A/N: So sorry for the slow update! I got busy with a real genuine social life! I've never had one before! Hahahah! that and work..bleh...anyways yet another chapter of the on going saga! Please review!

Chapter 9

It was the pain that woke him. He must have shifted in his sleep reawakening the fierce shooting pain in his back reopening the dozens of cuts causing them to weep. He blinked sluggishly and looked around him momentarily confused. It was almost too dark to see around him but he was surrounded by trees. In a forest. He struggled to think why he was in a forest. Why his body hurt so much. He scrubbed at his eyes chasing the last of heavy slumber away the memories coming back to him in disturbing flashes. His heart sank to the pit of his stomach with disappointment. He still wasn't safe. He leaned his head back against the tree drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, even that hurt, and just sat there. Soaked by the rain still pouring in torrents from the roiling clouds above he sat and tried to think of some brilliant plan, trembling hard from the bone chill, but no ideas came to mind. If Havoc were in his place he was sure he'd have an idea. He ached to see them again. They'd know what to do.

He sighed heavily again. He had to make himself focus. He looked up at the sky blinking as the rain fell into his eyes. The clouds were swirling like they were boiling, the trees lashing back and forth as the wind whipped them about and he could faintly hear the rumble of thunder. He frowned hoping there wouldn't be lightning. He shouldn't stay in a tree during a lightning storm but he was afraid to get down. What if those men were out looking for him? Thunder clapped sharply making him jump then whimper as the tree bark rasped his back. The storm was picking up steam.

"Stop raining, please just stop raining" he begged the sky curling tighter around himself.

His feet felt numb with cold. He pressed his forehead against his knees trying to shut out the miserable cold, pouring rain, and booming thunder punctuated by newly arrived flashes of lightning. The night was long. He kept his thoughts off the storm remaining curled tight to preserve warmth and the false sense of security it gave him. He toiled over what he would do next. He wanted to have a plan once morning broke. He wondered where he was in regards to East City. Had they taken him far? Maybe he was luck y and they'd just taken him to the forested outskirts. His stomach growled at him viciously. He wrapped around it consolingly. Hunger had been gnawing at him for hours now. He was thirsty too. He regretted not pocketing the water bottle. He cupped his hands to catch the rain water. It was exhausting but he managed to slake his thirst a touch though it made his stomach burn with want all the more. It was a mercy when sleep took him under again.

Morning seemed to come all too soon. He woke slowly feeling groggy and dazed. His whole body ached, his throat was dry and burning slightly and his stomach felt like it was chewing his spine hungrily. For a long while he did do more than sit up and stare with the fog of sleep still impeding his thought process. Finally he blinked and looked around him. The rain had stopped and the cloud cover had broken some leaving the sky overcast with sunlight breaking through sporadically. He shivered and groaned with cold spying the frost covering the ground making it glitter and shine in the light. He squinted painfully and sighed. He had to do something. All around all he saw were trees. Which way to go? He looked above him wondering if he could get high enough to see past the trees but the limbs thinned and were too small and far apart to be useful. For no real reason he decided on East as he climbed down from his perch whimpering at the icy ground against his feet and shifted his weight back and forth as if he could escape its sting. It was an effort but he kept himself moving constantly looking up to make sure he was still going East.

Just keep moving.

Just keep moving.

He coughed harshly bringing him to a sudden stop leaning on a tree for support as he wheezed. He swallowed thickly his throat suddenly on fire, his eyes felt puffy and his joints ached fiercely. He just wanted to sit suddenly. Sleep. He wanted to sleep. He groaned and kept walking in a daze. Everything looked the same as he kept moving not wanting to give up. He was free, lost, but free and he didn't want to give it up. Right food, left food, lean. Right foot, left foot, lean. It was getting harder to breathe. His eyes drooped to half mast his stomach growling constantly. It was near evening when he came across a blackberry bush. He eyed it longingly heavy with half grown berries. There was no way any of the berries were ripe to eat but he was so hungry. He looked around feeling as if he shouldn't get caught as he plucked off a small green berry popping it into his mouth. His toes curled, jaws locking at its sourness almost unbearable as he swallowed. He grimaced grabbing berry after berry swallowing it back with an effort the taste horrid but his hunger was too great.

He must have had nearly three dozen berries before it hit him. Stabbing gut wrenching agony. He sank to his knees wrapping his arms around his stomach rocking back and forth with a groan. He lurched forward heaving violently, eyes watering, face flushed, and his body trembling with an effort. By the time his belly relented everything spun around him rapidly graying in and out. He crawled a foot or two away then sagged to the ground. He could only lay there and whimper miserably for a long time. His stomach felt like it was being shredded by blades.

By the time he was able to move again the sun was starting to set. What little warmth the day had accumulated seemed to dissipate in an instant. He labored to his feet and went stumbling in search of a tree with sturdy fat limbs. He wanted to be able to sleep safe and secure again tonight. His neck ahced from looking up for so long before he found a tree that would suit his needs. It took him two tries to climb into the tree his forearms looking like they had roash rash from all the times he slipped or lost his grip. He got himself settled uncomfortable but secure again then pulled the gun from his pocket. His hands trembled so hard that he nearly dropped the weapon several times as he checked it for ammunition. Two shots.

He was safe for two shots.

0o0o0o0o0

He stood and stared vehemently as his blood began to boil. The room was empty. The chair was vacant. The ropes lay slightly bloodied on the floor. He ground his teeth together stepping further into the room. How? How had that damn kid gotten out of here? His jaw locked as he growled with rage throwing the water bottle he'd brought with him for the kid against the wall in a fit. He knelt ripping the rope up from the floor to examine it. Not cut, not untied. His hostage had managed to simply wriggle free of them. He glanced down at the floor. Bloody footprints. He followed them down the hall seeing them enter and exit both bedrooms then continue onward through the front door disappearing at the edge of the porch. He stormed back into the house slamming the door exploding into the bedroom on the left jerking the still sleeping young man from bed and violently throwing him against the wall.

"Joseph! You stupid useless idiot! What does this look like to you?" he bellowed tossing him the loop of rope.

"It-it's a t-tied rope Sir" He gulped nervously.

"It's the rope you used to tie the prisoner! It's the rope he didn't even have to cut to escape!" he screamed smashing his fist against Joseph's eye furiously.

"I'm sorry Sir! I'm Sorry! I thought I'd tied him tight enough!" Joseph cringed collapsed in heap in front of the man.

"You're sorry? You're sorry! I don't give a damn if you're sorry! If the Bricktons find out you lost their prisoner we're all dead!" he kicked Joseph hard in the ribs.

"They' won't! They won't! We'll find him Sir! Please!" Joseph cried out as the boot connected again.

"Sir, he can't have gone far with his injuries and we checked on him not an hour ago. If we leave now we oughta catch up to him real quick" Damien suggested having heard the commotion and come to check.

"Gets your boots on trash, you better pray for your life we find him quick" he gave another kick to Joseph then tromped out of the room. Ten minutes later found the trio in the dense forest the air thick with angry tension. Joseph kept himself far from his boss carefully scanning the pebbly ground for the ever so faint footprints left behind their fleeing hostage. They quickly had to pull their jackets tighter around them as the air chilled the wind beginning to howl fiercely.

They all could be seen glancing at the roiling sky nervously then back at the footprints. They could tell his strength was waning as they went from tree to tree now staggering drunkenly instead of the mostly straight path they'd originally taken. Damien and Joseph both cursed loudly as they felt the fat drops of rain shatter on their scalps. The last thing they needed was for a good rain storm to wash away their only sign of where Fuery was going. It shouldn't have taken this long to find him and yet still all they ever saw was his footprints. The rain came quickly and hard turning the ground into mud all the prints washed away rapidly by the surging rivulets of water. They continued for another half hour in spite when the light started to fail them fast.

"We won't find him in all this muck, we'll start again at sun up" their boss cursed loudly.

They nodded silently afraid to anger him and followed back to the cabin at a safe distance. It didn't take them as long to return to the cabin as it had to leave but even then by the time they reached it they were all soaked through, cold, and hungry. Damien knocked most of the mud from his boots entering the house quickly getting to work at making a meal fear of his superior's wrath falling on him if a hot meal were unnecessarily delayed. He always cooked the meals. Joseph moved to enter the house when he was yanked backwards a fist crashing against his jaw throwing him down into the mud hard.

"You think you get to come in stupid? What've you done today to earn a good meal and a roof over your head? Let a prisoner escape? Not a chance. You stay out here until we find him" Joseph glared already shivering from the cold his hand resting on his pistol tempted to shoot the man down even as he lay in the mud. The older man stared down at him hard and unflinching. Daring h im to try it. A tense moment passed. Joseph relented. Why risk it tonight after all?

Their lives were forfeit anyways if they didn't find Kain Fuery tomorrow.