Chapter 7: The Apathy
Argus, 22:30 pm…
After a long day, Ghost was looking forward to finally getting some sleep. Fighting Grimm had done a number on him, and he could use the rest sleep would grant him.
Trudging up the stairs, Ghost remembered Blake's room was immediately in front of him, and so decided to check on her.
Raising his hand to knock, Ghost paused as he heard sobbing from within Blake's room.
His concern mounting, Ghost then gently knocked on the door.
"Come in." Blake sniffled from inside.
Ghost quietly opened the door and stepped inside, asking: "Is everything okay, Blake?"
Blake's response was to show Ghost her scroll:
Nathan's call ID was visible, and it was clear Blake was trying to call Nathan.
"I… I tried calling Nathan…" Blake said. "But… no answer."
Ghost sighs. "You know how bad reception can be out there. If anything, Nathan's probably tried it himself."
Tears began pricking at Blake's eyes, and her hands found her belly.
"Hey…" Ghost said softly, placing a hand on Blake's shoulder. "If you think for a second that Nathan isn't moving the heavens and hell in order to reunite with you… you know Nathan far less than I do.
A frown covered Blake's face as she replied: "Well, when you put it like that…"
"Blake…" Ghost interrupted softly. "I've seen Nathan survive some of the most horrific things in existence by sheer force of will alone. Until he has you in his arms, Nathan will endure even the fires of hell. He'll be here before you know it, Blake. Just have faith. For both you and your baby."
A small smile crossed Blake's face as she stepped forward, hugging Ghost. "Goodnight, Ghost. Sleep well."
"Good night to you too, Blake." Ghost replied, hugging Blake back before stepping away. "I'll see you in the morning." At that, Ghost quietly stepped out of Blake's room and headed for his own.
Stepping inside, Ghost quickly but quietly removed his armor, stripping to just his underwear before sitting in bed.
Taking a deep breath, he soon lay back, allowing sleep to overtake him… Today was challenging, and he hoped tomorrow would make things much easier when the others hopefully joined them.
The next morning, Brunswick Farms, 15th May 16 BBY, 8:00 am…
Nathan awoke with a groan; blinking the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up, brushing his hair back. He could see sunlight peeking through the curtains in front of him, and suspicions began to form within his head.
A loud clatter from outside the room drew his attention; as did the small scream that caused him to look towards Ruby:
The leader of Team RWBY had awoken with a start, and it was clear she herself had noticed the sunlight beaming through.
Their eyes met, and Nathan quietly rose to his feet, testing his wounded leg gingerly to ensure it wouldn't buckle and cause him to topple onto Oscar, who was still asleep beneath Nathan.
The leg held, and Nathan nodded to Ruby, who marched up to the curtains and cast them open.
Daylight sprang into the room like an excited puppy, prompting Weiss to groggily call out:
"Close the window!"
Nathan and Ruby promptly left the room and stepped into the entrance hall, knowing that was where Qrow had been earlier.
And promptly found Qrow passed out on his chair, several bottles of wine at his feet.
Nathan honestly wasn't surprised, and glanced over at Ruby with folded arms. "Looks like you might wanna reconsider your role models." He remarked.
Ruby flashed an annoyed look towards Nathan before walking up to her uncle. "Uncle Qrow. Come on, get up." She said, lightly shaking Qrow's shoulder.
"Leave me alone..." Qrow groaned.
"We overslept." Ruby continued, only to be lightly shoved away by Qrow.
Nathan sighed and walked up to Ruby. "Want me to handle this?" He asked.
Ruby's response was to suddenly throw the empty bottle up against the wall.
Qrow immediately woke up, startled. "What?" He spluttered, before catching sight of Nathan, Ruby, and the shattered bottle. "Oh, right. Sunrise." He recalled.
"Welcome back to Soberland, Qrow." Nathan said before turning his back on Qrow and walking off. He could hear Ruby saying something to Qrow, but ignored it.
Rejoining the others, Nathan could see that some were already waking up; namely Yang, Kanan, and Oscar.
Weiss was still fast asleep, as was Maria.
But Nathan knew it wouldn't be long before they awakened. He'd make sure of it. He was too close to reuniting with Blake and his unborn child to be delayed any longer.
Later that morning, 8:30 am…
"There." Weiss said.
With the help of Myrtenaster, Weiss had welded a metal ball to a makeshift trailer hitch that was now attached to Bumblebee.
Nathan had to admit; it was a stroke of ingenuity from the Ice Queen.
His eyes fell as he noticed just how tired everyone looked. Guess I wasn't the only person who couldn't sleep all that well, Nathan observed.
"Can we just go back to bed?" Oscar called out from where he was sat on the porch steps next to Kanan.
"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Kanan suggested.
"You wanna make it?" Oscar asked Kanan.
"Not really." Kanan replied.
Nathan nodded. They'd get something to eat once they reached Argus.
And once Blake was in his arms again.
Felt like that was Nathan's only goal right now: Go make sure Blake was okay.
He then watched as Ruby and Qrow pushed the flatbed trailer up to Bumblebee.
"You guys got the bike ready?" Ruby asked Yang, who merely gestured to it.
"Well, it's done now." Qrow said, resting his foot on the side of the trailer. "So let's hook this thing up and-"
A loud bang filled the air as the tire on the opposite side of the trailer burst.
Qrow groaned in frustration and went to check on it.
"Well, that blows." Nathan commented, earning him a little giggle from Yang.
"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria added.
A frustrated Qrow moved to a nearby fence, sitting up against it, joined by Yang, who then said:
"I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas."
"It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare." Ruby replied with a sigh.
"It's not just that, it's everything." Yang responded. "Storms, crashes, monsters..." Yang then sighed herself. "I'm so tired..."
"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by." Kanan added.
"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for." Ruby countered.
"I'm with Ruby there." Nathan added; standing next to Ruby. "We agreed to this the day we signed up to be Huntsmen and Huntresses."
"We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable." Oscar countered.
"So that's what this is about?" Nathan asked.
"Last night, I..." Weiss went to say, placing a hand on her arm. "I couldn't stop thinking - why are we even going to Atlas?"
Everyone shared troubled looks as Ruby replied:
"Weiss, we have to."
"Why?" Yang asked, standing back up. "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a Lamp in the middle of nowhere?"
"What?" Ruby asked.
Nathan admitted, the idea had some merit. But he still disagreed. "Yang; you can't be serious."
"The Grimm might-" Ruby made to say, before Yang interrupted:
"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now."
Nathan looked to Ruby, who detached the Relic of Knowledge from her belt.
It was then Nathan noticed the rest of the gang had dazed, trancelike facial expressions on their faces.
With that, Nathan felt that bad feeling he had felt upon arriving at Brunswick return, especially when Ruby started walking towards the well, saying:
"I am... really... tired..."
More worrying to Nathan was that Ruby's eyes were dilated, much like the others.
Then again… he himself was feeling really tired. Maybe he should have gotten more sleep.
No; he couldn't. Blake needed him. His unborn child needed him.
Nathan forced himself to fixate on Blake, and thoughts of their unborn child. He felt clear-minded, and looked to Ruby, who herself seemed to hesitate.
Before letting out a startled scream and dropping the Relic into the darkness of the well.
"Ruby!" Nathan shouted as he rushed over to his friend. "You okay, Rubes?" He asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"No! No! No!" Ruby said frantically. "I didn't mean to!"
"Ruby, it's okay." Weiss said.
Glancing back at Weiss, Nathan was worried to see the rest of the gang shared that same dazed, trancelike expression on their faces.
"No!" Ruby protested. "No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!"
Nathan scowled. That would explain what spooked her into dropping the Relic, he thought to himself as Yang spoke up:
"Hey, it's okay." She said, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder. "You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go."
"Yeah… no." Nathan replied, folding his arms as Ruby swatted Yang's hand off her shoulder.
"What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the Lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" Ruby said as she face-palmed.
"All we have to do is fix this trailer." Qrow said. "Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare."
Nathan rolled his eyes. "Fuck's sake, his name is-"
"I'm not leaving without the Lamp!" Ruby snapped, interrupting everyone.
Nathan blinked a few times as Yang, Weiss and Kanan continued dazedly staring at them, before nodding agreement with Ruby. "Neither am I. Now…" taking his lightsaber from his belt, Nathan took a deep breath. "Anyone coming?"
"I'll go down with you..." Kanan said dazedly.
"We'll go down together." Weiss said.
"Fine!" Qrow snapped, getting back up. "Get the stupid Lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire."
"Oh, so you do remember his name." Nathan said. "Was thinking I'd have to kick your fucking head in for it to click."
Qrow's only response was to flip Nathan the bird as he trudged off back into the house.
"Where are you going?" Maria asked as he passed her by.
"Where do you think?" Qrow fired back, shaking his flask as he entered the house.
Nathan sighed. Fucking idiot, he thought to himself, a feeling Maria seemed to echo:
"Stupid..."
Nathan looked to see Maria take a seat on the porch with another volume of Bartleby's diaries, before taking a deep breath and hopping into the well alongside Ruby, Weiss, Kanan and Yang.
The sight greeting Nathan as he joined Kanan and the girls within the well was a sea of blackness, at which Nathan ignited his lightsaber:
The blue blade sprang into life, illuminating the path with a ghostly blue glow.
"Is there anything your lightsaber can't do?" Yang asked Nathan.
"Well; it'd make for a pretty bad dildo." Nathan replied. Drawing Phoenix's Breath, holding his lightsaber aloft for better lighting, Nathan added: "Stay frosty. Though I doubt that'd be a problem for Weiss. Isn't that right, Ice Queen?"
"Ha-ha." Weiss replied laconically
Nathan snorted, and the five of them started forward, the water sloshing beneath them with every step they made.
As they walked, Nathan became aware of further tunnel openings ahead. Something told him this waterway was much more expansive then they had first thought.
"Maybe the current carried it away." Yang suggested.
"Maybe." Nathan replied, as Ruby muttered:
"Oh, come on, where is it?"
"Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Kanan suggested.
"Okay…" Ruby replied nervously.
Nathan wasn't a fan of the idea, but with an absence of acceptable alternatives, he switched off his lightsaber and attached it to his belt, holding Phoenix's Breath with both hands. "Stick close to me, Ruby…"
The crimson cowled Huntress nodded, drawing Crescent Rose as the two cautiously started forward.
It wasn't long before Nathan spotted a familiar blue glow coming from farther along their path. "There." He pointed out to Ruby.
Ruby looked ahead, and they quickly started forward.
"Watch our six!" Nathan called out to Kanan, Weiss and Yang behind them as he and Ruby reached the Relic.
Ruby wasted little time in picking it up, and met Nathan's gaze.
Nathan smiled, saying: "Good job, Rubes." Ruffling her hair.
Ruby herself smiled, calling out: "Guys, I-"
Looking behind the Relic though, Ruby's expression became one of horror.
Nathan's eyes narrowed, looking to where Ruby was.
And what he saw terrified him:
Multiple tall, humanoid looking Grimm, with long arms reaching down as far as the ground and extremely long fingers, hideous faces resembling skulls, some even lacking nostrils, and low-hanging jaws.
Their attention turned to Nathan and Ruby, reaching out with outstretched arms towards them.
Nathan drew in a sharp breath. "What the fuck?!" He snarled as Ruby let out a terrified scream.
"Ruby?!"
Yang's voice behind them snapped Nathan out of his terrified trance, and raising Phoenix's Breath, Nathan immediately opened fire, firing several rounds into the Grimm, backing up as he did, becoming aware of Yang, Kanan and Weiss joining him and Ruby.
"What is it?" Yang asked her sister before noticing the almost skeletal Grimm slowly approaching them.
Reloading Phoenix's Breath, Nathan emptied an entire clip into the oncoming Grimm, only to realise it had little to no effect.
Which was about the time one of these nightmarish Grimm unleashed an ear-splitting scream.
Phoenix's Breath suddenly seemingly increased in weight, and Nathan sank to one knee, struggling to remain standing. "What…"
"What is this...?" Yang asked.
"My weapon... feels heavy..." Kanan added.
"Run!"
The group suddenly noticed Maria behind them. How the old lady had gotten into the waterways was anyone's guess, but Nathan wasn't about to disagree with her course of action:
"Now!" Maria added.
"Come on!" Nathan called out, reaching behind him, reloading explosive rounds into Phoenix's Breath and opening fire.
"Go, go!" Ruby ordered.
Emptying that clip, Nathan dashed after Ruby, Yang, Weiss and Kanan as they rejoined Maria.
The hopeful glow of daylight shone down from the well entrance, and Nathan knew their escape was near.
Until more of those nightmarish Grimm blocked the path, followed up by another one of those ear-piercing screams.
Nathan once again sank to his knees, feeling an irrepressible urge to give up.
"This way!"
Nathan looked to see Ruby point out a nearby tunnel entrance. Dashing for it, Nathan joined the others in their flight.
Each and every way they turned, they were greeted by the eerie and foreboding sight of more darkness, oftentimes accompanied by more of those ghoulishly skeletal Grimm, causing them to have to alter their course through what seemed more like a terrifyingly never-ending limitless and infinitely endless maze.
Until they finally found themselves within what appeared to be an underground room of sorts.
The room was bleak, cold, and pitch black; much like the corridors outside, and Nathan felt a fresh chill crawling like a spider up his spine, the darkness almost engulfing him, piercing him like a knife.
Drawing his lightsaber, Nathan brought light to the room, illuminating it with an almost ghostly blue light.
Which was how they noticed even more of those Grimm at one end of the room:
"Shit! Keep moving!" Nathan yelled, as he and Maria led the others further into the room, and away from the Grimm.
Only for one of them to let out one more scream.
Nathan's legs gave out, and he found himself collapsing on the floor, his head colliding with something hard and almost sharp. His last thought before everything went black was of Blake and his unborn child, hoping they'd be okay.
Sometime later…
"Nathan…"
The voice called Nathan to consciousness, and he felt his eyes beginning to peek open.
The sound of Bumblebee's engine allowed him to focus, and slowly, he awoke, finding a familiar pair of icy blue eyes staring back down at him.
"Weiss?" Nathan asked.
"Welcome back." The heiress to the Schnee Dust Company replied, a warm smile crossing her face. "You've been out for some time."
"W-what happened?" Nathan asked with a groan, sitting up and grimacing as he held his head, feeling fresh bandages around it. "Where are we?"
"On that flatbed Yang and Kanan found." Weiss responded. "We're headed to Argus."
"You took an ugly fall when we were fleeing those… Grimm." Ruby elaborated on Nathan's previous question as she came into view. "Reopened that wound you got up there really bad, too."
It slowly came back to him; the dark room, those… nightmarish, ghoulish Grimm, and one final scream from them causing him to fall down and hit his head.
"The main thing is; you're alright." Weiss said. "Kanan retrieved your lightsaber after you fell."
Nathan looked to Kanan, who was sat on Bumblebee behind Yang.
The son of Sienna Khan looked and extended his arm behind him, the outstretched hand holding Nathan's lightsaber.
Reaching out with the Force, Nathan called his weapon to his hand, quickly igniting and then extinguishing it to ensure it still worked. Attaching it to his belt, Nathan asked: "What… what were those things? They… they have to be amongst the most terrifying creatures of Grimm I've ever encountered."
"The Apathy." Maria elaborated from where she was sat, on the edge of the flatbed being pulled along by Bumblebee. "They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on." Gesturing to the diary in Oscar's hands, Maria added: "Bartleby's estate was haemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always."
Nathan nodded as Oscar began reading aloud from the diary:
"Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired."
"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home." Maria added. "My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked." Taking the diary back from Oscar, Maria began reading: "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left." With that, she closed the book, tossing it out into the wilderness, never to be read again.
Silence permeated the gang, the only sound being the steady growl of Bumblebee's engine.
"I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up." Weiss said, suddenly breaking the silence.
Bumblebee came to a stop, as Yang herself spoke:
"Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe."
"It's not your fault. It was those... things." Kanan replied, kissing Yang on the cheek. "Bastards would have gotten me if it wasn't for Ruby's silver eyes kicking in and Maria helping her."
Nathan nodded, before Maria spoke up:
"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be."
Nathan raised an eyebrow, but Ruby spoke up before him:
"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?"
A smile crossed Maria's face, before she replied: "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes."
Nathan's eyes widened, as he asked: "You were a Huntress?"
"Not just any Huntress, child." Maria responded. "I was the Grimm Reaper."
And with that; we draw the curtain on the Apathy.
I enjoyed the challenge of writing a horror-esque chapter; as it's not something I tend to do.
Either way; let's answer some reviews:
Sharnorasian Empire: First off; love the pun (Barbara Dunkleman would approve). Secondly; now that you mention it, I have an idea on where such a device could be found. But that's for later.
That being said; thank you all so much for taking the time to read this chapter. If you liked it; y'all know what to do.
The next update will be in 2 weeks time, as next week will be Wrestlemania Weekend. Those of you who are WWE fans, do let me know what your predictions are in your reviews.
Anyway; in two weeks, we will see the gang reunited.
T-Rock14.
