A/N: I've posted a summary of the families of the Citadel on my profile for those interested. IDOM...

Chapter 6: The Darkest Corners Of The Earth

16 January 1978

Arthur paused briefly to refill his water bottle at a small fast running stream. The landscape was a lot different here than at home. The cliffs weren't as high but they were much more numerous and lone standing rock formations were the norm making navigating around here difficult.

It felt a bit like hiking through a maze where entering one wrong narrow gorge may lead you to an entirely different place than planned. There were also a lot of caves nearby hiding unexpected treasures. On a scavenger hunt a few years back for example they discovered actual houses underneath the earth, buried and closed off since the day of the earthquake, but still in perfect condition.

He looked up at the sun and then noted the long shadows on the ground. By his estimation he could probably reach Bayard's train tunnel just before nightfall if he wanted to but that didn't seem like a smart idea. Without knowing what he would find there Arthur didn't want to arrive at the camp with only an hour of daylight left.

After stashing his bottle away he veered a bit to the west instead following a nice patch of greenery. It wasn't exactly green but yeah, that was what it was. Arthur couldn't describe it any other way. It wasn't the first time he encountered one of these, again for lack of a better word, lines. And every time he did he had felt inclined to follow it a bit. It felt safe, less polluted maybe, less harsh and by now Arthur had learned to trust his instincts no matter how baseless they appeared.

Weirdly enough there were always more of these lines whenever he travelled in the direction of the other two settlements. He had wondered once if they were similar to the ley lines he had read about. Whatever was going on this criss-cross pattern of green in the cold winter wind was surely a sign that the world would turn out okay.

The journey so far had been uneventful. He had made good time, a benefit of travelling alone and not needing much rest. And with the exception of the birds and the occasional small animal so far, he had the feeling that he was alone in the world. Even finding one of those crossed out Mr. Chad drawings that very morning didn't diminish the feeling though he had to admit he probably would've freaked out like Gwaine if he hadn't known about it beforehand.

It looked menacingly. To make matters worse the blood was clearly smeared across the stencilled cartoon by hands as Arthur could see tips of the individual fingers at the top of each line. The blood seemed old though which wasn't exactly reassuring if you really thought about it. It was also pretty damn close to Bayard's camp.

Best case scenario was that tomorrow he would have the privilege to yell at the practical joker. Worst case scenario…

He really didn't want to think about that.

17 January 1978

When Arthur woke up it was to the sound of birds hopping on and off the roof of the car. Just to be on the safe side he hadn't slept in a known haunt but found shelter in an old rusty vehicle half buried beneath the dirt. It had been out of the wind and the leather seat upholstery had been remarkably intact making this one of his softer sleeping accommodations out in the wild.

Outside it was still dark though he knew dawn was not far off. The birds were a big clue to that. So he stretched his cramped legs and carefully pulled himself out unto the ground. It was freezing cold but after some warming up exercises Arthur sat back down against the car with his blanket pulled closely around him.

He ate some nuts while waiting for the sun to rise and rinsed away the dry feeling of his mouth with some water. He drank sparsely however as his bottle was almost empty. A big black crow cheekily stepped towards his backpack probably thinking it was being inconspicuous and no doubt hoping to steal some food. Arthur shooed it away.

After a few days in the wild he had barely enough left to feed himself as he hadn't wanted to take too many supplies from the Citadel. He had been in luck though. On his second day since leaving home he caught a small rabbit overnight in his snare. Arthur had taken time to skin the animal and smoke the fine strips of meat above a small fire for breakfast. Unfortunately the rabbit itself was clearly starved so it had just been enough for one en route meal.

Since he approached Bayard's camp from a different direction this time it wasn't easy to find his way down to the valley, hitting two dead ends and having to turn around a third time when one ravine was too broad to jump over. Once he did happen to stumble upon the valley he knew immediately that something was dreadfully wrong. Arthur thanked his foresight of the day before.

He crawled closer to the edge on his stomach and peered down through a pair of binoculars for some time as he tried to decide how to approach this best. The entrance to the train tunnel, some hundred feet below him, was empty just like the vast patch of dirt in front of it. When he visited in the past there had always been children out playing or men and women doing odd repairs or chores even in winter. Unlike at the Citadel electricity, and therefore sufficient light, was a rarity.

But now it was just eerily quiet.

Arthur bit his lip rather anxiously feeling unnerved for a change. There was no right or safe way to approach this so after dawdling for a couple of more minutes he climbed down the final ledge wincing as the sound of loose stones shifting beneath his feet echoed loudly. Once he was on the same height with the entrance Arthur crouched back down and observed the camp again from his new vantage point.

The entrance was still empty and dark. There were no voices nor laughter to be heard. Dreading what he had to do next, Arthur took out his dynamo torch and stood back up leaving his rucksack behind for now, hidden between some boulders, but not his sword. He hadn't drawn it yet but his hand rested tensely on its pommel.

In the silence the sound of the dynamo was all the more louder. He followed one of the train tracks which was almost buried below the earth to the entrance. Only the top of the cast iron rails were still visible so that silvery lines led the way.

As he got closer the high roof of the tunnel loomed over him and the shadow line between light and dark felt ominous. Just before stepping into the shade Arthur halted. He could see an upturned table now and a couple of broken chairs but further down the tunnel everything was still pitch-black as the light of his torch wasn't strong enough. He should probably announce his arrival but shouting – or even talking – seemed like the worst idea ever.

Arthur looked around the valley and saw nothing else but the dark depressing stones of the cliffs. Steeling himself he took a deep breath and stepped into the shade. Immediately the air felt cooler and he was glad that he had kept his gloves on this morning. As he walked deeper inside the tunnel Arthur got more and more glimpses of what had happened here. It wasn't encouraging.

The destroyed table and chairs were just the beginning. Most of the benches around a large fire pit were lying on their side, some of them charcoaled, others shattered to bits. Cooking utensils, pieces of cloth, a chess set were spread out on the floor and covered with dust. Sometimes it was hard to even see what was lying on the ground before him. Just to be on the safe side Arthur walked around any object. A few steps later he crouched down and gently dusted off a stuffed bear. He placed it back down on a wooden crate.

There was an odd smell in the air not really putrid but unpleasant nonetheless. It caused the hairs on his arms to rise and Arthur cursed himself for not bringing a stronger source of light. The torch was perfect for navigating through narrow hallways or around the smaller haunts he had stayed in during his travels, but in this huge tunnel the beam often met nothingness giving Arthur the feeling something was creeping up on him. Which was ridiculous he told himself as he ventured deeper and deeper into the tunnel because he could hear nothing but his own hollow footsteps echoing against the walls.

He halted and looked back for a moment. The sunlit entrance seemed so far away already. Arthur turned around again and started his investigation once more. He knew that the living compartments were located all the way in the back where the tunnel ended at a cave-in. Something suddenly rustled nearby.

Arthur nearly tripped over some cushions as he hurriedly stepped back shining his torch in the general direction of the noise. Two small beady eyes lit up in the darkness and a heartbeat later a large rat scurried away. Feeling foolishly Arthur resheathed his sword while trying to calm his racing heart. He truly hoped that nothing bigger than a rat was hiding in the dark.

A few feet away he spotted something useful at last. In an open crate three oil lamps sat undamaged. He checked the amount of oil and, satisfied with the quantity in each lamp, lit them all with the lighter he always carried. Instantly the tunnel became just a little less frightening. Arthur placed the lamps in a large triangle so that he could thoroughly search a larger area.

He was standing in what was supposed to be the kitchen area. Huge cabinets used to line these walls. They were now all destroyed and their content spread out on the dust covered floor. Arthur turned to the other side of the tunnel and frowned. Cautiously he walked to the wall there grabbing one of the oil lamps in passing. There were several large circular scorch marks on the concrete here. Arthur carefully traced the charred area. It was as if something burning had been smashed against the wall and exploded. Robbie's fireball came to mind.

Arthur followed the wall further down. A few yards ahead a writing lesson appeared to have been broken off abruptly. School banks and chairs were overturned while papers and books were spread across the floor. Most unnervingly was the chalked sentence on the blackboard. 'Charlie finds a dozen' was cut off and the letter 'n' was prolonged in a downright direction stopping only at the edge of the board.

After leaving the ruined classroom behind Arthur finally found what he had feared the moment he saw the upturned table.

He warily stepped closer to the body. This was not the first dead person he had come across during his life but it was the most damaged one. Apart from being heavily charcoaled the remains had been gnawed on making it harder to figure out what had caused this man's death. That it had been a man was a guess as well based on length and the broadness of the shoulders.

Arthur knew the names and faces of every person that had lived in this settlement. Granted his information was three years old but standing here next to the body of someone he knew, someone who probably didn't die from the sickness or a tragic accident hit him hard. Before making a conscious decision to do so Arthur turned around and ran.

He didn't stop running until he felt the sun on his face and promptly threw up his meagre breakfast. Feeling miserably Arthur stalked to his backpack and rinsed his mouth. He sat on one of the boulders for a time deliberating what to do next. It was clear that Bayard's people were gone although Arthur still didn't know if the tunnel had become one giant tomb or if the dead man was the only corpse in there.

There was no one else around however so the grisly task of find an answer to that question fell solely on him. So he should stop whining, he told himself firmly. After that pathetic pep talk Arthur got up and marched into the darkness once more. Fortunately in the distance the three oil lamps were still burning and this time his eyes adjusted to the feeble light much quicker.

It was past noon when Arthur re-emerged again with a shovel in hand, his jaw set. There was no mass grave hidden in the darkness behind him but he did find two more bodies in front of the train compartments. They were in similar conditions as the first corpse but the last one was so small, about Nathan's height, and that fact had simply enraged Arthur.

As he exited the tunnel Arthur strode to the right side where, like at the Citadel, graves lined the steepest cliff. He unfastened his sheathed sword and tugged off his jacket before aiming the shovel at the ground. He was just so angry and in no time he was already knee-deep in the freshly dug grave. One would have to suffice though since he really didn't want to linger here after nightfall.

He worked as fast as he could only stopping halfway through to pull off his woollen jumper and scarf as well. When the edge of the grave came to his neck, Arthur wiped the sweat of his brow and tiredly hauled himself out of there. Without pausing to rest he relit the oil lamp he left at the entrance and stalked back in.

The sun had disappeared behind the cliffs already when the young man stared down at the bottom of the grave. He sighed deeply. The three bodies were lying side by side with the smallest one in the middle between the man and woman mimicking what otherwise would've been a very peaceful family scene.

"May your souls find rest and solace away from this harsh world." Arthur whispered solemnly before he dug the shovel back in the mountain of earth. Sand and stones rained down quickly and in no time the ground was level again.

He left the shovel right there and hurried to his rucksack eyeing the long shadows with some frustration. He really didn't want to stay here a minute longer. After quickly washing the dirt off his hands and refilling his water bottle, the water tasted like sand but it was way better than going thirsty, Arthur hauled his rucksack on his weary shoulders and took off.

18 January 1978

After leaving what was left of Bayard's settlement Arthur hadn't stopped to rest once. He just marched the whole night under the light of the waxing moon with only one goal: getting as many miles between him and that place before collapsing of exhaustion. He was heading towards Annis' camp or at least that was his intention. He was waiting for the sunrise to determine how off course he was.

Because no matter how much he yearned to go back home, he had to warn them. In the Citadel everyone was on high alert already before he left and that building was at the very least much more defensible that the train tunnel had been. As far as he knew Annis' people were still unaware.

By his most optimistic calculation he should be able to reach the old harbour and surrounding caves in six days. The problem was that he had never travelled this way before. Other than knowing that he had to walk towards the west this whole landscape was unfamiliar. If turned back to the Citadel however and then go to Annis' settlement it would take him at least twice that long. And ever since leaving Bayard's camp a strange feeling of urgency had taken him in its grip.

He slumbered a bit in the early morning and built a small fire so he could warm up one of the two cans of baked beans he had found in the destroyed kitchen. There had been many more but most cans had exploded in some way. Arthur tried very hard not to think about the how but that wasn't exactly working well for him. His thoughts turned to his grisly discovery every time he wasn't careful. And the fact that he had only buried three bodies wasn't reassuring. It just meant that approximately forty people were missing.

Eating a bit and taking that short nap made Arthur feel a lot better. From one of the higher cliffs earlier he had been able to see that the way west meant that he had to cross a huge plain. This was also good news as he could really pick up speed then. This maze-like landscape only fed his paranoia, you never knew what was lying in wait around the next corner.

By the time the sun set again Arthur was already nearly across the plain which was a relief since he didn't want to spent the night in an open field. He had seen some odd tracks in the sand earlier which rather worried him as he couldn't match them with any animal he knew. That the tracks were fairly recent was obvious as the wind drew its own markings on the sand constantly.

Eventually he found shelter in between several rocks who gave the appearance that they would fall over any minute. No doubt they had been defying gravity ever since the earthquake so Arthur wasn't afraid of lying underneath them. At least he was out of the wind and the space was so small that it would eventually warm up a bit without the use of fire. After pulling his hood so far up that it covered his eyes and pushing his head repeatedly against his backpack to find the softest spot, Arthur immediately fell asleep curled on his side.

19 January 1978

It was drizzling in the morning when he woke up. It was the kind of rain which took ages to fully soak a coat. That he considered the only upside to this kind of wretched weather. Arthur opened a thin can of sliced pineapples which he ate and drank the sugary syrup to quench his thirst. A couple of minutes later he was on his way again.

If Arthur hadn't known better he would have feared that he had walked in one big circle yesterday. The landscape here was just scarily similar to the one around Bayard's camp. The rock formations and cliffs were higher though and the stones itself weren't just grey or black but showed a surprising arrays of colours like red and orange. Every now and then he passed small alcoves. The few he peered into were devoid of life making the changes of finding some decent shelter for tonight soar high.

As he weaved his way through the narrow canyons he caught himself already daydreaming of holding a cup of hot tea and drying his clothes near a blazing fire. He didn't have tea but building a fire wasn't out of the question. The rain had intensified by now which caused Arthur some trouble as he needed to cross quickly filling ditches more and more often. Already water was seeping in his boots soaking his socks. The curious blacks crows that hopped on top of the leaning ridges were the only companions to his miserable journey.

Suddenly a gigantic mass burst onto his path. Arthur let himself fall down immediately rolling out of the way. Before he was on his feet again his sword was out glistening in the rain. He almost dropped it out of shock. Standing a few yards away was a scorpion-like creature. Only it was easily as tall as him. The thing was clearly observing him as well probably bemoaning the fact that the surprise attack failed and no doubt calculating its chances of successfully attacking him again. Arthur did not like his own odds.

He edged back carefully his eyes never leaving the creature. What did he know about scorpions? It wasn't much, but the few facts he did remember weren't heartening. Meanwhile it moved nimbly on its four pair of legs, much as a spider, and the two pincers were about the size of Arthur's forearm. They were making a horrible spine-tingling clicking sound.

A scorpion also had its skeleton on the outside protecting its soft insides with armour-like skin making it hard to kill. Even more worriedly was that its stinger had risen high and was aimed in his direction. With a few exceptions scorpion venom was only deadly to small animals, Arthur remembered. The problem was that in comparison to this one, he was the small animal.

In a split second Arthur turned around and sprinted away hoping he would be able to outrun the creature. He practically flew through the narrow gorges jumping rocks not even slowing down in the bends. But while he gained a lead despite the sloping way up he could still hear the sound of the scorpion's legs as they scratched and clawed on the rocky path behind him.

When he turned another corner Arthur froze with eye-widening fear. Just a few yards from him stood another one of these monsters. He hurriedly searched for a way out of this ravine. Climbing up wasn't an option, too slow. There, he spotted a very narrow passageway to his left. It meant running towards the scorpion though. Without allowing himself to think too long about it Arthur ran swinging his backpack off one shoulder and catching it in his hand as he edged in the crack sideways.

He was a mere second too late. Arthur screamed when one of the pincers caught his thigh. The creature let go once he stabbed his sword repeatedly in the general area its eyes were in but the damage was already done. He limped further down the passage clenching his teeth in pain. Rocks were digging in his back and chest as he went on and on and then he got stuck.

One of his hand was already out of the passageway as was his rucksack but it was so dauntingly narrow here that he couldn't even turn his head to see if the other side was safe. The scorpions had left by now. At least Arthur couldn't see them trying to follow him. His heart was pounding so hard though that he couldn't hear anything else. Whether they had given up or just went to look for another way around, he didn't know.

Arthur rested his head against the rocks for a moment to calm himself down. Panicking wouldn't solve anything. He exhaled deeply and, ignoring the pain in his leg, pushed hard.

He fell gracelessly out of the crack and hurriedly scrambled back up as he tried to determine the situation he found himself in. There were no scorpions in sight and rather than moving as fast and as far away from this place as possible he knew he had to take time to assess the damage done.

Leaning back against the rock wall Arthur inspected his injured leg. His trousers were ripped in two places where the pincer had caught him and though he could only see the wound on top of his thigh it didn't look good. The scorpion had obviously missed the femoral artery, Gaius would be pleased that he remembered that bit, or he would've bled out by now. Still the cuts were deep and he saw that the ground around him was already speckled with blood.

Arthur eased himself down until he was sitting on a rock and pulled his rucksack closer. He tried to steady his shaky fingers as he struggled to get his first aid kit out noting that they too were covered in blood. After struggling for a time he managed to uncap a plastic canister and sprinkled sulphanilamide onto his injury to prevent infection. Aiming was a bit hard though and it was nearly impossible to get it on the back of his leg.

Next he lined gauze compresses on top of the cuts and then tied it all together with bandages. Arthur ended up using almost all of them when blood started to seep through the white gauze. That done he allowed himself some rest as he figured out what the hell he had to do next.

In any other circumstance Arthur would've admired the unobstructed view. He honestly wasn't sure how he ended up this high but from where he was sitting he could see above all the rocks and cliffs. He saw narrow ravines and green patches alternating each other until in the far distance an evergreen forest beckoned. It was partly hidden by a grey veil of rain but he knew that beyond the forest he could see the sea where Annis and her people lived.

It had to be.

He hauled himself up with some difficulty and limped back to the passageway to get his sword. Scorpions or not, he would need it as a crutch until he found something better. After deciding on the best way down, Arthur took a deep breath and eased himself over the edge.

20 January 1978

He hadn't encountered another scorpion and despite the growing lightheadedness managed to walk a fair couple of miles before his leg protested completely. He ended up resting in a cave where the entrance was partly hidden by the branches of a weeping willow. There were many trees in this ravine and he even managed to cut himself a better crutch.

During the night though Arthur fought against falling asleep by the warmth of the small fire. He needed the rest but nodding off would be the second worst thing to do right now. The young man was pretty sure that if he untied the bandages to clean the wounds he would pass out before being able to retie them. He ripped his spare shirt in long stripes instead and fastened the pieces of cloth as tight as he could around his left leg because the ones already there were soaked through.

By the time the sun rose Arthur knew he had to find help soon. Already a heat was rising behind his eyes, a sure sign of fever. After drinking some water and taking a sip from a flask containing excellent whisky, Arthur struggled to get back up. He pushed the branches out of the way and cautiously looked around. He didn't believe that those scorpions would give up so easily. They had to eat right? And it wasn't as if lone travellers were walking around in abundance.

As he limped further through the ravine it became wider and wider giving him the impression that he was coming to the end of the rocks and canyons. There were also a lot of low growing trees and bushes forcing Arthur to often deviate from the path he had set himself on. For now the ravine luckily led him west. Soon though he was walking in a daze. He was aware of the fact that everything was becoming surreal to him which should worry him. But in truth this feeling of being disconnected to the world around him was brilliant as his leg didn't hurt that much anymore.

The forest he had seen in the distance yesterday was still so far-off and the rational part in him was slowly giving up. Annis' camp was just too far, even without the leg wound it would still take him several days to reach. Arthur paused for a minute to refill his water bottle. He swiped his clammy face tiredly before examining his injury again. Blood was soaking through the stripes of shirt now and the skin next to it felt heated already. Arthur tied his scarf around his thigh now.

Gloomily he concluded that he would either end up as a meal or end up bleeding out before becoming a meal anyway. After taking another sip of liquid courage Arthur focused back on the way ahead. Small steps, he thought determinedly, let's try to reach that elusive forest first. Fortunately his stubborn part was much more persistent than his rational one.

The sun reached and passed its zenith and Arthur still walked on more often than not imagining being back home. It wasn't long before he started to see the people of the Citadel walking next to him. Again he knew this wasn't real, that his fevered brain – he couldn't deny that fact anymore – was conjuring up all sorts of things. But it was comforting and he drew much needed strength out of those apparitions.

His father told him to quit feeling sorry for himself and man up. Leon shook his head disbelievingly at the sight of his bandaged leg and ordered him to hang on. Morgana tapped her foot impatiently when he once paused again and told him to get moving because she didn't have all day. That he better be there at her wedding because he was an amusing drunk and she needed new blackmail material. Gwen didn't say anything but smiled that amazing smile of hers. She kept on moving though just an inch out of reach. Arthur couldn't do anything else but follow her.

Meanwhile the green ravine had once again been replaced by more rocky terrain as the small river running down the middle of it had disappeared underneath the stones. It became harder to remain focused and one time Arthur seemingly had to shook himself awake after finding himself just standing still in between the tall rising cliffs. He had never felt so confused before and had to remind himself repeatedly that he needed to keep on going. The only upside of the journey was that the path was sloping down. Nonetheless Arthur felt his heart racing as if he was running uphill.

He was walking in the dusk now. Or limping was more accurate as he needed both the crutch as the support of the sandy cliffs to keep himself upright. Arthur desperately wanted to rest, he felt so tired and keeping his eyes open was becoming ridiculously hard. Yet he knew that if he stopped, he wouldn't be able to get up again. So it was no surprise that he heard it before he saw it.

That awful scratching sound of too many legs on the rocky terrain put Arthur on high alert immediately. He gazed around. The canyon he'd been following was wider where he was standing, the other wall was at least ten yards away and equally steep. Not that he would be able to climb in his condition or run. Ahead where the canyon narrowed again stood a scorpion. It stood there silently, waiting… Yet Arthur could still hear that damn noise.

He turned back around. Several of these creatures, five, six at least streamed into the canyon down the same path he had used. Since when did scorpions hunt in packs? The answer was probably about the same time they grew to the size of a car. Arthur let his rucksack fall on the ground and drew his sword leaning heavily against the wall behind him. His crutch was lying forgotten at his feet.

Strangely enough the creatures didn't seem to be in any hurry. But, now that he thought about it, why would they be? He was completely and utterly trapped. This was it then.

But he wasn't going down easily. In the growing darkness Arthur had one last trick up his sleeve. As swiftly as he was able he tugged a cylindrical tube out of the side-pocket of his backpack. Just when one of the scorpions launched its attack, Arthur ignited the flare and pushed it against the creature's skin. If scorpions could scream this one would as it coiled back and fell down limply. Arthur stretched his arm out and made a wide arc with the red flare forcing the others back as well. Like all animals they had a healthy fear of fire.

Arthur meanwhile had placed all of his weight on his right leg gripping the sword as tight as he could to prepare himself for the inevitable. He vowed to take at least one of these monsters down with him, perhaps he could manage two. The flare had started spluttering and any second now it would stop, plummeting them in darkness and signalling the final attack. Arthur tried to picture Gwen's face one more time but his mind wasn't cooperating. As the light snuffed out he regretted that the most.

It was dark for about a second, time enough for Arthur to chuck the now useless flare at the nearest scorpion and prompt all others to attack. He raised his sword when all of a sudden huge flames flooded the canyon. They bypassed Arthur who in a reflex gesture still pressed himself as flat as possible against the rocks. The scorpions weren't that lucky. They scrambled away as fast as they could and hurried back up the path disappearing once again in the maze-like landscape.

Arthur swirled his head in the other direction. A man was standing in the entrance his hand still outstretched though he lowered it to his side when the last flames disappeared into thin air. The man seemed very old at first sight. He had long unkempt white hair and an equally scruffy beard. Yet Arthur could feel a sort of power or authority or both just oozing out of him that contradicted the strange man's outward appearance.

A small ball of light bobbed up and down in the air next to old man who seemed satisfied with the scorpions' retreat. He stared at Arthur now and the young man fought the impulse to gulp. He wasn't afraid but this felt like one of those pivotal moments in life you only fully understood later. Arthur didn't lower his sword though. He hadn't forgotten the scorch marks on the tunnel wall. Yet as the old man drew nearer there was something about the way he moved and looked that was eerily familiar.

You've all been very patient but he's finally here! : ) And Merlin won't be leaving again!