"Your lives we envy, your lives forfeit to us." Katherine could have sworn that the sound was hissing down her neck. It wasn't long before the voices became more intense as the group waited for an attack. The girl began to doubt her rash decisions,
we are going to die. A wolf against us, there's no chance. We should have taken our chances and moved away from the cliff. She realized that she was so wrong about this, grey silhouettes filled the horizon of her vision. Just blobs dotting the place before shaping into a more terrifying figure of humans. The thought of human like shapes seemed to fill her with fear rather than relief. She double checked everyone, Aimi had a tight grip on Shun, healing him as much as she could. Annie declined her offer to stay back and was up and running along with the rest of the group. As the shadows approached the group, Katherine felt her fists tighten as she watched the distance between them.
"Jump you idiots, jump! Get out of the mist and into the water!"
Jump? The girl took the words in and found herself spinning around to watch the group fall off the cliff. The mist around thickened as time went on, she didn't have a chance but to follow along as a wall solidified, pushing her off. Katherine felt like she was stuck in the air, falling steadily only for a second. Icy water broke through her skin, creating an electric shock to her.
Breathe.
She did by swallowing copious amounts of water, Katherine felt her eyes burn as the water hit her. The girl frailed her arms around for a little while before trying to resurface, the others were in midst of hearing many wolfs howling. A large hand grabbed her collar, pulling her in. Rini hit the edges of the gondola. While she rubbed the water out of her eyes, the hands pulled her up on board. Dripping wet head to toe didn't help her situation, she felt the jitters bothering her from before sneak up on her again.
Pressing her legs together, the girl's shivering increased as she rolled herself into a crescent moon. The man pulled had pulled each student in, it seemed like she was the last one to be pulled into safety. Her teeth chattered to make up the silence on the trip to wherever their rescuer decided to take them. Rini sent silent glances at everyone, she half-expected for Akio is speak up and point out that her assumption was wrong and that they lived to tell the tale. Katherine, feeling more glum than ever, held her legs with one hand trying to pick the damp clothes off of her skin. Ignoring the words spoken from a few, she looked down at the river and lifted a hand to have her fingers slide on the surface of the water. The mist intensified the freezer burn ready to happen. She ran a finger through her bangs and then to her long hair, a small handful of loose strands draped over her fingers, Katherine made a face and dunked her hand into the river to lose the fallen strands. She pressed her legs tighter, simply not because of the cold, and grabbed all of her hair to slowly drag out the long loose strands of hair.
The man led the boat into a small riverbank, the group slowly made their way out of the boat and to the small hut situated at the center. It was a beacon for them, a temporary safe house. Rini waited for the males to leave the boat before getting up to leave. She stepped over Shun's passed out body and hopped out of the gondola. She stared at the RA and sighed as she watched the others leave, the other boy, a blond, had came for the body and lifted him inside. Rini decided against asking to help him, she instead held the door out more for the two to slip into the hut.
As she entered, Katherine couldn't hold in her awe in the ancient style used. A few chairs decorated in the hut, situated around the fireplace. There were only three rooms as far as Rini could see.
Not alone, huh. She believed to be more analytic when she enters a stranger's home, but she was too tired to actually make any connections. Akio, however, had different ideas and decided to wear out the rescuer to full extent. Katherine lingered by the door, wringing out the water in her hair. After a few more twists and some painful departure of her loose hair, Katherine peered back in. Annie was leaning against the wall, ready to strike at anyone who went against her. Jason pleaded for medical attention for Shun, who was still passed out. Aimi took advantage of the fire and tried to provide explanation for her medical service. Katherine thought she did a pretty good job,
just wash him up and he would have been good as new. Everyone seemed tense from the close encounter with the hostile wildlife, that Rini felt obliged to give some words to her peers.
Walking away from the door, she helped straighten Shun out on the floor. Not wanting to touch Shun and possibly create an accident,
"If hypothermia is a problem, you may want to get Shun out his clothes." She spoke to Jason, she tried to keep down her nervousness,
"Not here though. Thank you for helping him out of the boat." She whispered back not wanting to interrupt the conversation with Mr. Suicide and the smoking rescuer. The girl gave Jason a slight nod and stood up to walk over to Annie.
Her steps were quiet, but she made sure that she didn't alarm the girl into swiping her knife at her. Katherine leaned on the wall and faxed over at the students circled around the fire and the old man smoking on his white pipe. She pulled out a set keys to play with while she talked with Annie,
"My offer for you to stay in the center was a bit rash. I thought you would have been tired from the earlier fight and the strain you are putting on your body..." She spoke all too solemnly. Rini's eyes flickered to the girl and then to the low ceiling, she added a few cheesy remarks,
"..You really helped us out. I would have been...terrified if you weren't there." Rini shifted her feet to the center of the room,
"You wanna go by the fire real quick?" Noticing Annie's attention towards the door, Katherine added more,
"I can keep watch, though I don't think a few minutes off post will do anything." If Annie declined, Katherine would nod a bit and head back. If she hesitated at all, Katherine would tug on her shirt and escort with or without looping arms as they walked.
As she neared the rest of the group, Rini resisted messing with Aimi's hair and take a seat next to her. Not fearing physical contact with her, Rini would lean on Aimi,
"I thought you did a good job at patching him up, doc." Sensing her worried state, Katherine twirled a wet stand trying to place herself in Aimi's position,
"Shun passed out because he's a wuss," she whispered back playfully,
"Nah, he probably can't swim and drowned." She tried to keep her cheery tone down and smiled at the petite girl. The girl stared up at Akio and the old man as they conversed.
Story time ensued as the man filled their heads with information.
"Ya lot be better off than me. Fancy dressed and all." The Ravenwood uniforms were fancy. Even if the colors clashed and the clothes were soaked,
"What's obligation I have in dressin' the wound of a stranger, anyway?" Absolutely none. Or maybe you saved us for the money. I have a wet twenty if he wanted.
Laughter cut into her thoughts after Akio fired the round of questions, Rini became alert as did the others. His cold distrust answer seemed be covered up,
"Ya lot aint from around here. There aint anyone around who dun know bout the mist. Brings back memories, the past. Memories I din't want to remember. The weight of me sins be enough torture for me soul." Sins, huh? Will this be a repeat of Puritans? "Though, bring the lad over, and all ya get by the fire n warmth. Me wife'll make us a bite to eat. For now, I dare suppose I got some explaining to do."
Almost like taking a deep breath in before a story, the man lit his pipe up for the story that had yet to come. Rini paid more attention to the man, as one of her passions was learning about history,
"Now I dun know what brought ya to the piece o shit hell hole that is me land, but ya need to leave. The rumors o paradise, they nothin but fairy tails. Maybe your land still be sufferin from the plague, but there be no salvation here." Her mind began to disect the words as he talked,
a spiritual awakening perhaps? Religion plays a part in time of need and people go off to look for a utopia. "Live in the Capital, and ya got yaselves a nice livin. Out here? Ya got the mist. The plague all over again."
"God forsaken us, the capital forsaken us, the whole god damn country gone n forsaken us. They live out their lives while we suffer in turmoil. There be rumors, ya know? For the right price, ya win yaselves an entry into the Capital. It be the dream of us out here. We had us some belief, hope, but these days none of that left." Capital must be that utopia. Sounds like the old man had troubles with his luck. "No, the mist changed that. It be long forgotten from the mind of most, n those who try, the guards get em. Many a good folk lost dem livin going for the dream."
She watched the man slam the door close, shit. I thought I has closed that. Katherine couldn't help herself, but to stare at the door. It was locked up pretty tight, she rise to try to go help the man with the wooden beams, but it seemed like he had it covered. He must be super paranoid. He saw her stare and went back to his seat to continue,
"Can't be too careful out here. You saw it first hand what the mist does to the folk. It eats at your sanity. Ya lot might be friends now, but give ya selves a day or two. Once the paranoia, the fear, the insanity sinks in. Ya'll be gutting ya throats. Here, the best company is yaself and only yaself."
"Rest the night here, the mist lessons in the day. Depart from these lands, and pray the mist aint spreadin. Maybe ya land can remain whole. I tell ya now, the dreams of the Capital be an illusion. There be no hope, just madness. Weird magics happen these days in there. Tears in the sky above the Capital be happening, and I tell ya its a sign. God has forsaken us all. We got his wrath upon us, and we be a waitin for death to take us to hell." Definitely Puritans. There should be no paradise as we are all sinners in the hands of a wrathful God. As he stood at the doorway, the man turned to speak to everyone,
"Make yaselves comfortable. I'll be checkin on the wife. See how dinner be a coming along. There aint much space for ya lot, so do the best with the room. Ya'll can sleep there if ya tired." And off he went.
Katherine stood up and stretched,
"So, I'm going to go check if they have alcohol." She glanced at Shun's wound,
"We have to disinfect that. He will get killed, anyone have sewing skills? Hand sewing isn't my forte." She satisfied Jason's issues, now on to the rest. Rini ran a hand through her hair and glanced at the path that led to the kitchen,
"I think the old man isn't too bad. We are going to stay a night here. I don't want to go out at night, any person who has to guard the doors like that are doing all they can to keep something out or in." She cautioned. Staring at the faces of broken students she bit her bottom lip,
"I'm confirming that we are staying put for one night because of Shun." Her eyes flickered to Akio,
"If it fails, we'll bail."
She leaned back and paused a bit,
"I'd like to hear everyone's input on what we should do after tonight.That man could be consumed by the very thing he fears."
The town was under a heavy veil of rain. Fitting for the sorrowful state the Captial found itself in. The carriage continued down its path. Horse hooves splashing in occasional puddles of water dotting the dark streets. From within the carriage the pitter patter of heavy drops beat on the roof of the carriage. The noise aroused the curiosity of the well fed individual, accompanied by two appealing peasant vixens draped in loose, semi revealing wraps.
The hut's appearance both inside and out was not from the present time. Not only was it constructed from rudimentary materials such as wood, clay, and stone, the interior lacked the expected utilities and conveniences that accompanied a present time home. A lit fireplace and wooden chairs were all that accompanied the living room, while pathways to two other rooms existed along the farthest wall from the entrance. Both rooms were hardly visible from the subpar lightning, though one appeared to be a kitchen, and the other a bedroom. Seated in one of the chairs of the living room would have been the man from before, smoking a white, smooth pipe.
