A girl, A boy, and a graveyard

The portal

Lockwood POV
1065 words

"How do you do this? Keep going? Keep giving motivational speeches? I don't get it." Lucy's voice rang out through my body as I crouched behind the door. Just a few minutes earlier, after scurrying our way into the institute, two scientists went through this door. I had sacrificed myself to investigate what they were doing. I had started to think about what she had asked me earlier at the inn. What made me keep going? It was definitely to keep my friends safe and alive of course, it was the adrenaline. And when the reporters show up, when I can give quotes they use in the newspaper the next day.

But the real reason I'm still alive, showed up crouched right beside me. Makeup smeared across her cheeks, her hair dirty from laying on the grass outside the institute. Her clothes dotted with mud and grass.
"What are you doing here?? I told you to stay with the others." I hissed, though I couldn't hide my grin. I was so happy she was by my side once more.

"I think we both know i'm disobedient." She smirked. God I love her.
"Yeah i should have known better." I turned away from Lucy and peered into the room once more.
"What's in there?" She whispered, leaning her face close to mine to see through the gap.

"Can't see really, there are boxes in the way, and all the scientists are blocking the view. Something's lighting that place up though and i don't think its a ghost-lamp." With that i widened the gap in the door, and made my way, carefully to one of the boxes inside the room. Rested my back against it, and peered over the side of the crate.

Lucy followed me in, doing the same as i did. It was indeed not a ghost-lamp. No, it was a portal-looking-thing in the ground. It radiated light, but no heat. In fact, when you looked closer, you could see tiny icicles forming on the bottom of the scientists lab coats.

"What the hell is it??" Lucy whispered in my ear, i hadn't noticed she was so close to me. One small hand gripped the wooden crate, the other stayed by her side. She was crouched, leaning on her knees.  She looked angelic. Maybe not to the average eye, with her dark makeup on her face, and mud splattered her dark boots. She probably smelled like something from a horses stable but, she was gorgeous to me. And that's what mattered.

"Some portal." I took control of my senses, ignoring the flutter of my heart.
"Why the hell would they build a portal? A portal to what?" She glared across at the scientists.
"That's what i wanna find out." I murmured. Suddenly, the scientists parted. Steve Rotwell himself stood there. A gloved hand on a shiny cane.
"How long?"
"Any minute now sir." One of his men responded. The temperature suddenly spiked. My hands burned with the sudden heat. My head lulled against the box. Then the temperature dropped again. A sound like the ripping of fabric and the piercing of an alarm rang out through the room.

As a massive person, clad in armour, stumbled out of the portal, and fell to the ground.
Men with salt guns sprayed the person in armour. He was burning, ghostly grey ash fell all around him. Whisps of fire coming off the armour. Someone wheeled in a big stretcher and got the person to lay down. He took off the helmet. He had short cut hair, that was all I can remember, but he was pale and shivering. He looked dead.

"Lockwood.. you don't think.." Lucy started. The scientists and Steve Rotwell had moved out of the room, and we got out from behind the crates. I stood in front of the portal next to Lucy, staring down into it. It must have been filled with sources, because all types of ghosts swayed back and forth within it. We had heard noises coming from down the corridor, loud, heavy boots on the concrete. We had nowhere to go.

"Lucy we have to." She held out and grabbed my hand. "I think we need to hold onto the chain, okay?" She nodded silently. Lucy stared at me then, she looked scared. I probably did too, but I gave her my most reassuring smile.
"We'll be in and out as quick as we can, Luce." I squeezed her hand.
"Okay.." We both held onto the chain and walked through the portal.

The only things that kept us alive were the Spirit Capes. Me and Lucy had worn them previously, when escaping relic-men from underground London. They kept us safe from ghosts and being ghost-touched.

"What do we do, Lockwood?!" Lucy yelled over the screaming ghosts that floated around us.
"Don't let go of the chain, I think it stops us from floating away!" I yelled back, gripping the chain tighter. Ice started to form around my hand, my knuckles turned to a pinkish colour.
"Lockwood..? Do you think if we.. went back we will just be there in the institute?"
"Of course! But just hold on a second longer!" Even as i said it I knew it was stupid, we could not hold on any longer. We had to get out of there.

Wraiths clawed at us from far away, Spector's shimmered and glared at us. "Lucy! Keep your hands on the chain! We're gonna shimmy down it and go back through the portal! Okay?" The whole time i shivered, the whole time i was scared, but i knew if i showed i was scared she would get more scared. So I had to be brave.

We made our way back across the chain. It felt like it got even colder somehow. We reached the portal.
"Did they turn the lights off?" Lucy pointed out. Through the portal it just looked dull and dark. But it would be better than standing there any longer. A particularly gross visitor floated passed, hissing at us.
With one hand on the chain, she gripped her rapier, I did the same behind her.
"If they haven't gone.. We run out, we run all the way back to the inn. George, Holly and Kipps should be back there, by now." She nodded, and we stepped through the portal.