ꜰᴇᴀʀꜱ (ᴸᵉᵒⁿ ᴷᵉⁿⁿᵉᵈʸ ˣ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 11

Both crept through the door, still embarrassed. Nikola kept to the railing, sounding and breathing heavily. "Do you need help?" asked Leon slowly, who was still holding his ribs in pain, but was far better off than Nikola. "No, I'm fine.," Nikola replied and pressed her teeth together so she would stop making those noises. "Are you sure? You don't sound so 'fine'," he replied. Throught Nikola's mind shot atleast a thousand things she could say to Leon now. Thousands of accusations and a thousand more insults. But she let it be. Enough happened. In addition, she was in pain and actually wanted to rest first.

Nikola leaned over the railing to look down into the ground floor. Marvin was lying on the bench in front of the secret passage. "Marvin, we're back!" she called down and hobbled faster along the railing. "Nikola, I heard an explosion, is everything--" Marvin started, but as she rounded the corner and Marvin saw her, his eyes widened.

"What happened to you guys? You didn't get beaten up by zombies now, did you?" he asked, hobbling towards Nikola to support her. "What did you guys do?" he asked skeptically as Leon also crawled down the stairs with bruises and scratches. "You people didn't get into a fight, right?" he asked incredulously.
Nikola laughed awkwardly...

"Well, the story is crazy," she said, smiling at him quizzically. He looked at both of them, horrified. "How--" he started but stopped himself. "No, forget it, I don't even want to know," he finished. "It's definitely not what it looks like," Leon interjected from behind. "I hope not," Marvin sighed.

After a while he started again

"Frankly, with you two, it really does look like what it looks like," he said.

"What are you trying to imply?" Nikola asked with a skeptical expression. "I mean, it really looks like you two got into a fight," he admitted. "Noo?", Nikola started and laughed awkwardly.

"Yes we did", said Leon immediatly after Nikola. "Yes, we did...", Nikola admitted too, hanging her head. "But there were reasons for it!" she started hopefully.
Marvin just looked at them for a while

"I'm sure of it," he said then, smiling slightly.

"Okay, but we also have some good news..." Nikola began and approached the statue in the middle of the police station. She opened her shoulder bag and took out the three medallions.

"Let's see if David was right," she said casually and placed the medallions into their designated slots. Something cracked, dust swirled as the heavy statue began to move. Slowly, a passage opened downward. "Incredible," said Marvin, stepping back impressed. "David, my friend, you were right," he said, overwhelmed. "We can escape," cheered Nikola. "You guys... can escape," Marvin corrected her. "My journey ends here."

"No, there must be supplies down there to treat you," Leon said, stepping forward. "No... Leon, I appreciate your good intentions, but... I would only be a burden," Marvin replied. "I'm tired, I want to rest. Grant me this last wish," he said calmly and lay back on the bench. "Come with us, I 'm asking you, we can't leave you here," Leon pleaded with the officer, but Marvin shook his head quietly.
"Leon, he's right. Leave him be," Nikola intervened. Leon's eyes narrowed in strain.

That was wrong; he couldn't leave him here! He knew he had said Marvin would only hold them back, but in the face of the situation, he couldn't leave him here.