The Neverseen's Last Resort

34

"Tam!" Marella cried, her laugh being one of relief and fear. Dex could hear the crack in her voice, though. 

"Wha- wait. Where's the Neverseen?" The question had come from Stina, and to Dex's relief, Marella saved him from having to explain as she recapped the entire situation so far. 

"So... we're safe?" Stina asked. 

 "For now," Dex said, eyeing them both for injuries. Tam had sustained minimal damage, having only been burned a little and from the looks of it, was really dizzy. Knowing he was behind Linh, she must've covered him to most-- not including Dex, who had been holding the bomb. 

Stina, on the other hand, though not fatal, seemed to have broken an arm from the impact of the blast, and her left eye had a scratch piercing her past her eyebrow and down to the bags of her eye. 

All of them were covered in dust an dirt, and no one felt cold anymore. Though, from the heat Dex was now sweating from, he would've taken the cold any day.  

Everyone's gazes turned to Linh, who was charred black from the explosion and her hair had been cut short, maybe just past her shoulders. But how, Dex could only guess. 

Linh lay motionless on the floor, but when Dex went to check her pulse, everyone was relieved to know she was still breathing. Though, he could tell her heartbeat was slowing by the second.

"We need to get her to Elwin. Or Livvy, but soon," Dex warned. "She's alive, but dying."

"How long do you think she has?" Stina asked, rushing to Linh's side, while remaining a safe distance away, as to not accidently cause any more harm to the fragile twin. 

"We need to find an exit before the Neverseen find us," Marella said, her voice rising with panic. Tam nodded, Linh suddenly rising into the air by only a couple inches.

"I'm too dizzy to do this alone," he said with a strained tone. Both Dex and Stina extended their hands and pictured multiple invisible hands reaching to lift their unconscious friend. With the three working together, Linh hovered a decent four feet from the ground, while Marella did her best to guide them down the safest paths. 

Dex was glad to see they hadn't run into any enemies yet, but that concerned him just as much as it relieved him. But he pushed the feelings away, knowing their only concern was to save Linh. She was dying, and they didn't have much time before... She couldn't die. Not yet. She had too  much to live for. 

"Guys," Marella said, and without question, everyone froze. It had now been ten minutes of no Neverseen sightings, and the desperation in Marella's voice concerned everyone. Had the Neverseen been expecting them? Had they known, grouping together for one big battle? 

"Footsteps," Marella whispered, and everyone ducked behind a couple stalagmites nearby. Dex bit his lip, straining to hear what Marella had. And after a few moments of complete, utter silence, he did. 

Sure enough, footsteps thundered down the hall and towards them. From the sound of it, it was a group of people.

"How many?" Tam asked, but Marella shook her head. 

"I can't tell."

The footsteps grew louder and louder as they neared, and at the same time, Dex grew more and more anxious. Would they be found? Their hiding place wasn't exactly the best, but if the Neverseen weren't paying attention, they'd have a chance. A shot. They could survive.

"What do we do if--" Dex caught Stina off with a finger to the mouth, silently begging her to shut up. The Neverseen group was right there, just standing.