The Nightscape

Anya

Anya was pulling water up from a well. She was dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing when she was captured, but much more dirty and tattered. She had lost a little weight, and had dark shadows under her eyes. The girl was dirty and exhausted, arms trembling with fatigue as she kept hauling water back and forth. Her ankles were chained together with a short length of metal links, stopping her from taking more than hobbling steps. She was scowling fiercely, anger and hatred clear in her eyes. She didn't hear the two of them approach at first, but when she did, her eyes widened with shock. 

"Lyra- what? How?" She asked, her voice a little hoarse as she looked at her friend, free and walking in the compound. She looked between her and Hayden, her mind racing to make sense of what was happening. Lyra was furious. She was considering turning and trying to kill Hayden on principle, but he was still carrying the gun and she was unarmed. He would probably shoot her dead and throw her down the pit again, at which point she wouldn't be able to do anything to help her friend. One day, she promised herself. One day, Hayden would suffer at her hands for what he had done. 

Quickly, Lyra crossed the space between them, pulling her into a fierce hug and knocking the bucket of water she was holding to the ground. 

"It's alright, everything's been sorted out." Lyra murmured to her friend, trying not to wince at the smell of sweat and dirt. Then, she pulled away, turning around and glaring at Hayden while holding out her hand. "The keys. Now." She snapped, gesturing for her fingers. She was having to hold back from cursing him out, but the sooner they got away from him the better. He raised an eyebrow at her. 

"Watch your tone." He warned her, though he still dug the key from his pocket and handed it over. Immediately, she gave it to Anya, who got to work freeing herself with furious urgency. Lyra stared him down, her jaw set and hatred roaring through her body. 

"You're a monster. I hope that Zidros kills you." She said shortly to him, fists clenched. Hayden's face darkened, but Anya interrupted them. 

"What about the others? We have to get them too." She said in a low voice to Lyra, but Hayden still heard. 

"No, that wasn't the deal. You both need to leave, now." He commanded, clearly angry with Lyra, who couldn't care less. Lyra nodded, taking Anya by the hand and going to walk away. But Anya stopped, tugging on her arm. 

"Lyra, we can't just leave them!" She said. It would be an ultimate betrayal in her eyes, to leave them here behind, after all of the horrors that her brief stint of slavery had bought. Lyra looked at her, seeing the familiar glint of stubbornness in her friend's eyes, her heart sinking in response. She stepped closer, whispering to her as Hayden hovered close by, scowling and tapping his foot impatiently. 

"I did all I could, but he'll only let me take you. Zidros will be here soon and he'll free them, but unless you want to be caught by him, we have to go now." I told her quietly, hoping that Hayden couldn't hear us. Anya chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, shaking her head. 

"So we're just going to leave them here to suffer until Zidros arrives, and then use them as a distraction so we can get further away? Lyra, that's not right." She said. Hayden cleared his throat, and Lyra fixed him with an exasperated look. 

"I know, alright, just give us a damn minute! The whole compound isn't going to implode if we spend a minute talking about this." She snapped at him, before turning back to Anya to continue their conversation. "Look, I know it  isn't right, but there's nothing to be done. I may be immortal, but I don't have any special powers, and there's only one of me. It's too dangerous for you to help, and I can't free this place alone. I already had to make a deal with Hayden to get you out, don't make it be in vain!" She hissed quietly, finally getting a reluctant nod from Anya. She breathed a sigh of relief, and the two of them took off, walking quickly through the camp again with Hayden trailing behind them, waving off the guards. When they reached the outskirts of the camp, he stopped, watching them both go until they vanished over the horizon.