[i]This can't be it. There has to be a way out. Somehow, please, let there be a way out of this![/i]


Scarlet was no stranger to life threatening situations. In fact he faces such situations almost daily. However this was of a much, much larger scale. A thick crowd of angry near-rabid people all shouting themselves hoarse were starting to grow less and less fearful of the weapons meant to keep them at bay. A wall of flesh, noise, and hate proceeded to press further and further inwards forcing Scarlet to scoot back in fear as the crowd forced the hostile guards closer to him. Frantically Scarlet's eyes darted in every direction but the crowd was far too thick to try and charge through and he didn't want to test his luck against the trigger-happy guards. He was going to be shot that was a guarantee. He had come all this way for a fistful of coin and a musket-ball feast. Suddenly the skies seemed to fill with nothing but the sounds of gunfire that drowned out even the deafening noise of the rabid crowd.

[i]Is the world ending what is going on? Did those Travelers cause all this? Regardless I refuse to let this become my grave. If I can't go forward then I have to go backwards through the door while everyone is distracted.[/i]

His eyes shining with newly formed confidence Scarlet quickly rose to his feet and turned towards the door. It was just a simple wooden door. Even if it was locked he was sure he could break something like a wooden door. Scarlet grasped the door latch and pulled only for his hand to slip right off when the door didn't even budge an inch. Gritting his teeth Scarlet grasped the latch with both hands and tugged on it as hard as he could to no avail. Over and over he yanked on the latch but no matter what the barred door refused to open.

"Oi! Get away from the door! Now, before I shoot!"

One of the guards had noticed the flurry of movement behind him as the small boy dressed in rags on the ground was now attempting to force his way through the door he was supposed to be guarding. Scarlet, ignoring the shouts from the guard as insignificant they were compared to the gunfire above, proceeded to ram his shoulder into the door repeatedly tears welling up as his shoulder bruised from the repeated bashing.

"Open, damn you, open! Open!"

With one final shove against the door Scarlet fell to his knees and pounded on the door with his fist. The brief moment of confidence he had was now shattered. Slumping fully to the ground he sat down and put his back up against the door and looked up into the sky one last time.

[i]Well this is it I guess. I can't go anywhere from here and my only way out is completely blocked. Blocked by a feeble wooden door. What a great end to this slum rat. I wonder what'll get me first? Whatever is on the other side of this wall or what's already on this side. The skies sure are clear today. I wonder what it'd be like to fly up there right now. Just look down on this shit hole and laugh. That'd be swee--[/i]

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when the door behind him suddenly lurched inwards. Scarlet managed to scramble to his feet just quick enough to get grabbed and thrown by the panicked guard that had unlocked the door in the first place. He groaned as he crashed heavily into another person and landed on his bruised shoulder. Rolling off of the person he landed on Scarlet picked himself up and looked out at the newly opened door and grinned widely with a snort of laughter.

"Fuck yeah I got through! I'm still alive ya fuckers! Today sure ain't the day ya kill me off--"

Scarlet nearly choked on his own spit as he turned towards the noise behind him and saw the door leading to the outside undulating as roots burrowed their way in and out of the door.

"Oh come o--Ach!"

Once more he was interrupted. This time by a woman he had never seen before who decided it was best to run back into the city and get away from whatever was at the door as possible with both him and the other mystery person in tow.

"Who in the hell are you? Who is this, and what the hell were those!?" 

He shouted as he tried to keep himself from collapsing as he kept up with the woman's pace.