Stage One: Hope in Darkness

An Elevator Ride to Hell (Lara)

The ride was bumpy, and long. All that time we had spent chasing down Belle. All those miles spent running and hiding were being eaten up quickly by the vehicles. Every turn of the heel brought us closer to the Master, and farther from Belle. The farther we got from Belle the better I felt. You're not getting your hands on her this time.

Three guards were on me at all times, they made the mistake of only putting one on me. He still flinched every time he saw me. It brought me a sick sense of satisfaction. We had to stop and make camp that night. they had to feed me, you know so I would be healthy when the Master tortured me. They made sure to burn the food for me though, their guest of honor.

These guys were not rippers. No walker pets, and no cannibalism. They also lacked that spark of insanity that the rippers had. So the Master had regular people under his influence too. That was more frightening than anything. These people knew what he did and still they were going to bring me to him.

I felt smug about the fact that they had been so close to Belle and just missed her. That lasted until the next day. These guys took every short cut, they must have cleared some roads on their way to get us. No stopping to move cars and other things out of the road. They plowed through hordes of walkers. The trucks looked like they had been dipped in blood and viscera.

By day five I not even the pain from the restraints cutting into me could keep me awake. The rattle of the car had become a bassinet rocking me into a deep slumber. Time had no meaning anymore. Nightmares plagued every thought. The day I lost Belle, the camp getting attacked...Derek. Rose, Sam and Ryan. He forces me to torture them, if I don't then he will turn them. The nightmare ends with the faceless man, he opens a door and on the other side there she is. My precious Belle, foaming at the mouth. All that she was is gone, her melodic laugh replaced by a hollow growl. Her grace is nothing more than a stumbling of heavy feet. Her endless emerald eyes are clouded with death. A flash of teeth.

I wake to noise all around me. The rumble of the engine, the murmur of speech. I keep my eyes closed and try to focus on the words. Blocking out all else. I can make out some of the words but the big picture escapes me. Rippers...city...stop.

I risk cracking open an eye. The moon is high in the sky, but the truck is still moving. No bumps and minimal shaking. The ride was nice and smooth. We must be on a paved road now.

"She's awake," a voice comes from beside me directed at our driver. No point in pretending anymore. I open both eyes fully.

"Just in time, The rippers are going to have fun" the driver says with a wicked grin. I move to sit up. Not so easy to do when your hands are bound behind your back. It takes me several tries before I get up. The man next to me just watches it all with sick amusement. Asshole. Where are we? What rippers were they talking about?

A look around answers my questions. A city. I remembered this from before. The city with all the traps. Where I nearly died in the subway. Shadow's second home. We were making great time. Not great for me. No I wanted to slow down, take the scenic route. Maybe even stop along the way for some good old fashioned sight seeing. Stretch our legs and eat a snack.

The city looked a bit different than before. An improvised wall was being constructed. A large gate sat square in the middle of the road. Old sheet metal, torn and rusted in some places. I can hear the cheers as the gates open for our convoy. The rippers are happy at our arrival. That couldn't be a good thing.

"You ready to meet your adoring fans?" The one next to me chuckles. These guys may not have been rippers but they still knew what they were doing, and they enjoyed it. Enjoyed my pain. Then again if I knew I could call on the rippers for help then I'd be a smug bitch to. A thousand sarcastic replies danced on the tip of my tongue, Ryan's sage voice chases them away. 'Pull an Annabelle and don't say anything' so that's what I do. For the first time in my life I keep my mouth shut. The words taste foul going back down, swallowed with a little piece of my pride. Do not provoke them, you need to stay alive as long as you can. Belle will come for you.