Disclaimer: All I own is a Dog a Cat a laptop computer and a 15 year old ford Windstar van with a shot transmission. I do not own anything having to do with the BtVS universe including but not limited to (lol) the characters, plot, cast, or episodes. In fact this is an AU story so it only involves the characters. If you feel the need to sue me I'd have to say get in line behind the credit card collectors who are trying to get my money also and good luck.
AN: Not all the Military mumbo-jumbo is true. Some of it is there just to move the plot along. Mostly the Contracts are not realistic and neither is the type of unit that Faith is in. Someday we can hope but not today we still have a long way to go before then.
AN: This is the only chapter of this story to have a Beta look it over. After that my beta just had a few too many things on her plate but that's ok. I'm hoping to find a new one through going ahead and throwing this out there at the advice of my mate Grumbello. So if that doesn't work I'll blame her. LOL Any way please forgive and spelling mistakes unless you want to point them out so I can fix them, I know my spelling is horrid and is reason enough for me to need a beta. Other than that I have about 4 chapters of this already written up and ready to go. I started this years ago and it never got finished and has been bouncing around my noggin ever sense and now it's time to finish it. Let me know what you think please be honest and blunt but if you're going to be rude and hurtful don't bother I won't pay it any attention. Thank you all for reading this far and enjoy.
The girl ran out of a thorn bush-she was covered in cuts and bruises. The proof that she hadn't tried to block any of the thorns from cutting her was dripping bright red down her ivory white skin. Her emerald green eyes, red and puffy from crying, were full of fear and pain. She ran like she knew the thick forest better than anyone else, effortlessly dogging trees, jumping logs and ducking branches before she could see them. She ran past a low branch miss judging as it swiped her face just under the eye and a new trail of blood began to mix with her tears and stream down her face. She ran hard as if she was trying to make it hurt, looking for comfort in the pain.
She ran quickly as if she wasn't finding the comfort or pain she was seeking though the numbness starting to show in her eyes. She jumped over a hill that fell down into the bank. She hit the side and her knees buckled from the force, sending her tumbling down to the creek bed. She groaned and pushed herself up to a kneeling position before standing again. She swayed slightly on unsteady legs and began running again. She was slower now, starting to lose energy.
She continued down the creek splashing through the water and mud and sandy grit. She fell, now and then, but then she stood up again and continued to run.
Her eyes were weak, showing the energy that was slowly draining away. She could no longer feel the sand and rocks grind into her skin. All she knew was the pounding of one step to the next and the impacts of her steps in to the earth. She pushed harder wanting to go faster. She found one last reserve and ran more quickly than she had before as she came up to a rocky bend in the creek. She ran up onto some rocks that were big but slanted and unstable. As she jumped from one to the next, the rocks shifted and she fell, hitting her head and twisting her leg. She tried to push herself up again but her body gave out with a groan, and she fell back against the rocks. She lay unmoving on the rocks as the water ran down stream, colored red with the girl's blood. In the background the birds chirped and the water trickled. In the distance there was a yelling so faint that it could scarcely be heard, and the words were unknown to the motionless redhead.
A blond girl walked out to the young redhead and rolled her body to lay flat on the rock. After checking her pulse, more severe cuts, and for any head injuries, the blonde lifted her from the ground. The unconscious girl let out a groan as she was hoisted up on to the blonde's shoulder. Then, the blonde calmly walked down the stream and up a hidden path leading away from the small water way.
