This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 43

What happened next was all a blur. Unknown and Aizawa were swept out of the hospital through backchannels and blindly herded into an armored vehicle waiting behind the building. They zipped through the city much faster than possibly could have been allowed, and it didn't take long for Unknown to realize they were deliberately taking winding offroads and tiny dirt paths she had never seen before. They wouldn't answer any of her questions, merely telling her to stay still and do as they say. She didn't know where they were, nor where they were going, nor did she recognize any of the bits of scenery she could glimpse through the small, partially obscured porthole across from her. She didn't know how long they had been driving before the doors finally clamored open and she was once again rushed out.

By the time they were hurried into 1-A's Heights Alliance, the sun was long gone and the sky was pitch black. She had no idea how they could have made it back to UA so quickly, but they gave her little time to ponder before she was being pushed further along into the building, right past a group of startled residents gathered in the common area. Through the wall of policemen surrounding her, despite hardly being able to register anything beyond their barking commands and heavy footsteps, she managed to catch a pair of wide, familiar red eyes for a split second before they too were lost beyond the wall of black.

"Just- what's happening?" Unknown demanded as they ushered her into a hardly-used room deep inside the building. The man in the black suit hovered in the doorway for a moment, exchanging a few inaudible words with one of the armed policemen before quickly shutting the door. The others remained outside.

"When did this happen?" Aizawa asked evenly, although his voice held an uncharacteristic edge to it. She could tell he was as rattled as she was, having suddenly been seized by unfamiliar policemen and driven around in a windowless tank, and now they found themselves somehow back at the school, but why? Why were they here? Why wouldn't they tell them anything?

"Listen carefully, I'm only going to explain this once," the man stated, his steely gaze zeroing in on Unknown, "I work with Chief Tsuragamae, you're familiar with him." It wasn't much of a question, but Unknown nodded anyway. She remembered the dog-chief well. "The Manager escaped from Tartarus an hour ago. Six guards were killed during the breach, and from the looks of it, there was at least one other individual present. The Manager wasn't acting alone; someone on the outside helped him escape."

"If you possibly think I had anything to do with that-"

"We don't. Your whereabouts at the time are accounted for. We had to take you in because we believe the Manager may be coming after you; we're going to keep you safe here, but we also need your help to find him and his accomplice."

Unknown's brows were drawn tightly, leg bouncing restlessly underneath the table as she leaned forward, resting stiffly on her elbows. "What about the others? He could be going after them too, right?"

"My colleagues are watching over them as we speak. They're safe, but we need to capture the Manager as soon as possible to make sure it stays that way."

She ground her teeth anxiously, her mind burning hot with adrenaline at the mere thought of that man being free. Her heart raced so quickly it was almost painful, it felt like her throat might close, like it might tear out of her chest at any moment. "How did this happen? I thought Tararus was supposed to be impenetrable?"

"We're still investigating the details, but right now our priority needs to be finding them, is that clear?"

Unknown frowned at his blatant non-answer, but begrudgingly let it go nonetheless. There was no use pushing him anyway, and he did have a point, as much as she hated to admit it. "...is there anything I can do?" she asked, white-knuckled hands wringing nervously together.