So So So SO sorry for the horrible chapter delay but I had a bunch of competitions and stuff going on and school and all that stuff. Plus, I'm working on a full fledged manuscript! Thanks so much to anyone who still reads this and I promise that this story will be finished no matter what! Love all of you!
She dove the plane down some and planted the air craft onto the burnt dirt which was singed black. In a flash Amelia had raced out of the plane and outside to where she was met with more and more destruction; dead bodies everywhere, buildings crushed, flames spreading, everything that could devastate showed itself in every possible form. Only one word could describe the monstrosity of the earthly ground; death.
Amelia stared into the pile of rubble where the laboratory had once stood, the air all around suffocated in black smoke. She bit hard on her lip trying not to cry, though in attempt she had bitten down so hard that the skin had broken and her lip had begun to bleed. Franҫoise ran out to Amelia for comfort, but knew nothing would help her now; all she hoped for now was that Amelia would be able to overcome this all and stay high. It was a lot to hope for in such a bleak time, but Amelia was needed and she was strong.
"Franҫoise." Amelia muttered under her breath.
"Oui?" she returned.
"Those fuckers, every single one of them, is going to die. I'll kill them all, just watch me." She started to chuckle some. "And you know what? They'll all spill blood like faucets and I'll laugh. I'll laugh my ass off."
Franҫoise felt her comrade slipping into darkness, her mind cracked. She was such a young country, and being forced to fight through so much could bring anyone to their knees.
"Amelia-san!" Kiku shouted from behind as he ran out the exit of the plane.
He ran to her and grabbed her arm, knowing she needed somebody for comfort, but he wasn't prepared to see her laughing like a maniac.
"I'll kill them all and spill their blood! I'll kill them all and spill their blood! It'll rain their guts and brains and I'll laugh all the way home!" She screamed out as she laughed on the floor, her hair sprawled in all directions. "Die in wrath from sticks and bones! Kill the beasts who take the throne! Kill the fuckers and slit their throats!"
"Amelia-san!" Kiku shouted at her horrified.
"WHAT?!" She shouted back, hot tears falling down her dirt stained face since it had just rolled all over the floor.
She stood up and looked down at Kiku menacingly but fell back down to her knees; her blood shot eyes sending fire. Kiku stared at her with fear; he had never seen this girl, who is normally the one light in this group, fade to hands were holding her head and nearly ripping out her hair. He only had one idea on how to comfert her so he got on his knees, and embraced her tightly.
"Amelia-san. I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear.
He tightened his grasp around her, her hands limp by her sides. He looked at her with a solemn face, hoping she would fight through the nightmare around her.
"Amelia?" He stared at her, hoping for some reaction instead of just the tear stained, moon wide eyes expression.
Her lips quivered, and then she let her head fall on his shoulder. "Kiku…we need to find that portal." Her voice was staggered and breathless.
He gave her a nod of relief and helped her up so she faced everyone: Alice, Arthur, Ludwig, Feliciano, Feliciana, Franҫoise, Francis, and Kiku who kept her up. She had the realization then, one that hadn't dawned on her since she had left Alice for independence. Where there was war, there was turmoil, and with turmoil there would be bonds both created and broken. But here, in this desolate waste of land she saw the bonds created. Two worlds prepared to fight to the death for each other, hand in hand. She couldn't go crazy, not yet.
"Well then what are we waiting for?" Amelia's voice returned back to its determined stature. "We've got to find that portal right? Let's start clearing this crap and find that laboratories elevator shaft or whatever."
She grabbed a large piece of metal with her incredible strength and threw it to the side, the others exchanging looks then joined along except for Arthur who was thinking through a spell of his own. He may not be as skilled as Alice, but he could still do magic if he thought of just the right spell. Then he got it.
"Oy, everyone stand back, I've got an idea." He shouted to the group who was trying to lift the impossibly huge pieces of rubble.
"What?" Alice shouted back.
"Just trust me on this." He lifted his hand and began chanting "Leva in quisquilias" over and over, his eyes glowing bright green and the dust flying in a circle around him.
Everyone looked in awe as he began to slowly lift up all the rubble into a giant vacuum created in the sky out of nothing. When the last pebble was gone he ceased the spell and smiled at the now oblivious land. "Look at that Alice; you aren't the only one around here who can use magic."
What was left was the second floor down in the dirt, but it didn't have its ceiling and the cube farm inside was completely in shambles. Still, there wasn't a body in sight inside.
He gave a cocky smirk, but everyone ignored it.
"What happened?" Alice asked Franҫoise, completely unaware of what he had done.
"Arthur's showing off." She whispered back.
"Oh ok. Nice job then Arthur!" Alice gave him thumbs up, only raising his self-esteem more.
"Well I'm not just any ordinary country you know. I'm pretty great if you ask m-ooph" Francis hit him in the head before he finished.
"Don't inflate your ego yet, we've still got to find the shaft." He scowled, only getting the same face back from Arthur.
Amelia glared at the two as they started to slap each other and split them up as if they were children. "Shut up and let's go."
She jumped down into the hole which was once a room and walked through the rubble until she came to the elevator shaft, a big, metal square in the ground that had nearly collapsed in on itself. Amelia stared down at the seemingly bottomless pit and smiled. Kiku stared at her and questioned why she was just staring, then he realized.
"Amelia there's no way in hell that you can survive that fall!" He shouted, attempting to grab at her shirt, but she had already jumped while shouting "what's gonna kill me now?!"
Everyone watched in horror as her body disappeared into the black hole, but it wasn't nearly as surprising as when Kiku followed.
"Mon Dieu it was suicide!" Francis screamed as he looked down the pit, but then frowned at what he saw.
The two were holding onto the thin ladder that was welded to the side of the wall. She looked up at Francis and gave a wink. "Come on down!" She hollered.
"They're fine guys." Francis told the others as he went around and carefully grabbed onto the ladder which had broken some the first few bars but was fine with the rest.
"The rest of the group looked down preparing to go down, but Amelia shouted down to them. "Best if y'all stay up there so we don't accidentally get everyone killed a'ight?"
"Bollucks I'm going down there!" He grabbed the ladder and held onto it right above of Francis who was holding it above Kiku who was holding it above Amelia.
"NOBODY ELSE!" Amelia shouted sternly. "I need someone to watch over the ship ok? If we aren't up within two hours come down and look for us, but otherwise stay put and cloak the jet to stay out of sight. Understood?"
They all looked at each other and Feliciana shouted back "one and a half hours!"
With that they began their slow descent down the ladder into the darkness, the only lights being the few bulbs that signaled the next floor. Though, each floor was completely desolate and gone, the entrance to the elevator usually blocked off by the ceilings collapse. Amelia tensed every time they climbed next to another closed entrance because she knew in the pit of her heart that people were still trapped in there, probably dead.
The floor was so down low that it took them nearly twenty five minutes to climb down safely to the last floor where the elevator had dropped and smashed to pieces, blocking half of the entrance off. They slid through the top part that actually hadn't collapsed and, finally, they were on the last floor where Amelia had last seen the portal. The hallways were dim with rocks falling down and heaps of wall on the floor. Still, the ceiling was made of the the strongest metal known so the ceiling hadn't collapsed in on itself like the others had done. They walked through, wires sparking and walls cracking.
"This place reminds me of Iggy's bedroom." Francis shivered at the sight of the ferocious infrastructure.
"How the hell do you know what his bedroom looks like?" Amelia questioned, making the two grow white in the face.
"Uh…well I have no idea what in God's name he's talking about. He's never been in my room I can assure you that!" Arthur stammered.
Kiku gave out a giggle. "Sure." He whispered under his breath.
Finally they all reached the doorway that Dr. Schafer had opened for her team once. She jiggled the knob, but the door wouldn't budge without its key.
"Well now what?" Francis asked.
Amelia pulled out her baseball bat and, with all her strength, hit the doorway over and over, barely making a dent. "Well that didn't work."
"How the hell do you keep your baseball bat hidden so well when you wear practically nothing?!" Arthur asked.
"I dunno; magic of American pride?" She said it as if he had just asked a stupid question.
She looked at the door and remembered that Dr. Schafer had used a voice command. "Uhhh America, guests France, Japan, and England?"
The scanner scanned the three and, since all the men had the same DNA as their counterparts, the door swung open, a blow of dust coming out in a violent gust. She looked inside at the once colossal room to find only scratched walls and broken…well…everything. She looked to her left and saw a familiar face with blood all over his body, Dr. Schafer.
She crouched to his body, his eyes still wide open. She bowed her head in respect and prayed. "I'll avenge you, I promise." She whispered as she shut his eyelids.
The guys looked with remorse as Amelia prayed for him. Kiku felt estranged since he wondered how, after everything, she still believed in a God. Amelia stood up and looked straight forward to where the massive portal was and nearly screamed. It was gone.