Gregor and the Prophecy of Destruction - a Gregor the Overlander fanfiction

Chapter 3

When they arrived in New York, Gregor stopped by the local grocery store to pick up a frozen meal of shrimp and cream sauce. He stuffed it in his backpack and hurried to Mrs. Cormaci's.

Seeing Mrs. Cormaci again was pleasant. She hugged Gregor and his sisters and offered them lots of food. They all split a cheese pizza and had apple pie for dessert.

"Thank you so much, Mrs. Cormaci," Gregor said with a grin. "I'm stuffed."

"Me too!" Boots announced. "I go night-night now." And with that, she waddled over to the couch, plopped down, and fell asleep.

"I've missed you a lot," Gregor told Mrs. Cormaci. "It's been way too long since we've last seen each other."

Mrs. Cormaci smiled fondly at him. "It sure has, hasn't it?"

Lizzie sighed. "Hey, Gregor, this history homework makes no sense. Can you come help me?"

Gregor nodded. "Sure. Let's go into the guest bedroom where it's quieter."

Lizzie took her history textbook and followed Gregor into the bedroom. She shut the door behind them.

"This has nothing to do with history," Lizzie confessed.

Gregor chuckled. "I figured. You doing okay?"

Lizzie shook her head. "I'm worried. Quests usually take longer than a week. We should get going."

"You want to sneak out tonight?" Gregor asked.

Lizzie gasped. "No, Gregor, we can't!" Her breathing increased rapidly. "We... we can't leave Mrs. Cormaci worried about us..."

"Sh, it's okay. We'll write her a note," Gregor said. He almost laughed at how dumb that sounded. Mrs. Cormaci will be worried? We'll just write her a note. That'll fix everything.

Lizzie looked up at Gregor with wide eyes. "Gregor, I... I need to see Ripred!"

"Why?" Gregor asked with a frown. "What's so important about seeing that sarcastic, old rat?"

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "He's super nice if you actually get to know him."

Gregor laughed. "Sure." His smile faded. "Are we sneaking out tonight or not?"

"We have to," Lizzie said. "You still have echolocation?"

Gregor nodded. "Of course. Wouldn't have that without you."

"Or Ripred."

It was Gregor's turn to roll his eyes. He looked Lizzie in the eyes and nodded. "I can get us to Central Park tonight. We'll go through that way. It's less risky."

Lizzie looked up at him. "But New Yorkers at night are dangerous."

"Come on, Liz," Gregor said. "Not that I want to, but I can fight pretty dang well."

Lizzie sighed. "Then... I guess we'll wait until she's asleep."

Gregor nodded. "I'll carry Boots. You take a flashlight. It'll make you feel safer."

LATER THAT NIGHT

"Well, I'm off to bed," Mrs. Cormaci announced. "Goodnight! Don't stay up too late. And if you get hungry or thirsty, just help yourselves."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Cormaci," Gregor said, wanting to hug her goodbye but not wanting to increase suspicion.

"Goodnight," Lizzie whispered, obviously concerned about their plan. Mrs. Cormaci went to her bedroom and shut the door. Lizzie and Gregor walked back to the guest bedroom and sat down on the bed.

"I'll write the note," Gregor offered, taking Lizzie's pencil and ripping a page out from her puzzle book. "Do you have the letter Luxa sent to us?"

Lizzie nodded and pulled it out of her pocket. Gregor started to write on the torn out puzzle book page.

Dear Mrs. Cormaci

I am so incredibly sorry to have to do this to you, but Lizzie, Boots, and I are going to the Underland again. Luxa sent us this letter that will explain everything.

The Underland needs us. We will be back. I promise.

Please don't tell our parents. They will be so mad...

Love,
Gregor

Gregor showed the note to Lizzie, who nodded in approval. The two of them waited in silence for about ten minutes before Lizzie turned to face him.

"Do you think she's asleep?" Lizzie whispered.

Gregor nodded. "Probably. She once told me that she almost always falls asleep right away."

"Then let's go," Lizzie said, grabbing the papers with one hand and Gregor's arm with the other. Gregor guided her through the house, not hitting anything due to his echolocation. They put the note and the letter from Luxa down on the dining room table.

Not daring to say anything, Gregor motioned for Lizzie to follow him. They could barely see in the dark, but Lizzie seemed to be doing okay. She held on tightly to her flashlight. Gregor adjusted his backpack and walked over to the couch, where Boots was fast asleep. Gregor picked her up, praying that she'd remain asleep, and headed out the door, with Lizzie right behind him.

Once they were outside, they walked towards Central Park. Gregor remembered exactly where the entrance to the Underland was. He'd thought about going back too many times. He moved the rock and started down the stairs with Lizzie by his side. She shone the flashlight so she could see better, although Gregor didn't need it.

They walked through the path without speaking. Gregor figured she was lost in thought. He sighed and continued walking.

During all this, Boots stirred. She was waking up. Gregor's eyes widened.

"Gre-Go!" Boots said. "Gonna see Temp?"

Gregor gave her a small smile. "Yeah, I guess we are."

"YAY!" Boots squealed. Her voice echoed around the cave.

"Gregor!" a voice yelled from the darkness. Gregor spun around to see Howard running towards him. Gregor grinned and gave Boots to Lizzie before hugging Howard.

"How are you, man?" Gregor asked.

Howard sighed. "Um... not the best. But happy to see you! Come on, we'll take you to Regalia."

"We?" Gregor asked.

Suddenly, the striped bat, Nike, was flying over the three of them.

"Hello, Gregor," Nike said with a smile.

"Nike and I are bonds now," Howard told him.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you!" Gregor exclaimed.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get on," Nike told them. Gregor climbed onto Nike's back, and so did Lizzie, still holding Boots. Lizzie's breathing sped up, and Gregor realized she'd never flown on a bat before.

"First time, huh?" Howard said to Lizzie as he climbed on behind her. "Don't worry. You'll be okay. It's actually pretty fun. Especially with Nike."

Gregor held onto Nike's fur. It had the same texture and consistency as Ares' fur. Even just seeing a bat in the Overland reminded him of his fallen bond. It was devastating every time he thought about it.

As Nike took off, Lizzie nearly had a panic attack, but Gregor could tell she was trying to control it. Her arms were firmly wrapped around Boots and Gregor. Howard helped by holding onto her.

Gregor looked down to see a city in ruins. The lights were almost all dark, and the water was dirty. Buildings were torn apart. The grass was completely ruined and trampled.

Before Gregor could process what was happening, Nike was on the ground.

"Why are we stopping?" Gregor asked.

"Because, Gregor..." Howard replied. "This is Regalia."