MCSM: Deceiving Perfection #5

Part 7 (Petra and Jesse)

Petra
A loud crash vibrated through the air. Petra shuddered. The walls were not leaving much room! I can't die here, not to these walls closing in!

"Great job, Lukas! Just keep working at it!" Radar called out. Jess ran to Lukas' side and started doing the same as Lukas. Petra was too afraid to open her eyes and see, she just knew those walls were close, and she didn't want to know just how close.. She felt a hand over hers, and jumped. Jesse whispered, "Jess and Lukas are breaking through the wall right now. You don't have to open your eyes, I just need you to trust me that I will get you to the other side safely, okay?"

Petra gulped and nodded. She gripped Jesse's hand with one of hers and squeezed it. Jesse stood, and tugged Petra's hand, urging her off the ground.
Don't open your eyes Petra, you'll just freak out... but not knowing what's going on around you might freak you out more. She gritted her teeth. She kept hearing sounds of the wall being smashed into, she presumed, and hoped, by axes, they'd bust down a wall faster than most weapons. "This should do." Lukas panted. "You two first."

She felt a tug on her hand again, and although there was now a gap to go through, the walls closing in still freaked her out. What if I don't make it out in time? If I don't, we'll all die!

Petra followed the way Jesse lead quickly, and took a hold on Jesse's right shoulder with her unheld hand to get closer, and make sure she wouldn't stray. Petra's breath quickened.

"Just focus on my instructions, Petra." Jesse directed. "We're gonna head straight forward first." They did so, and Petra tried to calm her breathing, but the sound of the walls growing louder wasn't helping her. "Now turn right with me." She turned, and Jesse spoke, but not to Petra, "I'm gonna crawl through, and keep a hold on her hand, Jess, pick her up and carry her through the hole. Lukas, Radar, hurry, we don't have much time." Petra stifled a gasp at that last part. Jess' comforting arms lifted her up, and she wrapped her right arm around him, digging her ear into his neck so she could focus on the sound of his calm breathing over the sound of the walls. She still hadn't opened her eyes.

After a few seconds of awkward shifting, she felt Jess stand still. "You're okay now."

Petra finally opened her eyes, slowly.

Jesse
After successfully getting Petra to the safe side, she let go of her future sister-in-law's hand, and returned to the hole in the wall, it wasn't an ideal gap to wiggle through, but it was the best the boys could do with the little time they had. She was still surprised Jess was able to maneuver himself and Petra through so effortlessly.

She reached a hand out to Radar, who was scrambling through next. "Hurry! There's hardly any space left for Lukas!" She helped tug him through, then immediately turned to Lukas. He was nearly sandwiched! He got the left half of his body along with his head in when Jesse grabbed his hand. They pulled with all the speed they could, but Lukas' foot got caught for a second. He yelled out in pain, and yanked one last tug. He managed his foot from the gap and cursed, "Jeez, do those walls have no sympathy?"

He lowered to the ground. He removed his shoe, and observed his foot, wincing as he twisted it to and fro. "Well?" Radar pressed, are you good?"

Lukas pressed the sensitive spots on his ankle and foot, but luckily, nothing had been broken or cracked, the squeeze would just leave it in pain for a while. "Nothing's broken, it hurts like crazy, but it'll be fine,"

Jesse knelt beside him and took his hand. She laughed softly, "This seems oddly familiar. Like the time in the Forest Temple, I injured my right ankle, here you are, injured right foot."

Lukas laughed, despite the pain. He remembered that day like it was yesterday. That was when he and Jesse fell through a trapdoor in the floor, and after he put her ankle back in place and she slept, he carved her a wooden crutch. When he gave it to her, she kissed his cheek for the first time. He would never forget the joy he felt in that moment.

As though she was reading his mind, Jesse joked, "I guess we packed everything for this trip but the kitchen sink and the crutch you carved that day."

Lukas laughed, "Yup." He remembered Petra, "What about Petra, is she alright?" He gazed forward, now that the outer walls were in the center, the room looked the exact same, but half the size, and the walls in the old wall's place was actually connected to the outer edges. That was a relief.

"She'll be fine," Jess said, "She might just need a few minutes." Petra was now pacing along the open edges of the room, finally breathing again. Radar nodded, "Fine by me, that'd be good for Lukas especially."

Jesse shifted to sit behind Lukas, she urged him to lean back and breathe. Wrapped with her husband comfortably in her arms, she hoped she could distract him from the pain.

After a few minutes of everyone with silent voices, and no sounds but breathing and Petra's footsteps, she approached the group, "I- I'm sorry guys.. that was really embarrassing."

Radar gave her a reassuring smile. "It's fine, like I said earlier, knowing you really do have a fear makes you seem a little more normal."

"And Lukas, I'm sorry.. if I could've just stopped flipping out and causing a scene, you could've gotten out before hurti-"

"Hey, you're fine. I'd rather a hurt foot than a squashed body, and seeing you scared was worse than the pain. It's really not all that bad. Besides, I get to lay here in Jesse's arms all cozy, so I can't complain."

Jesse rolled her eyes and flicked his forehead, "Was that your plan all along?" She teased. Jess stood, "Well, Petra, as you can see, there's really nothing to worry about, everyone's here and lively. Since Lukas has been babied, we should go before something else backfires on us." He added a little extra tease at Lukas.

Jesse watched Lukas roll his eyes, and sit up, "Alright, alright, let's go." Jesse stood, and helped Lukas to his feet.

Radar gulped. He wasn't ready for what could come next. So much had already happened, yet hadn't even found the whereabouts of the Stone.

"It's got to be through those doors." Jess pointed afar off. "It's the only doorway here."

"He's right." Lukas said, "With the walls closed in, our entrance has been blocked. So there's no turning back now. The only way we'll get out of here at this point is.."

"..to get the Stone." Jesse sighed, "Well, whether or not we still want to do this, we don't have a choice now, so let's hope this treasure finds us appealing."

The group of five headed for the door ahead. As they got nearer, they could hear a tune echoing majestically the closer they got. It was a mysterious, catchy, and calming tune. It sounded familiar as though Jesse knew it from her childhood, but new as though it were the opposite. It was a nice thing to hear after all the wreckage they faced within the last few hours.

Everyone seemed relaxed by the tune.

"Wait." Petra warned, "Don't get too comfortable." They stopped at the door, music humming clear and loud now, "This could be some sort of trick to make us feel safe, when really, death is waiting right through the door."

Everyone blinked, at first they thought Petra still hadn't gotten over her nerves from earlier until she said, "But if so, we'll show them that the death waiting on the other side of that door will be theirs."

She drew Miss Butter. The rest of the group nodded and drew their own weapons of choice.

Petra narrowed her eyes and exhaled slowly. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she nodded to the others. They nodded back, and she flung it open.