Russia hears shifting in front of him, and a hand brushed his leg as someone passes him. He opens his eyes and stares into the darkness on instinct.
He sees nothing.
The person approaches the opening they had all come in through and stops at the entrance.
Suddenly, a blinding green light ignites in front of the entrance. Russia lifts his arm to block it, and he sees it go flying down the corridor through squinted eyes. The monster runs toward it.
"We need to go. Now," Massachusetts whispers.
A smaller, less potent green light appears in front of them, and Russia follows it out. He hears the others just behind him.
"Come on," Massachusetts hisses, "this way."
Russia follows at his heels when Massachusetts leads them out of the area. As soon as he exits the tunnel, Russia breathes a sigh of relief. They sidestep their way across the small ledge to the less accessible path Finland had pointed out earlier. Russia stumbles inside, and his legs shaking.
Russia leans against the nearby wall and takes a deep breath.
"You good, Russ?" Texas whispers.
Russia nods and pulls away, forcing himself back onto his feet. America gives him a concerned glance, and Russia forces a smile. America sighs and looks away.
"Are you okay for now?" America asks Massachusetts.
"Yeah, dad, I'm fine. I got enough sleep."
"Tell me if you get tired, okay?"
"Will do."
Massachusetts leads them, his arm outstretched. He fills the tunnel with a dull, green light.
Russia falls behind and walks alongside America. America offers a grim smile. Finland walks behind them with Louisiana, and Texas and Canada walk with Massachusetts. Philippines walks behind them.
Russia listens closely to the noises around him.
A soft dripping noise echoes from in front of them. The air smells strange, and it feels thick. An iron-y taste paints the back of Russia's throat, and he tries not to gag. The walls around get smaller and smaller, almost like a funnel.
Massachusetts slows down, and Russia looks around. He can't see much from his current position, but the light gives enough clues that the cavern opens into a large room. The light dimly shows the lack of exits here. It also illuminated streams and dripping liquid. The metallic, iron smell is nauseating here and mixes with the smell of something rotten.
Russia swallows back bile. He'd been through enough wars to recognize the scent of blood.
"What the f*** is this?" Massachusetts mumbles, looking down at the floor.
There are globs of something, and more falls from the ceiling to mix and splatter.
"What? What is it?" Philippines asks.
"You shouldn't look, Fee Fee. Dad?"
"I'm coming," America calls.
America walks in and looks around for a brief moment and stiffens dramatically once his gaze rises above eye level.
"What's goin' on?" Texas asks.
"We're leaving; that's what's happening," America says.
"What? Why?" Canada asks.
"I said, we are leaving. Now!" America demands.
America looks to Russia for support, and although Russia doesn't understand why America is demanding retreat, the horror on his face is enough to have Russia taking his side.
YOU ARE READING
Book 1 - Puppets
FanfictionRussia is sent overseas to stay with America, but it isn't clear why until after he arrives. As soon as he steps foot on American soil, Russia is thrown upside-down into a family hidden from the world on a mission to protect everything he holds dear...
