The Guadeloupe Squadeloupe

Chapter XXVII: Perry

"Your humans slaughter each other because of the color of your skin, or your faith or your politics -- or for no reason at all -- too many of you hate as easily as you draw breath" ~Magneto

The scream sickens me.

Even with the water swirling around us, the scream is still audible enough to dub a female's. It cut through the air like a knife: they both leave a mark even when they are gone.

"Should we be concerned about that?" Janis tries to sound sarcastic, but I can sense the fear in her tone. I'm certain that we both have the same dreary thought: that the scream came from the squad.

I remember when I was ten, I spent two hours looking for my iPod that I had misplaced. After all the searching, I realized it was in my pocket. That's how I feel right now; we've lost the rest of the group, and they must be close by, but Janis and I could spend days looking for something right under our noses.

The tunnel takes a gradual left turn, and now I see clearly a lit area radiating from at least a mile away. I don't even have to tell Janis to run faster; the light at the end of the tunnel is enough to motivate anybody.

I've never exactly been the fastest runner (my fastest mile is around 10 minutes), but I feel as though I'm flying through the corridor. Attempting to count the seconds, I realize it's hopeless after losing count for the fifth time.

"Janis!" A familiar set of voices call. Bob and Alice, I think. "Perry! Where are you guys?"

I watch their shadows hit the ground in the lit room ahead. It's maybe 100 yards away now, and even though it's almost in reach, I feel as though I'm going to collapse.

Moments later, I can make out individual figures. Alice is staring at the screen of Diana's phone, looking slightly lost. Bob looks over her shoulder, engaged in whatever is on her phone. Diana looks uncomfortable and frightened. Her face leaves me to believe she's in a nervous sweat, along with the fact that she's holding Guad's hand. It makes me want to punch him in the face. That's how Janis feels about me, I think, the realization settling strangely in my stomach.

As Janis and I burst into the lit room, there's a thunderous screech behind us. The horrid sound of metal-on-metal rubbing against each other fills the air. I trip on a grate on the ground, and I take the fall on my shoulder. Rather than trying to get up, I lay there, my hands over my ears, and try to discover the source of the noise.

A large metal door is dropping from the opening of the tunnel we just came through, blocking the rush of water.

The noise stops with a thud of the door hitting the floor, and now the room is silent. I watch Alice run over to Janis, and help her up from her knees. Diana leaves Guad's side to come observe me.

"What happened to you?!" She yells, which hurts my head. "I've been worried sick for you and Janis! I thought that scream was her! And I got this stupid note-" She chokes on a sob, and I sit up in order to hug her. I love how she can turn my return into a rant for herself, but Diana is known for yelling irrationally when stressed or afraid.

Guad walks over to the two of us, looking down on us, as we still sit on the sticky floor. My sister stands up, and wipes her eyes. I don't feel like I helped comfort her, but she seems okay now, as okay as you can get right now.

Surprisingly, Guad helps me to my feet. I smile awkwardly at him as a thank you, and he nods in return. I look over at the twins, who have separated in order for Janis to say hello to Bob.

Alice approaches me, and smirks. "You look like you're about to pass out. Did your leisurely run not treat you well?"

I hadn't noticed I was still panting like crazy, and quite frankly, I hadn't noticed how much my lungs ache. Clearly my adrenaline was the only thing fueling me through my run. I almost fall over, but Alice helps prevent such by allowing my head to rest on her shoulder.
Footsteps approach the two of us, and I assume it's Janis or Diana. When I turn my head slightly, I notice a seventh member has joined our party.

It's a man. He has dark hair, and is dressed like a detective: fedora, trench coat, the works.

"You may claim to be lost," he starts, and I note that his voice doesn't match his appearance. It's scratchy and hoarse, needless to say, something I don't want to listen to. "But everyone is lost in this world, whether you know it now or..."

He stops talking as Diana slowly migrates behind Alice and me. I stand up straight now, having mostly recovered from my run, and move so I'm standing directly in front of my sister.

A wicked smile creeps onto the man's face before whispering something I almost don't catch. "Diana."

A sharp intake of breath comes from behind me, and I fight every urge inside of me to turn around and look at her.

"What's your problem?" Guad asks assertively. "What makes you think you can come here and...terrorize my friends?"

"We don't have to stand here and take this from you," I add. "Besides, it's six against one."

He walks over to me, and rests his hand on my shoulder. Before I know it, I'm shoved to the ground. My left arm feels crushed by the impact of my body as it hits the floor. I hear sharp intakes of breath from my comrades, and someone, Diana, screams.

"Your so-called 'friends' are only here for survival purposes," He sounds disgusted with the thought of people associating themselves with others.

"If it weren't for me, they-"

He kicks me in the gut. "You will NOT talk to me, you hear? If it weren't for you, Bob would be an old man waiting to die, Alice and Janis would certainly be dead, your ignorant sister wouldn't be in this mess, and Guad would be forced to fend for himself."

"How do you know who we are?" Asks Alice.

The man bends down to punch me in the eye; he must have seen me trying to sit up. Everything is fuzzy, and I have a headache spreading as fast as a wildfire. Nonetheless, he kicks me in the stomach for good measure.

"You children are not exactly low on our radar. Your recent acts dealing with my organization draw attention, but for some of you, we been watching you for much longer..." His voice fades out as he holds his fingers to his earpiece, listening to message from whoever sent him. "I suggest you children become less curious, for the path you are currently traveling on is a dangerous one." He kicks me again, as if for emphasis.

The man glares viciously at the twins before saying what comes next. "Continue on the path you're on, and you'll be forced to watch as your accomplices disappear one by one, and it will be you who is standing in the darkness."

His speech hurts my head, and I know I will forget most of it if I go unconscious. As I lay there like a helpless armadillo, I see the man lift his foot above my head, preparing to knock me out.

"No!" Bob yells, and knocks the man down. "Don't mess with my friends!"

Just when things are looking good, the man recovers his strength, pins Bob to the ground, and holds a gun to his head. The man gives off a serious vibe, as if he's killed someone before; I don't believe for a second that it's a bluff.

He presses his fingers yet again to his earpiece, and to my surprise, moves away from Bob. "I'm going to leave now," he says. "Remember what I said- or don't. I could care less."

He kicks me in the arm, and sprints down tunnel into darkness. After a minute of making sure he isn't to return, my friends help me get on my feet. I lean heavily on someone's shoulder, but to be honest, I'm not entirely sure who it is.

Diana reads off directions on how to get out of here, so I for the sake of my friends, I try to stay conscious and aware.

After what feels like hours of walking, we reach a ladder. As we began to leave this maze, I wonder if the outside world has changed as much as we have.