Chapter 6
Reunited
With a small creak, May stepped into the dark cell and toward the small light. The stream of light came from a cracked windowpane from above what appeared to be beds. To May's dismay, the cell was empty. Next to the crude beds was an extinguished oil lantern. Curious, may touched the metal of the lantern and instantly pulled her sizzling finger from it.
"Still hot," she muttered, "Someone was in here... The question is, who?"
Fighting her better judgment to just continue trying to escape, May found herself looking around the cell for clues. She didn't have much to work with, the floors were dirt, the walls were made of loose stone, and the beds were made from rotting wood suspended a few feet from the ground and bolted onto the wall. May ran her fingers through her hair and remembered a bunk bed she had to sleep in once. She loved being on the bottom because she could read the writings-
"Underneath the bed!" May gasped.
She headed over to the nearest bed and rolled underneath it- nothing. Sighing, May checked the next one
"Jack pot," she muttered when she found a note cut into the wood.
"They've taken us, one by one," May read,
"The first one to go was Richard, then Alex... As far as I know, no one else got caught. I suppose I'm the last one, everyone else is probably dead- or worse."
May rolled out from under the bed. Those were definitely her men... But she can't leave them here! It was her job as the Raven Leader to make sure no one was left behind.
No, May thought, I can't leave them... But if I do I could get a rescue team... Whatever I stumble upon first then... My men and their fares... Or an escape.
Silently running out the room and closing the door behind her, May continued her escape. Rounding a corner she saw two purple-cloaked men. She smoothly walked by them, but not before eavesdropping on their conversation...
"I heard the Master's doll escaped his room."
May almost gagged.
"Yeah, Master Marik's got all us rare hunters on high alert... He's really on edge about this, or so I've heard."
"I've heard the same, he doesn't take kindly to trickery... That lass is gonna be in a heap of trouble once she's caught."
May rolled her eyes and kept walking,
Yeah, but IF I'm caught, she thought.
May had to hide her snicker from the unsuspecting rare hunters as she briskly walked on by. She continued down the corridor and rounded the corner until she met head-on, face to face with a head.
"Oof, watch it," the rare hunter said flintily.
May nodded, not wanting to add her voice onto a list of things that could give her away; the limping was probably number one, unfortunately. May looked into the eyes of the hunter, as did he in return. For some reason, she felt like knew him, he seemed so...
Agent Jason! May thought in triumph.
"I've found you!" Both the 'rare hunter' and May said at the same time.
"Agent May, I-"
May lunged at the boy, covering his mouth with her hands.
"Sshh, not so loud!" May whispered hurriedly and quietly, releasing her hands once she heard silence again.
She looked around side to side, weighing her chances on if she was being eavesdropped or not. Deciding to go with her gut, she motioned for Jason to follow her until she spotted a room with more privacy. May slid into a dark, open room, silently surveying for any sign of a rare hunter. After hearing no sound, she assumed the coast was clear and brought Jason inside.
"Alright, we should be safe here..."
Jason nodded and with a grin said, "May, I thought for sure that you'd have already escaped."
"And I was hoping you had as well...so, agent Carter and Matthew?"
"I never saw them; I wanna say they were released, but I haven't a clue for sure," agent Jason said lowly with a sigh.
May nodded and, timidly asked, "And Richard…? Alex?"
After a pause, Jason responded, "...I just don't know. Richard was still badly hurt, I don't know if he'd make it..." he sighed and lowered his head, "We'll just have to assume the worst..."
May nodded in response to what Jason had said.
"So," May asked, "How did you get out of your cell?"
The boy smiled and brushed a few dirty blonde strands away from his face, "I used my overwhelming charm on one of the guards."
"Oh, get real," she responded while punching him in the arm.
"Alright, alright," laughed Jason, "I pick pocketed one of the guards when they took Richard by bumping into the big bloke... I got a nice beating for that."
Jason took his purple cloak off for a second to show May a black and blue bruise under his left eye.
"Ouch," May remarked.
"How did you get out of your cell?" Jason asked the Raven Leader.
May giggled, "Oh I didn't stay in a cell."
Jason gave May a whimsical look.
"I was in Marik's freaking bedroom!" whispered loudly, trying her best not to raise her voice. Jason snickered a bit and received another punch from May.
"You must've been delighted."
"I was formally invited to a black-market date and was to pick out a quaint little dress by the next time he visited."
"So what did you do?"
"I took a nap then got the heck outta that blasted room."
"Naturally..."
"What else did you expect from your fearless leader?" May said as she triumphantly twirled.
"May I ask why my 'fearless leader' is wearing a night gown?"
May instantly stopped mid twirl.
Crap, she thought, if I move too fast it's seen with the cloak.
"It's a gift from Marik," May simply replied, "I haven't got the chance to return it though. But now seems like a good time to at least improve it."
She rummaged through the rare hunter's closet and put on a pair of pants while tucking in the nightgown.
If I leave the nightgown here, May thought, the hunters would've known I was here... I'll just have to keep it for now.
She turned to Jason, "Let's get out of here."
"I couldn't agree with you more, my 'fearless leader'."
Jason smirked as he twirled to the door and slithered out, with May closely behind.