The Midnight: Dark Horizon

Chapter 13: Bound to Chains

   A large rough patch brought the iron carriage full of people to shove into each other. Groans emerged from some that had fallen or hit their heads with one another, including one who held onto the metal bars draped with cloth from the outside. It's been about a week since they had kidnapped her, along with the rest of the villagers. The kidnappers were at least considerate to the extent of giving them food once a day, but it felt like they just did not want them to die before they reached their destination. When they were taken, she and her parents had been separated into different carriages. It was rare to see glimpses of them, but she was relieved they were unharmed. The only person she had not seen this entire time was her brother, Sebastian, who she last saw the day before the raid. Even though they both fought a lot when they were together, Andrea hoped he was okay.

  It had not been that many days since they passed what seemed like bridges, three of them to be exact. To her analysis, they had to have passed the Luli, Kyndra, and Vija rivers, which meant they were heading somewhere east or even south-east. This must only mean they were on route to either Sigvard City or worse... Eth'Lance City. Only one part made little sense to her; if it only took a few days to pass the rivers, then at the rate of the speed they were going, they should have already arrived at Lake Clarrisa. "Something feels off. Just where in the world are they taking us?" Panic started to set in her.

  "Alright you pigs, we're here!" One of the drivers upfront barked. The vehicle came to a sudden halt, forcing the villagers to collide with one another toward the front.

  Andrea held onto the bars so as not to crash with the rest. With the thick, white cloths flowing back and forth, she had a rare, brisk opportunity to view outdoors. An immense fissure in the ground brought the whites of her eyes to reflect the terror in her. Clang, clang, clang. Distant, but the indistinguishable ringing of excavation dug into her ears. As the metallic prison door screamed open next to her, the heavy wool tarp lifted, blinding everyone with the sun. A row of spears delved into the interior of the vehicle. Vain cries for help shot out from the kidnapped villagers met only with shouts to get out. Andrea shook with dread. Her palms were sweaty, knees at the point of giving out, and her arms hefty. Crying from behind her caught her attention; someone had puked on their sweater already and it was not mom's spaghetti. The mere sensation of fear moved her to be the first one to step out onto the barren earth.

  Her vision had not deceived her; a large crack about a mile long, many meters wide, rested in the ground beside her. Sturdy, wooden paths along the sides caught her attention, which led downwards and into the land fracture. Wagons filled with metal ores made their way out of numerous lines of man-made cavities in the walls and back up to the surface, all pushed by prisoners. On the other side of where she stood, a long wall of lumber obstructed what could only be a campsite for their abductors to rest. As for the unfortunate, Andrea saw in some of these openings thick metal bars housing their captives. In other words, the tunnels they were to mine were also used to keep them inside, almost like digging their own graves.

  A shove from one man snapped her out of her daze. She stumbled forward, catching herself with the crude railing made from old wood. One post holding up the structure snapped in half. The ground below her rushed to her, but before she was at a free fall, Andrea caught herself with the sturdy remains of the rail in the floor. Crash! The rotten wood struck the path below her, nearly hitting a prisoner. Her messy ponytail hit her in the face, suspended over what could have been her curtain death.

  Pulled up swiftly by a firm grip from her shoulder, a thug guided her along down the path closest to them. As they walked, Andrea glanced at the person taking her. They differed from the rest she had encountered; less aggressive and their face a lot gentler. Their long, dark hair fell out from the back of her leather helmet in a much neater ponytail than herself. One alarming aspect she did notice was a small amount of dried blood coming out from the sleeve of her armor.