I Don't Know What To Name This Chapter So I'll Call It This.
The group looked down. The shaft seemed endless, a continuous void of black and dust. A vortex, that was ready to suck in anyone who took his or her chances with the termite eaten pathway that lined the inside of the shaft and lead the way into the depths of night.
Mira looked down the long shaft and clutched the wooden rail in her fists tighter. Unfortunately, because of 200 years of rot it crumbled in her hands and she would have fallen had Ian not grabbed the back of her grey fleece.
"Please be careful…" Ian warned her as he pulled her away from the edge. "I would prefer it if you didn't fall."
She nodded, her breath catching in her throat at her near encounter with Old Bony. As they traversed their way down the rickety structure, she held Ian's hand tightly. When she thought about it later, she realised that she had probably been cutting off the circulation, but he hadn't said anything about it. For that she was thankful.
Although she wasn't totally happy with the way that events were going, and the hostility that seemed to be thick in the air in the group of Hunters, she knew that Ian and Shaw knew what they were doing and not to question their judgement.
Ben's father was going first. She wasn't happy with that. Though she would never admit it, she liked the old man. He had character, more than Ben did anyway.
To tell the truth, she didn't get the whole Treasure Hunting thing. She only came this time because Ian told her that he could be gone for around a month this time and she didn't want to damage the apartment permanently. Plus she would have missed him too much. But now that she looked down the walkway and followed the winding path with her gaze she was beginning to think that maybe she should have risked the apartment.
There was a cracking sound and everyone in the party flinched and looked down to see if it had been from under their feet. Then everyone looked ahead, realising that the sound had come from in front.
"Watch your step," Ben's father's voice echoed sarcastically almost. Mira looked down and saw the plank of treacherous wood disappearing down the shaft.
Ian looked back at her. She couldn't quite read his expression but she knew that he was worried about her… somehow.
She squeezed his hand tighter if that was possible and nodded confidently to try to assure him with a confidence that she didn't possess herself. But it seemed to satisfy Ian and he nodded once in return and looked back ahead.
The group continued further down the pathway, weaving and winding, ducking under rope-like cobwebs that stretched across the width of the walkway.
Then, without warning, there was a huge sound that echoed and seemed to go on forever. Mira couldn't differentiate between the real sound and the echo.
"OH GOD SHAW! NO SHAW!" she heard a familiar voice shout. It was only after a few seconds that she realised that it was Ian's. Once again she watched a shape disappear into the darkness.
"Shit," she said quietly. That would really piss Ian off, she knew. Now he would turn into the psychotic bad guy. She knew him long enough to be able to tell. She was worried. She knew that she might be on the Bad Guy's side, but it didn't matter to her, because she loved the bad guy.
Right then and there Mira decided that all her life she had been far too safe and she was going to do something about it right now… From now on she would live on the edge. However not literally, as right now this would be a fatal mistake, but she was talking metaphorically.
"Keep moving," she heard a voice say, but she was too wrapped up in her own thought of living life on the edge to pay attention to who said it.
They moved on and before long she heard another loud creaking and snapping sound. This time she felt her stomach fall away from under her. She knew what she was standing on was falling. Once again she felt Ian pulling her up and she found she was standing on the thin edge of the walkway that was now hanging down into the shaft vertically. It was beginning to part company from the wall.
Somehow, her and Ian ended up safely on the elevator that hung down near the centre of the shaft. There was some form of commotion further down below where Mira had seen Ben and Abigail disappear.
Victor, who was on the elevator pulley system, lowered the group down. They stopped opposite Ben and Abigail.
"Get on, " Shaw said, a dangerous edge to his voice.
"Ian… It's not worth it," Ben said through pants, shaking his head trying to dissuade Ian. Mira knew by the manner of Ian that no one could do that now. Probably not even her.
"Do you honestly think that any of your lives are as important to me as Shaw's was?" Ian asked sceptically. Ben looked at his feet knowing the answer. There was silence in the group and no one dared move a muscle. The tension that hung in the air could have been cut with a knife.
"Get on," Ian repeated making a gesture towards the elevator.
The group obeyed and got onto the lift.
Okay, I know that this ficlett was kind of pointless but I wanted to show that Mira wasn't a complete Mary Sue or someone who just sat back and watched. And I wanted you to know that she will stick with Ian through everything as she says with the thought but she loved the bad guy so…
Just trying make a point. The next one will have more fluff I promise.