My Last Chance [Made in Abyss Fanfiction]

17| Across the Sea

Bondrewd's faint and final words erupt the hallway into utter chaos. Melva sprints over to me and wrenches me to my feet, dragging me behind her and screaming for our friend to follow us with Iann. I spare Bondrewd's collapsed form a glance as we rush by it, and he's not moving. My feet slip in the slick of blood, but Melva wrenches me onwards. I stumble behind her, my feet finding themselves and soon keeping pace with hers as I force myself down the halls.

   We don't run for long before I pick up on a fourth set of footfalls slamming the ground along with ours. A glance over my shoulder reveals Enri is pursuing us, a thin, black rod now occupying the hand not holding that black capsule. Her arm snaps up, ready to throw.

   "Melva, turn!" I cry, and she responds, turning on her heel and throwing herself down a nearby divergence in the hall. We all make it around the corner just as the capsule slams into the wall and explodes in a cloud of gray spores. We turn the next corner we find and the next after that, taking every turn we can. I don't care if we get lost, because that at least may mean Enri loses us.

   The green-eyed Praying Hand pushes himself a little more to run alongside the two of us. "M-Melva, turn up here! I know where we can go," he chokes out, and Melva looks at him. I can't see her expression, but it seems she trusts him as she makes the turn. "We can head to the boats from here. I don't know how to use them, b-but it's better than us running out into the snow."

   "Ya don't gotta tell me, we can learn on the fly," Melva huffs. We follow the Praying Hand's instructions, and I can hardly hear Enri following us now. We must have gained some ground on her, and I hope it lasts.

   As we turn another corner, the corridor begins to widen. Along with that, traces of cold air hit us, becoming stronger and more frigid. The yellow lights of the hall fade as a gray light sparks and begins to grow in the distance. My throat feels as though it's on fire, and my stomach is in agony, but the light gives me hope, and we all push on towards it.

   We all soon burst out of the hall into a great open room flooded with light from outside. Before us is a large opening in the wall that lets out onto a flat plane of gray-black water. That water flows into the room, causing a half-dozen dinghies to quietly bob in the brine. This is an indoor boat dock of sorts, and Melva's already making for the furthest boat. I'd protest, but its absence would take longer to notice than a boat in immediate sight. The vessels are about twelve feet long and six wide with high edges, made of dark, sturdy wood. Oddly enough, their motors appear to be attached to the front of the boat instead of its end, a steering apparatus situated by the motor. Still, the motor is similar to the ones I've seen on fishing boats back home.

   "Kid, ya know how to start somethin' like this?" Melva glances at me, and I nod. "Good, then get it started while I steer. I won't make ya drive this." I give her a brief but thankful look.

   The boat shifts and rocks as I step down into it, and my stomach instantly turns to water. I grit my teeth and stagger to the motor, flipping a few familiar switches before pulling a handle. The motor rumbles to life, and that's when my legs give out. Thankfully, Melva helps our friend get Iann into the boat.