The Melodious Nocturne: Ch 16

Her feet were once again on solid ground once Amelia had exited the portal into this new setting. It was almost as dark as where she had just been, beneath the surface of the water. It must have been in the same relative area as the castle, for rain was still poring heavily down on her head. Pulling her head up, she looked around and found that she was on a street. There were alleys and more streets, and many signs in strange neon-lighted lettering.

It was like a city, and she would have thought it to be, were it not for the fact that for as far as she could see there was no one around. Every street and alley was empty, and though she thought she heard the beating sound of a bass in an exciting club somewhere around, she suspected that that, too, would be empty.

The rain relentlessly pounded against her head, and Amelia took off in search of shelter. The nearest door she came too she tried to open, but for some strange reason it wouldn’t budge. It was locked, even though the blue neon sign above seemed welcoming. Looking up, she saw that all the buildings around were very tall, at least 30 stories high.

Amelia gave up on that door, and started running down the street in search of an open door. Her boots splashing in the puddles along the street had an almost eerie echo as it bounced against the empty buildings to her sides. The rain was so cold, she thought as minutes past, and there was still no sign of any sanctuary. She was walking now, breathing hard as the rain soaked her in and out.

Shivering, she came to a large open space where a giant building was the center of attention. A grand staircase led up to its doors. As she looked up at the large skyscraper, she noticed it had screens and build boards on the sides of it. It looked like it would be occupied, it’s so huge, she thought as she tiredly walked up the steps.

When she finally reached the doors, Amelia put her hand on the handle and pulled. But with a heavy sigh, she decided that if this place wasn’t open, than it was hopeless. She wouldn’t be able to find anywhere to stay while she waited for Demyx.

Amelia looked up at the sky, rain drops falling on her face, and sat down with her hands around her legs. “S-so…c-cold….” She whimpered, pulling her legs closer to her chest and resting her chin on her knees.

She wondered if he Demyx was all right. With a sigh she closed her eyes tightly. She hoped he was okay. She hoped he was strong enough to fight Saïx.

There was a sudden pound on the ground as if something large had fallen that made her look up with surprise, praying for a split second it was Demyx. But when she looked up to see something very different, something silver and threatening, she was paralyzed in fear.

Two more appeared behind the first. The large forms looked like armored bodies with blunt hammer-like limbs, and held what looked almost looked like the kind of large blunt claymore that Saïx had pulled out in front of her. They paused for only a moment before spotting her easily sitting there defenseless in front of the doors to the skyscraper.

And then it hit her, these creatures were disciples of Saïx. They seemed to float towards her, their feet not even touching the ground. Amelia let out a cry, and stumbled up against the door behind her to stand, though she felt as if she couldn’t move.

As they came closer, she wondered in terror if she would even be able to get away, even though she knew she would never live to know if she didn’t try. She willed her legs to move. Just as they started ascending the steps, Amelia was finally able to move, and she ran with all her strength down the stairs on the side. She jumped almost three steps at a time, trying to be careful and not miss a step.

When she came near the bottom, however, she slipped in a puddle on a step, and her feet fell from under her. Amelia flew forward, and she held out her hands to catch her impending fall. Then she hit the stone tiled street, and her hands gave out almost instantly. Her already bleeding hands scraped against the ground, and she fell face-forward onto the wet street.

She felt a crunch as her head hit the hard ground, and as she lifted herself up painfully, her glasses dropped from her face, broken. Amelia lifted a hand to her face and touched a painful spot on her forehead, then pulled it away to stare at a few drops of blood on her fingers.

Another large thump came from behind her, and she crawled to her feet and started running blindly forward. Looking behind her, she saw the shape of one of the creatures pulling his claymore from a recently-created pile of rubble on the steps she had run down. The shape faded into a fuzzy picture, however, as she became farther away from them.

Then looking back ahead, she started running into the closest empty alley. I must have lost them by know, she hoped as her footsteps started to slow. It became quiet once more except for the rhythm of the rain. Exiting on another street, Amelia turned to walk down the new path.

But suddenly, appearing from a dark and whisking portal, came a pair of the same menacing monsters. She gasped with surprise, and took a step back. Did she have no where to hide? They came forward. But then between the pair and Amelia came another dark portal. Only this time, three different looking creatures appeared. They were slender and pale, with waving arms, large pale pink pants and hat, and a ribbon from the end of the hat that danced around their feet.

With a gracefulness that Amelia immediately recognized as the same, flowing and confident air as Demyx, the creatures flew into the air, and danced around the bezerker nobodies. The dancer nobodies wrapped themselves around their enemies, and pulled and struck at them with uncanny speed and agility.

But nowhere in sight, Amelia realized, was Demyx. He must have sent these nobodies to help her, she guessed, as she slowly backed away from the danger. With her heart beating fast, she ran in the opposite direction, fleeing for safety in the pouring storm. She ran down countless alleys and streets, afraid to stop and run into a bezerker.

She had been running for almost ten minutes, passing countless battles of nobodies when she finally came across a lone bezerker as soon as she turned into a slender alley. It was so close that she had to skid to a stop, and came so close to it, she was almost inches to its face. Amelia screamed, and pivoted, turning as fast as she could from it, almost sliding on the wet ground.

But she only managed to take a few steps before what she had feared finally happened. She felt as a sharp, agonizing pain swept up her back to the base of her neck. The powerful blow sent her flying forward. She was unable to mover her arms fast enough to soften her blow, and she hit the ground, and slid meters across the stone street before coming to a stop by colliding with the wall of a nearby building. A stream of bright red blood trailed from her back to the nobody.

The bezerker came slowly forward to inspect its prey before Amelia watched as a dancer came flying through the air, and kicked it forcefully, sending it back across the alley. The dancer looked back at Amelia, and though blurry, she was its blank face give her a nod, and then turn back to its enemy.

She couldn’t feel anything but pain as she tried to push herself up. Still she managed with a cry of pain to get on her feet, and started to drag herself away into another alley. Amelia put her support up against the wall as she walked. She was crying, walking as far as she could, though she had no idea where she was anymore. Her eyes were fuzzy from her tears, and she felt to dizzy to even be able to focus what she fight have been able to see even without glasses. Eventually, when her strength left her, she collapsed.

Amelia let her feet fall from under her, and she pushed herself up against the wall of a small alley, and lay there, unable to move any longer. With a painful moan, she pulled her arms close into her chest, and closed her eyes. She was cold. She was soaked. She was bleeding heavily. And everything went dark in her mind as she left consciousness there, while praying that Demyx would find her before she was unable to wake from her sleep on the street.

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Demyx stumbled from a black portal onto the empty street somewhere in the city. He was clutching his stomach, and a slender stream of blood rolled down over his left eye from his head. His breath was rasping and frantic, and he pulled himself up straight and his sitar turned into water and disappeared in his hand.

“Dancers?” He called out in an almost desperate tone, and within moments the dancer nobodies streamed through the air like free-flying flags and landed in a circle around him.

“How…how is she? Is she safe?” Demyx asked through gasps of air. There was a pause, and then one of the dancers stepped forward, and held out a hand to him.

In the palm of the dancer’s slender hand was a necklace. The strand that held it together as well as the small, white pearl was covered in crimson blood.

Demyx gasped chokingly, and put his hand over his mouth in surprise before hesitantly taking her necklace in his hand. He grasped it tightly, and brought it to his lips, and kissed his closed fist, holding back tears.

Shaking, he looked around at them all. “WHERE IS SHE?! SHOW ME WHERE SHE IS!!”