Same disclaimers as before
Chapter 3: The Hidden Family
Silas led Elizabeth through the empty winding streets of the quarantined zone. The place was a labyrinth, filled with tight alleys and violent curves. Silas lead Elizabeth by the hand, an experience she found to be somewhat enjoyable. It had been a long time since she had had such contact with another human. Every now and again they would run into a gaggle of wandering corpses, but Silas would quickly back off into the shadows, pulling Elizabeth with him.
"Got to conserve ammo where possible." He explained, "You've no idea how hard it is to smuggle munitions past the wall."
Elizabeth lost her left shoe in the tall grass as they ran through the maze. She winced in discomfort and took a moment to kick off her other high-heel. "Those were from Paris, 1920." She grumbled, "Where are we going?"
"The Forest," Silas said, not looking back, "It's where we hide."
"There's a forest down here?"
Silas pulled her around a final corner and stopped. "In a manner of speaking." They had reached what appeared to be the end of the city limits. A few yards away from where they stood, a sudden mass of stalagmites jutted out of the earth, so huddled together and tall that they did, in fact, look like a forest. Silas lead Elizabeth towards the 'trees'. "C'mon."
Elizabeth pulled back, tugging her hand out of Silas's grip. "How are we supposed to get in there?" she asked, "It's far too tight, there's no way we can fit."
Silas smiled. "That's what they want you to think." Silas grabbed one of the stalagmites closest to them and twisted his wrist. There was a light clicking sound and the stalagmite slid into the ground.
Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. "That's neat."
Silas snorted. "This? This is all old tech, nothing down here is any newer than 1978. That's when the government completely shut down all entrances and exits to the city."
"What happened in 1978?" Silas led Elizabeth over the hole where the stalagmite had rested. Beyond it was a narrow dirt path that wove between the rocks. As they stepped onto the path, the stalagmite slid up and back into place, hiding them.
"The Sprigs outbreak. The government actually quarantined the whole city, but after they cut us off from the outside, city officials managed to trap the contaminated into this quarter of the city and seal it off, but the government didn't believe us and were too afraid to send in experts to check." As Silas spoke, he walked in front of Elizabeth along the path, "Hey, so, my family is a little…bizarre. Just…just be cool, okay?" He glanced back nervously as the air slowly began to fill with the sounds of civilization. Around the final stalagmite, Elizabeth found herself facing a massive clearing, a medium sized crater in the ground lined with small wooden and rock huts. In the center of the clearing was a small pool of lava, boiling and giving off a pleasant, hearth-like sensation. The ground beneath her bare feet was rocky and dirty, but it was also warm and soft, like stones along a riverbed that had soaked in the sun too long.
It was more than just the heat. The homey aura came more from the dozens of people moving around the pool, talking and relaxing in the heat. Their clothes were simple and Elizabeth saw that most of their possessions were made of cooked clay, but despite their meager items, she saw a wide, contented smile on almost every face. And what a wide variety of faces; the elderly, young, and middle-aged all mixed together, discussing random topics. Most of the people had deep tans and thick skin, likely a result of working and living inside a volcano for a generation or two. Some, however, had pale skin like Silas. These people, Elizabeth assumed, were with the Family. "Well, c'mon," Silas motioned for Elizabeth to follow him. They walked around the crowd rather than through it.
They came to one of the huts made of wood and sandstone. The door was just a large canvas of cloth hung over the entrance. Silas pulled it back and motioned Elizabeth through.
Inside, 5 pale middle-aged women sat on rugs, huddled around a candle. They had long, grey hair and matching sad eyes that gazed unblinking at the tiny flame. Each one wore an identical brown robe. "Hey guys," greeted Silas.
"Hello, Silas. Was your trip outside productive?" asked one of the women.
"Well Aunt Masha, I picked off a few corpses, found half a canteen of water, and Elizabeth here." The women looked up to look at Elizabeth.
One of them scoffed. "Look at 'er, she's got Rapture written all over her."
"Now, now, Susie, let's not judge based on where she comes from." Scolded another woman, "Just because we had bad experiences in that city, doesn't mean that everyone from there's despicable. Think of father." The woman named Susie harrumphed and folded her arms, turning back to the candle.
"Besides," Elizabeth piped up, "I'm actually from Columbia." The woman who spoke first, Masha, stood up and approached her with shuffled steps. She looked carefully at the girl, who glanced at Silas in confusion as the old lady was staring at her. Silas shrugged and motioned for her to just accept the scrutiny.
After a few moments of staring deeply into Elizabeth's eyes, Masha motioned to her sisters. "You should probably see this, girls." The others stood and walked towards the stationary girl, slowly surrounding her to view her from all angles.
"Columbia, huh?" said one.
"Looks like it to me," said another, "I'll be damned if that choker isn't Columbian made." Elizabeth subconsciously put a hand to her choker. It was the same one that her father had picked for her in Columbia when she had first left the tower.
That reminded her. "I'm looking for Booker DeWitt," she said, "He said he'd meet me with the Family." The women looked at one another and back to Elizabeth.
"We don't know any DeWitts, dearie," said Masha.
"Silas, child, do you know anyone named DeWitt?" asked Susie.
Silas shrugged and took of his cloak, folding it over his arm. "Can't say I do, but she came in over the old sky-line. DeWitt might be someone beyond the wall." The women murmured to each other, speaking too low for Elizabeth to hear.
"Silas," one of them finally said, "Why don't you take your friend and get some diner. We need to talk some things out."
Silas nodded and took Elizabeth by the hand, leading her out of the hut. "Sorry about them." He said with a sheepish grin, "They don't know where they are half the time."
"They don't look that old."
Silas nodded as he pulled Elizabeth through the crowd, drawing interested and confused looks from onlookers. "They were Little Sisters once," he explained, "All that brainwashing left them with some mental issues. Luckily my Grandpa Jack was able to reverse most of it. C'mon, you must be hungry." Elizabeth had actually eaten only an hour or so ago at the Watched Clock diner in 1947 Rapture, but let Silas pull her along until they reached the lava pool. The heat was searing, making her sweat profusely.
Silas released her hand to tap the shoulder of one of the women cooking by the lava. The woman turned to him and smiled brightly. "Silas! How've you been?"
"Not bad Julia. Got any eats?"
The woman handed Silas a clay bowl of bubbling black tar. "Careful now, it's a bit tart."
Silas nodded. "Do you have any spare shoes?" Julia shrugged and took off hers. Silas turned and handed them to Elizabeth. They were moccasins and were a little large, but Elizabeth was grateful for the covering. Silas looked at Elizabeth strangely. She looked down to realize that she still had her hand outstretched from when he was holding it and leading her. She quickly let it drop to her side.
Silas cocked his head to the side. "Are you alright?"
Elizabeth nodded and breathed heavily, hoping that the heat in her face was from the lava. "It's just…I've never really had much human contact before, so…" she let the statement hang, but Silas seemed to understand. He motioned for her to sit down as he himself fell to the rocky floor. Elizabeth slowly collapsed to her knees as Silas took a pair of wooden spoons from his wrappings. He handed one to Elizabeth, placed the bowl in between them, and dug in. He vigorously slurped up the slimy liquid. Elizabeth cringed. "I, ah, actually just ate."
Silas shrugged. "More for me."
Elizabeth watched him eat and soon the bowl was half depleted. "So, those women were your aunts?"
Silas wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Yep."
"Do you know why they were looking at me like that? What were they looking for?"
Silas shrugged. "Could have been anything from a stitch out of place on your blouse to a wrong crease in your skirt. I honestly don't know what they do half the time, but they manage to keep everyone around here happy and healthy so we don't complain."
Elizabeth hesitated before asking. "They were Little Sisters. So does that mean your mother-"
"She was a one too." Silas interrupted, "Yeah, apparently Grandpa Jack had a lot of trouble rehabilitating her, but he got her to calm down eventually." There was a brief silence between them as the people around them talked.
Elizabeth was a naturally curious woman, as she had been as a girl. She always wanted to know more, to understand how and why things worked. While this was likely a result of her long-term imprisonment and therefore not her fault, it had often caused her to be tactless and sometimes outright rude without knowing it. That said, she was working on trying to curb her inquisitive nature. For example, she was currently trying her damndest not to ask Silas how his mother died.
"Sprigs," he said, not looking up from his meal, "I know you want to ask. Sprigs got her when I was ten."
Elizabeth nodded and looked into the lava uncomfortably. "I'm sorry."
Silas just shrugged as he brought the bowl to his lips and slurped down the last of the ooze. He placed the bowl to the side and he leaned forward towards Elizabeth. "What's it like out there?" He asked.
"Pardon?"
"You came from outside, right? You said you're from Columbia, I don't know how, but that means you've been outside. I just want to know what it's like."
Elizabeth sighed and leaned back, trying to find the right words. "The sky," she murmured, "You never realize just how blue it is until you can't see it anymore." She closed her eyes and talked about the Columbia she knew. She talked about the few minutes she'd had to herself right after she had been freed from her tower when Booker fainted in the faux beach. She remembered the music and dancing, the feel of the rough, sandy wood of the pier under her bare feet. And the smells, oh the smells! The sickly sweet scent of the candies and the gentle breeze that played through her nose flashed in her memory.
She spoke of the cities she had visited from around the world and the people she'd met. She did not speak, however, of her father or her ability; there were some things that should remain private. She didn't know how long she had been talking, but when she finished, she opened her eyes to see that the entire encampment was staring at her in awe. Nobody spoke as Elizabeth looked around awkwardly, embarrassed that so many people were paying attention to her.
"Well, thanks for making it easier for me." Elizabeth looked up to see a hooded Booker grinning down on her. People around them began to start speaking to each other again, occasionally shooting quick, intrigued glances at Elizabeth. Booker sat down next to her and nodded to Silas. "Good to see you again, man."
Silas looked back and forth between Elizabeth and Booker. "I'm sorry," he said, confused, "Do I know you?"
Booker looked around the lava pool. Leaning forward, he took a bowl of rock-like food from the rim of the pool and pulled it onto his lap. "Apparently not in this version of this world," he said, popping a stone into his mouth and crunching loudly, "Mmm. Just like mama made 'em." Silas glanced at Elizabeth, looking for answers. She shrugged and rolled her eyes as her biological father munched on the strange food.
Eventually, Booker put aside the bowl and held his hand out to Silas. "Booker DeWitt, I'm her dad." Silas took his hand and shook it, looking at Elizabeth in shock.
She sighed. "It's a long story."
Booker barked a laugh. "Understatement of the century. Unfortunately, we don't really have the time to explain the whole thing, but I'm glad Elizabeth found you. We're going to need a Ryan."
Elizabeth fixed Booker with a glare. "I think you need to start talking."
Booker nodded and cracked his neck. "Fair enough, let's talk about how we're gonna kill Comstock."