People Like Us (bxb)

Chapter 23



-Hastie’s POV-

My vision waned as I took another deep breath. It took all I had to not even whimper as my arm throbbed in pain. I can barely see anything in this damn tunnel and my palm is bleeding badly from scrape wounds every time I place my hand on the rough tunnel walls. Light footsteps followed me as if taunting me. Constantly putting me in fear, knowing that that bitch of a Luna is still alive and kicking, and following me through the tunnel that she has the utmost familiarity with.

There was no way to turn this around. The stench of my blood makes it impossible to even miss me. I continued moving forward, deeper into the tunnel. There has to be a way to turn this around, to make the situation favourable. But all it took was one wrong step. My heels slipped on a slight deep in the ground. I stumbled and tried to feel the wall for balance. A rough protrusion on the wall slashed my already wounded palm and I let out an ugly scream of pain.

Shit, I thought to myself. I breathed in heavily and bit my lips. I’ve literally alerted the final boss on where I am. It only took a second, a second too late and a second too much.

Footsteps pummeled the ground.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

Closer and closer.

Louder and louder.

Jasmine let out a war cry and swung her fist. I can’t see it, but I could hear the swish in the air. I ducked and rolled backward into the tunnel. Or so I thought. My back hit against the side of the wall and the rough stony surface pierced into my skin. I hissed in pain as I pulled myself away from the wall but quickly got to my feet.

I pushed my legs and shoved myself away from my current position, just in time to avoid getting my face caved in. Another swish in the air and Jasmine howled in pain when her fist collided hard with the rough wall. The fresh smell of new blood filled our nostrils, and I knew. She had probably injured her fist but that was a minor detail. The major thing is that even if Jasmine knew the tunnels, she can’t see much as well.

A ray of hope presented itself and I was sure as hell going to take it. We are both weighed down by the same handicap. I positioned my left foot and kicked my right leg at the same spot where I was. The tip of my shoe grazed lightly onto something. I missed her by a bit, but the angered tone told me enough.

“My face! You dared to kick my face! HOW DARE YOU!” Jasmine bellowed and the tunnel seemed to tremble from the echoes. But that was good enough for me to determine her position. I tried again and kicked out as hard as I could. This time, there was a sickening crack and a loud wail of pain.

Yes! I cheered in my head. Finally! A solid hit. But my joy was cut short. Amidst her cry, Jasmine grabbed my injured arm and yanked me down. I screamed as pain wreaked through my body.

“Hastie!” My twin sister shouts out, fear laced in her voice. My eyes widened and fear crept into my system. I looked at Jasmine and saw a sickening grin gracing her lips. She clutched her limp arm and quickly scrambled towards the unaware Hallie. Adrenaline took over my system. There was no way in hell I was going to let her touch my sister. No way in fucking hell.

Pain is forgotten as I dashed right up and tackled Jasmine into the wall. Jasmine let out a hideous cry as her face scraped against the wall of the tunnel. Pieces of skin and chunks of meat tore away from her face. Blood gushed out and her banshee screams filled up the tunnel. But the pain was probably too much for her. She collapsed onto the ground, twitching ever so slightly from the pain.

“Hastie?!” Hallie asked worriedly, hands waving uncertainly as if trying to feel her surroundings. Her head darted back and forth, unable to figure out anything around her. I pulled her into a hug with my left arm.

“I’m here. I’m here.” I said reassuringly, not just for her but for myself as well. It was a close call. I didn’t have any confidence that if we were engaged in a one-on-one fight, I would win. Jasmine, the more experienced fighter and the luna, would probably be stronger than what I have encountered.

“Hastie? You can see me?” Hallie asked suspiciously.

“Yea, I…Wait…I can see?” I questioned back, blinking twice to make sure. Sure enough, what was a dark tunnel is now clear as day. If it wasn’t for the slight sliver glow to my vision, I wouldn’t know that it was a dark tunnel.

“Your eyes, they have a silver glow!” Hallie excitedly claimed.

“Girls? Are you still there! We will collapse this tunnel in 10 secs, come out quick.” A soft, almost faint voice echoed from the end of the tunnel. Hallie and I looked at each other in horror. I grabbed her hand, and we made a mad dash back to the exit. Being able to see made things so much easier. We got out of the tunnel in time for the Wizard to finish chanting his spell. A deep rumble came from the tunnel and the ground shifted. It was as if a mini landslide from within the tunnel. The entire thing collapsed, burying anyone who happens to be inside. Their job was done. They were safe. The wizards were still on standby to make sure that there wasn’t any more danger left around us.

The moment the adrenaline left me, I collapsed. There was shouting going on around me but at that point, I was too tired to care anymore.


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