Darkness Falls - Chapter 4: Scars

In the year 2176, it was becoming more and more important for scientists to find curse to diseases like AIDs and cancer. After the population boom in the 2110's, wide-spread disease had wiped out nearly nine-tenths of the world's population, the need for answers increased until it was almost a mad drive in every human now to cure some illness.

That was why Hunters had the equivalent of a miniature rain forest in one room. Exotic plants that were all but extinct now grew there, thriving in their lush home, and provided a wonderful opportunity to see what medical properties each plant possessed.

It was also the perfect place for Caroline to go and hide from the world.

She had been there a week now, and still no one knew anything about her. She always wore her gloves and boots, and either a high-necked shirt or a scarf. Today was a turtle-necked T-shirt with shorts and black boots and gloves. Caroline never spoke to anyone, also looked down, and always seemed so sad.

It was painful and pitiful to watch at the same time. You wanted to laugh at her, laugh at the silly way she always dressed, the way she was so scared of everyone. But at the same time…

It hurt to see her.

She walked carefully through the rows of blooming flowers, gloved hand occasionally reaching out to stroke a flower petal, to imagine what the smooth surface would have felt like on her skin. All the while, her mother's words floated around in the back of her mind, haunting her.

'They're soulless. Child murderers.'

But they seem so nice… It was a hopeless mental battle, in the end. Her mother won, for the simple fact that Caroline was far too scared to ever approach one to talk to them. They scared her, not for what they were, but what they weren't. Her mother thought she wasn't able to see, but she was wrong. She could, and she was right; they were soulless.

A shiver moved down her back, starting at the nape of her neck and ending at the base of her spine, causing her to shake uncontrollably. The petal her hand had been resting on ripped, leaving a small piece lying in her palm. She stared down at it for a moment before breaking into tears.

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"Just what the bloody hell is this place?"

"Beats me. I was just diggin' like boss was a tellin' me. I wasn't goin' around questionin' my orders."

"But… what the bloody hell is this?!"

"Look, just grabbed that damned mirror and let's get on out o' here."

"Yeah, yeah…"

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Alia leaned against X as they both watched Caroline walk through the rows of flowers. She didn't know she was being observed; at least they didn't think she did. If she knew, she didn't mind, and had made no movement to acknowledge their existence.

"It's in the middle of summer," Alia murmured, frowning. "Don't you think she would be… hot, wearing that?" Her question was aimed towards the high-necked thick shirt and gloves, something that the girl always wore.

"It's not the bad inside the base. It's air-conditioned. She could be cold," X responded, but there was a hint of doubt in his voice as he spoke. "Still," he added after a while. "It is odd."

"And not really our place to question. She's not our child, thank god for that. As long as she doesn't do anything harmful, we need to leave her alone." She sighed, a little sad. "She seems so alone and sad. I wish I could help her-"

She was cut off by a scream. Startled, Alia jumped back against X, stepping down hard on his foot. He cursed, shoving her off of him, causing her to lose her balance and nearly fall onto one of the benches covered in floral life. Regaining her balance, she ran towards Caroline, frightened and alarmed.

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It's not fair! she thought, closing her eyes tightly. Crouching down, Caroline gripping her one wrist tightly, almost as if she was trying to stop a blood flow. Except the only thing flowing right now were her tears as she cried for the poor flower. Everything I touch, I destroy. It's not fair!

"Caroline?"

Alia!

Eyes snapping open, Caroline twisted her head around, trying to find the source of the voice. It sounded like Iris, but she only appeared when she was sleeping. She had never heard her when she was awake before. What was going on…?

"Caroline, are you okay?" The woman who had spoken before knelt down beside her and placed her hand on Caroline's shoulder. Looking up at her, Caroline briefly made a mental description of her in her mind. Shoulder-length blond hair, ice-blue eyes…

There was something funny about her eyes. She couldn't place it.

Nodding, Caroline looked down, sighing slightly. "I'm… I'm fine. I'm sorry I worried you."

The woman made no response. For a moment, Caroline thought that she had imagined the entire thing, that her mind had created it to calm her down when she heard heavy footsteps running towards them. Looking up again, she saw one of the two men that had helped her when she had first arrived here. X, if she remembered correctly.

He had funny eyes too. Come to think of it, so did the other one, Zero. Iris did too. Why?

"Alia, Caroline… what happened?" The funny look in his eyes faded as worry took its place. Ashamed and embarrassed, Caroline looked down, refusing to say anything. They wouldn't understand; how could they? She didn't even understand most of the time.

"Caroline?" The woman, Alia, gently shook her, concern evident in her voice. "I know your mother doesn't want us near you, and if that's bothering you, we'll leave, but if something's wrong, please-"

"Nothing's wrong," Caroline blurted out, shrugged Alia's arm off of her shoulder. "Nothing. That can be fixed, anyways. I'm just so clumsy, so stupid, Goddamnit. I don't even know why anymore… but I can't. Change, I mean. It won't stop. Not even here. I'm just learning to hide it better, so no one can see. If they did, then-" She stopped, horrified. "I mean… I mean…"

"Why do you wear those gloves?" An innocent enough question. And, more importantly, a change in subject. They thought. Everyone would think that. No one really knew the truth, and those that every found out had a nasty habit of soon disappearing… only her parents weren't here now, so what could they do?

Standing up, Caroline looked up at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath and savoring the scent of the flowers. "I wear them because I was told to. Because I need to. No one would want me to take them off, trust me."

"Oh, come on. You can trust us." It was X that spoke this time, not Alia. And, when she looked over at him, and saw his funny eyes again, Caroline knew it was true. She could trust him. He and Alia and Zero and Iris; they were all different and yet, all the same. Something linked them together but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what.

He smiled slightly, causing her to smile back. Blushing, she looked down at her hands, and sighed. "You're going to regret this." With that, she grabbed hold of the fingers of her left-hand gloved and yanked, ripping it off.

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"Hey, come here for a moment."

"Jesus, will you stop site seeing and just help me! For a stupid mirror, this thing sure is stuck in place. I can't move it… what are you doing?"

"Look, between those rocks. Doesn't it kinda look like a gate?"

"Yeah, but-"

"I could've sworn I saw a woman tied between them."

"… lay off the alcohol, will ya?"

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Alia gasped and gripped X's arm tightly, fighting back the urge to vomit. She really wasn't sure what she had expected, normal hands, maybe? Certainly not what she saw…

Caroline's hand was normal enough. That wasn't what she was trying to hide.

Her wrist was nothing more than a mass of black, bleeding skin, a horrible wound that had yet to heal. Rope burns marred her arm an inch or two past her wrist, ripped open and oozing a clear liquid in some parts. The entire mass looked incredibly painful.

"Caroline… how?" X asked, staring at her. "Why?"

"… my dreams…"