Bright Autumn Leaves (Seven Seeds Project Fanfiction)

Chapter One: Brave New World

Careful footsteps echoed down the halls of the empty, haunting, metal tomb. Everything was dead silent aside from the gentle pacing that bounced off the rusted walls. The flickering light of a lantern followed these footsteps, the handle squeaked slightly as it swayed in the palm of its owner. Her sharp hazel eyes glanced left to right at her surroundings, her demeanour was competent and focused. Her mahogany hair was tied into two short pigtails, a childish contrast to her mature face. The tall woman calmly wandered through the building, peeking through doors in search of other life. Finally coming to a door that opened into a dark room. There was a hissing sound from the other side, she recognized the release of pressurized air. She glanced in the doorway just in time to see the lid of a glass coffin slowly lift itself upwards. Much like the way she had first awoken. Her eyes trained themselves on the occupant of the coffin, a young girl with chocolate brown hair lie sleeping in the box.

"Hey. Are you alive?" She called out, her direct words carried easily over to the girl.

Her eyes twitched open, and she slowly sat up in a daze. The brunette put a hand to her head as it ached intensely, having been asleep for so long. She glanced around, not having registered the other woman speaking to her.

"Get up, we have to go now." She added, turning to move out of the door and continue down the hall.

"Huh? Who are you?" The girl asked, finally meeting eyes as her senses regained focus.

She noticed a backpack on her legs, an odd place for it to be left. The top of the glass casket above her caught her attention as she swung her legs over the side and stood up.

Not bothering to answer any of her questions, the mysterious woman continued down the hall.

"Hey, wait a minute!" She called, jogging after her as she slung the backpack over her shoulders. "What's your name?"

"You shouldn't run." Gazing side to side again, she ignored the question.

"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Don't you feel light headed by now? The cryogenic sleep pods released because the oxygen regulation system is failing. We have to get out or we'll suffocate." She explained.

"Woah, what?" The news stopped the brunette dead in her tracks. "Are you crazy? What are you talking about, and where are we? Who are you!" Her questions fell from her mouth as she became increasingly irritated.

"Now's not the time for any of that, Ikariko. We need to find the others and get out of here." She said, not bothering to slow her pace, let alone stop and wait.

"Hold on, how do you know my name? And why won't you tell me yours?" Ikariko asked, catching back up to her.

In the dim light, she hadn't recognized her earlier.

"Anzu? Anzu Izumi? Didn't you babysit me for a year or so when I still lived in Japan?" She asked, her confusion only growing.

"Alright, I can see we're not getting anywhere until I answer you, so keep walking and I'll tell you whatever you want. But we need to hurry." Anzu told her.

"Fine. What is going on? Were we kidnapped or something?" She asked, picking up her pace once again.

Ikariko's eyes darted around nervously, fearful of all the unknown elements surrounding her.

"No, we haven't been kidnapped. If I tell you too much, you'll panic. So right now, all you need to know is that we and six others are gonna die if we don't find them and get out of here in the next half hour or so." Aside from the answer she gave, Anzu barely even acknowledged the girl speaking to her. She was entirely focused on her surrounding, listening for any little noise, watching for every subtle movement.