Otherside Ch. 02

The woman scoffed but didn't reply. Instead, she walked further into the tunnel. "Follow me if you wish to keep your heads attached."

Ollys cleared his throat. "I-is that a threat?" He tried to sound brave - he was 20 now, dammit - but his voice barely came out as a croak. Not the most bold thing he'd said.

The women stopped before turning around and bending over, putting her face just centimeters from his own. His pulse quickened. "Idiot. I'm threatening to leave you for these bloodsucking swine. You think they'll leave you alone, after what they did to the rest of your friends?" She backed off, walking back down the tunnel with impatient steps.

His mind flashed back to the field above. All the other students being slaughtered around him, from the academy faculty. Dread settled in his abdomen. The woman was probably right. He didn't fancy going up just to be blasted against the gore-ridden crater floor.

He weakly stood up, his legs shaking from stress and tiredness. He stepped on something soft and nearly fell. He heard an "Ouch" that sounded awfully like Opal.

"Sorry," he whispered. He grabbed her hand and helped her stand up in the dark. He turned to Liric. The boy was pale and looked barely lucid.

"Help me out," he said as he grabbed one of Liric's shoulders. Opal stumbled over and supported Liric's other side. They hoisted him up and he grunted.

"You ok?" Ollys asked hoarsely.

Liric nodded. "Chest pain."

"Alright." He tried to move his arm higher up on Liric's back, behind his shoulders.

"You coming, or shall I call down the entire academy on you three?" The woman called from down the tunnel.

"Coming," Opal muttered as they stumbled through the dark. There was a light around the corner, and as they approached it, Ollys noticed a pinprick of light floating above the woman's finger, lighting up the cave.

With the dim light, Ollys realized the state he was in. His jacket was scorched where the whip had burned him, and the remainder of his clothes were torn and battered elsewhere. He wasn't injured - even beneath his jacket where he had been shocked, his skin was unbroken, only slightly raw. He was amazed by the state he was in. Opal and Liric looked similar, with tattered clothes but otherwise not too beat up. He noticed that Opal's blouse was scorched in the front, and more than a modest of bra was visible, but he blushed and looked away.

He noted then how stunning the woman in front of them was. She hardly looked much older than them. Her luscious pale blonde hair was slightly wavy but reached just to her lithe shoulder. She had large purple eyes and a small stubby nose. Her chin was small but sharp, and she had a light lipstick applied to her small lips. Ollys couldn't see much of her frame beneath the robes. She was cute.

The woman exhaled, a hint of relief touching her eyes. "Let's go. We'll meet up with the rest in a minute."

Ollys managed to find his voice. "The rest?"

The woman looked over her shoulder, her eyes sliding onto Ollys's. "The Insurgence, my friend."