The Secret World

Chapter 3

                                                                 Chapter 3

“Travis! Travis!” I get shook awake. My stomach feels as it has been turned inside out.

“Hey man, ok we have to get you outta here. Get up!” Pete said panicked. He hesitated to help me up.

“Don’t worry Pete, I won’t kill you.” I slurred. Remembering the day before, I tried to say it humorous. Then he smirked and helped me up as I groaned and I slowly sat up.

“Man, Travis. You are in rough shape. But you have to get outta here, come on!” As Pete helped me up, I couldn't move my left leg. My left arm around Pete’s shoulder, he helped me off the metal table. He must’ve unstrapped and unhand cuffed me before I woke.

“You ok Travis?” Pete looked at my leg and looked back up at me in concern. For the first time, I realized he took his hood off to reveille a man, roughly in his 20’s, blonde shaggy haired. He had mud smeared all over his face but could still see his green eyes.

“I’m alright…” I said hoping I would believe it. I stumbled out of the room, my stomach aching. Pete helped me through the hall, not saying anything as he put his black hood up. Gun shots fired, sounding really close as we ducked through a tiny door and stumbled into the darkness of another hall. Pete took a flash light that was clipped onto his belt and shone it. The hall way looked like it was made by miners. Dark and if you didn't watch your step, you would trip on a loose rock.

“Stay quiet, if we are lucky, we will be the only ones in here.” Pete said in a hushed voice. I obeyed. After a while it was too quiet and I was uncomfortable. What are we hiding from? Where are we going? After a while I could limp on my own, my left leg still not working. Pete started scanning the walls with the flashlight then he quickly turned it off and hunkered down, I did the same. Then something rushed by us, I could feel the air moving. After a few seconds Pete turned the flashlight on and started scanning the walls again as if looking for something. I wanted to ask him what had just happened and what we were doing now. I still don't even know why we are in this tunnel. Then Pete stopped and started pushing away big rocks, signalling me to help him, so I did. With me feebly trying to help Pete, we move enough rocks to see light. Pete turns off his flash light as we enter the new lit tunnel, covering the entrance. He looked at me, startled and then reached down scooping up grey brown scum from the ground and spread it across my face.

“Always have this on, don't let anyone see you until I say it is safe. We can talk now, this is a light tunnel made by my people. The Grimm’s don’t know about it.”

“Who are the Grimm’s? I still don't even know where I am!” I screamed at him.

“Hey! Be quieter! I said we can talk, not yell! The Grimm’s might hear you!” He said annoyed. “You are in the tunnels Ashsphere. Ashsphere is a world that a man named Simon McLoyd discovered…”

“That’s my foster father.” I interrupted.

“Man, that’s why you’re here, I was wondering how you ended up here! Anyways, when your father discovered this place, he hired a bunch of construction workers and scientists to check the place out and see if it was safe, to build. It was safe at the time so he hired people to start building a city. He wanted the city to be flawless, like a heaven on earth type thing I guess. After 15 years your father had finished and it was the most beautiful city anyone had ever seen, nothing like it. My family and I moved into the city, like so many other people. I was 5 years old and we have stayed here for 20 years now. It just started to go crazy in here when I had my 16th birthday. I had just turned 16 and after a few days was when the Grimm’s started to take over.” Pete paused. I just walked with him down the hallway, not wanting to interrupt.

“It was so unexpected… there were no signs. No one knew what they were. When your father was building the city, he didn't realize that there were living things living under the soil. Grimm’s are underground rats; they are bigger than you and me. Their saliva is toxic and their eyes glow green in the dark. They attacked our city and destroyed it, killing hundreds of people. My family is gone; I am one of the few survivors. This city had over 1000 people… now there are only less than 200. The Grimm’s only strike at night so we built these underground caves to hide in while they attack the city. We have an army to try to fight them off but we haven't killed off enough. We just don't know how to destroy them. They don't have a weakness so far.” Pete said, getting madder as he speaks. I sit on the wet floor of the cave, my leg aching from all the work it has to do because my left leg still won’t hold me.

“You ok Travis?” Pete asks a little irritated that I’m slowing him down.

“My left leg… I can’t use it.” I say a little embarrassed.

“Ok, I’ll help ya till we can find a group of people. I’m sure we are almost in the pit.” Pete says helping me up.

“What’s the pit?” I ask as Pete helps me walk further down the cave.

“The pit is a big room where all the tunnels lead. At night when we are under a big attack like this, we all have to get there as soon as possible because it is the most safe spot to be. This isn't the only tunnel, there are over 100 we have made because the Grimm’s occasionally find them and take over. When they do find them, it isn't safe to use them so we have to blow them up so they can’t reach the pit.” Pete said, breathing heavy from having to help me walk. It isn't just my leg that’s slowing us down. I am still very weak and dizzy, so it’s no wonder why he’s tired from dragging me everywhere.

“How’s your stomach?” Pete asks

“Feels like I ate a burrito out of garbage pile.” I said trying to lighten the mood.

“That means the poison is spreading…” Pete said stopping and laying me down.

“What poison?” I ask feeling panicked.

“Those tubes you were hooked up to before, they were sucking out poisons from your body. When you took them out, and went ballistic the poison had nowhere to go so it was inside of you. We put the tubes back in to try to suck out the remainder of the poison but we couldn't get it. We are ok, as long as it doesn't spread to your lungs.” Pete said, reaching into a pack he had strapped onto his belt. He pulled out a needle and injected the substance in it, into my arm.

“As long as we can get you to the pit, where there will be doctors to take care of you before you have trouble breathing you will be fine.” He continued as he helped me up again and we continued walking.

“How’s your breathing?” Pete asked a couple minutes later. He was only a couple years older than me but I was surprised with how much he knew about medical attention.

“It’s alright; I’m just having trouble seeing… are the lights in the cave fading?” I asked getting really nauseous.

“Crap!” he said, as he picked me up and started jogging faster as I puked over his chest.

“Ok stay with me! Are you breathing well? How are you?” He said loud but at the same time softly.

“I… I am… good…” I slurred, choking on my own words.

“We are almost at the doctors, don't worry! We are in the pit!” Pete said. His voice starting to drift off. I suddenly see crowds of people. Then people crowding around me. I felt pricks at my skin, then my shirt got ripped off and tubes injected again. Then I heard Pete’s voice;

“It’ll be ok man; I’ll wait for yah outside.” Then everything went black.