Chapter 10

Xxxxx

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No copyright intended- In bold in this chapter, I have put a flashback form STEPHENIE MEYERS WORK

Just to remind you, all the characters (except for the few souls I have created) Belong to Stephenie Meyer. I however own the plot.

I am an o'shea and Ian's time will come soon! Buzzin :P

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Enjoy!

Xxxxx

Wanda POV

Rides hauled me up to my feet, looking at me teasingly directly in my eyes.

His face wore a mask of anger and mocking, all of which I had failed to understand.

This wasn't Rides… It couldn't be.

Could he really have a resistant host inside him?

Was it even possible?

Looking deep into him, I realised with a wave of desperation and sadness that it wasn't even considerable.

Nobody was controlling Rides- Having endured it myself, I knew what it had looked and felt like, and I instantly knew that this was not the case.

He was controlling his own actions, although it was like someone had told him to… Like these movements were only partly his own.

It seemed like how Melanie had been rubbing off on me.

It seemed.

But I knew that it didn't even matter now.

This soul who I had thought was meant for me was just the same as any other soul- not any different at first glance.

However, what was on the inside of him was so deep- too deep down to be reversible.

Much too far for me to have spotted it at first glance.

These human emotions had been so unclear.

I had thought I had felt love for Rides… Maybe I had, but I knew I would have to live with the fact.

Rides was not who I had first thought he was.

I had misread it for love- Always the main error of this human world.

Love killed.

It broke you to pieces.

I was now going to suffer that cause.

Live, laugh, Love.

It meant nothing to me.

This world was simply too complex for me as a soul. I was simply going to have to carry on learning- Experiencing… Perfecting…

Xxxxx

Melanie was frozen with pure panic and horror inside my head.

I was exactly the same. Sadly enough for us both, I was suffering from the same effect.

None of my joints and muscles were able to move, except for when Rides made them by force.

It was excruciating hearing the jolts and snaps of my bones rubbing together, but it also hurt on the inside.

This was not Rides… this was not Rides…

I was wrong.

This was who he was. I couldn't love him- I probably never actually had.

Confusing human emotions… I blamed this fault all on them… And I also blamed myself partly alongside it all.

Stupid.

That's what I had been. Me- not Melanie. She had been right all along. I just hadn't listened to her. Sadly, that was now going to cost us dearly.

Just so stupid.

The world spun before my eyes, a dull echoing sound echoing in our ears.

Rides hauled us along the corridor, stopping suddenly and pushing me against the wall.

My back throbbed as my shoulder blade caught under a nail, causing blood to run down the back of our white shirt.

We knew it wasn't going to remain white for much longer. Not with this violent being thrashing about in the room. It was never going to be alright.

'Get away', Melanie whimpered. 'Scream! Get help!'

Her words were just a bluff, and we both knew it. She was just trying to break through the helplessness we were both feeling so strongly.

It was overpowering us like a wave full of death. We knew we weren't going to make it through, but we never even dreamed that it would go like this.

We never thought that he would hurt us.

Rides rammed our back with more force into the wall, enforcing us to stand up right with trembling legs.

He grinned at us and smiled a wicked smile before gazing down towards the floor with a equal expression.

Along with us, he had dragged a dismantled object along with his foot. We couldn't make out its appearance and we failed to identify it until a beam of light shone down onto it.

It was the picture frame we had noticed before.

His smile increased in size, growing more and more aggravated and teasing.

Without any signs of hesitation he crunched the frame beneath his foot repeatedly and I sensed that he had done this before.

I was still not prepared.

Nothing would have ever built us up for this moment. It was exactly what we had last hoped for- the unexpected had now become expected.

He looked back up to my face.

'She's gone now', he spat, lacking all the right emotions that I had previously seen on his face. Had they all been false? Or had things just rapidly changed?

We didn't know, and we doubted we would ever get that chance.

He instantly cursed, releasing his hold on me and looked up towards the ceiling, before directly back down to the floor.

I sensed that his fingers had left marks into our skin due to this tight, painful grip, and I crumpled to the floor again, wincing at the pain that was shooting through my back.

I resisted the urge to scream out loud, grinding my teeth firmly together. I was sure I wouldn't be helping this situation towards improvement if I were to draw attention to myself.

I refrained from making any stupid and reckless decisions while Melanie did exactly the opposite- She was becoming absolutely helpless in the back of my mind, groaning and whimpering beyond control.

The sound clawed at my eardrums and my palms clutched above my earlobes, attempting to block out the sound.

Of course, the attempt was useless. The sound was coming from the inside- No matter how much I would crave to block or erase her; she would always remain, locked inside our skull.

Fighting back.

She would never give up- I knew that much. Not as long as we both lived. She would be fighting… Failing… wasting…

'Jared...' She crooned inside my head. 'Jamie… Jared…'

Meanwhile, Rides was yelling at the top of his lungs.

It began to become very strange- Very strange indeed…

'Gone!' He screeched. 'She's go'-

His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he shuddered, collapsing to the floor.

It was like death right before my eyes- Even the sight burned my eyes.

I now knew- Or I thought I knew anyway. I had thought many things recently, and the majority of these minor ideas and theories had been wrong.

All minor fractions of one huge mistake. It all built up gradually like a solid brick wall- Where it would end or lead us, we did not know.

We couldn't even tell the difference from right or wrong now- Was it true?

Were we both fading…? Weakening…?

I knew I hadn't loved Rides- not really. It had just been a minor effect of these complex human emotions- what Melanie would have called a 'crush'.

The term didn't make any sense to me whatsoever.

It wasn't important or of any use to me anyway- My feelings for Rides had all arrived and faded, exiting and fleeing back to wherever they had come from.

I hoped that they would never return.

But was that really Rides?

If not, then how much of this humans personality inside of him had rubbed off on him himself?

Were they even the same? Similar?

Was this what Rides was like inside?

It all made sense.

That hadn't been Rides- That… man… who had pinned me to the wall.

All the rest of the occurrences had been him… Just not this one.

Rides seemed like me in a way- Occupied with a resistant host.

Only, this one seemed to be slightly more violent at times. I knew and was well aware of how much Melanie's behaviour rubbed off on me, and I hadn't even been on this planet for as long as Rides had.

All the views, sights, smells and senses we both shared- Me and Melanie… Even our thoughts were identical now.

All our decisions…

So how much of this humans behaviour belonged to the human?

More importantly, how much of his actions had been Rides?

Xxxxx

I couldn't help myself, running over to Rides body and flipping him onto his front.

Even if I didn't love him, I still cared… He had been good to me…

Before.

He could have at least told me…

I wasn't a bad person! Or soul. But I just couldn't help thinking. It was natural. For a human anyway.

The first instinctive thing that I managed to do was to over reactively check is pulse, sliding my fingertips into the hollow section of his neck, confirming the steady beat in that location.

Once I was satisfied, I took a step back just after altering him into a more comftable position, not seeming to help myself.

I was rewarded- Or so I had thought- with the result of his eyes fluttering open.

These were Rides eyes- Not some strangers eyes of the human in his body. These were his eyes.

I wondered how I was never able to tell before. Now the difference was by far noticeable.

There was just something… different about his eyes… They were warmer… but also cold.

I had never seen this aspect of him before. And now, I was going to unwillingly be put through that terrifying first hand experience reluctantly…

I could already sense that it was in no way going to be pleasant one.

Automatically, Rides lurched for me, to my delight, in a way that I had estimated as passion.

Due to what came next, I knew I was very wrong.

This was Rides now.

I had just found out the answer to my unanswered question.

His fist connected with my face, catching me exactly where he had previously been hit- Just under the left eye.

My stomach lurched as I heard the crunch of my skull from beneath his hand, and my feet were knocked off the floor from the impact.

'No!' Melanie screeched. 'Fight Wanderer… Fight…'

I choked out a quiet sob, scrambling onto all fours and attempted to hobble away.

It was a useless attempt- He was always one step ahead of me.

'You're not going anywhere', he growled, bounding up to me in four long strides.

I knew it would soon be over. I was weak, whereas he was strong. I stood no chance.

I was going to fail us both- Me and Melanie. We would fight to the very end. I- Wanderer, would not give up.

I was sure of it.

I felt the base of his boot connect with my ribs, throwing me into the side of a broken glass table.

The ends tore into my face, causing more blood to flow down onto my skin. It felt like daggers were plunging into me from all sides, bruising and scraping me from every possible angle.

It was excruciating. We both knew there was no way out now. Still, we had to try…

'Let me Wanderer! I can do this!'

I knew Melanie was right, and I focused on making myself as small as I possibly could, allowing Mel an entrance. If anyone could fight, she would be able.

Maybe she could battle her way through this…

Sadly, hat wasn't an option. It really was impossible. The maze inside our head was too complicated.

There was no way through.

'I'm trying', I whispered before she interrupted me.

'I know, but I can't Wanderer. It's no use…'

We both sighed in defeat and slumped into the table, letting our blood devour us.

Xxxxx

Rides didn't let us lie still for long.

Soon enough, his strong arms were reaching out to us, hauling us over his shoulder like a rag doll.

We slumped into him, not gaining the energy we needed to fight him. The fact that our feet had left the floor didn't help us either. We had never before, felt so helpless.

It really did bring us down. Right down to the floor until we couldn't bear to fight anymore.

We closed our eyes, shutting off the world from our sight… We drifted… We dreamed…

Her thoughts went back to Jared and Jamie…

Our thoughts… All ours…

Xxxxx

I shiver in my jacket, straining my eyes to see the muted glare of the sun dying behind the thick, bristly trees. I tell myself that it is not as cold as I think it is. My body just isn't used to this.

The hands that are suddenly there on my shoulders do not startle me, though I am afraid of this unfamiliar place and I did not hear his silent approach. Their weight is too familiar.

"You're easy to sneak up on."

Even now, there is a smile in his voice.

"I saw you coming before you took the first step," I say without turning. "I have eyes in the back of my head."

Warm fingers stroke my face from my temple to my chin, dragging fire along my skin.

"You look like a dryad hidden here in the trees," he whispers in my ear. "One of them. So beautiful that you must be fictional."

"We should plant more trees around the cabin."

He chuckles, and the sound makes my eyes close and my lips stretch into a grin.

"Not necessary," he says. "You always look that way."

"Says the last man on Earth to the last woman on Earth, on the eve of their separation."

My smile fades as I speak. Smiles cannot last today.

He sighs. His breath on my cheek is warm compared to the chill forest air.

"Jamie might resent that implication."

"Jamie's still a boy. Please, please keep him safe."

"I'll make you a deal," Jared offers. "You keep yourself safe, and I'll do my best. Otherwise, no deal."

Just a joke, but I can't take it lightly. Once we are apart, there are no guarantees. "No matter what happens," I insist.

"Nothing's going to happen. Don't worry." The words are nearly meaningless. A waste of effort. But his voice is worth hearing, no matter the message.

"Okay."

He pulls me around to face him, and I lean my head against his chest. I don't know what to compare his scent to. It is his own, as unique as the smell of juniper or the desert rain.

"You and I won't lose each other," he promises. "I will always find you again." Being Jared, he cannot be completely serious for more than a heartbeat or two. "No matter how well you hide. I'm unstoppable at hide-and-seek."

"Will you give me to the count of ten?"

"Without peeking."

"You're on," I mumble, trying to disguise the fact that my throat is thick with tears.

"Don't be afraid. You'll be fine. You're strong, you're fast, and you're smart." He's trying to convince himself, too.

Why am I leaving him? It's such a long shot that Sharon is still human.

But when I saw her face on the news, I was so sure.

It was just a normal raid, one of a thousand. As usual when we felt isolated enough, safe enough, we had the TV on as we cleaned out the pantry and fridge. Just to get the weather forecast; there isn't much entertainment in the dead-boring everything-is-perfect reports that pass for news among the parasites. It was the hair that caught my eye-the flash of deep, almost pink red that I'd only ever seen on one person.

I can still see the look on her face as she peeked at the camera from the corner of one eye. The look that said, I'm trying to be invisible; don't see me. She walked not quite slowly enough, working too hard at keeping a casual pace. Trying desperately to blend in.

No body snatcher would feel that need.

What is Sharon doing walking around human in a huge city like Chicago? Are there others? Trying to find her doesn't even seem like a choice, really. If there is a chance there are more humans out there, we have to locate them.

And I have to go alone. Sharon will run from anyone but me-well, she will run from me, too, but maybe she will pause long enough for me to explain. I am sure I know her secret place.

"And you?" I ask him in a thick voice. I'm not sure I can physically bear this looming goodbye. "Will you be safe?"

"Neither heaven nor hell can keep me apart from you, Melanie."

Xxxxx

Jamie curls up under my arm-he doesn't fit the way he used to. He has to fold in on himself, his long, gangly limbs poking out in sharp angles. His arms are starting to turn hard and sinewy, but in this moment he's a child, shaking, cowering almost. Jared is loading the car. Jamie would not show this fear if he were here. Jamie wants to be brave, to be like Jared.

"I'm scared," he whispers.

I kiss his night-dark hair. Even here among the sharp, resinous trees, it smells like dust and sun. It feels like he is part of me, that to separate us will tear the skin where we are joined.

"You'll be fine with Jared." I have to sound brave, whether I feel that way or not.

"I know that. I'm scared for you. I'm scared you won't come back. Like Dad."

I flinch. When Dad didn't come back-though his body did eventually, trying to lead the Seekers to us-it was the most horror and the most fear and the most pain I'd ever felt. What if I do that to Jamie again?

"I'll come back. I always come back."

"I'm scared," he says again.

I have to be brave.

"I promise everything will be fine. I'm coming back. I promise. You know I won't break a promise, Jamie. Not to you."

The shaking slows. He believes me. He trusts me.

Xxxxx

We loved them both… We wiped a tear away from our eye and drifted… Right out to where nobody would reach us.

We were nearing the end- I could feel it.

The final death was on its way, and nothing on this earth was going to stop it.

Xxxxx

Hope you all liked it! Comment and review! P.S. I started my The host clock today- Going great so far! Some of the machinery is a little bid creepy though- Don't want to lose a finger! Rotflmao.

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