Author's Notes: Wow! Two chapters in two days? And all for you lovely people! Yeahh i figured that the puny chapter I gave you just wasn't enough. So, to make it up to you, I put the two short chapters together to create... giganto-chapter! Enjoy round two of OC Claire's confusion!

Link Hoshi: Yeah, the blue haired girl in the first chapter was Raine. I dunno. The first time I saw her, my thoughts went something like: 'Oh my lord, did someone pour kool-aid into that woman's hair?' (Same with Genis and Yuan. By the time Regal rolled around, I was pretty used to odd hair colors :D) And after that I always pictured Raine with blue hair. But I'll use silver to clear up any confusion!

Jesus, I think I am officially addicted to reviews. They are like crack for writers. Really. I never knew how great they were until I saw them on my own story! Those things are like pure joy for my eyes. O_O So, please, keep'em comin!

I need to stop rambling aimlessly. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own ToS, or whichever company makes kool-aid

Seagulls cawed from somewhere far in the distance. I smelled… fish? And salt? Gross. I wrinkled my nose and turned to lie on my stomach, burying my head into the pillow.

I didn't want to wake up, because I was fully aware of the situation I was in. Well, at least I wasn't dead via killer rabbit attack. That would just be pitiful.

I felt…off. There was no other word for it, really. My arm, somehow miraculously, was fine. But that wasn't the strange part. What really surprised me was the lack of scars or bruises. If it weren't for the gigantic hole in my sleeve and the bloodstains covering my body, I wouldn't believe that anything had happened.

I attempted to get up from the small bed, but quickly lay back down. Everything was... spinning. I closed my eyes and took in a slow breath.

Once I felt my dizziness fade slightly, I risked opening my eyes once more.

Ceiling.

Still lying on my back, I twisted my body around to get a good look at the room. I quickly realized that 'room' was not the correct word. 'Shack' would probably be more appropriate.

Everything was wood. Wooden walls. Wooden floors. Wooden table. Oh, and wooden chairs… how refreshing. One identical bed was positioned next to this one, and the only other scenery was a tiny candle on the table and a large window that was fixed to the wall on my left. There were some small bags in the corner… so there were people here...

The sound of a chair scraping across the floor in another room reached my ears, and I froze.

Another minute passed and nothing happened. I closed my eyes. Maybe it was all a dream.
Maybe I would wake up and my old bedroom would appear. I could only hope.

I peeked open an eye.

The man-or should I say boy- from earlier was staring at me curiously, literally three inches from my face. I jerked back from reflex, hitting my head on the wall behind me.

"Oww…" I winced and patted the now bruised area.

He gave me a wide grin and whipped his head around, "Hey, Kratos. You were right, she is awake!" A taller, more serious looking man walked up behind him.

Damn, he was sexy. Did I say that out loud? No? Good…

"Hmph. I suppose I should tell the others." With a flourish of his cape, he spun around and strode into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

Though I knew that I was probably in a tight spot, I decided that it would help if I could talk to them. Maybe these people wanted me here for a reason, and once they got their answer, I could go home.

The worn-out springs screeched as I sat upright in the bed. Now that we were alone, I took a good look at my savior.

He was handsome. Of course, that would be the first thing I noticed. His face was strong and sculpted, and his crimson-brown eyes shined with boyish excitement. He had a blood red coat with a very high collar, and two white tails hanging limply from the back. Strange… yet familiar.

How could he stand wearing that coat? I'm in a light jacket, and I'm on the verge of sweating. He should be burning up!

The boy cleared his throat, waving his hand in front of my face. "Hello? Are you alright?"

I blinked and looked up, suddenly realizing that I was staring at his awesome heavy-but-not-warm coat. I gotta get me one of those. "Oh, um… Yeah."

My head was spinning, and I felt a faint stinging sensation in my arms… but other than that, I was fine.

His smile returned, obviously satisfied with my response.

"What were you doing way out on Ossa Trail? And without an escort or anything?"

He gave me a patronizing look. "Maybe it would be okay if you could defend yourself, but with that rabbit…"

I shuddered involuntarily.
Oh, God. You know, I was hoping he would just let the demon bunny thing go.

"Not everyone carries around two enormous swords, like some people." I glanced down at the swords strapped onto his belt, and my confidence wavered. It really wasn't smart to anger strangers with sharp swords at their disposal. Maybe I'd better apologize before he snaps…

But he didn't seem hurt by my comment. In fact, he was looking at me like I was insane.
"Everyone who wants to travel does. And that reminds me, why were you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the wooden door creaked open. A silver-haired duo and a peppy blonde filed into the room; followed by the sexy redheaded man that was speaking earlier… whoa, that was some spiky hair. Then again, redcoat over here had some pretty crazy hair too. I guess it's just popular over here… wherever that is.

They took their respective places in the room, the blonde and redcoat sitting on the bed next to me, and the silver duo sitting at the small wooden table at the center of the room.

The older man stood alone in the corner, with a hand on the hilt of his sword. Jesus, that sword was huge. I'd bet he could butcher me with one lazy swipe.

I decided to stay a safe distance from him.

The older silver-sibling was a fairly young woman, maybe twenty-five. I recognized her as the one who was checking my wound before I passed out. She wore a large orange coat with white boots and had a staff in her hand, which immediately reminded me of Yoda. It took all I had not to giggle at that.

Her calculating eyes narrowed when she saw me glance at her. I quickly looked away. What was her problem?

My gaze landed on the smaller boy, about eleven or twelve. The bright blue shirt he wore only went mid-waist, showing a black t-shirt underneath. The shorts were almost identical in color and design, making me think that he probably bought it as a full outfit. He looked like he could be her son… but that would mean it was a teen pregnancy. I'm just going to go with brother for now.

He was pretty adorable, actually. His silver nest of hair was sticking in every direction… what was it with these people and hair? It's like they all decided to go crazy with the hair gel.

He was smiling at something the red-coat guy said. His impish grin reminded me of my sister… they would be about the same age.

Thinking of my family gave me a sharp pang of guilt. They were probably so worried. My mom would be so lonely, and my poor big brother… he was always so protective of us. He would never forgive himself if he knew I was scared and alone in an unknown place…

"…Well?"

I looked up from my daze. "Erm… What?"

The stern woman sighed, and repeated, "I said, what were you doing on that mountain alone, with no protection whatsoever? And what were you thinking, bending down to pet that rabbit monster? Luckily, there were only minor injuries, but think of the possibilities! You could have been seriously hurt, or even killed. Not to mention, it took almost all of my mana to cure you, which meant that I was of no use when that assassin attacked moments later. That was very irresponsible of you! We had to-"

"I think what the Professor means to say," Said the young blonde, quickly, "Is that you could have been very hurt. Why didn't you just run?"

These people were obviously not the ones who brought me here. Then who…?

"Well," I replied, looking down in embarrassment, "I can't see very well, and- and I thought maybe it was just a normal rabbit, until I got a good look at it's face." I shuddered. "I love animals, but they don't usually let me get that close, so…"

I looked up apologetically. "Anyway, thanks for helping me out back there. Now, if you could just point me to the local authorities, I'll be on my way."

There was a collective look of shock from the group. What? There was no police or mayor or anything here?

The little kid fiddled with the bottom of his baggy blue shirt absentmindedly. "There is no government system in Izoold, so there is no authority… but most people from around here would know that." He his gaze narrowed suspiciously. I think I had a good idea where he got that.

The boy in red's eyes opened wide in realization. You could almost see a little light bulb go off above his head.

"But the Professor is pretty knowledgeable about these parts. I'll bet she could help you."

He turned and gave a pleading look to the 'professor'. She looked a little young to be a professor… but anyone with that title must be pretty smart.

She looked at me in exasperation, like I was some lengthy distraction on her list of oh-so-important things to do. Because helping a lost child is such a burden.

"That would be great!" I exclaimed. Hopefully, I could make them pity me enough to have them take me all the way home. If not, I could always look for a phone and call to have my family pick me up. Either way, knowing that I was no longer in the presence of a psycho was very reassuring. And, other than the scary man in the corner, these people were very kind.

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me where I am… I got, er… lost and somehow wound up on top of that mountain."

There was no need to tell them that I had no recollection of what brought me here. I didn't even understand the details, so I doubt they would be able to help.

It frustrated me that I couldn't remember what had happened, even now. There must be some important information that I was missing…

"We are in Izoold, on the western continent." The Professor looked at me with a mixture of confusion and suspicion. "Forgive me for being straightforward, but what were you doing out there? And how could you not keep track of where you were?"

Izoold? Was that a town? And what did she mean by 'western continent'? Last time I checked, there were seven continents. Unless my third grade social studies teacher was out of his mind.

I wasn't very good at coming up with excuses. Changing the topic usually worked well, but there was really nothing else to talk about. And they were all waiting for an answer.

I coughed nervously. "I don't really have an answer to either of those questions…"

Her eyebrows flew up and she crossed her arms skeptically. "So, you're saying you don't know why you were at the top of Ossa Trail, or why you didn't think to keep accurate directions or even a map?"

She was making me look like an idiot. And worse, I couldn't argue with her. Everything she said was true.

"When you put it like that, it makes me sound like a moron… but, yeah. That's pretty much it."

I matched her glare with one of my own. I was getting tired of her attitude. She couldn't be more than five years older than me, yet she acted as if she was some sort of sage. I didn't want to be dropped in the forest, with no clue how I got there. And I sure as hell didn't want to be interrogated by some random doctor chick I just met.

The four others watched our staring match uneasily. Finally, the blonde cleared her throat and spoke.

"Miss, I'm not sure what you were doing up there, or how we could help, but I think it might be a good idea to get to know each other! I'm Colette, and this is Lloyd."

She waved a hand toward redcoat, who looked relieved for the subject change. He grinned and gave a little salute.

"And I'm Genis!" piped the tiny boy in blue.

I gave a small smile. I just had to get my questions answered, and then I could find my own way home. Nice or not, they were still strangers.

Genis coughed subtly and nudged the Professor's arm. She rolled her eyes.
"…My name is Raine, but you may call me Miss Sage."

Huh. I quickly realized the irony in her last name. It was almost laughable.

Colette's grin didn't fade "And that's Kratos." She pointed to the mysterious man in the corner, who hadn't said a word this whole time. He looked to me and nodded.

"Hey, I'm Claire. Claire Wagner... Listen, I was wondering if maybe you had a map or something that I could borrow? I really need to get home before my parents start worrying …"

It was then that I heard Kratos speak. "We only have one map, and it is vital to the successful outcome of our journey. We cannot allow you to take it."

Raine nodded, "Yes. It would be a major setback if she were to lose or run away with our only world map."

I stared at them in irritation. Really? You could buy a map for a buck at any nearby gas station. Was it that big of a deal? Apparently, it was.

Lloyd shrugged, "I don't think she would lose it, but we could at least let her look at the map…right?"

Raine opened her mouth to protest, but closed it after she found that she really couldn't argue.

Colette smiled and reached into her bag, pulling out an enormous map on faded paper. It looked almost like the pirate maps I made for scavenger hunts when I was little. The edges were ripped and a faded yellow color.

She laid it open on the table, and I looked at the hand drawn writing with a mixture of confusion and dread. What was this?

This wasn't Earth.

This wasn't even a country on Earth. The three masses of land showed no familiarity to me. My heart sank as I pretended to study the map. At first, I was a little annoyed. It was probably a cruel trick played on me by these strangers. I just had to wait for one of them to burst into laughter, pulling out the real map as they told me that I was too gullible.

I looked up for an explanation, but everyone seemed to have dispersed. Lloyd and Genis were on the other side of the room, asking Colette something about wings. Raine had pulled an old vase from her bag, and was frantically writing something down, leaving time to shoot me suspicious looks every few seconds.

They weren't laughing… or even paying any attention to the fact that this map was totally wrong. So then… this wasn't a joke.

Kratos was still leaning on the back wall… watching my alarmed reaction with interest. I hurriedly looked away. Had he seen my whole panic attack?

I wiped a sweaty palm against my jeans as I took a second look at the map. There was Izoold, and it was indeed on the western continent. I could see the mountain I had woken up on, Ossa Trail, but I didn't see any sign of Detroit… or Michigan… Or even the freaking United States.

Alright, maybe these people were just a little insane. Now that I thought about it, carrying around huge swords and staffs was not what I called normal behavior. And just look at their clothes! They looked like something out of a fantasy book. Therefore, it might be possible that they made this map themselves. And if they were crazy, I didn't want to stick around.

I had seen enough of this fake map, and I just wanted to get away from these insane people. I gently rolled up the map then turned toward the door. I would find a real map and then go from there.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I jumped. Turning around, I sighed a breath of relief. For a second, I thought I would be staring into the cold glare of Kratos, but it was only Colette. I still didn't trust that man. It may have had something to do with the giant sword.

Her mouth tugged at a frown, "Claire, did the map help? You look upset… is it because we left you over here? I'm so sorry; we should have helped you read it. I know I had trouble the first time I tried to follow the map. That's why we usually let Kratos do all of the navigating… I should have paid more attention…"

I was stunned. Was she apologizing for going a few feet away to talk to her friends? Unbelievable.

"No, no Colette! That's not it… I just realized that I was a bit further from home than I thought. Don't apologize." I opened the map again.

Colette's face brightened "Oh, sorry! Maybe we can help you get home? If we can help you in any way, please don't hesitate to ask."

I laughed nervously, and looked back down at the map. Shit. I had really dug myself into a hole this time…

"Ah. Well, that's very kind of you, Colette. But I think it may be a bit too far away…" At least that was half true.

"See, we're here," I pointed to the little dot that said 'Izoold', "But I live closer to-" I looked for a dot that was far, far away from here. The farther it was from here, the closer it was to home. At least, I hoped."-Here!" I pointed to a dot surrounded by lots of water. The 'great lakes state' had to be by water, right?

"Luin? That is far away…"

"Indeed it is." Said Kratos, walking toward us. "I'm afraid we cannot help you. We are currently looking for a ship to take us to Palmacosta. It would be quite a detour."

Colette's grin faded, and then leaped back. "Well, we can at least keep you company before we have to leave. While Lloyd and Kratos go look for a ship, we can just relax together! We aren't leaving until tomorrow anyway. You know, I've never been to the beach before…"

Lloyd didn't seem super excited to be going on a lone trip with Kratos.

I didn't blame him.

Genis' head sprung up. "Hey! If Lloyd's going to find the ship, I wanna go too!"

Kratos didn't look so enthusiastic. "Though I'm sure we would be able to find the ship in time, it would be difficult to protect the Chosen if she were not in my sight."

His piercing glare washed over me, and it made me want to crawl into a hole and die.

How did I get dragged into this? All I wanted to do was to go home, not spend a freaking beach day with the blonde!

"Erm… Actually," I started, "I really need to be on my way. I've caused enough trouble as it is. You know, with the fainting … and the rabbit …" I mentally smacked myself. Why did I have to bring up the rabbit?

Colette acted as if she hadn't heard me. She looked up at Kratos, eyes big and watery. Ahh, the old puppy dog trick. One of my favorites.

"But Kratos, Raine will be with us! I'll be fine for a few hours."

Knowing the doctor was coming made the idea less appealing. She was obviously suspicious of me, and the way she looked at me…

Raine's face poked up from the journal she was previously absorbed in. "Yes, I suppose I could watch her." Her eyes narrowed when they met mine.

Colette clasped her hands together, teeming with excitement. "Oh, good! I wish our new friend could come, but she had to leave pretty quickly…"

Genis rolled his eyes "Colette, she was trying to kill you. She's defiantly not your friend." As if someone trying to kill you was the most normal thing in the world.

"Maybe not now, but I'm sure if I just talked to her, we could be good friends." Colette argued. I was starting to see a pattern here.

Meanwhile, I was slowly inching my way to the door. "Look, you're all very nice people, and the beach does sound fun, but I really just want to go home…" Huh, that line sounded familiar… I felt like I was saying it wrong, though.

I watched Colette's face fall. I imagine this would be the feeling you get after kicking a puppy.
"Oh, yes… of course. You must feel awfully homesick."

A hesitant smile played on her lips. "We won't keep you waiting if you don't want to… just let me know when you're leaving and if we can help at all, okay?"

She turned to leave, looking back and giving me one more smile before prancing over to Lloyd and Genis.

Raine, having watched the whole exchange, stood up and abruptly pulled me aside.
"A word?" I nodded reluctantly.

We walked over to the corner of the small shack. "Claire, I know that you barely know us, and this may seem like a strange request, but I would like you to go have fun with Colette." She looked back at Colette, a solemn look on her face. "She doesn't know many other girls her age, and… and this may be the last time she gets to relax like this… in a long time…"

She said the last bit as an afterthought. "I would normally be skeptical of letting Colette associate with a total stranger, but I don't believe you hold much of a threat. Your mana is very weak, and you don't have an exphere, or even a weapon. And Colette does seem to put a great deal of trust in you. Although, she has a habit of being too trusting for her own good."

I nodded. That did seem like something she would do.
"Yeah, I noticed."

I couldn't believe it. Was she actually encouraging this?
Well, the poor girl did seem nice… Maybe I could use a break. And, if they were dangerous, wouldn't they have done something by now?

"I suppose if I were to chaperone, there wouldn't be an issue. If you do this, I will consider it payment for the inn's fee that we paid. Seeing as you have no money, I would seriously consider your options."

I didn't even know I had a debt.

I could run, but it didn't seem right after all they had done for me. Saving me from being eaten and bringing me to a town was almost payment enough. Not to mention the fact that they paid for my room at an inn. And if they couldn't even afford a decent map, that must have been a huge sacrifice. They may be a little insane, but they were nice enough.

"I guess I could relax a little before I… leave…" What was I going to do, anyway? I had no clue where I was, or which way I should go. I suppose my first step would be to get a real map in town.

Raine nodded knowingly.

Sighing, I turned back toward the group and put on my best grin. "Ahem…"

All heads turned to me.
"Nice weather today, isn't it? Makes me want to go to the beach…"

Catching my drift, Colette's eyes widened. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Like a girls-day-out! I think we can be good friends, Claire."

"…friends?" I smiled at the thought.

Colette nodded cheerily and grabbed my arm, pulling me out the door and into the harsh sunlight.

The sun was already high in the sky as we crossed the short road to the small strip of beach. I'll have to admit, a day at the beach did sound nice, especially since my pale skin hadn't seen sunlight in months. And this girl seemed very eager to get to know me.

That was strange for me. At home, I tended to fade into the background. No one really cared if I was their friend or not; they were happy in their little cliques. Of course, I had my group of friends as well, and I was never shy of going up and talking to people. But I always wondered why I was the only one trying… why people never came up and talked to me.

It was sort of refreshing. Something told me that she honestly wanted to know me…

…

"…And now we just have to break the holy seals, and I can become an angel and regenerate the world." Colette gave an almost bitter smile. "My hope is to create a better life for the people of this world…"

We were lying on the warm sand, watching the waves roll in. Neither of us had swimsuits, and I didn't want to get my hair wet anyway. The day had almost been spent, and we were all exhausted. For most of the day, Colette and I built sand castles with the village children. Later on, Raine took me on a tour of the tiny fishing town. It was a fun day, despite my growing homesickness.

While Raine was telling a fascinated Colette about the history of sailboats, I was able to sneak into the village store and buy a map. Unfortunately, as I had dreaded, all of the maps showed the same three masses of land… none of which had any familiar towns or cities on them.

So, I was stuck here until I could figure out what the hell was going on. I swear, if this was some elaborate April fool's joke, someone is going to get my foot in their ass. Because this…this wasn't funny at all…

The others would be back with the boat soon. Raine had told me that they plan on leaving first thing tomorrow, and then I would be alone again…

I had been listening to Colette's tale for about an hour. It sounded almost magical, like a fairytale. I felt a sting of envy. Her life had so much purpose… and to be an angel.

My mind kept screaming 'it's not real!', but when I saw the sincere look of determination on Colette's face, I knew she was serious. And I wanted it to be real.

No, it couldn't be real…

"To become an angel…" I whispered thoughtfully, "Do you think it's real, Miss Raine?" I knew that Raine was still very suspicious of me, but after patiently listening to her long lecture on the economy of Izoold, she seemed to have at least grown more tolerant.

Raine nodded from the other side of Colette. "I have seen the proof in Colette. It is indisputable, now that the tower has appeared."

My brow furrowed, "What tower?"

Colette pointed behind her, to a thin black line, barely visible in the setting sky.

It was like the biggest skyscraper I had ever seen, but how it didn't topple over with the slightest wind was beyond me.
It had a grand, majestic appearance that I had never seen captured in a building before. I almost wanted to write poetry to describe the beauty of the tower… and I never write poetry.

It was beautiful, but the others chose not to look. They had probably seen it many times before.
I looked on in amazement. How was this not the eighth wonder of the world?

…because it is not your world…

Woah, where did that come from? Of course this was my world… Just because the maps make no sense… and the locals have a crazy religion… and people turn into angels… and there are huge gravity defying…towers…

…

Everything suddenly clicked. I gasped. It all made so much sense. The swords… the strange clothing…the towns with foreign names… the lack of government… I felt sick.

Maybe everyone here was crazy? No, I couldn't say these people were crazy, because I've spoken with them. They, and the townspeople, all sincerely believed in this regeneration crap.

Colette likely took my gasp as a feeling of awe. She nodded and replied, "Yeah, it's…really something, isn't it?"

This couldn't be… I didn't want to believe it. If I was a world away, how could I possibly even get here?

Colette looked over at my conflicted expression, concern written on her face. Okay, I had to keep calm. I tried to collect myself and my thoughts.

"Claire, are you alright? Your face… you just-"

"I'm fine, Colette. I'm fine."

I was not fine. Inwardly, I was dying. My family…my home… When would I get to see them again? Would I ever? My carefully constructed wall of denial was crumbling into nothing. I needed to confide in someone, but no one was there.

I had never felt so alone…

I stood abruptly. Both heads turned toward me, eyes filled with uncertainty.

"I have to go. I…I'm sorry. I have to go!" I bolted straight for the entrance to town. Where was I going? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I just needed to be alone with my thoughts.

I slowed to a walk when I reached the gate. Maybe a walk in the forest would help me clear my head. Yes, that sounded nice.

I looked up at the stars as I followed the dusty dirt path out of town. It felt nice to just go out and walk, like I used to at home. This little piece of familiarity did wonders to my outlook. My mind was finally sapped of its adrenaline, and I could take a more logical approach on the issue. Now, I-

"Claire…? Claire! Claire!" I looked back to see one of the little village girls that was building sand castles with us earlier, standing at the town's entrance. She was a tiny little thing, maybe six or seven, with stubby brown pigtails that made her look even younger. I couldn't pinpoint what her name was… Christy? Cathy?

"Oh, hello. What are you still doing out?" I walked over and knelt down, so that she was eye level.

"I saw you leaving the village, and wanted to make sure you were careful of the monsters. They get reeaally dangerous at night!" She made a spooky face and wiggled her fingers to get the point across.

I laughed at her antics. How cute. I remember the age that I was scared of monsters. I told her what my mom always said to make me feel better.

"Well, just so you know, I have a secret weapon."

Her smile widened and she hopped up and down excitedly, "What, what? What is it?"

I raised an eyebrow in mock suspicion. "Are you sure you can keep a secret?"

"Yeah! I'm a very good secret keeper!" She was enthralled by this new game, and I found that I was too.

I got closer and whispered in her ear "I just close my eyes real tight, and say 'monsters aren't real!' over and over, and they go away. You got that?"

The little girl's eyes widened, "Does it really work?" She whispered to me.

"Of course! I do it all the time, and-" My smile grew as I looked into her eyes… but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking behind me… "I haven't run into a single-"

I was caught off guard by an earsplitting scream erupting from the child, as she pointed to something behind me.

A sickly green, slimy goop landed on my shoulder, followed by a heavy, wet panting noise that sounded…very…close…

I whipped around, heart starting to pound. Sudden images of the demon rabbit flooded into my mind. I wasn't prepared for this!
What met my eye was the putrid rotting body of a…was it a human?

"M-m-monster!" I screeched and jumped back in surprise. "Wh-What is that thing?" I immediately started to back away, keeping my body between the creature and the child.

I could feel the girl's heart rate quicken, "Zombie! Zombie!"

Oh my god, oh my god. Once, I saw a crazy 3D zombie movie in the theaters, and couldn't sleep for a week. I knew it was a movie, and the graphics were really cheesy, but just the thought of them made me check my closet a few times… just in case. The only thing that helped me get over it was the fact that I knew they weren't real.

Now, seeing it standing in front of me, ready to eat my face off, I nearly fainted for the third time this week.

The sight of the zombie was enough to make me want to vomit. Its eye was halfway out of its socket, and one arm was missing, leaving only the bone. The hair was partially missing on one side, showing a bit of pink that… I wish could have gone unseen. It had lost almost all of its teeth, but that didn't lessen the danger. All I could focus on was the rusty dagger that it held in its good arm.

I didn't want to touch it, or go near it at all. I wanted to run to my big brother, and let him take this horrible nightmare away… I wanted to run and run until I was back home, with my indoor plumbing and no zombies.

The girl had shut her eyes tight and began chanting, "M-monsters aren't real… Monsters aren't real..."

I looked down, suddenly remembering that there was a little girl here, who was probably just as scared as I was. And there was no big brother to take the bad things away… It was my responsibility this time. But what could I do…? I did what I do best.

"Um…uh…run!" I screamed to the little girl, as I grabbed her hand and bolted toward the town gate.

The child opened her eyes, a panicked expression on her face. "No, no! We can't lead it into town! Mommy told me you have to stab zombies. She says monsters are evil, and gots to die." She tore her hand from mine and crossed her arms in defiance.

I looked at the girl, then the zombie, and then back toward the town.
She was worried about a stupid fishing town when we were going to die?

Frantic, I scooped the little girl into my arms and ran toward the town gate anyway. There was no way I was going to fight that zombie. No way in hell.

Apparently, the kid had other plans, because she was thrashing and kicking violently in my arms.
"No, stop! Gotta beat the monster! Kill it! Kill it!"

"We can't- OW! We can't beat that th-Ouch! Quit it!" Jesus, this kid punched hard. I just decided to put the child down. There was no use in trying to convince her otherwise.

After setting the girl back down, I looked back at the zombie that was limping steadily toward us. "Go get help. I… I'll take care of this, okay?" I instructed the shaking child.

I tried to keep my voice steady and even, so as not to betray any hint of fear. I was surprised to find that it was actually working. I saw the girl's shoulders relax. She gave a determined nod and darted off toward town.

I felt like the one stupid girl in every horror movie that doesn't run away when she has the chance. There was still a chance… I shook my head, as if it could shake away the thought.

No, there was no running now. I just had to hold it off until the girl came back with help.
That was my job… It was simple enough.

My stomach wrenched as I looked around for something to defend myself with. The zombie was now only two or three feet away, flailing the knife wildly and lunging with every step. It landed a few swipes to my face and arms, drawing blood instantly.

I backed away hastily, catching my foot on a stray rock. Already a bundle of nerves, I regained my footing and glanced at the ground in slight annoyance. Ugh, there were so many rocks on this path, I wondered how anyone could walk two feet without tripping…

…Wait, rocks? That was it! Rocks!

Still jumpy with adrenaline, I gathered about a dozen small rocks into my shaking hands. My eyes narrowed slightly as I started chucking the rocks at the creature, aiming mostly at the uncovered section of his head.

Because of my terrible eyesight, most of the rocks missed the zombie by a few feet.
I sighed inwardly, hoping that if I lived through this, I could find an eye doctor soon.

Still, ten wasted rocks later, I finally managed to hit the zombie man. When the stone reached the center of his forehead, I was satisfied to hear a small, but audible, crunch. The creature staggered back, clutching it's head and letting out a deep moan.

I was in shock. I hit it? Awesome! Smiling a bit despite myself, I scooped up a few more rocks and once again started pelting the beast in the head.
I didn't know if I wanted to laugh or cry. I was beating this thing, all on my own! With no sword-wielding maniac to help me!
I chuckled at my private joke, but stopped when I realized that this was only round one…

The zombie was soon ready to attack again, this time with a vengeance. His once-sloppy swipes were becoming more precise, and his movements were now more jerky and haphazard. It was hard enough to aim with my eyesight lacking, but now it was nearly impossible…

His aim, however, was better than ever. My body was now covered in thick red blood, mingling with the drops of sweat running down my arms. The more he lunged, the weaker I was getting. I had to think of something, and fast.

The real danger, I soon realized, was not the zombie, but the knife.

I had to get it out of the creature's hand, or I would be dead very soon.

I looked down to my store of rocks.
I only had two in my hand, but there were two more left on the ground. Alright, so I had four rocks in total… Though not reassuring, it made me feel better to know my odds.

I took extra care to aim my first two rocks, this time at the rusty dagger in his stubby fingers.

My heart skipped a beat as I watched them sail through the air, just skimming the flat side of the knife, but knocking him square in the chin. I scowled slightly. I didn't hit the dagger… but at least he was injured, right? Yes, that was a good thing. And I had two more rocks left, after all.

Again, the monster let out a high-pitched wail. It staggered back a few feet and clutched its jaw, spitting out a few teeth.
Yeah, I hope that hurt.

I was feeling pretty badass; beating monsters was becoming a reoccurring thing for me. I took a cursory glance over myself. My arm was now probably more blood than flesh, and the mid-section of my top had been ripped to shreds. My hands were shaking viciously, as well as my legs. Yeah, I was defiantly the picture of bad-assery…
Was that even a word? Probably not.

I scrambled to pick up the last remaining rocks, sorting them in my hands. I was more confident now, because the zombie was closer and easier to hit. But I was still scared out of my mind.

My thoughts kept wandering back to the small girl who left to get help… was she okay? What was taking her so long?

The zombie had regained its composure, and it looked pretty pissed. Its last remaining tooth was dangling precariously from the room of its mouth, and its head was lolling from side to side as if disconnected from its shoulders. I was almost completely sure I was going to have nightmares tonight.

Giving all of my strength, I launched the last couple of rocks directly at the zombie.
As they hit, I closed my eyes and hoped for a miracle.

…

I heard a light clatter of metal being struck and opened my eyes hopefully.

I saw the zombie grasping his shoulder with his one good arm. Wait, if he was grabbing his shoulder… I looked at his hand. He had dropped his arm so that it was hanging loosely at his side…holding onto nothing.

My heart leaped as I searched the ground. He must have dropped it somewhere…

I noticed that the zombie was looking at the ground too. I had to move fast.

It became sort of like a game of 'I spy'. Whoever can find the knife first wins the prize! I stopped myself there. How could I think something like that? I was disgusted with my thoughts. If this was a game, it was the sickest game I had ever played.

Finally, I spotted a small glint to the left of the creature. I lunged, paranoid that the zombie would see it too. Grabbing the dagger, I held the pointed end toward the zombie with both shaking hands.

The monster didn't understand its mistake at first, and began flailing its fists, much as it did when it had the knife. I looked down at the dagger. All I had to do was plunge the knife into his chest, and this whole nightmare would be over…

I began to hesitate. This thing may not be fully human, but it still felt pain. It still had arms and legs and breathed the same air I did… It may be in self-defense, but it was still taking a life. But what about the town? The poor, scared child that loved her family so much that she stood up to the monster? How many more lives would be upset because of this monster? Did it really come down to who deserved to live more…?

The zombie was grabbing at my clothes and the dagger, seemingly desperate. If I waited too long, it would surely be able to snatch the knife back… it had to be done…

I let my mind slip into autopilot and thrust the dagger into his ribs. I heard the wailing of the zombie reverberate through my mind. It crumbled to the ground and let out a painfully long cry before it faded out completely.

Like an echo, it repeated through in my head again and again. I just killed a man. I killed a man. I was a murderer.

Holding up my bloodstained hands, I cursed myself and my stupid self-defense.

If I wasn't here, that life might have had a few more days of happiness… a few more days of living. But I didn't belong here, in this world. I could feel it from the moment I woke up on that mountain. This was no place for people like me. This place, where monsters roamed free and people gave no thought to killing others, was not the safe haven I called home.

And so, I knelt over the crumpled body of the deceased creature, knife still lodged it its ribs. Clutching my arms to escape the chills running through my body, I broke down and cried. I cried for my family, and I cried for the zombie. But, mostly, I cried for myself.

Poor Claire. Well, at least we got some angst in there. Gotta love that angst! :D Review? Criticism is welcomed