Cole's eyes winced spastically as he clutched his scepter, staring at his reflection through the sparkly jewel at its peak. He was still alone in the shelter and not a second of sleep to show for it. Adrenaline pumped through him, keeping his moving and functioning but leaving his face covered with sweat and fatigue.
"Who is it?" he asked aloud to his reflection. "Are you going to tell me? Tell me! I need to know. I can't take this anymore. I said no deaths! I cannot take another death! The last time there was a traitor…" his hands quivered. "I lost three soldiers. I can't handle it anymore. How dare he betray me-whoever he is," he groaned with tears forming in his eyes. "HOW DARE HE!" stabbing his palm with the staff.
Blood spread from the small wound. Cole put his hand to his mouth and licked it clean.
"David…" he growled lowly. "I know it!" That bastard! Plotting against me, after all I have done for him! He is planning wrong against ME?! George!" he called "George! Where are you?!"
"I am beside you, Cole." George answered calmly.
Cole looked to him with pleading truth with his eyes. "George, it is David who is the traitor, isn't it?"
"Cole. I have told you before, I don't know who yet. You just have to be careful. At this point anyone is viable. Even Matt."
Cole's eyes filled with tears. "George! You told me!"
"I told you I did not think so." He frowned. "If I had told you I did think so, you would have panicked and made it look obvious. As you always do I might add." Cole glared at him. "Let's face it Cole, you wear your emotions on your sleeve, and that can be your downfall around the wrong people."
"So what are you saying?"! Cole snapped. "Matt, my best friend, my be planning to kill me! Is that what you are saying?!"
"I did not say that, Cole."
"Then say what the hell you mean! I cannot sleep because of you, George!" he protested, "If millions of people's lives are on the line, then tell me what the hell you mean!"
"I cannot talk to you while you are like this." George said as he slowly began to pale and fade away.
"No.", Cole pleaded hysterically. "Don't leave me! Don't go, George!" leaping at his fading figure, falling through him and on his chest. "George! I need you! Don't leave! I will be calm! I swear, just please don't go!"
George was completely faded away now. Cole clenched his fists and slammed them at the ground, his hair flung over his dark eyes.
The entrance to the shelter fumbled open and Drake walked calmly through with a feigned everything-will-be-okay smile on his face.
Cole just stared at the ground on his palms and knees not giving Drake a single look. "Go away", he groused.
Drake's smile faded. "Cole, we are really worried about you. You haven't slept for at least two days, haven't eaten or even gone to the bathroom as far as I know. We have all been outside thinking of ways to make you feel better."
"No you haven't." Cole snarled. "You have all been out all morning feasting on berries while David has been making Prozac remarks about me and Matt saying I scared the crap out of him when he saw me." He snapped, glaring up at his companion. "Is that your idea of thinking of ways to make you feel better." He mocked rudely.
Drake looked at him both puzzled and speechless. "If you have been here all day, how did…did you-"
"He told me," he answered bitterly.
"He as in…?"
"Just get out!", he sneered, revealing his black-circled eyes to Drake.
Feeling as if there was no more he could say to him, Drake moved toward the exit. "Cole, I cannot speak for the others, but I am your friend. I will always be there for you."
Drake slowly walked out to find the others crowded around him for details. Discreetly he motioned with his head to move farther away from the entrance. They did as he signaled and they all sat on the ground, waiting to know the status of Cole.
Negatively, Drake shook his head to cause 2 frowns and one unaffected expression.
"He just doesn't want to talk, guys. I don't know why, but he is very upset." Drake informed.
"I could have told you that.", David added darkly.
"Shut up, David!", the others yelled in unison.
"He really needs to sleep. He was looking at something yesterday, like some imaginary person. Its almost as if he is…", Matt looked to his sides, and in fear of Cole hearing him he whispered softly. "Delirious."
"I felt like he was talking to someone too right before I came in.", Drake added.
"Why don't we all go and try to pep him up a little." Drake suggested optimistically.
David rolled his eyes with an
'ugh' "Why don't you all just leave him alone! He will get over it sometime, if
you suppress him he will just sulk more."
Drake glared threateningly at David.
Matt quickly intervened "Maybe, David is right. Why don't we just give him some space? It couldn't hurt…and maybe before anything serious happens he will feel better and everything will be fine! Right?"
Drake reluctantly nodded his head.
"See!" David said with a sarcastic smile. "Maybe listened to me more than you do telling me to shut up, we could have solved this problem hours ago!"
Matt and Drake looked at each other and then to David. "Shut up, David."
Ignoring both of them, David stood back up and started to walk off. "I'm going into the woods."
"Don't call us, we'll call you!" Drake yelled sarcastically.
David made a swift notion with his hand and continued to walk off. Matt couldn't help but smirk.
"Hey, Drake, can you help me up?" Matt asked. "My knee is really banged up, and I don't even remember how I did it."
Drake looked at Matt curiously. "That's strange." He held out his hand and then noticing strange cut marks all over his arm. Pulling Matt up he looked at him seriously. "Matt, where did all of those cuts on your skin come from?"
"Huh?" Matt asked, looking down at his arm. "Oh. Nothing, I guess I got them from when I was caught in that storm the other day."
"Oh," Drake replied softly. "David had a lot of scratches too. All over him."
"Wasn't he out in the storm too?" Andrew added from the side.
"Yeah."
"Then that is probably why I guess." Matt reasoned.
"I guess so," staring at Matt's arm.
Matt began to walk off slowly, as if in pain. Suddenly he turned back around to Drake. "Hey, um, is it just me, or is it extremely hot right now?"
Drake looked at him concernedly. "No, it feels fine to me. Why?"
Matt collapsed on the ground as Drake and Andrew quickly came to his aid.
"Drake, I don't feel very well at all." Matt said sickly.
His pupils dilated rapidly back and forth and his skin shook heavily.
"We need to get you some help!" Andrew panicked "But where?!"
Matt was losing all control of his body movement and all through his mind were random flashes of buildings. Tall skyscrapers, thousands of them, each one larger than the other, just stood everywhere. Now he heard screams, but he could not see any of the people making them. He could see Andrew and Drake in flashes. In one split of a second he could see them, trying to hold him down, and in the other half he could see the buildings yet the screams would never die. 'Was this some sort of vision?' he thought to himself. His visions had never caused him so much pain before though. A city! That was what he was sensing, a city. But why? The thought then hit him. The buildings began to vanish.
Matt jolted forward, out of his strange episode, disoriented and dizzy.
"Matt! How are you feeling?" Drake asked.
Matt blinked several times and held his head to focus his thoughts. All of his pain had stopped and he felt normal aside from his dizziness. Ignoring Drake, matt subconsciously lifted himself back onto his feet. The wound on his knee did not hurt him anymore.
"Matt? Can you hear us?" Andrew asked, both him and Drake rising up with Matt.
Matt looked at both of them with a mixture of fright and sincerity in his eyes. "We need to go back to the city."
