A/N: Here's chapter five of Apocalypse Tale. Enjoy, guys! And don't forget to show your love by following, favoriting, and reviewing!
Chapter Five
Natsu lay back in the chair, gasping for air. He'd been stuck in this room, blind, for about twelve hours. He'd been tortured the whole time, with only small breaks in between when the man in charge of said torture was drawn away. Now was one of those moments, and Natsu was relishing the small break from the pain.
His throat was horse from screaming and his muscles were exhausted and sore from being tensed for so long. But no matter how much Natsu tried to tell the man that he didn't know anything about the Outpost, and that he'd only just arrived there, he wouldn't believe him.
Gray! Natsu thought desperately, closing his eyes and breathing heavily as he let his head fall back against the head-rest. Where are you?!
Gray woke bright and early and gathered every weapon he had in his apartment. He strapped them to every available extremity and exited his apartment, heading for the front of the building, where he was supposed to meet Lyon, Erza, and Lucy—or the Cold Emperor, Titania, and Angel, as their code-names suggested.
They were waiting for him at the door, each wearing a small arsenal similar to Gray's. Makarov, who had been waiting for everyone to arrive, handed them each a walkie-talkie. "I want regular updates," he ordered, walking with them towards the gate. "Lucy, Erza." He tossed the two girls cameras. "I want pictures of every inch of the place. I have a backup team waiting if something goes wrong."
Everyone nodded and started towards the gate. "Oh, and Gray?" Gray stopped and looked back as the rest of the team continued walking. Makarov gave him a grim smile. "Bring him back, son."
Gray nodded and spun on his heel. The team of four exited the gate, and Gray took the lead, directing them towards the warehouse. On the way he spotted the i Natsu had shot during their first trip, and he swallowed hard, moving past quickly. "We're almost there," he told the others, fingers white against his gun. "It's just up ahead."
They stopped at the door Natsu and Gray had gone through, and Gray took one side while Erza took the other. Gray held up three fingers, signaling three seconds. One finger down; Erza hefted her gun. Two fingers down; Lyon an Lucy lined up beside them. Three fingers down; Gray quietly opened the door and they moved slowly down the hallway, guns raised. Gray took a deep breath and sighed inwardly. Hopefully this rescue doesn't kill us.
Suddenly a sound tore through the air, and Gray stopped still, holding up a hand to stop the others. "Do you guys hear that?" Brows furrowed, Lucy turned her head to the side, brushing the hair back from her ear. "Yeah... What is that?"
The sound was highly muffled; just barely audible, but as it continued, Gray's stomach dropped, and he swallowed hard. "It sounds like a... scream." Erza said, voicing Gray's suspicion. "Let's move!" he shouted, and started sprinting down the hallway. "Erza, you've got the best ears; lead us to them!"
"Right!" Erza took the lead, and they took several left turns, then several right, until they came upon a single door. Pausing on either side of it, Gray peered through the small glass square. He cursed under his breath and moved back, allowing the others to peer through. "Dammit," Lucy swore, biting her lip. "It's a clear open space. We'd be easy targets."
"Take another look," Lyon said. "There're stacks of boxes. And it looks empty, anyway."
Gray nodded. "We'll go in teams of two. Lyon, you're with me. Erza, Lucy; wait for about twelve seconds before following us." The girls nodded, and Gray signaled for Lyon to open the door. As soon as it closed behind them, they ducked behind the first set of boxes, glancing around to gauge their surroundings. There were open doorways on either side of the room, and a closed door straight ahead. That's where the sound was coming from.
Pointing at the door, Gray shared a look with Lyon and they stood, taking slow, even steps towards the closed door. When they reached it, Lyon was the first to look. "It's another hallway," he declared, making Gray swear. "How many damn hallways are in this place?!"
"Doesn't matter. The sound's clear enough for us to track it now."
Gray sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Let's go." By now Lucy and Erza were creeping through the doorway, eyes trained on the open doorways. Gray opened the door and was about to duck inside when voices echoed through the room. Gray threw Lyon through the door in front of him, signaled for Lucy and Erza to duck behind the boxes, and went inside himself, closing the door quietly.
"There's no time to waste," Gray hissed. "We've got to keep going!"
"But Lucy and—"
"They'll be fine," Gray assured, pushing Lyon forward. "Go!"
They started running, Lyon leading them towards the origin of the sound. At the end of the hallway there was another closed door, with two others on either side of it. The screams were coming from the middle room, and Gray clipped his gun to his belt, reaching a hand tentatively towards the door. Suddenly, the scream stopped, and Gray's hand hovered over the doorknob. He shushed Lyon, who was about to ask him something, and pressed his ear to the door.
"You're a stubborn one, hm?" The voice was male; Gray guessed the guy was maybe twenty or so. He bit his lip and listened closer. "I wonder how long you can last. I'm curious to see which one will arrive first; the end of your uncrushable determination, or your little hunter friend. I'm sure he'll be back for you soon."
Gray paled, and he quickly backed away from the door, meeting Lyon's eyes. "It's Na—" he was interrupted by a sound at the end of the hallway, and he quickly turned and opened the door to the left of the center, checking that it was empty before shoving Lyon inside and closing it. He pressed his ear to the door and listened to the approaching footsteps, ignoring the frantic beating of his heart. They were in a closet, and Lyon, who was pressed against the back wall, was still very close to Gray, his knees digging into his back.
There was a knock at the door in the middle, and Gray heard it open and the voice from before snap, "What?"
"Sorry, sir, I just have another shipment of weapons that they need you to sign off on."
There was an irritated sigh before the door closed and two sets of feet starting walking back down the hallway. "This better not take long," was the last thing Gray heard before they were too far away. He waited for several seconds before the door at the end of the hallway closed. Gray opened the door and slipped out again, turning to face the door he was afraid to open.
Resting his hand on the knob, he twisted, and the door opened.
Natsu flinched as the door opened, his breathing ragged. "Back already?" he spat, trying to even out his breathing. A spark of pain flashed through his body as he tried to move, and he closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "You should just kill me," he said, not bothering to open his eyes. "I already told you I don't know anything."
"Natsu," a voice whispered. "Natsu, it's me."
Natsu opened his eyes, squinting past the light to make out two shadows at the door. "Who's me?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
" You stupid son of a— It's Gray!"
"Gray?" Natsu was immediately wide awake. "Gray! Flip this damn light off!"
The shadow moved to the left, and the light was flipped off. Natsu sighed in relief, blinking to get used to the sudden darkness. "Get me out of here, would ya?" he asked, letting his head fall back against the seat. Gray, who he could actually see now, moved to his left arm. His face paled. "Holy shit, man. What the hell did they do to you?"
Natsu gave a weak laugh at how horrified he sounded. "Torture. I look great, don't I?"
Gray gritted his teeth as he started untying him. "I'll kill them," he said darkly, his eyes glowing with anger. "They'll pay for this."
"Wow," Natsu said, laughing weakly. "We've known each other for only four days, and you're worried about me? I'm touched."
Gray rolled his eyes, finishing cutting off the ropes securing Natsu's left arm. "Well, at least you're well enough to quote me."
Natsu gave a tired grin. "Just hurry up and untie me, Ice Princess."
Gray and Lyon finally finished untying Natsu, who had been cracking jokes the whole time. Gray looked him over, wincing. "Damn, are you sure you want to be moved? I can hardly tell what they did 'cause you're covered in blood."
"I'm... fine," Natsu said, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath and opened them again, blinking up at Gray. "Thanks... for... for..." His eyes had narrowed to slits, and Gray grasped his shoulder. "Natsu? Natsu, hey, you okay?"
"Your... eyes..." Natsu giggled. "They're pretty."
Gray felt a blush coat his cheeks, but he shook it off, looking down at his boots. His face paled as he saw all the blood pooling on the floor. "Dammit! He's losing a lot of blood. He's delirious. We've got to move him now!"
"Okay," Lyon agreed. "I'll take his left, you take his right?"
Gray nodded, and they started helping Natsu up. Gray expected him to groan or something, but he was out cold. "We've gotta move. Where're—"
Suddenly, they saw the door opening. Gray's hand flew to his belt, and he aimed his gun at the door. "Whoa," Lucy said, peering in at them. "Relax, Ice. It's just us."
"Good. Let's go."
A/N: Sorry to leave off on another cliff-hanger, but next chapter will be out soon ;)