Clockwork

Chapter Eleven

Kyros was starting to realise that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Walking in the cold for 2 hours was starting to take its toll. The children, however, didn't seem to feel fatigue; in fact, they were becoming progressively more cheerful and energetic. Kyros envied them.

"Okay, can we take a break now?" He asked, tugging on Aiden's sleeve. Aiden looked at him in surprise.

"We've only been walking for a bit. How are you tired?"

"I had a bad night's sleep."

Aiden looked pointedly at Kyros.

"I haven't slept properly for years."

"Touché." Kyros muttered under his breath. He ran a hand through his tangled hair.

"What's the name of the town we're going to?"

"I think it used to be called Lebanon. Something like that."

"Oh."

The group came across an old building. By now, the sky had grown dark and Kyros wanted to sleep. The old building had an archway entrance made out of some kind of strong metal. Aiden tapped on the door.

"We can sleep here." He announced.

His siblings ran to the door, yanked it open, and disappeared.

Aiden motioned to Kyros to follow them.

The door led to a small landing from which a flight of stairs led down to the main room. Aiden flicked a switch and the building was flooded with light.

Kyros walked down the steps, running his hand down the iron handrail.

The room was littered with bookshelves holding decaying books and manuscripts. Kyros had never seen any books before, except in museums or the Royal Book Collection. He was pretty sure that they were unused as no-one had used a book in centuries.

In the middle of the room was an old oak table, almost black with age. An ancient lamp was placed in the middle of it. Kyros sat down at the table, staring at the light. Stretching his legs, his knees bumped into something attached to the underside of the table. Feeling around with his hands, Kyros located the object, pulling it out from the table.

In his hands now lay a gun which Kyros recognised as a revolver. Etched in the revolver were two initials, D.W. Kyros puzzled over this before pocketing the gun; it would probably come in handy at some point.

Aiden and his siblings had settled down on the crumbling sofas to the left of the table. Kyros supposed that he should do the same. Much to his disgust, a small rat scuttled over his lap as he sat down. Kyros carefully lay down avoiding any other creatures that may have decided to share his bed.

"Goodnight," he muttered, letting the silence of the room lull him into a deep sleep.

                                                                                                      *

The temperature had dropped and Felicity and Hunter were forced to huddle together in order to conserve heat.

"How the hell are we getting out of here?" Felicity muttered, shivering. She could see her breath turning into curls of mist as she exhaled. Hunter muttered something, too cold to think of something intelligent to say. He felt on the ground, looking for an exit. His hand hit something so he bent down and picked up two stones.

"I found some stones and some kind of hay. Think I can start a fire?"

"Go ahead and try. I'd rather burn to death than freeze."

"I'd rather not think about death, if I'm honest."

"I don't think you'll have to, it will probably become a reality."

"Real cheerful today, aren't we?"

"Just start the fire already."

Hunter began to strike the stones together. He hoped that they were flints or it wouldn't work. To his delight, he created a spark, then another. Before long, a fire had lit up their cell, a welcome change to the glacial surroundings. Felicity let out a cheer and moved closer to the fire.

"Survival 101: stage 1 complete." She smiled.

"If only we had food for stage 2," Hunter said.

"Or an exit strategy for stage 3."

Now that the cell was lit with light, they could see it better. They were surrounded by blackened wall, each decorated with scratches resembling tally marks. Hunter made a quick calculation.

"This poor bastard was here for 27 years. I'm surprised he lasted so long. I would have gone insane before that."

"At least they had the decency to take away the body," Felicity observed, her eyes scanning the cell. Hunter tapped her shoulder and pointed at the ceiling. Hanging from the rafters was a body, slightly mangled.

"You were saying?"

Felicity fought the urge to vomit. She was very thankful that she hadn't had anything to eat recently. Crossing her arms, she went to the furthest corner away from the body, which happened to be the entrance. She closed her eyes and braced her head against the iron bars. Hunter continue to stare at the body, a vile taste entering his mouth. He couldn't bring himself to move.

                                                                                                       *

Felicity had almost dozed off but then she heard it. Something- or somebody- scuttling around outside the cell. Immediately she was alert, shaking Hunter's head from her shoulder. The blonde just slumped to the ground, too far gone to be awakened.

"Hello?" She whispered, putting her fingers through the bars.

"Shh!"

"Who's there?" she asked. A pair of eyes- the pair of eyes- appeared in the gloom. The owner of the eyes soon became visible.

It was a boy about her age with floppy brown hair draped effortlessly on top of his head. White teeth gleamed in the slither of moonlight which had appeared from behind a cloud. The boy grinned wickedly, dangling a pair of keys in front of Felicity's face. Felicity nodded, holding out her hand for them. The boy, however, pulled them out of reached, wagging his finger.

"Come on!" Felicity whispered urgently. "Help me! Just unlock the door..."

The boy pretended to consider her order but shook his head.

"Well, thanks then." Felicity snapped, turning away.

Just then, Hunter woke up.

"Hey! You there! Unlock the-"

The boy reached through the bars, clamping a hand around Hunter's mouth. He glowered at Hunter, clearly annoyed at the noise.

"Shut up or they come." He said.

His accent wasn't one that Felicity had heard before. It sounded like one from Landmass 5, but different. Different in a good way.

Hunter nodded and the boy let go.

"I'll let you out if you help me." The boy carried on.

"Anything," Hunter said, frantically straitening his hair after noticing its messiness. Felicity inclined her head slightly.

"Let me come with you guys. I've been stuck with these wankers for years."

"Those what?" Hunter asked. The boy just shook his head.

"Never mind, mate."

"Well, you have yourself a deal, right Flick?" Hunter turned to Felicity. She didn't respond.

"Well, I'll speak on her behalf. She'll warm up to you eventually."

The boy laughed nervously. He reached forward with the key. Quick as lightening, Hunter snatched it from his skinny hands.

"Not sure if I trust you yet," He explained. The boy just nodded and smiled. Hunter turned the key on the lock. With a click, the lock gave way and the door swung open.

"Finally," Felicity muttered.

"Does she ever smile?" The boy asked.

"To be honest, not really," Hunter replied. "You got a name?"

"Austin. You?"

"Hunter. The grump is Flicky."

"Felicity," Felicity interjected. "Only that moron calls me Flicky."

"Felicity it is then." Austin said. "Exit's this way. Only problem is Fingers."

"Is he on duty?" Felicity asked. Austin nodded. A sudden thought came to Felicity.

"Austin, did you see an old telescreen? About 10 1/2 inch screen?"

"Yeah. With Monty."

"Monty?"

"The leader. The skinny bastard?"

Hunter nodded.

"Do you think you could get it for us? It's kinda important," He asked.

Austin groaned, nodding.

"Sure," He sighed. "Continue down the tunnel and I'll meet you on the outside."

With that, Austin ha scampered off, his brown waves bouncing behind him. Hunter and Felicity walked down the tunnel that Austin had indicated, keeping their backs to the walls, their eyes and ears on high alert. To Felicity's relief, the light seemed to get stronger as they progressed. Felicity wasn't a fan of he dark.

As they walked, the pair suddenly came across a figure lying on the ground, snoring.

"Fingers." Felicity mouthed.

She put a finger to her lips and began to tiptoe around the man's bulky frame. Hunter copied her.

Without a warning, Finger's hand shot out, grabbing Felicity's ankle. She let out a scream. Fingers let out a roar in response. He swung a clumsy fist towards Felicity's face. There was a crunch as it connected to... Hunter's arm?

Letting out his own roar, Hunter kicked the giant in the face. Gracefully regaining balance, Hunter landed on all fours. Before Fingers knew what was happening, Hunter had jabbed him in the side, knocking his face into the wall. Just as victory seemed good as his, Hunter found himself flying across the corridor. He collided into a table which was conveniently placed in the hallway.

Fingers, however, was not done with Hunter. Grunting, his meaty fist clamped itself onto Hunter's neck, lifting him clean off the ground. Hunter struggled like a floundering fish but could not break his hold. He could see stars and hear Felicity's screams in the background.

"Hey! Arsehole!"

It was Austin. Shoving the telescreen and an assortment of other items into Felicity's hands, he launched himself at Fingers, landing on his back. He pummelled his fists on Finger's head, causing him to release his grip. Hunter wriggled to the floor, gratefully gulping air. He then started to attack Fingers again. Felicity watched in amazement as the two boys brought the man to his knees, fighting together like they had fought together for years. Each move was perfectly timed and synchronised, Hunter covering their left, Austin, the right. With one last struggle, the boys had Fingers knocked out cold. Almost crying with relief, Felicity ran to them, engulfing them in a hug. Hunter embraced her. Austin patted her awkwardly on the back.

"Come on. Let's get the hell out of here before Monty comes and kicks my arse."