Footsteps rattled around the inner parts of the tower, bouncing off the walls and reverberating back down the spiral staircase. Running up them came Thomas, struggling slightly. In his arms was the rather limp figure of Alice. From an outside perspective this seemed quite a large undertaking considering how he was at least a head of two shorter than her. Thankfully for him, she was quite light, and he had learned how to carry objects quite easily, even while running up stairs. Still, the extra weight was having an effect, and he felt a bit uncomfortable being so close to her, even if she didn't know it.
The staircase he was in felt like a castle tower. Grey brick and lanterns lined the inside of the large circular space and while bright light poured inside from the slit-lined windows, giving a harsh light in the relative gloom. He sprinted up the next couple of steps two at a time, hoping to reach the top. He couldn't remember how long he had been running. A couple of seconds? Minutes? Hours? The walls seemed to repeat themselves every few steps, and the only indication of progress was through glimpses of the scenes outside the windows.
He ran on, the soft tapping of his feet the only noise he heard. It was a stark contrast to what it had looked like from the outside. Out there, the tower was a magnificent buildings, brilliant white and gleaming. Inside was mostly endless grey brick and mortar. He pressed on, still very aware of the body he was carrying. After that, there was a moment he was racing up the stairs, and then the next he was falling face first towards the stairs.
It took him a split second to react, which was lucky, because another split second longer and it was likely that he wouldn't have got off as lightly. Spinning round, he managed to not fall flat on his face, but instead fell backwards onto the steps. The steps, not being the best location for breaking one's fall, helped make a very convincing thumping sound as he hit them.
Thomas cried out from the pain, the hard edge of the stairs digging into his back, and the extra weight of Alice on top of his further added to his painful position.
With a groan, he managed to move her body off of him and laid it down on the steps carefully. He shook her gently and was met only by light breathing and still closed eyes. His fears alleviated, his mind once again returned to the pain on his back. It was nothing unbearable, but it still throbbed underneath his robe. He held it out in front of him and frowned. There was another rip in it, and he wasn't sure that he wouldn't be able to hide this away from Mari. He sighed and stood up again, stretching out, thinking about what to do now. This proved slightly easier to decide when he heard loud clangs of metal just above him. He looked at the top of the stairs, and then back at Alice. A few seconds later he was back to running, the sounds getting louder as he got closer to the top. He hoped that when Alice did wake up, she wouldn't be too unhappy.
The staircase he was in felt like a castle tower. Grey brick and lanterns lined the inside of the large circular space and while bright light poured inside from the slit-lined windows, giving a harsh light in the relative gloom. He sprinted up the next couple of steps two at a time, hoping to reach the top. He couldn't remember how long he had been running. A couple of seconds? Minutes? Hours? The walls seemed to repeat themselves every few steps, and the only indication of progress was through glimpses of the scenes outside the windows.
He ran on, the soft tapping of his feet the only noise he heard. It was a stark contrast to what it had looked like from the outside. Out there, the tower was a magnificent buildings, brilliant white and gleaming. Inside was mostly endless grey brick and mortar. He pressed on, still very aware of the body he was carrying. After that, there was a moment he was racing up the stairs, and then the next he was falling face first towards the stairs.
It took him a split second to react, which was lucky, because another split second longer and it was likely that he wouldn't have got off as lightly. Spinning round, he managed to not fall flat on his face, but instead fell backwards onto the steps. The steps, not being the best location for breaking one's fall, helped make a very convincing thumping sound as he hit them.
Thomas cried out from the pain, the hard edge of the stairs digging into his back, and the extra weight of Alice on top of his further added to his painful position.
With a groan, he managed to move her body off of him and laid it down on the steps carefully. He shook her gently and was met only by light breathing and still closed eyes. His fears alleviated, his mind once again returned to the pain on his back. It was nothing unbearable, but it still throbbed underneath his robe. He held it out in front of him and frowned. There was another rip in it, and he wasn't sure that he wouldn't be able to hide this away from Mari. He sighed and stood up again, stretching out, thinking about what to do now. This proved slightly easier to decide when he heard loud clangs of metal just above him. He looked at the top of the stairs, and then back at Alice. A few seconds later he was back to running, the sounds getting louder as he got closer to the top. He hoped that when Alice did wake up, she wouldn't be too unhappy.
