Across the Deadzone

Chapter 10: Wystan

A scream pierced the relatively quiet night, the sound dulled by the stone walls. Ophelia was gone before I could even process what was happening.
Against my better judgement, I rushed out after her, calling for Timber to stay where she was.
I could just see the outline of her body in the semi-dark hallway as she ran through the flickering torchlight toward the Main Cavern, the direction of the screech.
I caught up to her easily enough, even though I was far from peak physical condition like she was. Still, I was almost a whole head taller than her.
As we got closer, a metallic thumping reached my ears. The ground shuddered under my feet.
Panic-stricken people milled around, trying to pack up their belongings and goods and run into the depths of the cavern-town. There came the occasional yelp of fear when the floor gave an especially hard shake or a grunt when someone was knocked to the ground.
Ophelia glanced behind her, and when she caught sight of me, her eyes hardened with an unexplainable look. She pushed through the group of people moving against us, and I followed, seeing no other option.
I reached out, my hand latching onto a random woman's arm. She stared back at me, her face drained of all color, eyes wide. "What's happening?" I asked. My heart felt like it was pounding in my throat.
"It's trying to get in!" she exclaimed, her voice quavering. Madly, she broke free of my grip and ran off down the hallway.
Shaking my head, I realized I had lost Ophelia in the crowd. My hands started to sweat. What was I doing out here?
"O!" I shouted. When she didn't resurface beside me in the chaos, I called out again. "Ophelia!" My voice cracked but I barely noticed. I didn't know if I was freaking out because I was worried for her safety, or because she'd left me alone in the middle of a breach. Maybe a little bit of both.
Suddenly, she was there, and the breath felt like it had been sucked from my lungs. She scowled at me.
"What?" she asked shortly, having to yell over the din. She brandished her machete, looking like she was about to dodge back into the crowd. I grabbed her arm.
"We shouldn't be out here. We have guards. It's their job to take care of stuff like this," I explained, as someone knocked into my shoulder. She was barely paying attention, sweeping her gaze back and forth as another tremor rumbled the earth.
"Do you see any guards dealing with it?" she asked, gesturing around to the- now almost empty- cavern. None of the guards were at their posts.
"Shit," I muttered, turning in a slow circle. There came a particularly strong tremble that sent me stumbling.
"Go back to the flat, Wystan." She turned, and ran toward the entrance, which was even more barricaded than it was during the day.
I stared at her, mouth agape. She couldn't defeat whatever was out there by herself. Not that I'd be of much help, but it was better than nothing.
I grabbed anything I could to arm myself from the nearest booth- which happened to be a janky, skinny metal pole. Shaking my head, I sprinted after her, my feet echoing against the stone.
There were a few others by the door, although none of them were guards. Most of them held scraps of metal or wood like I was, but I caught sight of a bow or two, and even a gun. They were talking in hushed voices when I reached them, heads close together.
Ophelia glanced in my direction, her jaw tensing, but she said nothing to me.
"So, what's the plan?" I asked, immediately regretting it when they all looked over at me with varying levels of resentment or disappointment. Ophelia's face held the most.
After a painfully awkward second, they went back to their conversation, none of which I understood.
I felt my breathing grow rapid, the weapon in my hands shook. Colma was right: I was doing something stupid for Ophelia. Again. I had no clue what I was doing in this situation. An image of a Rubble Creeper flashed through my mind.
"Got that?" one of the men asked. He had a dark, scruffy beard and bright blue, steely eyes earned through years of hardship and horror.
Everyone nodded. I went along with it.
The group broke apart. Ophelia grabbed my arm, pulling me aside distractedly.
"You're backup," she told me.
"What?" I asked, somewhat hurt.
"Stay here."
Then, she was gone, out through the torn-open patch in the makeshift wall. With a sigh, I sat down to wait with the two other backups.