Skeletons of the Past: Chapter 3 By the Glow of a Vial

Collection: the Halleaux
​Chronicled by Ghasty

“Would you mind explaining what's going on now?” Mech said turning to Lacea.
“Eoin and I went to visit the new person in the garage. I then left to set up a footlocker for her in the lower barrack. Eoin then left her alone. Petra walked into the garage, unaware of the new person. Petra then left her alone to talk to me. We found a bloodied misericorde in her duffel bag and went to ask her about it. She was gone when we arrived. Petra went to look for her and she sent me to look for Eoin. Does that provide enough explanation?” Lacea said. Mech nodded.

“Why were you looking for me?” Eoin asked.
“To figure out why you left Melody. Also to help us find her,” Lacea replied. Shortly after she said this the lights went off, bathing the room in inky darkness.
“This could make finding Melody and Petra difficult,” Eoin said.
“I have something that could help,” Mech said while handing Petra’s walkie-talkie to Lacea,“I’ll be right back.” Mech became invisible as he disappeared into the darkness. Mech wandered through the familiar halls which turned alien and hostile with the absence of light. He groped the walls to find where he was. He came to a stairwell and had a slight moment of panic as he almost fell down them. He sat down and slowly slid himself down the stairs. He slid down the stairs until he came to the floor which contained the lab. He continued to grope the wall until he entered the lab. The glow of chemicals and scientific equipment dimly lit the room. The dim light cast shadows along the walls. This light revealed many lab counters and even more pieces of scientific equipment. Mech walked across the room until he came to his lab counter. He began to look through the drawers for something, growing frustrated when he couldn’t find it.
“Where could I have put it?” he said wondering aloud. He wasn’t expecting a response.
“Are you looking for this?” an eerie, distorted voice said. Mech was startled by the voice and looked up to see a faint figure illuminated by a green vial it was holding. The light given off by the vial was brighter than the rest of the light in the room, but it was still faint.
“Xanthia, is that you?” Mech asked the figure while walking towards it.
“No. I am somebody far worse.” The figure answered.
“Who are you?”
“That is none of your concern. You should be more concerned about poor Petra.”
“How do you know about that?” Mech asked while advancing towards the figure.
“How do you think? If you care for your life and lives of those around you, you’ll stop looking for her. Also, I would suggest not getting closer,” the figure said. Mech ignored this warning and moved closer.
“You thi-” was all Mech could get out before the sound of a revolver being shot could be heard.
“I warned you,” the figure said as it left the lab. A woman had heard the shot and ran to see what was wrong. This woman had fair skin and long blonde hair. She wore a black top with a black skirt. A leather belt was wrapped slightly above her waist. Two pouches and a small flask were attached to the belt. She had a pair of black leather boots which went halfway up her lower legs. A necklace of the inner mechanisms of a pocketwatch with two amethysts embedded within was around her neck. The mechanisms were set upon a bed of silver vines. A pair of brass welding goggles covered her eyes. She had heterochromatic eyes. Her left eye was a bright emerald color while her right eye was icy blue. Attached to her back by a holster was a crossbow loaded with aeon darts. By the time she got there, the figure had already left. The woman picked Mech up and carried him through the darkness to the garage. She took a few spare rags she found nearby and used them to lessen the blood loss from the bullet which had entered his left chest and which now rested in his spleen.
“Petra…needs...help,” Mech murmured painfully to the woman. The woman grabbed Mech’s walkie-talkie and held it to her mouth and pressed down on the talk button.
“This is Xanthia. Mech’s been shot and is in critical condition. I’m taking him to the Authority City for medical attention. He mentioned something about Petra also being in trouble,” the woman’s voice said, crackling through the walkie-talkie.
“This is Lacea. I’ll meet you there for help,” Lacea voice crackled through Mech’s walkie-talkie.
“What’s going on!” a different voice crackled through.