The Blue Lives

15# Maidenholm Madness

Summary: You're looking for George while in Maidenholm. A surprising yet suspicious man offers to help you. But, could you trust him? 

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The elevator took you exactly where you wanted to go, the surface of Maidenholm. When you were finally outside again, you took a deep breath of fresh air after being stuck in the underground for what felt like days, but it was most likely a few hours and it was just too much. 

After you finally calmed down you started to wander around Maidenholm. Where you could go at least, nearly everything is locked off or there is a Joy director with Spankers, which you do not want to experience any time soon. 
Not to mention that Maidenholm has those creepy doctors roaming around everywhere. You'll be sure to look out for those while you're looking for the shelter that you could use as an HQ. 

A red Bobby is standing beside a police blockage, and you get curious. You decide to ask him about what is going on, and whether he answers or not is up to him. 
"Excuse me, sir," you announce in a high and chipper tone. The red Bobby turns to look you in the eye slowly. He seems almost unhinged, ready to jump into action at any moment. His security job mustn't be fascinating then. 
"Yes?" He questions as you stand before him. "Why is everything blocked off? What is going on?" You use simple grammar just to sound like you're on Joy. And the red Bobby seems to fall for it. 
"Weren't you informed? There is a minor plague going around, everything is quarantined. Nothing to worry about." He replies with a dismissive hand gesture. 

It took a lot to maintain your oblivious facade upon hearing this information. Is there a plague in Wellington Wells? You didn't know that! "Okay, thanks for telling. Lovely day for it!" You stupidly wave goodbye and speed-walk away from the red bobby. 

This mysterious plague is stressing you out a bit. 
You're not sure what you should think of it. Is it avoidable for someone like you? If you've heard about this plague, there is a quarantine. Then it should be under control, in some way at least. 
You cannot help but feel off and nervous, biting the nail on your thumb nervously. You wish George were with you right now. It's better to find the shelter hatch to meet up with him, just like you had agreed. The thought of George had brought your focus back a tad and your walking pace speeds up to find the hatch. 

You haven't been to Maiden Holm in a long while, it's going to take you some time to get familiar with the higher buildings and denser houses. Not to mention that there are no alleyways at all! And that is a slight shock to you. You feel like those corny small-town girls going to the big city in novels.
You're getting too distracted again, so remain on the main objective and get to the hatch, wherever it may be. 

You must have looked out of place for someone, as you can hear another set of footsteps following you and matching your pace. The realization causes a shiver to go up your arms and down your spine. You don't have it in you to turn around and see who is following you or even if this mysterious person is following you at all. You might have become paranoid for all you know, a lot has happened these past few days. 
But this is your safety, with even the oppressive authorities working against someone like you, you can't be too careful. You decide to test if this person really is following you. 
you take an unexpected sharp turn into another street, and your walking pace slows down as you come by a shop window, pretending to look through the window at the products displayed before the glass. The mirror-like reflection in the glass window helps to look behind you, hands politely behind your back, looking truly like you're window shopping. 

Your ears are on high alert for the footsteps, they have kept the same pace while seemingly casually passing you by... from the corner of your eye you follow the figure that has passed...

It was a doctor...

You place a hand over your chest to calm your raging heart, Those men are very dangerous to Downer, as they inject Joy forcefully and painfully. And you really don't want that to happen now that you've come so far to salvation. 
You won't waste another second and return to your old path to find the hatch. It has to be here somewhere.

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George forces the door to the underground open, the force causes him to stumble and almost fall. He pants and dusts off his trousers, "finally free from that claustrophobic hell hole." Then he leans back and takes a breath of fresh air, it's liberating. 
George hasn't got enough time to enjoy the air, he has to find (Y/n)! His pace is steady and headstrong, with a sense of clear purpose to the undisclosed direction he is walking. He hopes that maybe he can find (Y/n) in the way, running into each other would just be a lucky guess. Certainly, she would already be looking for the shelter as they had agreed to do while being split up. 

This loneliness is really settling in his gut now, and he does not like it one bit. Having (Y/n) by his side almost feels like a need, a longing to see her again, and satisfy the desire to protect her. Then it's the paranoia, What if she didn't make it out of the underground?  The thought causes him to stagger in his pace.  George shouldn't think like that about her, it's rude. She is capable and smart enough to find her way through that labyrinth of pipes and machines. George is positive that (Y/n) would be on her way to the shelter hatch, just like he is. 

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You feel like you're getting warmer, In the centre of the Parade while trying to avoid as many people as you can. You don't feel like talking to them and explaining your suspicious behaviour. 
A map would be nice at the moment, at least then you'd know where you were going. 
You stop and the corner of a street, rub your chin and close your eyes while thinking hard. You could almost get a headache with all this hard thinking, my goodness. 
Find the hatch, and then maybe you'll find George too! You really start to miss him at this point.