The Illusion of Happiness: A We Happy Few FanFiction

Chapter Nine

A few hours later she woke up and rolled over. She pulled her knees up, parting the robe up to her waist, as she began to play with her hair. She then began to sing softly.
After a while she sighed heavily and dropped her arms onto the pillow above her head. She then closed her eyes for a moment. She sighed again and proceeded to play with her hair as she slowly opened her eyes, looking up at the ceiling. That's when she noticed another door. The ladder had been hidden behind the filing cabinet.
Her lips parted slightly as she looked up at the door. She then scrambled off the bed and ran into the washroom, getting dressed quickly. She ran back to the desk and climbed up onto it, and then the filing cabinet, where she began to climb the ladder. The thin metal steps hurt her bare feet a little as she climbed.
Reaching the door, she tried to turn the wheel to unlatch it, but to no avail. She began to cry. "Let me out!" She screamed. "Someone! Anyone! Help me!! Let me out!!" She pulled harder on the wheel and to her surprise, it began to turn. She gasped, and turned it faster and faster until it was completely unlatched. She pushed up on the heavy steel door, slowly opening it.
Outside it was dark and quiet.
She slowly crawled out the hatch and observed her surroundings. "I'm in the Garden District?!" She gasped inwardly. She moved into the street. The buildings were nearly all piles of rubble and the road broken here and there. "I need to get out of here!" She thought, hastily making her way down the street as best she could with bare feet.
*
Duncan unlocked the door and entered the bunker, food and water in hand. "Darling, I'm back with more food." He looked around the quiet bunker. "Bianca?" He looked up at the open hatch. He gasped, dropping the box of food and water. "Bloody hell!" He quickly pushed the filing cabinet aside and scrambled up the ladder. He jumped out and ran into the street. "Bianca?" His voice echoed through the darkness. "I hope I can find her before anyone else does!" He thought, running down the street.
*
Bianca made her way down the moonlit streets. The time was midnight and all the Downers were in their homes. All but the Downer Constables. Turning a corner, she happened upon a gruesome scene.
Before her, a pair of Downer Constables were beating a man to death. He cried and begged as they pummeled him with their batons.
She gasped, realizing they were attacking him because of his nice clothes. She looked down at her body. She too was in nice clothes.
She looked back at them in time to see him fall lifelessly to the ground. One of the Downer Constables knelt down beside his body to inspect him.
Terrified, she spun around to run away only to collide with a Doctor.
"Ah, Miss Bianca Hastings." He chuckled evilly. "The Downer."
She cried out as he pulled her around him and shoved her into the wall of the building.
"Are you ready to behave?" He pulled a needle from his pocket.
"No! Please, don't!" She cried.
"It's time to take your Joy."
"No!" She screamed and managed to shove him away. She took off into the grass, darting between trees in an attempt to lose him. "Somebody help me!!"
Duncan heard her scream and took off running in that direction.
She ran as fast as her bare feet would take her as she pushed through bushes and low branches. She looked back to see the Doctor not far behind her. She gasped and cried out, tripping over a root. She managed to get her footing and continue running. "Help me!"
"Bianca?" A familiar male voice called out.
"Duncan?" She thought looking in the direction of his voice. She cried out as she tripped once again only this time she fell to the grass. She tumbled and came to a stop near a Night Blooming Nonsuch bush.
She was breathing hard and shaking badly as she pushed herself up slightly to look over the tall grass.
The Doctor was a couple yards away, searching for her.
She hunched low and backed into the bush.
A snap was heard beside her. She looked to her left to see another Doctor looking down at her.
Her heart stopped.
They only looked at each other as her breaths became labored.
He suddenly came at her.
She cried out and tried to scramble away from him but caught her and pulled her back. She screamed and fought against him as best she could but this one was much stronger. He pulled her out from under the bush by the legs before straddling her waist and pinning her arms to the grass. "Going somewhere?" He sneered.
The other Doctor found them. "Ah, there you are." He said, nearing them.
Her breaths became gasped sobs as she look up at him.
"Bianca?" Duncan's voice was closer.
She looked in the direction once again. "Duncan! Help me!" She screamed.
He found her in time to see the doctor bend down with the syringe in hand.
She whined and closed her eyes tightly. The drug stung as it was forced into her body.
He pulled the needle from her flesh before patting her shoulder. "That's better." He grabbed her arm. "Let's get you back to the lab and fix you up." He pulled her up as the other Doctor got off her. "We will not have a repeat of what went on last time. We will be sure of that!"
Duncan grabbed his baton. "I don't think so." He muttered, sneaking up behind them.
With a hard swing, his baton met the second Doctor's head.
He groaned, collapsing at their feet.
The first Doctor went at him, but was quickly subdued as well. Duncan continued to beat him with his baton until blood began to splatter.
Bianca gasped and covered her mouth as she watched him murder both Doctors.
He stood up quickly before facing her. His eyes were blazing with rage and his hand was grasped tightly around the handle of his baton. His mask was splattered with blood, giving it an even more menacing look. His white gloves were also stained with blood. She lowered her eyes to the baton, seeing the blood drip from the tip. She looked back into his eyes and took a step away from him. "D..Duncan?" This was a side of him she had never seen before and it terrified her. Sure, she's seen him deal with Downers before but she's never seen him this enraged. His eyes focused on her, watching her every move and it began to frighten her more. "Duncan?!"
He blinked and snapped out of his trance. "Bianca?" He hung his baton back on his belt and sighed. "Darling, it's dangerous out here for the both of us."
"You killed them!" She cried, ignoring him.
"I had to. They hurt you." He replied coldly as his eyes scanned her body. Her hair was a mess; grass and twigs stuck here and there. Her dress was torn in a few spots and almost covered with smudges of dirt. She almost looked like a Downer. He grabbed her hand and picked a twig out of her hair. "Come on, darling. Let's get you back and cleaned up."
"They injected me with Joy." She said, feeling the drug begin to kick in.
"I know."
She tightened her grip on his hand as they started back. Before long, she began to stumbled. "I'm getting dizzy."
He smiled down at her before lifting her into his arms suddenly. It startled her, making her wrap her arms around his neck.
She looked at him, their eyes locking.
"Darling, you need to listen to me." He whispered. "I am trying to keep you safe from this world."
She smiled and tucked her head under his chin. "I'm sorry." She whispered back.
His heart began to pound in his chest. He was thoroughly enjoying her cuddling against him.
She glided her hand to his chest and giggled before pulling her head back to look at him. "You're heart is beating fast."
He looked her in the eyes. "You do a lot more then just make my heart beat fast, Bianca." He whispered.
She smiled and raised her hands to his mask.
"No, darling. Not out here."
She obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying her head against his shoulder. She began to giggle and gently swing her legs.
He smiled. She had quite a different reaction to the Joy then what he's seen from anyone else. It made her more giggly and flirty around him.
"Darling?"
"Hmmm?" She relaxed her legs and tilted her head to look at him.
He smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. Are you feeling all right?"
She nodded. "For now. It takes a while." She looked away from him, looking out into the field before them. All the Night Blooming Nonsuch were open and glowing. "Wow!" She gasped.
He also looked.
They were nearly surrounded by them, their pink hue lighting up the night.
He looked back at her, watching her admire the scene.
"It's actually beautiful out here." She whispered.
"Indeed." He agreed. "But it is very dangerous for us to be here." He looked around. "We better get back before someone finds us."
"Do they simply attack us because of our clothes?" She asked, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Yes, but they will also attack us if we're on Joy."
A scream echoed through the darkness suddenly. Bianca jumped and buried her face in his coat. "What was that?!" She asked, her voice muffled.
It had startled Duncan, making him jump slightly and whip around. His eyes darted left to right as he looked around.
It was now quiet.
"I don't know, darling." He turned quickly on his heals and hastily made his way back to the bunker. "We need to get out of here now."