Chapter 7
"Are we there yet?" Snotlout asked as the staircase, after nearly eighteen flights of stairs, led them to a small hallway. The hallway didn't seem to have been in frequent use and Hiccup thought that this might have been an old service tunnel.
"Snotlout, if you ask that again," Tuffnut warned.
"Hey! I'm allowed! My legs are shorter than yours." Snotlout retorted as the gang used their torches. The flashlights gave off a yellowish light that made the hallway seem eerier.
"This hallway seems to go on forever," Fishlegs commented as they continued onwards. "Hiccup, I think this hallway leads into the side mountain."
"Why would they even build this?" Hiccup asked aloud as they continued straight. The flashlights were starting to dim when they came upon two metal doors on each side of the hall. The nameplates on the doors however were rusted so no one could read what they said in their entirety. One read 'Wa......rtre....' while the other on the right hand side read 'Was........ment'.
"We go this way!" Snotlout proudly proclaimed as he pointed towards the right door.
"Why?" Fishlegs asked.
"Cause it's the right way, DUH!" Snotlout proclaimed as he didn't wait for the others and instead opened the right door. The shorter man stepped through and immediately plummeted down. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!" Snotlout yelled at the same time as the gang shouted his name in concern. Then there came a 'splat'.
"OH MY THOR!" Snotlout shouted from the room as the gang clustered around the door while Hiccup was shining a light into the dark and very smelly room.
"Snotlout are you alright?" Fishlegs asked worriedly as he wrinkled his nose at the putrid smell.
"Am I alright?! Am I alright?!"" Snotlout shrieked. "My beautiful face is covered in Thor-knows-what! NO I AM NOT ALRIGHT!"
"He's alright," The twins shrugged nonchalantly now.
"Snotlout I see a metal ladder here. Can you reach it?" Hiccup asked as the other teens started backing up, wanting to be as far away from the smell as possible. There was some squelching sounds now emanating from the room and they heard Snotlout shout "Oh my Thor! I think something just crawled into my pants!"
"I did not need to know that," Fishlegs whispered as there was some grunting. Snotlout, disheveled and covered in something that let off a putrid stench, made his way back up and out of the foul smelling room.
"Just what was that?!" He yelled as he shot a glare back at the room to which the twins promptly closed the door.
"My guess, waste," Ruffnut wanted to vomit due to the smell. "Remember the time we went scouting and came upon one of the gigantic trash heaps our ancestors left behind."
"Ooooooh, you mean the one where Fishlegs developed a fear of buzzards." Tuffnut added.
"I did not!" Fishlegs protested. "Those birds are just so persistent. Of all the animals not to go extinct!"
"Guys, we can argue later. Maybe we should check the other room." Hiccup suggested. "I'm sure we all hate to be in a small hallway with a stinky Snotlout at the moment."
"HEY!" Snotlout shouted but then sniffed himself and grimaced. "Okay, you may have a point." Tuffnut laughed at this which caused Snotlout to scowl.
"Ugh..... but this time Hiccup opens the door." Snotlout said with some nervousness. "Let's see how lucky you get."
Hiccup carefully approached the door and turned the handle. The metal door creaked open and he peered inside. "Well this room doesn't have waste." Hiccup said as he opened the door wider so that the teens could also come inside. The lights went on automatically causing the group to startle.
"Okay, that was freaky," Fishlegs whispered as he looked around. "I suggest we keep our weapons handy." The group, Hiccup included, pulled out their daggers.
"No one has a gun?" Hiccup asked. While he didn't want to shoot anyone, a gun this day and age would be a godsend.
"If you wanted us to tell my father where we were going sure," Snotlout said as he sniffed himself again and gagged. The group now saw him in the light and it seemed he was covered with decaying leaves and other gunk.
"No way we'd get a rifle or a handgun," Tuffnut said. "I overheard Spitelout arguing that we needed to ration the ammunition we had left."
"So the last firefight used up most of what we had?" Ruffnut asked since she hadn't been aware of it. Tuffnut nodded and his sister let out a string of curses. Them being low on ammunition would severely impact the Caravan's hunting capabilities and if there was another raid before they could find old settlements to replenish then they were probably done for. Once the gang was fully inside the lit room the metal door shut by itself.
"HEY!" Tuffnut shouted and tried to yank the handle but it wouldn't budge. Ruffnut and even Fishlegs joined in but they couldn't get the door to open.
"Oh great, now we're stuck here!" Snotlout muttered. "I can't die here while smelling like a compost heap!"
"Relax Snot," Hiccup said. "We aren't going to die he-WAIT, WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
"I said, oh gre-Not that!" Hiccup interrupted. "The compost heap part. Now that you mention it, it looks still fresh."
"Still decaying fresh you mean," Fishlegs added.
"We're in a desert, where are we going to find plants?" Ruffnut remarked. "I got more sand in my underw-DO NOT FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" Her brother interrupted. "That is more than I needed to know."
"Well if there is a waste room then there should be more than one way out right. All that waste has to come from somewhere," Hiccup suggested. "Why don't we split up and look around."
"Oh Hell no!" Snotlout said. "I know what happens when we split up!. The handsome one always dies first!"
"Well then we know it won't be you Snotlout," Hiccup stated dryly.
"Oooh Burn!" Ruffnut laughed as the group now gave the room they were in a closer look. Massive tanks stood on either side in rows and several walkways were spread between them.
"This place is wow!" Fishlegs exclaimed as they stowed away their flashlights. "Hiccup I think there is water in these tanks." Fishlegs observed. There was a small porthole above the tanks and Hiccup climbed up to get a better look at one. And indeed, there was water cycling through.
"We might have just stumbled on the water treatment plant." Hiccup said as he climbed back down. It was a mystery alright. None of this wasn't supposed to be here. At least the technology to purify water on a grand scale shouldn't be working anymore. The Caravan had gotten lucky with even stumbling upon vehicles. Finding the parts to retrofit them took ages. If this place did indeed purify massive amounts of water than they had a miracle. Hiccup looked at the rows of tanks. He didn't know how far inside the mountain they had traveled but this place should be connected to the dam's reservoir by the looks of it. Oh the possibilities.
"Earth to Hiccup!" Tuffnut waved his good arm in front of Hiccup's face to snap him out of his musings. "Fishlegs might have found a way out." Hiccup looked up and towards the side. Ruffnut and Fishlegs were on one of the walkways and when the others got closer they could see a rusted metal bulkhead door on the side. It looked the same as the one from the control room. They managed to get it open. On the other side there was one flight of stairs leading upwards.
"We've come this far," Fishlegs said. The group ascended the stairs and they jumped in shock when the bulkhead door behind them automatically slammed shut. When they reached the top of the stairs and pushed open the metal double doors the sight that greeted them wasn't anything what they expected. They were in a large circular room that they couldn't see the end of. The room looked more like a tropical rainforest than anything else. There was a dome on top where artificial light fed the plants and trees that thrived here and mimicked the weather.
"WHAT IN THOR'S BLUE UNDIES!" Snotlout exclaimed as the group saw a flock of green parrots fly overhead. The others were also staring open-mouthed at what they had stumbled upon.
"Someone please pinch me. I must be dreaming," Hiccup mumbled. He yelped a few seconds later when four pinches came nearly simultaneously. Ruffnut wasn't shy about where she pinched either.
"Yeah, not dreaming." Hiccup said.
The group barely took a step before a warm feminine voice greeted them with "Welcome visitors. Welcome to Arcadia."
AN: Next update will be Wednesday.