Some time had past. Two days, actually.
There the trio, far off in a distance, walked,
fighting to drag one feet after the other.
They were not in Lenon again.
The place didn't have any sun at all.
Sand seemed to block the sky, as it blew all about.
The ground was uneven and sandy.
Every step they took got covered immediately.
The trio walked side by side, struggling at the same pace.
Bags hung under their eyes.
Especially Leo. He was in the middle, while Thomas and Autumn were at either ends.
His lips were cracked and dry.
Every step he took, a low pant could be heard.
Autumn squinted her eyes while using her hands to cover her nose.
She too were on the verge of collapse.
Then Thomas—his eyes were red, possibly irritated.
His mouth slightly open, breathing heavy.
There the trio walked until finally, Thomas bumped his toe and collapsed.
The two walked for a few before stopping and turning.
But Thomas still didn't get up.
"Thomas?" they both let out softly, voice hoarse.
They walked and picked him up.
"I-I can't do this anymore..." Thomas breathed.
"Don't say that, we'll get out of here," Autumn reassured.
"Just give me five minutes to... rest."
Thomas then tries lying back down.
But Leo raised him higher.
"Hell no.." he choked out.
"You can't die like this," he added.
"It's pointless," Thomas answered. "This place is endless."
While Leo struggled to keep Thomas awake,
for a brief second, the sand stopped blowing hard.
Autumn looked around and saw a shadow.
"Look," she said, pointing her shaky hands.
The sand slowed again, and the rest saw it.
"A building.. let's go," Leo said while supporting Thomas.
Upon reaching, it seems to be a tower—well, the top of it.
The base seemed to have been buried under sand.
There was a wooden closed window.
Leo closed and pushed, gritting his teeth.
And after a few creaks, it gave out.
The trio hopped inside and closed it.
It was very dark, so they didn't move around much.
The three sat down and leaned back on the circular wall.
It was cold, so they fell asleep, huddling together.
The Next Day
Leo woke up to Autumn shaking him.
He slowly sat up.
"We got to go," Autumn said.
"Fucking hot in here," Thomas said.
Leo felt way more free than the previous day.
But he still felt his muscles aching, a dry throat, and a rumbling stomach.
He then sits up and pulls the window open.
And in an instant, sand rushed inside,
sending him into the wall.
The sand rushed in deeper, but more slower now.
"Go before it fills!" Leo shouted.
And in an instant, the two climbed through.
Leo got up and followed.
When he came out, he realized the tower was mostly covered.
The sky was bright today, the sun scorched the sand.
Two vultures glided around the sun.
Immediately he got a little dizzy,
but it fades quickly.
"We really got to get out of here."
They start to walk again.
Before long, they started hearing a deep rumbling.
"Wait," Thomas said.
They all stopped to listen.
"Is that music?" Autumn asked.
There was a nice bass hitting their ears,
along with some shouts and screams.
Thomas then laughs and starts heading in that direction.
They followed behind.
But soon Thomas stopped.
When they caught up, they looked down.
And saw a city, it had an oasis. And neon lights.
Two huge speakers were playing music in the middle of the village.
The people below seemed to be having a party.
"Water... food," Thomas let out.
They then rushed down to the city.
Upon entering, there wasn't any guards or anything this time.
There was just a sign that said:
'Welcom to Turnbuck'
They didn't care tho, people were all about dancing.
There were vendors shouting out their foods and such.
The people looked mostly normal except their gray skin.
Some seemed to have some rigid bumps on their body.
Some bulky, some skinny, some short.
The trio didn't care at all, they had something else on mind.
"Five of those," Leo said, slamming his hands on a stall.
He pointed to the only food he could recognize... soup.
"That would be ten redtop coins," the slim tall vendor answered.
"C-coins?" Leo stuttered.
"Get lost kid," the man said.
Leo walked off, then suddenly he heard a scream.
He looked and saw two bulky dudes pulling Autumn in an alley.
Leo followed.
"Give us the coins," bulky bald head guy said.
"No I need it," Autumn pleaded.
The bulky guy with hair tightened his grip.
"Fine then," he said.
Before he could try anything, Leo stepped in.
"Hey!" he shouted.
The alarmed guys turned.
"Huh another beggar?" bulky guy with hair asked.
"What's with their skin," the bald one asked. "Must be some disease."
"Hey Gard, they could be contagious," he added.
Gard then presses Autumn against the wall and took a pouch from her.
He scornfully retreated.
But in an instant, Leo grabbed his arm with the pouch,
tightening his grip.
Gard winced in pain before shouting
"Hey let go!"
But Leo didn't.
Gard then left hooks Leo across the face
WHAM!
Leo's face lopsided.
He felt that.
"Oh shit.." said the arriving Thomas,
sipping on a purple liquid from a straw.
He even looked liked he showered
When Leo got the punch, blood streamed down his nose
.
And his face burned with anger.
WHAM
Leo right hooked the guy.
But he didn't tank it as much.
His face immediately got slammed through the wall near him.
The wall cracked all around.
As Gard slammed into the wall, the pouch slipped from his grip and hit the ground.
The bald man's eyes widened. He snatched it up.
"You'll pay for this," he shouted, already running.
....
Silence lingered except for the bass of the music and the people laughing all about.
Leo went for the pouch but it wasn't there.
The other guy stole it somehow.
"Fuck..." he said, frowning.
"I'm sorry Autumn."
"It's alright, I'll just have to find someone to beg again."
Among them, Thomas slurped the juice noisily.
"And where the hell were you?" Leo asked.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "This place is huge and weird."
Thomas then gives them the juice to share.
"Let's go before something bad happens like usual," Thomas said.
As they were walking out the alley,
Leo saw the same vendor that chased him away waving at him.
Leo pointed him out and they all walked over.
"What do you want?" Leo asked.
"Here," the man said, sharing 3 bowls.
Leo looked at it reluctantly before sitting.
"I saw what happened.." the man said.
Leo then nods.
"Those two are apart of something bigger.
They have been escaping bounty hunters for awhile now."
"Oh really? Don't seem so tough to me," Leo said.
He puts the bowl at his head and finishes it in a few gulps.
The vendor then pass him another bowl.
"Who are you really?" Autumn asked.
"Call me Nero... I'm a bounty hunter," the man answered.
"You're a vendor and a bounty hunter?" Thomas asked.
The man then frowns at him.
"You're missing the point," he sighed.
"Why tell us this?" Autumn asked.
"Because you're gonna help me," Nero said, pointing at Leo.
"Oh yeah? What if I decline?" Leo asked,
slamming his hands on the counter while getting closer.
The man smirks and got closer too.
He then slowly put his hand to his face and started peeling off his fake skin.
...
When the man finally revealed his true face,
The trio's faces froze in shock, especially Leo.
It was Alwich, smiling his twisted smile.
...
"You know I'm sad you declined," Alwich said, grinning.
"You prevented me the fun of us cooperating and then me pulling a twist, but this works too."
Leo snapped out of his shock.
He jumped back a great distance.
Autumn and Thomas did the same.
Alwich then walks out of his stall calmly.
"Is that how you greet a friend?" Alwich asked.
He stared at them, smirking.
...
Time seems to slow as they all focused on Alwich.
Everything seemed to have blurred, the music, the people dancing, food, the lights.
Then suddenly the notification board popped up again.
ALL PARTY MEMBERS FOUND 4 OF 4
Then it flickered.
ALL PARTY MEMBERS FOUND 3 OF 3
Before fading.
Thomas now recognized this from earlier.
"Kaito.." he half growled.
He then starts looking around anxiously.
The people walked by with trays, some were dancing, some seemed to be smoking.
But Kaito was not in sight.
He looked all around.
For a brief second, a woman raised her tray of drinks, and behind it he saw him.
The Asian kid staring him down with no signs of emotions.
End