Dumm-dee-dum... Lalala-
Wait, WHAT?!
An update?! Already, after two days?! And it's also the longest chapter I ever wrote?! WHAT!?
And WE HIT 10.000+ VIEWS! 220 reviews! 54 faves, and 58 follows! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! I will make you all pasta when this is done!
Euh, so yeah. The chapter! (Author rant at end of chapter, as usual...!)
I should warn you, A LOT happens in this chapter. So yeah.
Sit back und...ENJOY
Antonio rocketed back and forth, sitting on the ground and clutching his head. It had been five days since he had entered his room, and it had been more than a week since he had last eaten.
He was starting to lose it, he knew that. He could feel it, his control was slipping. And he couldn't do anything about it.
He knew he had something terrible planned, if he wanted him famished. And it made him extremely angry. He seethed, however he had to calm down. Fast.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Keep calm. Breathe through your nose. Antonio tried singing a song to himself to keep it together, but he couldn't remember any. So he just started humming a random tune to himself. Good. Distract yourself. Don't think about the burning need, the emptiness, in your stomach. Don't.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Ha, he was already feeling better. See? He already forgot about-
Antonio's head snapped up, and a fierce growl came from deep inside his throat. He was HUNGRY!
He bowed his head again, as fast as it had snapped up. No. He was not. He was stronger than that. He didn't need that. He closed his eyes shut.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Hum. Hum like a boss. Hum like there's nothing else to do in the world but humming. When he opened his eyes, calmed down again, he saw a small pendant on the ground at his feet. Golden, of course. It glinted, calling out for him. Antonio stopped oscillating and reached out a clawed hand to grab it, gently, as if it could shatter any moment. He softly stroked the smooth surface. Ah, gold was so pretty. It was precious, and its colour was the most beautiful one in the world. Just like the eyes of…
The pendant clattered on the hard ground, as it slipped through his fingers. Antonio was staring into nothingness, his bright green eyes lost somewhere in space. Whose eyes? Whose eyes were that colour…? That beautiful colour… Golden… No, actually, the eyes of that person weren't golden… They were hazel, but they had a golden-like shimmer to them, and bright goldenrod speckles…right? Whose eyes were that?! What was his name?!
His breathing became faster, as he got worked up. Who was that?! Why couldn't he remember?! He had always remembered that person! Why did he disappear!? No! He didn't want that! He wanted that person back! He had been different from the other REDs because he could remember! So why-
A sudden pain in his head interrupted his thoughts, and Antonio groaned, touching his forehead. He hunched over on all-fours, golden coins tinkling around him. He felt his control slipping more and more.
His stomach felt like an enormous burning black pit. He felt so empty…he was starving, he could think of who that person was another time…
No! That person was important! It was... he was the last thing that had kept him a bit human!
…He could try and remember him when his belly would be full, right? There would be plenty of time, then…
…But-
Hungry.
His hand went to cover his abdomen, and he slowly got to his knees. Then, he sat down. If he'd had lips, he would be smiling. Antonio looked up, a strange light in his eyes, and growled softly. The clawed hand tightened the grip on the fabric of his clothes.
Who cared of a single, puny, human person. He needed to eat.
He licked his teeth.
Hopefully he would be allowed to, soon. He was getting tired of waiting.
…The Rock, two days later…
A week had passed since Gilbert had been cured. The Rock gang was living peacefully, even if a bit worried of the uncertain future. Arthur was making a steady recovery, and his lung wound had almost completely healed. He could even walk on his own now, although he tired quickly.
Feliciano went to check his hand daily with Ludwig, however nothing changed. That calmed the three of them down, even if only momentarily.
Gilbert was always hanging around with Francis, and he befriended Alfred and Mathias in particular. Even without any alcohol, they somehow managed to act like they had had plenty of it, and brightened up their evenings (or supplied headaches, in Ludwig, Arthur and Lukas' case).
One morning, Ludwig sat at the dining table, playing a solitaire with cards. He had woken up pretty early, it wasn't even dawn yet, and nobody was around.
He sighed, as he flipped another card. Oh, great, another Jack. He was stuck again. He'd have to restart the game for the third time already.
As he shuffled the cards, Ludwig heard someone approaching. He expected Kiku, Arthur or Tino, for they also were early risers. However when he looked up, to his surprise, the man stepping in the cave was… Gilbert.
Well, that was an unusual sight.
Back before the Disaster, Gilbert always needed to be kicked out of bed by his brother around 11 am., or else he wouldn't get up at all. He smiled, remembering the good days. He also made a…joke about it.
"Huh, bruder? What are you doing here? Is a second Disaster coming?"
The albino grinned as he came nearer. "Kesesesese! By now there definitely is one, 'coz my grumpy little brother made a joke! An actually real one!"
Ludwig sighed smiling, as he laid down the cards on the table and restarted his game. Gilbert sat down, leaning back in the sofa.
"Ja, ja, very funny. So, what's the real reason you are awake?"
"Ah, I couldn't sleep. Just headache, nothing serious." Gilbert waved a hand smiling. Suddenly, his smile faded, a serious expression forming itself instead. "Hey Ludwig, I want to be serious now. I have to tell you something."
Ludwig blinked. His brother was standing up early, not calling him 'Lutz' and being serious? "Who are you, and what did you do to mein bruder?" He joked, but he was actually worried. What did his brother have to say, to be so serious?
Gilbert didn't reply for a couple of seconds, stunned, but then burst out laughing. Not his signature hissing laugh, but a truly amused one. "Bwahahahaha! Oh, Gott, I should be the one asking that now! Two jokes on one day? Please, don't strain yourself too much, Lutz, or you'll actually learn to smile too! Hahaha! Oh, my stomach!" He was laughing so hard he wasn't sitting straight anymore, but tilted to one side. His shoulders were shaking with each laugh, and he almost couldn't breathe. Ludwig groaned, eyebrow twitching. Yes, it was Gilbert alright.
"Okay, okay. Vhat did you have to say, spill it." Ludwig said, flipping a card.
"Hohoho…O-okay! Kesese!" Gilbert snickered. He took a deep breath, and straightened his back again. "Ah, there's two things I want to talk to you about…" he looked quizzically at the blond, who didn't say anything this time, instead motioning him to continue.
"…Right. First things first, Lutz. I have to apologize in, ah, I don't know how many fucking languages. About what I did, and said, you know…" He made a vague gesture with his hand.
The blond swallowed, remembering the cruel words Gilbert had spoken four days earlier. "You don't have to apologize, you know… You weren't you…"
The albino smiled a hollow smile. "Yeah, I know. But still…" He paused. "That asshole fucked me up so much, Lutz, I want to make him pay. But I can't even remember where his hiding place is... so I kinda feel useless."
Ludwig looked down at the solitaire game, not saying anything. However he had had a question for his brother, for quite a long time actually… "Hey, Gilbert."
"…Ja?"
"What happened…that day?"
Both knew fairly well what day he was referring to.
Gilbert looked elsewhere. "Eh…Well…Er…" He gulped. "Ah, whatever. It's the past now. You remember when we got out of the building, and it was all creepy silent and shit?"
Ludwig nodded, still looking at the cards. He focused his gaze on a Queen of Spades, that was currently lying near his right hand, while he listened to his brother.
"…I, well, I saw this thing, through the smoke. I recognised it immediately, it was the Nightmare that I had tried shooting down and that looked completely human. We didn't know it was a Sentient back then, huh? He was still far away, but definitely going for us. At least, for me. I was sure he had seen me, through the plumes of smoke and mist and God knows what else. And I knew, in that exact moment, that we were screwed. I don't know how, but I just knew that. We wouldn't survive. But I couldn't let you die!" Gilbert's voice started softly, so unlikely for him. However, as the story went further, the volume rose. "Like I said, I was sure the thing had seen me, however maybe he didn't see you. And I knew you would not leave me there and go away on your own. That's why I knocked you out, and I hid you under some rubble as fast as I could."
Ludwig's eyes narrowed, as he remembered the exact moment he had been hit by his brother. He had felt betrayed, but now he realized…he had done that to… protect him.
"…As the awesome person I am, I was ready to face him head on, and on my feet. I thought that if I was going to die, I had to go with a bang. Tough luck, I had no bullets left. And when he got closer…" The albino paused for a couple of seconds, reliving the scene. "…I got hypnotized. Hell, I don't know what he did, but the only word I can find to describe what happened is that one: 'hypnotize'. So he got closer, and started messing with my head, and he, he… offered me to go with him. I don't know what was going on, as I said I couldn't think straight, but…then it hit me that you were under that rubble, and I managed to think that if I accepted, maybe he would go away. And you'd be saved. So I…I accepted his offer. And when he hit me, right here…" he pointed at the middle of his chest, at his heart, "…I heard you, shouting my name. Und in that fraction of second, I regretted my choice. But then…well, you know what happened."
The albino paused, swallowing drily. "Well, a year passed. I didn't know where you were, or if you even were alive. But somehow, your memory kind of faded...into the background. You weren't important to me anymore, I didn't care the slightest. Heck, I completely forgot about you. But when I saw you, a week ago, moments from being attacked from that Nightmare, I…I don't know what happened, but the mist in my head cleared for a couple of seconds. I remembered everything, I recognized you. Not as the blond human, but as Lutz, mein kleiner bruder. But it didn't last long."
Ludwig slowly raised his head, and looked at his brother. Gilbert was staring at the ceiling, arms folded. He resumed talking. "My mind got clouded again, and the only thing I remembered was that…that I was a RED because of you. And I didn't like it. I blamed you, and that's why I said all those un-awesome things. I'm sorry, Lutz…"
Gilbert looked down again, and Ludwig saw tears in his ruby eyes, threatening to fall out. Ludwig stood up, walked to him, and hugged him awkwardly (because Gilbert didn't stand up from the couch). "It's okay, Gil. Don't cry, it's over now."
The albino hugged him back, even if the position was kind of uncomfortable. "I-I'm not crying! A-a-awesome people like me d-don't cry! I-I sweat from my eyes…!"
Ludwig chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Idiot."
The hug lasted a few minutes, until Gilbert released it, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. All tears had disappeared from his eyes and… Ludwig frowned. Had his eyes always been that bright red? Sure, he was an albino, and his eyes had always been red, but more in a milky-pink like of way. Albino eyes. Now they were deep, ruby red. Ludwig shrugged it off. It probably had been a consequence of, well, being a RED for one year.
Ludwig sat down again, and Gilbert coughed. "Ahem, Lutz, there is one more thing. Ya know, I had to tell you two things, remember?"
"What is it?"
"I…I've seen you've become all buddy-buddy with that little guy, Feliciano." Gilbert smirked.
Ludwig's eyebrows shot up. Well, that was surely a change of subject. "Huh, maybe…why?" he asked, a little uncomfortable.
Gilbert's face was serious again. "I don't know why, but every time I'm near him, I get this strange feeling. I get the goose bumps."
"What are you saying?" Ludwig frowned, worried.
"I don't know, Lutz. But… I don't feel pleasant around him. Don't get me wrong, I love the little guy too! But it's more of an…call it an instinct. Even I don't get it. But Lutz, please… be careful."
When Ludwig did not respond, Gilbert sighed, standing up and starting to leave. He stopped in the opening of the passage going to the mirror cave. "The Sentient…I can't stop thinking that he must have had a reason to want him alive."
Then he left.
And Ludwig was left to deal with, how Alfred or Romano would kindly put it, 'mindfucks'.
…Somewhere else…
The Sentient chuckled, oscillating back and forth a black bishop on the chess board. A peach-coloured Human Nightmare was standing not so far away.
"Go, now. And remember what I told you."
The Nightmare nodded, and left swiftly. The Sentient hummed a merry tune to himself, as he surrounded the thirteen white and three toppled black pieces with random black pieces.
"…Let the showdown begin."
…The Rock, hours later…
Feliciano peered over the edge of his cards. They were all playing cards again, but neither him or Romano had started cheating…yet.
He smiled a little, and Ludwig shot a glance at him. Somehow, the German and Kiku could immediately see when he would start cheating. However, he didn't want to. Not this evening. It was already pretty random, thanks to Mathias ranting to Gilbert and Alfred. Before, Berwald somehow had managed to sit on Metthew. The Swede's crappy eyesight didn't help the already barely spottable Canadian. Luckily, Tino noticed that, and quickly made Berwald stand up again, who muttered an apology, between all their laughs.
Feliciano giggled, pulling up a ten of spades from his hand. When it would be his turn-
He flinched, and a hand instinctively went to his abdomen. He felt his gut churning weakly.
"Feliciano?" Ludwig asked, noticing that.
He shook his head, cards slipping from his grip and scattering on the table. "Hng…"
Gilbert eyed him curiously, and Arthur stood up – he could do that on his own, now. "Feliciano? What's happening?"
Feliciano brought both hands to his stomach, and the familiar churning confirmed his fear. "N-Nightmare…!" He exclaimed, looking up at the others.
"Whaaaaaat?!" Emil exclaimed, jumping on his couch alarmed.
"Ahyaaaah!" Yao shouted.
Ludwig put a comforting hand on his shoulder, even if his tone was worried. "Are you sure, Feliciano?"
The Italian nodded, still clutching his stomach. The feeling wasn't as strong as the one of a RED, and by the sense of it, they were still far away… wait, 'they'?
"There's more of them. It's more than one…!" Feliciano squeaked, standing up abruptly. "A-And…and they're heading here…!"
"Everybody, the Sentient sent his Nightmares! Everyone, grab a gun and a weapon and defend every entrance!" Arthur barked.
Everyone immediately started running back and forth. Francis neared Ludwig and Feliciano. "Feliciano, do you feel Antonio…?" He asked, worried.
The Italian shook his head. "No…" he didn't sense any RED. But he did feel many Nightmares.
"Frog! Get your arse over here, you git, and make yourself useful!" Arthur barked from somewhere. Francis hurried to where the Brit was yelling, laughing despite the situation.
Suddenly, gun shots could be heard echoing all through the rocky walls. Ludwig was still near Feliciano in the dining cave.
"Ludwig, you should-"
"I'm not leaving you alone. Who knows what that freak has planned, and after what happened…" Ludwig remembered the Italian's glassy eyes, as he was walking towards Gilbert. "…I'm not going anywhere." He got the staff of the small Italian, and pushed it into his hands. "Take it. It's better than nothing." He said, while he loaded his gun and patted the hammer on his hip.
Bangs echoed yet again, and Nightmare shrieks could be heard. They heard something hard hit the ground, and assumed a Nightmare had fallen from the mirror cave's hole.
Suddenly, a cry. "TAKE IT DOWN! TAKE IT DOWN!"
They both heard galloping hooves. Wait, what?
A Nightmare dashed into the dining cave, taking some chunks of rock from the entrance, which apparently wasn't big enough to let it through.
It was an Animal Nightmare that vaguely resembled a bull. A big(probably bigger than an American-sized SUV), and angry one, for that matter. A pair of small deep ruby eyes were glowing, and its nostrils flared, as it faced them.
Ludwig immediately shoved Feliciano behind him, training his gun onto the beast. The bull snorted, pawing the ground with one hoof, readying itself to charge. Ludwig quickly scanned its body to spot any weak spot, but didn't see any. Well, shit.
The bull snorted again, and with a distorted moo it charged, horned head lowered at them.
"Move!" Ludwig shouted, pulling Feliciano aside. The bull was fast, but that speed made it difficult to turn, or stop at all. So it crashed into the wall behind them, cracking the rock, its head stuck.
Feliciano whimpered, tears just on the rim of his eyes. "Ve…!" He gripped the staff tightly to his chest, and saw something glint under the bull's hooves, as it was trying to pull out its head from the wall.
Mathias and Berwald suddenly came running in. "Dude, it totally got past us! The eyes are small, and I don't see any other weak spot! The bastard is a juggernaut!"
Ludwig grumbled, as he walked back a bit more farther from the bull, Feliciano still behind him. "Well, what now, then?"
Berwald suddenly had a suggestion. "Kn'ck it down."
Mathias' face lit up, putting his gun away. "Yeah, now, while it's still stuck! You too, Ludwig!"
The three blonds were at the bull's side in an instant, the Nightmare still stuck in the wall. "Eins, zwei…" the German started counting, but was interrupted by a certain Dane.
"Hey, do we charge on 'drei', or is it like 'one, two, three' and then charge?"
The bull finally managed to get its head out of the wall.
"H'w bout now?!" Berwald barked, and the three finally charged the Nightmare. The three big blondes managed to throw it off balance, and the beast toppled, legs sprawled.
Feliciano finally recognised what he had seen glinting before. "U-Under its hoof!" He yelled.
"Huh?" Mathias said, and all three of them turned to look at the Nightmare. Indeed, a red glowing weak spot was under its right back hoof.
"Hit it hit it hit it hit it hit it!" Mathias ranted, taking out his own gun. However, Ludwig was faster, and the weak spot exploded after two gun shots. The bull uttered a distorted cry, and then fell limp.
"Whew!" the Dane panted, wiping his brow.
"Now it's not the time to relax, spike-head!" Emil ran into the cave. "There's too many of them! They aren't nearly as big as this guy, but we won't resist much longer!"
Ludwig raised an eyebrow, looking at the others. "So…plan B?"
Mathias looked around frantically "What was plan B again?!"
Berwald shoved Mathias with an elbow. "Run, fårskalle."
"Aha! I knew it! Plan B it is, then!"
Feliciano was taken by his elbow and dragged towards where the jeep was parked. "Wait, where's Gatto?!" he yelped.
"Leave the cat, Feli…!" Ludwig ordered. However, as if he had been called, Gatto popped out of nowhere, and Feli scooped him up in his arms. Emil ran back to warn all the others.
In a couple of minutes, eight people(and a cat) were all packed in the jeep: Ludwig driving, Lukas beside him and sitting on Mathias. Kiku, Feliciano, Romano and Yao were sitting in the back, squeezed together and Romano and Yao cursing without any restraint. Somehow, Bella managed to fit in the trunk, and finally Ludwig started the car.
"Bro, this totally reminds me of a family I saw in Thailand, once! They were six folks, and all on one scooter, dog included!"
"No one cares, idiot." Lukas elbowed the Dane in his ribs.
"Where are the others?" Ludwig asked as he took all sharp turns in the semi-darkness perfectly.
"Alfred-kun said they were going all to the tank!"
"Emil is the only one who can drive that thing, right?" The German asked.
"Yes, aru!"
A distorted snarl echoed behind them.
"We shouldn't worry about that, we have to get the fuck out of here!" Romano shrieked.
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Ludwig snapped, as they got to the final turn, and then they were outside. The motor roared, and skidded down the path to the desert. Multiple distorted and angry snarls echoed behind them, the Nightmares still in the caves.
Finally, they got off of the mountain and onto the desert soil, and Ludwig stopped the car without turning it off.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kraut?!" Romano yelled waving his arms – hitting Feliciano and Yao in the process.
"Ahyah!"
"Ve!"
"I'm waiting for ze others, okay?!" Ludwig said, German accent slipping in his English.
"Why wait?! In case you didn't notice, Potato, they have a tank, a motherfucking tank, for fuck's sake! They'll be slow, but they'll be fine!"
"Hey, don't you go and insult Māomī like that,aru! She's anything but slow."
"…What did you call the tank? Wait, you gave a tank a name?! And it's a she?!" Mathias asked, stunned.
Lukas hit Mathias in the face with his elbow. Hard. "Shut up, you. You called your own axe Økse. You should receive an award for originality."
"Ouch! But it sounds cool!"
"No it doesn't."
Feliciano looked at Yao. "Hey, what does Mao…mee mean?"
Yao huffed proudly, folding his arms. "Māomī means 'Kitty'!"
A stunned silence was interrupted by a facepalm and a groan, coming from Kiku. "S-Seriously, Onii-san… Of all things…"
"What?! It's cute, aru."
"I agree!" Bella chimed from the back.
"No one cares, woman!" Romano snapped.
"Aww, don't be rude, Romano, she's a lady!" Feliciano tried soothing down his brother.
"Shut up, Feli!"
"Guys, they're over there!" Bella exclaimed.
Indeed, behind them, the tank was coming down from the flank of the mountain, and Yao hadn't lied. 'Kitty' was fast, and shooting at a fast rate behind itself, at the Nightmares (gaining an extra bit of speed with each recoil as well). The Nightmares were dropping like flies under the tank's fire, so they decided to stay back from the caterpillared vehicle.
Māomī was immediately at their side, and the lid opened up, Alfred's head popping out. "Dudes, this tank is awesome!"
"Hey, you owe me money for saying that word, it's my copyright!" A well known German-accented voice echoed from inside. Other voices were arguing as well, a Fench accented voice and a particularly annoyed British one were the ones that stood out mostly.
Alfred kept a straight face, but he moved a little, and a cry of surprise could be heard. They all assumed the American had kicked a well-known albino. "So, where to?"
"I don't know…" Ludwig muttered, looking back at the Rock. Nightmares were perched on almost all rocks, eyeing them from the distance, not daring to get closer because of the tank. The German turned to Feliciano. "Feliciano?"
"Huh?"
"Do you feel any more Nightmares?"
Feliciano answered after a couple of seconds. "Nope. They're all there." He pointed at the Rock.
"We need another shelter, wankers." A voice echoed from the tank. "This one…is compromised."
They all felt their hearts sink at that sentence. They had all hoped it could be fixed, somehow, that they would be able to go back, but… the reality was that they couldn't. The place they called 'home' for the past year had been occupied by the enemy. After all the different hiding places they had been hiding in, the Rock had looked like the last, perfect, stronghold. But now…
"Well, so where do we go? We can't stay in this desert, even if there are no Nightmares around." Alfred stated.
Kiku spoke up. "If we can't stay in the desert, then we have no choice but to go to the cities around. One of them. Wait." He raised a hand, stopping any outraged outburst (especially the ones coming from Alfred, Mathias or Romano). "We could wait for dawn, and then go to a city. And Feliciano would be able to guide us to a Nightmare-free place, right?"
"Dude, that sounds totally…like the shittiest plan I've ever heard." Alfred mocked the Japanese, who turned into a deep shad of red.
"W-well, if you have any better idea, I'm listening…!" he stammered, trying to keep his poker face.
"Guys, I don't think they agree with our plan of waiting until dawn…" Bella said, looking at the Nightmares. They were slowly inching closer, eyeing them for any movement. Suddenly, with a war cry, the Nightmares charged, running/jumping/leaping down the mountain.
"Go go go go go go gooooo!" They all shouted in unison. Ludwig stepped hard on the accelerator, Alfred hastily shut the lid, and the tank started shooting again. However, the Nightmares seemed determined to shoo them away from the Rock, and just kept charging. They started riding away from the Rock at full speed, still chased. Māomī kept most Nightmares at bay, however Bella, Yao and Romano also kept on shooting, occasionally.
They were chased for a long time. And they were all scared shitless. The Nightmares just kept following them, and if those monsters got into 'Kitty''s range of fire, they would slow down, but they did not look like letting go of them for anything in the world.
"Where are we going?!" Feliciano asked over the sound of the rushing wind (after all, the jeep's roof had been torn off).
"I don't know!"
Hours passed like this, and it was all pretty tiring and stressing. Suddenly, the Nightmares disappeared in the dark from behind them.
"Huh?"
"Where did they go?"
Silence was the only answer. No roars, no angry snarls, no sound of something jumping. Nothing. It was creepy, to say the least, that sudden silence.
"Feli?"
Feliciano shook his head. "They're…they're gone."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Romano started choking his own brother, shaking him back and forth.
"Ghack! I-I-don't-know! A-a-a-h-Ro-ma-I-can't-breathe!"
Yao luckily intervened, even if there was no real danger of Romano strangling Feliciano.
Feliciano gasped for breath, while Romano scoffed. "Hmpf!"
"I don't like this…" Ludwig murmured, slowing the car down.
"I agree." Lukas said. "Feliciano, are they really gone?"
"They" cough "Vanished…" Feliciano said, rubbing his neck. Then he gasped. "No…wait!"
"What is it, Feliciano-kun?"
Feliciano stared down at the floor of the car, but he wasn't really seeing it. He felt…Nightmares, far, far away. Kilometres away. But they were so many…they were countless. To their left, to their right. And they couldn't go back.
"We…we have to go forward…!" He gasped, looking up again.
"What?" Ludwig looked as far as he could in the darkness, and could make out the faint skyline of a city, though it was not the one they usually went to, or the one they fought Gilbert in. "Are you sure?"
"There is no other way! We are surrounded, and we can't go back…!" Feliciano squeaked, holding his abdomen.
"Oh for God's sake…" Ludwig grumbled. "It's a city, Feliciano. Are you absolutely sure there's no Nightmare? What about Antonio?"
Feliciano shook his head.
"We could hide underground…" Lukas started reasoning. "Maybe in the subway tunnels, or something like that. That is, if they didn't collapse."
"Feliciano, we're all trusting you on this. I'm going." Ludwig said as he stepped on the accelerator, the tank following them.
"No pressure intended, heh?" Mathias smirked, craning his neck to look back at Feliciano, who only laughed nervously, rubbing his head.
He smiled a little to himself, he was being useful! He could help! He was absolutely sure in front of them there weren't Nightmares. At least they'd be safe, for now.
…Somewhere else…
The Sentient walked into Antonio's golden room, though he didn't spot him immediately.
He looked around a little, and finally discerned a pair of glowing eyes under a pile of gold. Antonio had dug a hole in a pile of valuables, and nestled himself in there, observing motionlessly his surroundings.
The Sentient giggled. "Why hello there, Antonio. How are you feeling today?"
No answer, not even an angry growl like the Spaniard would usually react. The green eyes in the dark slightly narrowed, and that was the only hint he had actually heard him. He had to concentrate that much to keep himself put? Well, Feliciano had done perfectly. By the time they would find their safe shelter, Antonio would be searching for them.
"The western area, understood? Go."
As soon as he had said that, gold clattered everywhere, and a shadow whirled past him. And Antonio was gone.
The Sentient simply chuckled yet again to himself, as he walked to his room again.
People were so easy to manipulate. "до свидания, Antonio." He said, toppling the black Rook on his board.
…Back to the Rock gang…
They slowly rode through the destroyed city, looking around them or at Feliciano, to see if he sensed any Nightmares.
But he didn't. The city was completely empty.
Well, that worked in their favour.
"Looks like it's completely abandoned, even by the Nightmares…" Lukas murmured.
"Ah-huh…" Ludwig nodded. The tank was following them, the caterpillars making a loud metallic sound that echoed through the concrete mayhem.
All buildings had collapsed or had sunken half way into the ground, so the subway suggestion of Lukas had to be scrapped, because obviously the tunnels had all crumbled.
Finally, far away, they saw a cubic block-like building. It looked like an abandoned factory, even if most smokestacks had collapsed. The fact that it extended in width and not in height had made it possible for it to stay still standing.
"That surely looks fucking inviting…" Romano said sarcastically.
"Better than nothing…I guess?" Yao shrugged.
"Let's see…" Ludwig reasoned. "It's probably the only standing building here, and it's pretty defendable. Not many windows, and probably thick brick and concrete walls, being a factory. We could even get the tank inside, because there was always a big opening for trucks…"
"Sounds good to me!" Mathias raised an arm up. "And then we get in a corner and let the tank defend it! It's a good place! I like it!"
Silence. "…That's…that's actually a clever idea." Lukas said, stunned. The Dane simply grinned.
"Is it really wise?" Kiku asked. He turned to look at Feliciano, who nodded. "There are no Nightmares here… Trust me!" He smiled, and the Japanese man saw in his eyes the truth. Not that he didn't trust Feliciano, it just was second nature to him. "…Hai…For a short time, it will do, then."
The tank's lid opened, and Alfred's head popped out again. "Hey dudes! That actually looks like a good place to hide in for some time. Any Nightmares, Feli?"
The Italian shook his head, curl sweeping left and right. "Nope…!"
"Then abandoned-factory-in-the-middle-of-nowhere it is!" he said, pointing to the building. "Forward, my brave side-kicks! For Narniaaa!"
Someone pulled the over-excited American inside again, and a string of British accented insults echoed from inside. Followed by Icelandic insults. Followed by a well-known hissing laugh. Followed by a French laugh. And random shouts. All people on the jeep facepalmed, and were happy not to be in the tank in that exact moment.
Ludwig coughed. "Ahem. Right. So. The factory." He put on the first gear, and rode over the rubble, towards the factory.
As they found the gaping entrance for the trucks, their hopes went all up. The tank could fit through the opening, and after a small turn they found themselves in a very, very, very long hall. It was all covered in a thick layer of dust, and flanked by small and occasional windows up near the ceiling, which was so high it disappeared in the dark . The windows were all shattered but sealed with nailed planks, so almost no light(even if it was night) could get in. The ceiling was held up by thick concrete pillars, and many iron beams also supported the ceiling. Or at least they did once. They all looked kind of rusty, and some were bent in a strange manner, some in precarious balance, and many had already crashed on the floor.
"That ceiling doesn't look all that solid to me…" Yao murmured, looking up.
The others nodded. "Well, we'd better find some place where those beams are all okay, because I don't want one of those things crashing down onto my skull!" Romano grumbled.
They slowly rode down the dusty hallway, until they got to the opposite wall. There was a door, but nor the tank nor the jeep would ever be able to go through it. On top of that, it looked like it had been bolted shut. They could stay there, for the time being. Until they found a better place, they would survive there.
They all nestled themselves in one corner, using the jeep and the tank to close the small safe place up, as only defence from the outside world. It was still night, so no one went to sleep because of the fear of Nightmares. Even if Feliciano assured everyone that no Nightmare was around in a range of a couple of kilometres, they stayed up all night, tense. As dawn cracked, they almost all fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.
Some kilometres away, in a desert, a RED was sniffing at the air, a hungry look in his eyes.
So there. A lot of shit is going to go down. Stupid cliffhanger is stupid, but... WAHOOOO!
Oh wait, I should be worried...!
Anyhow, yup, pretty fast update, and the longest chapter I've ever written. We're spiralling down towards the end, i think... I don't know how many more chapters are left, but i definitely do NOT want it to be longer than 35, and I'll do my best to finish it before that number...! (By making chapters longer. Even if I hate long chapters. GAH!)
Aaaand weather is still being crazy. Ah-huh. School is kind of crushing me, because the year is coming to an end, so every teacher suddenly woke up and said "Hey, we should have a test!". So yeah, I'll do my best to upload on friday, but if i fail those tests, it will be YOUR fault!
XD
Just kidding, I'll upload anyway...!
Hoping you are all well, until next chapter! ;)
Mein kleiner bruder : (german) my little brother
Eins, zwei... : (german) One, two...
Fårskalle : (swedish) stupid/meathead
Drei : (german) three
Māomī : (chinese) kitty (i have absolutely no clue about this translation. i definitely do NOT know chinese...!)
до свидания : (russian) farewell (pron. da-sveedania)