Hey guys, it's been awhile since I put up a story. I'm working on a couple projects right now, but I figured it was time to start putting them up. Here is the first chapter of the sequel to A Thousand Lives. This would not be possible without my beta, Spirit Speaker, and her constant encouragement of all my weird ideas. Enjoy!

The cemetery was nearly abandoned at this time, since no one wanted to stand and pay their respects in hurricane like conditions. There were a few here and there that braved the storm, but not as many as normally would be. Near the middle of the cemetery, a young man kneeled with what jasmines hadn't been blown away by the wind. He had only a light poncho, and no umbrella to shield him from the storm.

"Hey sis. It's been a long time since I've been able to come back here. Just too risky. I'm sorry it has to be this way, but my life is kind of a mess, as you may well know. I just hope you're somewhere safe now. Away from all this. It's funny how dying can change your outlook on an afterlife. I would have brought more jasmines, but with the weather, it's the best I can do. I can't stay much longer, for the obvious reasons. I do wish I could though. I still feel guilty about what happened, and maybe that's the reason I haven't come back in so long. I hope you know how much you're missed. By mom and dad too, I'm sure. I think they've accepted that I died in the car crash. Or shortly after at least. I haven't been back to town since that day. I probably should go over and say something to Tommy. Tell him it wasn't his fault. However, it was my fault that you died. I couldn't save you. And for that, I can never be forgiven." Lucas paused a moment to wipe away the tears from his eyes.

It had been 18 years since his sister was brutally murdered, and he still hadn't found any solace in her murderer's death. He had tried to help out random people when he could. He had avoided major cities in that time, for fear of running into others of his kind. He had even fled to England for awhile. But the time had finally come to ask for forgiveness from his sister, and so he had come back. It was time he made a new life for himself, and stopped running from the demons of his past. He was going to have to forge himself if he wanted to live as long as Methos. Yet in the 18 years that had passed, one thing remained the same: He owed his life to Methos. If he could ever find a hint of the man, he'd go and thank him. For now, all he could do was honor his sister by helping others.

As the rain continued to pound him, he laid the last of the flowers on his sister's grave.

"Goodbye for now, Alice. Someday, I'll come back and visit you again. I miss you." With that, Lucas stood up and started to leave the cemetery, determined not to visit Carmi again for a long time. But as he walked towards the entrance, he felt compelled to visit his old friend, Tommy. He wasn't quite sure what he'd say, but the need to say something overwhelmed him.

"Hey, Tommy, this is really a bad idea isn't it? I didn't fail you, you just had some shitty luck. It sucks that this life came at the cost of yours. I wouldn't have wished for this, as you well know. Unfortunately, now you and Alice have both paid the cost of my existence. I hope you forgave me." He didn't know what else to say, so he started to walk out of the cemetery.

As he was on his way out, he felt the familiar buzzing of an Immortal nearby.

No! They have no reason to be here. I need to find a way out, Lucas was panicking at the thought. An older gentleman noticed him, and sighed.

"Well, this is awkward. I didn't think any of our kind would be here. But this isn't the time to pick a fight, being holy ground and all. If you want to fight me, I'm afraid you're out of luck, and I suggest you skip town as quickly as possible." As the man spoke, he stepped aside and left the entrance open to Lucas to pass through.

"You're a rare man among us to not pick a fight. Can I ask what your name is?" Lucas was mildly curious. He'd look it up later, see what he could find out about it.

"A long time ago, I was known as Sherman. Though that time has come and passed. I wish you long life, young man. I hope we never meet again." Taking a hint, Lucas quickly left the cemetery, without ever asking why the man was there in the first place. It was a long way from anywhere, and not many had a reason to pass through.
Too nervous to stick around, Lucas decided his best bet was to head back to Evansville, and take a Greyhound to anywhere. Anywhere was better than being back home, where if he stayed any longer, he might be recognized as a dead man.

At the bus station, he had a decision to make. He had made some money a little while back, a thanks for his assistance back in England. He chuckled at himself thinking about what had happened. He had missed home, but he couldn't risk staying too long. It had to end sometime. He'd be back again someday, but for now, he needed to buy a ticket to somewhere. His eyes wandered over the board, and he finally decided on Orlando. He could use some time in the South. He walked up to the counter and started the process of trying to get to Orlando.

"I need a ticket to Orlando. One way." Nice and simple, no need for things to get complicated.

"You'll be on the bus for a long time, son. You'll get to Orlando, via Chicago, Atlanta, and Tallahassee. It'll be a little over a day's worth of travel. You sure about this?" The attendant wanted to make sure the young man was willing to spend over 200 dollars for a bus ride.

"The longer it takes, the better," Lucas was about to hand over his money when he realized that the route would take him through 3 major cities. The odds of him running into another Immortal were good, but he wanted to avoid airports at all costs after what happened in England. Though he wasn't exactly thrilled to be going to back to Chicago, it's what had to happen.

Maybe this time he could leave with his life intact. It was a small hope, but he had been told by someone wiser than him to hold on to whatever hope he could. And hope was hard to find these days. So yes, he would hold on to hope whenever hope appeared. For hope was the only thing that drove him to carry on.

Fun fact: If you try and look up this route on Greyhound, you'll find it doesn't exist. Anyways, what do you think of his conversations with Alice and Tommy? And just who was that man in the cemetery? Stick around and you may even find out what happened in England. Thank you all for reading this far! You all help so much.