Claimed by Twelve

19. Down

As it turns out, getting out of a city can actually be very hard. I had learned that the bus I was on only went closer to the heart of the city. That would explain the weird look the old lady gave me.
I studied the map in front of me. I sighed in anger as I crumpled it in my hands. I needed to get out of here, not look at some stupid piece of paper with lines all over it. I sighed again as I walked down the street. I had NO idea where I was going. I just knew I couldn't stay in one place too long.
A cold gust of wind ruffled my hair and I shivered. I knew it was Khione. I didn't know how to get to her. I shouldered my way through the people. None of them stopped to pay me any attention.
      I spotted an alley that seemed to be the only place free of people. I pushed through the crowd, apologizing as I went. I gasped as I made it to the alley. I hated crowds.
      I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I glanced at the people surging past and shivered again, not from the cold this time. I looked down the alleyway. It wasn't much of a better choice.
      The alley was gloomy, as you would expect alleys to be. Puddles littered the ground and pieces of garbage flew around. There were no back doors leading out of the buildings around it, only solid brick. At the end of the alley, a staircase descended into the ground. I heard water running down the stairs into wherever they led.
      I glanced back at the crowd. I hated caves and tunnels. But I hated people more. I pushed off the wall and turned my back to the great people of.....well. I wasn't sure what city I was in.
      My footsteps were barely heard against the rough ground. I avoided the water as best I could, it had a foul stench to it that I didn't want to learn more about. Once at the stairs, I looked down.
      There were only ten stairs total, which surprised me. I hesitated as I stepped down onto the first one. I looked up and realized that the sun would be down in a few minutes. I turned my attention back to the stairs. I swallowed my fear as I walked down the rest.
I covered my nose with my shirt as I made it to the platform. It smelled like something died in here. Something probably did die in here. Further ahead, more stairs went farther down. I kept my nose covered as I made my way toward the other stairs. The stairwell had two lights that worked, but both flickered on and off. The smell intensified and I started to back up.
      You're going to quit because of the smell? Maybe you aren't as good as I thought you were, Khiome's voice drifted up from the darkness I was staring at. Anger went through my body as I steeled my self and took a step down. Suddenly, the hairs on the back of neck stood up. I turned around.
My eyes met Hazel's, but only for a second. I heard the pounding of feet behind me as I fled into the darkness of the underground.