Finally, I can get to the fourth chapter. Sorry, I was kind of stuck for a
while there. First, my family decided to become computer addicts, then
college decided that it wanted to give me three projects to do and two
tests to study for, and to top it all off I had a small case of writer's
block and a little question that kept on bugging me (how am I going to end
this story?). Most of my weekend, I tried to answer this question and
then, while I was watching a couple of episodes from the beginning of
season three, an interesting idea for how to end this story popped in my
head. It sounds good in theory, its just my ability to put it on paper
that I doubt. Either way, here's the fourth chapter, I hope you like it.
Note: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I actually made someone's favorite stories list and that was my biggest goal in this story! You have no idea how good it felt to find that out! Anyway, thanks, you encouraged me to keep writing on this.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (unfortunately), if I did, then this would probably be a movie, not a story (okay, maybe that's a little too confident).
The dark of night slowly turned nearly pitch black, a perfect imitation of the feelings Malone felt in his heart. He had spent the last two hours kneeling over the couch and during that time he had gone through every possible emotion a person could think of. His tears had long since run out, leaving him to fight back the flood of emotions that continually wore away at him. A thousand questions seemed to fill his mind, each one passing quickly with no real answer.
Luckily, no one had heard him before or he was sure that one of his housemates would surely be trying to comfort him. Surprisingly, of all the things to make him angry, the thought of one of them trying to comfort him and make him get over her death was the most infuriating. He didn't want to leave her side, he didn't want to forget about her, he just wanted to stay with her. forever if it was possible. Perhaps it was guilt, perhaps his sanity was giving out, but no matter how much it hurt him to see her, he just couldn't leave.
The minutes passed, with Malone not even noticing. Fatigue was slowly overcoming him. He had hardly slept in three days, and that, combined with the hunger he felt and the emotional weariness that plagued him, was sapping what little strength he had to start. Every part of him felt weak and yet somehow oblivious to everything around him. It seemed to him that nothing could hurt him anymore, probably because there was no pain possibly strong enough to compare to what he was feeling.
His eyes fluttered and he shook himself to keep awake but the wave of exhaustion slowly pushed him towards unconsciousness. His eyelids felt weighted and it took all his remaining strength to keep himself from giving into the urge to let them close. Slowly, they drew closed and no matter how much he tried to keep them open, he finally was forced to give in. With that, he finally gave into all the weariness he felt and he slumped forward into unconsciousness.
The trees around him seemed almost to shift as Malone walked aimlessly down a path. For some reason, it seemed like the plateau but at the same time it was totally silent. All around him, he couldn't see or hear anything or anyone. It was as if the entire world was gone and only he remained. His mind seemed caught in a limbo between reality and the dream world. 'Almost like a dream or a nightmare,' he thought to himself, 'why does that seem familiar?'
He continued to walk down the seemingly endless path unaware of where it was leading but somehow knowing he needed to follow it. Time didn't really seem to pass, it felt like he was outside of time, outside of reality. Suddenly, a bright light seemed to appear at a clearing ahead, cloaking a figure of someone.
He ran as fast as he could, until he reached the clearing. He saw a figure emerge from the light that concealed her. Slowly, she took shape in front of him and reached for his hand. Her blond beautiful hair was the first thing to stand out, followed by her face, as it emerged from the light. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in front of him and her face contorted into a small smile as she drew nearer.
He could have sworn his heart had stopped beating when he finally recognized her. "Veronica!" Ned nearly yelled as he tried to contain his excitement. A small tear flowed down his cheek as their hands met each other. It felt so good and in that second, all he wanted was to stay with her forever. For the first time in so long, he allowed himself a true smile. "I thought you were dead," he said on while staring at her in disbelief.
"Ned, I've missed you so much," she replied simply.
That statement was almost too much for him. "I've missed you too, what happened to you?"
She didn't seem to take heed of his question, instead continuing on. "Ned, I have something to tell you."
She drew nearer and nearer to him, leaning in on him and he on her. She drew closer and closer to the point where her lips were less than an inch away from his. Just as her lips were about to brush his, she opened her mouth to say something. Anxiety swept over him for some reason. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing stopped as he yearned to hear the message he wanted to hear so much. Her mouth opened in a small smile and she finally uttered, "Ned, I've waited so long to say this. Ned, I." Just when his anxiety hit its peek, her voice started to fade to the point where he couldn't hear her. Her mouth kept moving but he couldn't make out what she said.
All that remained was complete and utter silence. "What did you say, Veronica," he demanded, wanting so much to hear her but only silence remained. Then, as if triggered by his want, her body started to fade away. Slowly, her skin became more and more ethereal until she was barely visible. "Veronica... what's happening" he said, stunned, as he reached out to touch her. His hand slid right through her body, as more of faded. She didn't answer, she just stared at him as she became nearly transparent. The feeling it sparked in him left him speechless, unable to even utter a word as the last of her disappeared before his eyes.
The once bright light faded with the last of Veronica, leaving the world dark and hollow. Once again, he felt his strength go and he slumped to his knees. It was as if fate was playing with him, letting him relive his pain and laughing in his face as he knelt there, defeated.
In this dark, he saw another figure emerge. It came closer and yet became harder and harder to recognize. Strangely, it had the form of a human, yet it seemed to not to be male or female. Somehow, it seemed to be something else. He could almost feel evil seeping from it as it came to stand over him. It stood there, as if to mock him as he dwelt in his pain
At first, he tried to ignore it, but he just couldn't stop his anger at the thing for ruining his moment and spoiling his memory of her. For some reason, he could tell it took pleasure in his pain, which only turned his anger to rage. In that moment, nothing made sense, but it didn't seem to matter. Logic, reason, none of it mattered anymore. The pain of a lifetime surfaced inside his face.
He couldn't suppress it anymore and the barriers he had built up against it broke. Every bad feeling he had ever felt seemed to pour through and with a blood-curling scream, he launched himself at the being. He wanted to kill it, to vent everything he felt on the thing that seemed to be the cause. He drew closer and closer, and just as his hands began to wrap around its neck, the world seemed to explode and everything went black.
Challenger woke to the bright morning sun peeking through the shades. All around, the world seemed to be coming back to life, as if everything was normal. But everything isn't normal, he thought to himself as he got up and got dressed. The previous day had weighed heavily on his shoulders, and the thought that Veronica had traded her life for their only further increased this load.
Yesterday had been unnerving for him. The entire tree house seemed silent and hollow that whole evening, with each one of the explorers unwilling to break the silent revelry. It had been almost eerie that a place usually full of life and happiness was now full of death and misery.
Finn had seemed to take it the worst of all the explorers. That night she had retired to her room even before dinnertime, but she did anything but sleep. That whole night she had sat on her bed, sobbing and refusing to let anyone in. Nor did she show her face outside her room.
Roxton had been utterly stunned, especially by the way he found out. Challenger could still remember the look on his face as he stood there in utter disbelief. It was one of the few times he'd ever seen the hunter's eyes water. It had taken him nearly another ten minutes to even choke out the question of what had happened. Ever since, he had been disturbingly silent, not talking to anyone, with the exception of his comforting of Marguerite.
Marguerite, being true to her form, had tried to seem like it didn't affect her, reining in her emotions while border lining disrespect. The façade had lasted for a while, but Challenger could tell it was wearing away at her. Finally, when she went to bed, she broke into tears. Roxton had gone into her room to comfort her and had yet to emerge.
As for himself. he knew he had taken it badly. At first, he had been hit by a wave of guilt, a guilt that felt like a mixture between survivor's guilt and the guilt of an executioner who had just killed an innocent person. He had tried to control himself, reasoning that if he was the supposed leader of the expedition that it was his duty to be strong for everyone else. Of course that didn't stop him from feeling the emotions just as much as anyone else. He hadn't been able to get a bit of sleep and finally resorted to drinking some lavender tea to get any rest at all.
He opened the door to his room and started making his way up to the kitchen. He got close to the counter, thinking what he should make for breakfast. Surely, Marguerite and Roxton weren't getting up anytime soon and Finn didn't seem to have any interest in eating or coming out of her room for that matter. That brought up the question of whether anyone would be hungry after all they'd endured. Regardless, he immediately started scrounging around for a pan of some sorts.
That's when he noticed something odd. A chair was missing from the table. Peering around, he saw it sitting in front of the couch, but the biggest shock was that there was someone laying on top of Veronica. Immediately, he grabbed a cooking knife from the kitchen and spoke in a firm voice, "Hello?" The man, by the looks of it, didn't reply, he only muttered something in his sleep.
His face was buried in the blanket so it was hard to distinguish any of his features, save his blond hair, which was cut relatively short. He was tanned from the sun and his boots and other garments made it obvious that he was a person who had survived on his own. Challenger was taken a little aback by this, but figured that since the person hadn't hurt anyone, he must be a friend to Veronica, why else would he be draped over her body.
Cautiously, he approached to within a few meters of the man. Somehow, he seemed vaguely familiar, though Challenger couldn't put a finger on it. He came within arms reach of him and said, "Can I help you." It seemed kind of awkward saying that, but he couldn't quite think of anything else to say. Again, the only response was a slight mumble in his sleep.
Slowly, Challenger bent down and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. With that, the man flew awake with agility that stunned Challenger completely. He grabbed Challenger by the neck, hoisting him up a little as he increased his hold. Challenger finally got a good look at the man and was surprised to see a man he knew. His glazed over blue eyes stared at Challenger as if he didn't know who he was. "Malone," Challenger choked out and was relieved to see the man starting to come out of his trance.
All around him, all he could feel was the darkness. And yet he knew somehow he was moving. Not physically, of course but somehow it felt like he was crossing over a barrier. All he could feel was the hatred he felt for that evil thing. He kept lunging for it involuntarily, even though it had disappeared. He could feel himself being pulled back into reality and he fought to stop it.
Then suddenly, a voice pierced through the veil that surrounded him. "Malone." it said weakly. It smashed into his mind and made his entire world collapse. Slowly, the darkness he had felt was replaced by the light of the real world, as his mind finally made it back from its journey.
There in front of him Challenger was suspended in mid-air, Malone's arm holding him around the neck and keeping him off the ground. At first, it seemed just like his dreams but as he regained conscious thought, he realized it wasn't and immediately dropped the older man.
"Malone." Challenger muttered as he inhaled deeply, "When did you get here?" Challenger finally stammered and looked up at the Malone from his slumped position on the floor. He rubbed his throat and winced slightly as he felt the bruises on it.
"Last night," Malone replied, a little embarrassed both at himself for trying to strangle Challenger and at the fact that he had been able to lift Challenger so easily. Then again, surviving on your own tends to do that to people. Slowly, the scientist raised himself off the floor and gave Malone a nice bear hug.
"Its good to have you back," he said as his eyes glimmered happily.
"Its good to be back," Malone returned. For a moment, both of them forgot what had happened and smiled at each other. Then, a look of partial concern passed over Challenger as he glanced at the couch. Malone knew what he was going to say even before he formed a question in his mind, he had learned a great deal of how to read people's emotions and Challenger had it written all over his face.
"Where's Marguerite and Roxton?" Malone cut off the question and kept his face as emotionless as possible.
"They're still sleeping I think, as is Finn, but you wouldn't know her, she's new."
Malone pondered this for half a second before asking another question to forestall Challenger. "Are you cooking breakfast?" he said only half interested in the answer.
"Yes," Challenger seemed to remember, and looked back at the kitchen.
"Well then, I'll just wait here, I haven't had anything to eat in a while anyway." His tone came out a little too harshly for Malone's liking, but he wanted to avoid a conversation he knew was too much for him to handle yet.
Challenger seemed to get that Malone was avoiding the subject and walked back towards the kitchen as Malone sat back into his chair and drifted into his thoughts. Home at last, he thought, but can I really ever call it home again? With that, he lounged back, listening to the sounds of the tree house as it carried on, seemingly normal to most. But for Malone, it would never be the same.
Well, there it was, the fourth chapter. I dropped a very minute hint in this chapter as to how the story is going to end, but I don't expect anyone to get it. I like writing this story, though this chapter and the next one are going to be the hardest to write. This is because, they are both supposed to be tying chapters, to help build towards the end. Therefore, they're a little harder to write in a way that actually makes them seem interesting. Anyways, I'm sorry if you didn't like this chapter but I wrote it anyway. Please, if you can tell me what I can do and what I did do wrong or right I'd appreciate it. I'll to get the next chapter out a little quicker.
Note: Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I actually made someone's favorite stories list and that was my biggest goal in this story! You have no idea how good it felt to find that out! Anyway, thanks, you encouraged me to keep writing on this.
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters (unfortunately), if I did, then this would probably be a movie, not a story (okay, maybe that's a little too confident).
The dark of night slowly turned nearly pitch black, a perfect imitation of the feelings Malone felt in his heart. He had spent the last two hours kneeling over the couch and during that time he had gone through every possible emotion a person could think of. His tears had long since run out, leaving him to fight back the flood of emotions that continually wore away at him. A thousand questions seemed to fill his mind, each one passing quickly with no real answer.
Luckily, no one had heard him before or he was sure that one of his housemates would surely be trying to comfort him. Surprisingly, of all the things to make him angry, the thought of one of them trying to comfort him and make him get over her death was the most infuriating. He didn't want to leave her side, he didn't want to forget about her, he just wanted to stay with her. forever if it was possible. Perhaps it was guilt, perhaps his sanity was giving out, but no matter how much it hurt him to see her, he just couldn't leave.
The minutes passed, with Malone not even noticing. Fatigue was slowly overcoming him. He had hardly slept in three days, and that, combined with the hunger he felt and the emotional weariness that plagued him, was sapping what little strength he had to start. Every part of him felt weak and yet somehow oblivious to everything around him. It seemed to him that nothing could hurt him anymore, probably because there was no pain possibly strong enough to compare to what he was feeling.
His eyes fluttered and he shook himself to keep awake but the wave of exhaustion slowly pushed him towards unconsciousness. His eyelids felt weighted and it took all his remaining strength to keep himself from giving into the urge to let them close. Slowly, they drew closed and no matter how much he tried to keep them open, he finally was forced to give in. With that, he finally gave into all the weariness he felt and he slumped forward into unconsciousness.
The trees around him seemed almost to shift as Malone walked aimlessly down a path. For some reason, it seemed like the plateau but at the same time it was totally silent. All around him, he couldn't see or hear anything or anyone. It was as if the entire world was gone and only he remained. His mind seemed caught in a limbo between reality and the dream world. 'Almost like a dream or a nightmare,' he thought to himself, 'why does that seem familiar?'
He continued to walk down the seemingly endless path unaware of where it was leading but somehow knowing he needed to follow it. Time didn't really seem to pass, it felt like he was outside of time, outside of reality. Suddenly, a bright light seemed to appear at a clearing ahead, cloaking a figure of someone.
He ran as fast as he could, until he reached the clearing. He saw a figure emerge from the light that concealed her. Slowly, she took shape in front of him and reached for his hand. Her blond beautiful hair was the first thing to stand out, followed by her face, as it emerged from the light. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in front of him and her face contorted into a small smile as she drew nearer.
He could have sworn his heart had stopped beating when he finally recognized her. "Veronica!" Ned nearly yelled as he tried to contain his excitement. A small tear flowed down his cheek as their hands met each other. It felt so good and in that second, all he wanted was to stay with her forever. For the first time in so long, he allowed himself a true smile. "I thought you were dead," he said on while staring at her in disbelief.
"Ned, I've missed you so much," she replied simply.
That statement was almost too much for him. "I've missed you too, what happened to you?"
She didn't seem to take heed of his question, instead continuing on. "Ned, I have something to tell you."
She drew nearer and nearer to him, leaning in on him and he on her. She drew closer and closer to the point where her lips were less than an inch away from his. Just as her lips were about to brush his, she opened her mouth to say something. Anxiety swept over him for some reason. His heart skipped a beat and his breathing stopped as he yearned to hear the message he wanted to hear so much. Her mouth opened in a small smile and she finally uttered, "Ned, I've waited so long to say this. Ned, I." Just when his anxiety hit its peek, her voice started to fade to the point where he couldn't hear her. Her mouth kept moving but he couldn't make out what she said.
All that remained was complete and utter silence. "What did you say, Veronica," he demanded, wanting so much to hear her but only silence remained. Then, as if triggered by his want, her body started to fade away. Slowly, her skin became more and more ethereal until she was barely visible. "Veronica... what's happening" he said, stunned, as he reached out to touch her. His hand slid right through her body, as more of faded. She didn't answer, she just stared at him as she became nearly transparent. The feeling it sparked in him left him speechless, unable to even utter a word as the last of her disappeared before his eyes.
The once bright light faded with the last of Veronica, leaving the world dark and hollow. Once again, he felt his strength go and he slumped to his knees. It was as if fate was playing with him, letting him relive his pain and laughing in his face as he knelt there, defeated.
In this dark, he saw another figure emerge. It came closer and yet became harder and harder to recognize. Strangely, it had the form of a human, yet it seemed to not to be male or female. Somehow, it seemed to be something else. He could almost feel evil seeping from it as it came to stand over him. It stood there, as if to mock him as he dwelt in his pain
At first, he tried to ignore it, but he just couldn't stop his anger at the thing for ruining his moment and spoiling his memory of her. For some reason, he could tell it took pleasure in his pain, which only turned his anger to rage. In that moment, nothing made sense, but it didn't seem to matter. Logic, reason, none of it mattered anymore. The pain of a lifetime surfaced inside his face.
He couldn't suppress it anymore and the barriers he had built up against it broke. Every bad feeling he had ever felt seemed to pour through and with a blood-curling scream, he launched himself at the being. He wanted to kill it, to vent everything he felt on the thing that seemed to be the cause. He drew closer and closer, and just as his hands began to wrap around its neck, the world seemed to explode and everything went black.
Challenger woke to the bright morning sun peeking through the shades. All around, the world seemed to be coming back to life, as if everything was normal. But everything isn't normal, he thought to himself as he got up and got dressed. The previous day had weighed heavily on his shoulders, and the thought that Veronica had traded her life for their only further increased this load.
Yesterday had been unnerving for him. The entire tree house seemed silent and hollow that whole evening, with each one of the explorers unwilling to break the silent revelry. It had been almost eerie that a place usually full of life and happiness was now full of death and misery.
Finn had seemed to take it the worst of all the explorers. That night she had retired to her room even before dinnertime, but she did anything but sleep. That whole night she had sat on her bed, sobbing and refusing to let anyone in. Nor did she show her face outside her room.
Roxton had been utterly stunned, especially by the way he found out. Challenger could still remember the look on his face as he stood there in utter disbelief. It was one of the few times he'd ever seen the hunter's eyes water. It had taken him nearly another ten minutes to even choke out the question of what had happened. Ever since, he had been disturbingly silent, not talking to anyone, with the exception of his comforting of Marguerite.
Marguerite, being true to her form, had tried to seem like it didn't affect her, reining in her emotions while border lining disrespect. The façade had lasted for a while, but Challenger could tell it was wearing away at her. Finally, when she went to bed, she broke into tears. Roxton had gone into her room to comfort her and had yet to emerge.
As for himself. he knew he had taken it badly. At first, he had been hit by a wave of guilt, a guilt that felt like a mixture between survivor's guilt and the guilt of an executioner who had just killed an innocent person. He had tried to control himself, reasoning that if he was the supposed leader of the expedition that it was his duty to be strong for everyone else. Of course that didn't stop him from feeling the emotions just as much as anyone else. He hadn't been able to get a bit of sleep and finally resorted to drinking some lavender tea to get any rest at all.
He opened the door to his room and started making his way up to the kitchen. He got close to the counter, thinking what he should make for breakfast. Surely, Marguerite and Roxton weren't getting up anytime soon and Finn didn't seem to have any interest in eating or coming out of her room for that matter. That brought up the question of whether anyone would be hungry after all they'd endured. Regardless, he immediately started scrounging around for a pan of some sorts.
That's when he noticed something odd. A chair was missing from the table. Peering around, he saw it sitting in front of the couch, but the biggest shock was that there was someone laying on top of Veronica. Immediately, he grabbed a cooking knife from the kitchen and spoke in a firm voice, "Hello?" The man, by the looks of it, didn't reply, he only muttered something in his sleep.
His face was buried in the blanket so it was hard to distinguish any of his features, save his blond hair, which was cut relatively short. He was tanned from the sun and his boots and other garments made it obvious that he was a person who had survived on his own. Challenger was taken a little aback by this, but figured that since the person hadn't hurt anyone, he must be a friend to Veronica, why else would he be draped over her body.
Cautiously, he approached to within a few meters of the man. Somehow, he seemed vaguely familiar, though Challenger couldn't put a finger on it. He came within arms reach of him and said, "Can I help you." It seemed kind of awkward saying that, but he couldn't quite think of anything else to say. Again, the only response was a slight mumble in his sleep.
Slowly, Challenger bent down and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. With that, the man flew awake with agility that stunned Challenger completely. He grabbed Challenger by the neck, hoisting him up a little as he increased his hold. Challenger finally got a good look at the man and was surprised to see a man he knew. His glazed over blue eyes stared at Challenger as if he didn't know who he was. "Malone," Challenger choked out and was relieved to see the man starting to come out of his trance.
All around him, all he could feel was the darkness. And yet he knew somehow he was moving. Not physically, of course but somehow it felt like he was crossing over a barrier. All he could feel was the hatred he felt for that evil thing. He kept lunging for it involuntarily, even though it had disappeared. He could feel himself being pulled back into reality and he fought to stop it.
Then suddenly, a voice pierced through the veil that surrounded him. "Malone." it said weakly. It smashed into his mind and made his entire world collapse. Slowly, the darkness he had felt was replaced by the light of the real world, as his mind finally made it back from its journey.
There in front of him Challenger was suspended in mid-air, Malone's arm holding him around the neck and keeping him off the ground. At first, it seemed just like his dreams but as he regained conscious thought, he realized it wasn't and immediately dropped the older man.
"Malone." Challenger muttered as he inhaled deeply, "When did you get here?" Challenger finally stammered and looked up at the Malone from his slumped position on the floor. He rubbed his throat and winced slightly as he felt the bruises on it.
"Last night," Malone replied, a little embarrassed both at himself for trying to strangle Challenger and at the fact that he had been able to lift Challenger so easily. Then again, surviving on your own tends to do that to people. Slowly, the scientist raised himself off the floor and gave Malone a nice bear hug.
"Its good to have you back," he said as his eyes glimmered happily.
"Its good to be back," Malone returned. For a moment, both of them forgot what had happened and smiled at each other. Then, a look of partial concern passed over Challenger as he glanced at the couch. Malone knew what he was going to say even before he formed a question in his mind, he had learned a great deal of how to read people's emotions and Challenger had it written all over his face.
"Where's Marguerite and Roxton?" Malone cut off the question and kept his face as emotionless as possible.
"They're still sleeping I think, as is Finn, but you wouldn't know her, she's new."
Malone pondered this for half a second before asking another question to forestall Challenger. "Are you cooking breakfast?" he said only half interested in the answer.
"Yes," Challenger seemed to remember, and looked back at the kitchen.
"Well then, I'll just wait here, I haven't had anything to eat in a while anyway." His tone came out a little too harshly for Malone's liking, but he wanted to avoid a conversation he knew was too much for him to handle yet.
Challenger seemed to get that Malone was avoiding the subject and walked back towards the kitchen as Malone sat back into his chair and drifted into his thoughts. Home at last, he thought, but can I really ever call it home again? With that, he lounged back, listening to the sounds of the tree house as it carried on, seemingly normal to most. But for Malone, it would never be the same.
Well, there it was, the fourth chapter. I dropped a very minute hint in this chapter as to how the story is going to end, but I don't expect anyone to get it. I like writing this story, though this chapter and the next one are going to be the hardest to write. This is because, they are both supposed to be tying chapters, to help build towards the end. Therefore, they're a little harder to write in a way that actually makes them seem interesting. Anyways, I'm sorry if you didn't like this chapter but I wrote it anyway. Please, if you can tell me what I can do and what I did do wrong or right I'd appreciate it. I'll to get the next chapter out a little quicker.