Chronicles of Panchali - The 100th Selection

Chapter 21; Pits of the Underworld

(A/N: So I may or may not have started writing this 30 minutes before I was supposed to publish it-

So naturally I don't have enough time to edit this. If anyone sees any spelling or grammatical errors, please point it out so i can fix it.)

Aiden checked his bag one last time, tracing a finger over the photo of him and his mom before covering it up with a zipppp that was far too loud for his fried nerves.

"You ready?" Keefe asked him, his own bag slung over his shoulder. They were decked out in all-black gear that Nikita had managed to come across - perfect for sneaking out. Of course, Aiden had still left a note explaining why they were leaving.

"I think so."

"I'm not," Alvin commented in a low voice, reminding Aiden of the seriousness of their situation. "But to be fair, I don't think I ever will be."

Keefe smirked. "And that's where the fun is! Enjoy the thrill."

"No thanks," a voice said tiredly. Aiden jumped, not having even noticed when Tam and Fitz had snuck up on them.

"I mean," Fitz amended. "This isn't something we should enjoy - but I don't want to get into that meaningless argument again." Aiden caught Tam roll his eyes.

They were all camped in one of the shadows in the garden, and since they were all wearing an inconspicuous black, it was hard to see anyone, which was why Aiden flinched again as Brynne tapped his shoulder with much more force than necessary.

"Time to go," she said quietly, her long hair tied up in a fancy coil that seemed surprisingly practical. Her eyes, although a deep brown, almost looked blue in the moonlight.

Aiden nodded, not trusting his clogged up throat to speak without having a voice crack. Last time that had happened, Brynne had proceeded to tease him about it for a seemingly endless hour, and he was not willing to repeat that incident, especially at such a fragile timing.

"Nikita and Sheela are waiting near the bunker," Mini informed him - someone else he hadn't seen coming. At this point, Aiden couldn't tell whether they were just really good at sneaking up on them or he wasn't paying close enough attention.

He forced himself to focus more on his surroundings through the haze of his mind, even as exhaustion pulled his limbs downwards as they creeped slowly towards the second meeting spot. He had woken up early that day, frightened by the prospect of leaving that night, and thanks to that, he was also unable to eat anything during any of the meals. He had packed some snacks of course.

"You good?" Alvin whispered to him, a hint of concern in his familiar voice as they ducked behind a bush to avoid another batch of guards. Boo was supposed to be distracting the guards, but he was nowhere to be found. Aiden didn't spend much time worrying about that though because it was probably just a fluke. "Your dark circles look horrible and your hair is awfully limp."

"Gee thanks," Aiden muttered, reaching out a self-conscious hand to run a hand through his hair - not that it did much. While he was evidently looking like a half-zombie, Alvin was still looking sharp - brown hair perfectly tousled and green eyes bright even in the dark. Although he didn't care much for his looks, Aiden suddenly felt aware of them.

"I didn't mean it like that," Alvin tried, patient as ever. "All I meant was that you shouldn't stress yourself out too much. This is a really unfortunate situation to say the least but... it'll all be fine."

Aiden swallowed and the best he could offer was a weak smile. Alvin patted his back sympathetically as they got up again on light feet to follow Brynne and Mini, who were following the path easily as if there was a hidden topography only they knew. The only time they paused was near a large rock to hide again (Mini looked a bit emotional when they did, though Aiden wasn't sure why) and then after that it was straight to the bunker without interruptions.

It technically would've been easier to camp out in Aru's secret room and make their way up to the bunker somehow, but it would've been too risky sneaking everyone there. So instead, Sandor had distracted the other Selected's guards so everyone else could make an escape to their finalized meeting spots, from where Brynne and Mini would find them and bring them to the official rendezvous spot - the bunker.

As cliche it was, it was also practical. As Aru was no longer stationed there, there was no reason for anyone to be stationed there and people seemed to generally avoid the area as it was now believed to be a bad omen, just like the moat. Sheela and Nikita had also apparently managed to transport a bulk of the finer weapons into the bunker through the secret room while everyone else was either asleep or finding their meeting spots.

As soon as they arrived, Aiden realized that they were the last batch. Even Rudy was there, eagerly bouncing around with a childishness Aiden thought would've been absent from this situation. Rudy seemed to also stand out in all black - probably thanks to the shiny jewels pinned to his neckline - a grotesque combination of unflattering colors.

"This is it," Sheela whispered to a quiet, frightened group. "We make it out through the side gate."

Brynne looked at her, eyes sparkling. "The same gate where Aru snuck us in from?" Mini and Nikita nodded, and the four seemed to share a brief memory together - something that seemed so delicate and wholesome, Aiden dared not interrupt it.

"Let's leave now." Sandor ordered in his high-pitched voice, which usually was hard to take seriously, but now demanded obedience.

As they began creeping over to the side gate which was relatively close to the bunker considering the huge pastures, Aiden's mind got lost in the fog again, and a twig snapped under his feet. Everyone turned to stare at him - besides Priya, but she was clearly avoiding him now - and Aiden shrugged, trying not to show how that slight sound had scared the demon stories out of him.

He didn't know what he was expecting by the gate - maybe this super fairytale-like pathway with large dark oak doors covered in creeping vines and soft moss that would tickle their feet and lingering fingers, but it was actually extremely plain - a lopsided door on its last hinges leading to a dark place Aiden didn't really want to see.

"Where's Boo?" He heard Nikita hiss to one of the servants. The one with blonde hair who Keefe was staring at during that one meal. "Have you seen him?"

The girl shook her head, brown eyes glinting as the moonlight hit them at the perfect angle. "Linh didn't see him either."

Nikita cursed and Aiden moved forward to her. "Should we wait for him?"

"We don't have enough time," Brynne answered instead over Nikita's creative swears, which she seemed to be using too much of lately.

Aiden was the last to leave, and he paused at the gate, where at the side, where all the weapons were hidden behind a bush, were shiny scimitars. He lifted them up with shaky hands, seeing his reflection in them. Alvin was right - he looked like he had just crawled out of the pits of the underworld.

But as he stared at his reflection, his grip steadied until his features were clear and he took in a breath of the crisp air. A strand of black hair stood up as he ran his hands through it, though he didn't mind. For the first time since they had begun formulating this plan... he felt ready.

(A/N: How was it??? Next chapter is coming out next Monday for a book character's birthday!

Also, this wasn't too bad for 30 minutes... right?)