The Underground

Eli

An: In honor of reaching 140k+ reads (thank you), I present our fiftieth chapter. Enjoy.

I stagger down some steps, disoriented and not sure where to go. All I knew for sure was that I had to head down. I'd keep going down until I found something. And by something I mean where they're slaughtering baby boys. The idea made me sick. But was I really different? I had just slaughtered so many men. How could I pretend to be a saint after the crimes I had just committed? I didn't deserve any mercy. If I died here...so be it. I would take down the Head of the Snake before I went.

I slap the wall over and over again after I took each step, needing it's support. Fighting a dozen men at once wasn't easy. I have several gashes on my body. One running from the back of my left shoulder which curls around to the front of my right hip, one on the inside of my right calf, and a deep one on the front of my left thigh. Walking is difficult. More importantly, it's loud. I don't care. I would have to kill anyone who came at me anyway. If they felt like coming now or later, it didn't matter. They would die.

I'm on the last floor when I hear the faint wailing of a baby. Suddenly my brain goes into overdrive. My foggy mind, filled with worries of blood loss and the pain from my wounds seem to fade away as I sprint through the maze that is the last floor to that baby.

That baby. That baby.

The crying is echoing in my ears. By this point I can't tell if it's real or not...until I kick open the last door and there it all is.

The Head of the Snake holding a baby on his hip. He and the baby both stare at me at the same time. The baby, innocent and uncomprehending. The Leader, evil and amused.

I notice the rooms smell. It's rotten and foul. I recognize it. The smell of dead bodies. The scent fuels my rage and I begin to walk slowly towards them.

"Ah...there you are! We've been waiting for you. Haven't we, Eli?" He talks in a high pitched voice to the baby. I'm surprised he hasn't killed Eli yet. I'm surprised the baby has a name. You don't usually name your murder victims.

"We let the moms name the boys so we can remind them about it later." He answers my unasked question. "It's a truly wonderful system...Well it was." He sighs as if recalling a fond memory. "Thanks to you I have to start all over."

"That won't be necessary." I growl. "I don't plan on letting you leave this room alive." I say as he walks some distance away and sets Eli on the ground before walking to stand before me.

"I thought you'd put up a fight. I'll just let you know now that I don't plan to die today. And you won't kill me." He smiles confidently.

"What makes you so sure?" I raise an eyebrow and ready my sword.

He chuckles lightly. "Do you remember the men who were torturing you?"

My heart shudders to a stop. How could I forget? How many Vipers were outside this base? How many are torturing people right now?

"Hmm. Yes. It's exactly what you think. These men are headed to your home right now. Were you the one with the sister? Alyssa right?"

My blood turns cold. Not only does he know about her, but she's in danger. I don't know if the amount of men has increased or not. Was it only the men who tortured me? Or are there more torture bases around the Underground? It could be hundreds of men going for her right now. She's obviously not a fighter. The way she easily cries and how weak her arms were when she hugged me. She had no muscle. I have to go and--

"Yes...think of the danger she's in. Oh but I could be lying!" A grin spreads on his face and he looks...animalistic. "There could be absolutely no one going for her. If you leave now, I won't be here when you get back. And this time I won't be found. Your mission will be useless once I start again." He shrugs and paces back and forth before me.

"Shut up." I whisper fiercely, trying to think.

"You will have killed...so many men--" He continues in an evil, low voice.

"SHUT UP!" I yell, heart pounding heavily in fear. I can feel the sweat on my palms as my grip tightens on the hilt of my sword.

"--for nothing! " He yells back.

"STOP!" I shriek and drop to my knees, dropping my weapon, and covering my ears with my shaky hands. The action shocks the baby into crying loudly. Everything's blurry. I'm not sure if the pain is getting to me or if I'm crying. I can feel my abnormally fast heart beat all over my body.

Calm down calm down calm down calm down calm down calm down calm down CALM DOWN CALM DOWN CALM DOWN! THINK THINK THINK THINK THINK THINK THINK!

The combination of a child screaming, a maniac roaring with laughter, and a heart thundering, makes my concentration weak. The thought of Alyssa being slaughtered replays over and over in my brain. My breathing is harsh as I think of another possibility. Why would he send hundreds of people just to kill a weak girl? They must be torturing her.

The maniac continues to laugh as he kicks away my sword, slowly walking towards the exit. "Good choice, (Y/n). I'll tell my boys not to kill her...if they haven't already." I look up, tears in my eyes. He pauses, looking down at me with disgust. "Take care of that will you?" He gestures to Eli.

As soon as I look at him he stops crying. He stares at me for a while. The sound of the maniac ascending the steps is loud and deep as if the world had slowed. His little head cocks slowly to the side as if he wants to say: That's all you can do? Are you not going to get up? Are you going to let a torturous, murderous, bastard that killed so many of us...go free? Is. That. All. You. Can. Do?

Maybe he wasn't thinking that. Maybe he was just thinking that I looked like a weird monster cause I'm covered in blood. But one thing is for sure: whatever he was thinking just saved a lot of lives.

I smile and focus. I hear the maniacs footsteps quicken. I know where he was.

I scoop Eli up in one arm and my sword in my other hand and ran up the stairs. He isn't getting away this time. I will not let him kill any more people. I will not. Even if it costs Alyssa's life. There could be hundreds just waiting for me. Only his word would save us both. But I know now that we both would rather die than live with that weight on our shoulders.

I see his back and then his front when he whips around at the sound of my footsteps. "What? Stop! Wait!" He yells as he tries to run. Before he can take another step my sword is piercing his back and ripping through his abdomen. He coughs out blood and I drag my sword upwards, ignoring his panicked gurgling, and continue until his upper half is split into two. I kick his body forward so he falls on his spilt face.

That makes thirty-one men.

I look down at Eli and he giggles, completely unfazed. I smile at him. "You're going to be a really messed up kid, huh Eli?" He shrieks with laughter and slaps my arms excitedly. I laugh. "Time to save Alyssa, buddy. Hold on tight." I grip him as I bound up the stairs.