A Monster Inside

Chapter Three: Mission

(I do not own Fairy Tail, just the characters of my own creation. All rights to its creators.)

"Is Natsu okay?"

I gave a quizzical look to Lucy. Natsu slumped against the window across from us, clutching his stomach and looking ready to throw up. He gave a groan as if to answer my question.

The blonde woman laughed a little. "He'll be fine; he just gets motion sickness. Happens every time he rides any sort of transportation." Natsu groaned again and I couldn't help but laugh.

I turned from both of them and stared at the window, the land outside a blur of countryside and trees. I thought back to the morning, remembering I had practically leapt out of bed and almost left the house without breakfast due to my excitement. Mrs. Hodge wasn't too impressed with me.

The older widow had put an ad in the local paper about having a spare bedroom for rent. I'd taken her up on the offer and had found myself in a quaint little yellow house. She seemed all too happy to appoint herself my adopted mother, wanting to cook and clean for me but I quickly declined. I wasn't totally independent but I could look after myself in those ways. I imagined it had been a long time since she'd lived with anyone so I did let some things slide.

My focus suddenly snapped to the quiet male voice that spoke through the old speaker of the train. "We will be arriving in Grinlatch shortly. Please collect your belongings and be ready to depart the train."

"Finally," Natsu mumbled, the blue cat giving him a reassuring pat.

"I wonder what the town will be like?" I mused, leaning my elbow on the windowsill, hand cradling my cheek.

"I'm not sure, I've only heard the name a few times. Perhaps it's only a recently made town?" Lucy tapped her finger against her cheek, obviously in deep thought. "New towns aren't exactly uncommon with the number of things going on in the world."

"Yes, I suppose you need them when Fairy Tail destroys half of them." I smiled into my hand as Lucy gave me a shaky grin and rubbed the back of her head. Even she couldn't deny the destructive behaviour of the Fairy Tail mages.

The train soon came to a stop and Natsu was the first to race for the station. "I'll never get on another train again." Lucy just sighed, accompanied by a look that says that this certainly wouldn't be the last time.

******

The first thing that hit me as we stood on the Grinlatch station was how silent everything was.

Our little band of four was the only one to depart from the train and we stood in the heavy silence. The train blew its whistles before pulling out of the station, seeming to take the very concept of noise with it.

The train disappeared completely from sight before anyone spoke. "Lucy, we did catch the right train?" Natsu stared through the quiet streets. He looked better now, his face full of colour without a trace of the previous paleness that consumed it. He scratched his head, scrunching up his face as Lucy examined the map in her hands.

"This is definitely it," she retorted, frustrated. She pointed to a small dot with the word Grinlatch beside it. I gazed over her shoulder, noticing the wide expanse of nothingness surrounding the town. It's like we'd been dumped in the middle of nowhere, in a town full of nothing but empty streets.

"You don't think there are any ghosts?" Happy's whimpers reached me and I looked over to see him half hidden behind Natsu's leg.

"Oi, any ghosts here?" the dragon slayer shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. Lucy waved frantically at him while his voice echoed off the buildings. We waited several tense moments but no one answered. Natsu folded his arms, almost looking disappointed. "Maybe they're hiding?"