BluePhantom15: I'm late, I know. Sorry. But I'm here now and that's good right? XD
I just wanted to say thanks to: Celeste K. Raven, Abbey Lee Tee, ThatOneOverThere, Asha the Mule, Whoever344 and Bobby Corwen for reviewing last chapter. You guys are incredible, and I'm so happy you take the time to read and comment on this story. Thank you so much. Also congratz to the Guest, and Abbey Lee Tee for guessing my age right. Yes people, I'm fifteen XD, hope that doesn't come back to haunt me. Anyways, on with the story!
Disclaimer: Really? This again? I thought 'FAN'-fiction was pretty self explanatory. O well, as always, I own nothing.
"Wake up."
I heard a voice, recognized it, and then decided to ignore it. Unfortunately for me, the speaker didn't seem to grasp the concept of rejection.
"Wake up."
I rolled over, bumping into a solid figure that just so happened to be Henri, not the wall. I would have taken the wall anyday.
"What..?" I said groggily, "I'm tired."
"Oh, you don't say? Well then just go right back to sleep. Take your time, there's no rush. We only have about- let's see an army of mogs outside who want to eat us. But you're tired. I'm sure they'll understand." Henri spat, slapping me in the leg, and then proceeding to practically lift me up by my upper arms.
"You haven't had your breakfast yet have you?" I stated. Henri was never a morning person contrary to popular belief, which could very well be the reason I was so used to sleeping in.
"Yeah, I ate a rock. You want the leftovers?" He said sarcastically, leaning me against the cold cave wall.
"Careful, if you don't feed me properly it might be considered a form of child abuse." I joked half heartedly, still half asleep.
"Yeah, and where are the laws against guardian exploitation?" He questioned, turning away.
"I don't know... Maybe the mogs ate them?" I smirked.
"Cute."
"Thank you, and I don't exploit you." I stated defensively.
"Yeah, and I'm a flamingo." He spat sarcastically.
"Well you do turn an abnormal shade of pink when you eat too many spicy foods." I countered, making sure not to smile.
"Yeah? And this coming from the guy who won't do his own laundry, because he's scared of washing detergent. That's right, shut up." He finished, attempting to wipe off the dirt from his shoes by dragging them across the floor.
To my surprise I didn't say anything else. I guess I was just too tired to speak. My breathing was slightly louder than it should have been, and my body was aching like there was no tomorrow, which for me could very well be literal. Everything hurt. My ankles felt like jelly, swaying back and forth to sift the weight off my wound. My arm felt like a pretzel, bending in ways that it shouldn't, and my head was a big fat, red, throbbing cherry without the stem. Not that I needed or wanted the green.
I was covered in scratches cuts and bruises. Henri himself didn't look much better. Even from the angle I was at, I could spot the dark black circles under his eyes. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who was exhausted.
I found that the cold wall was slightly refreshing on my burning cuts, and for a moment, I wondered if that was the reason Henri had sat me against it in the first place. I had to admit, even if he was the most annoying person on earth sometimes, no on lorien and earth, he really did genuinely care.
I suppose I should be thankful for that. But that didn't mean I had to tell him. After all silent praise is the best praise in my book. Besides, people are usually only recognised for their deeds after they die, and I didn't want Henri leaving me yet. Not that I really cared, it's just I needed someone to practise my witty banter on. Otherwise I would get out of shape.
"Well since we're all done chatting, let's get going shall we?" Henri exclaimed, moving over to me and gently putting my good arm around his neck.
With me in tow, we started walking over to the small gap in the wall that had I had originally come in from. Which begged the question where had Henri come in from? I wanted to ask, but then decided against it. Wherever he had come from, it was obviously swamped with mogs, or we would have been going that way now.
Though I highly doubted that the way we were headed now was completely clear either. But with me barely able to stand and Henri having to drag me, I wondered how we would ever get out of this mess.
Here's to hoping for the best.
Stuffed pink rabbits foot, don't fail me now.
As we approached, I started to see the sunlight more clearly and I felt its glorious warmth on my face. Never before had I been so attracted to the colour yellow.
"You okay?" I heard Henri huff from beside me. I could see sweat tear down his face, and his chest rising and falling at an increasing rate. I was almost tempted to ask him the same question, but refrained.
"Yeah, I fine, just a little shaken." I told him, avoiding eye contact. I didn't want to him to look at me, not now, not when I felt so rundown.
After seeing all those commercials on guys with six pack abs, I always thought getting into shape would be fun. I just never guessed it would entail running though the woods all night and bleeding like a ketchup dispenser.
Healthy active living my butt.
More like active, painful, dying. I needed to get a new fitness trainer. Henri wasn't working out.
We were practically out of the cave now. I hesitated for a moment before actually stepping out. But I just managed to push myself forwards, and my feet once again connected to the soft brown dirt. Looking around, I was shocked to see no mogs in sight. I guess they were having their breakfast right now. Whatever the case, I was happy beyond content.
Henri seemed relieved to, as his posture lighted up ever so slightly. But like always he was still on alert, looking for the smallest traces of movement. I found myself rolling my eyes at this. Even half dead he managed to act like a boy scout.
I groaned in pain, as Henri shifted slightly, bringing my sore side with him. I could faintly hear a muffled sorry, which surprised me, but I didn't comment. I figured Henri really wasn't in the mood for my witty replies right now.
We kept moving, through the trees. It was taking a lot more time then I was comfortable with. I knew that we had to basically cross an entire forest before we could even get to the city, but I was kind of hoping that it would be one of those, 'it was as a blur' trips. Unfortunately for me, I was taking in every waking detail.
The pain was infecting my head now. My vision was beginning to blur, and a small wave of dizziness overcame me. I looked over at Henri, as he tightened his grip on me ever so slightly. Despite the fact I was grateful for the extra support, the grip he had on me was making me a little uncomfortable. But then I suppose someone going through agonizing pain would feel uncomfortable in most situations.
The suddenly I found myself tremble forward, despite my best efforts to stay straight.
"John!"
Henri was on me in a second, barely managing to catch me before I hit the dirt floor. I shook my head trying to shake the dizziness away. Looking up at him, I managed to fake a tiny grin.
"I'm fine." I stated half heartedly. "Don't worry about me. Let's keep going."
"People, who are fine, don't almost topple over from head trauma. You are NOT fine!" Henri suddenly burst. I winced at the tone of his voice. I hadn't been expecting him to react like this. I guess he was more tired and frustrated then I had originally given him credit for.
"Yes I am. It was just a little fall no big deal." I said, and then tried a slight chuckle to lighten the mood. It didn't work.
"How stupid do you think I am John?" Henri practically hissed at me. Being held up by him and inches away from his face, I realized I never really had the pleasure of feeling Henri's anger up close. Literally. Until now.
"I'm fine I-"
"You're impossible" He cut off, and abruptly I found myself being hoisted into a fireman carry. I let out a small gasp of protest, before I found myself staring at Henri's back.
"What are you-? Henri I'm fine, put me down, I can walk." I breathed, but found myself being ignored. "Henri I-"
"Shut up." He grumbled, most likely strained from the excess weight. I had to admit, I wasn't the lightest teenager in the world. He kept moving, hauling my immobile body with him. I tried to wiggle and worm out of his relentless grip, but from some odd reason this just seemed to make me dizzier, and him to hold on tighter.
I tried shaking my head again, but to no avail. My ever growing headache was getting worse. Before I could stop myself, I let out a muffled cry of pain. My head felt like it was going to explode. But why was it all of a sudden hurting like this? It didn't make sense. I mean, I was fine earlier.
Henri came to an abrupt halt. There was nothing but absolute silence for a moment. Then Henri dismounted me from his shoulder, and I was gently laid down next to a tree. I groaned as my body touched the cold, hard forest floor. Henri knelt down to my level, and looked me in the eyes as if he were searching for something. Then He said one of the strangest things I had ever heard come from his mouth, and trust me when I say I've heard some pretty peculiar things in my life time.
"Give me your head." He said completely serious.
"What?" I asked confused. "Don't tell me that you're the headless horseman reincarnated. Next you're going to tell me you're actually my father. "
"Haha." He huffed sarcastically, "Very funny. Remind me to cancel our cable when we get back. I let you watch waaay too much T.V."
"Hey," I retorted, "You wouldn't let me go to school, I needed something to do all day besides look at your spoon collection."
"Hey don't knock it. It's a pretty kickass collection. Besides it helps me keep track of where we've been."
"Then you must have half the spoons in the world by now." I smiled, but it was bitter one. It reminded me how many times we moved, how many non-existent friends I left behind.
"Stop avoiding the subject. Let me see your head." He said again, reaching for my aching scalp. I instinctively pulled away, shifting back from the approaching hands. It wasn't the brightest idea, as I found my head suddenly come in contact with the tree stump behind me.
"Owww!" I cried, now trying to throw my head forwards instead of back. I searched for the predictable bump that would now form on my scalp. But to my utter shock, there was no bump. Instead I felt a cool liquid run through my fingers. I quickly pulled my hand to a place where my vision could reach, and immediately had to stop myself from gagging. Dark red blood covered my hands like a glove. This couldn't be happening.
"John! John! Look at me. Look at me!" I heard his voice call, but I wasn't paying attention. All I could see was blood, all I could feel was its movement on my hands, all I could hear was the pounding in my head.
I felt a hand come around my head, covering the wound, stopping the blood flow.
"John, you need to look at me." Henri said gently, titling my head slowly. I blinked a few times, trying to refocus. For the strangest reason, my head didn't hurt anymore, I just felt dizzy. I felt the blood stop flowing, and at that moment, I just wanted to seep back and fall asleep.
"John, don't close your eyes. Don't close your eyes. You need to stay awake." He exclaimed. He then went to rip off some more of what was left of his shirts, and wrapped it like a giant band aid around me wound.
I tried to keep my eyes open, but as the seconds ticked by, I found it becoming harder and harder. I keep my eyes on him, trying to stay focused.
"Damn it! You must have injured it yesterday, and by hitting that tree you made the gash bigger." He growled, never letting go of my head.
"Ummm, sorry?" I mumbled.
"Stupid!" He exclaimed suddenly and a hand left my head, and connected to his own forehead. "How could I have not seen this before? It's all that stupid hair of yours, that's why I didn't spot it, it hides everything!"
Was he really just blaming my hair for his lack of attention span?
"We have to get you some real medical supplies. There's no time to waste, come on. Jump on my back, and hold on tight. Don't loosen your grip and don't let go." He said, hunching over, waiting for me to climb up.
I was about to say something along the lines of 'yeah, because I want to fall off a moving pedestrian', but instead I found myself nodding, and slinging my arms around his shoulders. I don't know about other aliens, but I liked blood when it was inside my body.
With a small grunt, Henri stood up. He began jogging at a steady speed, but as I bounced up and down, my head began to feel worse. I was almost tempted to plead for him to stop, but held my tongue. He was doing this for me, I couldn't complain. The consistent bobbing of my head on my shoulders was making my neck crank in angles it shouldn't. Finally I gave up, and rested it on Henri's shoulder in an attempt to keep it in one place. It didn't feel as bad now, but it still hurt like a stubbed toe.
I noticed that we were now approaching a clearing, and I immediately recognized it as the landing site of our aircraft. The abnormally smooth surface was a clear indicator of that. Something right then didn't feel right in the pit of my stomach. It could just be that my brain was sending messed up signals to the other parts of my body, but I felt as if something was out of place. Then I realized what it was.
The mogs.
Where were they?
Why hadn't they tried to come after us?
They knew we had taken refuge in that cave, why hadn't they waited for us at the openings? It didn't make sense, not that any of my senses were actually working at the moment.
All of a sudden Henri came to a halt. I could feel his heart rate beating so fast, I was surprised I couldn't hear it. I was about to question why we had stopped when I spotted what Henri was looking at.
I felt about ready to puke.
If we weren't already half dead, we would surely be all dead now.
Mogdorians.
Even the name made me cringe in pain. And there were about a gazillion of them in front of us now. No, make that a gazillion and two, including the couple hiding in the bushes.
Well world it was nice walking on you.
I was about to become compost for the soil where I stood, well technically where Henri carried me, and this time I truly couldn't do anything about it. If there were really such things as guardian angels, then I really needed to fire mine. They sucked. And you can put that in writing and email it straight to:
heaven-didn't-help-me at hot mail . com.
"Hold on tight" Henri whispered under his brief. He said it so calmly I wanted to slap him upside the head. Did he NOT see the gigantic army of buff monsters about to take our heads off?
He began running straight for them.
Apparently he hadn't.
But since when did Henri become suicidal? Not on my watch, I can say that with a clean conscience. I may have driven him up the wall a few times, but never to the point where he thought of killing himself, or murdering me for that matter.
Well I guess if we were going down, we were going down fighting, or something clichéd like that.
I closed my eye. I didn't want to see what I knew was going to happen next. Better to just pretend to die peacefully.
With every long stride Henri took, it brought us every inch closer to them. For a couple of seconds I had been hoping that Henri had some kind of plan in all this. But now I realized he was just winging it. I guess he figured we wouldn't have been able to outrun them anyways. It was a reasonable assumption. We probably wouldn't have.
But never in my life had I heard of what we were attempting to do now. Sure there's that whole hypothetical expression that if you encounter a wall you go over it, under it or even around it. But never had I heard of someone trying to go through it.
Crazy.
But then again, we were two aliens stranded on earth because our planet was blown up by ugly, overgrown apes on steroids. Sane was never an option.
Closer and closer, we were partially only a 10 meters away when, out of nowhere, I heard a loud high frequency sound, almost like a whistle but different. It kept filling the air, and I threw my hands over my ears. The sound wasn't terrible, it was just loud. Looking up, I saw the mogs acting funny. In fact it looked like they were in pain. They were all shifting and turning, some cried out with an awful sounding shriek, while others used their big sweaty hands as ear muffs. I couldn't believe my eyes, as they began to retreat back into the trees beyond the opening.
Suddenly I heard a sound that I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever.
A car engine.
And it was coming from behind us.
Before I could register what was happening, Henri had whipped around, and we were facing the oldest, most worn down truck I had ever seen in my life. From the front, and lean muscular figure had hopped out, heading towards us.
He ran up to Henri, his face coming into view. He had brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was at most in his late thirties, and was quite tall compared to Henri.
"Come on, It won't hold them off for much longer."
"What is that sound?" I asked still dazed.
"It's kind of like a whistle, that is practically poisonous to those monsters over there, but I'll have more time to explain later. Right now we have to get out of here. Besides, your friend looks like he needs treatment fast." He said pointing to me.
"And who are you?" Henri inquired suspiciously.
"My name is Malcom. Malcom Goode. And we have to leave."
Without further questioning, Henri and I jumped in the truck.
It was time to get the heck out of this forest.
BluePhantom15: Haha, that was fun. Sam's dad is here! Things are finally going to get interesting :).
Review please?