Nightfall - Chapter 3
"Well", the tall, muscular bandicoot answered, frowning at Coco, "what do you think I'm doing here? Come on, let's get outta here before someone comes along and makes me your fellow prisoner."
Coco slowly stood up, not exactly trusting her numb and shaky legs. Crunch, although nervously keeping an eye on the hallway, offered her his hand. Standing properly Coco stepped out into the corridor, clutching Crunch's hand firmly.
"It's okay Coco, everything's going to be okay ..." the male bandicoot assured, gave his younger friend a short hug and stroked her matted hair.
Coco closed her eyes and buried her face in Crunch's chest as she started sobbing once more. "He's dead ..."
Crunch nodded slightly. "I know ... and trust me, Cortex is going to pay for it. But for now we have to worry about ourselves." With that he carefully shoved the sobbing girl away from him and took her hand instead. "You're not hurt, are you?", he asked.
Coco shook her head no.
"Okay, let's go then." Crunch cautiously made his way down the gloomy hallway, peeking carefully around every corner they passed before allowing Coco to follow him further. Leaving the leadership to Crunch Coco regarded her surroundings. Apparently they were in some kind of labyrinth deep down under the earth, on the bottom of Cortex' castle. Every now and then they would hear a soft moan or a scream, coming from one of the countless cells they moved past. Coco soon stopped counting them, realizing there were simply too many prisoners Cortex had taken.
Being deep in thoughts she didn't pay attention to what happened around her so that she suddenly bumped into Crunch who was scanning a side corridor for possible enemies.
"Coco!", he angrily barked. "We'll never be able to escape without being noticed if you don't concentrate!" Just as Coco opened her mouth for a reply Crunch's ears perked up; he brought a finger to his lips, indicating Coco to be quiet.
"Someone's coming", he whispered. Both bandicoots looked around them, searching desperately for a possible hideout. Coco finally spotted an empty cell, its door unlocked.
"Over there!"
Crunch didn't reply but grabbed her hand and dashed off toward the cell, quickly shoving Coco inside and closing the door behind them.
Coco held her breath when she heard footsteps coming closer. She pressed her body close to the wall. Crunch, however, positioned himself directly by the door, pressing his ear against the thick wood while his glance rested on Coco.
She looked up to meet his glance.
"I won't let them hurt you", Crunch growled.
Against her will Coco flinched at this remark. It was the kind of thing Crash would always say to her when she was afraid. She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry again. "Don't make promises you can't keep", she murmured quietly, but Crunch was too busy to hear her.
The footsteps grew louder, every step bringing the unknown enemy closer to the bandicoots' hiding place.
Then the steps reached their cell. Coco felt cold shivers running down her spine. Trying to calm down she pressed a hand on her mouth and bit her finger, the pain wiping away everything from her mind. Crunch raised his metallic arm, his hands clenched to fists, ready to strike.
The footsteps passed the cell without stopping.
Coco let out a sigh of relief, as did Crunch. The fugitives waited for the person to leave the hallway, then they left the hideout and continued to sneak through the dungeon.
"Whoever just crossed our way", Crunch started, "has probably been instructed to look after you, which means that your escape will be detected soon. See the staircase over there?", he asked and pointed to an even darker corridor. Coco nodded, nervously biting her lip. "If we manage to go through the door at the top of the staircase we're almost safe", Crunch explained, still keeping an eye on their surroundings. "The door is kind of an secret entrance to the castle ... and it's not even guarded."
Coco frowned at the thought of Cortex making such a grave mistake.
"Which, on the other hand, isn't necessary since the door is blocked by heavy rocks on the outside ... and that's not the only problem." Crunch waited a few seconds, then continued: "The room right at the bottom of the staircase is the lounge of the guards, so we won't be able to sneak up the stairs without being discovered ..."
"Oh great ...", Coco uttered sarcastically.
Crunch raised his hands in defence. "The only other exit I know would be the main entrance, and believe me: we'd have a hard time dealing with all the lab assistants there, and I don't think that you're in the right condition to -"
"Okay, fine then", Coco interrupted. "We'll try your way. Do you at least have a plan?"
"Yeah, and it's pretty simple. We run up the staircase and I'll try to open the door as fast as possible." Crunch shrugged his shoulders. Before Coco could protest he had already pushed her into the hallway.
"Remember, we have to stay unseen as long as we can", Crunch whispered in her ear. Scurrying as fast as they could both bandicoots made it up the staircase. Coco darted a glance over her shoulder whereas Crunch threw himself against the heavy door with all the strength he could muster. The door burst open but the rocks on the other side didn't move, still blocking the bandicoots' escape route.
"Crunch!", Coco cried out. Three lab assistants stood at the bottom of the staircase, staring at the bandicoots through lifeless eyes.
Crunch lifted his metallic arm and began smashing the door, hoping the blows would push the rocks away from the door. Coco watched in horror as the drones slowly approached them, their arms streched out, ready to seize the bandicoots any moment -
"Yeah!" With one last hit the door flung open, the rocks rolling away in every direction. Crunch and Coco quickly jumped over the obstacles and ran as fast as their legs could carry them into the near forest.
Darting a last glance back Crunch noticed a small figure standing behind one of the windows of the castle, its eyes sparkling in the darkness. Crunch couldn't help it. He stopped in his tracks, crossed his arms and glared at the well-known silhouette. "We'll meet again doctor", he shouted, "and then you will pay for your deed!"
Coco, however, kept on running through the cold night, kept on running away further and further from this nightmare. She just wanted to go home, even though she knew that, without her brother being around, no place on this earth would ever feel like home to her again.