Chapter Two Hundred and Twenty-Two: The Stairs

As we began our climb up the stairs, we fell silent. Just like Lillia, Altria’s apartment was on the top floor of the building. We had a long climb, but we couldn’t afford to be careless as we climbed. Just because there was only a single assailant that attacked our group, like Liz and Beth earlier too, didn’t mean that there was only one in the building. We had to be prepared to fight at any moment.

The only sound now was our muted footsteps on the hard floor of the steps. We were trying to move as silently as possible, but not all of our group could completely eliminate the sound of our footfall. As hard as I tried my steps still made a sound.

I had made progress since I had arrived in this world, but I knew I was still our weakest link.

We passed the exits to the first three floors without incident. The stairwell was still almost completely silent. We were getting closer to our goal of reaching Altria’s apartment undetected, but each floor we passed meant there was more chance of someone coming at us from behind.

By this point I was wondering if I made the right choice in leaving Celine behind to keep watch rather than sending her on ahead to check on Altria. Well, there was no changing things now. We just had to reach her as quickly as possible.

The exit to the fourth floor was just coming into view when an almighty boom rang out. The floor was shaking from the explosion. Small pieces of rubble rained down from above as we struggled to keep our footing on the stairs.

I lunged forward and grabbed Beth by the shoulder. “That was Altria, I know it!”

She glanced back nervously over her shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! She wouldn’t have used that unless she was really in trouble. We’re lucky the floors above us haven’t collapsed.”

“We should hurry. No need to keep quiet now.”

Before we could pick up the pace Aetherin has spun around in front. “I’m going to go on ahead.” She turned to Beth. “Keep him safe in my stead.”

Beth nodded. “I will and we’ll be right behind you.”

Aetherin smiled. “See you up there.”

Aetherin turned and ran. She was moving at a frightening speed as she went. My eyes were struggling to keep up with her movements.

At least Altria wouldn’t be up there alone for long.

Beth reached down and grasped my free hand. “Come on, we should run too.”

I pulled myself up straight. “You’re right.”

I glanced up to Ameri who was now alone at the front of our group. She was already nodding in an unspoken reply, before she turned and started up the stairs. Beth and I didn’t waste any time in following her.

The three of us were soon racing upwards. It was nowhere near the pace that Aetherin had gone at, but we would soon make it to the top level. We only had another three floors to climb.

We had picked up the pace as much as we could. Running up the flights of stairs wasn’t fun, I was already starting to feel the strain as we passed the second exit. At least I knew that the door would lead out onto Altria’s floor.

Finally, we stopped just outside the final door. There had been no further explosions. We couldn’t even make out any sign of a battle just the other side of the door, but Aetherin still hadn’t returned.

Ameri paused as she held the door handle, her head pressed against the door trying to make out what was going on the other side.

I bent over clutching my thighs as I tried to catch my breath after the run up the stairs. I looked up. “Can you tell what’s happening?”

Ameri shook her head. “It’s quiet… Too quiet.”

“What do we do?”

Beth walked up to the door and stood next to Ameri. “We’ll look inside… Open it slowly.”

“Okay.” Ameri gently twisted the door handle and began to inch the door forwards. Once a small enough gap opened up, she held her head up to the door. “I can’t make up much.”

I decided to activate “appraisal” on its highest setting. I ignored the sight in front of me and tried to check the corridor beyond the door.

The air on the far side was filled with dust making it hard to see anything clearly. The lights seemed to have been taken out. The only light was filtering in through the windows, from the streetlights below, on one side of the hallway and from the gaping hole at the very end of the corridor.

I touched Beth’s shoulder. “It doesn’t look good in there. I can’t see Aetherin or Altria, but something bad has happened inside. Half the wall is missing at the far end!”

“Damn…”

Ameri gently push the door to and looked to us. “How could you see that?”

“It’s one of my skills.”

“Useful… So, how do we want to do this?”

Beth pressed on the wall with her hand. “Neither of you could see anyone inside?”

I shook my head.

Ameri shrugged. “It’s too murky inside to know for sure, but I could make anyone out.”

“Hmm, okay. I highly doubt they’ve left already and I’m a little worried you can’t see Aetherin or Altria, but we need to find out what’s happened. We’ll head inside carefully… Theo you’re taking the rear. Just back us up.”

“Okay.”

Beth positioned herself just to the side of Ameri.

Ameri clutched the door handle ready to fling the door open.

A moment of silence fell until Beth gave the signal. “Open it.”

Ameri pushed the door open and the pair in perfect sync dived through. A second later I followed them into the corridor.

Inside it was still. I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of my racing heart and the only movement I could see was dust falling back to the ground we had kicked up as we entered.

The two girls were looking up and down the corridor, trying to ascertain if it was safe for us to make our way along.

Finally, Beth relaxed. She spoke under her breath. “Let’s move up, slowly.”

Ameri took the lead, Beth followed two steps behind her. Both girls were poised to respond to any threat.

We edged our way up the corridor, passing the first apartment door.

Something up ahead caught a glint of light.

Ameri dived to the side.

Beth jumped backwards crashing into me and sending us both to the ground kicking up a cloud of dust in every direction.

Even as I felt the pain from the impact on the hard floor, I could hear something slapping against the sides of the corridor. I could only catch glimpses of whatever was causing it as it occasionally caught the little light there was in there.

I looked ahead and Ameri seemed to have avoided the attack just like we had. She was looking back and waving a hand to say she was okay.

Then with a crash all three of us had our attention drawn to the door to our side.

It had burst into a thousand pieces as a figured jumped through it. They took one step on the floor in front and then cut a path up the corridor. It was only as they came to a stop in front of Ameri that I could make out who it was.

It was Aetherin.

As she deflected the next incoming attack, I could finally make out what was causing the sound.