"That was disgusting," Havi said in passing.
"Tell me about it," Andre groaned. "When we get out of here, I'm spending a whole day in the shower."
"You? Taking a shower?" Sunny mocked. "That's how you know we're in another world."
"Ohh, look who finally found his voice again," Andre said aggressively as he got in Sunny's face. "Our scared little baby is finally growing up."
"At least I don't look pregnant WITH a baby," Sunny shot back.
Havi stared up at the ceiling dragging his hand across his face. "How the hell do you guys manage to start a fight in any situation? I'm just impressed at this point."
"Hey, don't say that like you're any better," said Andre with a cheeky grin. "You're just like us."
Nat and I giggled at the three stooges, while Dwight just stared at them like they were in a zoo exhibit. I've known them all for quite a while, but this was the first time I truly appreciated their friendship.
For the first time in a while, I felt something like peace. We had grown strong, Simon and Jessie were barely hurt, and we were having no problems rescuing them.
Some of the old banter between people was even beginning to come back. Considering how grim this whole ordeal has been so far, and how badly this could've gone, I was quite happy at how things turned out.
Although, Simon might be a little traumatized with the whole getting kidnapped by manslaughtering giant bugs. But I think a fair share of deep trauma was unavoidable for everyone considering what we were dealing with.
It's just something both of us will have to work through later. What matters to me is we'll get to do it together. That was all I needed.
The cave began to narrow as we approached two mana signatures. Water dripped down onto my nose as I took in the damp air.
The tunnel became so small that we had to crawl on our knees to get through.
One thing still bothered me. Their signatures were coming from below us. So, at some point we had to go down, but how? Maybe there was a way down somewhere?
"Ah!" Andre yelped while at the front of our crawling line.
I shouted back at him. "What happened?!"
"There's a slope," he replied. "I didn't see it and I lost my balance."
I could sense both of them down the slope. We were finally getting close.
As we traversed downwards, the tunnel widened until we could stand up again. By this point we had left the cave behind and were surrounded by dirt that somehow didn't cave in.
Eventually the ground flattened, and we entered an area that seemed like it could be used as a home.
A path went straight as dirt rooms opened on either side of it. I didn't know what they were for nor did I care. There was only one room I was interested in.
I ran forward thinking of what I should say to Simon, or what he may say to me.
How hurt is he? Will he be scared or put on a tough guy act? Should I make a joke or just hug him and cry? Will he be okay enough to walk? He doesn't feel that hurt.
That kept bothering me. I didn't want to question it because I was grateful that he was alright, but it didn't make any sense. How wasn't he dead, or at least gravely injured? What happened to him? Well, I guess I'd get the answers soon enough.
I turned a corner and walked forward. Anticipation laced my every movement as I inched closer toward the opening of the room. Reaching the doorway, I turned and stared inside.
My heart stopped. No, time itself stopped, or at least it felt like it did. I couldn't hear, smell, taste, or even feel anything. All of my senses dulled apart from my sight. I felt disconnected from my body—like my brain turned off and didn't want to turn back on.
I was stuck in a limbo, like the feeling of stubbing your toe and having a brief moment to acknowledge the pain before it came in.
I didn't want to experience what came next, I wanted to stay in limbo forever.
We were naive. We thought that just because their mana signatures seemed healthy, they must be fine.
That couldn't have been further from the truth.
Simon and Jessie were tied upside down, hanging from the ceiling with a rope that connected to a strange symbol. Multiple cuts ran across their bodies as gravity drained the blood from them into makeshift earthen buckets.
Their mana… ran opposite their blood.
It seeped out of their bodies and into a sigil up above them; gathering and pooling just like their blood except into that rune instead of a bucket. The stolen mana held the exact same signature as theirs, making the two signatures indistinguishable from each other.
Their bodies looked shriveled and discolored—only barely alive.
They were worse off than Aria. We had no way to save them.
It was the most horrifying sight I'd seen yet. They looked like livestock being harvested. Maybe that's exactly what they were.
My emotions finally caught up with me.
Something inside me shattered.
The air in my lungs vanished into a bloodcurdling scream.
I rushed in and released Simon from his bindings—holding him in my arms as I cried.
The others heard me and rushed in to meet the same sight as me. Andre and Havi quickly rushed in to free Jessie and lay him down.
I heard the sounds of people screaming, throwing up, and walls being punched—or maybe not. At that moment nothing fully reached me.
Nothing that was happening around me registered in my head. My own cries drowned out any sound, and my thoughts stopped dead in my aching head.
I stifled my cries as I buried my head into Simon's chest.
Every inch of me shook in pure distress from an ache I had never come close to experiencing before.
It felt like my world had ended.