We See You

The Forge - Part Three

Forge City stood still with silence as each family mourned the loss of their missing children. The only sound came from The Great Bell that chimed every hour, signalling just how long it had been since the infants had been abducted. The Swarm had made sure to let everyone know they would be staying until nightfall, just to rub the pain in even further.

Itsuki had once again disappeared from the house after tending to his husband, and making sure he was alright. The news of his missing daughter had sent him into a rage, and all he could do was leave. Zephyrhills, however, was quite the opposite. As soon as he was conscious, he locked himself in his room, refusing to speak to anyone. Although the muffled sound of sobs coming from his room was enough to let Alex and Tyler know how he was coping.

Hours passed, and the minimal amount of sun that could pass through the cave entrance was showing. Alex turned to Tyler, wiping away more blood from his friend's head, and placing a bandage over the wound; he opened his mouth, beginning to say something, before shaking his head and closing his mouth, a sigh escaping his lips. He took a moment to look around the room, the fight had led to walls crumbling, and the stairs were barely keeping themselves together. Even the door was fighting to hold to the hinges, as it swung gently in the breeze; the whole house groaned, as if it felt the damage that was inflicted as pain.

"It's not the first time." Tyler said, grunting as he shifted to sit upright. "What?" Alex responded; they had been sitting in silence since the others had disappeared. He discarded the bloodied cloth and raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Tyler meant. "I mean, this has happened before... Back in my hometown, there was this kid I knew, well I say I knew... he was my best friend." Tyler closed his eyes for a moment, thinking back. "I-" he stopped, hearing footsteps above them, his eyes landing on Zephyrhills shortly after.

Silently walking down the stairs, Zephyrhills looked dejected and broken. It was the first time the two had seen him since the incident. It hadn't been too long, but the effect it had was clear, his bloodshot eyes, his tear stained face, it was all too obvious what this man was going through. Ignoring the two, he collected his hat from the hook next to the door, setting it on his head and pausing, his body slowly swaying from side to side. He turned around, his red eyes landing on Tyler. "I'm going to get the crate," he croaked, rubbing his throat gently "would you come with me?" Tyler nodded immediately, pulling himself up to his feet. "You shouldn't be moving." Alex jumped up, grabbing Tyler's arm. Tyler shook Alex away and walked to the damaged door, looking down at Zephyrhills. The two seemed to communicate something, although Alex couldn't tell what exactly, but soon enough the two left. Alex sighed, he hadn't known either for long, but it didn't change the fact he felt responsible for all of this, if only he had just stuck with the sword from The Swarm.

"Look at this mess, I told Shredder to keep the damage to a minimum." A feminine voice spoke "We wouldn't want The Ancient Ones getting involved." Alex spun around, another bad guy? He couldn't keep up. The woman stood in front of him, grinning widely. She was tall and beautiful, long black hair reaching to her hips, and a smile that could turn an ugly duckling into a swan. Noting the sword attached to her belt, Alex dug his fingernails into his palms. "No, no darling, I'm not here to fight, you can relax." The woman softly rested her palm on his cheek, running her thumb up and down gently. Slowly, she slid her hand under his chin, raising it slightly to force Alex into looking her in the eyes. "Smile darling, it's not difficult." She whispered, leaning forward, her nose brushing against his. Unconsciously, Alex's frown forced itself into the opposite, as if he couldn't control it. Now wasn't the time to let his guard down.

Crowds piled out of the shop, like mice fighting for the last crumb of cheese, as Tyler and Zephyrhills arrived in town. It seemed like everyone was desperate for their weekly rations. "Is it like this every week?" Tyler mumbled, glancing at Zephyrhills, who nodded in response. "Although this week... there's even less order than usual... I think we all expected The Ancient Ones to step in. Yet they have done nothing." The screaming and crying around them flooded their eardrums. Tyler could see the chaos around them, the panic and fear in the people around him. The two eventually joined the crowd, Tyler using his huge body to shield Zephyrhills from any harm.