Wanted for Murder

The boy rushed through the crowd of people as they rushed to their apartment tents. The time was around five pm, or that was what the boy guessed. He hadn't seen a clock since Poortwachter, and he didn't even know if this station had such a device. he only knew about it's clean water; the sparkling tap was famous. He had not seen the well, yet, however, and assumed it was in the center of the station. This station was an assortment of narrow hallways, it seemed, with white painted numbers on each door. Poortwachter was more open, and they had a separate area for each of their large apartments. He had gotten quality life down here in the metro, but it changed when he came across the dead body of a police officer. Before he knew it, lights shot onto his face and he ran off into the darkness, ignoring the cries of watchmen and border patrollers. The darkness was thick, and without illumination, he found himself tripping over the steel beams multiple times. However, he soon arrived at the small ally of Poortwachter, where he was now. The fact that no police officer passed him on his way there meant news didn't spread. It was only a matter of time, however, and he needed to keep running until the Terminus police thought his as dead. Assumed a nosalis devoured him in a dark tunnel somewhere.
He evidently became lost, however. The winding paths weren't leading him to what he assumed to be a square, with people and train tracks. He kept passing middle aged men smoking, and little kids running around. The men looked like police, and would probably ask him what the rush was. He was a bad liar. The children would probably give him some bullshit directions, their tiny minds not able to grasp such a thing. Becoming claustrophobic, he knocked on the first door he saw, not caring for the sign above the door, which marked a big X over it. He panted, waiting for an answer.

A woman about mid forties early fifties answered the door. "Yes, hello?" She had brown hair that had more white in it than brown. Age lines were drawn on her face from the many years of stress. She seemed to have a nice vibe to her nonetheless. Her eyes were a watery grey and she stared down at the boy. "Did you need something?"

The boy was taken aback when he saw the lady answer. He had just noticed the scarlet symbol over the doorway. Nevertheless, he ignored it, putting on a warm smile despite his panic. His eyes sort of gave it away, being wide, and his chest rose and fall rapidly.
"Hello, ma'am." he breathed. "Would you tell me how to get to the tunnel that leads to Meent?"
He may be able to reach Meent before he would need to sleep. Though, fear seeped into him as the thought of another dark tunnel crossed his mind. He was frantic and scared of something greater during his trip through the first tunnel, but his calmness made him think about it. The loneliness and complete black that obscured his vision terrfied him, but it was either that or jail. His papers talked about being tried, but it was all bullshit. Metro trials were hardly ever fair, and only ended well for politicians or people high up. He was just some kid.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry, but I don't." The woman told him. Her arms folded across her chest. "You are so skinny. You remind me of my son Luke. Come inside, we were just about ready to eat." She smiled, "I hope this can make up for my incompetence with directions." She moved back to allow him in the doorway.

The boy was about to object, but he didn't want to seem rude. Besides, the police would not be on his that quickly. "Alright. Thank you, ma'am." he answered after a pause, walking into the shelter tentatively.

The woman closed the door quieter than necessary. "Oh company! We rarely get any nowadays." She seemed very excited as she walked to the small dining area that housed a small, worn, wooden table with four matching chairs. "I hope you don't mind the mess." The small room was cluttered with scrap metal and broken technology from up top. It was a wonder how they even made it down to the metro. There was a man already sitting at the table, tinkering away at a broken toaster. "Luke, honey, we have company. Could you please put that away?" The man grunted and set the toaster on the floor with the rest of the mess. "Please sit down, I'll be right back with dinner." With that she left the boy.

The boy nodded, sitting down quietly across from the man. He looked at the toaster he set on the ground, which was amongst other wreckage. He looked back at the man, smiling. "Excuse me, sir?" the words arose from his throat before he thought twice. "Do you know how to get to the tunnel leading to Meent?"

OOC:The books italicize stations, so I will. cx

"Meent? Meent?" Luke whispered, repeating the word out loud over and over again. "Of course I know how to get there! I know everything and anything!" Luke's lips moved fast. "Meent... It's past the dark tunnel of course! The tunnel... You'd never want to visit there, it full of ghosts!" Luke pulled at his hair and screamed slightly. "Yes. Ghosts..." He quieted down and his mother, Sarah, returned with two bowls of soup. She laid them down in front of Luke and the boy. "You'll have to excuse him. He's not all there." She said softly, tears threatened in her grey eyes. "You never did state your name." She told him. "I'm Sarah Dahlbeck and that is my son Luke."

The boy was taken about as the man started to shout. He had only asked for directions. He was planning on trying another door later, and forgetting about the teary eyed lady and her what seemed to be mentally unstable son. Ghosts? Impossible!
When the lady asked him the question, he began to say his name. "Ma-"
Upon the first syllable, he faltered, but it was almost unrecognizable. "-as van Helmont." he finished. "My name is Maas van Helmont."
He didn't want to be identified, since he was a criminal now. He took a spoonful of the soup and slowly put it in his mouth. He recognized mushroom and barley. Brink was the only place you could really make soup that wouldn't make you reel during your first bite. Metro delicacies were usually something that grew on you and that you learned to like, like coffee or dark chocolate for the surface.

The woman had gone and come back with another bowl for herself. Luke was already tucking in. "That's a wonderful name. I guess you must've seen our door and not understood the symbol. People stay away from our house because of my son's... mental state." She was looking at Luke when she said it. "I'm sorry that we aren't much help to you. Luke is the only one that really ever leaves the house and I'm not sure he remembers much of the routes he takes or the places he visits." She turned back to Maas, "You seemed in a rush when you knocked on the door. Was someone chasing you?"
Luke spoke up at that point. "Ghosts! Ghosts! Ghosts!" He quieted eventually and went back to eating, but not before letting out a piercing laugh that seemed of utter wickedness.

Marius, which was the boy's real name, tried to ignore Luke, but shook his head. "No." he said. "I have...erm...family there."
This was a lie, for he'd probably be going farther than Meent. With every sudden sound outside the door, he suspected a police officer to barge through and arrest him. Maybe exile him in front of the whole station. He thought of those children running down the narrow alley, watching a bullet go through his brain.
He almost shook his head. The good thing about being in a hellhole is you could die easily. Perhaps they thought he was dead now. He took more hasty spoonfuls of the soup, realizing how empty his stomach was.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry. Well at least I could help your stomach." The old woman smiled. She started sipping soup. Luke finished up and pushed the bowl away, making it nearly fall off the table. He collected his toaster and started playing with it again. Sarah sighed. "He didn't used to be this way..."

Marius was put in an awkward position here. He didn't know whether to ask about him or to just stay silent. When the weight of the silence crushing him was too much, he stood. "I should go. It was nice staying." he said, pushing in the chair he once was sitting here.

OOC:You'll have to be crafty as you continuing this topic. I trust you. |D *shot*

Luke looked up. "I will come with you." And without an answer Luke got up from the table and walked toward Marius. "C'mon." his voice was rather deep and sounded as though it would not take no for an answer.

Marius wanted to shake his head, and deny the crazy man's company, but before he could do such a thing, Luke was up and halfway to the door. Great. He didn't not want anyone slowing him down, much less someone to murder him in the tunnel. Tunnels were dark however, and ditching the man would be easy. He opened the door for him, waving goodbye to the lady, and walking back into the now quiet pathway.

Luke was directly behind him, giving the boy no space what so ever. Luke would stop every once in a while and grabbed the boy's shoulder to pull him back to him, each time it was so he could get a closer look at some random scrap piece. "Isn't it beautiful?" He asked the boy. "That could instantly make a time machine!"

Marius nodded awkwardly, being led by the boy. Did he know where he was even going? He could be being led to a bunch of mutants in a dark alley. Nevertheless, he had to trust the psychotic person's judgement.

"Are you a liar?" Luke asked randomly as they walked. "Thief? You seem one of the two. I'm not entirely sure but I'm mad. Aren't I? Everyone says I'm mad but I'm not mad, I'm saner than anyone. They don't believe me but it's true. I'm not mad. I'm as sane as can be."

"I believe you." Marius said quietly. He was lying, though. Luke was a good guesser with his first question. The two weaved through people, before they came into an open place. Benches sat against both sides, and in the middle was a well. On the other two sides, train tracks. This looked more like Poortwachter. He missed his luxurious home, and teaching history. Leading off in one direction was a tunnel.

Luke turned to him, "No you don't! You are a liar. No one believes me. Not my mom. Not the metro. Not even..." He stopped. "Who are you!" He grabbed Marius. "WHO ARE YOU!" he repeated in his face, his voice louder than ever, echoing through out the metro.

People started to stare, and Marius felt panicked. Prying himself from Luke's grip, he ran through the crowd, back to where he came. He heard footsteps behind him, and in panic, threw open the first door he saw and let himself in.

~~

Lein looked down at her journal crossly. Her entry had been short, mainly due to her inability to conjure up the right words. She placed gentle fingers on the rough fabric of her eyepatch, and let out a sigh. Under it was a gruesome sight, no pun intended.
Suddenly, the door to her family's apartment was opened. A teenage boy broke through her door, taking her off guard. "Hel...lo?" she asked, but the man was too busy looking through the crack in the door. He was panicking, not wanting to be caught.

Luke raced after him, his feet slapping the ground hard. He noticed a door and a window beside it. He smashed himself through the window and landed on his knees. He shook his body free of glass but blood began to drip into his ice blue eyes. "Where... where... where's the liar. Where, he knows HIM! He knows! He knows!" he began to talk fast, whipping his head around the room.

The girl walked up, confused and scared. Who was this guy? She saw the phone that was on the wall, and started to edge toward it. When Marius turned and realized where he was, he saw he doing this.
"No! Stop!" he said, holding up his hand. The girl stopped before she pressed an alarm button. The phone did not have any numbers, for there was no phone system here, but it was simply an alarm system.
"Who are you?" the girl asked in a shaky voice. The boy faltered. "My name is Gerald. I am from Poortwachter. I am being chased by an insane guy, so please, let me stay for a little while."
Her parents would have not allowed this, but they were currently working. They had night shifts, so they were safe until morning. The girl nodded. "My name is Lein. And alright, but you'll have to leave immediately." she whispered. Marius nodded and continued looking through the door's crack.

Luke realized he was in a deserted house. "Shit! SHIT!" He looked around and slammed his body against the door. "Where... where..." He banged on doors. "Where is he! Where!"

Suddenly, police officers stormed in around Luke. They grabbed at his arms, fingered around for their nightsticks, and proceeded to drag him. "Sure, sure, you crazy motherfucker." one murmured, hitting him across the back to get him moving.