[ Glow ] ~ Anthony Lockwood x OC

XXIX - Riccochet

Lockwood let out a heavy, tense sigh. "You okay, Locks?" Daniel asked. She was swinging their joined hands back and forth ever so slightly as they came to a stop. 

Lockwood gave a tight nod, pulling his torch off of his belt and shining it out against the terrain in front of them. "Yeah, fine. . .Fine." He nodded again. 

Daniel couldn't help but frown. His sharp and somewhat shaken tone made it hard for her to believe him. "You're stressed?"

Lockwood hesitated before sighing. "Yeah, yeah I am. I don't like this whole. . .thing." 

"The job or the fact your name's not front page in your magazines?" 

Anthony's face scrunched up slightly, annoyed at how true her words were. "Both. . .But right now, I'm talking about the job." 

Daniel turned to look over her shoulder when she heard Lucy tell George to "be careful." You could hear a slight shake in her voice. "It knows you're there." 

"This whole thing's putting us all on edge." Daniel mumbled.

Anthony squeezed her hand, getting her to look down at where they were touching with a small smile. Her smile was not long lasting though, as a shot of pain screamed through her mind. She doubled over slightly, stumbling into Lockwood with a small cry of pain. "Shit-" Daniel couldn't see behind her, but if she had been looking, she'd have noticed that the pain started as soon as George stepped into the circle. Lockwood caught her, holding her up against him and resting one of his hands on the back of her head to keep her steady.

"This casket's not level," George started, "and it's not as deep as it should be. So we've got a rushed, illegal, and very amateur burial which has been here as long as these other plots. 

"Oh, God-" Lucy panted slightly to get the words out.

"Why hasn't it rotted?" George questioned, breaking his words for a moment before yelling "Keep the light steady!" to Lucy. 

"Oh, this thing is strong. I don't feel good." Just as Lucy said that, Daniel's mind started blanking and her vision went fuzzy around the edges. 

"Joplin's coming." Lockwood said, turning his light toward the woman. 

"Well, keep her away." George huffed.

"I'm a bit preoccupied-" Lockwood answered, holding Daniel up against him. "Hey, hey Dani. You gotta stay awake." He whispered, moving his hand under her chin to tilt her face up to his. 

"I am awake-" She mumbled, blinking her eyes fully open to try and clear some of their haze. 

"Everything alright?" Ms. Joplin asked as she walked up to Daniel and Lockwood. "Uh- Sebastian said he'd sent you down here without any help. I can only apologize." She looked between the dazed Daniel and Lockwood with concern on her face. Daniel dozed off for a minute, completely dissociating from the conversation as she watched Lucy start to wander. 

"Locks-" Daniel tugged on his sleeve. Anthony looked down at her for half a second before turning to look at George - the thermometers had beeped, indicating a drop in temperature. Daniel huffed, pulling on Lockwood's sleeve again. "Locks!" 

His attention snapped down to her immediately. "What's wrong?" 

"Lucy's out of it-" Daniel nodded her head behind her. Lucy must've been at least 20 feet from where she'd started, and was staring off at something - or, more likely, nothing - in the distance. 

Anthony sighed, stepping slightly back from Daniel but keeping his hand in hers. Daniel seemed more conscious now as the two of them walked over to their team member and stood in front of her. Lockwood's first instinct was to wave his hand in Lucy's face. When that didn't work, he nudged her shoulder lightly, before finally settling on saying her name. "Lucy?" That seemed to pull her out of her zoning out as her eyes focused on Lockwood. "What's going on? You okay?"