Clive Dove

This Is Excitement

Chapter Four

Clive coughed once, the air held ashes and soot. This was his city, Clive realised, horror filling him.

I think I'm going to have to fix it.

Clive continued on, hopping over bricks and dead bodies. The stench was horrible and he was almost sick multiple times. The teen carried onward, before retreating back to the Thames's arms. It looked like the poor place had taken the worst of the blows.

That's what it gets when a mobile fortress is built next to it.

Clive looked around, shielding his eyes from the fake sun with a hand. Although the beams of light were far from real, you could still be blinded, and that was the last thing he wanted right now.

Clive heard a noise and shot to the side as tiles fell off a roof and landed exactly where he had been a few seconds ago.

The teen blinked a few times, staring at the tiles in shock.

I could have been killed, that could have killed me!

Shaking slightly, he continued. The only place not in ruins was the research lab. That seemed to be the only place he could go, nowhere else was an option. He faced the same, familiar iron door leading underground, and solved the puzzle to get in.

When he was in, he skirted around, searching for any food. There was none. Clive sat down and contemplated his options.

I could go back to jail. I could stay here. I could go somewhere else in Future London and get killed by flying tiles. I could start another rebellion against Bill Hawks.

Such a hard decision.

Clive huffed silently, before standing back up. "I think I'll go out for a bit," he murmured into himself, stepping over the debris and back out into the destroyed city. The teen bit his lip so hard it bled, and ran a hand through his hair.

I'm really stuck, aren't I?

Clive sighed and walked forward again.

No I'm not. I did this. I'll be able to fix it if I just try.

He shrugged and just stopped thinking about anything except his next few moves. Clive knew that the police saw his go to Future London, so he was surprised that no action had been taken yet, and that no policemen were down here searching him out. It left him with a queasy feeling. Something wasn't right.

Clive looked around him, trying to be aware of everything around him at once. Nothing seemed to be a threat, so he continued.

A crash caught his attention. He whipped around, but nobody was there. Curious, Clive peered around the corner of the shop, and saw a dark figure retreating into the building.

"Hey, you!" he yelled, suddenly not caring if it was the police.

Anger coursed through him when the figure turned and fled.

Coward.

The anger kept building, as Clive gave chase. It wasn't a policeman, that much was for sure. If it had been a policeman, Clive was pretty sure he would already have a hand on his collar and the words 'You're under arrest' would already have been spoken.

"Hey! Stop, wait up!'

The figure kept running. Clive was gaining on them, but he couldn't make out any defining features yet, or clothes.

The chase went on for some time, and Clive was out of breath by the tail end of it. Determination flooded through him, and he sprinted up to the figure, but they had disappeared.

Wary, Clive checked everywhere he could think of. Who had that been? He couldn't be sure, and that worried him. In this position, he was vulnerable, and he knew it. He had no plan, and nobody else to help him if he ran into trouble.

Clive sighed and adjusted the tie he was wearing. If there really were other people down here, he still had to look like he would put up a fight.

Clive sat down beside the Thames and washed the cuts he had received from Fisheye the other day in the jail, as well as drinking a little. Hey, it wasn't clean in any way, but it was the best he was going to get.

After he was done, Clive lay back at stared at the cavern's roof sleepily. It had been ages since he had a good sleep, and needless to say he was exhausted.

His thoughts wandered back to the strange figure here.

That person must have been living here since the attack two months ago. They probably know how to survive here. If only I could find them, then I'd be okay!

Clive shook his head to clear it once more. The teen had made a decision. He was not going to go find that person. Clive wasn't weak, and he wouldn't let anybody think of him as that. One thing was uncertain, though. If one person had survived here, how many others did? Enough to launch another rebellion? Clive wasn't sure.

He closed his eyes. It was peaceful here, like it had been back when he lived with his parents. A small mile crept onto his face, but he stopped it. He hadn't smiled a real smile in years. Not since Constance's death, and he wasn't going to now.

Clive rubbed his eyes and coughed. The air wasn't clean. He stood up and brushed himself off, before tearing a part of his jacket sleeve off and tying it tight around the cut on his leg, staunching the flow of blood.

I'll get you back for that one, Fisheye.

As nightfall came, it became apparent to Clive that he would need to decide on a place to sleep. For now, a tumble down barn would do. It wasn't the best, but he was tired.

He lay on the straw and drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The birds hadn't even woken yet when Clive did, but there was a reason for that. Clive widened his eyes and stared in horror. A small spark was in the distance. He walked closer to the source and looked carefully. A fire!

Then there was the first explosion.

Curious, Clive crept closer. A small metal box-like thing was attached to the tree using wires. Someone had put it there since he had fallen asleep, as he didn't remember seeing it earlier.

The teen prised it open, and looked inside, wincing. The contents were very dangerous. What would somebody be doing, strapping these things to the trees?

Clive's hands flew across the box, disabling it quickly.

There, he thought happily, feeling more secure. It's disabled, and I can go back to sleep now.

He crept back to the barn and lay down again, hoping among hopes that nothing else would wake him.

He couldn't have been more wrong!

He was barely asleep when he heard a long booming noise. Thoroughly irritated, he stomped out and was about to yell 'Shut up' when he noticed what exactly had been making the noise.

Underground London had burst into flames.

Clive turned and bolted, terror filled his eyes. How exactly was he going to escape this one? He ran past the broken barn, the smashed Thames's arms, the research facility…. Everything was in flames. He fell down in front of the clock shop, only to find the door had been locked, and it wasn't a puzzle lock.

The teen cursed and changed direction, heading for the Thames. Surely they wouldn't be able to set water on fire?

In the greatest misfortune, the flames were growing higher and higher until Clive barely knew his surroundings.

Bill Hawks. He thought, This is all his doing.

Clive glanced around frantically for a way out, before running down a small break in the flames.

The air was hot and sticky, and Clive began to cough as soot and ashes filled his lungs. He felt like he was burning inside.

Come on, Clive. The teen thought, Just a little further, and then you'll be safe.

But would he? Or was he desperate and just trying to trick himself into believing that?

He decided it was probably the latter.

Clive frantically dashed down the road, flames bursting into life behind him. Then it came to him, it hit him like a ton of bricks and made anger course through his veins, melting the ice.

He's trying to flush me out!

Clive wasn't going to be seen as weak. No. He wasn't going to be flushed out like some kind of cornered animal in a den of hunters.

If he was going down, he was going down in flames.

Clive turned and stopped, facing the flames and the explosions. He shut his eyes and let the heat wash over him.

Then the bomb closest to him exploded into life, and he was thrown backwards.

The world around him went black.

A/N;

Okay guys, another chapter done! What did y'all think? All in all, I'm pretty happy with this one.

I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry! Clive's really OOC in this chapter, isn't he?

*Hides *

I'm sorry…

Review if you want the next chapter…. I guess.