The Dual Bender

Chapter 64: Apocalypse?

Your POV

I'm currently chilling with Bolin, Wei, and Wing when a man runs into our tent.

Man: "Have any of you seen anyone who went to work near the mountains this morning?!" We all look at each other and shake our heads.

You: "No. We haven't"

Wei: "Why? What happened?"

Man: "Not one of them has returned yet." We all look at each other again.

Wing: "Did you take this up with Asami? Maybe we should go look for them tomorrow morning?" He nods and runs out.

Bolin: "Weird...?"

You: "What? Do you know something?"

Bolin: "They're all earthbenders... If an avalanche happened, they could bend themselves out, or if they were stuck on a cliff, they could earthbend stairs or another way down... And I can only think of one other reason why they wouldn't have returned by now..." Oh no...

You: "They've either been kidnapped..."

Wei: "Or they're dead..."

You: "We need to go to Asami now, and make sure nobody goes anywhere outside the current city." They all nod and we walk out. We see the man we talked to earlier run out of her small home she was currently staying in with a scared look on his face. "Asami? It's M/N, can I come in?"

Asami: "Yea..." She says depressed. I walk in and see her with her head against the desk and Mako sitting across from her looking at the floor.

You: "Alright, I'm sure you've heard of the missing group?" She nods. "Ok, Bolin, Wei, Wing, and myself are going to go look for them tomorrow. I don't want to go out at night, whoever took them obviously was able to sneak up on them in the middle of the day, at night we would be sitting ducks." She nods.

Asami: "I'll get some bags packed for you guys." I nod and we turn around to walk out. "Hey guys?" She says sitting back up.

Bolin: "What is it Asami?"

Asami: "Thanks, I didn't even have to ask you, you offered to help, it means a lot." She says forcing a smile.

You: "You don't have to pretend to be happy right now. I know you're immensely stressed out at this moment trying to rebuild and design an entire city is no small task. Don't worry about us, we'll find them, you just worry about staying on schedule." She smiles again, but this one isn't forced like the other. I nod and turn around and follow Bolin and the twins out.

Mako: "Hey." I turn to see Mako standing in front of me.

You: "What's up?"

Mako: "Be careful, I have a bad feeling about this." I nod and bump his fist then walk out behind Bolin. He may be right... something just feels off about this...

*TIMESKIP*

We head out tomorrow morning up towards the section on mountains where they were working.

Bolin: "What were they working on up here again?"

You: "I think they were making a tunnel through the mountain or something like that for Satomobiles to drive through." I say as we get to a steeper part of the mountain, we all begin earthbending ourselves up.

??? POV

???: "Benders..." 'I must warn them...'

Your POV

I stop when I get to the top of the cliff and look back down, somebody was down there... watching us...

Wei: "Hey M/N!? Let's get moving again, we have to be back down before 6 cause I don't wanna be up here when it's dark." I nod and walk back towards them, about half an hour later we reach the tunnel, I remember hearing Asami say it was a little bit over halfway completed. I make a small fire in my hand and light the lanterns of the tunnel... But I wish I hadn't, I did not need to see what they showed... The men, slaughtered... There were about a dozen of them, all but one was pinned to the wall, and that one had a note pinned to his chest with a knife... I walk up and to see what it says... 'If you're reading this... it's too late.' Wha- I see our entrance close. Then the lanterns go out.