'The Hated'

"Speech"
'Thoughts'

Chapter 2

The fluffy white clouds were zipping past her. She had gone home after her realisation that the city was deserted, and had gotten her jet-copter. She had gone around most of the city and had still found no movement aside from that of the seldom-noticed birds.

Now on her way to a neighbouring city, Videl planned on finding out if this was a wide spread thing. The city was just rising on the horizon and she'd be there in a few minutes.

She didn't see any movement in this city at all.

Seeing a good place to land, Videl did so and decided to walk around a bit. It amazed her how lonely the city felt when it was without a soul in it.

She came up to an intersection and stopped. Looking around she saw that the lights were still changing, and some shops had their neon 'open' sign still lit. The dirt and garbage of the city was a prominent feature since there were no moving cars or people to block the view of it or move it around. A light wind kicked some papers up and blew them down the street, where they got stuck at the bottom of a telephone pole.

"This sure is creepy," Videl whispered to herself as she walked slowly down the street. "It feels so unnatural with no one around."

She slowly walked down the main street of the city, looking around anxiously; she half expected something to jump out of one of the alleyways and attack her. It was too still.

She stopped, still looking around. Shifting her view skyward her eyes landed on him, and he was starring right back at her with unblinking eyes. She narrowed her eyes and starred right back at him for a minute, thinking.

Making a decision she looked away from him and to an outdoors shop that was on the other side of the road.

She quickly crossed the road and entered the store, unable to stay under his scrutiny any longer.

Shifting around in the shelves a while, she looked for what she believed she needed. A knife, a hatchet, a couple lighters to use until she figured out how to use the flint and steel that also found its way into her pocket. She also grabbed a pack and put some canned food in it, with some other supplies and a picture.

She hesitated before she exited the store, wondering if she should really just take the stuff. But as she had seen no one around, she was sure no one would mind. If they weren't there… why should they care… right?

The shop's alarm went off as she stepped out, startling her. She looked around, still half-expecting a cop car to turn the corner and come after her. But then she remembered she was alone… she was the only one in the entire city.

So she turned and walked towards the edge of the city, meaning to leave and only come back to this lonely place if she was in desperate need of supplies. But she couldn't live here, or in Satan City, for the emptiness of these cities would drive her mad. She was sure of that.

And as she walked down the street, he looked on. The likeness of the Great Hercule himself, painted on a billboard, watched as she turned a corner and disappeared from his view.

The alarm rung on in the empty city, still giving his sharp cry though there was no one to hear it.

She had been walking for hours along a path she had found. The path led into a forest and wound around low hills and cliffs. All the while taking its user further into the wilderness. The hills were slowly becoming more, the further that she went.

Later, early evening, she came across a particularly high cliff, and she chose to stop and rest her tired feet a while. The clearing was bordered on one side by the dense forest and on the other with the cliff. Looking out over the edge she saw that she was above the trees. She could see for miles over them, and far off in the distance the field of green leaves ended and a land of water began.

Her hands were still sore from the glass wounds that she had caused yesterday.

'Yesterday? It seems like so much longer'

A loud crashing behind Videl alerted her to the approach of something. Getting up she turned around to see what it was. A flock of birds squawked and clumsily flapped their way into the air off to her left.

Whatever was making those noises was getting closer, for the crashes were getting larger and louder.

It was almost here.

Charging from the forest came a tyrannosaurus. And from what Videl knew of these beasts, a very large one.

Videl was paralysed. She had never seen one in real life. She stood still in fear, and hoped that it didn't see her with its poor vision.

It stopped as it sensed it was coming close to a cliff, and stood sniffing the air.

Its massive head swung in her direction, still sniffing. It snorted, and a few moments later let out a terrifying roar before it started stalking in Videl's direction.

Videl didn't wait to start running.

She could hear the slow thuds of the tyrannosaurus' feet speed up as it gave chase. It let out a war cry as it came.

Videl ran as fast as she could, stumbling here and there on the uneven ground; wincing every now and then as her shoes rubbed in just the right way to put pressure on her cuts. She stayed on the path for a minute before veering off into the forest, in hopes of finding a hiding place until it had past.

The dinosaur was hot on her trail, smashing through anything in its way. Its loud breathing could be heard as it ran.

She leaped over a fallen log, using one hand to boost herself over. She was very happy now that she was more than 'in shape', being able to keep a steady distance between her and the T-Rex was a very good thing at the moment.

She weaved between the trees, running at a dead sprint. The beast was still hunting her, no more than 10 metres behind, and was closing in.

Water.

She could see water between the trees.

'Aren't tyrannosauruses supposed to hate water? Sure hope so, it's the only hope I've got to survive this.'

The dinosaur was still closing in.

Reaching the shore of what appeared to be a lake, she kept running, straight into the lake. She didn't care if her clothes were wet. She just needed to get away from that beast.

It stopped short when it reached the edge of the water, and let out an enraged roar.

Videl swam away from it, to put some extra distance between them. From the middle of the lake she looked back. It was still there, watching her. A shiver went up her spine. It was pacing now, eyeing her the whole time.

'I suppose it thinks I'm just going to swim back there to get out of this lake, huh? No way.'

She turned and continued swimming. At the far bank she pulled herself up, water pouring from her drenched clothes.

She wrung as much water out of her clothes as she could while still wearing them, before looking around to survey her new surroundings.

The tall fir trees were surrounded by dense foliage that consisted of many ferns and bushes. She looked up to the sky to see that the sun was just about set. She would need to find a place to stay for the night soon.

She was getting hungry too. She was always hungry after swimming.

She reached for her bag, but her hand came up empty. She looked around. It wasn't anywhere in sight.

'Must have left it back where the T-Rex started chasing me. But who knows where that was now… The picture! I can't leave that behind, I gotta go back for it.'

She could make out the dim form of the ferocious carnivore across the lake. She would have to go around the lake to get there.

She looked to the sky again. The stars were starting to come out.

'The stars! This is entirely their fault! They actually granted my wish! But I'm alone. I didn't wish to be alone.'

A tear rolled from her eye and down her cheek as she thought this. She wiped it away with her hand. The salty tear stung the cuts that had reopened during her exertions.

She started walking again, clutching her arms across herself to keep warm in her wet clothes. She had to get that picture.

She walked on for a while, keeping near the edge of the lake, until it started to get too dark to see. She tried to keep going but she tripped over a root and hit the ground hard.

Videl tried to get up, but she was tired. So tired.

She sobbed quietly as she lay shivering on the ground, the memories of the things that had happened to her recently flooding over her; now that she couldn't do anything but think. The dinosaur, the pictures on the internet, and being alone.

Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes, and she drifted closer to sleep.

"I didn't want to be alone," She whispered to herself as she curled up into a ball.

She was on the very edge of sleep now.

"I didn't want to be alone."

She felt herself move as something picked her up. She stayed still, to weary to care what was happening. Strong arms cradled her against something warm and hard.

"I didn't want to be alone."

Her chant was a mere murmur now.

"Hush now, you're not alone."

She finally drifted into sleep as the heat from the object warmed her and the unfamiliar voice whispered calming words in her ear.

Authors note: Ok woo! The second chapter! Thanks to all those who reviewed. And it should hopefully get a bit less repetitive now that there is two, yes two! characters in this story… not that I've told you who the second is. Anyways… till next time. Whenever that is.