Chapter 31: The Underrealm
Misery slid all the way down a round metal chute that took her deeper and deeper underground.
As she fell a certain question was on her mind, what's at the end of this tunnel?
soon enough she got her answer.
She landed face first onto a mattress. It wasn't memory foam or anything and it had a couple stains but it was soft enough to break her fall so she really had nothing to complain about.
She got herself up on her feet before assessing her surroundings. Misery had managed to step on a tree root that pushed her straight through to some sort of underground cavern, with only a single pathway that lead elsewhere.
"Well, one things for sure I can't go back the way I came, so I guess the only way I'm gonna find my way out of here is if I go forward and find out what's down here." she told herself.
With that she figured she'd beat around the bush for long enough. She rifled through her bag and found a helmet that held a candle, she grabbed a match and lit the candle before putting the supplies back in and put on her bag and started down the secret passage.
The cavern was made entirely of rock and was nearly pitch black, ideal location for bats, but Misery knew Scaredy was afraid of the dark, so maybe not.
As she pressed deeper she saw a doorway across from a gorgeous looking stream. Her only option was to jump across some stepping stones. Which she knew doing it in high heels was gonna end badly, either slipping, falling, breaking an ankle or knowing her misfortunes all three at once!
"I'm taking off the boots, this jumpsuit shrinks if it gets wet." she proclaimed, it was a smart choice because her outfit was plenty revealing enough already.
She made her way across the steppingstones in her bare feet carefully. enough to make it without falling in, once she reached the other side she placed her footwear back on.
"I had no idea how many obstacles could be in the way in a cavern this deep underground." she said half surprised.
Misery had finally made it to the gateway, it looked heavily locked so she knocked on it. Afterwards a small slot in the gate opened with a pair of eyes peering through.
"Quem e voce? Que esta fazendo aquí?" a male voice spoke.
"Sorry but I don't speak Portuguese." Misery answered.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" they repeated in English.
"I'm just a weary traveler who Stumbled upon your secret entrance and I was wondering if you could help me find the way out of here because I am in a really big hurry." She said choosing each word carefully to play on the gatekeepers good side.
"Well the only other way out of here is through our secluded oasis. So the only way out is through here, but I'm afraid that I can't let you through here without a password."
"Please it's really important someone's life is in danger!" She pleaded on her knees desperately.
"Permit me to ask but whose life is in jeopardy? Give me the full details and I might just be willing to let you pass through." Misery could tell he was serious so she divulged everything to him.
" A 13 year old zombie girl who was sent away from her home to live with us because of the zombie/witch war, she was kidnapped by a witch and she's being held captive against her will I don't know how much time she has left."
"A zombie? Sent away? Live with you? Well no wonder you need help come on in." he said inclined quickly opening the gate.
As Misery entered she saw that the gatekeeper and the rest of the citizens of the hidden sanctuary were zombies.
Misery had found an underground society populated by zombies only about 100 or so but a society nonetheless. As she walked through the village all of the zombies don't stared at her as if they had never seen a banshee like herself before.
As she tried to make her way through zombies all gathered around her curious as to why she would visit them in their hidden inner sanctum.
"Who are you?" Asked one stranger.
"What are you doing here?" Added a female.
"Why are you here?" Asked another. And Misery was bombarded with questions from scared zombies with curiosity. She decided to explain.
"Hello, um.., my name is Misery and I just need to pass through your home to get to the Lake of Zombies to save my friend before she is murdered by the witch armada." She told the crowd nervously since she wasn't a big fan of being in front of large audiences and she wasn't sure if she could call Zaí a 'friend' per se, but she was in peril so personal feelings weren't really appropriate for that situation.
Immediately after finished she enabled curious murmuring from the crowd.
"You're friend is a zombie like us?" a bystander asked.
"Y-yes."
"What was her name?" asked a female zombie.
"Her name was Zaí." she answered. "She was sent away to live in my home in Gloomsville with me and my friends."
"Zaí?" She said alarmed, almost making Misery jump.
"That's my daughters name!"
Misery was surprised by that. "Come closer." She asked, The zombie woman did it she said in case until she was in view she was middle aged around 40 with long dark brown hair, she was missing her left ear and had a large scar on her throat, no doubt from a witch and her right cheek was completely missing and she wore hip hugger green capris with grey trainers that had definitely seen a bit of wear and tear paired with a white T-shirt under an aubergine hoodie.
" If Zaí is your daughter then you must be her mom?"
"My name is Zerelda, I sent her away to protect her from the witches. I thought she would be safe." she finished with tears in her eyes.
"She was, we were all taking good care of her, she was kidnapped when we weren't looking!" Misery tried to explain.
"I'm sorry, it's just, I've already lost my other children to the witches, my marriage is over and if I lose Zaí, I'll have nothing left." Zerelda finished.
"I didn't know, I don't even know anything about your whole war against witches." She said half panicked.
"Well if you want to know the whole story we will have to take you to the elders..."
Misery knew this was something she was going to have to listen to, so she reluctantly agreed.