Chapter Seven

Lucy threw everything into her backpack she could. Then she grabbed one of the emptied duffles and put her soft blanket in the bottom and lined the duffle with more food, some feminine products, her sewing kit; her collection of keys and a photograph of her parents. She ran into the hall and bumped into Levy who was situating two backpacks onto her shoulders. Lucy helped her as they headed up the stairs. They got there and Lucy set the second duffle she'd grabbed on the floor. She walked to the roses and took a few cuttings and wrapped them in a dampened rag and put them in the bag along with some of the other plants; flowers and edible alike. She swung it across her shoulders and grunted.

"Trying to make us look bad Lucy?" Cana asked and she rolled her eyes. The last girl entered the gardens when the sound of the front doors breaking sounded; as well as the fire alarm. A warning sound they'd rigged early on. She slammed the door shut and with Cana and Bisca's help blocked the door the best they could. They went to the roof. Lucy put her arm around Erza's waist and helped her.

Topside she ran and grabbed the boards and started moving them into position. As she got it settled; they could hear the raiders yelling and hollering. She looked over the ledge and shook her head.

"How many?"

"Too many but they're about to realize being loud is stupid. And that that alarm didn't just warn us."

"What do you mean?"

"Dragonoids are incoming. Let's go."

"What?"

"We can't…"

"If we're quiet; they'll go for the raiders and the siren." Lucy argued and the girls nodded and started across the plank. She was proud of how well they held it together. When she got to the other side Levy helped her pull the boards across. They started to run to the far ledge to prop them up to get to the parking structure; when the door to the roof flew open. Everyone froze as a handful of raiders came spilling out onto the roof.

"Look here…women." One of the raiders sneered and looked at them like they were the first meal he'd seen after starving for months. All of the men were unkept and appeared unsteady on their feet.

"Leave us alone, and I won't hurt you." Lucy said, sliding the pipe free from her back.

"Bet she's naked under that. It's so tight, and I don't see no pantylines." One of the men leered and she shuddered. Erza swore and Lucy threw her hand up. She motioned for them to get behind her and she nodded at Levy who grabbed the boards and started moving them.

"Knock that off! You all ain't going nowhere!" One of the men yelled and threw something. Lucy stepped back, cocked her arm and swung. She connected with the item and hit it right back at the man who had thrown it. He was surprised to say the least as it hit him. He howled as it embedded in his side. Lucy squinted and gasped. It was an old football that had been deflated and cut down; with broken glass protruding around it like a spurr.

"Shit! Did you see what she did to Clint?"

"You'll pay for that bitch!"

"Yeah yeah…" She tried to sound brave. She heard Levy telling the girls to start across. "I've heard it all before."

"I'mma make you pay for hurting my brother."

"No wonder you're both so ugly." Lucy taunted the male who spat at the roof and lunged. Lucy dodged, her heart racing. Men raced towards the others while Clint's brother focused on her. She made to go left but spun on her heel, jumped onto the ledge and made towards her friends.

"Ah come on!" Clint's brother complained. Lucy took a deep breath.

"Hey assholes!" The men turned as she leapt towards them, swinging her pipe. It caught one guy in the shoulder, the projectile ripping through his flesh like it was tissue paper. He screamed and went down. The men leapt back in caution. She stumbled but caught herself. One of the men grabbed the duffle with the plants and she spun the pipe in her hand, settled it on her shoulder, and pushed it backwards like a pool cue; right into his face as he started to try and climb over the packs to her neck.

He crumbled as the pipe hit its mark, knocking out most of his teeth. Lucy spun, swinging the pipe wide. The projectile made a high pitched whistle that had the men jumping backwards. She could hear Levy encouraging Erza and Cana to pick up their paces. Lucy looked down and saw that the man who'd grabbed her had lost one of their glass balls. She flipped the pipe around and turned; lining it up like a golf club. The men started to run for the doorway for cover.

"Just so you know…I had a golf scholarship!" She said and hit the ball as hard as she could. It tore through the air as she spun and raced for the boards. She was halfway across when the boards shook and she waved her arms. She looked over her shoulders as the girls screamed, thinking the raiders had started to mess with the boards; but it wasn't raiders. It was a gray dragonoid. And not just any one. But a queen. It's wings opened wide.

"Shit! Shit! Holy celestial shit!" Lucy swore and turned back around and started running faster. There was a flap and then the sound of roof debris scattering as the queen took into the air. Lucy waved at her friends to get into the carpark. Queens didn't like it; it was too tight for their wings. As Cana and Levy helped Erza into the concrete structure; Lucy ran by, tossing the plant duffle at Kinana. She didn't join them inside. She could tell by the shadow that the queen was focused on her. She ran for the ledge of the open space parking and the girls screamed even as they watched her duck, barely avoiding claws ripping her in half. She popped up and motioned for them to run.

"Lucy!" Levy screamed and her heart twisted.

"Run! I'll buy you time!" She shouted and twisted as the queen dived for her. The girls screamed but Erza was ordering them to move. Levy tried to fall back but Cana had a grip on her arm.

"You better survive and find us!" Cana called out and Lucy grunted as she was thrown into the wall as the queen's tail clipped her shoulder.

"I promise to try my hardest! Now get out of here!"

Lucy's legs started to cramp as she ran. She had to get away from the car park. Erza and Cana had a plan. Lucy had stumbled upon them strategizing in year one and knew the route that they would be taking. There was a library in town that they had all been keeping tabs on. It had been looted for the vending machines but otherwise left alone. She knew that they had slowly been hiding rations there; just in case. She would try to meet them there.

Growl! The queen's roar vibrated Lucy and she stumbled, landing on her hands and trying to scramble forward.

"Oof!" Lucy grunted as something hit her from the side.

Scrowlll! A orange dragonoid stood over her and she gasped; both from shock and the impact. The queen roared and the fire breather roared back at her, the flames making Lucy sweat. She scrambled on her back away from the two of them and then struggled to her feet. She gasped when she saw the other three orange dragonoids coming up the ramp from the floor below of the parking structure. She ran towards a corner, kicking up between the two walls until she had climbed onto the top ledge and she ran until she hit the wall and jumped, hoping her momentum would let her scramble up into the opening of the structure a level above.

She got lucky and managed to pull herself into the cool darkness of the parking structure. Her breathing was ragged and she threw her head back and opened her mouth; trying to quiet her breathing. She could hear the fighting of the fire breathers and the gray queen. If they were here, she was sure there were some black stingers around. She wasn't sure why she decided to call them stingers, but she was going to work with it. It was probably shock but she didn't care. She slowly got to her knees but she couldn't stand up. Her legs felt like jello.

She knew the adrenaline crash was real; and that she was weak from not having eaten much the past month. But she bit her bottom lip and forced herself to her feet. "I am Lucky Lucy Heartfilia…and I am not a quitter."

She made herself hobble towards the opening and she listened. She didn't hear anything coming up, so she made her way down and she watched as a fire breather's body hit the furthest support column and didn't move. She could hear the fight and it bothered her, but she didn't let it stop her. She made her way to the far exit ramp and listened. She didn't hear anything and headed down. Each level she stopped and listened. For dragonoids, raiders, and any other threat. She made it to the street level when she heard it. The scratching-tapping sound of dragonoid claws on pavement. She climbed up onto the ledge; the trees the city had long ago planted no longer pruned hid her from the street side; not that it would help if the dragonoid on the other side could breathe fire and burn the trees and her down. Instead she watched as a black one rounded the corner.

She wanted to curse her luck. She remembered vaguely asking her dad if they hadn't thought to name her Good Luck Lucy instead of just Lucky Lucy because she had been going through a string of bad luck at the time. Her father had shrugged while her mother had said you have to take the good with the bad to appreciate the good. But right now, right now she'd have preferred only good luck. The black dragonoid lifted its head, sniffing and she shrank down as low to the ledge as she dared to. It tensed, and she waited for it to flare its wings. But it didn't. Then two more appeared and she shuddered. They'd landed with soft whoomps of their wings. They could actually fly with those things. They weren't just weapon deployment wings.

All three lifted their head as one and scented the air. She closed her eyes briefly; calming herself and trying to think of anything that would keep her scent from being laced too heavily with fear. The alien male's face appeared in her mind and she smiled. He was going to be so angry with her. The idea made her lip quirk. She heard the scurrying sound and opened her eyes. The stingers moved in unison racing towards her. She braced for an attack, but it never came. Instead they raced up the ramp and she heard them squawk and trill as they sniffed out the scent they were after.

She leapt down cautiously and made her way out onto the street. The moon and stars were bright; and she made her way down the empty streets. There was no wind tonight; which made the stillness feel oppressive. The bugs sang their songs, and she appreciated it. They let her know that for the moment, no immediate danger was in the area. She came to the intersection where her favorite cafe used to be and she looked over and froze. A militant group stood talking with what looked like the survivors of the raiders who had attacked their dorm.

"There were about twelve women, but they got away."

"What do you mean…they got away?" The militant leader asked. His long black hair was slicked back.

"They'd boobytrapped the front door. An alarm went off that drew dragonoids. We got to the top floor and they'd barricaded the door. We thought we might be able to get to them; but a group we'd left on the ground spotted them crossing the roof on some boards. So they split up and went to get them on the other roof."

"And what happened?"

"Mard…one of them was a monster."

"What do you mean?" The man called Mas asked, tilting his head slightly.

"What he means…" Clint's brother appeared limping and shoving the other guy out of the way. "is she was a real dangerous bitch."

Lucy bit her lip to keep from snickering. "She was in some funny looking jumpsuit and she was swinging a pipe with a black dragonoid thingy stuck in it. She hit Clint's glass bomb right back at him. He ain't doing so good. Then she knocked out Moe's teeth. How is Moe supposed to chew provisions if he ain't got no teeth?"

Lucy pinched herself not to start laughing. Mard didn't find it as funny as she did. He merely glared at the man.

"You all got bested…by one woman…in a jumpsuit…with a pipe?"

"She wasn't fighting right. She was all wild!"

"Of course she was wild." Mard was eerily calm. "She was fighting for her life and the life of her companions. Desperation makes one capable of anything."

"Well while she was fighting us, the others got across to the parking lot; which we don't know why. We saw dragonoid nests in their this winter so they had to have known. But they did anyway. And sure enough a flyer appeared. It carted Cole off of the roof and tossed him to some of its little runts on the ground. He never saw it coming."

"I see…did the flyer kill her?"

"No…she was too quick for it. Got to the roof and ran."

"And her companions." Mard asked and Lucy watched as she shifted. He clutched a book to his chest. As a book lover she could understand gaining comfort from a book, but not on an open street in dragonoid country.

"They got into the structure and split up into two groups. We tried to split up too, but those damn fire breathers got in and chased us!"

"Did you all get anything from the dorm?"

"Well…" Clint's brother looked at his feet.

"Well what?"

"Some fire breathers got in through the door and kinda set the place on fire."

"You….didn't block the door to keep the dragonoids….out?" Mard asked and men all shuffled. "You…idiots!"

Lucy watched as Clint's brother fell to his knees, his hands holding his throat. She could smell the coppery scent of blood. She shivered. Dragonoids would be attracted to the smell and come quickly. She wanted to run but didn't want to draw their attention to herself.

"You all had better find those girls. They survived two years in that dorm. I want to know how."

"Yes sir." The other raiders said and scrambled. Mard and his militant group turned and marched the opposite way. Lucy waited until all she heard was bugs before she crept out from behind the car she'd been hiding behind. She crossed the street and climbed the closest fire escape. She didn't want to be on the ground. She'd take her change when queen flyers. Or even roof jumpers.

Lucy groaned, her muscles no longer capable of moving. She'd gotten half way to the library but she just couldn't make her body do anymore. She sank down in a corner and took off her backpack and duffle. She pulled out a bottle of water and sipped at it. She pulled out the can of strawberry pie filling but put it back in the back. She was going to share that with Levy when they reunited. Instead she took out a can of spaghetti-os and opened it as quietly as she could. She pulled her soft blanket out and curled into it. The night was cold, but she was grateful there wasn't any wind or she'd have to try and find a way inside a building.

The blanket smelled like Growssu. She inhaled deeply and forced herself to eat. Her body needed everything it could get. She closed her eyes but tried not to fall asleep. She didn't want to get eaten in her sleep…or worse….caught by Mas and his men. She'd snooze for a bit, wake up and eat or drink more, and then snooze for a bit. When she'd finished the can, she filled it with roof debris to keep it from rollin around and curled deeper into the blanket.

"Growssu…please…be safe." She whispered into the night. Her eyes drifted shut even as she tried to will her body into keeping them open.

"Do you think Lucy is…" Levy trailed off, looking at Erza. Levy had gone with Erza and half the girls one way to the public library. At first she hadn't been sure where they were headed, but when she'd seen the clock tower, she'd recognized it right away. Cana and her group showed up about half an hour after them.

Most of the girls were now asleep, hidden in the stacks. Levy, Erza, Bisca and Cana were the only ones still awake. Erza looked away at Levy's question, her tense shoulders her answer. Bisca was breathing raggedly trying not to cry. Cana had a deck of cards she was quietly shuffling. She flipped one over.

"The Tower." She murmured.

"What's that mean again?" Levy asked on a sniff.

"Imminent or present danger, upheaval and unexpected change."

"So, Lucy is alive but in danger…right?"

"Her or us." Cana said and shook her head. She drew another card. "The High Priestess."

"Is Lucy royalty now?" Erza asked stiffly. Cana dismissed her with an eye roll. "Means "sits at the gate before the great Mystery."

"I think that means she's alive and Growssu is with her."

"Who now?" Bisca asked and stared in confusion.

"Growssu…right before it all went down…Lucy and I were eating and talking with the alien. He taught us his name in his language."

"If he's with her…she might make it here." Erza muttered and they looked at her. "I may not like him but he brought her back to the dorm."

"Fingers crossed. I don't like the idea of her out there alone." Levy whispered and wrapped her arms around herself. She was scared for Lucy, and prayed for her friend.

Lucy shifted. The wind was blowing now. Which didn't make sense. It hadn't all night. She opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. The wind wasn't blowing. But something was….landing on the roof in front of her. She snuggled into the blanket, as if it would shield her from whatever was in front of her.

She was tired but her hand wrapped around the pipe she'd pulled to her chest the last time she'd come to during her rest. She'd put up a fight or die trying.

The air finally settled and she stared at the…pod in front of her. Pod being a loose term. It looked a little like an air stream trailer and a small hobby helicopter without the blades on its roof. She didn't see any blades anywhere actually. Nor windows or lights. The side slid open quietly and she held her breath.