Behind Bars - Again
Bailey groaned and sat up. Keeping her eyes closed she rubbed at her aching skull gently. When she opened her eyes and looked around she let out another groan.
“Not
again.” She was in a cube shaped cell, but unlike Sekto’s dungeons, they were more cages that cells, with only a back wall and a low level wall running along both sides. But the rest was comprised of bars.
Bailey looked down the row of cells and found herself completely alone. She put her head and her hands and shook it.
“This is not happening to me.” She muttered. “Someone up there hates my guts…” She peeped between her fingers and looked around again. The cells were a lot cleaner and more pleasant then Sekto’s dungeons. And it was lighter as well, a torch flickered at regular intervals along the cells, and Bailey could see the lanterns in the corridor leading passed all the cells, as well.
Bailey stood up quickly and tried to move to stand by her cells door, a foot away from it, she felt a tug at her ankle. A manacle and chain was cuffed around her ankle. The chain was attached to a ring on the back wall of the cell and it was only just long enough for Bailey to stand at her door if she hopped on one leg.
It more then likely looked ridiculous.
But that wasn’t what Bailey was looking at. That was her stuff hung on the back wall, her pack with everything she owned in it and her woollen hat, scarf and mittens. And next to it, was a ring of keys hanging on a sagging nail.
“Urg, this is so stupid.” She muttered. She stomped into the back corner of the cell and plonked down on the pile of straw, elbows on crossed knees, chin in her hands as she scowled to herself. “Someone
definitely hates me.”
¤§¤
It was a couple of mind-numbingly boring hours later when Bailey first heard it. A deep, muffled boom. The kind that sent vibrations through the floor, that Bailey felt acutely. Bailey scrambled to her feet.
“WHAT IN FLAMING HECK!?” she yelled as she stumbled to one side as another boom rocked the floor. “That sounds like a canon…” Bailey murmured, her eyes went wide, “A CANON!?” Bailey’s mind whirled, horrible thoughts went racing through it. Were humans back?? Were they attacking the Steef?? “I have to get outta here.” She whispered.
She scrabbled around on the floor until she found a pebble. She scrambled over to her door and looked at the drooping nail on which the keys hung.
“Please work.” She whispered, “
Please work.” she aimed and threw the little fragment of rock. It bounced on the wall and fell onto the already loose nail. The nail fell out of the wall and the keys jangled as they hit the floor, about three feet away from Bailey. Just out of her reach. “Oh fer cryin’ out- give me a break will ya!” she snapped to no one in particular. Bailey fumed, as if nothing else could go wrong.
¤§¤
“C’mon,” murmured Bailey, tongue between her teeth, “C’mon, just a liddle bit further…” She stretched her fingers and groped at ring of keys on the flags. The sounds of battle above her head became more intense, Bailey glanced up and then stretched more desperately. She ignored the pain of her shoulder being wedged between the bars of her cell door. The chain of the manacle around her foot pulling taunt.
It would have been quite amusing to an onlooker. The short human girl balancing on one leg, the other stuck out behind her, reaching for some fallen keys.
“I hate
Steef.” Bailey thought mutinously.
“Well okay, I hate all Steef bar Stranger…” With a strained sound Bailey reached abit further and managed to get a hold on the keys. “Thank you God.” Bailey whispered and eased herself back into the cells, the keys hooked on her fingers.
She sat on the cold, damp floor of the cell and patiently tested each key in the manacle’s lock. Finally, the lock clicked and the manacle fell from her leg. Bailey rubbed her leg to get the blood flowing, then she scrambled to her feet and slammed into the cell door, fumbling with the keys, putting each one in the lock in turn. It only took a minute or two for her to unlock her cell.
Bailey tumbled out of the Steef cell but jumped to her feet in a moment.
“Right.” She growled. She pulled on her hat and scarf, jammed the mittens into her pockets and grabbed her pack from the hook on the wall where all confiscated possessions of the prisoner were hung. She rooted around in it until she brought out her bow and arrows, hatchet and the handguns. She swung on the pack, secured the bow and arrow quiver across her back, put the hatchet on her belt and the handgun holsters behind her back. “Right.” She said again, pulling her fingerless gloves on and hiding the guns with her jumper. “Ready to rock.”
Bailey sprinted along the passage with the cells on her right. She reached the stairs and tore up them, she burst through the thick wooden door and paused, getting her bearings. She was underground still. A network of passages went out in all directions like a warren.
After a second she followed her instincts and went along the left hand corridor.
It took her under five minutes to reached the surface door that led to outside of the underground civilisation. Bailey didn’t pause to wonder why she wasn’t in the Steef village any more. She just flung open the door and scrambled out into the snow.
Another snowstorm was raging – or it could have been the same one, Bailey didn’t know. What she did know was that it affected visibility. Which was bad, but not terrible.
Bailey’s loose hair and the ends of her green bandana whipped across her face, but Bailey could see the dark shadows flitting through the snow screen, and she could hear the muffled sounds of a battle.
Bailey squinted and soon her eyes adjusted and she could distinguish Steef in the flurry of snowflakes. Lots and lots of Steef were out in the snow, fighting ferociously with creatures with guns.
“Outlaws?” Bailey wondered, briefly relieved they weren’t humans, at least, they didn’t
seem human… She didn’t have long to ponder this question as just then, as she watched, she saw one of the creatures aiming his gun at a Steef fighting another of the creatures. The Steef had it’s back turned to the creature and was too busy scrapping to notice it.
Bailey growled, without thinking she instinctively drew her gun and fired, hitting the creature in the back of the head. The creature dropped.
“Low life.” She thought.
Bailey plunged in the battle.
Soon she was firing left, right and centre, taking down the creatures as they attacked the Steef. Unfortunately for her, her ammo couldn’t last forever and just when she needed it, it ran out.
For a while she’d been picking off the enemy without being noticed, but now she’d been spotted. Bailey saw one of the creatures advancing upon her through the storm. For a moment they stood, face to face, guns at the ready like a Western showdown. The Bailey fired…or tired too…her gun clicked. Her adversary chuckled mockingly.
“Aww, your peashooter pack-in princess?” Bailey frowned slightly, she did not recognise that voice, this was something new…
Suddenly the wind dropped, and for a split second Bailey got a good look at her antagonist. Bailey gaped, eyes wide, she almost screamed.
It looked like a warped human with grey skin and it’s mouth had no lips, only long, toothpick teeth. It had a machine gun in one hand, and some kind of axe in the other.
“Let’s look at the colour of yore insides.” The thing grinned horribly, then he choked and fell, gurgling. An arrow in his throat, red blood gushing from the punctured jugular.
“They’re red, just like yours.” Bailey muttered and lowered her bow. She didn’t stop for long and after a split second she spun and continued to fight, darting through the snow curtain.
After a while, after Bailey had been fighting, hidden from either side by the snow she heard a great, deep-throated roar that shook her bones. Bailey snapped towards the sound. The snow was clearing now and visibility was getting better.
Bailey saw one giant Steef (which Bailey took as male as been as it had huge curling horns like a demonic mountain goat from Hell and the female she’d seen didn’t have horns) being overwhelmed by three other creatures, about Bailey’s height. These were more familiar, looking like hunchback Outlaws but not exactly the ones Bailey had seen.
Bailey drew an arrow, notched it to her bowstring, aimed and fired, one of the Outlaw-esque cretures squealed and fell, Bailey drew two arrows, one after the other and slew the last two of the Steef’s tormentors.
Bailey grinned in satisfaction and lowered the bow.
“Yippyciya losers.” She muttered. And then, again, she heard that earth shattering roar, but this time from behind her, and louder now as the storm had dropped and the wailing wind, silenced.
Bailey pivoted, sharp eyes confused.
Another
huge Steef was charging.
Straight for her!
Bailey’s eyes went wide and she took a shocked step back, but she had no time to move more then that. The Steef (which also appeared male) skidded to a halt in front of her and reared, thrashing powerful hooves. Bailey, fortunately, managed to dodge the pulverising blows. And retreated slightly.
The Steef warrior kept coming, splashing up the snow in violent sprays. He reared again.
“Die scum!” he roared and his fore-hooves came crashing down.
Bailey dropped into a roll and evaded the pounding hooves. She jumped to her feet, and realised too late, her mistake. The Steef lashed out with his back legs, his hind hooves connecting with Bailey’s ribs in a savage kick.
Several somethings cracked…
Bailey choked and let out a gasp, dropping to her knees, falling backwards and hitting the snow in a daze.
Excruciating pain drenched her vision with red. She looked up weakly at the Steef. He was raising a fore-hoof, right over Bailey’s head. He was going to smashed open her skull like an egg…
Something flickered in the corner of Bailey’s bleary eyes.
One of the warped creatures was rising, it staggered to one side but steadied itself and brought up a gun.
The Steef hoof came down.
Bailey rolled, hauled her body upright to her knees, sending agony through her ribs, and brought the hatchet from her belt. The Steef, obviously thinking Bailey was trying to attacked him again, rose on his hindlegs to strike her.
Bailey grit her teeth against the pain and flung the hatchet. It struck the thing, it fell.
Bailey then twisted her body, avoiding the blow and staggered to her feet. She wiped a trickle of blood from her mouth,
“Idiot Steef.” She choked, spitting blood from her mouth. “I’m on your bloody side.”
“Do not lie scum!” the Steef roared, they were surrounded by others now, watching a comrade slaughter Bailey.
“If I woz lyin’ why do half o’ them twisted freaks got my arras in ‘em?” Bailey’s voice was choked and think with the blood in her mouth, her knees buckled and she dropped to them, heaving for oxygen that was blocked by broken ribs. She lifted her head, steadily becoming weaker. The huge Steef was smirking at her, clearly not believing a word. He stooped and Bailey saw a flash of reflecting light off the head of a long spear.
She watched with pain-induced detachedness as the Steef raised the spear, it’s head bright and gleaming.
“Fine.” Said her still active mind,
“Fine. I give up. Kill me… Stranger, if only you could know that I love you, more then anything. I wish I could see you again…goodbye my friend.” She felt a vague feeling of resentment,
“So this is it?” she asked herself,
“This is what I fought through a storm for? To be kebabed by some dumb Steef?” The spearhead came down in a silver arc.
Bailey heard a familiar voice roaring, or was that the blood in her ears? And then, suddenly the big Steef was thrust aside as another furry mass, smaller then he was, but made of just as much hard muscle and sinew, barrelled into him. The Steef fell but had soon scrambled to his feet.
“Traitor!” he growled. Bailey’s rescuer stood over her, his legs protecting her from the bigger Steef. One fore-hoof pawed the snow. It was tightly bandaged.
“No-one touches MY Bailey.” Snarled a voice, a wonderfully familiar voice that sounded absolutely beautiful in Bailey’s ears. She almost sobbed in relief. She let out another painful choke and leaned her head momentarily against Stranger’s foreleg.
The huge Steef opposite them was incensed.
“Move aside cur! Why do you defend this piece of filth.” Bailey felt the rumble of Stranger’s growl.
“Say that again, an’ I’ll rip out yer heart.” He snarled. The big Steed charged, Stranger reared onto his hindlegs and kicked the other Steef’s flank. Hooves thudded on flesh. The big Steef was thrown aside by the strength of Stranger’s blow.
Bailey could feel herself weakening. She was shaking, darkness was bleeding across her vision. Her breathing came in short, painful gasps. As if feeling her distress Stranger moved and swept her into his arms. Bailey could only just make out his glowing green eyes.
“Bailey.” He whispered, concern and fear and unshed tears making his voice hoarse. Bailey’s hand twitched. Stranger, understanding, took her hand and placed it one his cheek. He stroked the human’s cheek with his thumb. “You’ll be alright liddle darlin’.” He whispered, swallowing, “Jist hold on.” Bailey gulped down another breath, her eyes were misting over and her body was shaking. “No. Don’t yer dare die. Don’t leave me alone. Please.” Stranger held Bailey’s rapidly cooling body to his chest. Bailey felt hot tears run down her face.
They weren’t her tears.
They were Stranger’s.
“Please.” Bailey tugged gently on the fur on Stranger’s jaw. Stranger lowered his head so that his forehead was pressed to Bailey’s. He was trembling too now. The Steef surrounding them were still and silent. The big male staring in outraged disbelief. Bailey moved her arm around Stranger’s neck and hugged him as best she could.
“Love you.” She said in a low voice.
“I love yer too kiddo, more then yer know.”
“I know.” Bailey felt her heartbeat slowing, her wheezing breathing became shallower. She pressed her forehead closer to Stranger and Stranger held the human tight.
Darkness came for Bailey.
And she had no strength left to fight.
-----
Well, what d’you think of
that?
Melodramatic in my opinion. Urg.
The horror…
Oh, and the weird creatures are some concept art I nicked from the
Togg site…I’m not going to get my hide kicked for this am I? They really were brilliant pieces of art…
Okay, piccies below, one's an attachment, and you can see the other one
Here
I'm so imprest by yer talents of writing *Jumps up n' down of happyness* yeah I really envy you alot
More story'll be updated this evening, dunno what time, I got archery lessons, but I guarantee more story. Stay Odd peeps. 
Oddworld Just Got Stranger
Looking forward to the next bit
lucky her that Stranger came n' rescued her from being killed
I'll update. 
may it have any conections to that Stranger got abducted when he was small or? Well It's a GREAT story LW, KEEP GOING!
W-wow...I've missed...so much...I fell like-like crying...GOOD CHAPTERS, LOBO! 
I wish I could've seen them sooner...I WANT A NEW HARD DRIIVE NOW! WAAAAAH!!! 
