Once everyone was through, they started to make introductions. Ricardo understood the reasoning for introductions, but he was perplexed by everyone's ability to chat so leisurely, or write so leisurely in the case of the boy named Andy. Pushing this thought aside, he waited for everyone to say their name before saying his own, "And I'm Ricardo." He tried to smile as he introduced himself, but his smile seemed to be broken, and his words came out very quietly.

Indifferently, he decided to turn his attention to the door ahead. It was obviously the way out of this nightmare, but 'would it lead to anything better?', he wondered. Taking a deep sigh, he walked straight to the door and opened it. He took one step through but kept his hand out to hold the door open.

Looking back at the others, only one thought came to his mind, and it immediately escaped his lips, "Here we go." Again, his voice was soft, soft and emotionless. As soon as the first person would reach the door, he planned on letting go and moving forward. He wasn't going to be a doorman and let everyone else go before him. He didn't think that classic chivalry would apply, considering what might lie ahead.

Before Abby could regain her bearings, Cam threw herself onto her in a tight hug. Abby allowed herself a small smile in return, though the memory of the pain lingered, almost as brutal as the sensation itself. She wrapped her arms around the little girl. Somehow, she felt like a little sister, though they hadn't known each other for very long.

"I'm glad you made it through," she said quietly. "I almost didn't." She bit her lip, immediately regretting the comment. Despite everything she had seen in that room, talking about her weaknesses still made her nervous.

Once she felt steady enough, Abby stood, glancing nervously at her companions. The blond boy held up a note, which she read quickly. "Hello, Andy," she said, not bothering to introduce herself since Cam had loudly proclaimed her name when she arrived on this side of the fire pit. His case was an interesting one... apparently, this bizarre place removed even ailments and injuries that were present prior to arrival.

As the man who introduced himself Ricardo approached the door, Abby took a little step back and chewed on her lip. It had been only a few minutes since they had crossed that awful pit, and already, he wanted to advance to the next trial. Abby glanced fearfully from back and forth between the other two men. Courage was not one of her virtues. Better someone else go first, so they could help her through. Her cheeks burned at the thought. Even now, she was weak...

Camilla looked at Grey strangely when he said Andy's name. "Andy?" she whispered to herself. She thought maybe Grey had said it wrong but then the topic changed once more. The idea that Andy might be deaf wasn't to surprising. He'd written things before, thought at the time she'd just thought he was shy. "oh! ohhhh! Andeeee!" The little girl smiled over to the tall boy, "haha my apologies Andy."

Ricardo introduced himself next, right before heading toward the door. He seemed in a bit of a rush to Camilla but she couldn't blame him. Everyone, she thought, wanted to get home. "Oh, Abby you made it that's all that matters, that's what friends are for, besides it can't get much worse!"

She was off before she finished her sentence, skipping up to Ricardo and the vast unknown. She stopped in front of him for a moment, eyes staring up. He didn't seem so much in a rush to be home as he did just plain sad. "hey, uhm, Ricardo." She said, concerned. Her facade broke almost immediately into more giggles. "tag!" She cheered, tapping his elbow, before darting off into the darkness, the sound of running and laughter echoed behind her. The tunnel ran on for what seemed like ages, twisting and turning but never coming to an end or splitting apart. Finally the tunnel opened up.

The city below was bright, like the stars had fallen from the sky above and settled there, underground. The colors shifted from one neon light to the next, Camilla could do nothing but stare. She'd never known there could be colors so full and vibrant. Everything looked unreal, but there it was, just down a staggering slope. From far away everything looked so cheerful, and alive.

Grey was ready to move onto the next area too. Staying in this place with the terrors that he just went through right behind him was a little unsettling. It appeared they had all met each other now and Ricardo was eager to go as well. Grey followed Ricardo and Cam into the dark tunnel. It winded downhill for quite some time, but it finally ended at a steep embankment that over looked the largest city Grey had ever seen. The fact that it glew like a technicolor moon was beneath them was absolutely stunning. The amount of lights down there was unfathomable. "So has anyone seen anything like this before? I know I haven't. How are we getting down there too? Carefully?"

The little girl name Camilla tagged his arm and ran off into the darkness.

'Shit!' Ricardo thought to himself. "What's she thinking?" This second thought escaped his lips rather loudly as he began to chase after her. Slowly, he began closing in on her footsteps. His longer legs and love for soccer made this an easy task. Light started shining from the end of the tunnel, and at the tunnels edge stood Camilla. He slowed his pace gradually until he stood by her side.

At first he wanted to scold her for running off so carelessly, but the sight below was too overwhelming. How could an entire city like this exist underground? It was beautiful but eerie at the same time. The lights and music were jolly, but there seemed to be lava flowing around between the buildings. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was terribly wrong.

Ricardo didn't even notice Grey's presence until he spoke up, talking about the city below.

"No, I've never seen anything like this." Looking down at the steep slope below, Ricardo could only agree, "Yeah, very carefully." With this he sat down at the edge of the tunnel. His feet found a couple rocks. As he started shifting his wieght onto the rocks, he looked back into the tunnel. He wondered if he should wait on the other two... Andy and Abby.

Ricardo should have been concentrating more. The rocks beneath his feet gave way. He found himself sliding down the hill on his back. It would almost have been an exciting experience if the occasional jagged rock didn't rip up his back side. Compared to the hall of fire though, it wasn't that bad.

Now at the bottom, Ricardo sat as still as he could till the pain went away, which was surprisingly fast. Standing up, he looked up the side of the slope and yelled out, "Yeah, very VERY carefully!" On the bright side, he knocked most of the rocks loose on the way down. If anyone slid down the same way he did, it probably wouldn't be as bad.

Andy paled and clasped his hands over his newly useful ears as the man named Grey spun his tale. A man getting his ears cut off?! Now he had something else to fear! He didn't want to lose this new ability of hearing so soon. He would have to be more careful now. Just like with the blind-deaf room, he couldn't be sure that every injury that happened to him would be magically healed.

Both Grey and Camilla seemed to be under the impression that he was still deaf, but Andy didn't have the chance to correct the young girl. Well, they could figure it out soon enough, assuming they stuck together. He wasn't looking forwards to being on his own again, not in this strange world. However, before he could write down anything further, Camilla dashed off into the darkness, closely followed by Ricardo and Grey.

He eyed the tunnel warily, not eager to return to such darkness. He supposed it would be better now that he could hear, but... Just the sight of that pitch black abyss, that great unknown void, it filled him with a primal terror, deep in the unevolved and reptilian part of his brain. He swallowed, taking a deep breath. He could do this. He would be brave. It was just another test. He took one shaky step towards the door, when he remembered the presence of the last person in the room.

He turned back to her, still sitting on the ground. Her face was flushed with color, and he wondered if she was nervous as well. The hallway and the uncertainties that lay ahead of him... He would be lying if the very thought of what lay down that hall didn't terrify him as well. But... Maybe it would be less frightening for them both together?

With that thought in mind, he knelt down in front of her, scribbling down on his pad of paper.
"You know, I'm scared of the dark. Pretty silly, I know, but... Well, I'm not used to not being able to rely on my eyes. I know it's pretty cowardly to ask this, but-" He tore out the sheet of paper, crumpling it and tossing it on the ground. Too many mistakes, he had to start afresh.
"We can walk together, if you'd like? I'm pretty damn scared out of my mind about that hallway. I'm not a fan of dark places."

Satisfied with what he had written, he turned the pad around, offering her an abashed smile. He had never told anyone about his fear of the dark, not even Simon. After everything that had happened in that god-awful torture room, his fear had probably gotten worse. Having someone by him might help him get his spinelessness back in order, and maybe he could help her out as well.

Before Abby could fully collect herself, Cam had dashed off into the dark hallway. "Wait!" she cried as soon as she noticed, but she had been too preoccupied with her shame to respond in time; by the time she spoke, the girl had already disappeared. Foolish child! There was no way Abby had ever been so reckless!

Abby moved to give chase, but her arms and legs proceeded sluggishly, as if her body believed they were still injured. Fortunately, two of the men were quick to follow the little girl; they would do a better job of protecting her than Abby ever could. Nonetheless, she stretched out her limbs tentatively, and eventually managed to shift into a kneeling position. That was when the blond man - Andy - approached her.

Abby watched quietly as he wrote something on his notepad, then tore the paper free and threw it on the ground. Suddenly, her cheeks were burning, and she had an overwhelming urge to look at what he had written; her heart fluttered as foolish, unlikely possibilities assailed her. She bit her lip, hard, pulling herself back to the situation. Of course had hadn't written anything like that. Besides, it would be incredibly rude for her to look at something he didn't want her to see.

She nearly snorted with relief when he revealed a new message to her. Andy and his muscles were scared of the dark? Abby smiled, doing her best to keep the amusement out of her expression. "I'm scared, too," she admitted, standing up and nearly wobbling right into him. "Just not of that," she continued once her balanced had been secured. "I'm more worried about what's on the other side of the tunnel." She took a few steps into the darkness, her heart racing. "Admitting it sucks, but I'm kind of a coward," she said, glancing back at Andy. Damn her - why had she never gotten more experience with boys before? "I'd be glad to have some company. Come on!"

Camilla peered over the edge as Ricardo and Grey appeared from the end of the tunnel. She stared at them both as they walked over but neither of them seemed to be playing along in her game of tag. Maybe they didn't have tag in the future and they didn't understand it, she thought hopefully. It was a nicer idea than them thinking she was being rude or ignorant. Sure get through trials had been a pretty serious thing but everyone needed to have some fun every once in a while.

"Hey!" She exclaimed as Ricardo started climbing, wanting to warn him about the possible dangers of splitting up. But the rocks gave way beneath him before she could finish and sent him rolling to the bottom, shards of rocks tumbling after him. "um," well he shouted back so he was okay. "We'll be right down Ricardo, don't go anywhere!"

Of course saying they'd be down soon, and actually getting down were two completely different things. "Very carefully..." she whispered, mirroring what the other two had said as she started creeping down the hill. One foot after the other she made her way down the slope. Camilla lost her balance a few times, rocks scattering as she fell forward into the rocks. But each time she would slide only a few feet, and by the time she got back to her feet the scrapes and cuts would be gone.

After a few minutes she had made it down to the bottom of the slope in relative safety. A great smile across her face as she looked on towards the city. It looked like a nice place to rest after the torments they'd gone through to get there, even if it didn't turn out to be perfect, it couldn't be much worse than going through hot coals and barbed wire.

Well, Abby hadn't laughed at him at least. Though her eyes did seem to gain some kind of amused sparkle to them, but he didn't mind that in the slightest. He stood up along with her, watching her wobble before regaining her balance. He nodded in somber agreement to her fears of what lay beyond the tunnel. It was terrifying to think about, but... He needed answers. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, questions that neither Adam, nor the red girl and her trials had answered. He wouldn't give up until he had them.

Stepping into the darkness with her, Andy felt his arm brush against Abby's, reassuring him that she was there. Holding her hand might be a little too forward of him, not to mention the only woman's hand he had ever held had been his mother's. So he settled to walking by her side, the rustle of her clothing and her bare footsteps the only thing to guide him in the darkness.

He noticed something unusual in the sounds and paused, wondering if his hearing was going funny? It was like he was hearing the same sounds twice, just with a short delay. They were amplified in the tunnel, and sounded like they came from a far off direction. Curious, Andy opened his mouth for a short sound.
"Haaa?" he questioned the cave, startled as the very sound he made bounced off the walls and repeated. What was that?! That was definitely not a problem with his ears, it was with the cave? He tested the noise again and again, more and more marveled by this bouncing sensation. It was amazing! Was this one of the powers hearing people had?! No, he knew what this was, this was how bats saw in the dark! This had to be an echo!

"Woooooo!" Andy let out a whoop of joy, laughing as he caught up with Abby, falling in pace with her again. An echo! He had heard an echo! An amazing, wonderful echo! And now he could see amber light up ahead flooding the tunnel. That hadn't been so bad, not bad at all! The dark wasn't nearly so terrifying when you could hear, or when you had someone beside you. Unable to wipe his ecstatic grin off his face as he glanced at Abby, he nodded to her as he stepped out into the light.

And almost off the cliff.

With one foot coming down on nothing but air, Andy blinked with surprise, barely managing to lurch backwards enough to fall on his butt, and not tumble into the abyss. Adrenaline spiking, Andy glanced over the cliff, ignoring how his stomach flipped in fear. Ricardo and Camilla were already down at the bottom. And beyond them lay a bright, sprawling subterranean city, pulsing with life. And, there was something else as well. Another sound in the air. It was faint from where they were, but it sounded... Rhythmic, like the repeated thudding of boots in snow. It was an eerie phenomenon that sent shivers running down his spine. He tried to swallow, but his mouth had run dry. From his near fall or the sound running through his head, he didn't know. But he was getting a strange feeling from this city, one that filled him with dread. Something was wrong here.

Ricardo watched as Camilla made her way carefully down the steep slope. He couldn't help but admire the young girls courage, even if it could have just stemmed from youthful ignorance. As she arrived safely by his side, Ricardo could see another figure suddenly appear, almost flying off the side of the cliff... Andy.

"You all right!?" Ricardo called out. Grey seemed to be lost in thought, standing at the edge of the cliff. Was he freezing up? Having second thoughts? Or just having a moment? It was hard to tell. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he continued. "Come on down Andy! We'll wait for you if you want! Where is Abby? She with you!?"

Abby let out a little yelp as Andy nearly went running off a cliff.

"You're insane!" she said, dodging out of the way as he fell backward. He didn't seem hurt; he didn't even seem scared. Abby sighed and made a noise somewhere between anger and concern. Only belatedly did she remember that, even if Andy had taken a leap, he would have been all right eventually. She inched closer to the edge, wary. The fall seemed fairly steep, though it was climbable, as Cam was proving. Making the slow descent seemed grueling; perhaps Andy had been on to something, and jumping really was the way to go. If Abby hadn't been such a coward, she might have tried it.

She glanced upward, upon the city brimming with light. It was as beautiful at night as it seemed strange under daylight. Tearing her eyes away from the spectacle, Abby turned her attention back to her companions and realized Ricardo had just asked about her.

"I'm here," she said, hanging her legs over a ledge to begin her dainty descent. Climbing, she imagined, was difficult enough even with the proper gear; she was doing it barefoot and in a skirt. She'd been through enough pain for one day, so she would do it slowly. Anyone who found that funny would find themselves on the wrong her of whatever weapons she could get her hands on; here, she could show them her wrath without lasting consequences.

"So, where do we go from here?" she said, pressing her feet against the cold stone and shifting her weight to the surface below. "Did any of you see any hologram-person-thingy who told you what to do next?"

The blaring sound of foreign music echoed along the cave walls. From way up high on the cave wall the noise hadn't seemed so loud, but now that Camilla was closer it seemed obvious that the bright city was having some sort of festival. People filled the streets, cheering and dancing. Some crowded around groups, watching a performance. What the little girl noticed most of all though was the heat. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

"hmm" She looked around. Everyone seemed to be taking their time getting down the hill, and the festival looked like a lot of fun. Ricardo was busy trying to get everyone else down the hill, maybe she'd just go check out the festival. While everyone else was preoccupied Camilla wandered off toward the city.

The closer she got the less it looked like fun and the more it seemed frightening. Up close it was obvious that everyone here was dressed in a certain fashion,and Camilla stuck right out; not because of the rips and burns on her dress but because she bothered to wear it at all. To her it seemed that nobody here had any concept of modesty. Nothing the vendors offered her as clothing seemed appealing. Before she found anything that would work as clothing though she realized that she was entirely lost, far from where the streets were crowded, and in a place that seemed rather hostile.

@Airalin
Ricardo watched as Abby worked her way slowly down the slope, preparing to catch her if she were to slip. When her feet safely touched the ground, Ricardo let out a sigh of relief.

@Invader Len@rechonq
Ricardo then turned his attention to the only two people left at the top of the slope, Grey and Andy. "You coming guys?" Ricardo wanted to keep the party together. Despite his lonely nature, he felt a bond with them. They had all went through hell together, even the little girl.

@Classpet
On that thought, Ricardo turned to the spot where Camilla was just standing. Looking around, he had saw no sign of her. She must have wandered into the city when he wasn't looking, he thought. She was brave, but still quite young. The thought of her being alone in an unknown world was upsetting, and for some reason, he couldn't help but feel a little bit responsible. He yelled up to the guys once more, "Hey, I'm going on ahead! We can't let the little one get hurt!" Ricardo then addressed Abby, "If you want to wait for the other guys, I don't blame you. But your welcome to come along." He tried to smile, but those facial muscles seemed to still be broken.

Ricardo took off in a light jog, trying to mindful of his surroundings. Soon he was surrounded by clay buildings and people, people dressed as if they had no care in the world. They danced to disembodied music, moving their body parts around with unbridled freedom. It was all quite distracting to be honest, but he had to stay focused. He passed multiple street brawls as he pushed forward; he really hoped that he wouldn't find Camille a victim of their senseless violence.

@Classpet@Airalin@Invader Len@rechonq
"Where could she be?" he wondered, as he came to a stop on top of a bridge somewhere near the edge of the town. Lava flowed beneath him, but he didn't care. Nothing would surprise him at this point. He then began to turn around, realizing that he may have long since left everyone else behind. He hoped that was not the case. Maybe someone had managed to keep up, or maybe he was as lost as Camille surely was.

After regaining his senses, Andy looked up at Abby, wincing at her words. Great, not only had he almost fallen off the cliff, he'd made a fool of himself in front of everyone. Now he wished he'd gone tumbling off, maybe the rubble could have hidden his embarrassment. Red from ear to ear, Andy shamefacedly made his way down the cliffside to join the others, swallowing his vertigo and stopping every so often to regain his balance, and let broken fingernails regenerate. Apparently whatever healing magic had returned him his mouth and ears had also removed the callouses he had built up on his hands. He felt so soft and sensitive, like some city slicker who hadn't worked a day in his life. And it wasn't like he could build them up again here. Scars apparently weren't something that happened in this world.

He finally reached the bottom of the slope, following Abby, and brushed the dust off his jeans and hands. He hardly had a chance to say, or rather, write anything, before Ricardo took off, looking for Camille. Camille! That was right! She had been ahead of them in the cave, had she run off?! Oh christ, yet another thing he had messed up on. How was he so immensely stupid? He had completely forgotten about her!

Rubbing his head, he took a deep breath, resolving to not make a fool out of himself any more. No more letting his mind wander like a carefree lamb, he had to be sharp, on his toes here. And from the look of the city before him... Very, very careful. He gave Abby a sideways glance, silently apologizing for before, then took off after Ricardo.

Like the young man before him, Andy also ran into a street brawl or two, men and women viciously slugging it out in the street, kicking and punching and biting with hands and feet and fists. Unlike Ricardo, however, he wasn't quite as lucky to avoid the violence. In fact, he was stopped dead in his tracks as he was clotheslined by a very beefy, mostly naked bear of a man, feeling his nose break with a very audible crack!

He was knocked to the ground, blinded by the shock and sudden pain. He knew he was bleeding, he could taste the nauseating flavor of blood rush into his mouth even as his nose mended itself. He rolled to the side to avoid getting stomped on, only to find himself being kicked hard in the gut, flying backwards into a wall. He clutched his stomach, trying not to throw up with the sudden throbbing in his gut, though he didn't know what could even come up, seeing as he hadn't eaten anything. Maybe an organ?

He stood up shakily, avoiding another crashing body and darting down an alley, away from the orgy of violence, stumbling into a fenced off garden. And apparently into an actual orgy. Letting out a high pitched squeak, he ran out again, this time not stopping until the road ran out, coming to the banks of a peaceful river. Made out of scorching lava. The burning glow was too much for him to get close to it, but this area seemed calmer, with people just dancing instead. He struggled to catch his breath, shellshocked both from the street brawl and his unwilling part in it, to getting his virgin heart shocked half out of his body.

He wiped the blood off of his face the best he could with his sleeve, looking disgusted by his sorry shirt, and himself. He needed new clothes. And a shower, preferably. Getting barbecued and cut to ribbons did not a church-going attire make. Though he doubted there were very many churches in this strange world. But first, he had to find Camilla! ... Or anyone. It struck him now that in his blind panic, he had gotten himself completely, utterly, uselessly lost. So much for not making a fool of himself again.

Abby's heart sank as she exchanged a glance with Andy and realized she was about to be dragged into another mess.

Grinding her teeth, she followed the two men at a pathetic jog as they raced forward in search of Cam. God, she was not fit to be taking care of herself, much less a little girl from another world! As she struggled to keep up, a sharp pain stabbed at her sole, and suddenly, she was hopping along one foot, cursing beneath her breath. She was bleeding - not that it mattered. There would be no infections here, no pulling the wound wider. So she hobbled forward, leaving blood in her first few footsteps as she approached a loud gathering. Once she arrived at the outskirts, she realized that calling the group a 'gathering' was like comparing a marathon to a stroll. The disturbance she was staring at was like the intersection between a sacred ritual, a high school party, and a football match. And everyone was naked. Lovely.

Abby hopped back and forth, one foot after the other, craning her neck to find any of her companions. Eventually, she spotted Andy wading through a maelstrom of combatants and faring poorly. Instantly, she decided she would not be following him.

Instead, she crept through the quieter portion of the village, or whatever this odd place was. Her path took her around fences, over the mingled limbs of lovers, and within sight of a river of lava. Almost everyone was in the midst of doing something that would make a fraternity boy blush. Abby had the same reaction. Clearly, this was not the place to look for new clothing.

"Cam?" she called, raising her voice, but not shouting loudly enough to draw the ire of the fighters. She was guessing that the moaning around her was the nearest thing to 'quiet' to be found in this place. Vaguely, she wondered how much the little girl knew of intimacy before her arrival in this world. As far as she could tell, the mental scars would not heal.

Small footsteps drew Abby from her thoughts. They were light and quick, like a child's. "Cam?" she repeated, this time more loudly. But there was no response. Puzzled, Abby ventured forward, eyes wide.

Not wide enough to see the creature who emerged from the darkness hit her.

She gasped, and she was lying on her side. "Gotcha!" cried what sounded like a young boy as he scampered away.

"This isn't funny!" yelled Abby, and instantly wished she hadn't. How many more vicious little children were hiding nearby, waiting to troll her? She was in no mood to wait and find out. So, suddenly, she dashed through an alley, just barely avoiding something fast that collided with the wall in front of her.

"This place is hell," she cursed, fleeing.

Camilla peered around, she wasn't alone in the street but the people here looked a lot scarier than those in the more festive part. Someone sat behind a empty vendor while another two guys roughed up a third who seemed to be mumbling his peace before the others killed him. 'He must've broken a law' Camilla reasoned. It seemed like even if everything was free there was still other things to be careful about. Turning quietly back the way she came, she hoped that they would not bother her.

But the man getting beat up turned and caught her eye. “Cam??” He shouted, dumbfounded. She froze just long enough to catch his confused look before one a balled fist connected with his jaw. She didn't know anyone except for Abby who called her Cam, definitely no strange men who would break laws. So she ran, before anymore trouble could come upon her.

“Wait! It's me!” He yelled after her She turned the corner before he could say any more, and his pleads were drowned out by the music and street sounds. This street resembled the one closer the the front of town, festive in all ways. Everything seemed to tower above her and be too bright, to her it was terrifying and amazing at the same time. It all caught her attention, and she couldn’t help but stare at every new thing as she walked.

Caught off guard she walked right into a pack of kids headed the other way. They barged right through her as though she weren’t there, pushing her down before plowing on without a care in the world.

The longer he spent by the riverside, the more uneasy he felt. There was something disconcerting about being this close to actual, real lava. A poor orphan farm boy who had never left the Texarkana region in his life, now sitting on a cobblestone road and watching lava slowly flow by. It certainly didn't look anything like in his dinosaur books as a child. No slow, stupid lizards slugged by in a mesozoic landscape, to lazy to escape their certain doom at the hands of the volcano. But the lava itself wasn't exactly fast either.

It didn't move like water. It's flow was slow and thick, like molasses out of the fridge. Slower and thicker than honey, it barely inched along in the time he sat there, watching it. Another thing he noticed was that it wasn't entirely uniform. Cool patches would form along the surface, almost solidifying, before sinking into the depths and presumably melting again. Bubbles would rise up from places unknown, growing as large as beach balls before popping, spraying molten flecks everywhere. The road closer to the canal was covered in such unusual blobs and pebbles, having long since cooled into rock. There were none near the wall where Andy sat, so he assumed he was safely out of the splash zone.

He heard far off chattering, looking up to see a group of teenagers coming down the canal. Probably not much older than Camilla. Camilla... He wasn't doing much good sitting around here and moping. He had to strengthen his heart and go inside the city once again. He had to find the others. Despite how little he had known them, they were the only familiar thing to him in this unfamiliar world. And he was scared of facing whatever trials lay ahead alone.

Standing up, Andy decided that if the river ran through the center of the city, there was a good chance he could find one or more of the others if he stayed close. If he could just make a map, then he would have some way of orienting where he was. Pulling out his pad of paper and pencil, he started quickly sketching the area of the canal where he was, marking his location with a star. He then slowly started making his way up the canal, looking up every so often to continue his map making.

He was so engrossed in this activity, that he didn't notice he was being followed. He still wasn't used to hearing things, the sounds of the lava and footsteps and the strange shrieks of instruments and people in the distance all blending together. He tuned them out, and so didn't notice he was surrounded until one of the teenagers showed up in his peripheral vision. He stopped, looking up in confusion. That was a mistake. He was quickly surrounded by them, giggling and leering.
"Looks like we've got a newbie!" one of them sneered, a tall boy with strange tattoos on his face.
"Whatcha got there, mister? Something you drawing?" he asked. Cautiously, Andy turned the notebook around and showed him the map he had made, which was quickly snatched out of his hand.
"Wow, you draw real nice, don'tcha, mister? You musta spent some time on 'is. I better make sure not to drop it." The boy said with fake innocence, before casually tossing the notebook, his only means of communication, into the lava.

Andy was silent, of course. He knew these kind of kids. There were lots at the orphanage, and there were lots in bars in adult bodies. He might be bigger and stronger than them, but he didn't want to hurt them. They just wanted to push him around to make him push back, it was a game that little punks everywhere had played through history. If he didn't give them a reaction, they would grow tired of him and leave. And being mute also helped keeping his tongue in check.

"What's the matter, mister? You too scared to talk? Cat got your tongue?" the boy taunted, jabbing fingers into his chest and making him take a step back. Andy remained quiet, keeping his hands at his sides. It would all be over soon. They'd throw a few punches, maybe kick him a little bit, but after the coals and barbed wire, he could handle that. He wouldn't let these kids get to him.

The leader of the teens exchanged glances with the two at his side. Andy knew there was movement behind him, guessing that they were probably gonna get him from behind, force him down or something. He was wrong. The attack came from the front. Accompanied by his two cronies, the lead boy suddenly shoved Andy backwards, and the heat grew stronger. In the brief moments before impact, Andy realized he had been tricked. The kids behind him had moved out of the way. They weren't going to beat him up. Their plan had always been something much, much worse.

He hit the searing surface and went under.

Ricardo stood in disappointment. He had completely lost track of little Camille, and had gotten himself utterly lost as well. Maybe heading back toward the city center would be the best option, he wondered. As he took his first step, something caught his eye. Many blocks down the stream of lava he could see what looked like the boy known as Andy. Surrounding him were a bunch of children. They didn't look all that friendly either.

Ricardo gasped aloud as the children pushed Andy backwards into the lava flow. Andy sank as the children exchanged high fives and walked off. Without a second thought, Ricardo rushed down the bridge to the side that Andy had fell from. He ran with at top speed keeping an eye out for body parts belonging to Andy that would occasionally bubble to the surface.

The quick sprint felt like an eternity as Ricardo could only imagine the pain that Andy was going though. When he caught up to Andy, the only thing that was sticking out was a single hand. The hand twitched with liveliness. Unfortunately, it was too far out to get a hold of from the shore. If Andy was still alive, even while mostly submerged in the lave, Ricardo had no excuse. With his left hand he grabbed onto the edge of the shore. Then without thinking, he practically jumped into the lava. Unlike water, he didn't submerge quickly. Inch by inch, he descended as if it were molten quick sand.

From this position, Ricardo was able to reach the hand just as it almost sunk out of sight once again. Dipping his own hand in he grabbed something solid, Andy's wrist he imagined. Nearly knee deep in lava, Ricardo began to pull, inch by inch he sunk further as inch by inch Andy's arm and eventually shoulder came into view.

The pain was excruciating as tears flowed down Ricardo's cheeks, but despite the pain, Ricardo did not make a sound; he was determined to get them both out safely. But why was he going through so much to save this boy that he just met? The question lingered in the back of his mind. It all happened so fast, he didn't have time to think. Pushing that thought aside, he focused on the task at hand. The two of them would make it out of this!

@Classpet

Abby pressed her back against the wall of some ramshackle structure and struggled not to breathe despite being out of breath. For a long moment, there was no sign of her pursuers. Only after that moment extended to a full minute did she relax, gasping for air. It seemed a few sharp turns in quick succession had done the trick. They were gone.

"Note to self: Never have children," she muttered under her breath, peering out around the corner. She pulled her head back into the alley so quickly that the impact of the wall gave her a headache. Those little shits were still following her!

The chattered animatedly among themselves, traveling in a pack of six. Their slow, casual struts make it abundantly clear that tracking her down wasn't particularly urgent to them. Several of them had turned their attention to passersby, and one girl was kicking a log along, which regularly caused her patchwork skirts to flare outward. Abby bit her lip. They would be gone soon, she told herself. All she had to do was wait.

Once they'd passed, Abby ventured another peek at the ground, and her heart jumped into her throat. The children had picked up their pace - and when they disappeared around the corner, only one was left. Except she wasn't one of them. Abby would recognize that brave little girl anywhere.

Cam.

"Cam!" she hissed, loudly as she dared, hoping her companion would hear her. She frantically gestured into the alley with one hand. "Where have you been!?"

It wasn't like water. In fact, hitting the searing surface was almost like hitting asphalt. But it was soft enough that he began to sink very rapidly. He was too shocked by the pain to scream, to shocked to think. There were no words that could describe the pain, the skin and tissue on his hands bubbling with the heat, his clothes quickly catching on fire. His tormented writhing only accelerated his sink into the molten rock, and then his head went under.

Whether he had taken a breath or not wouldn't have mattered, his face was gone in seconds. Then it was back. Then it was gone. He lost track of time, lost track of pain, of reality, as his brain died and resuscitated, broke down and was recreated, over and over again. It was alive, then It was dead, then It was alive AND dead at the same time. Flickering in and out of consciousness, the Thing tried to make sense of it's existence. What were memories? What was sense? There was no sense that the Thing could understand. It tried to hear, but there was no noise. Strange. It should have had the capacity to hear. It tried to see, but there was no sight. Something was missing at the other end. In between Its own death and recreation, the Thing was panicking. Nothing was responding, and if nothing was responding, that meant It had to be dead. Yet the Thing was not dead, or at least, not aware of It's own death. Was It dead? It couldn't tell.

And then, something came through. A burst of stimulus from some far off corner! What was this sense again? Touch! It was faint and flickering, but the sensation was there! The Thing was alive! It remembered something It had forgotten in the burning, there were instincts It could activate! If It had stimulus response from one far away limb, then there was a chance It could get a response from the others!

Little by little, the Thing fired off commands like It never had before, if It could remember having done such a thing. And to It's... (Glee? Relief?) Well, to It's advantage, faint responses were coming back in. As the temperature cooled around It's protective shell, It began to rediscover It's sense of self. It was not one Thing, but part of a larger Thing. It had a skeletal system, muscles, and skin, all of which were under attack by an unknown intruder. And the source of the stimulus in It's limb (Arm) was another Thing. Ah, so Things must be social Things. And the other Thing was helping It. Pulling It in a direction that was cooler, away from the intruder.

With a greater control of It's senses, the Thing redirected impulses to follow the other Thing, moving through the intruder. It kicked out with It's lower sensors (Legs) and gradually touched something solid, something that was not the intruder or the other Thing.

(It's a wall, climb it.)

Climb? What was climb? Before the Thing could understand what a Climb was, the instincts It had already set to run were moving the Thing forward, clambering over the wall and out of the intruder. Slowly, the Thing began to reconnect with lost arms and legs, sensors in the bone, in the muscle, on the skin. There was a sensation that It couldn't comprehend, one that felt like the intruder was still there. One that made the Thing feel very ... (Sleepy.) And so the Thing went to sleep.

And Andy woke up.