Episode 11

The darkness was so complete, like a vacuum of life. She could literally see nothing until a light came Andriw that pierced through the darkness like an arrow.

"We will rest here for the night," it stated.

"In here?" Scarlet questioned.

"Unless you'd rather sleep out in the cold wind," Moshu Shi said as he turned to face her.

"Not really..." she muttered.

She sat there in the dark, slender corridor by the outside door. The metal underneath her was harsh against her bones. The air felt close and dry, and there seemed to be a musky, stale smell lingering all around her, making her breathe a little harder to get enough oxygen. There was a thick layer of dust that had settled on all the surfaces which was aggravating all her senses.

However, what was keeping her awake were all the subtle noises she could hear. The wind still howled just outside and, in turn, it made the structure creak and moan all the way up the column. Above her, she could hear the inner workings of other things: old pipes straining to work, the clanging of long-forgotten machines echoing through the corridors, and a faint low deep pounding from far off. The latter sounded like great raging drums, primal and savage. It gave her an unease in the pit of her stomach.

She was so lost in that deep drumming that she had all but forgotten about her aching body and the growing pain in her gums. She eventually drifted off to sleep from sheer exhaustion, abruptly jolting awake sometime later due to a bright shining light.

"Time to get up." She could hear Andriw saying. "Don't forget to eat."

"Andriw, get that damn light out of our eyes," came Moshu Shi's groggy voice.

"No kidding," Scarlet added.

She began eating one protein bar; seeing that she only had three left, she thought to make them last as long as she could. Sitting there, she began to realize that the deep, low drumming she had heard the night before was now gone.

'Maybe my head's just messing with me.'

She was soon following Andriw and Moshu Shi, with the android in the lead lighting the way. The hours seemed to drag on as they found their way through the winding corridors. Miles and miles of pipes and machinery made up the foundation of the mighty Lygredd, and over seventy percent of the people living in Lygredd's Belly worked to keep the systems of Lygredd running.

It was hard labor at its best, gritty and dangerous. Many of the workers would return with missing limbs; some would never return at all. Most people would say that the team had gotten lost in the maze of Lygredd's inner workings and that they had probably all starved to death. Others would suggest that perhaps they were injured by the machinery and couldn't make it back alive.

But she'd heard stories told by the workers themselves that something far more sinister had happened to those who had vanished. There were rumors that there existed a faction of humans called the Bwbach who had chosen to live separately from everyone, deep in the darkness. They were said to steal whole groups of workers. No one knew what they did with the people that they stole. It was thought that the reclusive people would often eat their victims. After all, there wasn't much else for them to eat.

She thought back to the drums she had heard the night before. She couldn't help but wonder if it was the infamous Bwbach.

'They're just rumors… But there are enough rumors for them to have a name… The scavengers were supposed to be just a rumor too, and they turned out real enough.' She looked off into the darkness about her. 'Every rumor is based on some sort of truth, however small.'

Her eyes settled on the two in front of her. They didn't seem very nervous. 'But I also have the impression that they've done this journey multiple times. But if that's the case, why would he need my help? If anything, having a newbie tag along could put them in more danger.' It didn't sit right with her.

Suddenly, Andriw came to an abrupt stop.

"What is it?" the black-haired man asked just above a whisper.

"I'm detecting something… something is coming toward us, from behind."

'From behind… me?' Scarlet's eyes shot behind her but she could see nothing.

Moshu Shi looked behind them for just a moment. "Come on, let's get out of here… go!"

There seemed to be a panic in his voice. They began dashing through the corridors. Coming fast around a corner, Scarlet didn't have time to duck the low-hanging pipe. Her head slammed into it, knocking her to the ground. Her world was spinning and her vision was riddled with spots, dancing like fireflies. She was trying to pick herself up when she felt someone grip her hair harshly, yanking her to her feet. Her eyes cleared as a ghostly pale face came into sight, a wide smile across it.

Her hand was on her viper before she could think to do anything else. Placing the barrel under the chin of the pale face, she pulled the trigger, showering the corridor with blood. Her feet unsteadily caught her and before she had time to catch her breath, she could hear that there were more coming for her.

"Come on, Scarlet!" She could hear Moshu Shi yelling.

She turned to follow the faint light ahead of her.

"Up the ladder, hurry!"

She could just see the ladder. Dashing to it, she looked up to see Moshu Shi and Andriw staring down at her from a brightly lit room. She started up the ladder as fast as her arms and legs could take her, but it would not be fast enough. Suddenly, she felt several hands latch onto her legs and try to yank her from the ladder. Her grip tightened on the thin rough bars as she began to kick and scream.

"Get off of me!" she shouted.

She dared not let go to reach for her weapons. She freed her right leg and tried to make gain up the ladder only for them to seize hold of it again. With one last yank, they pried her from the bars, and with a shrill, she vanished into the blackness.