressor, but when his attention is momentarily distracted by Crystal putting up one hell of a fight, he looks for a way to get out and help. He decides to try something, he reaches forward and pinches the guy as hard as he can, near the soft parts of his upper arms. The leader lets out a shriek of pain and lets go of Henry's shirt, but manages to hit the teen under the chin, presumably by accident. His jaw stings from the impact, but Henry thinks quickly, grabbing the batch of hot French fries from the bench and throws it in the guy's face, causing for him to stumble backwards; confused and ever so slightly burned. But it's just enough for him to bump into another member of the gang, whom Crystal had just shoved away from her. The two thugs hit the pavement, allowing the girl to grab Henry by the arm and hurry down the street.
They turn the corner where the food truck was and race down an emptier street than the others. Neither can think straight as they once again try to put as much distance as they can between them and the unusually short street gang.
They don't stop until Crystal pulls Henry into a dark alleyway, quite a ways down the street. The adrenaline is still pulsing through her veins and the blood is rushing through her brain so much that she's not thinking and is running on pure instinct. When she sees a door with a light flickering above it, she grips the handle and enters one of the buildings.
Once they're inside, she continues to forcefully jerk her surrogate brother down the dimly lit hallway. Henry can hear music playing and an awful smell wafting through the vents. He's still in so much of a daze and shock that he can't utter the words to snap Crystal out of her adrenaline-fuelled trance.
Picking at random, she wrenches open the door of a room and hurries inside. She shuts it and finally takes a deep breath.
Both are panting heavily and blink to bring themselves back to reality. Having run on instinct yet again and to the point of exhaustion, they both feel extremely dizzy to the point that they have to sit down. They are unaware of the colourful costumes that surrounded them along with the various old-looking vanities with lights all around the frames, the kind that old movie stars used to have in their dressing room. Several of the bulbs are burnt out and the counters are stacked high with every kind of makeup product imaginable.
Crystal and Henry finally let the blood stop rushing to their heads and feel the shock slowly fading away.
They look at one another before someone enters the room to see the two sitting on the floor.
"What are you kids doing here?"
Both turn towards the familiar voice and they gasp. They have to blink several times to ensure that they're not hallucinating or have become delirious from all the running.
"Snow…?" Crystal utters before she can stop herself.
Sure enough, those familiar green eyes surrounded by a pale complexion as white as freshly fallen snow and lips that were… not as red as blood, but instead an ugly shade of blue that made the former princess look like she was freezing cold. Her hair as black as ebony was also filled with various forms of glitter. She wore what looked like a cross between a blue bikini and a white corset. She wore blue kitten heels and bangles of various shades of blue around her wrists. In her hands, she held several dollar bills, which almost fell from her hands when she noticed the intruders.
It all looked completely wrong and neither could speak another word, overwhelmed and confused.
"My name's not Snow… it's Icey. What are you kids doing back here? Do you know what kind of place this is?"
It didn't take him more than two guesses to know where they were because based on how his grandmother was dressed, Henry knew that they were either in a strip club or even worse… a brothel.
Both Crystal and Henry's stomachs turn in disgust that the curse had reduced their trusted and loving grandmother/surrogate mother into a woman who must dance exotically for men to get a few dollars. They cannot believe what they are seeing.
It's then that Mary Margret notices the cut and bruising on Crystal's face and her teacher personae kicks back in. She wonders if these kids had just fled from an abusive home or some kind of fight that left them battered and bruised. She takes a few steps towards them, worried that they might get up and leave, but they seem just as captivated by her appearance as she was.
"Are you kids okay? Do you need help? My name's Mary Margret Blanchard."
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