[To Be Named] - Chapter 7

[To Be Named] - by Ho-Oh16
A QuizUp fantasy adventure story.

Chapter 7.

   The arrow disappeared into the bushes. I still didn't know what was hiding in the shrubbery. None of us did.
   I had aimed slightly left of where I had placed the noise-maker. It was a warning shot. I figured that it would either cause whatever was hiding to retaliate, or tell it to run. Either way, we were all prepared.
   Everyone readied their weapons and adjusted their stance. I could see DD getting ready to transform, but I hoped that a battle would not take place - I could tell that everyone was still exhausted from our previous endeavours.  I didn't want anyone getting hurt.
   Despite believing the arrow should have impacted with something, there was plain silence. A silence that set off warning lights in my mind.
   "Uh...come out with your hands...up?". I was starting to question if there was actually anything there, or if I was being severely paranoid.
   "You have until the count of three to show yourself!" Ozy called from behind.
   The others started to come closer, and I took a few steps backwards. I could hear something stirring in the bushes now, and I was sure it wasn't just a small rabbit.
   "One!" Ozy yelled, katana firmly in hand.
   The rustling of leaves became louder. I took another step backwards, and we were all aligned, in more than one way.
   "Two!"
   I reloaded my bow. I only had three arrows left, including the one I was ready to send flying.
   I hope there's a magical room of magical arrows in this magical house... It would really come in handy.
   "Thre-"
   "Can you help me?" a small voice called. It sounded like a child - a young boy, perhaps.
   "Who are you? What are you doing hiding in the bushes?" Ozy questioned.
   "Come on out, we won't hurt you.". I put my arrow away in my quiver and held my bow at my side. I started to slowly walk towards the voice's hiding spot.
   "I don't think that's a good idea." Shadow commented.
   "I'm sure it's fine. This kid is probably scared out of his mind and just needs some compassion." I muttered, now walking backwards, looking at Shadow, "He's harmless, I'm sure."
   "I wasn't taking to you..." Shadow responded, spinning his scythe in his hand.
   "What do you m-"
   "Chloe, move out of the way!" Rashaun yelled at me.
   I was about to do just that, when an unexpected sensation shot up from my arm and to my chest. It felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My chest tightened and I fell to the floor.
   I wasn't entirely sure what happened in the next few minutes, but I could piece some fragments together.
   Whatever had been hiding in the bushes, to start with, wasn't quite the little boy I'd initially thought. A more accurate paraphrase would be 'it was a beast that pretended to be a child in order to distract us and divert our attention'. Or just mine... Probably just mine.
   There was lots of shouting. That was to be expected. A giant beast made of shadows is hardly something you fight quietly, let alone normally.
   Based on what I could hear, another beast had turned up somewhere along the line. Hearing Anton yell, 'just because you're a kid, don't think I'm going to go easy on you!', made me assume it was a smaller one. Perhaps the spawn of the original shadow beast. Either way, Anton wasn't going to go easy on it.
   I rolled onto my back and closed my eyes. My chest still ached and my arm was now numb. I focused on listening for each individual person, making sure they were still safe and alive. Especially the latter.
   Rashaun.
   I could hear him and Anton exchanging commands for their next moves, and that assured me that both of them were OK for the moment.
   Dragon.
   I couldn't pick out her own individual voice, but I could hear Ozy. I figured that the group had split off to fight the shadows. Ozy and DD had taken on the smaller one, and the others were attempting to subdue the larger monster.
   Shadow...where is he?
   I did my best to listen out for five different voices that resembled people. Or rather, four and a dragon's almighty roar.
   One, two, three, f-
   Another surge of pain passed through to my chest, and this time it felt worse. My heart rate was well below where it should have been. I attempted to stand up but after failing to do so, I lay back down. I stared at the darkening sky. I winced at the pain in my arm and chest. And then I was gone.

   "Where is Shadow?! He, of all people, should know how to defeat these things!" exclaimed Rashaun as he swung at the shadow beast with his sword.
   "I have absolutely no idea!". Anton also tried to land a blow but neither the blade nor nunchucks were able to cause injury. "If he has run off, I swear, I will-"
   "You'll what?" replied a voice.
   "Where are you?!" Ozy called out, dodging a sweeping arm. "Why aren't you helping?"
   "Now why would I want to do that?". No one could see where Shadow was hiding, but they knew he was close.
   "Shadow, what in the name of Arceus is wrong with you?! Get your butt here and help us out!". Rashaun was getting impatient - everyone was.
   "Oh, you want Shadow? He's a bit pre-occupied at the moment." answered the voice.
   "Wait, so, you're not-"
   "I'm afraid not."
   "Where is he, then?! NARNIA?!" Anton yelled back.
   "I cannot say. I, myself, am not sure. I'm just here to pass on a little bit of advice." the untouchable voice responded.
   "Advice?" DD muttered.
   "Well, do us a favour and advise us!" Rashaun demanded, still fighting off the larger shadow.
   "Don't blink." ordered the voice. The two shadow beasts diffused into nothing and calm was seemingly restored.
   "Don't blink? Like in 'Doctor Who'?" Ozy questioned.
   "I hope not, for our sakes." Anton replied.
   "Hey, did anyone see where Ch-"
   "Guys, wait...where's Dragon?". Rashaun looked around frantically, and was soon joined by Ozy and Anton.
   "DD! Hey! Where are you?!"
   "This isn't funny! If you and Shadow are pulling some sort of prank, now's the time to admit it and show yourselves!"
   "Why did Shadow and DD disappear?" Anton asked himself aloud.
   "This can't be anything good... Nothing good ever comes from disappearances." Ozy informed.
   "That's not helping."
   "Sorry for appreciating the issue at hand, Rashaun!"
   "You're not the only one that does!"
   "Ladies, please! Now isn't the time for bickering. Currently, Shadow and DD are missing in action, and Chloe is...somewhere...". Once Anton had reminded them of the known facts, the tension ceased.
   "I think she's over there, back in the clearing. We must have moved further away from that area while fighting."
   "Well, obviously so. The house is right behind us again."
   "Back into the woods it is." Anton urged.

   I bolted upright.
   Before me stood the house, just as it had looked when I'd seen if for the first time. I stood up and looked at my surroundings. I wanted to be sure that it wasn't a dream.
   "At least I'm breathing normally..." I muttered to myself. I looked back to the main entrance of the mansion and saw that one of the doors was half-open.
   Before I decided to go back inside, I checked my arm. It was not numb like before, but now I knew it wasn't in good condition and that I needed to be careful and be prepared. I chose not to put the bandage back onto my arm as it no longer served a purpose.
    "A bandage won't stop electricity." I sighed. I took a few steps towards the house and realised that something was missing. "My bow... the arrows...". I pivoted and checked the area I could see for any sign of my beloved weapon.
   *I must've let go of it when I fell. Dammit!*
   With a second sigh, I carried on walking and dragged myself up the stone steps reluctantly. I pushed the door open. There was an endless silence - something this place was now notorious for. I stepped into the main foyer and the door closed behind me.
   "Hello?" I called out. "Rashaun, Shadow? Anyone at all?"
   Prompted by the lack of responses, I made my way down the corridor to my right and began the search for the others. There was a calming atmosphere, contrary to the one that had clouded and suffocated the house before.
   I began to contemplate where everyone had gone, how long I'd been 'out' for, and if everyone was OK. Their safety had always remained my priority, but it was difficult to check when there was no one but me, myself and I.
    "Is that...music?" I whispered. "Coming from-"
    The music stopped abruptly, and in panic, I hid in the doorway next to me. If there was someone here I needed to know who before I introduced myself.
   I thought up a quick plan-of-action. I was about to check if whoever was here was now wandering the corridors, when the music resumed. Assuming it was safe to move again, I proceeded down the hallway.
   I recognised the song as I walked further towards my target.
   *The Phoenix... interesting choice.*
   Upon reaching the door that separated me and the only other person in the house, I leant closer to it. I wanted to know if they were in that room still, or if they'd left.
   Without warning, the door swung open and I almost fell forwards. Balancing myself, I stepped back and looked in front of me.
    "Hello!" said the person, smiling at me.
    "Wha-"

   "Three of us have disappeared, three of us are still together. What's the point in all of this?" Anton asked aloud, hoping for an answer that may never come.
   "I dunno, but we ought to stay together. I don't really want to vanish into thin air.". Ozy's reply summed up what everyone was thinking.
   "They have to be somewhere...back in the house, perhaps? We have to find them." Rashaun insisted.
    "That goes without question. Come on, let's go back to the house and check each room. They're bound to be somewhere." Anton suggested, already beginning to walk out of the clearing. Rashaun and Ozy followed closely behind.
   It was early evening. The sky was gaining a more golden hue as the sun set behind the house.  Nocturnal creatures that had been stolen from the earth were getting ready to venture out into the open.
   "It's hard to believe that this whole area is currently suspended in the air above the clouds. It's impressive, but I hope that we don't suddenly plummet to ou-"
   "Let me stop you there, brother, before you tempt either fate or the people behind this whole thing." Anton urged.
   The trio reached the front wooden doors and entered the mansion, as they had done only a few days prior. There was no sense of déjà vu or nostalgia - this house had quickly become a synonym for trouble.
   "So where do we look first?" Ozy asked. "This place is big, and there's only three of us."
   "I reckon we start upstairs and work from left to right. We can look downstairs once we are satisfied they're not up there. The main thing is that we stick together." Rashaun stated.
   "I agree. It seems that as soon as one of us in not in view of anyone else, they're gone. Poof." remarked Ozy, making small explosions with his hands.
   "Then we have to be careful." Rashaun added. "We can't let anyone out of ou-"
   "NO! NO NO NO! THIS IS REALLY BAD, RASHAUN!". Ozy had every excuse to be yelling. Anton had vanished, along with the others.
   "BUT HE WAS JUST HERE!". Rashaun added to the yelling.
   "What the heck is going on here?!"
   "If I knew, I would say!"
   After a few more short moments of hysteria, Ozy and Rashaun came to a realisation. They were the only two left. If one of them looked away from the other, then they'd both disappear.
   "So, does this mean...we're..."
   "Finished? Yes.". Rashaun took a seat, keeping eye contact with Ozy. He was tired from fighting, but also emotionally drained. They both were.
   "What are we supposed to do, then? Sit around and wait for our turn?"
   "There's only one thing we can do, for sure." was the reply.
   "What? What can we possibly do to ensure our safety?" Ozy demanded.
   "Don't blink."