PART 20

As the final preparations were made for Scully's new company to go into hiding for the night, she sat in the darkness waiting for her explanation of what the hell was going on and why she couldn't leave. She was still very tired and fed up; she wanted to go home, to her own comfy apartment. She wanted to see a nice familiar face, she wanted to see Mulder.

"I am sorry for my delay. I have to check that we are out of sight from the spies."

"Spies?"

"Yes, they come every night to see if there is anyone living out here."

"And they never find you?"

"No. We are very careful, very precise. Not one clue of our existence is left on view at

nightfall."

"But I don't understand what this has to do with me. I mean, I appreciate your efforts to help me, but I really do have to leave as soon as possible."

"I am sorry. It just simply isn't possible."

"No, I'm sorry. I have to go. I have to get home, to my partner."

"Your partner? You are married?"

He pointed to her hand being without a wedding band.

"I'm not married, he's my work partner. He needs my help. I need to be with him."

"I understand. But you have to understand us first. I have much to tell, you have to be a good listener."

"Fire away, I'm all ears."

Scully looked at the man sitting in front of her. He looked eager to talk, but he also looked like he was afraid, like there was something even he was afraid of despite his obvious role of leader within their group. He moved closer towards her and brought

his lamp closer to light up his and Scully's faces.

"The lamp is a great risk, but I feel I must make sure you can see what I am telling you as

well as hearing it."

"So go ahead, I'm waiting. What's so important?"

"There are ten of us that you have seen tonight. Ten people living in the emptiness of a

forest, alone, without anything else that you'd call civilisation. We have lived like this for

several years, I was the first along with my wife who was eventually found and killed."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Some things are meant to happen we can't stop them. Anyway, aside from us in small underground huts, there are 500 more people living like us, but they are permanently in the dark, they cannot stand light or the sun."

"What? How do they live like that?"

"They were found by us in an abandoned house a few miles out of the forest. They had been subjected to some sort of torture and were barely alive. None of them are able to look at light because their eyes will not allow it, they are all partially blind, some are deaf, some are disabled, some are brain dead and cannot experience anything anyway. But we cannot become like them and kill the ones that already are dead in their minds, we are not murderers."

"But I don't understand? Who does this? Why haven't they been stopped?"

"They cannot be stopped, they will just kill in cold blood. We have given the other 500 the best life we could provide, but the ten of us are the ones that were able to escape before they got to us, we escaped unharmed, my wife didn't, and was therefore unable to continue with us. She died after they found her lying amongst fallen leaves. I watched from a distance but there was nothing I could do. I watched them kill her like I've watched them kill so many others. I don't know that they have names, but I know that they are pure evil. And they have begun the tortures again, we found three dead yesterday. And now you."

"But I'm fine. I haven't been tortured."

"Because you got away. I wish I could stop them for good."

Scully stood up; she'd got cramp in her legs from sitting down for so long. The man stood beside her and held the lamp up so they could clearly see each other. Scully didn't know what to do; she didn't know how to react or how to get out of it. What had she stumbled upon? Was it at all related to CSM and his plans with Diana and Krycek? She didn't have a clue. But one thing she did know was these people needed her help, and she was going to have to give it to them. She didn't feel that she really had a choice. As she began to speak, there was a noise coming from outside. She looked at him and his face fell.

"They are here! They have come to search for us."...