Clockwork

Chapter Ten

Felicity was in a particularly good mood. True, she couldn't mover her arms or legs, but she was alive. That was a pretty good achievement in its own right.

She could sense some movement next to her. If she was lucky, it would be Hunter. If not, she should start saying goodbye to the outside world as she was pretty sure that the Iron Guard didn't let prisoners ever see the light of day again. Noticing that she probably wouldn't be moving in a while, Felicity closed her eyes and let sleep overtake her.

                                                                                                     *

Elated shouts woke Felicity. She chuckled at the absurdity.

"We made it out alive!" Hunter was yelling, not quite believing their luck. "We're not going to be the Queen's prisoners after all!"

Felicity got up and was immediately engulfed in a hug. She patted Hunter until he let go.

"Did you see my driving? I should drive more often. Man, that was awesome! Gave me an adrenalin rush, right? Bring it on, Avarice! But my driving though-"

"Yes, it was amazing. Have a medal."

Hunter pouted.

"Fine. I'll admit that you can drive better than me."

Hunter's smile grew.

"But I'm not letting you drive regularly."

The smile faded slightly.

There was a moment of silence. Then-

"I'm a better driver than you! I'm a better driver than you! I'm a better- oof!"

Felicity punched Hunter in a very painful place.

"Was that really necessary?" Hunter wheezed, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Probably not, but it felt good."

Hunter ventured to the edge of the forest to inspect the damage. Surveying the c*****e, he let out a shout of laughter.

"These drones are completely ruined! Like a bomb had hit them."

"That's because a bomb did hit them, moron."

Felicity explained to Hunter about the makeshift bomb that she had made.

"It was meant more for a distraction but I'm not complaining." she explained.

"You beautiful, clever, wicked girl!" Hunter tutted.

Felicity felt her cheeks redden.

"Genius!"

"Yeah but now what?"

"Now you come with us." A voice rang out.

Hunter made a move to go but felt a cold rod poking his back. Gulping, he put up his arms.

"Do as your boyfriend is doing, lovely." the voice instructed Felicity. She did as she was told, silently fuming. How could they let themselves be discovered so easily?

"Nice an' easy. You don't move, Fingers here doesn't blow your heart out. Deal?"

A tall, slim man emerged from the trees. He reeked of alcohol, his teeth rotten with dirt. He wore what was once a silk shirt, a waistcoat and a pair of bottle green trousers. Greasy black hair was plastered to his face, a crooked nose surfaced from under his poorly cut fringe. He couldn't have looked more out of place.

"Look-y here. Two young lovers running from the Guard."

"We're not lovers," Felicity snapped. A knife materialised in front of her nose, almost taking her eyes out.

"Careful, now. Wouldn't want Fingers to play with his knife, would 'ya?"

Felicity glared and shook her head. Just when it had been going so well. You could have practically seen smoke coming out of her ears, she was that angry.

"You lot, check the wreckage." he carried on. To Felicity's chagrin, more oddly dressed people emerged from the trees. They all carried some kind of weapon, moving like cats. They had all jumped out of their hiding places, landing on all fours. Felicity took a wary step back. The man motioned to Fingers. Fingers jabbed Felicity and Hunter in the back. Hunter hissed in pain, earning a clip to the ear. Learning his lesson, he stayed quiet. Together they marched in silence through the melancholy darkness of the forest.

During their journey, Felicity could have sworn that she saw a pair of eyes following them. Every now and then they disappeared only to resurface moments later. You're just imagining it, she told herself firmly. Deeper and deeper into the wood they walked, so deep you could feel the temperature drop. The trees whispered profanities, the menacing wind tearing at their clothes. Unfamiliar plants grew on the forest floor, winding their way up the trees and brushing themselves against Felicity's legs. She shuddered at the sensation.

All of a sudden, they came to a clearing. In the clearing stood the remain of an ancient castle. Felicity and Hunter were hauled towards it. Beside the castle was a ring of tents with campfires dotted around them. The strong aroma of cooking meat wafted its way up Felicity's nostrils. Wrinkling her nose at the smell, she focused on the castle.

It was like something out of a fairy-tale. The castle had obviously once been very grand and Felicity marvelled at it. It was carved out of the cliff behind it, undoubtedly meaning that there were tunnels leading from the castle into the cliff. Fingers dragged her towards the entrance which was still standing proudly. They passed through the entrance hall and into the main foyer. Here, Felicity and Hunter were stripped of their coats and searched. This did not please Hunter as he had to part with a cinnamon bun that he was saving for later. Hunter was rather partial to cinnamon buns.

Felicity protested against their stolen belongings. "I need that coat! I'll freeze without it!"

"Not my problem," the skinny man smirked. He had taken a fancy to Hunter's coat and was now trying to fit his clearly too wide shoulders into it. He gave up with a growl.

"Toss them in the prisons, Fingers."

Fingers grunted in acknowledgement. He led Felicity and Hunter away.

                                                                                                      *

As they passed through what seemed like a maze of whitewashed walls, Felicity could have sworn that she saw the eyes from the forest darting around the corner.

                                                                                                     *

Felicity and Hunter were dumped rather unceremoniously into a cell. She slumped against the wall, straining at the floor. Hunter, however, started yelling.

"You can't leave us here! We'll die of starvation!"

"Isn't that kinda the idea, moron?" Felicity snapped.

"Okay, who's side are you on?"

"Reality's. And reality check, we ain't getting out of here without help on the outside. Now, I'm gonna start preparing for death, kindly leave me alone."

Hunter joined Felicity on the floor. He hugged his knees.

"At least they left the lights on,"

Just as he said this, the lights went out.

"You were saying?"