Sherby: *hangs head in shame* Hello, everyone! Um . . . I know this is really late and all . . . I do have reasons though! At the moment I'm in a production of "Les Misèrables" and rehearsals have just moved to Sunday, which used to be my fanfiction writing day. I've also got my final Drama exam performance in less than two weeks, and so I've been staying behind after college a lot. I have a Drama portfolio to complete by then, and I also have a Graphics project due in less than twenty days, which is nowhere near completion. I have three history essays to do, and an English one coming up. I have so much work at the moment that it's difficult to find time for fanfiction. And so things have been a bit screwy. It's now Saturday, and because I'm sad and have nothing else to do (other than all my homework, which I really should get started on . . . ) I'm gonna try and get this chapter done before it gets majorly late. I really am sorry about the lateness.
Anyways, enough of my excuses. I'll get on with it. A big hello and thank you to 'Russa' (I don't even know if she's reading), who reviewed War an awful lot and made me feel extremely happy with the following comment: "The best thing for me about this story was how you said 'God bless' at the end of every chapter." Thank you, Russa. No one's ever said anything so touching about my work. Blessings. Er . . . hope you're reading . . .
Also hello to Emerald Skies, who is the coolest Scottish person I have ever met and will ever meet! Lol. What I say about you later in the chapter is true. You'll know what I mean when I get there. Love ya! *muah!*
Hi to everyone at TNK, and thank you for being so supportive recently. You know what I mean. It's wonderful to have people to talk to like you. Your advice has been fantastic and I can't thank you enough. Things are getting better now.
Hello to Oil Pastel, the smelliest person to walk the earth. How'd the waxing go, Oily? (Mwah ha!). I wrote a song about you. It goes "Monsieur don't mock me now I pray!" Lol. At least I can sing it!
Vampyre Neko (hoping that's how you spell it, sorry if that's wrong!) Erm . . . thanks for your helpful comments? I'm still really good friends with Adam, ya know. But I'll tell him anyway! Are you a feminist by any chance? Lol.
Sapphy, hello, and hope you're reading this! Lol! Just thought I'd give you a mention you anime crazy
munch-kin! Thanks for reading so far!
Finally, thanks to every single reviewer so far (memory like fish, can't name all), 'cause you all make me smile a lot! Cookies for all *hands them out sadly as she can't eat them because she's on lent. No chocolate, crisps, sweets, cakes, or chips – Waah!)
So, yeah, let's get on with Darkness Falls 5! Hope you enjoy! See you at the end of the chapter!
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Chapter Five: The Eye of the Storm.
"Tala, please, consider what you're saying!"
Tala ignored the pulling on his arm and stared ahead into the blackness of the night. The rain was starting to get much more heavy now – too heavy to merely take cover under that single oak tree – and a fierce wind was lashing the stinging pellets of water into the eyes of his team.
His team.
They were his. He decided what to do with them. He knew best for them. They had to obey him. So why was he having so much trouble controlling them? They should simply stop protesting and follow his orders. Why should they be allowed to think, when they had one great thinker right here to lead them out of this mess?
"Sara, get off me."
He ripped his arm away from the girl's pleading grasp and stepped away, crossing his arms across his very slim chest and attempting to ignore the lashing rain splicing into his eyes. For once, those pupils weren't the coldest things around. The wind was sub zero.
"Tala, you're being ridiculous, and you're putting our lives in jeopardy for no reason!" Sara protested quickly, venturing out from the oak tree shelter and grabbing Tala's shoulder. Her hair was sodden and jet with the weight of the heavy rain, and plastered to her head in thick strands.
"Sara, I'm not going to tell you again. We're not moving."
His voice was so monotonous, so disinterested, that the rest of the team began to protest too. They had been watching Sara and Tala argue for some while now. As the rain had gotten heavier, Tala had gotten more forceful and stern in his argument, and Sara had begun to crumble in her own argument. They were going in circles.
"See, Tala?" Sara said, watching him with her brown eyes as the rest of the team began to support her stoutly. "The people are speaking. You can't go against what's best for them."
Tala growled, the cries of protest from the team seeming like taunting, jeering jibes, and they hit him harder than the rain did. How he despised them right now. All of them disobeying as though he had no sort of authority over them whatsoever, led by this ringleader, his vice captain, whom he could so easily put down . . .
Crack.
The whole team fell silent as Tala slapped Sara across the face. Once, twice, three times, brutal red marks spreading across her olive skin in the pathetic light that was left of the day. The third slap threw her to the muddy ground it was so forceful, and she slipped along in the sludge a little way before skidding to a halt and grasping her face with her dirty hands, not looking back up at Tala.
The team merely stared at Tala, open-mouthed, as he stood there, panting a little in fury, his shoulder looking more imposing than it ever had done in the past. He was not to be messed with. Lindsay crept over to Sara's side in silence, keeping her eyes on the raging leader all the time.
"Now you listen to me," Tala snapped, his hawk-like features striking fear and obedience into each of them. "I won't stand for your stupid complaints. I'm going to get us out of this, but you have to listen to me. I'm in charge here. You wanna disobey, then you leave. Got that straight?"
Despite their fear, nobody in the team nodded. Tala breathed a little heavier, and his eyes darkened.
"I won't have disobedience. Do you hear me?"
There was another silence, torn only by the spill of the wind as it knifed its way through each and every one of them. The rain pounded more heavily and the sky suddenly split in two as a mighty fork of lightning ripped through the dark blue of the air, pushing the clouds aside aggressively and fighting through that unnatural haze that lay about them.
"I think you've gone too far, Tala," came a voice from the back of the tree, and Tala squinted through the rain as the lightning faded away, its ominous echo of thunder remaining as a reminder that it would be back. Rei slipped from around the back of the oak. His eyes were alight in the blackness and they blazed, bright amber now rather than that sunken bronze they had almost become.
"Rei? You question me?"
Rei moved out from under the tree to Sara's side. She hadn't gotten up, but was sitting turned away from her attacker, with Lindsay's arms wrapped around her protectively. Rei couldn't tell if she was crying because of the trickles of rainwater than fell down her face but from her shaky breaths he guessed that she was.
"Tala, you've gone power crazy. You're not thinking straight," Rei spat as he stood up, the rain running down his own face, dripping into his eyes but never causing him to flinch. He watched Tala through predator's eyes, his back to the team leader and his head turned, face shadowed in his bangs of hair. Tala smirked.
"What's this? Poor little Rei wants to stand up to me?"
Rei snarled, and his face visibly darkened, and he suddenly looked as though he were completely at home in the savage ferocity of the elements. His muscles tensed, and as quickly as the lightning had come moments ago, Rei launched himself forwards on tiger's light feet and hurled himself straight into the icy form of Tala, knocking the redhead to the floor. The two began brawling savagely, fists slamming into each other and rolling around, primeval grunts emitting from each of them.
"STOP THIS!" yelled Tyson, darting out to try and separate the pair, who were hurling insults at each other as fast as their fists were flying. Max aided him and attempted to drag Rei off Tala, but to no avail. The two were locked in this bitterly.
"Guys, please!" yelled Lindsay, who could barely see because of the rain splattered upon her glasses, "This is ridiculous!"
Tala threw Rei off him with a snarl, and quickly leaped onto him, his hand pressing into the Chinese lad's throat. Rei winced as his head was pushed into the muddy ground, and some of the liquid splashed into his fiery eyes. He flailed out with his arms but Tala would not budge.
"Listen to me, Kon," hissed Tala through gritted teeth, the rainwater dripping stealthily down his face, "You know you can't beat me. Give up now. Don't make me hurt you."
Rei remembered the use of his legs, and booted Tala in the stomach. Tala's eyes widened, their blue flickering for a moment before he rolled off Rei with a cry. Rei yanked himself up, spluttering, wiping the mud from his eyes so he could see his enemy. He could smell him, he could sense him. The rain was no hindrance; it merely drove him further, wilder, and he sprung at Tala again.
He was caught by Ozuma's restricting arms and halted, and he struggled, noticing that Tyson and Max had restrained Tala. Suddenly, Lee's face swam into his vision.
"Rei, listen to me! This won't get us anywhere. Violence is not the answer! Okay? Calm down."
Rei breathed heavily, panting like an animal, and still watched Tala through his eyes, narrow slits of effervescent amber now, and then sighed, looking away. Lee was right. It was pointless. Another streak of lightning traversed the sky, and its aftermath of thunder seemed to calm him further, and Ozuma's arms dropped from their position as restraints.
Tala stopped struggling when Rei did, and Tyson and Max let go for fear that they would get their throats ripped out by their 'captain'. He stared at Rei, his frozen pupils piercing the dull darkness.
Rei spoke first, still breathing heavily to regain his breath. "Kai wouldn't make us stay, Tala. You're no captain compared to him. When he comes back . . . "
"Which he won't," snapped Tala bitingly, his shoulders shaking with anger. Rei continued calmly.
"When Kai comes back, you'll understand how much better he was. Because we'll all be happy again. And it won't be a dictatorship."
Tala's eyes widened in fury, and he moved to attack Rei again, however, Rei turned, his eyes closed and quiet again, and he took his place underneath the oak branches again, sitting placidly and occasionally rubbing his arm where Tala had twisted it painfully. Tala dropped his attack and stalked away from Max and Tyson, his predator features dark and silent in the storm. Max, Tyson, Lee and Ozuma didn't quite know what to do. They merely turned back to Sara, who was now watching, still wrapped in Lindsay's arms. She watched as Tala moved further away, into the middle of the field, his whole body drenched in heavy rainwater, and as he reached a certain spot, Sara heard him let out a tortured cry and looked on as he dropped to his knees in rage. She glanced away, raising a shaking hand to her face; still stinging from the slaps she had received. And the lightning struck again.
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Kai sat on his own in the dark room. The lights had been switched off about two hours ago, when Boris had taken Kate from the room. By his count, he'd been in here for about seven or eight hours. Well, he'd been awake for seven or eight hours. According to Kate, he'd been in there but unconscious for about a whole day. He didn't remember much of how he got there. He remembered the garden, Tyson's dojo. He remembered fighting with the beasts. And he remembered Rei and Tyson trying to help him get back inside. Then, it all kind of went fuzzy. The next clear thing he remembered was . . . well . . .
He hated to think about it. He felt useless, and pathetic, and weak. He knew it wasn't his fault or anything. How he hated her, though. She'd broken him down into the weakest he'd felt, and he couldn't bear it. He had to get out of here. Away from her. Away from Boris.
He knew Boris had been watching for the whole time. He'd spotted the camera when he'd first woken up with his sharp eyes. Boris was like that. He knew from the Abbey just what Boris was like.
"Sicko . . . " he muttered to himself, looking down at himself. Tattered trousers hung from his legs, and he could just glance them beneath, bony and thin. His chest, still filthy, was painfully skinny. The last good meal he'd had was . . .
Okay, so he couldn't remember. He had a lot of gaps in his memory at the moment. They tended to be filled with questions. He was worried about the state of the team. He knew, then and there, that Rei wouldn't have taken over as Captain. It wasn't in him. And so . . .
~ "Tala . . ."~
He feared that Tala had been given authority. He knew enough of Tala's possessive, powerful nature from their time together in Russia that it was dangerous to let Tala take charge. He was an obvious leader, but a less so obvious megalomaniac.
With a sigh, Kai stood up, stretching his tired legs. He'd eaten about two hours ago – well, a bowl of tasteless soup and half a glass of water had sufficed as a meal. Kate had been given a proper meal – rice and chicken.
"Wonder why?" he said sarcastically, knowing exactly why she was being given special treatment. She was pregnant – with his child nonetheless, and so Boris wouldn't risk her getting sick for the world. She'd probably been taken out to have the child checked upon.
A shudder ran up his compact frame. How he hated this place. Weird penitentiary like walls and a strange smell haunted the place. He knew he could escape, somehow, but he wasn't sure what awaited him upon breaking from the room.
"I guess there's no time like the present."
He moved over to the right corner of the room, and looked up. Well disguised in the wall, almost completely hidden from view, was a dark coloured camera. It was painted a slightly different shade of grey than the walls. Boris' cheapness would be Kai's escape.
He smiled, and leaped up, his long legs giving him a lot of height, and just about grabbed the camera, yanking it from its position in the wall. It fell, still dangling from the original position, still held by long cables of red and yellow. They looked very thin, as though they couldn't hold anything heavy.
~"Good thing I haven't eaten properly for a while."~
Kai smirked, and looked up towards the trapdoor in the centre of the ceiling, a small square with a slight rim around the edges. A ladder had been let down to let Kate out. He wouldn't be so lucky. However . . .
Kai tested the wires by leaning his weight upon it. They seemed to hold pretty well. With quick agility, Kai clambered up them, and soon was crouching halfway up the wall, his fingers gripping the hole where the camera had been furiously, the knuckles white with the strain he had to use. His bare feet clawed against the painted walls with as much grip as they could, and Kai turned his head quickly, spying the square trapdoor that seemed a lot closer all of a sudden. It was about two and a half metres away. With a determined smile, Kai dangerously swapped the position of his hands for a foothold, and in that split second where he was holding on to nothing at all, he sprung away from the wall, propelling himself with his long legs, and leapt along the room, reaching out for the rim of the trapdoor. He just about made it, and found himself dangling from the ceiling as though it was a giant monkey bar. Unfortunately, the trap door would be difficult to open. He could hold onto the rim for a short while, but it was already hurting his fingers.
He let go with one hands and started to fiddle with the trap door. It was a simple piece of wood, wedged into a hole in the ceiling, but it was locked in tight, and so it was hard to pull off.
~ "Wait a second . . ."~
Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Kai pushed the square of wood upwards, and it slipped out of its wedge in the ceiling. He laughed for a moment, and then cried out as a huge force of rain slapped into his face. He moved his hand to try and block his face, but managed to lose his grip on the rim of the trapdoor and he fell to the ground painfully, landing on his feet but really thudding into them hard.
"Ow, crap!"
He crumpled for a moment, grasping his feet in pain. When his feet stopped throbbing as much, he stood, shakily, rubbing his neck, which had become a habit. With a sigh, he looked back towards the wires.
~ "Here we go again . . ."~
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Lindsay sighed. She was so hungry. Her stomach kept on growling and growling. It had been a good while since the group had eaten. They didn't want to turn into cannibals, and so they would have to find food soon!
"Rei," she whispered to the silent boy, who hadn't moved since the fight two hours ago. He simply watched the blackness sadly, his eyes lost in something Lindsay couldn't guess. She repeated his name, and he blinked, looking around slowly to face her. He smiled.
"Hey, Linz."
Lindsay smiled back. "Hey. Um . . . I don't mean to interrupt, but we need food. We can't survive on water and empty stomachs."
Rei nodded. "Well, where do you suggest we go? I know this place is meant to be inhabited with cannibals, but it seems safe. The only place that I can think of to look for food is back in the city. And it's dark."
Lindsay nodded. "I know. It's dangerous, but, well, we need food."
Rei turned and looked back over at the silhouette of the city. Despite the darkness, he could see the plumes of smoke rising from the charred remnants of civilisation.
"What do you suggest, Linz?"
Lindsay sighed, and looked over at Sara, who was sitting alone, sharpening her arrows with a small, rather blunt looking stone and glaring at those who spoke to her. She looked up dangerously as Lindsay approached, and Lindsay noticed with a wince that one of Sara's eyes was painfully swollen and starting to bruise from Tala's cruel attack earlier.
"What, Lindsay?"
Lindsay swallowed, and brushed a piece of hair out of her glasses. They kept on slipping down her nose, irritatingly, because she was so wet.
"Well, Sar, seeing as we haven't eaten anything, do you fancy a trip back into the city? Just me, you and Rei?"
Sara looked up, a smile crossing her features and her eyes glinting naughtily. "Oh yes. That'll put Mr Slap-a-lot in his place!"
She jumped to her feet enthusiastically, her meekness from earlier disappearing. Rei watched her with a smile, and, at Lindsay's glance, stood himself, and issued Sara to grab some more arrows. She was already way ahead of him. It wouldn't take them long to get back into the edges of the city. The journey here had only taken three days because the city was huge. It had taken ages to cross it. It would only take a few hours to get back into the outskirts.
"Let's go, then," said Lindsay with a grin. The three of them stepped out from the tree branches, allowing the chilling rain to suddenly attack them with its animal-like ferocity. They slipped through the darkness, as though it were a blanket for them to simply pass through, ignoring the cries from their 'leader' as he demanded them to return. They left the team behind them for the moment and headed off into the night.
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Kai clambered out of trapdoor finally, wincing at the thrash of rain upon his wounds. It certainly was stormy out here. He'd had no idea. The cold wind cut into his naked upper half bitterly, and he hugged his arms about himself. The tatters of his creamy scarf billowed in the air, and he looked about with his russet eyes.
He could only see two other buildings around himself, apart from the one he'd clambered out of moments ago. They were grey in the darkness, tall, one only being a small, office type building, and the other being much bigger than both the office room and the one he'd been confined in.
A huge fence, metal and about ten feet high, surrounded the whole block of three buildings. Kai grimaced at its height. That would be more difficult to scale. At the top was a ridge of barbed wire, curling and glinting in the occasional flashes of lightning.
More importantly, Kai glanced about for beasts. He knew there would be quite a few of them, and, weapon-less, he had to stay on his guard. He knew he could always take cover in the room he'd just escaped from, but he didn't want to resort to hiding. He wanted out.
He smelled the air for a moment, trained in this sort of thing, and swung his head left at the scent of meat. Raw flesh had a particular fragrance. So now he knew that there were beasts around the left corner of the room he'd been in. So he'd have to go right. Which meant he would have to go right, past the largest of the three buildings.
He started off, his feet making no noise on the muddy ground, and slinking along the walls of the tall grey mass of building. He reached a window, and quickly checked inside for any sign of life. He could see the lights were on inside, as the light was reflecting through the glass and showing bright in the darkness around him.
Lightning cracked again, and Kai quickly glanced into the window. And gasped.
Inside was a small operating table, dark grey shiny metal in colour. A synthetic glare of light reflected from it. And laying upon it, completely naked, lay Kate, her arms restrained and her lower abdomen covered in small, pen like markings. She was wide awake, and looking around with wild black eyes, her hair bedraggled and looking like she'd been struggling. Next to the operating table was a small tray, full of glimmering operating machinery, scissors and knives, glinting with a fierce reality that Kai hated to see. It reminded him too much of the abbey. Especially the tall figure in the white lab coat that turned to the operating table, a scalpel shining menacingly in his hands.
"Boris . . . " hissed Kai very quietly, aware that the beasts weren't too far away. He watched on through frightened eyes as Boris began to cut Kate's belly along the lines he'd marked out, like some sort of plastic surgery. He couldn't hear her, but he could see Kate screaming and struggling, attempting to get off the table but being restrained by the metal cuffs.
Kai swallowed as Boris threw the scalpel aside, having slit a huge gash across Kate's lower stomach. He relinquished a long, thick needle, and inserted it into the gash. Kai winced. Why did he have to cut her open? A needle would have worked either way.
~ "Oh yeah. This is Boris we're talking about."~
Kai watched as Kate writhed, throwing her head back in agony, her legs kicking wildly, her fists clenched in expressions of torture, and Kai couldn't watch on as Boris removed the embryo from the young girl. He didn't want to know what Boris was playing at. But he knew he had to get Kate out. He was pretty sure she was sorry for what she'd done to him earlier – well, she was now. That's if she could even think clearly.
Ignoring the knowledge that the beasts would come running at his next actions, Kai slammed his bony elbow through the glass of the window. It was double glazed, but he thrust it through hard and shattered a good portion of the glass. He continued to smash it up, until there was enough room for himself to drag himself inside, ignoring once more the painful glass shards as they dragged along his bare torso. He slipped into the room quickly, so he could face Boris.
And realised he had absolutely no idea how to get Kate out of there. Boris, who had plenty of weapons, faced him and he had no idea how to release the straps from Kate's body, Plus, the beasts would be on the prowl now.
"What are you doing, Boris?" Kai growled, covering up his hesitancy with a quick snap at his former trainer. Boris looked at him curiously, the needle still in his hands.
"Well, Kai, I just removed your child from her body."
"I can see that!" snapped Kai angrily, looking down for a second at the bleeding, semiconscious girl. Boris laughed.
"Patience, young Kai. This child will grow up to be more powerful than you can imagine. More powerful than you, Kai. More powerful than me!"
Kai scowled at the evil man. "Yeah, sure. So let Kate go."
Boris raised an eyebrow, and the lightning cracked outside once more. The room lit up, and Kai resisted the urge to cry out at Boris' bright red eyes.
"Fine, Hiwatari. Take her."
With a frown, Kai watched as Boris released the straps that held the girl in place. "Wha . . . what?"
Kate's legs immediately curled up to her belly and she cried out in pain as blood surged from her wound. Boris raised his hands in a suggestive gesture as the lightning died down outside.
"Run, Kai. Run as fast as you can. Let's see how far you get."
Kai backed away instinctively, this conversation sounding frighteningly familiar to one he'd had with Boris when he was very young. He didn't want to remember those times. Swallowing dryly, and tensing his muscles for an attack from Boris, Kai moved to the table and picked up Kate in his arms, finding that she was luckily light. Blood spilt onto his chest and he glanced back up at Boris, who watched the limp girl in Kai's arms a little jealously.
"Well? Run."
Kai took one more look at Boris, knowing he was falling for some sort of trap but accepting this as the only way he could even try to escape with Kate, and then moved for the door, leading him out into a dark corridor (not before grabbing one of the scalpels from the operating table). He glanced behind him at Boris before he pulled the door shut tightly, shuddering at Boris' look of longing towards the crying Kate.
He turned into the corridor and made his way down it quickly, still puzzled over how easy that was, and found the front exit of the building. He pushed it open warily, knowing that the beasts would be on full patrol since he'd broken the glass so sharply. He could feel the blood trickling from his elbow, and it was rather more painful than he'd hoped it would be. Still, he was managing, running along with a dying girl in his arms.
He slipped out of the door and pressed himself against the wall, attempting to get his bearings in the pitch darkness of the night. The rain slammed into him, combined with a powerful, nasty wind, which cut into his skin and caused him to curl into himself for a second. When the wind died down, he made his move, darting left and turning the corner towards the massive metal fence.
Taking a deep breath, Kai sprinted towards the fence, knowing he could climb it but not so sure about Kate. She was still very much awake, but bleeding badly and probably weak and dizzy. His feet pounded into the muddy floor, and he slipped a few times as he neared the glimmering confines of the fence. He smiled as he neared it, pleased with his luck. He'd avoided the beasts.
The lightning struck again, and lit up the area, and Kai closed his eyes in the bright glare of the fork. It was blinding, and he stopped, for fear he would trip with the hurt girl. And that's when he felt something whip straight into his back and fling him forwards into the path of the metal fence. He slammed into it face first and cried out in pain as he felt his nose snap. He let go of Kate unintentionally, and turned, the lightning gone now, to face a huge, dark blue beast, with oily, scaly skin, barely visible in the darkness. Its neck was short and stubby, but its body was long, and its tail looked powerful and sharp, as it was covered with small silver platelets. Kai coughed for a moment to clear the blood out of his throat before pushing himself to his shaky feet, looking straight at the beast in front of him.
It lunged forwards, smelling a fresh victim, and Kai leaped upwards, clinging to the wire of the fence with his aching hands. He was then on a level with the creature, and he spun the hoary scalpel in his hands before lobbing it viciously into its left eye. Blood splurged from the popped eye, and Kai winced at the white liquid that spilled from the socket.
~ "It's like I'm armed but the gun's not loaded . . ."~
In his moment of safety, more lightning flashed, and Kai forced himself to keep his eyes open and he scrambled for Kate, who was sprawled on the floor, her blood mixing with the rain. He grabbed her arms and hoisted them around his painful neck, dragging her towards the fence. He felt her grab on and try to secure herself weakly, which was helpful, and then, just before the beast could try and attack again, amidst its wails of anguish and pain, Kai reached up onto the fence with his free arm and began to climb, Kate dangling from his neck.
~ "I guess I could find my way out of this . . ."~
It was difficult, as Kate's weight, slight as it was, really pulled on his neck, and he feared that the stitches would slip out. Still he continued to climb, as quickly as he could with one hand, the rain slamming into his eyes and blinding him as much as the lightning did. He could hear the beast below, roaring in pure seething anger.
When he felt the fence begin to shake, Kai was about half way up, and he looked back in fear, his whole body shivering with the cold, as the beast began to claw its way up the metal mesh of the wire, its body shimmering with wet droplets of water, trickling down those scales seductively, a fathomless, untouchable black socket glaring right up at them much more so than the real eye had ever done.
~ "But it's like you've found a way inside . . ."~
Kai swallowed and did all that he could do. He climbed. Yanking himself up with vicious jerks of his arms, attempting not to panic at the sound and sense of the beast clambering closer and closer, its silver claws blending and merging into the wires. He neared the summit of the fence, his face absolutely soaked with rain, and grabbed the top of the fence with force, hoping to yank himself and Kate over safely and traverse the other side to get a head start on the beast. However, when he slammed his hand into a bundle of barbed wire he retreated, cursing and feeling lucky that he hadn't torn any major blood vessels in his hand. It bled, but not badly. The blood was assimilated by the rainwater and fell through the air, landing straight in the mouth of the beast.
~ "And I hate that I suspect you're right."~
Kai glanced down frantically, wondering how he was supposed to get out of this. And he suddenly longed to hold his Dranzer once again; to simply catch the kisses of the beautiful scarlet phoenix as it soared through a new, free world, and to swim further out with it, and wrap it around him like a blanket, as if joy were something he could touch.
~ "This time I'm not gonna follow you down . . ."~
No. He wouldn't let Boris beat him so easily. He would reunite himself with his phoenix, his other half, his eternal companion. And he would do it soon. No beast was about to tear him down. He and Kate were getting out of this.
Kai pushed himself up the wire, letting go with his hand and forcing himself to grab the top of the twining cruel ringlets of glinting wire. The lightning flashed, and lit up his vision, and he scanned the wire quickly. He saw his nearest opening, and shimmied over to it quickly as the sky blackened again, ignoring the tearing in his hand. Kate still dangled from his neck, and he grit his teeth as he smelled the beast on the night rain. Upon reaching the opening, he began to slip himself and Kate through it simultaneously, attempting as best as he could to avoid catching any parts of her exposed body on the barbed wire. Thunder roared, and Kai was deaf to everything around him but for the ominous growl of the heavens.
Unfortunately for him, at that exact same moment, the beast reached upwards with its trunk-like foreleg and grasped Kate's own wiry leg. Kai felt the jolt run through his own body as her hands unclasped from around his neck and he grabbed her tighter, gritting his teeth and cursing silently.
The beast pulled harder, and Kai attempted to move away desperately, but he could feel the claws of the vile creature scraping along Kate's slender limbs. There'd be no point in escaping with a girl whose legs were so mangled that she could not walk.
He turned, as another flash of lightning cracked through the putrid wet sky, and glared as bravely as he could into the eye of the beast. And then, in one horrendous instant, the beast yanked down much harder than before, almost pulling Kai from his perch and tearing Kate from his grip. Her naked body fell straight into its crocodile jaws, and Kai couldn't look away as the beast snapped her slim back in its powerful hunger. Her broken body lingered for a moment, hanging out of its mouth and dripping wet, and her glazed open eyes met Kai's own, still alive and still aware, pleading, desperate, accusing, and lamenting. And then she was gone, as quickly as she had come, through this evil creature's own desire as it shook its head from side to side, its gruesome fangs tearing through her broken skin and folding her body into its jaws.
Kai watched on in horror for another moment as Kate was torn away from him as his freedom had been torn in earlier hours, and then, his eyes still wide and shocked, he clambered through the circular escape in the wire, still determined to escape somehow.
With a final snap of his own body, Kai swung himself around, and now, admittedly quicker because of the use of both hands, scrambled down the massive wire fence with impressive speed, landing on unsteady feet upon the sodden, slippery, treacherous ground.
~ "Now comes for it. I'll run, Boris. I'll run you off your feet."~
He found himself faced with a huge field, of stalks and towering high plants. There was nothing left for him to do than run, and so, with a cry, Kai plunged into the field of corn, not knowing where he was running, but knowing he wasn't about to stop any time soon.
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"See anything, Rei?"
Sara peered around the corner of a building, her eyes almost indistinguishable from her face in the wet atmosphere. Rei stood nearby, perched on an upturned old car. He stood still, rather like a meerkat, and watched all around them. The three of them (Lindsay remained with Sara) were on the very outskirts of the city. They were still close to their oak tree shelter to see it faintly in the silhouette of the night, and they could also see other outlines against the dark horizon – a small set of huts, a few other trees, and a large, unidentifiable square building. Turning back to the city, flaming buildings, charred remnants of any natural life, and the occasional sign of movement could be seen. All was as Rei expected it to be.
"Well, it looks like there's a ruined fast food restaurant at the end of this street. Wanna try it?"
Lindsay poked her head out. "We can't be slow. They're not far away."
Rei nodded, and Lindsay and Sara joined him next to the car. He jumped down silently, his hair moving in the rain, heavy and sagging across his face, somehow still managing to remain graceful. He turned towards the broken, burned building, only a small one, but a possible food source, and began to move towards it quickly. They'd already tried three other ruins. They just had to keep trying.
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Tyson shifted to a more comfortable position, the rainwater occasionally flitting through the aging leaves of the oak and pattering upon his back. Nearby lay Max, and Ozuma and Lee sat up against the tree trunk.
"So, Ozuma, do you know what happened to the rest of the Saint Shields?" Tyson said as he thrust his chin into his cupped hands. Ozuma shook his head.
"I have no idea. I don't think they'll be . . . alive, though. There aren't many people left. It's kind of weird how a lot of the people left are actually Beybladers."
"S'cause we're in good physical condition," grinned Tyson. Lee shook his head. "That didn't stop some of us being broken down. No matter how bright a candle burns, it's still majorly simple to snuff it out. That's what life is doing at the moment. It's just sheer coincidence we're still left together."
"Coincidence?" repeated Max, sitting up, his blond hair falling into his eyes, which shimmered darkly in the blackness. "No, I don't think so."
"So what do you think, Max?" asked Ozuma, not moving his face but shifting his gaze upon the young blond. Max shrugged.
"I . . . dunno. But we're here for a reason, I know that. We've all got a purpose for being here. We've all got a job to do."
Lee shrugged. "Fair enough. So, Max, why am I still alive? I could have easily been killed a few days earlier. Why am I still here? What's my job?"
Max's eyes fell. He couldn't explain how he felt. He had never been a very strongly religious person, but right now he felt that he could not avoid thinking that someone had kept him alive for a reason. Maybe it was just a passing phase – he didn't know or understand. But there was this strong feeling of longing inside him, simply a longing to complete whatever task he was required to complete.
The lightning crashed a little further out towards the field, and Max winced. When was this storm going to stop?
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The heavy thud of angry footsteps followed Kai as he ran, almost as rapid as the frenzied beatings of his own heart. Crunching in the sopping damp soil behind him, never slacking, pace increasing as his own slowly began to die down. Stalks of grain lay ahead, a perilous maze of lofty silhouettes, contoured against the black night sky. No stars glinted overhead; the expanse of night above was empty, devoid of activity or life. Perhaps the sight of a glittering star would have reassured him. Perhaps he would not have felt so very alone.
Vision swung bumpily from left to right as he constantly turned his head, searching desperately for assistance, an escape route, a way out. It shuddered and blurred with each weary step he took, shaking and vibrating wildly. He did not dare look around, though he knew what followed. Mad fear drove him on, the light and hope of escape not quite burned out in the darkness of his mind. Mechanically, his feet carried him forward, a slip or blunder occasionally hindering his flight. The noise behind him was enough to keep him alive, enough yet to keep him running. Heavy panting and primitive grunting spliced the otherwise still night air from about three meters behind. The sound of those animal feet tearing through the soil struck new life into his dying soul, and he raced on, the running wind and the teeming rain chapping his face.
He floundered forward through the field blindly, the wet grass slithering and squeaking under his bare, aching feet. He could hear his own breath, ripping out before him like the tattered rags of an old ghost, materializing just as he ran straight through it and broke it into a million pieces. He had no time to think, no time to plot or systematize a stratagem – he was running in sightless terror.
Running for his life.
~ "I'm gonna outrun you, Boris . . ."~
As his strength began to fail, as his lungs began to trouble him with each desperate struggle for breath, as his sights finally began to falter, the terrifying noises that followed ceased as suddenly as they had begun. The thud of the creature's footsteps was gone, the growling, the grunting, had departed. The night was at peace besides the shreds of breath he panted into the air. Warily, he stopped and he slowly turned around. To his left, though he could not make it out clearly, was a patch of large, flowering plants, and to his right was a stretch of soil. He was surprised at how much he observed in such a situation. Guardedly, he glanced around, still incredibly wary, still vigilant. His heart rate, though still breakneck, was progressively slowing down. He allowed himself to take in deeper breaths, and, after a final check that everything was clear, leaned over, fastened his hands onto his knees and supported himself, tearing in each breath hungrily, now and then feeling one jar in his tormented throat as he heaved it in. His head began to clear, and, as he felt a little of his strength returning, he stood up shakily and looked about in an attempt to determine where he was. He turned around.
In the calm hush of the night, if he closed his weary eyes, Kai could smell a road. He wasn't far from a highway. The smell of tarmac was unfamiliar and so easy to pick up in the storm. It was a mammoth reprieve to smell civilization again. Gingerly, the corners of his lips began to pull into a reassured smile despite the many cuts and sores on his smooth skin. If he could reach the highway, maybe he could figure out where he was. He already held a faint hope. Something in the air told him that he might be somewhere helpful to him. But he didn't want to raise his own hopes, so he would wait for the highway. He had a feeling something positive might lie on the other side.
Once more, he knew he had to run.
He sprung towards the road fragrance, breathing it in and distinguishing it from the smell of plants all around him. Suddenly, as though that eerie echo of thunder that boomed through the sky, he could hear his aggressor trailing him again, but more slowly now. Gathering all his strength, he forced himself to move forwards as quickly as his reeling body would allow it.
He came to a raised piece of ground, and, shaking his floppy hair out of his eyes in an effort to clear his giddy vision, he looked over towards the highway in what little spare time he had before his enemy gained too much and he was caught. The highway was not far – visible against the shadowy canvas that was the sky. His spirits rose faintly by the re-emergence of society into his life, and he guessed that he would have to cover around thirty meters through a field of grain and lofty stalks before he made it to the wayside. Doubts filled his head, rose over his fear, but he thrust them away, relying on his stifling panic to propel him forward. It was his driving force, his acceleration, his stimulus and his energy source. Where else could he draw from now?
He started from his harried thoughts when disturbed by a louder sound behind him. His assailant had caught up and was no more than two meters away. He looked back towards the highway, its not-too-distant scent his only hope for now. He mustered his remaining might together and took a breath.
With a frenzied cry, Kai crashed forward into the stalks and ran for his life.
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"What a find, Rei!"
Lindsay emerged from underneath a counter with a large cellophane bag, filled with small round bread buns. On the opposite side of the room, Sara held up a bag full of uncooked burger meat, smiling and licking her lips.
"Not in this weather, but when the rain stops, we can make a fire and make burgers!"
Rei laughed, his own stomach growling. But then presence of mind told him that they had to get back now, for fear of the beasts, or any other threat that might come their way.
The three of them slipped out of the building and into the street, making their way stealthily across the outskirt of the city until they reached the edge of it, quickly crossing a small road that led into a bunch of fields. They would have to go downhill in a moment, and from his higher position, Rei could see all around. Their field was not the only one he could see in the gloomy night sky. To its left was another field, similar in size but filled with bare grass. To its right, a field that looked like it might contain some sort of grain, but he couldn't tell because he was pretty far away, and it was dark.
The rain suddenly lashed into their faces hard and quick, forcing them all to close their eyes and shut it out. The wind chapped their skin and they all winced, and suddenly, as their eyes shut out the sights around them, their world was quickly filled with smells, all sorts of different ones. To Lindsay, the smell of wet grass was very particular. For Sara, she could smell the scent of the city flowing from behind them. And Rei?
Rei could smell a highway. He knew where it lay, too. Slightly to the right of the field.
"Let's go, guys," he said quietly after the mini onslaught of rain died off a tad. They quickly traversed the steep hill, and Rei found that for the first time since the battle at the Dojo, he felt a little more alive. Like there was something worth carrying on for. In the freedom of his own rule, and the rebellion of straying away from Tala's dictation, he could move for himself again. And he kind of liked taking part in little team raids like this.
With the bag of buns, Lindsay reached the bottom of the hill first; her glasses polka-dotted with water drops and her hair twice as curly as normal, a beautiful dark brown in the night air. Water ran off her pointed nose and she smiled up at the others, as their eyes had adjusted and she knew they could see her smile. She felt like smiling. It was great to follow her own route again. And she felt more useful when she helped the team out like this. Made her feel more like part of the team. As one of the only members of the group who wasn't formerly a Beyblader, she sometimes felt left out. Now, she felt like she fitted perfectly. She didn't realise that people with big hearts fitted everywhere. But she was young, and that lesson would come, as she grew older.
Sara smiled back at Lindsay, despite the rain having rinsed off all of her mascara. She hadn't really thought of anything deep during their little expedition. Her mind kept playing over Tala's slaps earlier. She didn't think he realised how much he'd hurt her – not just physically, although it had smarted quite a lot. She'd always thought that Tala had more respect for her than to treat her like some sort of punishment worthy pet. She didn't want to hate him, but how could she refuse when he acted that way? That didn't matter now, though. What was important was getting what was right for the team, back for the team.
The three gathered at the bottom of the hill and began the short journey to the oak tree. Rei kept a careful watch, though the girls were less vigilant, for any sign of creatures or humans who could be dangerous. It was not surprising, then, that it was he who cried out:
"What the heck is that?"
Sara glanced around, confused, as did Lindsay, who couldn't see too well anyway. Suddenly they both saw it. A shadowed figure stumbled into the field from the right, delayed by a dragging gait, and was closely followed by something entirely more sinister, more monstrous. The smaller figure moved forwards a little way more, on the opposite side of the field to the oak tree, before collapsing to its knees, at the mercy of the larger creature.
Rei stood stock still, merely staring forwards, and Lindsay noticed that tiger look that had appeared in his eyes earlier. He didn't know what to think. He blinked, a thousand thoughts running across his mind at once. He knew he had to decide what he was going to do quickly. But he didn't want to risk anybody's life in folly. Was that who he thought and hoped it might be? Or was it not? Rei wasn't sure whether he was willing to gamble.
~ "Please come closer . . ."~
Rei's eyes widened, as a song lyric from a band he used to listen to suddenly blossomed in his mind. It continued as he watched the creature approach the smaller figure tauntingly slowly.
~ "Please see I'm walking into the eye of the storm . . ."~
With a crack in the dark sky, piercing light, the field was lit up, and Rei's amber eyes focused on the figure. With a steady thud of the heart, Rei leaped forward, instantly moved upon his convictions, and Sara and Lindsay, guessing the truth, bounded after him, their feet sure in the muddy ground. Sara aimed her bow and arrows quickly as she ran, targeting the larger creature with accuracy in the strangely drawn out flash of lightning. Just as the light faded from the thunderous cracks, Sara let rip with three arrows, and, as the three of them got closer to their destination, Rei withdrew a small dagger from his person and raised it into the air.
Rain flew about them wildly, as if excited by this sudden show of passion from the three teens, and lightning punctured the blanket of sky once more in frenzy as the wind licked their faces and stole their battle cries, spreading them further than expected. When they reached the creature, it was already reeling from Sara's highly accurate onslaught. Rei pounced on it, stabbing the dagger into the centre of its forehead, watching the blood trickle down in the darkness. It swayed around for a moment, as if caught in the ravaging wind, before stumbling to its knees and slamming lifelessly into the mud.
There was a silence, not out of reverence, but some inexplicable silence as the creature hit the floor. The rain continued to pour, but the lightning ceased, and the wind died down just for a second. Rei looked at Sara and Lindsay, before looking down to the shivering figure on the floor, the smaller figure, the one that had concerned Rei from the start.
Rei smiled warmly, his eyes radiating heat through the dull chill of the night. The wind picked up once more, and, in silence, the three teammates surrounded the lad on the floor, Lindsay kneeling down besides him gently. Sara began to check him for wounds all over, whilst Rei simply watched for a moment, quietly enjoying that wonderful sense of being proved right by events, before reaching into his trouser pocket. He pulled out a dark blue blade, with a glimmering red phoenix carved into the centre that lit up savagely in the darkness around them. As Sara examined his wounded hands, and Lindsay offered a few reassuring words, Rei knelt down in front of the semi conscious boy, who was still managing to stay on his knees, and held out his hand.
"I think you dropped this, Kai."
Kai took the blade with an exhausted, colourless smile. His fingers closed around it, smearing blood all over it in an accidentally protective manner, and he spoke faintly.
"I . . . outran him . . ."
The thunder rolled in the distance, moving away now, and as the wind blew about them, Kai closed his eyes in relief, and Lindsay caught him gingerly.
"What did he mean?" she said quietly, moving to shelter the weakened boy from the heavy rain. "He outran who?"
Rei shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know. All I know is that we've got our Captain back."
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Sherby: I'm not even bothering with a message like usual. I'm too tired. I had a prayer night last night at my local youth group at church and we weren't allowed to sleep! So I've had no sleep in forty odd hours now. Me need bed. You review. Me happy. You safe. Yam-yam-Shmam.
Kai: She means goodnight, and thanks for reading. Please leave a review – it'll wake her up! She says the lyrics used throughout the chapter were from Blindside's new album "About a Burning Fire" which you should all go and buy – I'm not advertising – but it's amazing so go buy it right now . . . Oh, it's *checks watch* 23:42 on Sunday night. She started it Saturday. And she apologises for the length of the chapter, and says something along the lines of---
Sherby: If you don't like the length I'll crusssshhhh ya like a worrem!
Kai: She'll crush you like a worm.
Sherby: I said tha---*sleeps*
Kai: See ya later guys!
Sherby: God bless.
Kai: I thought you were sleeping.
Sherby: Everyone needs blessings.
Kai: Yeesh, just go to sleep! Fool! *Hits Jenny with big computer bashing hammer that Emerald Skies gave her long, long ago. Jenny sleeps. The end. It's a mini adventure.*