I brought out all 8 of my tentacles and attacked him with everything the chains allowed me. I broke the table, chair, and probably put a dent in his skull. The food was scattered among the wood and blood. I pant as I look up, I broke the chain! I grab the key with my hands and fiddle it in the lock on my wrists. Once it pops open, I run for the door. Seth's body lay face-down, his breath shaky. I'll come back for him. Once I lock the door, I realize there was a window looking into my room. That must be how they watched me. I grab a clean white lab coat and take off the name tag and button it. I look around the dark, black room. There were various desks and monitors that made a circle around the center of the room. The only light in the room was from a glass wall that looked out on the four kingdoms, all of them were in shambles. How would I break the news to Katie and Diego? I heard a fumbling coming from the door and panic. I dash under one of the desks just as the pale light from the hallway fills the room. A small man walks in, he goes over to the rack I grabbed the lab coat. I guessed he was Ethan.
"Weird." I heard him mumble as he picked up the name tag from the floor. He jumps and then bolts out the door. Dammit, he probably saw Seth in the window. I run out from the desk to the glass wall. I looked down at the seemingly bottomless pit below me. a black fog blocked me and this cliff from the place I called home. I spotted a bit of the roof of the treehouse, tears formed at the corners of my eyes when I saw the last of the lights turn off in the fallen kingdom of cards.
An alarm sounded as the red emergency lights went off, I ran out the door of the room into a completely different atmosphere. Instead of the clean, white room, the hallway had a black scheme. I ran down what seemed endless stairs until I saw a sign that read 'Ground Floor'. I almost squealed with joy until I heard a crash above me. About 3 floors above me, a group of forbidden burst through the door. Only now I could see their true form. A black mass in the shape of people with black clothes and HUGE guns. They started shooting at me and running down the stairs. The red lights messed with my vision as I bolted out into the dark forest. It was said to be ridden with monsters and forbidden. I didn't know were I was running, but I wanted to get away from the 20 story building as fast as possible. I could hear the men yelling in the distance. I continued to run in a bee-line until I saw the light of day, one thing I thought I'd never see again. I run until I saw the outskirts of the Diamond kingdom. For once, there were no guards at the gate. I haven't eaten in two days and needed to keep moving. I ran well into noon, then I stopped at my favorite bakery. La Petite Pastries, I used to steal from here because it was close to the Spade border. I got a crushed slice of bread and a bottle of water. When I was done with my makeshift meal, I walked along the stone wall until I spotted the forest again. The sun was setting and I was on the verge of collapsing at any moment. My back was starting to hurt from whatever was on that key, so I used a stick to prop myself up as I continued walking.
I noticed a faint glow over a hill and dropped my stick, forgetting the pain in my back and throbbing head as I sprinted to it. I dropped to my knees when I saw a different light then I was expecting. The tree house, and everything inside, was burning. A group of forbidden stood outside the front door, with 3 kneeling figures in front of them, their faces looked at the ground with their hands in the air. I counted 5 forbidden, that leaves 3 extra tentacles for me to grab Diego, Katie, and Harry.
Even with the pain, I managed to pull my tentacles out and moved them slowly across the ground. I tapped one of the forbidden on the shoulder with one of my tentacles and it set them all on edge. Helen floated out of Harry, now that the attention was off of her and floated over to me. The others were whispering but shut up when 3 guns were shoved against each of their heads. Harry yelped as he were pulled from the ground and held against a huge mans chest, feet flailing off the ground and he squirmed in the mans arm. Katie was next, she was bigger, so she was held by the waist with her arms pinned at her sides. Diego in similar size as his gunman, so he got the joy of a headlock, I could almost see his face turning purple in the glow of the flames. Once he stopped cursing at the man, he folded his arms over his chest. The 2 men who weren't holding on of our friends started to search the area around us.
"What now? Got more playful pokes to throw at them?" Helen whispered/screamed in my ear.
"Shut it, just wait." I retorted. Once the two forbidden were out of view of the 3 holding the others. I slipped one tentacle over their mouths and another around their legs and pulled them up the hill swiftly, thy dropped their guns and started kicking at the black ropes that bound them. I threw them on the ground, still covering their mouths, and Helen's wispy form glared at them.
"Now to get the others." I said, throwing them far, far away, out of the forest.
"Nice throw." Helen commented, I smirked at her.
"Here's the plan. I'll distract the gunman while you turn Harry into the biggest animal you can think of, then will take 'em out, got it?" I ask, Helen returned my smirk.
"I like the way you think, Ink." she laughed, disappearing into the woods, I scowled at the new nickname she thought of. Then I tried my best to look weak and fragile.
"Help! Please!" I yell, the gunman all turn to me, as well as my friends, who's faces light up at the sight of me. Before any of them could say anything, the 3 gunman's hands covered their mouths in unison.
"Who are you?" The one holding Katie asked, as he walked from the middle of the men to me. I fall to my knees as I started to fake cry, I was pretty proud of the water works I could conjure.
"There were t-these men, they kidnapped me a c-couple days ago, chained m-m-me, striped me, a-a-and..." I let my voice trail off as I started to cry into the mans arms. He smelled of ash and B.O., but at least he dropped Katie, who ran over to Diego. Then she stupidly got wrapped up in the man's arms right next to him. I kept my act going when I saw Harry's wrist start to glow yellow.
"I-I saw the fire, and came over here t-to get help. T-Then they started chasing m-me, you guys looked t-t-tough, so I f-f-figured you would help m-me." I continue to stutter. The man hugged me and I bawled into his arms. Give me an Oscar!
"Shhh, shhh, it's ok. They can't hurt you now." The man said in a deep but soothing voice while he stroked my hair. I will admit I was taken back by his kindness, considering he was a forbidden.
"Just tell me who you are and.... wait, how did you get that coat?" he asked, taking my shoulders and studying the coat I was wearing.
"Now!" I yelled, finally getting to do something that didn't make me look like a pansy. At that command, Helen transformed Harry into a yellow elephant. Wait, what!? Oh well, we were exposed and had to do with what we had. I took out my tentacles and worked on getting the guns away from the men while Helen/Harry got the two guys that had me and them. Katie and Diego both fought the guy that held them. Diego couldn't do much with the hand over his mouth, but Katie managed to pry herself from his steel grip. I noticed a faint glow of green coming from her wrist. Once Helen/Harry squashed their opponent and I flung mine into oblivion, I walked over Harry as he transformed back into his normal self.
"An yellow elephant, seriously?" I ask, crossing my arms as I look down on the ghost that appeared out of him.
"I was gonna do a T-rex, but I don't know how. You should be lucky I even did that, considering it was our first time using OUR powers, Ink!" she retorted, floating up to my level and mimicking my actions.
"Don't call me that." I growl at her, Katie, Diego, and Harry laugh at us while Helen and I continue our glaring contest, both grinning, trying to contain our laughter ourselves.
"I have no regrets, Ink." she whispered, and with that we all fell to the ground laughing.
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