An Aura of Bloodshed

Chapter 4: Deadly Waters

"It's-It's completely sealed up!" Jesse exclaimed, placing his hands on the rubble. Kitsune could see his hands shaking slightly, as though he were panicking. She didn't even need her aura ability to tell that he was scared.

"Doctor..." She tried to get his attention, but he was too wrapped up in his panic.

"We're trapped in here! I have no idea as to where we are anymore!" He said, his shoulders tensing up as the gravity of the situation dawned on him. "Are we... lost?"

"...Doctor." Kitsune spoke up again, this time more loudly.

"No... NO!! Ugh, just what we needed..." Jesse muttered, lightly bumping his head against the rubble. "Try to help out, and what do we get? It feels... so claustrophobic in here now..." He shuddered.

"DOCTOR THORNHART!"

Jesse jolted a little, turning around. Kitsune walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Please- you need to calm yourself. Panicking is gonna get us nowhere. I understand you're scared- believe me, I am too. But right now, we have a job to do." She stated.

The taller of the pair nodded, taking a deep breath. "Right... You're right..." He sighed, gathering his thoughts. "Surely if we keep going, we'll find the exit." He stated.

"That's the spirit." Kitsune smiled. "Now come on- let's go!"

And with that, the pair continued to the next area.. Or at least, what there was of one. They were at a really, really high distance above the ground. So high in fact, that they couldn't even see the bottom. Ahead of them was a bunch of tracks- smaller ones than the train tracks for the initial subway project. A lot of them were rotted and collapsed.

"What in the world was all of this built for?!" Jesse asked to no one.

"I have no idea, but we should definitely be careful. I can't even see any auras from up here. If we fall, it's game over." The redhead stated.

Jesse nodded as they slowly -and very carefully- navigated the strange maze-like paths of the rails. Kitsune was used to heights- her old job required her to be on rooftops a good portion of the time. Easier access and escapes- and it was also fun. Though being god knows how high off the ground -especially knowing there's some type of hellspawn here- put her a bit more on edge. She couldn't even guess how Jesse might've been feeling about this whole mess.

Before too long, they reached the other platform. Walking into the next room, they discovered... mine carts. And a lot of them, for that matter. "Well- that definitely explains the small tracks everywhere." Kitsune noted, as her and Jesse walked into the next room.

To their surprise, they found a jewel mine. As beautiful as it was, it definitely made Kitsune even more confused. In theory it made sense, but to go through such lengths? It just sounded... A little too risky, given the dangers.

But then again- she was a Chastiser. So she couldn't exactly talk.

"...A jewel mine?" Jesse questioned. "That explains the smaller tracks everywhere, the mine carts, the project being turned into a massive digging operation, the cover-up-" He huffed, folding his arms. "Everything but the one answer we really need- what about that murderer taking all the women away."

He sighed, moving his hair out of his eyes. "I doubt he's down here for the scenery. But I suppose there's only one way to find out." He stated, as him and Kitsune started walking down. Before they reached the last staircase, Kitsune held an arm up.

"Wait- hold it." She paused, using her aura ability to check the water. "We gotta be careful. One wrong step, and we're dead. I see... something down there- I guess it's waiting for prey." She stated.

"Good eye, Kitsune. Come on- let's go." Jesse stated. Kitsune nodded, following after him.

After wading through the thick, sludge-like water, Kitsune and Jesse eventually reached the other side. Kitsune shuddered a bit suddenly, leaning against a wall. Jesse looked at her, slightly concerned.

"Kitsune? Hey, are you alright?" He asked.

"I... I think so... I just- have a really... really bad feeling about that room up ahead. I'm not sure why- but I feel like I sense... something. It-It's alive, whatever it is." The redhead replied, slowly regaining her composure.

"I'm sure it'll be alright. Surely it can't be too bad, right?" Jesse questioned.

"Yeah... Yeah, let's keep going." Kitsune said, before approaching the final door. This was it. Their adventure was drawing to a close. Surely whatever it was she was sensing couldn't have been that scary, right?

. . .

Oh god, how wrong she was...