Before the Mushroom War
Innocence Lost
"Marceline? I... I told you to stay back! What... What are you doing here?"
I desperately questioned her as I struggled to get back standing, still fighting my aching body. I feel so weak, so drained... She just stood there at the doorway, covering both of her ears with her hands, seemingly frozen by what's going on around us. She was trying to block out the noise... The terrible noise... The haunting screams of desperation from the people below us and the sounds of bullets whizzing in the distance almost drowned out my voice. It's just too much to bear... I have no idea what I should do... but still... I... I have to do something!
I weakly shambled my way towards her and promptly fell down to my knees beside her, "I'm going to get you out of here!" I shouted urgently at her. She was unresponsive as her gaze was firmly locked onto the burning city in the distance... "Marceline, we can't stay here! We have to get out of here!" She was still unresponsive... Damn it! "Marceline! Wake up! WAKE UP!" I desperately grabbed onto her shoulders, snapping her out of her horrified trance. "Louis... I... What is..." She nervously whispered. "Listen to me, Marceline... Listen to me... We cannot stay here anymore! We have to get out of here!" I weakly muttered as I helplessly clutched onto her shoulders. The deafening sounds of the screaming civilians below us and the sounds of falling bombs and whizzing bullets were echoing throughout the previously silent night, haunting the little girl nervously standing before me.
"Marceline, I need you to stay calm... I need you to stay calm and always stay next to me, okay? We're going to get out of here!" With the tears still going down on her soft cheeks, she could do nothing but simply nod at me in agreement. "We have to get out of the roof! It's too dangerous!" I weakly exclaimed as I grabbed onto her cold hands and slowly lead her to the nearby fire escape. I could feel her tightening her grip around my hands which were still shaking uncontrollably at the horrible sight around us. We were both terrified out of our minds... I didn't know what to say or what to think anymore as a numbing sensation coursed throughout my entire body. All of the deafening and painful noise around us is just drowning out what's remaining of my thoughts. I simply swallowed my throat out of fear and walked towards the fire escape at the end of the roof, dozens of questions were buzzing around in my head. Why here? Why now? What about Hannah? Will we be able to... survive this?
When we arrived at the fire escape, I turned around to see Marceline, her eyes were tightly closed with fear, as she stood there holding onto my hand. I knelt down in front of her and softly whispered to her, "Marceline... We have to go down the stairs and find a way out of the streets, okay? It's too dangerous being out in the open..." She opened her tear-filled crimson eyes and stared hauntingly at me. "Is... Is... everyone... going to die?" She asked me, a cold sting in my heart. I didn't answer as I couldn't do anything but simply looked away from her... "Don't turn around, Marceline... Just look at me... and keep your eyes on me..." I instead instructed her, much to her apparent confusion. But she immediately understood me when we flinched as another sudden thunderous sound was heard from the crumbling city behind her. She then looked directly at me, her crimson eyes filled with emptiness and anguish; it was as if she had lost all hope and already gave up... "Everything's going to be okay, understand? We just have to get out of the open... Get out of here... Now hold my hand as tightly as you can and stay close to me, got it?" I ordered her to which she silently complied as we immediately began to descend the metal staircases of the fire escape. Hope's the last thing we need to lose right now... We just have to make it... We just have to make it out of this goddamn mess...
As I climbed down the ladder first to make sure if the coast was clear in the alleyway for Marceline, I realized it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe. I felt like I almost lost my grip from the metal bars of the ladder and lifelessly fall to the ground below me. I didn't know what came over me... The sounds of the deafening screams were a constant reminder of what was going on... And it was horrible... I can't get them out of my head... As I finally finished climbing down the ladder and arrived at the ground below me, I was holding onto my own sore hands. I glanced at them, they were still shaking uncontrollably with distraught. I couldn't stop it, no matter how hard I tried. It felt like these hands weren't mine anymore...
"...Louis?" Marceline's voice came from up above, causing me to immediately snapped out of my self-induced trance. I looked up to see that she was already arriving down the metal ladder, carrying her worn out satchel with her. "I... I told you to wait for me..." I weakly muttered as she hopped onto the ground in front of me. "You were taking too long..." She coldly answered. "We have to get out of the streets..." I told her, hiding my shaking hands from her. She was unresponsive... she was clutching onto her satchel as she kept gazing at the charred skies hanging above us, the thick clouds accompanied by the glow of the burning city. "Marceline!" She finally turned towards me, her eyes holding back the confused tears...
"Then... uh... We have to go back... to the sewers..." She softly muttered as she pointed towards the nearest manhole cover, right in the middle of the street amongst the panicking crowd of people. This is going to get difficult... "...Are you going to be alright?" I softly asked her as I gently placed my hands on her shoulders. "I'll... I'll be fine." She answered, without even looking back at me. "Marceline, please look at me..." I said softly. She slowly raised her head and looked at me, her haunting crimson eyes slightly touched my heart... "I need you to be brave, Marceline... I need you to hold onto my hand and whatever happens, do not let go of it... I need you to stay with me at all times, you understand? DO NOT get separated from me, okay?" She didn't answer... She simply nodded at me, before turning her gaze somewhere else... I gently grabbed onto her cold and shaking hand to which she immediately tightened her grip. I breathed slowly, trying to calm down my panicking nerves before I finally said to her, "Okay, let's get out of here..."
As we walked through the alleyway, the sudden sounds of distant footsteps could be heard. I immediately stood in front of Marceline as we slow down our pace, trying my best to hide her behind my back as the footsteps were quickly getting closer... After what happened at the camp, I knew that I cannot simply trust anyone... I knew desperation could make anyone do anything to survive... And somewhere inside me, I knew that I, myself, may have to resort to it too... I have to think about Marceline... As the footsteps were getting louder, I saw three men whom were wearing very thick clothing quickly ran through the alleyway, thankfully ignoring both of us. Their faces were full of fear and dread... An old woman and a young woman carrying a small child were closely following the three men as they eventually disappeared from our sight. They weren't a threat to anybody. They''re just trying to survive... Like both of us... "We have to hurry... We have to get to the sewers..." Marceline whispered from behind me. "Stay close to me... Don't let go of my hand..." I warned her yet again as we both hurriedly made our way to the manhole cover. The streets were everything but empty with everyone running around in their own directions. Some were boarding up the abandoned buildings and hunkering down, hoping to outlast the War themselves. Others were running towards the safety of the military outpost, hoping that the soldiers and Peacekeepers droids to keep them safe as they evacuate themselves. I could do nothing but wish them all the best of luck...
Marceline and I had to circle around the enveloping crowd just to avoid their desperate brutality... And it still wasn't enough... Bodies were forcefully being squished against us as everyone frantically pushed each other, trying to get an edge over the others as they escape from all of the chaos in the city. I had to gripped onto Marceline's hand behind me as tightly as possible just so I wouldn't lose her in the violent crowd. "Have you seen my son?!" A young blonde woman suddenly grabbed onto my jacket out of nowhere. I tried to walk past her but she only tightened her grip around my jacket. "Please, you have to help me find my son! Have you seen my son?" Her desperate voice was almost drowned out by the panicked screaming of the crowd. This is wasting our time... "I'm sorry! I haven't seen your son!" She wouldn't loosen her grip on me...
"Please, let me go!" Using my free hand, I was forced to push the young woman away from me without even uttering a single word to her. "Please, has somebody seen my son?" Her voice behind me was quickly silenced by another thunderous boom from the city... Goddamn it! Out of nowhere, a scrawny bearded man's body was suddenly thrown against me with great force, accidentally causing me to lose my grip on Marceline's hand. "Somebody help! Please somebody help me!" The man yelled loudly, his screams almost made me go deaf. None of the crowd stopped to even help him as he was being trampled by the crowd's frantic stampede.
It was then I realized that the man had only one leg and that his crutches was scattered on the ground in front of him. I couldn't bear seeing the poor man being trampled by the crowd... "Get away from him!" I yelled to the crowd as I immediately knelt down beside the man, grabbing onto his shoulders and helping him to stand back up. As the man clutched onto my shoulders for support, I picked up the pair of rusted crutches from the ground. "Listen to me! Stay out of the road! Just get the hell out of here!" I shouted at the man as I handed him the crutches. "Thank you... Thank you so much!" He yelled as he nodded at me in an understanding manner before he quickly limped away out of the streets and towards the subway system of the town. I hope he could make it...
Wait... Wait a second... I quickly surveyed the crowd surrounding me as my eyes suddenly lit up with horror... Marceline! Where's Marceline? "Marceline?!" I yelled as loudly as I could as my weary eyes frantically darted to and fro in the midst of the crowd, trying my best to spot the little girl. Where is she? Goddamn it, where is she? "Louis?" I heard her voice, muffled by the screams of the crowd, but I know it's her... I turned towards where I thought the voice came from only to see the little girl was standing on top of the manhole cover in the middle of the road. But... there... there was two figures standing in front of her, holding her hand and trying to pull her away. A man and a woman, I think... What the hell are they doing to her?
I quickly forced my way through the crowd, trying to make it towards her. "No, I'm not alone..." I could hear her soft voice in the distance. "Why are you alone here? There's no one coming for you..." I heard a woman's voice accompanying Marceline's voice, much to my surprise. Bloody crowd! I have to get to her! "No, he's coming back for me... He told me to wait here..." Marceline, just hold on for me... "He's not coming for you, my dear... You have to come with us! We can take you to safety..." This time, it was a man's raspy voice talking to Marceline. I could see them pulling Marceline away... I have to get to her! To hell with it! Now it was my turn to push everyone in the crowd away as I quicken my pace just to get to her. "Louis!" She cried out in relief at the sight of me "What are you two doing? Get the hell away from her!" I yelled angrily at the couple next to Marceline whom was greatly surprised to see me. "Don't you dare touch her!" I waved my fists threateningly at them both to which they immediately backed away. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! We thought she was alone!" The man exclaimed as they both immediately merged into the crowd and out of my sight.
"...Are you alright, Marceline?" I asked her, my voice filled with relief, as I gently grabbed onto her shoulders and embraced her. Her body was still shaking... "I... I'm... okay..." She softly whispered to me. Thank God... "We have to get out of here..." I told her to which she nodded at me in agreement. I mustered up all of my strength and quickly slide open the lid of the nearby manhole. "Get in there, Marceline... Hurry..." Without a single moment of hesitation, she immediately leapt inside the darkness below as I used the metal ladder instead to descend. Thankfully, everyone seemed to ignore us entirely as we used the manhole to escape. I could see some of them were going into the subway tunnels instead and some were starting to barricade themselves in the abandoned buildings- Huh? Wha- Wait a minute... Amidst the crowd, I thought I saw someone vaguely familiar... Is that... Is that... the teenager with the piercing blue eyes? He was fast approaching me through the crowd, his face was full of anguish and dread as he stared directly into me... "Louis! Come on!" Marceline called out to me from below in a soft and scared tone. I glanced back and saw the young lad was all but gone... What was that? It... It was nothing... I quickly shook my head and told myself that I was seeing things again... "Close the lid behind you!" Marceline quickly added as I was already halfway down the ladder. With the full view of the burning and crumbling city from the manhole, I simply shut my eyes and looked away as I slowly closed the lid. Another thunderous sound could be heard from the city as I sealed the metal lid of the manhole above me...
"Do... Do you think we're going to make it, Louis?"
"Do you... think that everyone will die?" Marceline's silent voice slightly echoed through the darkness as I reached the end of the ladder and arrived at the sewers. I didn't know what to say to her... I didn't know what to think anymore... I couldn't think of anything else but only Hannah... Oh God, I'm so bloody worried about her... The thought of not knowing anything about her condition is literally tearing me apart from the insides. My hands were still shaking uncontrollably as I stood there motionless... "I... uh... I... Everything... Everything will be fine, Marceline..." I tried my best to reassure her, but how could I when I can't even see her clearly in this thick darkness. "That's what he said too..."
"Wha... What did you say?" I couldn't hear her properly because of the deafening screams and the thunderous explosions up above us. Why can we still hear all of the chaos? When will it end? "Huh? Nothing... I didn't say anything..." She muttered silently, much to my confusion. Okay then... I simply shrugged it off. "So... what... What should we do now?" Marceline stuttered, trying to change the topic. I didn't reply immediately... In all honesty, I never thought about it further than that. I just wanted to get out of the open and somewhere hopefully safe. But... I still need to find Hannah... What if Henry's already at the checkpoint? He gave me his word, after all... But is it wishful thinking to hope that he will still come back? I just don't know what to do next... And what about Marceline? Obviously, she couldn't come with me even if Henry came back. It's just too dangerous now... I need to get her out of here...
But how? Unless the only option available is... the military checkpoint, maybe? "We're going back to the checkpoint..." I finally put out my idea to her. "What? Why? Isn't it dangerous to go back there?" She softly gasped out of shock. "Don't worry... If I had known those Peacekeepers droids, they would keep the place safe.. Trust me..." I reassured her as I smiled weakly at her. If she could see my smile... "Okay then... I trust you..." Marceline's whispered to me before I could suddenly felt her cold touch on my hand. "Stay close to me... And don't let go..." Marceline's soft voice slightly echoed throughout the blinding darkness as we head towards the military checkpoint through the sewers. I'm not sure if the soldiers and the Peacekeeper droids could hold their ground. They are a pretty sturdy bunch though, so maybe they could... Whatever the case maybe, I hope to God that I'm right... For Marceline's sake...
We were running in the darkness, quickly turning left and right along the tunnels of the sewers with the sounds of rushing water nearby accompanying the echoes of our footsteps. I can't hear the screaming from above anymore... Is it over? Or is it just that we're at an empty place? I don't know but I just hope we can get there before all of the trucks leave... Marceline was dragging me around the sewers with the strength and speed you would not expect from a little girl. I still have no idea how she could see so clearly in this blinding darkness... We continued to go through the unending darkness of the sewers for what felt like hours, but I guess it must've actually been just a few minutes... There was a haunting silence surrounding us as everything fell quiet... Wait... What was that sound?
Apart from the rushing water and our echoing footsteps, I thought I heard something entirely different... It sounded like it was... a loud whistling sound! No... "Look out!" My disheartened voice echoed throughout the sewers as I suddenly pulled Marceline backwards while she was still running. I immediately backed away from where we were standing. carrying Marceline along with me. "What...?" It was the only word she could utter before my fears were proven correct as enormous cracks were suddenly forming on the ceiling of the sewers. Before I could do anything, the very road from above quickly fell down on us as a combination of stone and concrete was caved into the sewers. Instinctively, I pulled Marceline away from the direction of all of the fallen debris, shielding her with my body as best as I could. I felt my feet slipping away as I accidentally fell backwards onto the ground, forcing me to let of Marceline's hand. "NO!" I heard her screaming in the distant darkness before the deafening sound of giant concrete rocks immediately came crashing down right before us...
I slowly opened my eyes to see that I was lying on the cold floors of the sewers, shielding my entire body from the falling debris for the entire time. It was immediately quiet again as the dust slowly began to settle around us. Thanks to the overwhelming presence of dirt, I was desperately coughing for air as I squinted my eyes trying to make out what was happening around me, slowly getting back onto my knees in the meanwhile. It was then that I saw the entire sewer tunnel we were in suddenly caved in right before us. If it wasn't for that deafeningly loud whistling sound to warn us of the impending explosion, I'm pretty sure that we were going to be buried by all of that junk... Those bombs must have weakened the entire city's structures. But... does that mean we're close to the city? And closer to the checkpoint?
"Hurry it up! Get these people loaded up into the trucks!" I heard a familiar voice shouting from somewhere up above me alongside the loud engine sounds of military trucks and the sounds of deafening gunfire. Judging from that burly voice, I could tell that it was the Major from before. I quickly looked up and realized there was a few cracks above us, the truck engines and the burly voice sounded liked they were coming directly from behind those tiny cracks. We're here... Finally, we're here... Now we just have to get up there... "Marceline, we're almost there!" I excitedly cried out as I struggled to stand back up onto my own feet. My eyes darted to and fro as I surveyed around for Marceline in the thick and dusty darkness surrounding me. There was no signs of her... My heart began to quicken its pace as I frantically searched for her. Where is she? Where is she?!
"Louis! Help!" My eyes lit up with shock and worry as soon as I heard her echoing cries for help. I then turned my head towards the source of her cries of help only to see nothing but the edge of the sewers' drain. What the? Where is she? Unless... Oh, no... No... "Marceline!" I called out to her as I struggled to stumble my way closer to the edge of the drain. I immediately peered over the edge of the drain, hoping that I was wrong. No... But much to my shock, I saw Marceline was dangerously hanging over the murky waters by a rusted metal pipe. "Oh my God! Marceline, are you alright?!" I knelt down, more like lifelessly dropping down out of tiring pain, beside the edge of the drain. She looked up at me as she was hanging from the metal pipe, her watering crimson eyes were filled with terror as she held onto the metal pipe for all of dear life with both of her hands. "Louis!" She cried out for me, her terrified echoing voice slightly haunted me and made my heart literally skipped a beat.
I immediately outstretched my hand towards her as hard as I could, trying to reach the little girl. "Take my hand! Hurry!" I desperately cried out to her. I saw Marceline slowly letting go of the pipe, freeing one of her own hands. Using her free hand, she outstretched it towards mine... Come on, Louis... Come on... I... I can't reach her... She's too way far down... "I'm gonna get you out of here!" I screamed at her, trying to reassure her. But... What am I suppose to do? Wait... What the hell is she doing? She lifted up the satchel from her shoulder and promptly extended it towards me instead. "Marceline?" "Please save... my mother's brooch first..." She grunted as she held up the satchel towards me using her free hand. I'm not going to leave her down there any longer... I quickly grabbed onto her worn out satchel and promptly pulled it upwards, bringing Marceline along with it. With one of my hand firmly grabbing onto the satchel she was holding up, I used my other hand to immediately try and reach for Marceline's free hand, which was holding up the satchel. "Come on, Marceline..." A sudden snapping sound immediately struck fear into my heart. My eyes lit up with shock as I stole a glance at the rusted metal pipe Marceline was holding onto, only to see that it was breaking in half...
"MARCELINE!"
I cried out for her as I made one final desperate reach for her hand. No! No! I can't get her! I can't fucking reach her! As the rusted metal pipe snapped in half from her weight, Marceline lost her balance and fell from the edge of the drain and right into the murky waters below, my hand narrowly missing hers. Her horrified face as she fell into the murky waters still haunted me... Her satchel was still in my hand... Damn it! "Marceline!" I cried out as I peered into the rushing waters, trying desperately to find her... Where is she? Goddamn it, I couldn't see anything pass the thick darkness, let alone the very murky waters. Oh God, where is she? Where the fuck is she?! My eyes frantically darted to and fro in the water, trying to find any possible signs of her... Wait...
Wait! There she is! Her small head suddenly emerged into the surface of the murky waters as she immediately took a deep breath of air. I was slightly relieved that she was fine but she was still helpless against the currents of the rushing waters. I have to get to her! I dropped her satchel onto the bank of the drain and quickly took out my jacket before I quickly ran forward into the darkness as fast as I possibly could, desperately trying to catch up to Marceline by following the bank of the sewer drain. When I was sprinting with all the stamina I could muster, I noticed something was different at the end of the drain... It was then that I realized a large gaping metal maw stood at the end of the drain, which leads immediately to a straight drop into an unending abyss. It was getting clear to me that's where all the water and worst, Marceline, was heading directly into. If I don't get to her in time, then Marceline would surely drown in there or something much worse...
Damn it! It keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it? Just hurry it up, Louis! You have to save her! I desperately quicken my pace as I tried not to lose sight of her in the water. Don't lose her again... When I was fast approaching as hopefully close to her as I possibly could, I immediately dived into the murky waters below without a single moment of hesitation. A loud splash could be heard as it echoed throughout the sewers... "Marceline!" I cried out desperately as I struggled against the harsh currents of the murky waters to frantically swim closer and closer to her. I have to get to her! Marceline's head was repeatedly bobbing up and down lifelessly on the surface of the murky waters, she was practically helpless against the strong currents... I could hardly breathe properly as I was desperately swimming to her, trying not to lose myself against the currents. Come on, Louis... You have to get busy swimming right this instant or get busy drowning... Eventually, I realized that we were getting closer and closer to the gaping maw at the end of the sewer drain and I'm not even making any progress at all in saving her... Come on, Louis! What the hell are you doing? You're not going to die like this... You're not going to make her die for this... Do it for her...
I rose to the surface of the murky water and took one last desperate gasp of air before I quickly swam towards Marceline with all the energy I had left inside of me. I forced myself to give everything for her... I had to save her! I outstretched both of my hands as hard as I could, trying to grab her in anyway I possibly could. Almost there... Come on... Come on! I have... I got her! I grabbed her by the arm and immediately pulled her closer to me. She was out cold... but she seemed mostly alright to me, hopefully... I tried my best to keep her head above the surface of the water as long as I could. We were moments away before we reached the gaping maw and before the fall right into the dark abyss. I was frantically panicking and my heart rate felt like it was going nuts inside me... My eyes desperately darted everywhere for a way out... Oh God, I need a way out... But where? And how? But as if on cue to answer all of my prayers, it was then that I finally saw it... An emergency metal ladder leading right back up to the sewer bank. I was thankful at first but then I realized the ladder was near the edge of the gaping maw. It means that if I fail to grab it, it could literally be the death of us... Nothing's ever so simple... Come on, upper body strength... Don't fail me now!
I slowly swam closer to the wall with Marceline firmly in tow, preparing myself for the upcoming pain. When the ladder was fast approaching directly towards me, I've readied myself and reached out for the metal ladder. "AARRGGHH!" My grunts of pain echoed throughout the sewers as I wrapped my elbow onto the last bar of the metal ladder for all of dear life... My body was dangling helplessly right at the edge of the gaping maw as the blinding darkness inside it seemed like it could open up and engulf me where I am. I was holding Marceline with my other arm as tightly as I could. I won't be letting her go anytime soon... I glanced up the metal ladder leading towards the sewer bank above us. I'm almost there... Thank God... I suddenly heard the sounds of Marceline coughing for air. I turned to her and saw she was slowly opening her eyes. Her crimson eyes was immediately surprised to see me. "Louis..." She whispered softly as she weakly smiled. "You actually saved me..." "That's what friends are for, am I right?" I smiled at her as I was still holding onto the ladder. "Thank you..." She gently whispered to my ear as she began to carefully clutch onto my body. I stifled a weak chuckle as I looked back up the imposing metal ladder. I turned to Marceline and softly smiled, "I think it's time for us to finally leave this place..."
"So, you're really okay then?"
"Yes, I'm fine..." Our voices echoed throughout the tunnels as I slowly but surely climbed up the metal ladder through the darkness. Marceline was tightly clutching onto my back until I finally reached to the top of the ladder and the bank of the sewer drain. Marceline promptly hopped from my back and onto the solid ground as I immediately fall backwards onto the ground, thankful that it doesn't try to drown us. I was desperately panting for air as I laid there, struggling to breath normally. "Are YOU okay, Louis?" I heard Marceline's voice nearby, full of worry and guilt. Why does she have to feel guilty? "I'm good... I'm good... You don't have to worry about me..." I gave her a thumbs up sign as I forced a grin on my face.
As I slowly sat back up, I weakly exclaimed, "Okay... Let's get to those trucks..." "We can't..."She muttered depressingly. "What... Why?" I almost jumped in shock but I was too tired to move... "That's... That's the only way back to the checkpoint..." She explained as she pointed towards the cave in of debris at the other end of the sewer tunnel. "No... No..." It was the only thing I could say... "Isn't there any other way?" I frantically questioned her. "There is... But we have to go back somewhere... somewhere in the town..." Her voice increasingly grew more dreaded and frightened. "Marceline... I..." Before I could say anything else, the sounds of explosions and gunfire from up above immediately silenced me. My heart sank as I finally knew what she meant. Damn it! Why is it still happening? Why?! When will it end? Another deafening explosion could be heard from up above, causing the sewer tunnels around us to shake violently and small amounts of dust to drop on us.
"AH!" My heart almost skipped a beat to the sudden sound of Marceline's terrified screams. I then saw her running from me and frighteningly curled up against the wall, using her hands to tightly close her ears so that she can ignore the noise... The terrible noise of War... I didn't know what to do... I simply gazed at her with sheer sympathy, not knowing how hard it is for a lonely little girl to witness a destructive War... I could see her sitting all alone over there curling up against the wall, her body was shaking uncontrollably, from the cold of the murky waters and from the fear caused by the War.
I softly sighed to myself as I struggled to quickly get back up on my feet. I shambled my way towards where I last placed Marceline's worn out satchel and my brown jacket. I then slowly made my way to Marceline's side before I simply dropped down next to her, too tired to do anything else... She was surprised to see me as I covered her up with my jacket, hoping that it could prove some degree of warmth for her. "Close your ears, Marceline..." I instructed her. "Ignore every scary sound as best as you could... Ignore it all. Except this..." I whispered to her as I promptly opened her mother's musical box, immediately flooding the sewer tunnels with the hauntingly beautiful tune. "Whatever you do, concentrate on this... Just ignore everything else and concentrate on this..." Her frightened crimson eyes kept staring at the musical box laid before her as it repeatedly play its enchanting tune. Her body stopped shaking ever so slightly as I sat next to her, my eyes slowly closing... I realized I never had my sleep yet... And as the sounds of battle could still be clearly heard raging from up above, I tried my best to simply ignore all of it as I slowly- I slowly... Drift to... sleep...
"Your friend... sounds like a... wonderful person."
"Yeah, Simon also knows how to play a few musical instruments... Maybe he can teach you how to play the bass. That is what you want, isn't it?" I cheerfully exclaimed as I slowly walked through the darkness of the sewers. "Yeah! I want to start a band that will change people's lives!" Marceline excitedly yelled, her voice echoed through the sewers. Only her voice... Nothing else... "Then it's a plan, Marceline! I can't wait to hear all of your music!" I weakly chuckled. "Okay, Marceline... Which way?" I asked her as I paused at a crossroad in the sewer tunnels. "Okay... Um... Turn left!" Marceline, who was riding on my back, directed me to the correct pathway. After what she's been through, I decided to carry her for the rest of the way. It's the least I can do for her... She had to leave behind her cloak and ragged outfit after being drenched in the murky waters though. Now I have to hope that my jacket can warm her up a bit instead.
"So what kind of songs will you be playing?" I asked her as I blindly followed her directions. "It's no fun if you already knew all of the songs... But all I can tell you that it's going to knock your socks off!" She exclaimed excitedly. "My socks are ready to be knocked off!" I yelled out loudly, the echoing only made it seemed more funnier as we both laughed. She... She kind of reminded me of Hannah when she was younger... "We're almost there..." Marceline finally said as she pointed towards a metal ladder leading to a partially opened manhole at the end of tunnel. I immediately quicken my pace towards it until we finally reached the metal ladder. "Okay... Marceline, I need you to listen to me..." I told her, my tone of voice quickly changed...
"I need you to close your ears as tightly as you can... I need you to close your eyes and never open them until I told you otherwise... Whatever you do or whatever happens, I need you to hold on to me as hard as you can, understand?" I coldly instructed her. "Okay..." She muttered softly to herself. "Ready, Marceline?" She didn't answer back because she was already closing her ears. "That's a good girl..." I took a deep breath before I started climbing the metal ladder. She tighten her grip around my neck and shoulder as we slowly but surely ascended into the surface. Thankfully, the lid of the manhole easily slid open as I carefully peered outside. I was surprised to see we were in some kind of hidden alleyway. There was a light and calming rain coming down on us as I saw the city's fires was still raging on in the distance. I also noticed that there was no more sounds of planes in the skies and thankfully, no more thunderous sounds of the bombs... It's finally over? "...Do you see anything?" Marceline chimed in from behind me. "It's time to get out of here..." I replied as I climbed out of the manhole with Marceline. Wait... I think- I think I know this place... It was one of the alleyways we passed when we were going to that boutique. It felt like that happened ages ago... But that means the checkpoint is nearby... I just have to go through a few blocks on the road, I think... "Marceline, close your ears and never open your eyes..." I warned her yet again to which she simply nodded as I slowly made my way out of the alleyway. As we reached the streets, we- Oh my God...
The scene was a stark contrast to what I saw from the alleyway. Buildings were blown wide open and fallen debris was scattered around the roads. "Louis?" "Close your eyes!" I snapped at her as I forced my way to the checkpoint. Oh God... There were burning buildings everywhere... Where is everyone? The streets were completely devoid of any life... What the hell happened? We passed by what seemed to be a military truck, overturned and crashed against a nearby building. Could it be one of those evacuation trucks? I shudder to think so... I- I can't breathe... The smoke was too thick! "Marceline, hold your breath as long as you could..." I told her, not even sure whether or not if she heard me. I could see shell casings around the floor of almost literally everywhere. I don't even need to know where they came from... I noticed a black jet was hanging at the edge of one of the buildings, clear signs of it being shot down. As I stumbled my way across the streets, I was shocked to see an old woman appearing out of nowhere from the thick smoke. Her eyes were completely empty and her face was emotionless as she slowly wandered past me, ignoring both of us. Her entire face and both of her hands were bleeding profusely...
There was a distant rumbling sound like something heavy was falling apart before a loud thumping sound could be heard. "Agh! Fucking hell! Help! Somebody help me! Somebody!" A distant voice echoed across the night as I slowly made my way towards the checkpoint. "Somebody! Oh God, ANYBODY!" I could feel Marceline's body started to shake uncontrollably... "...Louis?" "I told you to close your ears!" I yelled at her as I forced myself to move forward. What if there's no more evacuation trucks at the checkpoint or what if the evacuation is about to end? We have no way of clearly knowing but whatever the case is, we can't afford to lose anymore time... "Oh God! Oh God! Anybody, please help me!" It wasn't long before I couldn't even hear his voice anymore...
I just left him behind; Just like that... But the really strange thing is... I don't feel anything... My heart felt nothing at all... Shouldn't I be devastated to see all of this total destruction? All of this suffering? Am I... Am I no longer human? No... I give up... I couldn't do this anymore... As I looked up into the thick clouds hanging high above me, the burning city's glow lighting up the once silent and dark night. I'm sorry, my Mother, I'm sorry... If you're watching me, please forgive me... I'm truly sorry... The light rain quickly washed away the lifeless tears on my face as I desperately coughed for air, struggling to even took another step forward. But I know I have to move on... For Marceline... For Hannah... As I turned my gaze forward, I could finally see the familiar holographic roadblock of the checkpoint at the end of the road. "We're almost there, Marceline..." I immediately quicken my pace towards the bright light of the hologram, leaving the town behind me...
"Get these last trucks loaded up already! We're leaving this place behind!" I heard someone shouting as we finally arrived at the entrance of the checkpoint. To my incredible relief, it turns out that the checkpoint still stands... The holographic roadblock suddenly dematerialized as I could immediately see the familiar Major was ordering his soldiers into directing people from the refugee camp and some civilians from the town into what I presumed, was the last three trucks. Without a single moment of hesitation, I immediately rushed towards one of the nearest military trucks. "Hey! Over here!" I called out to one of the soldiers standing next to the trucks and directing the remaining people inside.
"Is this the evacuation truck?" The soldier promptly nodded and quickly explained, "Yes sir, but the roads are too messed up right now. So we're going to take a different path which leads straight into the neighboring city of New Tristram and directly towards the safety of the underground bunker known as Beautopia." "That's... great." I exclaimed happily and filled with pure relief, still gasping and panting for air. As I went closer to the truck, the soldier quickly raised his hand to stop me from approaching the truck. "But I'm sorry to tell you this sir, but these trucks are for women and children first. There will be other trucks coming here anytime soon to evacuate you-" "No! It's not for me! It's for her..." I immediately interrupted the soldier as I turned around revealing Marceline on my back. "...What?" Marceline who was still shaken after what we've been through seemed so shocked at my sudden outburst... The soldier quickly fell quiet and nodded at me before immediately pointing towards the back of one of the trucks. Without stopping a beat, I quickly approached the back of the truck and gently let Marceline go onto it as other people were slowly getting into the truck.
"...You're leaving?" She asked me in disbelief. "Yeah, I still have to go and find my wife..." "Can- Can I come with you?" She asked again, her crimson eyes seemed hopeful. "No... It's just too dangerous for you..." I finally told her, much to her sheer disappointment and sadness. "But... But I can help!" Marceline muttered, her eyes began to water. "No, it's not that... I just don't want to see you get hurt..." I had to explain it to her as carefully as I can. "Then... Then why did you come all the way here with me?" She asked, seemingly confused as tears began to roll down her cheeks. I smiled weakly at her as I gently wiped the tears from her cheeks and said softly, "I needed to make sure my best friend got out of here safely..." "But friends are supposed to stay together, you can't just leave me alone!" She exclaimed in disbelief, tightening her grip around her satchel and my jacket. "Marceline... I..."
"Don't leave me alone, Louis! You told me to always stay close to you! You told me-" "I know!" I finally raised my voice at hers, immediately silencing her. "It's- It's just too dangerous for you, Marceline... And I don't want to see you get hurt. So please understand, Marceline, I-" "What if I wait for you instead? You're going the same way as I am, aren't you?" She exclaimed as she shook her head, denying what I'm trying to say to her. "Please, Marceline... Do not wait for me... Promise me that you won't wait for me at New Tristram or anywhere else... I want you to promise me that you'll go directly to Beautopia and be safe..." I desperately pleaded at her. But she didn't answer immediately... "Marceline, please promise me..."
"Okay, Louis... I- I promise..." She finally answered back without even looking directly at me, hiding her hands behind her back before she tightly clutched onto her worn out satchel. "That's a good girl..." I softly smiled at her as I gently patted her head. She raised her head and smiled sweetly, her piercing crimson eyes gazing directly into me, "I understand, Louis... But will I get to see you again?" I'm... I wasn't sure what to answer... After all that happened here... After what I saw, I just don't know... But I still grinned on nonetheless, "Of course you will, Marceline... Friends will always see their close friends again no matter how distant they really are, as long as they always remember each other..." She suddenly outstretched her right hand's pinky finger in front of my face, much to my pleasant surprise.
"Then YOU have to promise me, okay? Promise me that we will see each other again... You can also bring your wife if you want to..." I was baffled by her sudden request. I'm not sure if we would even get the chance to see each other again... But I stifled a weak chuckle as my pinky finger finally met hers. "Okay, I promise, Marceline... Maybe you can even meet my son..." She seemed so eager and happy as I made my promise to her. "...What's your son's name?" She suddenly said softly as she smiled sweetly at me. "His... name is Fi-"
"Sorry sir, but we're almost out of time. We have to move out! You better finish saying your goodbyes right now." The soldier informed me as he tapped my shoulder, interrupting me before I could finish. "Wait! Louis, you forgot your jacket..." She shouted at me as she waved my tattered brown jacket to me. "Keep it..." I whispered to her as I heard the sounds of the truck's engine slowly starting up. "Well, I guess this is it then... for now... Remember your promise, okay?" She stifled a sad but happy expression across her face. "I will... As long as you keep your mother's brooch safe, okay?" I exclaimed softly as I slowly backed away, making room for the truck to move. I was slightly surprised to see that it was the last truck out of the three to leave the checkpoint. "I will! And Louis... Thank you... For everything..." She smiled sweetly at me as she clutched her drenched satchel tightly. "It's been really nice meeting you, Marceline..." The truck started to slowly move forward, leaving me behind. "Goodbye!" Marceline waved goodbye at me as the truck was slowly getting farther and farther away from me. I stifled a weak smile as I waved back at her until she was finally gone from my sight. "Good luck, Marceline..."
"Louis? Is that you, Louis?"
A familiar gruff voice called out from behind me. "Louis!" I turned around and saw... It was Henry! He was wearing a dark blue raincoat while carrying a black umbrella. "For God's sake, I've been looking for you all over the place!" He yelled at me as he quickly approached me. "Henry! You came back!" I sighed out of pure relief. "What the hell happened to you, man? Your face is all freaking messed up and your clothes are all drenched. Haven't you heard of an umbrella or a bomb shelter or anything?" He lectured me on how to survive as he proceeded to shelter me from the rain with the umbrella. I didn't quite listen to him... I'm just glad that he actually came back for me... "Henry! The War-" I cried out... "Yeah, I know all about it. It's a big fucking mess! That's why we have to hurry!" He interrupted me as he handed over the umbrella to me.
"Hurry? You're talking about to Hannah, right?" I exclaimed in confusion. "Of course to Hannah! Where else could we be going right now?" Henry started to walk away from me in a hurried manner, leaving me standing there with the umbrella. "But the bombs... Are you sure-" I immediately followed him dutifully, trying to catch up with him. "Haven't you heard, Louis? Mercy Hospital is completely untouched by the bombs! That's why we have to get to her now!" He urgently shouted back at me as he approached the same military jeep from before, which was parked neatly behind him. Is Henry correct? Is it actually true? Mercy Hospital is untouched by the bombs?
Oh thank God... Thank you, God... That means she's still alright... That means Hannah is still fine... I excitedly nodded at him and quickly rushed towards the side of the passenger's seat. I quickly closed the umbrella before promptly opening the passenger's door and entered the military jeep. I simply threw the umbrella at the back seat before I finally paused myself and took a long and very deep breath. I made it... I finally made it. And I'm really tired too... "We're going in a different way though... We have to circle around the city instead. Unless you want to go through the burning city?" Henry said sarcastically as he entered the driver's seat of the military jeep. I simply chuckled weakly... Why am I laughing?
I then remembered something when I realized it was only us sitting inside the jeep. "What about your daughter, Henry? Where is she? Is she safe?" I asked him as he was starting the engine of the jeep. "She's safe... I'm just meeting up with her somewhere else..." Henry said softly before he immediately drove outside of the checkpoint and directly towards the crumbling city... We're almost there, Hannah... Just hang in there, please... I'm coming for you...
"Um... Louis. You wouldn't mind if I set the heater on really high, would you?"